Garth Brooks inducts Carrie Underwood into the Grand Ole Opry on May 10, 2008. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry.
May 14, 2008 — Carrie Underwood just joined the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville last weekend, and now she’s preparing for what might be a big night this coming weekend in Las Vegas, where she’s up for Top Female Vocalist at the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
It’s been three years since she won "American Idol," but even though she got exposure in front of millions of people every week in that setting, she still sees her life as a bit unreal.
"Being nominated for things like the Grammys and Female Vocalist of the Year at the ACM Awards, that’s just stuff you see on TV," she told CBS’ Watch! magazine. "It’s not stuff you actually get a shot at in your life."
With that attitude, you can imagine that an event like the ACMs, which is crawling with stars, would be a great experience for Carrie, since she could meet lots of the artists she looked up to as she was growing up. As it turns out, that’s not something she particularly enjoys.
"I put people up on a pedestal, and I’m afraid that if I meet them, then...I don’t want to say they’ll be a disappointment," she said, "but maybe they won’t be quite who I thought they were."
Carrie’s now being put up on the same pedestal she reserves for other artists. People magazine has her listed currently among "The 100 Most Beautiful People in the World."