Taylor Swift Finally Legal at ACM Casino

Taylor Swift on the Orange Carpet at the "42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards," Tuesday, May 15, 2007. Photo by David Vespie.

May 16, 2008 — Taylor Swift has attended the Academy of Country Music Awards twice, and both times, her status as a minor created some logistical problems in getting from place to place. But for this weekend’s 43rd annual awards, that’s no longer an issue.

"I’m 18 now, so they’re not gonna rush me through the casinos because they don’t want to get caught," Taylor told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. "I’m not gonna gamble or anything, but at least this time I can kind of leisurely walk through the hotel casinos and my management and label isn’t running to put a mask over my face."

Better put, they won’t need to hide her age. But Taylor might have trouble getting through the casino without getting stopped by someone looking for an autograph. In fact, her experiences at Vegas are a pretty good gauge of her career progress.

"The first time I came out on the red carpet and the photo pit, [the photographers are] all like, ‘Who’s that?’" she recalled. "And then the second time I went to the ACMs, I was nominated for Top New Female Vocalist, and I got to perform, and I got to meet Tim McGraw, which was very exciting. And this year, I’m really excited because this is really the first time I’ve been nominated for more than one category."

Taylor’s nominated once again for Top New Female, but she’s also up for Top Female Vocalist and her debut CD is one of the finalists for Album of the Year. The ACMs will air at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.