Underwood, Aldean win big at awards
Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean were the big winners, the Judds reunited, and Kelsea Ballerini turned a tough break into a one-woman house party at Monday’s CMT Music Awards.
Underwood and Aldean won video of the year and collaborative video of the year for their duet “If I Didn’t Love You” on the show that uses fan votes to honor the best in country music videos.
“This one’s all about the fans man,” Underwood said as she accepted the belt-buckle CMT trophy for video of the year, a record 25th win for her.
“I’m pretty sure I picked the perfect partner for this song,” Aldean said.
The Judds took the stage for the duo’s first major awards show performance in over two decades, with Naomi, 76, and her daughter Wynonna, 57, singing their signature 1990 classic “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
The show made the best of the last-minute absence of co-host Ballerini, who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days earlier.
Her co-host, actor Anthony Mackie, took the stage alone at the start of the live CBS telecast and introduced a “backup KB,” Kane Brown, to help with hosting duties. Brown was also the night’s most nominated artist but came up empty.
Ballerini appeared on a big screen from home, decked out in a full awards-show dress in her living room. “This is my normal Monday night, in full glam, with lighting I set up myself, and a remote truck outside,” Ballerini said. “I would so much rather be there with you, but I will be popping in all night long.”
Miranda Lambert won her eighth CMT award, for female video of the year,
for “If I Was a Cowboy.” Cody Johnson won male video of the year for “’Til You Can’t,” and Maddie & Tae won best group or duo video for “Woman You Got.” At age 69, George Strait won his first CMT award, taking CMT performance of the year for “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone?” from “CMT Giants: Charley Pride.”
Spears shares pregnancy news:
Britney Spears, less than five months after her conservatorship ended, confused some fans Monday when she posted on Instagram that she’s pregnant and apparently married.
“I lost so much weight to go on my Maui trip only to gain it back,” the pop star wrote in part Monday. “I thought ‘Geez ... what happened to my stomach???’ My husband said ‘No you’re food pregnant silly!!!’ So I got a pregnancy test ... and uhhhhh well ... I am having a baby.”
Spears, 40, didn’t name partner Sam Asghari as the
“husband.”
Asghari, 28, added an Instagram post of his own accompanied by a painting of a lion family with three members.
“Marriage and kids are a natural part of a strong relationship filled with love and respect. Fatherhood is something i have always looked forward to and i don’t take lightly,” he wrote.
Maddow returns to MSNBC:
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow returned to the air Monday with some bad news for her fans: Starting next month, she will be doing her prime-time show only once a week.
After working her customary five nights a week for the rest of April, Maddow said, she will work on Monday nights only starting in May. The network said it will rotate guest hosts the other four weeknights on a show called “MSNBC Prime.”
Maddow had been on hiatus for the past two months.