Entertainment blogging from The Oklahoman's Brandy McDonnell

Live blog: 2013 ACM Awards

7:00 p.m.: As promised, our co-hosts – Oklahoma superstar Blake Shelton and first-time ACM Awards co-host Luke Bryan are getting the show off to a musical start, performing Blake’s raucous, hip-hop-infused new single “Boys ‘Round Here.” Rocker Sheryl Crow, looking sassy in a short gold dress, are now joining them, and now here come Blake’s wife Miranda Lambert and Pistol Annie looking flat-out sexy to back him up. Country traditionalists are sure to hate it, but it’s a lot of fun.

7:03: And then Brad Paisley showed up on a small stage out in the middle of the crowd for a quick smoking guitar solo. We’re less than 5 minutes in, and they’ve already got the crowd on their collective feet. Auspicious start.

7:05: “How about a shout-out to Sherwin Williams for spray-painting Luke’s jeans on,” Blake cracks. “You know how Luke’s jeans are like a Motel 6: no ballroom.” Luke’s counters that there’s nothing up front in Blake’s jeans: “What are those, size empty?” Carrie Underwood is playfully covering her mom’s ears in the crowd.

7:07: Luke and Blake are singling out Carrie, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and the TV shows “Duck Dynasty” and “Nashville,” but somehow all the jokes end up with them picking on each other. “And to think, I used to be the stupid one,” Blake quips. Bluke, as the ACM has dubbed them, are funny together, sure, but I miss classy-sassy Reba.

7:09: “No beer bellies, no back fat and no butt cracks,” Blake says, explaining to Luke that they don’t have to abide by quite the same red carpet rules at the ACMs as they did at the no-side-boob-allowed Grammys earlier this year.

7:10: Blake is introducing a guy “who has more sand in his shorts than a swimsuit model,” so it must be time for Kenny Chesney, and His Tanness is performing his song “Pirate Flag” in his usual white straw hat, sleeveless shirt and as-tight-as-Luke-Bryan’s-jeans jeans.

7:17: For the third year, the ACMs include the Fan Jam going on at the Orleans Arena, and Blake and Luke zipped over there during Kenny’s performance. Both arenas are packed, and the crowd over the Orleans is LOUD. Brad Paisley also has moved over there, and he’s joined by young Hunter Hayes on guitar for “Outstanding in Our Field,” which also will feature Dierks Bentley on vocals in a minute. The song, from Brad’s new album “Wheelhouse,” samples Oklahoma-bred country legend Roger Miller’s “Dang Me,” and the late, great Erick-raised singer-songwriter turned up on the big screen before the lyrics to the new song helpfully appeared. Besides featuring a couple of my favorite country guys – Brad and Dierks, plus how can you not love Hunter Hayes? – it’s a clever spin on the popular field party anthem. Read my review of “Wheelhouse,” out Tuesday, click here.

7:24: Eli Young Band introduce fellow Texan George Strait, who is aiming on scoring his 60th No. 1 hit with “Give It All We Got Tonight,” which he is now playing. His fans hope he’s going to get there before he turns 61 on May 18. The campaign is called #60for60 (http://sixtyforsixty.com). King George has the star-studded crowd on its feet again and singing along as he croons the ballad. I got to see him a couple months ago when his farewell tour came to OKC, and I can attest that he still rules. Of course, George will perform a special tribute to the late Dick Clark with Oklahoman Garth Brooks later in the show.

7:28: Thompson Square – Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson and his lovely wife Shawna – just reminded us that fans can still vote for ACM Entertainer of the Year at http://www.cbs.com/vote. Tishomingo residents Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert are competing against each other in the top category!

7:30: By the way, we’re 30 minutes into this three-hour show and not a single award has been given out during the telecast. For the record, there were more awards given out on the red carpet: Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Luke Bryan won vocal event of the year for “The Only Way I Know.”

7:33: Singer-songwriter Gary Allan looks handsome as ever in his shiny silver jacket, and he’s introducing Eric Church, who is performing his ballad “Like Jesus Does.” Not only is Eric in black and white, we can see his eyes and his hair! He’s not wearing his usual aviator sunglasses and trucker cap. Wow. Plus, he and his backup singer (a lovely lady show in split screen in color) sound terrific doing this stripped-down acoustic guitar rendition of the heartfelt song. The crowd goes wild!

7:37: New vocal duo/group winners Florida Georgia Line, who are competing for the overall new artist award, are performing their No. 1 hit “Cruise.” Can someone please explain the appeal of these guys? They are semi-attractive, decent-but-not-great singers who seem to do nothing but Southern rock party songs. That 60-second clip of them pretty much sums everything we’ve seen from them to this point.

7:42: Beth Behrs of the CBS series “2 Broke Girls” is onstage, but her presence isn’t just network homerism: She stars in the video for Lady Antebellum’s new single “Downtown,” and that’s the poppy new single Lady A is performing right now. They’ve got the crowd up and on their feet. Hillary Scott is wearing a navy number with a filmy skirt sort of construction that somewhat conceals her baby bump. She’s the second lady I’ve seen wearing a filmy navy accessory on her outfit; the other was Shawna Thompson, who as flowing sleeves on her gown made of similar material.

7:46: San Francisco 49ers NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Michelle Stafford of “The Young and the Restless” are going to finally present the first award, vocal duo of the year. Can Thompson Square repeat as winners in this category: I hope so! Here are the nominees:

· Big & Rich

· Florida Georgia Line

· Love and Theft

· Sugarland

· Thompson Square

7:48: Winner: Thompson Square! “Well, we want to thank God for this amazing reality we live in right now,” Keifer says, giving a shout-out to country fans, radio, their label and his parents back home.

7:50: Brantley Gilbert, the new male vocalist winner and overall new artist finalist, is crooning his song “More Than Miles.” Fun fact: While Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert are the first husband and wife to compete for the best new artist, Brantley and his fiancee Jana Kramer are believed to be the first couple dueling for best new artist.

7:57: “I have a theory that the best country music singers are from the state of Oklahoma,” Luke Bryan says, citing Garth, Reba, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill and Toby Keith. He then turns to Blake, “Wait a minute, you’re from Oklahoma. Damn, just when I thought I was on to something.” It’s all a silly and funny way to introduce Carrie Underwood, who’s exiting a vintage Caddy in a short black gown and black gloves on a moody, misty stage. She’s performing “Two Black Cadillacs,” which is one of my favorite songs on her “Blown Away” album, but I’m surprised. I expected her to come out belting her new single “See You Again,” which she debuted Thursday on “American Idol.”

I love the sassy wink at the end of her performance.

8:02: John Fogerty and Miranda Lambert, who have a duet on his new album, are taking the stage, and he’s playfully joking that he can’t believe he’s there with Miranda Lambert. “OK rock star,” she quips back. They’re going to present album of the year, which she won last year, provided that Miranda’s super-lowcut/peekaboo dress stays up long enough. That’s a sexy, daring, not-approved-by-the-Grammys look.

Anyway, here are the nominees:

· Blown Away – Carrie Underwood (19/Arista Nashville)

Produced by: Mark Bright

· Chief – Eric Church (EMI-Nashville)

Produced by: Jay Joyce

· Red – Taylor Swift (Big Machine Records)

Produced by: Jeff Bhasker, Nathan Chapman, Dann Huff, Jacknife Lee, Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift, Butch Walker, Dan Wilson

· Tailgates & Tanlines – Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville)

Produced by: Mark Bright, Jeff Stevens

· Tornado – Little Big Town (Capitol Nashville)

Produced by: Jay Joyce

8:03: Miranda barely had to look at the envelope to announce that Eric Church won for his excellent breakthrough “Chief.” He’s back in his sunglasses and he starts his speech “I can’t believe I just met John Fogerty. We should hang out later.” He’s thanking his “great team,” his wife and the usual suspects and giving a shout-out to his baby boy.

8:05: Luke jokes that Miranda Lambert took in a puppy she found at the side of the road, which is how she found Blake, too. It’s his way of introducing his co-host’s next performance. Blake is in a small stage out in the middle of the crowd to do a stripped-down version of his latest chart-topper “Sure Be Cool if You Did.” It’s just him and couple of lovely ladies, one playing acoustic guitar with him and his “The Voice” Season 2 contestant Gwen Sebastian backing him on vocals. As often seems to be the case at these shows, it’s the low-key, stripped-down performances that are really stealing the show.

8:09: Blake is immediately kicking it over to The Band Perry, who just released their new album “Pioneer,” and their kicking it up a notch or 10 with their rocking kiss-off “Done.” It seems like Kimberly Perry is really starting to come into her own as a superstar. Another number that got the crowd on its feet.

8:13: Speaking of young ladies coming into their own, Jana Kramer, who won new female vocalist of the year and is vying for overall new artist, is singing “Whiskey” and looking lovely in a short, sparkly, silver dress.

8:20: We’re back in the Orleans Arena, where Scotty McCreery is going to pass along the crown for new artist of the year, which I hope does not go to Florida Georgia Line:

Brantley Gilbert

Jana Kramer

Florida Georgia Line

8:21: Winner: Florida Georgia Line. Not a fan. They’re thanking the Lord, their team and their fans. They really need to thank those fans, who must have voted like crazy.

8:22: Jason Aldean is getting ready to perform his new song “1994.” “Back in 1994, Hunter Hayes was still breastfeeding,” Blake quips. Jason jumps out of a (presumably) mocked-up time machine to perform his latest hip-hop-infused hit while a trio of backup dancers in Daisy Dukes frolics. I do like the “John Deere Green” and Joe Diffie shout-out – good grief, I loved that song back in the day – but the novelty of Aldean’s hip-hop mash-ups has kind of worn off for me. He’s got the crowd on its feet, but I personally prefer it when he just sings.

8:25 Jake Owen, “Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco and her big hair are going to present an award. She’s wearing a very revealing gown and he’s wearing a pale plaid suit. It’s a fashion disaster, but fortunately, we’re cutting away to detail the best vocal group nominees:

· The Band Perry

· Eli Young Band

· Lady Antebellum

· Little Big Town

· Zac Brown Band

8:28: Winner: Little Big Town. Congratulations to them! I love how far they’ve come in the past couple of years. “Thank you for giving us this moment,” says . Karen Fairchild. “We’re trying not to scream.” They’re thanking their team and fans, and then Karen thanks their babies “for letting us ride your bus.” Too cute! My favorite speech so far.

8:33: “This next performer is nominated for female vocalist and entertainer of the year,” says Blake. “But the coolest thing is this morning I saw her naked.” It’s his cheeky way of introducing his bride, Miranda Lambert, who is smoking through her awesome hit “Mama’s Broken Heart,” in a short and sassy black dress. My favorite song from her album “Four the Record,” and she’s rocking it! Plus, she did her spinning and stomping dance, and I love it when she does that. She’s got the whole crowd on its feet.

8:37: Kasey Musgraves is wearing a lacy white dress that I’m kind of undecided about, while Sheryl Crow looks amazing in a figure-hugging low-cut navy column. They’re going to present song of the year, and I’m rooting for Blake and ‘Ran.

