Katie Armiger Packs House at SESAC for CD Release Party
Pictured L to R: Producer Chad Carlson, GAC’s Shanna Strassberg, co-writer Amanda Flynn, Armiger, co-writers Joe West and Bruce Wallace. Photo Credit: Bev Moser (Moments By Moser)
Katie Armiger Packs House at SESAC for CD Release Party
Pictured L to R: Producer Chad Carlson, GAC’s Shanna Strassberg, co-writer Amanda Flynn, Armiger, co-writers Joe West and Bruce Wallace. Photo Credit: Bev Moser (Moments By Moser)
ARTICLE: Hope On The Hill with Kix Brooks
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A fundraiser was held on the hillside at Arrington Vineyards where guests enjoyed the tranquil and breathtaking scenic view as they enjoyed the award winning wines, hors d'oeuvres & music provided by Thom Ellis. A special and emotional presentation brought awareness to the guests by families who have been personally touched by cancer.
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Country artist Kix Brooks, one of the founders of Arrington Vinyards was on hand at the event to lend his support and mingle with guests, as were other partners in the Williamson County venture.More than 12,500 children are diagnosed each year with cancer and the financial burden can be significant for families. Medical insurance covers much of the treatment, however there are financial needs that are not covered by conventional insurance, such as simple everyday expenses like gas, or lawncare while you are away from home.
Michelle Hoover, the mother of Liam, who lost his battle with brain cancer at the age of 12 explains the necessity for helping families with “unrecognized” needs.
“We were very fortunate in that we had a community of friends and neighbors that were a tremendous help to our family. Many families traveling to Nashville or Memphis for treatment plans do not have the luxury of being surrounded by a community they know,” explains Hoover. Hoover says the treatment plan is usually quite extensive and lengthy. This requires parent care around th
“We started our foundation as a way to give back to families and support the two hospitals that provided such incredible care to our son,” said Hoover.
The Hoover Hope Foundation has hosted a 5K run the last five years, raising over $160,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Our foundation recently established an endowment at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to assist families with the unrecognized needs that come with the diagnosis of cancer. The foundation is developing additional events, including the “Hope on the Hill.”
September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month and the five year anniversary of Liam’s journey to heaven after a courageous battle with this disease. This foundation is a way to honor their son and provide hope for families that are in the midst of cancer treatment.
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“My dream is to never have a mother hear the words, ‘your son has cancer.’ We must continue to wage war on this disease that impacts the entire family. Pediatric cancer receives less than 3% of funding from the National Cancer Institute,” explained Hoover. “Many treatment protocols were developed for adult patients. Although cure rates for many pediatric cancers have improved over the last 20 years, we still have so much work to do for these precious children.”
The Hoover Hope Foundation is excited to see the results of this new event and will host the 6th annual Hoover Run for Hope on November 6th, 2010.
For more information on these events or to make a donation to the foundation, please visit the website at www.hooverhope.org. The Hoover Hope Foundation is a federally recognized 501c3 organization and all contributions are tax deductable. Be the HOPE..for kids…for FAMILIES…for PEDIATRIC CANCER.
ARTICLE: Charlie Daniels "Nashville Get Your Boots On"
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The Palm Restaurant in Nashville was the place to be on Monday September 13th as shoulders were rubbing in a jam-packed private event hosted by Charlie & Hazel Daniels.A very unique evening with the proceeds from the signature “Surf & Turf” dinner, silent auction and one of a kind live auction items going towards the support of active duty service members and veterans through the selected charities, Stars for Stripes and The Boot Campaign for Lone Survivor Foundation.
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Honorary Guest, Marcus Luttrell, Navy SEAL and American Patriot, Author of Bestseller Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing & The Lost Heroes of SEAL Team TEN, Founder of the Love Survivor Foundation, not only was the keynote speaker, but also was honored with his very own caricature painting on the famed wall at The Palm, which was revealed during the dinner. Drake Dixon, the adorable 5 yr old who made his debut in the Randy Hauser video for “Boots On”, shared the spotlight by donning his own military boots and presented Luttrell with a very special medal for his dog “Rigby” who has been instrumental in Luttrell’s therapy and rehabilitation.
