COUNTRY NEWS

Last Update on September 02, 2010 13:19 EDT

MIRANDA LAMBERT: ENDS UP WITH 9 CMA AWARD NOMINATIONS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- They're called the Country Music Association Awards. But this year, they might as well be called the Miranda Lambert show. She has continued to make her mark on this year's CMA event -- by being nominated for a total nine awards. That's the most for a female country music artist. She picked up another four yesterday morning -- to go with the five she got the day before. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Lambert says "I don't think it gets better than this." She says she will "be sad when 2011 comes" because this year has been one blessing after another. While Lambert is the biggest shining star from the nominations process, she isn't the only one. Her close friends Lady Antebellum have five nods and her finance Blake Shelton has four -- tying him with Zac Brown Band.

Winners will be announced in a live broadcast on Nov. 10 from Nashville. It will air on ABC.

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LAMBERT, LADY ANTEBELLUM UP FOR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AT CMA AWARDS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Will this year's CMA Awards be another big night for the ladies? It's shaping up that way so far. But when it comes to the night's biggest honor -- entertainer of the year -- there are three guys who are in the running along with a group and Miranda Lambert. Competing against Lambert and Lady Antebellum are Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and the Zac Brown Band. If Lambert should win the entertainer of the year award, she would continue an all-female trend for country music. Last year, Taylor Swift became just the third female winner of the CMA's top award. And in April, Carrie Underwood made history as the first woman to win the Academy of Country Music Awards' a second time.

MIRANDA LAMBERT: ON THE LADIES' RISE TO PROMINENCE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Miranda Lambert says the rise in women in country music is long overdue. She says it's "definitely something that's been needing to happen for a long time." She says the trend toward women has been "turning slowly" -- but these days, women are "being really strong right now." To prove her point, all Lambert has to do is look in the mirror. She has picked up nine nods for this year's CMA Awards -- just one shy of Alan Jackson's record set in 2002. The only other artist to get nine or more nominations in one year is Merle Haggard.

LADY ANTEBELLUM: GOING FOR IT AGAINST LAMBERT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum are pretty close friends. But that doesn't mean they can't be close rivals. They are both up for the album of the year at the CMA Awards this year. And members of Lady Antebellum want to make it clear -- they're in it to win it. While they cheered on Lambert earlier this year when she won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, they say they want it for themselves this time around. Charles Kelley says he'd be lying if he didn't say they "definitely want to win." He says the album of the year honor is the one that would mean the most to the group.

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BLAKE SHELTON: LOST HIS DISH, GAINED THE NOMINATIONS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Usually losing your satellite signal is bad news for you. But it turned out to be good news for Blake Shelton. A storm wiped out his dish reception yesterday -- just as the nominations for the Country Music Association Awards were being read off. But Shelton was able to get up to speed -- thanks to Miranda Lambert, who was reading the announcements off on ABC yesterday morning. Lambert says she called Shelton after she got done doing the nods -- and Shelton wasn't aware he was up for so many awards. The actual number: four -- male vocalist of the year as well as single, music event and video of the year. Those last three are for his work with Trace Adkins on "Hillbilly Bone" -- which means Adkins also has three nominations.

BRAD PAISLEY: CLOSING IN ON CMA HISTORY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Brad Paisley is moving on up. He is now No. 3 on the all time list of Country Music Association Award nominations. The three he has for this year bring him up to 52 for his career. The only country acts who have more are George Strait with 81 and Alan Jackson with 79. Paisley has won male vocalist three straight times. And he has been nominated for a CMA Award each year since 2000.

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Online:

CMA Awards site: http://www.cmaworld.com

LADY ANTEBELLUM: STANDING UP TO CANCER

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lady Antebellum will be among the celebrities who will be on TV waging war against cancer next week. They are on the list of stars who will be performing during the "Stand Up to Cancer" telethon. The event, led by George Clooney, Will Smith and Gwyneth Paltrow, is part of an effort to raise money for innovative research into the cause of the disease that kills so many each year. Martina McBride and Stevie Wonder are among the other music stars who will be taking part in the event, set for next Friday and to air on all the major broadcast TV networks and a host of cable channels.

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Online:

Stand Up to Cancer site: http://www.standup2cancer.org

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