· A Woman Like You – Lee Brice

Composers: Phil Barton, Johnny Bulford, Jon Stone

Publishers: 3JB Music (BMI), Adios Pantalones (SESAC), Hears That Skyline Music (SESAC), Sixteen Stars Music (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)

· Even If It Breaks Your Heart – Eli Young Band

Composers: Will Hoge, Eric Paslay

Publishers: Cal IV Songs (ASCAP), Will Hoge Music (BMI)

· Over You – Miranda Lambert

Composers: Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton

Publishers: Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony ATV/Tree Publishing (BMI)

· Springsteen – Eric Church

Composers: Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell

Publishers: Bug Music (BMI), Ole Purple Cape Music (BMI), Sinnerlina (BMI), Sony ATV/Tree Publishing (BMI)

· Wanted – Hunter Hayes

Composers: Hunter Hayes, Troy Verges

Publishers: Happy Little Man Publishing (BMI), Songs From The Engine Room (BMI), Songs Of Universal Inc. (BMI)

8:38: Yay! Blake and Miranda win! They’re exchanging lots of hugs and Blake is praising his wife as a songwriter and saying he’s learned so much about himself because of her. So sweet. “Enough said. Thank y’all so much,” Miranda says. They’re all smiles. Glad there were no tears this time.

8:45: Little Big Town are performing their heartbreaker “Your Side of the Bed” with a huge bed in bed in the background. It turns out that the couple in it are actually aerial dancers. The vocals are great as usual, but I’m waiting for some sexy high-flying dancing.

8:48: Wish granted as the aerialists soar together and then get back under the covers all close. And Karen and hubby Jimi Westbrook get nice and cozy to for the sad song’s big finish.

8:49: Lucky Nancy O’Dell. She gets to share the stage with Chris Young, who looks super-hot in his purple. They’re going to present single of the year, and let’s see if “Over You” can make it two:

· Even If It Breaks Your Heart – Eli Young Band (Republic Nashville)

Produced by: Mike Wrucke

· Over You – Miranda Lambert (RCA)

Produced by: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf

· Pontoon – Little Big Town (Capitol Nashville)

Produced by: Jay Joyce

· Springsteen – Eric Church (EMI-Nashville)

Produced by: Jay Joyce

· Wanted – Hunter Hayes (Atlantic/WMN)

Produced by: Hunter Hayes, Dann Huff

8:50: Winner: Yep! Miranda’s “Over You” wins again! She is going to make me cry as she gets obviously emotional as she sincerely thanks her peers for recognizing her not just as an artist and performer but also as a songwriter. So deserving.

8:57: Whoa. I hope Luke has a good joke prepped for Blake’s polka dot tie. Yikes.

“People are making such a big deal out of Tim McGraw’s new buff look, but I say he’s always had one of the best bodies in country music,” Blake says. Luke gets to supply the punchline: “her name is Faith Hill.” Faith appears in a lovely black lace dress, and she’s introducing her husband (she says she’s praising him lavishly because she’s his No. 1 fan – “and he’s my ride home”) performing his latest single “Highway Don’t Care” with Taylor Swift on vocals and Keith Urban on guitar. Good performance of one of my favorite songs on Tim’s new album – Keith is especially awesome tearing up the big guitar solo – but I really miss curly-hair Taylor Swift. Another big standing O.

9:03: LL Cool J is at the Orleans Arena getting the crowd pumped up. He’s talking about his guest spot on Brad Paisley’s new album “Wheelhouse” – they do a really thought-provoking number called “Accidental Racist” – and he’s introducing a special duet between Brad and John Mayer – two incredible triple threat singer/songwriter/guitarists – to “Beat This Summer.” It’s another of the songs on “Wheelhouse.” I just wish the sound was better since Brad’s vocals are getting a little lost in the mix. Unfortunate. There have been a few sound issues tonight, and most of them seem to be at the Fan Jam.

9:07: Ugh. It sounded like they tried to cut off the big double-guitar solo at the end with the canned music. Gotta do better.

9:08: “Ladies and gentlemen, don’t look into this man’s teeth without some form of eye protection,” Blake jokes. “He’s the best co-host I’ve had all night.” He’s introducing Luke, who emerges behind a piano and surrounded by green lasers to perform his new single “Crash My Party.” He didn’t stay behind the piano for long; he’s leaping out to show off his all-black (but still very tight) look. There’s no hip-shaking dance, since this is Luke in straight-up romance mode.

9:13: The late, great Oklahoman Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” ad is on. I could watch it all day.

9:18: I’m so ready for Garth Brooks and George Strait to show the youngsters how it’s done!

9:19: Owasso resident Trisha Yearwood is looking lovely in her red dress, and she’s introducing Kelly Clarkson, who also looks lovely in her aqua dress, as she performs her country crossover song “Don’t Rush.” I was hoping that her duet partner Vince Gill would turn up to perform with her. Of course, I often wish for more Vince Gill in my life and particularly at country awards shows. Kelly still sounds great as usual crooning the bluesy song, but this song needs Vince. Still, it gets another standing O from the all-star crowd.

9:23: Michael Chiklis of the CBS series “Vegas” introduces the video highlight reel of the ACM’s “Vegas Goes Country Week.” Eeek … it’s a montage!

9:25: It’s back over to the Orleans Arena, where TV personality Kevin Frazier and songwriter Tori Kelly are introducing the ACM Lifting Lives spotlight performance. Jewel, who has experienced hunger and homelessness, is in a lovely white gown and strumming her guitar to croon a medley of her song “Hands” and Kelly’s “Fill a Heart.” It’s about spotlighting ConAgra Foods’ Child Hunger Ends Here program. Great cause.

9:29: Get happy, happy, happy. Willie and Korie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” are here to present the male vocalist of the year award. Go Blake!

· Jason Aldean

· Luke Bryan

· Eric Church

· Toby Keith

· Blake Shelton

9:30: Winner: Jason Aldean. Well, I am disappointed, and not just because of my blatant Blake Shelton fandom but because Jason seems more interested in attempting rap than singing these days.

9:32: Reba gets a standing O just for showing up. She’s teary eyed as she pays tribute to the late, great Dick Clark, the show’s longtime producer who died last year. “This evening two icons who have both been named artist of the decade, George Strait and Garth Brooks” – huge, well-deserving applause – “are performing together for the first time.” Yippee!

9:34: Garth, sporting a goatee along with his usual black hat, button-down shirt and jeans, sounds amazing as he croons “The Dance” as photos of Dick Clark and country stars flash onscreen. Man, I’ve missed hearing Garth sing.

9:35: Garth takes off his hat and introduce the King, and George comes out singing and strumming “The Cowboy Rides Away,” while Garth backs him on vocals. It’s amazing how easily they made this the highlight of the night. Garth takes his hat off for George, and they share a hearty handshake while the crowd continues to cheer and keeps its feet.

9:42: Luke, all dolled up in deep bluish purple suit, is introducing “the no-fly zone between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey,” Keith Urban, who is dressed in a similar apparently trendy color, and is going to present the female vocalist trophy. And he better give it to Miranda:

· Miranda Lambert

· Martina McBride

· Kacey Musgraves

· Taylor Swift

· Carrie Underwood

9:43: Yay! Winner: Miranda Lambert, who hugs her Pistol Annies bandmates and then laughs as Keith Urban playfully kneels to hand it to her. She says she thought Carrie had it this year “and she damn well deserved it.” Miranda tearfully says she realized a girlhood dream getting to hang out with Reba, Faith and Shania last night because “I will never not be a fan of those women.” Great speech.

9:45: Blake let’s out a “woo” and then introduces talented youngster Hunter Hayes, who is debuting his new single “I Want Crazy.” This kid is good, and I become a bigger fan every time I see him. He’s bouncing around the stage playing guitar and belting among a bunch of balls and showers of confetti.

9:48: Hunter can barely contain his excitement as he introduces to the stage Stevie Wonder. The legend is sitting behind his keyboard belting “You Can Feel It All Over” with Hunter singing and playing his guitar and a horn section blasting. Hunter does a great job on the second verse, too. So effervescent and fun and amazing. The whole audience is up and grooving and singing along.

9:55: Blake and Luke are back and they’re introducing Vegas performer Shania Twain, who is returning to the ACMs after “10 freaking years” as Blake puts it. She still looks sassy and youthful, and she gets a standing O. “It’s just so great to be back here at the ACMs,” she says, adding she’s honored to present the fan-voted entertainer award:

· Jason Aldean

· Luke Bryan

· Miranda Lambert

· Blake Shelton

· Taylor Swift

9:56: Winner: Luke Bryan, who immediately burst into tears. He’s still wiping them away and trying to hold it together as his peers cheer him on. Miranda even gets a little teary for him. “I don’t know what to say, guys,” Luke Bryan says, fervently thanking the fans. He says all he ever wanted to be was a country singer who got to ride a tour bus and play a new stage every night. “This is the defining moment of my life, and I will never take it for granted.”

9:59: Blake hugs him and says “it’s OK buddy,” while Luke kisses his cheek. “Congratulations, you won entertainer of the year on your first and last time to host the ACMs,” Blake jokes. After an exaggerated tossing up of his hands, Luke responds, “This guy is an amazing human being right here for seeing me through this night.”

10:01: They’re sending it back to Stevie Wonder, who’s singing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” with Hunter Hayes on drums this time. Blake and Luke take the stage with him to lead the crowd in a big sing-along party. Faith and Shania are among the stars absolutely shaking it and singing in the crowd, while Blake and Luke start a dance contest on the stage. It’s a fun finish, if a bit odd for a country music awards show.

Well, that’s the show. It had its share of superstars and surprises, but now it’s no surprise that I have a deadline. Good night and have a great Monday!

-BAM

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Live blog and photo gallery: 2013 Oscars red carpet

6:00 p.m.: The official Oscars Red Carpet Pre-show is commencing, and Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth looks lovely as she opens the proceedings. I love the idea of decorating the red carpet with sketches of iconic Hollywood dress designs.

6:01: Kristin and Kelly Rowland both look glamorous in black and white, while co-host and “Good Morning America” anchor Lara Spencer is decked out in a sparkling off-white off-the-shoulder gown. I’m a minute in, and I’m ready to see some COLOR in these dresses!

6:03: How can you not get an uplift seeing Robin Roberts back working the red carpet? Plus, she granted my wish for more color with her flowing, rich deep blue gown.

6:04: Jessica Chastain gushes about meeting Kristin and hopes she hears her sing tonight. KC is set to singing in a big musical finale with Oscar host Seth McFarlane. Best actress nominee Jessica said she went old Hollywood with her gown, a very pale pink. It’s a long copper column with very pale pink beads over, and it looks stunning with her long red hair. So glamorous.

6:05: More mutual admiration – plus, air kisses! – between Lara and “Django Unchained” star Kerry Washington. She’s rocking the color in a long red gown. It’s strapless with a very elaborately beaded white top and a darling little bow at her waist.

6:06: It’s Channing Tatum’s first Oscar night, and he gets to be there with his pregnant wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum. She’s in an elaborate long, black, vaguely floral gown that shows off her bump. Her handsome hubby looks great in a tux – what doesn’t that man look good in, amIright, ladies? – and says he’s thrilled to have their baby joy well documented here tonight. Sweet.