The Boot Campaign is a grassroots initiative started by five women from Texas known as the Boot Girls. In partnership with the USO, the Boot Campaign is a new way Americans can show their support for our active duty service members and veterans. This grassroots campaign has captured the attention of American celebrities and civilians — from professional athletes, politicians, country music stars and more — and is quickly gaining momentum. Money raised will support troops and veterans through the work of the USO and the Lone Survivor Foundation. The Boot Campaign provides Americans with a tangible way to give back to our troops by buying a pair of combat boots and proudly wearing or displaying them!
Stars For Stripes is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality entertainment to internationally deployed U.S. Military forces. Bringing together professionals from aviation, entertainment and the military, Stars For Stripes is improving the overseas tour experience for performers, sponsors, donors, and most importantly, for the dedicated men and women protecting our national interests.
Some of the who’s who that were in attendance at the private event were Judy Seale -CEO of Stars For Stripes, Karri Turner star of CBS series JAG , Nan Kelly – host of GAC, country stars Hank Williams Jr., Chris Young, Sherrie Austin, Drake Dixon and Dean Miller.
The evening was Emceed by Storme Warren – GAC and Sirius XM Highway Radio
Please visit The Boot Campaign at http://www.bootcampaign.com/ for more information on how you can get your own pair of boots to support this amazing charity.
Information on The Lone Survivor Foundation can be obtained at http://www.lonesurvivorfoundation.org/
Stars For Stripes information is available at www.starsforstripes.com
Additional photos of the event can be viewed at http://MomentsByMoser.zenfolio.com/nashvillegetyourbootson
ARTICLE: An Intimate Evening with Joe Bonsall
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A very special night for Joe Bonsall; gathering friends together to celebrate the release and signing of his latest literary work on Journey Press (an imprint of Sheaf House Publishers LLC) entitled “From His Perspective”. The intimate evening was held at the Uptown Smoke Shop in Nashville where the special guests also were entertained with a listen to Joe & friends pickin’ some homespun Bluegrass [Stephen Mougin - guitar; Ned Luberecki - Banjo; David Thomas - Bass; Carl Caldwell - Mandolin; Jon Martin - Bass, Joe Bonsall - Banjo; Scott Partridge – Guitar].Luberecki and Bonsall met during a flight over eight years ago when the Oak Ridge Boys tenor made a tongue-in-cheek humorous comment about Luberecki’s banjo case as he slid it into the overhead storage which then led to the two engaging in conversation and Ned encouraging Bonsall to take up banjo picking. Fast forward and the two reunite in surprise at the intimate gathering and for the first time get to pick together.
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Books available now at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, www.Amazon.com and http://www.josephsbonsall.com as well as http://www.sheafhouse.com/journeypress.htm
Additional and exclusive photos of the event can be seen at http://MomentsByMoser.zenfolio.com/joebonsall
LoCash Cowboys at LP Field before Titans – Saints Game
Photo Release: LoCash Cowboys at LP Field before Titans – Saints Game
LoCash
Cowboys, Chris Lucas (left) and Preston Brust (right), photographed
with some Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders after performing the National
Anthem at LP Field on Thursday night (9/2). Photo credit: Bev Moser
Stroudavarious Records artists LoCash Cowboys
played a “double-header” last night. The high-energy duo, comprised of
Preston Brust and Chris Lucas, first performed the National Anthem at LP
Field, before the Tennessee Titans defeated Super Bowl champions New
Orleans Saints, and then immediately flew off to make their 10pm
performance at the DuQuoin State Fair in DuQuoin, IL.
