CMA Awards 2012

Today are the 2012 CMA Awards, one of the best nights to be a Country music fan. It’s the Grammy’s of Country music and it will surely be jam-packed with musical performances by the genre’s most popular artists. It’s been quite the year for Country music and I’ve enjoyed plenty of music from my favorite acts.

I attended Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality Tour down at Jones Beach over the summer and almost made it out to Jason Aldean/Luke Bryan’s concert at PNC Bank Arts Center. In addition, I’ve been spinning Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away,” Erich Church’s “Chief,” Luke Bryan’s “Lailgates & Tanlines,” and Zac Brown Band’s “Uncaged” albums all year round, so you can already notice my bias for the rest of the post.

Here are my brief thoughts about the nominees:

The post is UPDATED as of 11:05 p.m.

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Entertainer of the Year

Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
WINNER: Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift

It’s hard to imagine the only female in the category to not walk away with the Entertainer of the Year award. While Chesney always has the numbers from his huge tours, and Paisley and Aldean touring non-stop for their fans, it’s impossible to ignore the popularity of Taylor Swift when looking at the figures for her record and concert sales. If it were me, I’d say Paisley would win hands down, but I’m predicting Taylor Swift wins the big award.

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Male Vocalist of the Year

Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
WINNER: Blake Shelton
Keith Urban

Usually my pick would be for Brad Paisley to win this award, but he wasn’t nominated this year. I’m not complaining about the group that was because they’re all very talented. I really want Eric Church to win, but something is telling me that Jason Aldean is going to take the award this year.

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Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelly Clarkson
WINNER: Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Wait, Kelly Clarkson is nominated for a CMA award and it doesn’t involve being featured in a duet with an actual Country artist? She can’t win. Since I believe Taylor Swift is winning the Entertainer of the Year award, she won’t win this (plus she’s a terrible vocalist). It’s going to be between Miranda and Carrie like usual. Recently, Miranda has been winning these awards over Carrie, but I think with the success of “Blown Away,” Carrie is going to take the award.

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Vocal Group of the Year

Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
WINNER: Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

Has Zac Brown Band ever won this award? They definitely deserve it, but if it’s a popularity contest then Lady Antebellum will win. I also wouldn’t mind seeing The Band Perry win this award, but they’re on the second tier of these bands.

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Vocal Duo of the Year

Big & Rich
Love and Theft
Sugarland
The Civil Wars
WINNER: Thompson Square

While I do love The Civil Wars, I can’t remember the last time Sugarland lost.

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New Artist of the Year

Lee Brice
Brantley Gilbert
WINNER: Hunter Hayes
Love and Theft
Thompson Square

As catchy as “Angel Eyes” is by Love and Theft, the new kid on the block and multi-talented musician is Hunter Hayes. Expect him to win.

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Album of the Year

WINNER: Chief – Eric Church
Four the Record – Miranda Lambert
Home – Dierks Bentley
Own the Night – Lady Antebellum
Tailgates & Tanlines – Luke Bryan

I’m sticking to what I know, and that is how “Chief” is a great album. That being said, I’m expecting the CMA to agree with me and award Eric Church this prestigious award for an outstanding job well done.

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Single of the Year

“Dirt Road Anthem” – Jason Aldean
“God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton
“Home” – Dierks Bentley
WINNER: “Pontoon” – Little Big Town
“Springsteen” – Eric Church

On the same page, “Springsteen” is the best song off of Chief and I expect it to win either Single or Song of the Year.

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Song of the Year

“Even if It Breaks Your Heart – Eli Young Band
“God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton
“Home” – Dierks Bentley
WINNER: “Over You” – Miranda Lambert
“Springsteen” – Eric Church

Miranda’s hit is the only song I feel that has a shot at beating Church’s “Springsteen.”

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RECAP:

That’s a wrap! I just knew it was going to be an entertaining night after Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood danced Gangnam Style during their opening monologue. But the big winners of the night were Country’s happy couple of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Starting with their emotional acceptance speech for “Over You” and continuing with the Male Vocalist and Female Vocalist of the year, everyone thought their reign was going to end there, but Blake Shelton shocked the Country world winning Entertainer of the Year! What a surprise! I admit that when Tim Allen said Blake’s name, I thought he was joking (and what a cruel joke that would’ve been). But then Reba and Tim Allen repeated Blake’s name and that concluded the three-hour awards ceremony.

Highlights:

• Little Big Town – winning Single of the Year and Vocal Group was great for this hard-working, veteran group. Oh, and their performance of “Pontoon” was one of the best of the night.
• The gorgeous Carrie Underwood with her charisma as co-host and her strong vocal performance during her hit “Blown Away.”
• Eric Church didn’t win for Single or Song of the Year, but his incredible album “Chief” was the winner for Album of the Year. Very well deserved.
• Hunter Hayes played his pop-ballad hit “Wanted” and then won New Artist of the Year. Surely this isn’t the last we’re going to hear from this young man.
• The tribute to Willie Nelson featuring Willie himself along with Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. What a legend.

Nashville – “We Live in Two Different Worlds”

Juliette Barnes is feeling the consequences of being caught stealing at the local supermarket and has to do a bunch of damage-control in order to maintain her image as a pop icon. Unfortunately, she makes some ill-advised decisions, such as storming off during a Good Morning America interview with Robin Roberts, which leads to her entire tour being put on hold. There is a maelstrom around Juliette’s story-line this episode and Hayden Panettiere does a good job handling all of Juliette’s emotions.