6:10: Amanda Seyfried admits that her Alexander McQueen dress makes her feel that she can’t breathe and her organs are slowly being pushed out of her body. She’s honest. She looks beautiful in her flowing pale, pale lavender gown with the shimmering floral motif and keyhole neckline. She says she also had to wear a corset during “Les Miserables.” Kristin says she wants to see Amanda on Broadway after her two successful movie musicals. Surprised she hasn’t been there already.

6:11: I knew we could count on 9-year-old dynamo Quvenzhané Wallis to bring the color. She’s got a beautiful royal blue gown with a sparkling black overlay. She’s got an adorable puppy-shaped purse, plus her mom and sister with her. Her mom says she gets to stay up late. And Wallis is in the big casting news today: She will be in the new movie version of the musical “Annie,” so we’ll get to hear her sing. I think Lara’s right: QW can do anything.

6:14: Top fashion designers talk about the movie costumes that inspired them – which range from “Cleopatra” to “A Clockwork Orange” (!) – as well as the Hollywood designers and stars that influenced them, too.

6:15: Jennifer Lawrence is wearing a flowing Dior cupcake of a dress. It’s very light pink and sleeveless. She and Kristin are freaking out over their mutual “Dance Moms” fandom, and KC just got bleeped. Apparently, nothing revs her up like bad reality shows.

6:17: Zoe Saldana is talking about playing Nia Simone in an upcoming biopic. She looks glam in a very pale gown with the elaborate floral strapless neckline with the black border along the hemline. It’s a very different shape than some of the other gowns we’ve seen, but there’s definitely a pastels trend on tonight’s red carpet that it’s following.

6:20: Catherine Zeta-Jones looks gorgeous in a golden bodice with a long sheer skirt overlaid in more gold, and her hubby Michael Douglas is wearing a deep blue tux. CZJ is performing tonight on the telecast, but she’s not giving much away, only that it will be a “musical adventure.”

6:21: It’s hard to believe that it’s Daniel Radcliffe’s first Oscars. He looks great in a basic black tux.

6:22: Naomi Watts has gone with a long metallic silver gown with an, um, interesting neckline. It’s got kind of a birdlike profile that’s very distracting as she talks about spending time with the real-life tsunami survivor she portrays in the fact-based drama “The Impossible,” for which she is nominated for the best actress award. Her hubby Liev Schrieber is gone with a crisp white shirt and deep black suit with a skinny black tie.

6:30: Red carpet icon Reese Witherspoon is resplendent in Louis Vuitton, and we’re seeing another trend with the royal blue and black combo in play. It’s a strapless number with the neckline outlined in black and an elegant gather at the back. She’s talking a bit about her acclaimed indie film “Mud.”

6:31: Joseph Gordon-Levitt says he remembers watching the Oscars growing up: “Glitz and glamor, that’s one thing. But movies? Real movies. That’s what I love.” Well said, sir. Along with his tux, he’s wearing socks emblazoned with icicles. I love the pic he tweeted out earlier of Sally Field tying his bow tie.

6:33: Good grief, the actual ceremony hasn’t started yet and we’re already getting our first montage of the night. (If you haven’t followed my live blogs before, you’ll learn I have a low tolerance for montages. After the first two, my patience is pretty much exhausted.)

6:37: Bradley Cooper looks handsome in a tux, and he and KC are reminiscing about her kiss him at the Critics Choice Awards. Now he’s introducing Kristin Chenoweth to his mom, who is his date. His mom is amazed when KC ditches the heels and reveals that Bradley’s petite mother is actually taller than she. Now, Bradley is helping KC back into her shoe: “Every woman in America his having a heart attack right now, including me,” she exclaims! She’s also name-dropping the OKC Thunder now and asking Cooper which team he roots for; the answer, sadly, is the 76ers.

6:40: Lovely couple Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban look great as usual on the red carpet, although Nicole admits their daughters didn’t like her dress as much as some of the other choices but her hubby overruled. It’s a long, fluid sort of black-gold column with thin straps. She’s giving a shoutout to her nominated pal Naomi Watts.

6:41: Charlize Theron looks so great in her white Dior and super-short ‘do. She’s got lots of praise for nominated costume designer Coleen Atwood who made her look so fearsome as the evil queen in “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Not the best film, but Atwood deserves that Oscar.

6:44: Congratulations to the college film students picked for the Oscars Experience that get to be a part of Hollywood’s biggest night. So far tonight, Hollywood is doing a good job of honoring the past, present and future of the movies.

6:49: Kristin says one of her favorite parts of covering the red carpet is interviewing her friends, and she’s got her Broadway buddy Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness there and they’re chatting enthusiastically. He’s picking up KC to see if she weighs more or less than an Oscar statuette. He’s decided less. She’s praising his wife for having him well-trained as he lifts up both ladies. “This has been a great way to calm down, seeing you,” Hugh says, kissing KC on the cheek. I think they really are friends, since he actually made contact.

6:52: Kelly has “The Avengers” star Chris Evans there, and he’s also brought his mom as his date. He says he most looking forward to seeing “her face, since she’s so excited.” Awww … so cute. All “The Avengers” actors are presenting together tonight, so that should be fun.

6:53: Robert De Niro is with Robin Roberts, and he’s nominated for his seventh Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook.” She says it’s the first time in decades that one film has actors nominated in all four acting categories. Pretty impressive – and well-deserved. De Niro is full of praise for his co-star, Bradley Cooper. But I’m banking that De Niro wins and Cooper falls before the juggernaut that is Daniel Day-Lewis.

6:54: Daniel Radcliffe is back, this time with co-host Jess Cagle. He’s talking about his diverse post-Harry Potter roles: He’s just going for what’s interesting to him and thinks he’s lucky that he’s felt passionate about everything he’s worked on. He also says that the weirdest question he’s been asked on the red carpet: what he thinks about the European horse meat scandal. “I don’t know why someone would think I’m an authority on that.” That’s a good question.

7:00: The Oscars are just 30 minutes away!

7:01: Jennifer Aniston says she feels “very princess-y” in her flowing bright red gown with her blond hair flowing over her square, sleeveless neckline. It’s Valentino, and it’s stunning. She’s presenting tonight.

7:02: Jennifer Garner is wearing a long, slim custom-made Gucci column gown in a plum color that looks just amazing with her pale skin and dark hair. A fancy train flows from the shoulder blades down, and she’s wearing a beautiful dress. She says she’s most looking forward to seeing KC sing, and she “can’t even talk about” the prospects of her hubby Ben Affleck winning best picture for “Argo.” She dabs her eyes just mentioning it. KC says she’s rooting for her.

7:03: “The red carpet is now complete,” Robin Roberts says in introducing the black-and-silver Versace-clad Halle Berry. HB says she she told Donatella Versace she wanted to look like a Bond girl at the Oscars. There’s a special tribute to the Bond franchise for its 50th anniversary tonight.

7:04: Speaking of Bond, Adele says her long, sparkling black dress weighs 15 kilos so she expects singing her Oscar-nominated song “Skyfall” on the broadcast will be a challenge. She says her style is just wearing what she likes instead of following trends. That policy is working for her tonight; for the Grammys and her red flowered Grammy dress, not so much.

7:05: George Clooney, looking distinguished in his graying hair and beard, and his lady-love Stacey Keibler look stunning. He jokes he sewed the multitude of sequins on her elaborate silver gown. He also jokes he’s now a trivia question, since only he and Disney are nominated in six different categories.

7:06: We have technical difficulties as Jess interviews Sandra Bullock, who is clad in a long sparkling black dress. Doesn’t stop Sandy from being charming. I don’t think anything does.

7:11: “I’m trying not to jump up and down because I love this girl so much,” KC says as Anne Hathaway arrives in an interestingly shaped pale pink Prada gown with a mostly bare back and tons of Tiffany sparkles around her neck. Her dark hair is growing back nicely from her “Les Miserables” turn that earned her an Oscar nom. She says she’s mostly looking forward to performing with the “Les Mis” cast tonight since it represents the end of her journey for her. As it turns out, Anne also correctly guessed the ongoing Oscar mystery that KC has been running this whole time: It’s Dorothy’s slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”

7:14: Jamie Foxx has taken his daughter for a date, and I can’t believe he is old enough to have a 19-year-old daughter! He looks young and handsome and fly in his purple suit that matches her dress. They spent the car ride to the Oscars chatting about love and her college life. He’s directing one of Ron Howard’s Project Imagination short film projects, and he’s trying to cast Kelly Rowland in it right now.

7:16: Daniel Day-Lewis, the once and future best actor winner, looks classy as ever. He says that Abraham Lincoln has stayed in his heart: “Once you discover him, I think he absolutely stays with you forever.” Lara Spencer is gushing about his performance, and it’s hard to blame her. He says working with Spielberg was incredible because his generosity made it feel like a true partnership. “His deep love of the subject made it an absolute pleasure,” DDL says.

7:17: Kristin is exiting the red carpet and moving inside. She says she’s got butterflies. Again, she’s performing with host Seth MacFarlane during the show’s finale.

7:22: KC is inside interviewing the producers, and she’s offering them praise and a huge bottle of antacids. They cast her to sing at the finale, so they’re doing OK so far in my opinion.

7:23: The OU-Texas football rivalry makes it to the Oscars as KC and Renee Zellweger meet backstage. Renee looks lovely as usual in the golden Caroline Herrera gown, per usual.

7:24: Jess Cagle is in the broadcast truck. The red carpet show has jumped the shark. Time to move on.

7:25: The statuesque Queen Latifah looks elegant in Badgley Mischka white, which gives the red carpet broadcast one last opportunity for gushing praise and air kisses.

That’s our cue to move along to the live blog of the actual show, coming up after these messages.

- BAM

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Reminder: Oscar live blog tonight!

It’s almost time for the 85th Annual Academy Awards, and I’m gearing up for my annual Oscars live blog tonight here at BAM’s Blog!

The live blogging will begin at 6 p.m. with the Oscars Red Carpet Live official pre-show, hosted by Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth, Entertainment Weekly Managing Editor Jess Cagle and “Good Morning America” anchors Lara Spencer and Robin Roberts. It will air from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

The Oscars will air live from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on ABC with Seth MacFarlane hosting. Chenoweth will join MacFarlane in a special show-closing musical performance.

To read my preview of the 2013 Oscars, click here.

-BAM

 

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BAM’s 2013 Oscars preview

It’s almost time for the 85th Annual Academy Awards, and I’m gearing up for my annual Oscars live blog Sunday night here at BAM’s Blog.

The Oscars Red Carpet Live official pre-show, hosted by Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth, Entertainment Weekly Managing Editor Jess Cagle and “Good Morning America” anchors Lara Spencer and Robin Roberts, will air from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

The Oscars will air live from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on ABC with Seth MacFarlane hosting. Chenoweth will join MacFarlane in a special show-closing musical performance.

Here are my predictions for this year’s Oscars. To read the predictions of my fine colleagues Gene Triplett and George Lang, too, click here.