Article: "Get Your Boots On"
Sherri Reuland, Boot Campaign Executive Director and I visited about the work that was inspired after reading a book, and how this led her to reach out to do more as an American in support of the military Veterans.The concept for the campaign started when Sherri read the book by Marcus Luttrell titled “Lone Survivor” about his experience in Afghanistan that did not go so well and a day we lost 19 of our Special Ops; Marcus was the only one who made it out alive. This book was a very eye opening experience for Sherri, someone with no direct involvement with the military, but who had always been patriotic and supportive of the troops. She felt she could no long sit back and simply wave the flag, but was compelled to do something. She simply started out by giving the book to family and friends as gifts; her way to educate them and make them more aware. It did not take long before several friends, along with Sherri, decided to start what is now known as “The Boot Campaign.”
Through the six degrees of separation, each of the women had various connections and special skill sets that brought the team together and strengthened the campaign. The testing ground for the first round of support was a concert in which Joe Nichols, Heidi Newfield and Big D and Bubba were involved w
ith and where photos were taken of the celebrities with military boots on. Soon after an invitation to take photos of Governor Rick Perry and then the Miss America contestants followed. “We realized from the start that we had a very strong campaign and that there was support out there.”“Our goal collectively was to make Americans feel the impact and emotion of the young men and women who go over and fight for us, voluntarily. When they come back they are physically wounded or have issues mentally and struggle with reintegrating back into mainstream society and living a normal life. We wanted to inspire people using photographs. Our inspiration came from the “Got Milk” ad campaign of using celebrities to get the message to the public. If public figures would take a moment out of their day and put themselves in the shoes of the military we could accomplish the goal of bringing awareness to the needs of our veterans.”
The five “Boot Girls” manage the campaign as an all volunteer organization with a slogan of “Get Your Boots On” as a call out to Americans. Each of the five women brought unique skills and experiences to the table when organizing the campaign; Maria -Photography, Sherri – Business, Heather and Leanne - Event Planning and Ginger –Sales. All combined, the women were able to plan the events and bring corporate and financial backing to the campaign to create the awareness needed.
September 11, 2010 the Boot Girls will be in Tyler, Texas for the one-year anniversary of the campaign’s conception, the Country for our Country concert in 2009.
This year, the Country for our Country concert will be held on Sat., Sept. 11 at the Villa di Felicita, and will feature music by country music icons Phil Vassar, Heidi Newfield, Derek Sholl and Kacey Musgraves. Luttrell will be the Honored Guest of the evening. As stated on the Country for our Country website, the event “has been formed for the purpose of raising money and/or assets for the assistance of those in need. Primary beneficiaries will be military wounded and their families.” All of the funds raised support military veterans in achieving higher education or vocational opportunities. “We hope that “Get Your Boots On” will become the new yellow ribbon campaign for awareness of the past.”
In addition to the concert appearance, the Boot Campaign will release a CD and exclusive photographs of the artists on the album. The photos will be taken in the Boot Campaign’s signature style, with each artist donning the military issue combat boots made exclusively for the campaign by Georgia-based boot manufacturer Altama. Artists participating include Jack Ingram, Aaron Watson, Bleu Edmondson, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Eli Young Band, Derek Sholl, Jason Boland, Micky and the Motorcars, No Justice, Randy Rogers Band, Reckless Kelly, Stoney Larue, Wade Bowen and Robert Earl Keen.The CD will be available for purchase at Hastings, Wal-Mart, ITunes, and Amazon.com as well as www.BootCampaign.com. The title track, “When They Come Back,” was co-written by rising country music star Derek Sholl and Tim Johnson. It serves as an anthem for the American military and celebration of their triumphs, while acknowledging the struggles these American heroes face when returning to civilian life back at home. The album will be released on Carved Records on Sept. 14, and proceeds benefit the Boot Campaign’s various charities.
