CMT Awards 2011: Taylor Swift takes top honor, Justin Beiber brings crossover ... - Washington Post

Taylor Swift’s fans gave her another trophy, Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” continued its extraordinary run and Sheryl Crow’s underwear stole the show at the fan-voted 2011 CMT Music Awards.

Swift won the night’s biggest award, video of the year, for her song “Mine” thanks to her fans. Lambert took female video of the year for the life-changing song that’s earned her a Grammy and the major country awards already and her new husband, Blake Shelton, was the night’s only multiple winner.

Swift, who won the fan-voted entertainer of the year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards earlier this year, joined the show via live video uplink from Wisconsin where she’s on tour.

“I wish I could be there, but I’m hanging out with 15,000 of my closest friends in Milwaukee,” Swift said as frenzied fans screamed in the background.

Shelton and Lambert also weren’t able to make it and they missed some interesting moments.

As with many awards shows, the CMT music awards had their share of unplanned but memorable events, including Shania Twain falling on her way to the stage and a wardrobe malfunction from Sherly Crow. As Sarah Anne Hughes explained:

Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Blake Shelton all went home with CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night. But it’s the stars who suffered “oops” moments that are getting the spotlight.

Shania Twain, who, thanks in part to her OWN docu-drama, is coming out of an extremely reclusive period, appeared at the show in a “Thelma and Louise” spoof with Taylor Swift and as a presenter. But her night was sullied as she tripped and fell on her way to the stage.

In a video posted to her Web site, Twain laughed off the fall, saying she wasn’t injured “making a fool” of herself. She may auction off the shoes she was wearing at the time.

For your daily dose of schadenfraude, watch clip of the trip below.

Twain wasn’t the only country music lady who had a less-than-great moment. While appearing onstage with Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow accidentally let the crowd see what she had on under her mini dress.

Crow confirmed the flash while onstage with Sara Evans, who quipped, “At least you were wearing underwear.”

Some of the most interesting moment at the CMT Awards were the unlikely mashups and cross-genre performances. As AP reported:

Ludacris made a surprise appearance, as did Sheryl Crow’s underwear. Lady Antebellum laid down a funky beat with Charles Kelley doing a Don Henley impression. And a sassy Wynonna Judd put Kid Rock in his place.

As often is the case at the CMT Awards, though, the show was as memorable for its unlikely mashups and celebrity cross-pollination moments as for its winners.

Swift joined Shania Twain for their own pre-recorded faux movie trailer of “Thelma & Louise” that included guest appearances by Donald Trump and Kenny Rogers. Justin Bieber induced tears from teenagers as he walked the red carpet with Rascal Flatts. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and “Dancing With the Stars” champion Hines Ward wore cowboy boots and shook his hips on stage.

Lady A turned in one of the night’s most interesting performances. The trio opened with its record-setting single “Just a Kiss” before singer Charles Kelley jumped on the drums as the band switched to Prince’s “Kiss.”

Wynonna Judd put Kid Rock in his place and taught him a little something about country on a duet of his “Hell, Yes, I’m Country.” And near the end of the show, fans audibly gasped as Twain slipped and fell on her way to the stage.

Jason Aldean, who was shut out after earning a leading four nominations, topped off the night with a surprise version of his hip hop-infused hit “Dirt Road Anthem” with rapper Ludacris. It was a perfect end to a show that thrived on unlikely pairings.

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Taylor Swift Takes On Joe Jonas' Ex In New Song? - 411mania.com

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Posted by Mitch Michaels on 10.25.2010

Taylor takes on Camilla Belle...

Rumor has it that Taylor Swift wrote a song about Camilla Belle - the ex of her ex Joe Jonas.

Some more details have come out. The song is called "Better Than Revenge" and features the lyrics:

"She took him faster than you can say sabotage?She's an actress/But she's better known for the things that she does on the mattress."

Burn!

