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TV Media Weekly | April 14 - 20, 2018 By Sarah Passingham TV Media C ountry artists hit the strip on Sunday, April 15, for the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards, airing on CBS. Broadcast live from Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena, it's a night of celebrating the best in country music, from veteran super- stars to fresh, emerging talents. Hosting the ceremony this year is country music legend Reba McEntire. The eponymous "Reba" star is no stranger to the hosting gig, having taken the reins a total of 14 times between 1985 and 2012. "I really enjoy hosting. It's very exciting. I love live television," the songstress told Entertainment Tonight. Not only does McEntire have solid experience in the hosting seat, she is a record-holding award winner, having taken home 16 awards from the Academy of Country Music over the years — the most wins of any artist. She won her first ACM Award in 1984 for Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she is also nominated for this year, making it her 16th nomi- nation in the category. One achievement that is close to the multitalented star's heart is her 1994 win for the ACM's Enter- tainer of the Year. With a personal connection to the category, McEn- tire told Entertainment Tonight that she was "disappointed" about the lack of female nominees this year but remained hopeful, calling country music "very cycli- cal. The girls dominate or the boys dominate, so it's coming around. I have faith." Nominated in the cat- egory this year are Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban. Her disappointment is under- standable, particularly with this be- ing a big year for breakthroughs for women in country music. Bebe Rexha, one of the performers of the night, made history in February when her hit with fellow perform- ers Florida Georgia Line, "Meant to Be," topped Billboard's Hot Coun- try Songs for the 11th week in a row. Unseating Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back To- gether," the tune became the lon- gest-running No. 1 song by a lead female. Both tracks are crossover hits, with Swift's song being the lead single from her 2012 album, "Red," which at the time was her most pop-influenced record to date. Primarily a pop star herself, Rexha spoke to Billboard of her success on the country charts, say- ing "the beautiful thing about mu- sic is that it allows you to break boundaries." Along with Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, the impressive list of performers for this year's event includes Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Urban, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney and more. The ceremony welcomes not only country artists but some famous country fans as presenters for the night, including New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Nancy O'Dell of "En- tertainment Tonight," actress Re- becca Romijn ("X-Men," 2000) and Olympic athlete Lindsey Vonn. ACM Award-nominated artist Bentley put out a call to fans earlier this month, looking to make his performance special. The singer asked his fans on social media to send images of their personal fe- male heroes for the chance to be part of his performance of "Wom- an, Amen," and photos of these heroes will be displayed behind Bentley while he performs his hit during the show. Bentley is not the only one drop- ping performance hints. McEntire revealed that she would be inter- ested in performing with country icon Dolly Parton during the cere- mony. There's been no official word yet whether the host will be per- forming during the show with or without Parton, though she surely got fans excited at the prospect. The New Female Vocalist cate- gory suggests that the nominees will be largely unknown to music fans, but there's something famil- iar about nearly all of this year's nominated artists. With the excep- tion of "Every Little Thing" singer Carly Pearce, all of the category's nominees have been contestants on singing competition shows. Lauren Alaina was runner-up in season 10 of "American Idol," Danielle Bradbery became the then-youngest winner of "The Voice" in season 4, and "Lonely Call" singer RaeLynn made it to the quarter-finals of "The Voice" in 2012. That much talent makes for an exciting, tight race between nominees. Of course, there are plenty of more seasoned artists vying for awards as well. The Vocal Duo of the year category features new tal- ent LOCASH going up against new favorites Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line and the classic duo of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Interestingly enough, the 2017 album "The Rest of Our Life," for which they're nominated, is the first collaborative album from McGraw and Hill. They have been married for 21 years, and both are major country stars in their own right. The ACM continues its tradition of raising money for its charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives, with four nights of events in Las Vegas from April 12 to 15. Money raised through the events funds music education, disaster relief and help- ing communities in need. Notable acts appearing over the four days are the nominees for Songwriter of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year, and Video of the Year nomi- nee Ballerini. Be sure to catch all of the perfor- mances and find out who takes home the big wins from the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards by tuning in to CBS for the live broadcast on Sunday, April 15. Reba McEntire, host of the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards Reba McEntire returns to host the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charley's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" GVC Mortgage 5 x 2"

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