Americans can now purchase their signature Boot Campaign combat boots by going to www.BootCampaign.com and clicking on “Buy Boots.” The campaign is linked to the boot manufacturer so all of the information regarding boot sizes, payment options and shipping info will be easily found. Every dollar past the cost of running the campaign goes to the Veteran foundations supported by the Boot Campaign which at the present time include, “Lone Survivor Foundation”, “USO, and “Military Warrior Support Foundation”. The goal is to make the recipients of the campaign support an ongoing and evolving list of beneficiaries. “The goal is to help the Veteran in a well rounded way and choose charities that collectively cover all of their needs.” The “Lone Survivor Foundation” has a vision of building a ranch in Tyler Texas where veterans who were wounded and need support of people of like mind can stay at the ranch where there will be full service facilities for treatment, therapy and recreation. The “Military Warrior Support Foundation” gives away homes to Veterans who need them, and the “USO” has stepped beyond their well known support of active military to also support and assist veterans in adjusting and reintegrating into society.
On Sept. 13, a day prior to the release of “When They Come Back,” Stormy Warren will emcee an event joined by the Boot Girls, Marcus Luttrell and Charlie Daniels for a fundraiser in Nashville called “Get Your Boots on, Nashville.” The event is open to the public and will be hosted by the Nashville Palm Restaurant, and will benefit Stars for Stripes and the Boot Campaign for the Lone Survivor Foundation. Daniels, along with wife Hazel, will host the event, along with Luttrell and Karri Turner of TV’s “J.A.G.”
Another upcoming promotion is the “Get Your Boots On” text campaign. Supporters can text the word BOOT to 46786 for up to date information on the campaign.
For more information and tickets to “Get Your Boots on, Nashville” call Paige Dixon at (615) 742-3193.
For more information regarding the Boot Campaign and these upcoming events, visit http://www.bootcampaign.com/.
Boot Campaign Facebook Fan Page: http://facebook.com/bootcampaign
Boot Campaign on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheBootGirls
PRESS CONF: CMA Announces Award Host's Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley
Members of media were invited to a very special announcement for the upcoming CMA Awards, where Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood reunite to host "Country Music's Biggest Night(TM)" for a third time in 2010. "The 44th Annual CMA Awards" airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 10 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Introduction by CMA CEO Steve Moore:
The first CMA Awards were held in 1967 in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium the same year the US troops began the largest offensive of the Vietnam War, the Rolling Stones made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and Elvis married Priscilla. It was also the same year that Bobby Gentry recorded “Ode to Billy Joe” and hosted the first CMA Awards show with Sonny James. A year later, Dale Evans and Roy Rogers hosted the Awards which were broadcast on network television for the first time. The Awards remained on NBC until 1971 with Tennessee Ford at the helm. In 1972 we moved to CBS where the Awards aired until 2005, the same year we took the show on the road to New York City, to Madison Square Garden. During that time many artists took over hosting duties, including Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Pride, Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrel, Willie Nelson, Chris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Reba McIntyre and an upstart kid from Oklahoma who would go on to host the CMA Awards for a record twelve times, Mr. Vince Gill. From 2004 to 2006, when we moved to the ABC television network, Brooks and Dunn brought the neon circus to primetime TV. In 2007 we took a different approach and replaced the host concept with multiple artists throughout the show, introducing performers and categories. Everyone did a great job. But we felt that the show lacked some continuity without a familiar face. A year later we made the announcement that Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood would take over hosting duties and they have done a tremendous job connecting with our audience, both in the house and those watching at home. It is clear that to host country music’s biggest night you need two of country music’s biggest stars. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you our hosts for the forty-forth annual CMA Awards show Mr. Brad Paisley and Ms. Carrie Underwood. Please welcome them.
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Brad: We would like to take your questions at this time. (he says with a boyish grin and much laughter from the room)
Carrie: We are just really excited. Third time is a charm I think. I am, because I get to host with Brad.
Brad: You should be. We are really excited today. I had the best time last year.
Carrie: Last year was better than the year before and this year will be better than last.
Brad: Yes, I hope so. You get more comfortable every time you do it. They also let us get away with a little more each year. There will come a time when it is detrimental for us.
Q: Can you tell us about the chemistry you have together? The two of you are very funny and very fun to watch. Can you tell us about your friendship and chemistry together?