Best Picture

Brandy says: From the very day that Ben Affleck was denied an Academy Award nomination for best director, which some predicted would derail his historical thriller’s Oscar chances, “Argo” has swept every major awards show’s equivalent of best picture. Film fans can expect the breathless fact-based adventure to ride that momentum right into Sunday’s Academy Awards. “Lincoln” is the definition of classic Oscar bait, “Zero Dark Thirty” is the zeitgeist-capturing film that makes us take a less-than-comfortable look at our country and thus ourselves, but “Argo” deftly splits the difference with its still-timely political commentary coupled with its painstakingly recreated period drama.

Plus, the only thing that Hollywood loves more than movies about movies saving the day – quite literally a major theme in “Argo” – is a great comeback story. It’s hard to beat Affleck’s turnaround tale as the multi-hyphenate young buck who broke out co-writing an Oscar-winning screenplay, floundered as a leading man and finally found his place behind the camera. While Kathryn Bigelow’s immersive cinematic chronicle of the 10-year hunt for Osama bin Laden spoke more convincingly to me, it’s hard to argue with all the accolades “Argo” has received, not just because of the quality of the film but also because it somehow makes even Affleck’s box-office bomb “Gigli” seem like just a piece of a larger Hollywood story.

Should win: “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Will win: “Argo.”

 

Best Actor

Brandy says: Daniel Day-Lewis has been the overwhelming favorite since the unveiling of the first poster for “Lincoln.” Already a two-time Oscar winner, the British thespian again stunningly immersed himself into a role, veritably transforming himself into the 16th president of the United States. Even his creative decision to change Lincoln’s voice from the sonorous booms typically ascribed him onscreen to a more humbly high-pitched

tone was so commandingly accomplished that it seems like that’s the voice we were supposed to be hearing in the first place.

Should and will win: Daniel-Day Lewis, “Lincoln.”

Best Actress

Brandy says: The award for the race with the most intrigue should go to this year’s best actress category. While “Beasts of the Southern Wild” leading girl Quvenzhané Wallis, 9, the youngest thespian ever nominated for the honor, and “Amour” grand dame Emmanuelle Riva, 85, is the oldest ever in the category, richly deserve their nods, they essentially cancel out each other. Naomi Watts heartrendingly withstood a tsunami in “The Impossible,” but her fact-based drama didn’t generate enough acclaim or box-office buzz for her to really contend for Academy Award glory. The race really comes down to two of Hollywood’s hardest working and most talented young leading ladies who are both on their second Oscar nominations: Jennifer Lawrence as a troubled and enigmatic widow in “Silver Linings Playbook” and Jessica Chastain as a driven CIA operative in “Zero Dark Thirty.” It’s sure to be a close contest, but the deciding factor could well be that Chastain had to almost singlehandedly carry her film with her force-of-nature turn as a woman whose decade-long search for a terror mastermind transforms her into a walking, talking obsession.

Should and will win: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty.”

 

Best Supporting Actor

Brandy says: Each contender in this year’s supporting actor race already has at least one Oscar to his name, but two-time winner Robert De Niro will need to make room in his trophy case for his third Academy Award. While Christoph Waltz again teamed with writer/director Quentin Tarantino to create another indelible, complex and ridiculously charming character with his turn as a brutal but high-minded bounty hunter in the slavery saga “Django Unchained,” De Niro’s performance as a compulsive sports-obsessed father dealing with his even more mentally unstable son (Bradley Cooper) in “Silver Linings Playbook” constitutes the beloved thesp’s best work in ages.

Should win: Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained.”

Will win: Robert De Niro, “Silver Linings Playbook.”

 

Best Supporting Actress

Brandy says: Every nominee in this category has either won or been nominated previously, so we’re dealing with talented thespians who gave some of the best performances of their already rightly respected careers. While Sally Field was considered an early front-runner for her dynamic turn as Abraham Lincoln’s grief-stricken wife, Anne Hathaway essentially won this Oscar when she delivered her choked-up, soul-searing, live-to-film rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” while playing the doomed prostitute and single mother Fantine in Les Misérables.

Should and will win: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Best Director

Brandy says: Honestly, what was the Academy thinking with this year’s directing nominees? Sure, with nine best picture candidates and only five best director slots, someone was going to get overlooked, but “Argo,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Django Unchained” and even Les Misérables just wouldn’t be the fantastic films they became without the unique visions and singular talents of Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino and Tom Hooper. In the interest of spreading the glory a little, I’d love to see co-writer/helmer Benh Zeitlin pull off the upset with his beautiful breakout “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” but his nomination over those notable snubs will be his reward. Expect Steven Spielberg to win his well-deserved third best director Oscar for making politics utterly gripping with “Lincoln,” his superbly acted period piece about the 16th president’s race against time to get the 13th Amendment passed and slavery abolished before the end of the Civil War.

Should and will win: Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln.”

Best original screenplay

Brandy says: Mark Boal, “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Best adapted screenplay

Brandy says: Tony Kushner, “Lincoln.”

Best animated feature

Brandy says: “Brave.”

Best documentary feature

Brandy says: “Searching for Sugar Man.”

Best foreign language film

Brandy says: “Amour.”

-BAM

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Live blog: 2103 Grammy Awards

7:00 p.m.: That’s a crazy lineup of performers. But all I heard was Prince is here!!!

7:01:  Here we go. The 55th Annual Grammy Awards are starting with a performance that CBS has been promoting like crazy: Taylor Swift’s return to the Grammy stage with tonight’s opening performance. Despite all her success, the pop-country superstar still has something to prove after her less-than-stellar duet with Stevie Nicks at the 2010 Grammys.

She’s singing her latest smash “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and it’s oh-so much better than her 2010 debacle but not nearly as good as she sounds in a concert setting. She has a real stage presence that just come through on TV.

Despite the creepy jester guy at the beginning, this lavish “Alice in Wonderland”-joins-the-circus setup Swifty’s got going is a pretty spectacular start to the show. I like the white top hat and boots, but I’m not sold on the hot pants and tails combo.

7:05: There’s big cheers for Swift as the confetti falls. Her peers seem to have approved. Or there are a lot of Swift fanatics that have been trucked in.

7:06: Host LL Cool J is hosting for the second straight year, and he just called Taylor “T Swizzle,” which was weird. Now, he’s jumping in the time machine to reference Whitney Houston’s tragic death last year on the eve of the 2012 Grammys and pay homage to the late Michael Jackson and how he inspired him.

He’s talking about how the Grammys inspired some of the other superstars in the audience, including Checotah native Carrie Underwood growing up in Oklahoma, Beyonce growing up in Houston, Adele growing up in England and Goyte growing up in Bruges.

The two-time Grammy winner is waxing eloquently about what the Grammys mean to him and how he entrusted his two trophies to his Grammy because she always took care of him.

“When you get right down to it, a Grammy isn’t just a shiny trophy. It’s a dream come true,” he said. “Those Grammys are mine, but this show is ours.”

He also says the show belongs to all us music fans at home. It was pretty rambling, but all in all, a nice speech before we get to all the glitz and glamor.

It’s not going to help them come in on time, though. We’ve got 20+ performances and a dozen awards to hand out tonight, folks. Let’s get to it.

7:10: It’s a two-man British invasion with hot young thing Ed Sheeran on guitar and Elton John on piano to perform Sheeran’s Grammy-nominated ballad “A Team.” I like the imagery in this song, they sound terrific together, and the stripped-down, frills-free performance is a nice contrast to T-Swift’s circus opener.

7:19: Pit Bull and Jennifer Lopez are presenting the first award, and J-Lo is making the night’s first crack about the famous memo instructing the stars to cover up. She’s got one leg and one shoulder bare and Pit Bull nearly panting. The producers are tearing the eyes away long enough to present the best pop performance award. Here are the nominees:

Set Fire To The Rain [Live]

Adele

Track from: Live At The Royal Albert Hall

Label: XL/Columbia

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)

Kelly Clarkson

Label: RCA Records/19 Recordings Limited

Call Me Maybe

Carly Rae Jepsen

Label: 604 Records/Schoolboy Records/Interscope

Wide Awake

Katy Perry

Label: Capitol

Where Have You Been

Rihanna

Track from: Talk That Talk

Label: Def Jam

7:21: Winner: Adele, who even without a new album seems to be picking up right where she started off last year, when her “21″ earned six Grammys. She calls J-Lo her good luck charm and gives a shoutout to the other ladies doing this because “we work so hard and make it look so easy.” Well done, despite the red flowered dress that looks like her grandma’s curtains.

7:22: The always-entertaining Neil Patrick Harris quotes “gangster rap icon Katharine Hepburn” with a line about how “if you follow all the rules, you miss all the fun.” This, of course, is to intro breakout band fun., who earned six Grammys. But they’re not performing their breakout hit “We Are Young.” They’re going with their also anthemic “Carry On” instead. I can’t say I’m sorry, since I’m a little burned out on the other. Besides, they’re delivering the uplift while performing in a simulated rainstorm that was fairly frosty to see.

7:31: “Two guitar-slinging Grammy winners,” Bonnie Raitt and John Mayer are taking the stage in what looks like almost matching outfits: a couple of richly textured and colored suits, hers purple and his blue.

They’re introducing Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert and her tourmate Dierks Bentley for a special performance of two of their heartfelt songs. First up, Miranda, who is rock a very short, sparkle-festooned white dress, to sing “Over You,” the heartbreaking ballad she wrote with hubby Blake Shelton. She’s singing against a moody blue backdrop with a large tree, and Dierks is coming out to croon the second verse. I seriously hope we can expect more of this when their co-headlining tour comes to Oklahoma City and Tulsa this spring, because they sound just wonderful together. They are doing country music proud!

They’re going right into Dierks gorgeous patriotic anthem “Home,” with Ran harmonizing on the chorus and then taking over on the second verse. This is even better, as they blend the two choruses, which fit together better than I could have imagined. Now, I really can’t wait to see them live here in OKC!

By the way, Ran is up for best country album tonight for “Four the Record” and Dierks is nominated for best solo vocal performance for “home.”

7:38: Fellow country artists Blake Shelton (of course) and Keith Urban are on their feet to cheer for Ran and Dierks. Go team country!

7:39: It’s another blast from the past as we get a vintage clip of Dick Clark interviewing a young LL Cool J. Cool J pays a brief tribute to the late music host, adding “He is missed.”

7:40: That’s not much of a segue into something completely different: new Grammy winner Miguel and Wiz Khalifa performing “Adorn.” But Miguel sure can sing.

7:42: Now, Miguel and Wiz are gonna present the best country solo performance Grammy. There are three choices with Sooner State ties here:

Home

Dierks Bentley

Label: Capitol Records Nashville

Springsteen

Eric Church

Label: EMI Records Nashville

Cost Of Livin’

Ronnie Dunn

Label: Arista Nashville

Wanted

Hunter Hayes

Track from: Hunter Hayes

Label: Atlantic

Over

Blake Shelton

Track from: Red River Blue

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Blown Away

Carrie Underwood

Track from: Blown Away

Label: 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Nashville

7:43: Winner: Carrie Underwood! She’s talking about how grateful she is to be part of the country music community and thanking the usual suspects, with special shoutouts to her fans and her husband, Mike Fisher. Congratulations to Checotah’s own superstar on her sixth career Grammy!

