Reba McEntire & Industry Pals Ready for ACMs

Host Reba McEntire dazzles at the 43rd Annual ACM Awards Sunday, May 18, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. Photo courtesy of Getty Images and the Academy of Country Music.

April 3, 2009 — After months of preparation, it all comes down to the last few hours for the Academy of Country Music, which has Reba McEntire set to host its 44th Annual Awards Sunday (8 p.m. ET on CBS).

Brad Paisley’s already been declared the winner of two honors, and Keith Urban goes into the evening with one assured. But there’s plenty more at stake: Brad and George Strait shared top honors with six nominations apiece, while Jamey Johnson and Heidi Newfield nabbed five apiece.

It’s down to the final moments — last-minute wardrobe tweaks, show rehearsals, Saturday’s charity motorcycle ride in Las Vegas and two days of free concert’s at the Fremont Street Experience with the likes of LeAnn Rimes, Julianne Hough, Jake Owen and the Zac Brown Band.

GAC will give you a first-hand look at what people are wearing as Suzanne Alexander, Nan Kelley and Storme Warren host the ACM Orange Carpet with Capitol recording artist Emily West serving as special fan correspondent on GAC Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

In the meantime, here’s what the stars are saying about the ACMs and Las Vegas:

• "You’d think they’d get tired of me [hosting] by now, but they keep askin’ me back," Reba told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. "It’s a fun event, it’s a fun night to get to be a part of, and to host is the icing on the cake. Seein’ everybody out there, it’s kinda like we’re not in Nashville, we’re not in Los Angeles, we’re not in any kind of place where anybody can go home after reharsals and stuff, and we’re in the hotel rooms, so we get to visit a lot more when it’s in Las Vegas and we enjoy it totally."

• "Every nomination I get, I’m just so thankful that I’m still getting a nomination," Top Female nominee Miranda Lambert told GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. "I’ve gotten a nomination for what, three years now, and I really cherish it. I really, really do. And I always respect everybody that’s in the category. I mean this year, Lee Ann Womack’s in it. Heidi Newfield who’s really been through a lot, and she’s an awesome girl. She’s got five nominations, and I think that’s great. It seems like the ACMs pay a lot of attention to the hard work people put in."

• "This means more to me than probably anybody on earth because of the journey I've been on to get to this place," Heidi, who sings "Johnny And June" on the show, told the Canadian Press. "To finally have the opportunity to get up there and shine, I've been waiting for that for so long."

• "When you get nominated for those awards like that, it's your friends in the industry that have basically come to support your music, and not only that but further your career and make sure, you know, we get to keep going," Jamey Johnson told Dial-Global. "That's about as high support [as] you can get around here is just having a friend pat you on the back and go, 'Man, good job.'"

• "I've been out there about four times, and I've never gotten to go see the Love show [featuring] Beatles [music]," Randy Houser told Dial-Global. "So I want to go see that. I do go see shows, you know? If I have an addiction out there, it'd probably be the Wheel of Fortune slot. That thing, like, I can go in the airport when I'm waiting for a flight in that airport... it's like, why do I dig this one so much, you know? I mean, I'll play some black jack for a little bit or whatever, but it's that Wheel of Fortune slot that gets me."

• "I don't see all my friends in Nashville in Nashville," James Otto told Dial-Global. "I see them out on the road or at events like this. All these artists — there's a lot of hob-knobbing and drinking and late nights. So the first thing I like to do the first night I get there is generally get a really good night's sleep and then wake up and run strong for the rest of the days that I'm there."

The full list of performers and presenters for the night includes:
• Performers: Trace Adkins, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney, Miley Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, Jamey Johnson, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Heidi Newfield, John Rich, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack.

• Presenters: Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jack Ingram, Martina McBride, Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Miller, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker and Blake Shelton.