Brad: Well, I was one of the first tours that Carrie went out on. We became friends then and have gotten along almost ever since. We went through a rough patch there for awhile, but we do not have to talk about that. (again said with his sly sense of humor and a smirk)
Carrie: If there were very many rough patches, I was not aware of it.
Brad: Carrie is a great, great person and it is an honor to be up here with her. She brings class and style and grace and everything that I do not have to the show.
Q: I know that some of the things that you say are off the cuff, but I imagine that a lot of the lines are prepared. Do you get involved in that writing process?
Brad: We are pretty prepared before we go out. Some of the best lines in last year’s show were developed together while we were sitting in a room a couple of days prior. Last year one of my favorite moments came about forty eight hours before the show. We were sitting around talking about how to end the monologue. Like it was really cool with these songs and parodies of old country songs, bringing in timely things. But it needed an ending and she said out of the blue, “Don’t Tim and Faith both have fragrances?” And that is where I loved that whole bit. Being able to call out to Tim and Faith in the front row. I knew when I said I was wearing “McGraw”; I know a part of Tim McGraw, as cool as he is, as many guys wear a fragrance, it is a little horrifying for him knowing that. (laughter) Being able to call him out on that and it being Carrie’s idea to do it this way, then for her to say “I am wearing Faith’s.
Carrie: It is cool too because in the whole scheme of things, we really start out reading what is on the teleprompter. But by the end of the night, we say “uh-uh” and just adlib.
Brad: Yes, it is so far out the window. And this year they really gave us some room to do that. I remember sitting in that meeting also a couple of weeks prior, saying, “what if Jimmy Dickens was Kanye West?” I was totally prepared for the naysayer’s to say, “Well, that is a difficult thing to pull off”. Instantly, everybody, ABC and CMA, love it. They want to do it.
Q: This being the third year, and you guys know how big an undertaking it is, from hosting the previous two, what makes you really say, “Yeah, we want to do this again and we want to show you how much bigger it can be”? What made you guys say you wanted to do it again?
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Carrie: The first one, I was so proud of us. But the differences between last year and the one before, we were just so much more comfortable on stage being the hosts.
Brad: It is a much different experience. There are very few people who understand that you have to have hosted something like this to know how much more fun it becomes. It reminds me of something that Jimmy Dickens said yesterday at the Opry. He said that the reason that the Opry is so great is the same reason that the CMA Awards are so great, that being when you are standing there in a room full of all of your friends getting together to sing songs. Carrie and I being able to stand on that stage and being the person that says something nice about somebody before they come out , something funny or whatever, you feel such a part of it, three hours feels like fifteen or twenty minutes when you are hosting. There is just no time for anything else, you have to get ready for whoever trips and falls on the stage and be ready to say the right words.
Q: For somebody who has never seen the CMA Awards before, how do you describe this experience?
Brad: I feel it is OUR Oscars. That is the best way I can describe it. The Oscars exist for a similar reason. It is an industry getting together to pay homage to things that they liked about the previous year as well as pay tribute to the Hall of Fame members that are being inducted and just the special awards and happenings of the year. It is a different night than any of the other awards shows that have anything to do with country music or any other music in general. It is different than the Grammy’s; this is a family. You are looking into the eyes of people that really love one another.
Carrie: There is so much talent. So much talent in one room. You will not watch performances and go away disappointed.
Brad: Country music is such a wide spectrum these days and really always has been. Any time someone is a new viewer, they are very pleasantly surprised at what they relate to or what they like that they had had no idea they had any interest in prior to that time. I think it is the most important night of the year for country music for that reason alone. They reach all these new people that you are talking about.
Q: You were just at the Grand Ole Opry and helped put the original circle back on the stage, can you tell me how that felt knowing this was a part of history from previous CMA Awards shows and can you tell us about all the different elements of the CMA Awards show. What are some of them that stand out in your mind? And also, can we get some insight from you guys on your performances as artists, thinking about creating those kinds of moments, in keeping that tradition going, what are your thoughts on that?