7:50: LL Cool J is introducing a couple of superstars that just seem to go together: Long-married country power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They’re going to present song of the year:

The A Team

Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)

Track from: +

Label: Elektra; Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Adorn

Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Label: RCA/Bystorm Entertainment; Publisher: Art Dealer Chic

Call Me Maybe

Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)

Label: 604 Records/Schoolboy Records/Interscope; Publishers: Jepsen Music Publishing, Regular Monkey Productions, Crowe Music Publishing

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)

Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)

Label: RCA/19 Recordings; Publishers: Universal Music Publishing MGB Scandinavia, Perfect Storm Music Group/Sony ATV Music Publishing Scandinavia, BMG Gold Songs, Kurstin Music/EMI April Music

We Are Young

Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. Featuring Janelle Monáe)

Track from: Some Nights

Label: Fueled By Ramen; Publishers: WB Music, FBR Music, Bearvon Music/Rough Art/Shira Lee Lawrence Rick Music/Way Above Music/Sony ATV Songs

7:51: Winner: fun. “I don’t know what I was thinking writing the chorus of the song, because if this is in HD and you can see us, you can see, we are not young,” cracks Nate Ruess. They’re talking about how they’ve been doing this for 12 years and thanking their loyal fans and the families who’ve let them live at home. They become the first victims of the “go away” music, but they keep talking. Atta boys.

7:54: Johnny Depp, who is looking like he raided Captain Jack Sparrow’s closet but forgot the eye liner and gold teeth, is there to make the girls squeal and introduce the “sublime” Mumford & Sons, who are playing their tuneful smash “I Will Wait.”

Word on the street (read: Facebook) is that they’ve already sold out their planned tour stop this year in Guthrie. Only took two days. These guys are huge.

I must admit their music is pretty catchy, but I’m really happy they’re not the ones that beat authentic Okie folk singer/songwriter/musician John Fullbright for the Best Americana Album Grammy. (Bonnie Raitt’s “Slipstream” won.)

Taylor Swift is a fan, apparently, since they just showed her enthusiastically singing along.

8:03: Ellen DeGeneres and Beyonce, who has already won one Grammy tonight, are both dressed in slim black pantsuits to introduce a “triple threat,” which Ellen tries to pretend is her and then starts doing a creepy stare thing with Beyonce. Disconcerting. Good she just snapped out of it, so she and Beyonce could coax the fans to their feet for Justin Timberlake’s return to the Grammy stage. Do not adjust your television set: Timberlake is singing and dancing to his new hit “Suit & Tie” in black and white against an old-school big-band backdrop. That man has got style.

8:06: Here comes Mr. Beyonce, Jay-Z, to rap along with Timberlake. The cool factor is fairly off the charts at this point. It turns out I missed Justin Timberlake a lot more than I realized. I think Miranda and Dierks is still my favorite performance of the night so far, but I think it’s fairly impossible not to love the magic JT is working here with his new song “Pusher Love Girl.”

8:11: Kelly Rowland brings the glamor that Beyonce didn’t with a her long black gown with the sexy, strategic cutouts. She’s with Nas to present a new category: best urban contemporary album. Since I’m hoping tonight will be a Chris Brown-free zone, I’m rooting for anyone but Rhianna’s main squeeze/abuser.

Fortune

Chris Brown

Label: RCA Records

Kaleidoscope Dream

Miguel

Label: RCA Records / Bystorm Entertainment

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

Label: Def Jam

8:13: Winner: Frank Ocean. The breakout star says he’s heard that to stay calm during public speaking you should imagine everyone naked, but instead he’s going to imagine everyone as little kids all dressed up in tuxedos and all fancy. Sounds like better advice to me.

8:19: 13-time Grammy winner Dave Grohl and “NCIS” star Pauley Perrette are dressed all in black and talking about Grohl’s new documentary “Sound City”.” Plus, they’re honoring Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, who won non-classical producer of the year earlier tonight.

Moving on, they’re going to present the best rock performance Grammy, and The Black Keys is up for an award in this crazy, mixed-up category, too:

Hold On

Alabama Shakes

Track from: Boys & Girls

Label: ATO Records

Lonely Boy

The Black Keys

Track from: El Camino

Label: Nonesuch

Charlie Brown

Coldplay

Label: Capitol

I Will Wait

Mumford & Sons

Track from: Babel

Label: Glassnote

We Take Care Of Our Own

Bruce Springsteen

Track from: Wrecking Ball

Label: Columbia Records

8:21: Winner: The Black Keys. They promise to keep it quick, and they’re reading a few names off cards, as well as thanking their hometown of Akron, Ohio, and current locale of Nashville, Tenn. Keeping it simple. I can buy into that.

8:22: Alicia Keys and Maroon 5 are teaming up to make a Grammy moment with “Girl on Fire” and “Daylight.” I guess it’s all that time spent writing about “The Voice,” but Adam Levine just doesn’t seem the same without Blake Shelton by his side. Maybe it’s just me.

8:24: Instead of behind her customary piano, Alicia Keys is banging the drums as she launches into “Girl on Fire” with Levine singing harmony. Now, she’s leaving the drums and they’re both just belting it. Nice. And apparently I wasn’t the only one missing the bromance because they just cut to Blake nodding along and Miranda singing along next to him.

8:27: “Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco and four-time Grammy winner Keith Urban are going to present best pop vocal album:

Stronger

Kelly Clarkson

Label: RCA Records/19 Recordings LLC

Ceremonials

Florence & The Machine

Label: Universal Republic

Some Nights

Fun.

Label: Fueled By Ramen

Overexposed

Maroon 5

Label: A&M/Octone

The Truth About Love

Pink

8:28: Winner: Kelly Clarkson. She’s shaking hands, patting backs and giving out hugs, “I’m sorry, I got stuck to Miranda Lambert. There’s a story and a song. For later. After alcohol. Just kidding kids.” Ha!

And it gets better: Kelly declares she didn’t think she was going to win and proceeds to lavish praise on fun., Pink, Adele and declare she didn’t know who Miguel was before “but we need to sing together because that was the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen.” She quickly thanks all the usual suspects, including her fiance Brandon Blackstock (manager of Blake Shelton and stepson of Reba McEntire), declaring him sexy, too. I think she should give everyone’s acceptance speech for the rest of the night, possibly for future Grammys, too.

8:34: A quick fashion sidebar/rant: Too many pantsuits, ladies. Not a trend I’m enjoying. Let’s glam this thing up a bit. What did all of you pick out gowns that had your girly bits hanging out and then have to go to plan B when the cover-it-up memo went out? It’s the Grammys, let’s get some glamor in it!

8:36: LL Cool J introduces introduces one of the biggest stars on the planet “and possibly elsewhere,” Rihanna, who today won her seventh Grammy. She’s got Mikky Ekko with her for her emotional ballad “Stay.” At least she’s got a pretty dress on – it’s a sleek, simple dark blue column, sexy without the skankiness she sometimes dabbles in – and she sounds very pretty, too.

8:39: Rihanna’s performance got lots of people on their feet. It was lovely. But I think a lot of them are just standing because they’re so happy that she didn’t have Chris Brown with her.

8:40: Nominees Carly Rae Jepsen and Ne-Yo are going to give the award for best rap collaboration:

Wild Ones

Flo Rida Featuring Sia

Track from: Wild Ones

Label: Poe Boy/Atlantic

No Church In The Wild

Jay-Z & Kanye West Featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream

Track from: Watch The Throne

Label: Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC

Tonight (Best You Ever Had)

John Legend Featuring Ludacris

Label: Epic Records

Cherry Wine

Nas Featuring Amy Winehouse

Track from: Life Is Good

Label: Def Jam

Talk That Talk

Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z

Track from: Talk That Talk

Label: Def Jam

8:42: Winner: “No Church in the Wild.” No surprise. Kayne isn’t there to cause trouble. Frank Ocean starts off that he didn’t think he’d be speaking first, but he dedicates his Grammy to his little brother, noting it’s “probably the coolest one.” Very sweet. The-Dream notes he got cut off during his last acceptance speech and proceeds to thank his family, too. As Jay-Z steps to the mic, the go-away music starts to play, so he simply grins, indicates The-Dream’s hat and says he wants to thank “Mr. Swap Meet” for that hat. Cheeky. I like that in a rap mogul.

8:43: The Lifetime Achievement Award winners are being acknowledged right now, including Oklahoma native Patti Page. The pop/country icon died Jan. 1 and unfortunately didn’t get to receive the award herself. To read my interview with Patti’s sister, who was to accept the award on her behalf, click here.

8:49: Kat Dennings of “Two Broke Girls” is introducing The Black Keys to give a special Big Easy-licious performance of their Grammy-winning hit “Lonely Boy” featuring Dr. John and and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Now THIS is a Grammy moment.

8:53: Kelly Clarkson is going to pay musical tribute to Lifetime Achievement winners Patti Page and her hero Carole King. She’s belting Page’s gorgeous heartbreaker “Tennessee Waltz.” I’m so glad they’re doing this because Page, the Claremore native who became an icon, sure deserves it. Now, Clarkson is belting King’s “Natural Woman,” which the “American Idol” winner sang on the reality show back in the day. I love that they’re taking the time to honor these women because the entertainment industry doesn’t remember its elder stars nearly often enough.

8:56: Kelly and the honorees are getting a well-deserved standing ovation. Now, Kelly’s going to present the best country album, and there are lots of deserving nominees. But I’m rooting for Miranda!

Uncaged

Zac Brown Band

Label: Southern Ground/Atlantic

Hunter Hayes

Hunter Hayes

Label: Atlantic

Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran

Jamey Johnson

Label: Mercury Records

Four The Record

Miranda Lambert

Label: The RCA Records Label Nashville

The Time Jumpers

The Time Jumpers

Label: Rounder

8:59: Winner: Zac Brown Band. I’m surprised, and the beanie-less Zac seems to be surprised, too. He sounds a bit choked up as he goes through his thank yous, including thanking “my guys for always backing my play.” And the fans, of course. Country stars always, always thank their fans.

9:05: Cool J is encouraging people to get to their feet for the tribute to the late reggae star Bob Marley, and Bruno Mars is kicking it off with his usual high-energy performance. Even better, he’s soon joined by STING, who is singing and playing guitar to Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven.” Sting makes everything better and cooler and more musically delightful. Fact. If you don’t believe me, check out Adele singing along.

Now, Sting is breaking out The Police’s “Walking on the Move” while Bruno’s dances along enthusiastically.

It’s all got the most awesome vibe and then they cut to Chris Brown bobbing his head in the crowd. I’m sorry, I’ve declared this Grammys a Chris Brown-free zone.

There’s so much going on here on the stage with Rhianna – who decided the wardrobe memo didn’t apply to bare midriffs – plus Ziggy and Damien and Marley singing Bob Marley’s famous “Could You Be Loved.” To paraphrase Oklahoma philosopher Sweet Brown: Ain’t nobody got time for Chris Brown so stop showing him!

