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2 • April 15 - 21, 2018 • Brainerd Dispatch By Sarah Passingham TV Media C ountry artists hit the strip on Sun- day, April 15, for the 53rd Acade- my of Country Music Awards, airing on CBS. Broadcast live from Las Ve- gas' MGM Grand Garden Arena, it's a night of celebrating the best in country music, from veteran super- stars to fresh, emerging talents. Hosting the ceremony this year is country music legend Reba McEntire. The eponymous "Reba" star is no stranger to the hosting gig, having taken the reins a total of 14 times be- tween 1985 and 2012. "I really enjoy hosting. It's very exciting. I love live television," the songstress told En- tertainment Tonight. Not only does McEntire have solid experience in the hosting seat, she is a record-holding award winner, hav- ing taken home 16 awards from the Academy of Country Music over the years — the most wins of any artist. She won her first ACM Award in 1984 for Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she is also nominated for this year, making it her 16th nomina- tion in the category. One achievement that is close to the multitalented star's heart is her 1994 win for the ACM's Entertainer of the Year. With a personal connec- tion to the category, McEntire told Entertainment Tonight that she was "disappointed" about the lack of fe- male nominees this year but re- mained hopeful, calling country mu- sic "very cyclical. The girls dominate or the boys dominate, so it's coming around. I have faith." Nominated in the category this year are Jason Al- dean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban. Her disappointment is under- standable, particularly with this be- ing a big year for breakthroughs for women in country music. Bebe Rex- ha, one of the performers of the night, made history in February when her hit with fellow performers Flori- da Georgia Line, "Meant to Be," topped Billboard's Hot Country Songs for the 11th week in a row. Unseating Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," the tune became the longest-run- ning No. 1 song by a lead female. Both tracks are crossover hits, with Swift's song being the lead single from her 2012 album, "Red," which at the time was her most pop-influ- enced record to date. Primarily a pop star herself, Rexha spoke to Billboard of her success on the country charts, saying "the beautiful thing about music is that it allows you to break boundaries." Along with Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, the impressive list of performers for this year's event in- cludes Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Urban, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney and more. The ceremony welcomes not only country artists but some famous country fans as presenters for the night, including New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Nancy O'Dell of "Entertainment Tonight," actress Rebecca Romijn ("X-Men," 2000) and Olympic athlete Lindsey Vonn. ACM Award-nominated artist Bentley put out a call to fans earlier this month, looking to make his per- formance special. The singer asked his fans on social media to send im- ages of their personal female heroes for the chance to be part of his per- formance of "Woman, Amen," and photos of these heroes will be dis- played behind Bentley while he per- forms his hit during the show. Bentley is not the only one drop- ping performance hints. McEntire re- vealed that she would be interested in performing with country icon Dolly Parton during the ceremony. There's been no official word yet whether the host will be performing during the show with or without Parton, though she surely got fans excited at the prospect. The New Female Vocalist category suggests that the nominees will be largely unknown to music fans, but there's something familiar about nearly all of this year's nominated artists. With the exception of "Every Little Thing" singer Carly Pearce, all of the category's nominees have been contestants on singing compe- tition shows. Lauren Alaina was run- ner-up in season 10 of "American Idol," Danielle Bradbery became the then-youngest winner of "The Voice" in season 4, and "Lonely Call" singer RaeLynn made it to the quarter-finals of "The Voice" in 2012. That much talent makes for an exciting, tight race between nominees. Of course, there are plenty of more seasoned artists vying for awards as well. The Vocal Duo of the year category features new talent LOCASH going up against new fa- vorites Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line and the classic duo of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Interestingly enough, the 2017 album "The Rest of Our Life," for which they're nominated, is the first collaborative album from McGraw and Hill. They have been married for 21 years, and both are major country stars in their own right. The ACM continues its tradition of raising money for its charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives, with four nights of events in Las Vegas from April 12 to 15. Money raised through the events funds music education, disaster relief and helping communities in need. Notable acts appearing over the four days are the nominees for Songwrit- er of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year, and Video of the Year nomi- nee Ballerini. Be sure to catch all of the perfor- mances and find out who takes home the big wins from the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards by tuning in to CBS for the live broadcast on Sunday, April 15. Pro host: Reba McEntire returns to host the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards Cover Story this week Reba McEntire, host of the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards Conan Yesterday was the L.A. marathon. That's a big deal! People who ran it said it was nice to finally get from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica in less than four hours. Vladimir Putin has been re-elected to a fourth term as president of Russia. The final vote tally was 76 percent for Putin, 24 percent shot this morning. The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon This weekend was St. Patrick's Day! And, of course, there was a big parade here in New York, and a lot of men were wearing kilts. It made the "manspreading" on the subway even worse than normal. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Does anybody here use Facebook still? Because the company is reeling from revelations that they allowed the private information of 50 million Americans to be harvested by the Trump campaign's consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica, by the way, is also the scientific name for John Oliver. Jimmy Kimmel Live According to one adviser, Trump's lawyers are in "crunchtime" right now. Which is funny, because "crunchtime" is also what they call it when an extra crispy bucket of KFC arrives at the White House. Late Night With Seth Meyers Disney has announced it will produce a live-action remake of the classic animated film "Lady and the Tramp." And Jared Leto has already lost 40 pounds to play the spaghetti. Late Laughs 001704074r1 Match of the Month For more information about Kinship Partners, please call (218)-829-4606 or visit our website at www.kinshippartners.org Be a Friend. Be a Mentor. Photography donated by Mike Aulie at Sothers Studio Why not start your own friendship journey? Abby Stapleton's world opened up in June 2016 when Brian, Jessica and Cleo Weber became her Kinship Partners. 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