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Carrie: Well I unfortunately missed actually being there in person when the CMA’s were held in the original Grand Ole Opry House. My first CMA’s was in New York.
Brad: Which felt very different than any other show we have ever done. Or probably will do ever again. I have never had to take a cab to CMA Awards before. For me, thinking about the moments, the most memorable and most important events for me, as a young adolescent teen, was Reba‘s dress. That changed my life. (editors note: Brad chuckled all the way through his first couple sentences) In all seriousness, I think about Dolly Parton when she had the gospel choir. Spiritually, there have been very few moments in my life where you see something that had such impact. There have not been that many churches that made me feel like dropping to my knees like that moment when Dolly came walking out and she belted into “He’s Alive”, and the doors open and I do not know how many people were in that choir, probably seventy five, start marching toward her. It was unreal! And again it is just another thing I love about this format; the willingness to swing to the fence that way and every year there is something like that.
Q: Talk about the moments of you two hosting that are memorable to you.
Carrie: Most of my memories of hosting are of me running back and forth between the stage and my dressing room and getting to see what is going on in the background. We have monitors in our dressing rooms so we do see what is happening on stage too.
Brad: A few things for me, it is standing there with Carrie, and one of the hardest moments of the week when we host is the first run through in the arena. You have been working on the script for awhile and now and you are doing it for less people than are here today, in an arena. It feels completely wrong because you do not have a laugh track of any kind and even if you know something is going to work it was not until we started singing “Momma’s Don’t Let Your Baby’s Grow Up to be Kanye....”, that I knew we had them. I did not know for sure on that but we were willing to try it. But you cannot tell from the run through, because people are milling around and it is such a guess work thing to figure out a line that will work. All of those moments for me, where if you delivered something early on and you break that ice, whatever that is, is a highlight for me.
Carrie: And at the end when it is all over with and everything is quieted down it is really nice. I am not changing clothes for once and I feel pretty proud about we accomplished. It is one of my favorite moments the last couple of years.
Q: All through the year, are you writing stuff down about who is going to get a little tease at the Awards show this year? What are some of the things that you are kind of working on now that happened in the last year?
Brad: I am thinking, I do not know that I am writing things down. It is all about timeliness. Our music does the same thing.
Q: You know that Carrie wedding was a big deal.
Brad: Yes, it was. I have no doubt actually that is going to come up. It is more about what is happening as we get closer. Definitely there are moments that I think of in the Spring about the time they ask us to host again which is always a thrill. For example, I had a really big stage fall and busted myself up good and had me on my back, but it was way back last fall. So if we talk about it now, it will not work. I do not know, maybe I will do it again. (laughter)
Thank you so much for coming today and be sure to watch the CMA Awards on November 10th!
For additional information on the CMA Awards visit www.CMAawards.com
For photos of the press conference visit http://MomentsByMoser.zenfolio.com/cmaawardspconf
Transcribed by Darlene McPherson
Introduction by CMA CEO Steve Moore:
The first CMA Awards were held in 1967 in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium the same year the US troops began the largest offensive of the Vietnam War, the Rolling Stones made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and Elvis married Priscilla. It was also the same year that Bobby Gentry recorded “Ode to Billy Joe” and hosted the first CMA Awards show with Sonny James. A year later, Dale Evans and Roy Rogers hosted the Awards which were broadcast on network television for the first time. The Awards remained on NBC until 1971 with Tennessee Ford at the helm. In 1972 we moved to CBS where the Awards aired until 2005, the same year we took the show on the road to New York City, to Madison Square Garden. During that time many artists took over hosting duties, including Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Pride, Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrel, Willie Nelson, Chris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Reba McIntyre and an upstart kid from Oklahoma who would go on to host the CMA Awards for a record twelve times, Mr. Vince Gill. From 2004 to 2006, when we moved to the ABC television network, Brooks and Dunn brought the neon circus to primetime TV. In 2007 we took a different approach and replaced the host concept with multiple artists throughout the show, introducing performers and categories. Everyone did a great job. But we felt that the show lacked some continuity without a familiar face. A year later we made the announcement that Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood would take over hosting duties and they have done a tremendous job connecting with our audience, both in the house and those watching at home. It is clear that to host country music’s biggest night you need two of country music’s biggest stars. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you our hosts for the forty-forth annual CMA Awards show Mr. Brad Paisley and Ms. Carrie Underwood. Please welcome them..JPG)
Brad: We would like to take your questions at this time. (he says with a boyish grin and much laughter from the room)Carrie: We are just really excited. Third time is a charm I think. I am, because I get to host with Brad.