She’s at a stage in her life where she wants to be juggling a million things at once, but doesn’t realize it yet during her young age that she simply has to slow down and take things one at a time. She has her mother living with her currently, a person whom she despises because of her drug addiction but the episode truly shows her mother trying to atone for her mistakes in the past. While this is enough to drive any young woman crazy, she then has to deal with all the pressures to being a star. But if there’s one thing that her and Rayna agrees on, her poppy music is a joke to the Country industry. I can’t help but thinking about how Taylor Swift’s current hit isn’t a direct influence to Juliette Barnes’ character on Nashville.

Meanwhile, Rayna helps Teddy’s campaign by throwing a concert at the Country Club full of supporters. This involves Deacon whom Rayna’s husband and father do not particularly like. There are a lot of little story-lines inside of the big arc of Rayna’s romantic triangle and her family-triangle. As of right now, Rayna has seem to have made a commitment and is sticking with it. She loves her husband even though that puts her closer to her father. She also loves her husband and her family even though she still has feelings for Deacon and is selfishly keeping him by her side. While I applaud Rayna’s stance to decline opening up for Juliette Barnes, she hasn’t portrayed the strength to do what’s right when it comes down to her family. When it all boils down to is, how is she going to be happy? She simply doesn’t know.

Finally, my favorite story-line of the series thus far, Gunnar and Scarlett get the gig and is shown around their new workplace. While Scarlett is stubbornly sticking by Avery’s side, we get the first face-to-face friction between the couple during the episode. I admit that Avery has been the nicest he could possibly be in his situation. There’s no way it’s easy for him to watch as Scarlett practically snapped her fingers and received success in the same field he’s been busting his ass for years, but at the same time it’s not easy for Scarlett since she’s in love with Avery. Avery’s an old school type of do-it-yourself guy, never wanting to accept charity and if he does receive success, it would be solely because of his hard work, which is why he blows up on Scarlett after she kept mentioning him and his band at the dinner with her new colleagues.

So while the chemistry isn’t flying very high for that couple, a new one seems to be brewing between Gunnar and Hailey. There are obvious feelings that Gunnar has for Scarlett, but she’s been entirely faithful to her man. Gunnar’s no idiot either and at the first chance to score with the boss’s assistant, he takes it. It’s not surprising for a drama like Nashville to pin two relationships against each other, while Scarlett’s relationship is in a rut, Gunnar’s is thriving. How will this affect their professional relationship? That’s going to be the fun part.

While there wasn’t much music this episode aside from Rayna and Deacon performing at the Country Club, a lot of wheels were turning. Let’s see if there actually is a more professional side of Juliette where she can actually be controlled by her manager, because if not then she’s headed straight back to a life of stealing nail polish. As for Teddy, we receive hints at a secret shared with Peggy (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). Are they referring to the Teddy sinking the credit union or is it something personal? Nonetheless, I just hope we get more great songs from Gunnar and Scarlett next episode.

Movie Review: Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
93 minutes
Directed by Kurt Kuenne

Grade: A

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Sometimes you come across a movie that is so sad you just have to have a few tissues or a hankerchief near. Or sometimes you watch a movie that is so thrilling that you start biting your nails or shaking your leg uncontrollably until the suspense has ceased. And even sometimes a movie shocks you so greatly at its climax that causes your jaw to drop to the ground. This movie accomplishes all of the above without any chase scenes, explosions, or superheroes with super powers. This is a documentary. This really happened.

In 2001, 28-year-old Andrew Bagby was shot and killed. He was a beloved young man, touching dozens of people’s hearts as shown throughout the film. Many shared stories of Andrew when he was younger, including filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Andrew’s best friend. The prime suspect in the murder investigation was Shirley Jane Turner, a 40-year-old, twice-divorced woman whom Andrew broke up with just prior to his death. From Andrew’s closest friends and his parents, they knew there was something wrong with Shirley, but she flees to St. John’s, Newfoundland and soon reveals she’s pregnant with Andrew’s child. When she gives birth to a boy, she names him Zachary.

The film begins as its title suggests, a movie about Andrew Bagby for his son who will never meet. Kurt hoped that one day Zachary could understand that his dad was a wonderful man with many friends and family who loved him. Full of home videos and interviews, especially with Andrew’s parents, it is definitely a heart-felt film that will have you tearing up along with everyone in the film.

But the documentary takes a turn that focuses in on the failed legal system in Canada and Zachary’s grandparents’ quest to gain custody of their grandson. Here, we’re still constantly reminded of Andrew’s death, but watch as his courageous parents fight for everything they believe is right. This is when Kate and David Bagby truly take over and it makes the film more powerful since they can very easily remind you of your own parents.

Kurt uses some directing tricks to try and manipulate certain points across, especially when dealing with the facts and how certain people of power neglected to do their job properly. This doesn’t cheapen the documentary much, but I wish he would’ve realized that the subjects and the facts he portrayed on camera were more than enough to get all of his issues straight. At the heart of it all, Dear Zachary tells the tragic tale of when innocent people are murdered. But like all great documentaries, it pushes for change in areas that could’ve prevented the wrong-doing. This is a great documentary.