What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! April 2 - 8, 2023 TV FEATURE BY SARAH PASSINGHAM TV Media I t's the time of year to cel- ebrate the best songs about trucks, whiskey, small towns, good times and bad benders. The 2023 CMT Music Awards name fan- favorite winners live Sunday, April 2, on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on demand on the Paramount+ streaming service. The 57th annual ceremony is making history by packing up from its longtime home in the city of country music, Nashville, Ten- nessee, to broadcast for the first time from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Hosting duties are old (10-gallon) hat to country mu- sic darlings Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, who will MC the show for the third consec- utive year. Both artists are nominated this year, even go- ing head-to-head in the Video of the Year category, where Ballerini's music video for "HEARTFIRST" is up against Kane's duet with his wife and fellow singer/songwriter, Katelyn Brown, "Thank God." The Browns will be per- forming along with country ballad queen Carrie Under- wood, who holds the record for most CMT Music Award wins with 25 awards. Under- wood boasts two nominations this year for two different vid- eos. "Hate My Heart," her breakup pump-up song from her 2022 album Denim & Rhinestones, is nominated for Video of the Year, while "Ghost Story" (from the same album) is up for Female Video of the Year. There are nine categories that make up the CMT Music Awards, and the winners are determined entirely by fan votes via CMT's website (CMT.com). Early votes really count for the night's top title of Video of the Year, whose 16 nominees became a top six on March 27. From there, it's a race to be one of the final three that will be announced on the day of the show. Social media votes decide the ultimate winner. Joining the aforementioned artists, the rest of the sweet 16 nominees for Video of the Year are "Bonfire at Tina's" by Ashley McBryde, Caylee Ham- mack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti; "No Body" by Blake Shelton; "Human" by Cody Johnson; "Worth a Shot" by Elle King featuring Dierks Bentley; "Pick Me Up" by Gab- by Barrett; "wait in the truck" by HARDY featuring Lainey Wilson; "Down Home" by Jim- mie Allen; "Wild Hearts" by Keith Urban; "Rich Man" by Little Big Town; "Country On" by Luke Bryan; "The Kind of Love We Make" by Luke Combs; "You Proof " by Mor- gan Wallen; and "AA" by Walk- er Hayes. Female Video of the Year nominated songs not covered in the Video of the Year race include "What He Didn't Do" by Carly Pearce; "Heart Like a Truck" by Lainey Wilson; "Humble Quest" by Maren Morris; and "Actin' Up" by Mi- randa Lambert. Wilson leads this year's nominations with four nods, followed by the show's co-host House Ad 5 x 5 continued on page T10 Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini host the 2023 CMT Music Awards Country's best Did you know those images are available for purchase? IT'S EASY! Just scan the QR code below to visit our website where you can search for the photo/s you want and order prints (many print options to choose from, including canvas). Check it out today! Did you see a photo in our newspaper or on our website that you would love a copy of? Scan QR code for photos!