NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 19, 2009
Sugarland Leads With 5 CMT Noms
Swift, Paisley Land 4 Apiece Followed By Rascal Flatts And Lady Antebellum, Who Have 3
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Sugarland's, Jennifer Nettles, right, and Kristian Bush pose in the press room at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on April 5, 2009. ((AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, file))
Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift are next with four each, followed by Rascal Flatts and newcomers Lady Antebellum with three fan-voted nominations apiece.
Kelly Pickler and CMT personality Lance Smith announced the finalists on air Tuesday morning.
Sugarland is nominated twice for duo video of the year - for "All I Want to Do" and "Already Gone." It also received two nominations for "Life in a Northern Town" with Little Big Town and Jake Owen: collaborative video and performance of the year.
The final nod is video of the year for "All I Want to Do."
Paisley's "Waitin' On a Woman" is nominated for video of the year and male video of the year. He's also up for collaborative video for his duet with Keith Urban, "Start a Band," and for performance of the year for "Country Boy" with Alan Jackson, George Strait and Dierks Bentley.
Swift's "Love Story" is nominated for video of the year and female video of the year, and her performance of "Photograph" with British rockers Def Leppard is nominated for performance of the year and wide open country video of the year.
Viewers cast more than 2.5 million votes to decide four finalists in most categories. Fans can vote online at CMT.com through June 15 to determine the winners.
The video of the year competition is being handled a little differently. CMT has identified 10 nominees so far, and it will announce the finalists at the beginning of the June 16 awards show in Nashville. Fans can vote for their favorites throughout the show.
The cable network will air the awards live at 8 p.m. ET, and the show will feature musical performances by Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Def Leppard.
For a complete list of nominees, visit text.
By John Gerome
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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