9:18: Cool J: “You know what I love about this show? Our introductions to performances can be performances?” He then kicks it over to best new artist nominees The Lumineers to sing their infectious “Hey Ho.” They’ve got Melissa Etheridge singing along and Taylor Swift dancing and singing along and Hunter Hayes nodding along. I’ll admit, I sing along to this song, but it’s not that hard to sing to. It’s catchy, but really, I would rather see Oklahoman John Fullbright rocking everybody’s face off with just his guitar, harmonica and voice. I mean, did you see him in the Pre-Telecast Ceremony? Do it here and NOW.

9:20: The Lumineers are sending it over to Jack White and a bunch of fetching and talented ladies. Only this man could wear a peacock motif jacket and a pageboy haircut and still reduce me to a puddle with his performance of “Love Interruption” – before he even gets to that crazy-cool guitar solo thing he does so well. That, my friends, is the power of rock ‘n’ roll.

9:26: Now, he’s got an all-guy band to rock even harder to “Freedom at 21.” Well-deserved standing O for Jack White! His Nudie suit alone deserves it, to say nothing of his mad guitar skills.

9:27: Katy Perry, who looks pretty in her pistachio-green dress, is going to present best new artist, which she says is her favorite award. She assures those who don’t win “I was never even nominated and I have my own eyelash line. So take that Bon Iver.” HA!

The noms are:

Alabama Shakes

Fun.

Hunter Hayes

The Lumineers

Frank Ocean

9:28: Winner: fun. They win after 12 years of playing together. That’s Grammys logic for you.

And after Kelly Clarkson, Nate is my favorite speechmaker. He said he didn’t expect they would win, so he really has to pee and is going to defer to his bandmates. Funny and classy.

9:34: The very talented young country star Hunter Hayes is behind his piano crooning his hit “Wanted.” It’s one of those performances as introduction as his sending it over to six-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood, with whom he’s been touring for the past year. Carrie looks luminous in a grand silver gown as she sings a slowed-down rendition of her smash “Blown Away.”

Now, she’s switching to her new hit “Two Black Cadillacs,” and it turns out her silver gown is actually a high-tech canvas as projections of fleur-de-lis, swirls and roses appear on her dress. Very, very cool. As she hits the final big notes of her new single, the butterfly projected on her gown turns into a swarm of beautiful bugs that flies off. She gets a standing O. I like it very much!

9:40: Cool J introduces “the artist forever known as Prince,” who is carrying a silver walking stick, wearing the coolest black hoodie on the planet and wowing the entire crowd. He’s going to present record of the year:

Lonely Boy

The Black Keys

The Black Keys & Danger Mouse, producers; Tom Elmhirst & Kennie Takahashi, engineers/mixers; Brian Lucey, mastering engineer

Track from: El Camino

Label: Nonesuch

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)

Kelly Clarkson

Greg Kurstin, producer; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Greg Kurstin & Jesse Shatkin, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

Label: RCA Records/19 Recordings Limited

We Are Young

Fun. Featuring Janelle Monáe

Jeff Bhasker, producer; Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dawson, Ken Lewis, Pawel Sek & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

Track from: Some Nights

Label: Fueled By Ramen

Somebody That I Used To Know

Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Wally De Backer, producer; Wally De Backer & Francois Tetaz, engineers/mixers; William Bowden, mastering engineer

Track from: Making Mirrors

Label: Universal Republic

Thinkin Bout You

Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean & Shea Taylor, producers; Jeff Ellis, Mark “Spike” Stent, Pat Thrall & Marcos Tovar, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer

Track from: Channel Orange

Label: Def Jam

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Taylor Swift

Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, producers; Serban Ghenea, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert & John Hanes, engineer/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer

Label: Big Machine Records

9:41: Winner: Gotye not only gets a Grammy, he gets to receive it from Prince, who said “Oh, I love this song” as he opened the envelope. Gotye and Kimbra look a little bit stunned, and the winner even says “I’m a little bit lost for words,” then thanks for Prince for being one of his inspirations.

“All musicians and people that listen to music: cheers,” Gotye adds.

9:49: Now, we’re getting jazzy in here. Three-time Grammy Award winner Stanley Clarke, current nominee Chick Corea and current nominee Kenny Garrett are paying tribute to Dave Brubeck with his iconic classic “Take Five.”

9:50: The Recording Academy Chairman Neil Portnow and honorary Grammy Foundation Chairman Ryan Seacrest are talking about the work the foundation does. Before it gets too boring, Timberlake joins them onstage to declare this “best Grammys ever.” He makes everything cooler as he pays tribute to “teachers, the unsung heroes of our community.” Next year, there will be a music educator award for classroom teachers from kindergarten to college given out during Grammy Week. Cool.

9:54: They’re leading right into the “In Memoriam” segment, honoring those who died in the past year, including Brubeck, Oklahoma native Patti Page, Andy Griffith, Dick Clark, Marvin Hamlisch, Donna Summer, Robin Gibb, Patty Andrews, Jenni Rivera, Kitty Wells, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Joe South, Ravi Shankar, Adam Yauch and Levon Helm.

9:57: They’re closing the “In Memoriam” segment with a tribute to Levon Helm that Elton John is dedicating to Sandy Hook Elementary School. Along with Sir Elton, Zac Brown, T Bone Burnett, Mumford & Sons, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes are performing “The Weight.” But the show stealer for this performance is Mavis Staples of the Staples Sisters. What a voice. Hugs from Sir Elton John, cheers from the Mumfords and the standing ovation from the star-studded crowd: all well-deserved.

10:09: Latin star Juanes has his acoustic guitar to pay homage to Sir Elton John, whose first album was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame this year. He’s giving a warm and lovely English-Spanish rendition of “Your Song.” Another tuneful and interesting Grammy moment. I don’t know if I agree with Timberlake that it’s the best Grammys ever, but it’s been a pretty good show.

10:11 Juanes is kicking it over to breakout rap star Frank Ocean, who is making his Grammy debut performing his “Forrest Gump.” I love the yellow suit, the special effects with the screen simulating him running as he plays keyboard, and I especially love that he borrowed Zac Brown’s beanie. Bringing beanie back, baby! It wasn’t a perfect performance, but that voice is still smooth like butter. And now he’s whistling away.

10:15: Last year’s winner Adele jokes that most album of the year winners go on to embark on huge tours and achieve even more success, “or they get knocked up like last year’s winner.” Doesn’t seem like it’s slowed her down a bit. She’s going to give album of the year to one of these diverse winners:

El Camino

The Black Keys

The Black Keys & Danger Mouse, producers; Tchad Blake, Tom Elmhirst & Kennie Takahashi, engineers/mixers; Brian Lucey, mastering engineer

Label: Nonesuch

Some Nights

Fun.

Janelle Monáe, featured artist; Jeff Bhasker, Emile Haynie, Jake One & TommyD, producers; Jeff Bhasker, Pete Bischoff, Jeff Chestek, Rich Costey, Andrew Dawson, Emile Haynie, Ken Lewis, Manny Marroquin, Sonny Pinnar, Pawel Sek & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

Label: Fueled By Ramen

Babel

Mumford & Sons

Markus Dravs, producer; Robin Baynton & Ruadhri Cushnan, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer

Label: Glassnote

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

André 3000, John Mayer, Earl Sweatshirt & Tyler, The Creator, featured artists; Om’Mas Keith, Malay, Frank Ocean, Pharrell & Shea Taylor, producers; Calvin Bailif, Andrew Coleman, Jeff Ellis, Doug Fenske, Om’Mas Keith, Malay, Frank Ocean, Ken Oriole, Philip Scott, Mark “Spike” Stent, Pat Thrall, Marcos Tovar & Vic Wainstein, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer

Label: Def Jam

Blunderbuss

Jack White

Jack White, producer; Vance Powell & Jack White, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer

Label: Third Man/Columbia Records

10:17: Winner: Mumford & Sons for “Babel.” Not sure what they had to say at the outset because they got bleeped. But they’re paying compliments to their fellow nominees and noting it’s a thrill to receive the award from a fellow Brit.

10:18: In a case there was any doubt that this show is less about awards than about performances to promote new albums and singles, they’ve given the last award of the night but LL Cool J is coming back for a star-studded performance. BTW, he has a new album coming out Tuesday. Shocking, I kno

10:25: “By day, I do a little hosting, I do a little acting, but by night, I do a little rapping.” He’s got Chuck D, Tom Morello, Z Trip and Travis Barker to help him out with his closing performance. I’ve always liked Cool J and it’s so, so good to see him rapping again. The jacket is off and the rage is on for Cool J.

10:27: A Beastie Boys shoutout for the Grammys win! Cool J just worked a little bit of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” in and gave a special RIP in honor of MCA. Love that!

10:29: And that’s a wrap on the Grammys, folks. Good night and drive safely. I’ll add a few more photos to this after I turn my print story in, and look for my follow-up coverage tomorrow. Good night!

-BAM

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Reminder: Grammy Awards live blog begins at 7 tonight!

Just a reminder: The 55th Annual Grammy Awards are airing from 7 to 10:30 tonight on CBS, and I will be live blogging the be show right here on BAM’s Blog.

Checotah native Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake, Mumford & Sons, Kelly Clarkson, The Black Keys, FUN., the Lumineers, Frank Ocean, Taylor Swift and Jack White are just some of the superstars set to perform during the music industry’s premier event.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the Grammys without special star-studded musical mash-ups: Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert will perform with tourmate Dierks Bentley; Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Sting will join forces onstage; Elton John and Ed Sheeran will do a duet; and Alicia Keys will team up with Maroon 5.

Stars with Oklahoma ties who are nominated include Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, John Fullbright, Blake Shelton, Ronnie Dunn, Time Jumpers and Kelli O’Hara. To read my full Grammys preview column, click here.

-BAM

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Live blog: 2012 American Country Awards

7:00 p.m.: The show is kicking off with Luke Bryan, who has the most nominations tonight, performing his latest hit, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.” He’s got his trademark ball cap on; look for him to turn it around backwards in just a couple of minutes. That Georgia boy has a killer grin, y’all.

7:03: I can’t wait to see what kind of nonsense co-hosts Kristin Chenoweth – a fellow Oklahoma girl – and Trace Adkins have worked up for our amusement tonight. It will be hard for them to top last year’s Baby Bjorn stunt.

7:05: They’re opening with a skit and a few jokes about Kristin’s teeny stature, with Trace trying to sit in miniature pink furniture and sip out of itsy bitsy Red Solo Cups. They show gets back to live when they emerge, this time with Kristin in a baby sling on Trace’s shoulder. It was funny the first time, it’s silly the second, let’s hope they leave it behind now. They’re giving the giant sling to Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, who is having a baby. “That’ll come in handy when he’s 12.” They’re making jokes about Little Big Town’s “Pontoon” and “motorboatin’” and cracking about Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and I wonder if Carrie Underwood is reciting the gags along with them because they sound just like the ones she did with Brad Paisley at last month’s CMA Awards.

7:10: We’re moving on, thankfully, and Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert comes out in a sleek, short black dress with silver swirls to present group of the year. Here are the nominees:

Artist of the Year: Group

The Band Perry

Eli Young Band

Lady Antebellum

*Rascal Flatts

Zac Brown Band

7:12: Winner: Lady A. They also win single of the year by a group for “We Owned the Night.” Charles Kelley asks Miranda, “Blake lets you go out like that?” while Dave encourages Hillary to thank the baby. After thanking the fans, Charles says the band has new music coming early next year. I’ll take it!

