Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift are the top country contenders for Grammy Awards.
Jason, who performed "Dirt Road Anthem" with special guest rapper Ludacris on last night's Grammy Nominations: Live show, picked up nods for Best Country Solo Performance for the song. He also scored nominations in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his duet with Kelly Clarkson, "Don't You Want to Stay," and Best Country Album for My Kinda Party.
Taylor is up for Best Country Album for Speak Now and Best Solo Performance and Best Country Song for "Mean."
The Band Perry is the only country entry in the all-genre Best New Artist category. They performed a medley of "Independence" and Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" on last night's show. The awards will be given out in Los Angeles on February 12th.
Best Country Solo Performance
Jason Aldean - "Dirt Road Anthem"
Martina McBride - "I'm Gonna Love You Through It"
Blake Shelton - "Honey Bee"
Taylor Swift - "Mean"
Carrie Underwood - "Mama's Song"
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson - "Don't You Wanna Stay"
Kennny Chesney featuring Grace Potter - "You and Tequila"
The Civil Wars -- "Barton Hollow"
Thompson Square - "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not"
Best Country Song (songwriter's award)
Thompson Square- "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not"
Blake Shelton - "God Gave Me You"
Trace Adkins - "Just Fishin'"
Taylor Swift - "Mean"
Vince Gill - "Threaten Me With Heaven"
Kenny Chensey with Grace Potter - "You and Tequila"
Best Country Album
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
Eric Church - Chief
Lady Antebellum - Own the Night
Blake Shelton - Red River Blue
George Strait - Here For a Good Time
Taylor Swift - Speak Now
Hank Williams Junior is back in the news after walking out halfway through a performance with
Jason Aldean for CMT's upcoming
Artists of the Year celebration on Tuesday night. According to
Billboard, Hank left the stage "quickly" after a first take of "Tattoos on This Town." At the taping, Hank's rep said, "He didn't feel like he was giving an adequate performance." In a follow-up statement he said, "I was here to honor Jason, a kid I really like. When I walked out there, it didn't feel right, it didn't sound right. I didn't want to disrespect him." Jason performed the song a second time, without Hank, for the taping.
And to ice the cake, Hank was named one of GQ's Least Influential People of 2011.
CMT's
Artists of the Year airs December 13th.
Mindy McCready is wanted in Florida after taking her son Zander from her father's home on Tuesday, according to Fort Myers NBC-2. Mindy's mother and stepfather have legal custody of the five-year-old, with Mindy and Zander's father having visitation rights. There's no word why the boy was with her father.
During an emergency hearing on Tuesday, a judge gave Mindy until 5 p.m. today to return the boy or face arrest. Mindy says she will not likely return to Florida with her son before the deadline because she is seven months pregnant with twins. A second hearing is expected on Friday to address her visitation rights.
Yesterday afternoon, Mindy's publicist released a statement saying this is not a missing child case and that officials had been in touch with Mindy and her son via Skype. The statement adds that she removed Zander from her mother's home out of fear for his safety and that she is encouraging an investigation.
BARBARA WALTERS IS FASCINATED AGAIN
Barbara Walters has announced her annual list of Most Fascinating People, and she hits most of the usual suspects. ABC announced most of the names that will appear on Babs' annual special, and they include:
- Simon Cowell
- Katy Perry
- Derek Jeter
- Donald Trump
- Pippa Middleton
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson
- Eric Stonestreet
- Khloe, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian
The Most Fascinating Person of 2011 will be revealed when the show airs on December 14th.
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