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Taylor Swift Takes Aim At 'Mean' Grammy Critics In New Song - Post Chronicle

Taylor Swift Takes Aim At 'Mean' Grammy Critics In New Song
by Staff

Taylor Swift has lashed out at the "mean" critics who slammed her off-key Grammy night duet with Stevie Nicks in a candid new song from her upcoming album Speak Now.

The 20-year-old star was panned for her lackluster vocals at the awards show last January (10), which Swift's team blamed on technical issues.

And now the singer is speaking out about the controversy in a track called Mean from her new record.

She sings: "Drunken rumbling on about how I can't sing/But all you are is mean/And a liar/And pathetic/And alone in life/And mean."

Blasting bitter reviewers, she talks about overcoming harsh criticism, continuing: "You with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me/You have knocked me off my feet again, got me feeling like nothing/You with voice like nails on a chalkboard calling me out when I'm wounded/You picking on the weaker man.

"Someday I'll be living in a big old city/And all you're ever gonna be is mean/Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me/And all you're ever gonna be is mean/Why you gotta be so mean?"

Explaining the inspiration behind the song to E! News, Swift says, "When you do what I do, which is you put yourself out there for a lot of people to say whatever they want... there's a million different opinions.

"I get that, no matter what, you're going to be criticised for something. But I also get that there are different kinds of ways to criticise someone. There's constructive criticism, there's professional criticism - and then there's just being mean. And there's a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person." (c) WENN

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Quick Takes: Taylor Swift CD comes with a bonus - Los Angeles Times

Swift CD with a bonus

Taylor Swift is the latest act to offer bonus album content to an exclusive retailer.

The country superstar is aligning herself with Target Corp. for the release of her latest album, "Speak Now." The store will offer fans three additional songs, remixed tunes and video content when the album is released Oct. 25.

"Speak Now" is the follow-up to her Grammy-winning, multiplatinum CD "Fearless."

—Associated Press

U.S. album sales set all-time low

Album sales in the United States plunged to a record low last week for the third time this year, Billboard reported Wednesday. For the year as a whole, sales are 13% lower than the same time last year, the trade publication said.

The best seller for the week was Sara Bareilles' "Kaleidoscope Heart," which tallied 89,500 units sold, Billboard said. Eminem's "Recovery" moved 81,000 to rank second.

Total album sales for the week were 4.83 million, the lowest weekly figure since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, Billboard said. The previous low was 4.95 million, set only a month ago.

—From a Times staff writer

Locals to mark 'Misfits' at 50

Toni Westbrook-VanCleave was only 6 at the time, but she still remembers Marilyn Monroe strapping on a toy gun belt and playing cowboys and Indians with her brother during a break in filming of "The Misfits" in the then-small town of Dayton, Nev. VanCleave was a $10-a-day extra during a rodeo scene.

In testimony to the public's enduring fascination with Monroe, VanCleave and other locals will gather Saturday and Sunday in Dayton, about 40 miles southeast of Reno, to mark the 50th anniversary of filming for the last complete movie for both Monroe and Clark Gable.

The celebration will include a Monroe and Gable look-alike contest, a display of photographs of the stars taken in Dayton, a session of old-timers' reminiscences about the filming, and tours of the old bar where a light-hearted scene was shot of Monroe playing paddleball to the delight of male patrons.

—Associated Press

Book honors for Wolfe, 'Sesame'

For at least one night, Tom Wolfe will share billing with one of the founders of "Sesame Street."

The National Book Foundation announced Wednesday that the author of such bestsellers as "The Right Stuff" and "The Bonfire of the Vanities" will receive an honorary National Book Award for lifetime achievement.

The foundation said a special prize for outstanding service to the American literary community also will be given to Joan Ganz Cooney. Cooney's research on television and education helped inspire the beloved children's program "Sesame Street."

Nominees for the competitive categories will be announced Oct. 13. The awards ceremony takes place Nov. 17.

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