7:13: Kristin is sitting in the lap of one of the hot young things of Love and Theft – she made sure he wasn’t married first because she didn’t want to get her butt kicked – to introduce Dierks Bentley. He’s got his hat turned around backwards too while he’s belting his party/drinking anthem “Country and Cold Cans.” Kristin and Trace were right: There’s a lot of drinking songs out right about now. But it’s great fun, and Dierks is one my personal faves because he’s a sweetheart.

7:21: Kristin looks super-sexy in a super-low-cut silvery gown, and they’re arguing over who gets to be sexy Santa and who gets to be the elf in a seasonal skit planned for later in the show. Kristin is lobbying for casting against type in this deal. You can tweet your preference with #kristinsanta or #tracesanta. The height jokes are getting almost as bad as the rehashes from the CMAs, folks. Here comes Scotty McCreery and rodeo star Trevor Brazil to present the new artist trophy. I hope the Annies win but I’m expecting Hunter Hayes to get a new purple and white guitar:

Artist of the Year: New Artist

Lauren Alaina

Hunter Hayes

Jana Kramer

Kip Moore

*Pistol Annies

7:24: Winner: Lauren Alaina. Scotty smilingly hands the guitar that is this year’s trophy to his “American Idol” runner-up, who seems truly shocked. “I can’t breathe,” she says with a huge smile and obvious emotion in her voice. While her mama looks on, she’s thanking God and “Idol” and everyone else, before commenting “I think I’m holding it backwards,” and switching the guitar to her other side. She finally just covers her face and laughs and let’s the girl toting the guitars lead her away by the hand.

She wasn’t my choice for the award, but she’s so happy that I’m kind of glad she got it.

7:25: Love and Theft and Natasha Bedingfield are introducing the next performer: Rascal Flatts, who are a co-nominee with Bedingfield in the collaborative performance category. The Flatts are performing their latest love song, “Hot in Here.” Not my favorite of theirs, but I still love those harmonies.

7:29: Joe Don Rooney guitar solo! That is hot. The pride of Picher is a talented guy.

7:34: The guys from Florida Georgia Line are introducing “There’s Something ‘Bout a Truck” hit-maker Kip Moore to sing his new Southern rocker “Beer Money.” I’m starting to think that the ACAs are sponsored by Budweiser since these are all drinking songs. Or whatever company makes trucker caps, since all boys have one to turn around backwards.

7:37: Kip is setting aside his guitar so he can high-five the fans and sing “There’s Something ‘Bout a Truck.” It was like two songs in two minutes. I guess that’s what you get in a two-hour awards show.

7:38: Comedian Ron White takes the stage with his mom, Barbara, and his customary glass of scotch. They’re quipping that country music used to mean George Jones and Dolly Parton and now “it’s the cast of ‘Glee’ in cowboy hats,” which gets a giggle from Keith Urban. I guess if you make fun of yourself, it makes it easier when everyone else does it. But I do love Ron’s jokes about having the same number of Tour De France wins as Lance Armstrong. That one was funny.

They’re going to give the breakthrough artist award. Here are the options:

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist

Lee Brice

Colt Ford

Gloriana

Justin Moore

Jake Owen

7:42: And Barbara wants to give it to the Rolling Stones. Why not? They’re as country as anyone there, I suppose. Whatever that means.

Anyway, the actual winner is Jake Owen, who thanks the fans and declares his love for his mom, his wife and his new baby girl, who is about two weeks old. Very sweet.

7:47: Kristin, looking lovely in a long sparkly black gown, introduces hot newcomers Jana Kramer, Lee Brice and Casey James, who are going to present the touring artist award:

Touring Artist of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw

Eric Church

*Toby Keith

Lady Antebellum

*Miranda Lambert

Brad Paisley

*Rascal Flatts

Taylor Swift

Zac Brown Band

7:48: Winner: Jason Aldean. “I tell you what, I couldn’t win an award that means more to me than something for touring,” he says, noting that’s what he’s tried to build his career around. He thanks the fans for showing up as well as his band, crew and booking manager.

7:50: Kristin is back to remind people to tweet in for her to play Santa and Trace to play the elf later in the show before kicking it over to her “badass co-host,” who is performing with Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd. They’re playing some Skynyrd classics, starting with “What’s Your Name?”

7:53: People like Dierks and Lady A’s Charles Kelley are on their feet rocking out to Skynyrd. Maybe I’m just being overly nostalgic, but here’s the problem with inviting legacy acts on the show: They seem to upstage the youngsters so easily. I mean, Trace held his own, but I’d rather watch Skynyrd than a lot of the folks up for awards tonight. OK, I’ll stop now.

7:58: Yikes. Kristin emerges dressed in a pink frilly dress playing “Honey Boo Boo.” Yikes. Just yikes. That’s crazy-scary. The woman has a Tony for playing Sally Brown on Broadway and now she’s playing Honey Boo Boo on a fan-voted awards show. At least we know she doesn’t have a problem taking herself too seriously.

Thankfully, she and Trace are quickly kicking it to Gloriana, who in turn hand off to Jake Owen, who is performing his third straight chart-topper “The One That Got Away.” He doesn’t have a trucker cap on, though. His hair is awfully pretty.

8:03: Tulsa-based comic Rodney Carrington is carrying a bouquet of red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates, and he’s accompanied by a pair of stars from the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants. Rodney has the gifts in hand for when the winner of “the best female ever” gets the prize and wants to kiss him. Here are the potential lucky ladies:

Artist of the Year: Female

Sara Evans

*Miranda Lambert

Martina McBride

Taylor Swift

*Carrie Underwood

8:05: That honor will go to Carrie Underwood, who also is winning for her collaboration with Brad Paisley. She now has 11 ACAs, the most of any artist. Looking quite lovely in a short coral-colored dress, she calls herself the luckiest and most blessed person in the world.

“We’ve had such an incredible year being on the road,” she says. “I work with so many amazing people. Thank you, God for blessing everyone in this building with just a great love of what we do.” She’s thanking the fans and all her peers in the audience.

And yes, she even gave Rodney a kiss on the cheek.

8:11: Goodness, Dustin Lynch is handsome. And he’s got a cowboy hat on! He’s just here to help introduce Jason Aldean’s performance, but it’s good to see him while he’s onstage. The Georgia superstar is rocking through his new surefire hit “The Only Way I Know.”

8:15: Trace is wandering around, singing “Viva Las Vegas” and pondering “what would Brad Paisley do” when a knocking noise starts coming from inside a guitar case. It’s Kristin telling him to open the case. “You idiot, you were supposed to do a magic trick with me, but you just left me in there. Brad Paisley would never do that to Carrie Underwood.” Trace replies, “He wouldn’t do this either,” picks her up and shakes her. They then declare it the worst magic trick ever. The magic isn’t here for those two tonight. I love Kristin and like Trace a lot but they need better writers BADLY.

Penn and Teller and Lauren Alaina are going to do a real magic trick to present the next award, single of the year by a female artist:

Single of the Year: Female

Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”

*Miranda Lambert, “Over You”

Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”

Taylor Swift, “Ours”

*Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl”

8:20: Penn and Teller use the static electricity from Trace’s ponytail and a playing card to play a little tune across the top of Trace’s black cowboy hat. It’s neat little trick, but even better, the winner is Miranda!

“Well, that was cool,” she comments. Ran tells Lauren she made her cry with her speech earlier and reassures her she wasn’t holding the guitar upside down earlier. She thanks her hubby Blake Shelton for writing a great song with her. She comments that he isn’t there because he’s doing live shows for “The Voice” and she Tivo’d his show because she’s really nervous for him and his team. “I hope he Tivo’d me too because we won!”

Love, love, love her.

According to the announcer, Miranda also won video of the year by a female artist and most-played radio track.

8:25: Trace is reminding people to tweet for him to be Santa and not an elf. “Speaking of elves,” he says to introduce his co-host, Kristin, to perform her country song “What Would Dolly Do.” It’s a terrifically fun song, and I’ve heard the Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer perform it live. I love the “W-W-Double-D” chorus; it is too sassy, even if you can’t help but notice that the Broken Arrow native is using about 1/10th of her vocal power when she sings country music. She is a true powerhouse.

8:28: A very handsome Chris Young and very giggly LeAnn Rimes are going to present the top video by a group. Here are the options:

Music Video of the Year: Group or Collaboration

Gloriana, “(Kissed You) Good Night”

Lady Antebellum, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”

Little Big Town, “Pontoon”

Love and Theft, “Angel Eyes”

The Band Perry, “All Your Life”

8:29: Winner: The oh-so likeable Little Big Town. They’re thanking “the greatest fans in the world.” Kimberly Schlapman says “I thought these things were cardboard, but they’re heavy like they’re real and everything.” I’ve interviewed three of the four members of LBT and liked them very much. They’ve paid a lot of dues, and you can tell they’re having such fun with the success they’re experiencing these days.

8:35: “It’s not a rumor, it’s a fact, Fleetwood Mac is reuniting and they’re going on tour,” Kristin says. She’s right, they’re coming to Tulsa in 2013. She’s introducing Fleetwood Mac guitarist/singer/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham, to the tune of “Tusk,” who is introducing Aussie country superstar Keith Urban, who is going to perform with kids from the Grammy camp program. And they’re not doing a Fleetwood Mac song, but Keith and these amazing young rockers are playing the Cream classic “Crossroads.” Wow. This is incredible. Every last one of these youngsters is astonishingly good, and Keith looks like he is having the time of his life playing with them. This is far and away the highlight of the night. Kudos to Keith for being willing to turn the spotlight over to such remarkable young women and men. That ROCKED!

8:44: Texas guys and Grammy nominees Eli Young Band are introducing Little Big Town’s performance. “How could you not love them?” the EYB boys wonder. How indeed. They’re awesome, and they’re singing their witchy new hit “Tornado.” Love it.

8:49: Jewel, who is getting ready to play June Carter Cash in a Lifetime TV movie, and her hubby, rodeo star Ty Murray, are going to present the artist of the year award to one of these folks:

Artist of the Year

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Lady Antebellum

Taylor Swift

Zac Brown Band

8:50: Winner: Luke Bryan, who basically also wins everything else that hadn’t been handed out yet. I’m not kidding: He wins a total of nine awards.

“I want to thank God for the ability to get out there on the road and do what I love and play for great country music fans,” he says, thanking his wife, band, crew, label, mama and daddy, tourmate Jason Aldean and “all the artists that are in this room that inspire me.”

“Country music, there’s nothing better. We get to do what we love and we get to do it for honest, hardworking people,” he adds. “They’re telling me to wrap, but I don’t wanna wrap.”

They’re going to commercial anyway, and presumably Kristin and Trace will be back to close the show. Please let the writing suddenly become drastically improved in the next 90 seconds while these ads play …

8:56: “Here comes Santa Claus,” and here comes the results of the Twitter vote: Kristin is dressed as sexy Santa and Trace is decked out as a giant elf, complete with fake ears. “You look like a holiday hooker,” he grouses at Kristin. “What are you supposed to be, a Viking elf?” she counters. “Can I sit on your lap? I’m so glad I wore underwear,” Kristin adds, reminding the audience there’s only 14 shopping days ’til Christmas. This is actually the funniest moment of the whole show. It may be a straight-up sight gag, but at least it isn’t a month past its expiration date.