Brad: You should be. We are really excited today. I had the best time last year.
Carrie: Last year was better than the year before and this year will be better than last.
Brad: Yes, I hope so. You get more comfortable every time you do it. They also let us get away with a little more each year. There will come a time when it is detrimental for us.
Q: Can you tell us about the chemistry you have together? The two of you are very funny and very fun to watch. Can you tell us about your friendship and chemistry together?
Brad: Well, I was one of the first tours that Carrie went out on. We became friends then and have gotten along almost ever since. We went through a rough patch there for awhile, but we do not have to talk about that. (again said with his sly sense of humor and a smirk)
Carrie: If there were very many rough patches, I was not aware of it.
Brad: Carrie is a great, great person and it is an honor to be up here with her. She brings class and style and grace and everything that I do not have to the show.Q: I know that some of the things that you say are off the cuff, but I imagine that a lot of the lines are prepared. Do you get involved in that writing process?
Brad: We are pretty prepared before we go out. Some of the best lines in last year’s show were developed together while we were sitting in a room a couple of days prior. Last year one of my favorite moments came about forty eight hours before the show. We were sitting around talking about how to end the monologue. Like it was really cool with these songs and parodies of old country songs, bringing in timely things. But it needed an ending and she said out of the blue, “Don’t Tim and Faith both have fragrances?” And that is where I loved that whole bit. Being able to call out to Tim and Faith in the front row. I knew when I said I was wearing “McGraw”; I know a part of Tim McGraw, as cool as he is, as many guys wear a fragrance, it is a little horrifying for him knowing that. (laughter) Being able to call him out on that and it being Carrie’s idea to do it this way, then for her to say “I am wearing Faith’s.
Carrie: It is cool too because in the whole scheme of things, we really start out reading what is on the teleprompter. But by the end of the night, we say “uh-uh” and just adlib.
Brad: Yes, it is so far out the window. And this year they really gave us some room to do that. I remember sitting in that meeting also a couple of weeks prior, saying, “what if Jimmy Dickens was Kanye West?” I was totally prepared for the naysayer’s to say, “Well, that is a difficult thing to pull off”. Instantly, everybody, ABC and CMA, love it. They want to do it.
Q: This being the third year, and you guys know how big an undertaking it is, from hosting the previous two, what makes you really say, “Yeah, we want to do this again and we want to show you how much bigger it can be”? What made you guys say you wanted to do it again?
.JPG)
Carrie: The first one, I was so proud of us. But the differences between last year and the one before, we were just so much more comfortable on stage being the hosts.Brad: It is a much different experience. There are very few people who understand that you have to have hosted something like this to know how much more fun it becomes. It reminds me of something that Jimmy Dickens said yesterday at the Opry. He said that the reason that the Opry is so great is the same reason that the CMA Awards are so great, that being when you are standing there in a room full of all of your friends getting together to sing songs. Carrie and I being able to stand on that stage and being the person that says something nice about somebody before they come out , something funny or whatever, you feel such a part of it, three hours feels like fifteen or twenty minutes when you are hosting. There is just no time for anything else, you have to get ready for whoever trips and falls on the stage and be ready to say the right words.
Q: For somebody who has never seen the CMA Awards before, how do you describe this experience?
