Rerunning last year’s CMAs?
This year’s CMAs are hosted by… Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Surprise! The nominees are a virtual repeat of 2008’s slate. Couldn’t they just re-run last year’s broadcast and save everyone a lot of time and money? Have the major country music awards always progressed at such a glacial pace – have they always winnowed the world of country music down to the same 10 artists year after year after year after year?
I don’t expect the CMAs or ACMs to stretch outside of Nashville, but even within the city limits there’s more going on than is highlighted on these shows. Sure, they throw in the occasional someone from outside the anointed circle of superstars, but they’re wearing a red uniform, beaming down from the Enterprise to a hostile planet.
Why is this? Does the mass country audience only have room in their hearts for one new artist every couple of years?