Brad: I feel it is OUR Oscars. That is the best way I can describe it. The Oscars exist for a similar reason. It is an industry getting together to pay homage to things that they liked about the previous year as well as pay tribute to the Hall of Fame members that are being inducted and just the special awards and happenings of the year. It is a different night than any of the other awards shows that have anything to do with country music or any other music in general. It is different than the Grammy’s; this is a family. You are looking into the eyes of people that really love one another.
Carrie: There is so much talent. So much talent in one room. You will not watch performances and go away disappointed.
Brad: Country music is such a wide spectrum these days and really always has been. Any time someone is a new viewer, they are very pleasantly surprised at what they relate to or what they like that they had had no idea they had any interest in prior to that time. I think it is the most important night of the year for country music for that reason alone. They reach all these new people that you are talking about.
Q: You were just at the Grand Ole Opry and helped put the original circle back on the stage, can you tell me how that felt knowing this was a part of history from previous CMA Awards shows and can you tell us about all the different elements of the CMA Awards show. What are some of them that stand out in your mind? And also, can we get some insight from you guys on your performances as artists, thinking about creating those kinds of moments, in keeping that tradition going, what are your thoughts on that?
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Carrie: Well I unfortunately missed actually being there in person when the CMA’s were held in the original Grand Ole Opry House. My first CMA’s was in New York.Brad: Which felt very different than any other show we have ever done. Or probably will do ever again. I have never had to take a cab to CMA Awards before. For me, thinking about the moments, the most memorable and most important events for me, as a young adolescent teen, was Reba‘s dress. That changed my life. (editors note: Brad chuckled all the way through his first couple sentences) In all seriousness, I think about Dolly Parton when she had the gospel choir. Spiritually, there have been very few moments in my life where you see something that had such impact. There have not been that many churches that made me feel like dropping to my knees like that moment when Dolly came walking out and she belted into “He’s Alive”, and the doors open and I do not know how many people were in that choir, probably seventy five, start marching toward her. It was unreal! And again it is just another thing I love about this format; the willingness to swing to the fence that way and every year there is something like that.
Q: Talk about the moments of you two hosting that are memorable to you.
Carrie: Most of my memories of hosting are of me running back and forth between the stage and my dressing room and getting to see what is going on in the background. We have monitors in our dressing rooms so we do see what is happening on stage too.
Brad: A few things for me, it is standing there with Carrie, and one of the hardest moments of the week when we host is the first run through in the arena. You have been working on the script for awhile and now and you are doing it for less people than are here today, in an arena. It feels completely wrong because you do not have a laugh track of any kind and even if you know something is going to work it was not until we started singing “Momma’s Don’t Let Your Baby’s Grow Up to be Kanye....”, that I knew we had them. I did not know for sure on that but we were willing to try it. But you cannot tell from the run through, because people are milling around and it is such a guess work thing to figure out a line that will work. All of those moments for me, where if you delivered something early on and you break that ice, whatever that is, is a highlight for me.
Carrie: And at the end when it is all over with and everything is quieted down it is really nice. I am not changing clothes for once and I feel pretty proud about we accomplished. It is one of my favorite moments the last couple of years.
Q: All through the year, are you writing stuff down about who is going to get a little tease at the Awards show this year? What are some of the things that you are kind of working on now that happened in the last year?
Brad: I am thinking, I do not know that I am writing things down. It is all about timeliness. Our music does the same thing.
Q: You know that Carrie wedding was a big deal.
Brad: Yes, it was. I have no doubt actually that is going to come up. It is more about what is happening as we get closer. Definitely there are moments that I think of in the Spring about the time they ask us to host again which is always a thrill. For example, I had a really big stage fall and busted myself up good and had me on my back, but it was way back last fall. So if we talk about it now, it will not work. I do not know, maybe I will do it again. (laughter)
Thank you so much for coming today and be sure to watch the CMA Awards on November 10th!
For additional information on the CMA Awards visit www.CMAawards.com
For photos of the press conference visit http://MomentsByMoser.zenfolio.com/cmaawardspconf
Transcribed by Darlene McPherson
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