They’re introducing Lady A to give their rendition of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” and it will definitely get you in the yuletide spirit. Charles Kelley is coming down to playfully dance with big winner Luke Bryan, and Kristin takes the stage to frolic along with them. She and a downtrodden, ridiculously costumed Trace wish everyone a good night.

And that’s a wrap on the third annual ACAs, which were at their best when they were actually not even the slightest bit country. I love seeing Kristin Chenoweth on national TV, but I hope she puts her dainty foot down and insists the writers come up with non-height-related jokes next year.

-BAM

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Live blog: 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards

7 p.m.: Checotah native and two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year winner Carrie Underwood is kicking off the show in flashy Vegas fashion, strutting her stuff in a short hot pink fringed number, singing into a fancy walking stick-inspired mic and belting her latest hit, “Good Girl.” She’s got her band all decked out in matching white outfits and got all kinds of geometric patterns and ladies’ silhouettes in white and pink flashing behind her. It’s setting the tone in more ways than one: It’s got plenty of Vegas glitz, and it’s also an Okie performer. There are plenty of those on the lineup, plus at least one Okie in every category except one.

7:04: The ever-youthful Reba McEntire, radiant in a shimmering red gown, and the always-ornery Blake Shelton, chic in a gray suit, are taking the stage to co-host for the second straight year. The Oklahoma-born and bred superstars are exchanging barbs: She says she remembers when he was just a “life support system for a mullet,” and he jokes that he didn’t get to see a lot of her early work “until we got the History Channel.” Now, they are riffing on the Peyton Manning-Tim Tebow situation: Blake jokes that the Broncos were so desperate to win a Super Bowl, “they were actually willing to sacrifice a virgin.” He’s quipping that Taylor Swift has a new perfume called “I can’t believe I smell this good” while impersonating her now-famous surprised award show face. When Reba says our fighting men and women are watching the show tonight, Blake adds “and we’re not talking about Miranda Lambert and Chris Brown either,” referencing his wife’s post-Grammys Twitter feud. He’s a bold one to drag his wife into this.

7:10: Male vocalist of the year nominee Chris Young is the next performer on the lineup – there are reportedly two dozen or so that will be playing in the next three hours – and he’s singing his raucous party anthem “Save Water, Drink Beer.” Which reminds me: Does anyone want to guess who the “special surprise Las Vegas performers” will be who are due to appear with Okie Toby Keith on “Red Solo Cup”? I’m thinking at least one of them has gotta be Wayne Newton.

7:12: For the second straight year, Sugarland is over at nearby Mandalay Bay for the ACM Fan Jam. They’re introducing this year’s Fan Jam headliner: Zac Brown Band. ZBB is playing its breezy ballad “Keep Me in Mind.” I got to talk to ZBB fiddler Jimmy De Martini, who is stealing the show as usual, just a couple of days ago about the band’s upcoming OKC show. The Georgia-based band is playing Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 26; that ought to be a heck of a show.

7:16: They’re kicking it back to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where the actual awards show is taking place, and Reba is quickly introducing the next performers: The Band Perry, whose “If I Die Young” has been downloaded an astounding 4 million times. The sibling trio is playing its latest brokenhearted ballad, “Postcard from Paris.” I think the Perry kids’ voices and stage presence just keep getting better, which is frankly a bit scary. Love the old-school-look lighted sign, too.

7:20: Well, we’re 20 minutes in and we’ve had three performances and not one trophy handed out. I really need to start a pool for all of us to participate in next time, guys.

7:21: If you haven’t voted for entertainer of the year yet, you can still do that at www.voteACM.com. Your choices are Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley.

7:24: Toby Keith just tweeted (@TobyKeithMusic) that he received the ACM video of the year award for his viral video smash “Red Solo Cup” on the red carpet. Congratulations to Toby! It’s wasn’t a big surprise, but it certainly was well-deserved. Here is the list of who the Norman resident beat out:

Video of the Year (Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)) *(Off Camera Award)

Homeboy – Eric Church

Producer: Brandon Arolfo

Director: Peter Zavadil

Just A Kiss – Lady Antebellum

Producer: Don Lepore

Director: Shawn Silva

Mean – Taylor Swift

Producer: Oualid Mouaness

Director: Declan Whitebloom

* Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith

Producer: Mark Kalbfeld

Director: Michael Salomon

Tattoos On This Town – Jason Aldean

Producer: John Burke

Director: Wes Edwards

7:26: The always-dapper and sexy LL Cool J, who can rock a lavender tie like no other, is paying tribute to all our military men and women and telling the crowd to “stand up to our military,” prompting a standing O. He’s noting that he plays a former Navy SEAL on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and he won’t be the last CBS homer that will be on the show. He’s introducing Keith Urban’s performance of the military tribute song “For You,” which is from the soundtrack to the movie “Act of Valor,” featuring active duty SEALs. Such an earnest, tuneful musical homage to our servicemen and woman. I think the country awards shows do such a great job of remembering to tip their hats to our military folks. And I love watching Keith Urban play the guitar. He rocks! And I love the ongoing standing O.

7:32: More than half an hour in, and Beth Behrs, star of CBS’ sitcom “Two Broke Girls,” is all decked out in a dress with a giant pink bow for a neckline, and ready to gift some artist with the first award of the night. It’s for song of the year, and Oklahoma native Vince Gill is in the running with an awesome song.

Song of the Year (Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s))

Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band

Composers: Lee Brice, Liz Rose

Publishers: Cake Taker Music (BMI), Mike Curb Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Sweet Hysteria Music (BMI)

Home – Dierks Bentley

Composers: Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson

Publishers: Big White Tracks (ASCAP), Chestnut Barn Music (BMI), Chrysalis Music/BMG Rights (ASCAP), Chrysalis One Songs (BMI)

Just A Kiss – Lady Antebellum

Composers: Dallas Davidson, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott

Publishers: Dwhaywood Music (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI), EMI Foray Music (SESAC), Hillary Dawn Songs (SESAC), Radiobulletspublishing (BMI), String Stretcher Music (BMI) Warner-Tamberlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)

* Threaten Me With Heaven – Vince Gill

Composers: Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Dillon O’Brian, Will Owsley

Publishers: Grant Girls Music (ASCAP), Vinny Mae Music (BMI), Willie-O Music (ASCAP)

You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter

Composers: Matraca Berg, Deana Carter

Publishers: Deanaling Music (ASCAP), Hannaberg Music (BMI), Songs of Universal Inc., (BMI), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)

7:33: Winner: Eli Young Band’s breakout hit “Crazy Girl.” The Texas country band looks sincerely shocked. Frontman Mike Eli tells everyone “I’ve been dreaming about this my whole life” before encouraging people to follow their dreams and sending love to his wife, who is expecting their baby girl any day. All the other band members quickly take their turns at the mic, and I think the producers must be among the legions of loyal EYB fans thrilled to see them win their first ACM because they didn’t have a hair trigger on the go-away music. I’ve been following EYB for a long time now since they frequently play here in Oklahoma, and “Crazy Girl” has really taken their career and popularity to a whole new level.

7:41: Reba is introducing male vocalist nominee, entertainer of the year nominee (you can still vote) and “as far as I’m concerned, the best co-host of all time,” Blake Shelton. The Ada native is crooning his new hit, “Drink on It.” It’s a drinking song and a ballad, so it’s covering all the bases for Blake, but I notice he had to perform a bit of an edit on the lyrics to make them more TV friendly. And it looks like his Team Blake competitor from “The Voice” Gwen Sebastian is there to sing back up. Blake will be performing again later in the show with music icon Lionel Richie.

7:45: Eli Young Band is all smiles as it returns with Grace Potter to present album of the year, and I’m rooting for Miranda Lambert to win her third album of the year trophy!

Album of the year (Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company)

Chief – Eric Church (EMI-Nashville)

Produced by: Arturo Buenahora, Jr., Jay Joyce

* Four The Record – Miranda Lambert (RCA)

Produced by: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf

Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney (BNA)

Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney

My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean (Broken Bow Records)

Produced by: Michael Knox

Own The Night – Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville)

Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley

7:46: WOOT! Winner: Miranda Lambert. Miranda, looking terrific in a golden gown, hugs her grandma, covers her face and then celebrates for a minute with Lady A’s Charles Kelley, who graciously came over to cheer for her. After hugging the rest of the trio, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean, she heads to the stage with a “Seriously?” She notes she owns all the albums in the category and didn’t think she’d win because they’re all so good.

“I will never take this trophy for granted. My albums are my babies,” she says.

Go RAN!

7:48: We’re back to Zac Brown Band and the ACM Fan Jam, where ZBB is introducing new artist of the year nominee Hunter Hayes, who’s performing a bit of his breakout hit “Storm Warning.” He’s such a cutie as he says “thanks so much for letting me play a bit for you.”

7:50: Now, Hunter is pitching it back to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where quartet Little Big Town is singing a mash-up of his song “Here’s Hope” and John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Now, the Clark County Children’s Choir is singing along, with those sweet little voices augmenting LBT’s great harmonies. This is the ACM Lifting Lives performance, and it’s very uplifting. The standing O is very deserved. This special musical moment is part of ConAgra Foods’ “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign, and it’s the ACM’s annual charity effort. Very nice all around.

7:57: Reba has finally swapped out gowns, this time wearing a sparkling black number with her signature flame-colored tresses dramatically straightened to go with it. I thought she must be approaching a record for wearing the same dress; it had been nearly an hour without a wardrobe change.

7:58: At any rate, Blake and Reba are introducing entertainer of the year nominee Jason Aldean, who is surrounded by flashing red lights as he performs his awesome smash “Flyover States.” I love this song; it may just be my favorite single for him. (My fave album cut would probably be the title track from “Wide Open”). And he’s getting a standing O.

8:00: Reba and Blake also told us in their intro of Jason that he and Kelly Clarkson won vocal event of the year for “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” So well done there.

Here are the others who were nominated:

Vocal Event of the Year (Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company) *(Off Camera Award)

Country Boy – Aaron Lewis Featuring George Jones & Charlie Daniels (R&J Records)

Produced by: Aaron Lewis, James Stroud

Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)

Produced by: Michael Knox

Old Alabama – Brad Paisley Featuring Alabama (Arista Nashville)

Produced by: Frank Rogers

* Remind Me – Brad Paisley Duet With Carrie Underwood (Arista Nashville)

Produced by: Frank Rogers

You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter (BNA)

Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney

8:02: Legendary rock band KISS is taking the stage in full makeup, and Gene Simmons declares “This is country music, let me hear ya!” They’re gonna present the best vocal group award to one of these nominees:

Vocal Group of the Year

The Band Perry

Eli Young Band

Lady Antebellum

* Rascal Flatts

Zac Brown Band

8:04: Winner: Lady A. “This is crazy,” says Dave Haywood. “I feel like I need to pull down my shirt and show a little chest hair,” quips Charles Kelley. I bet the ladies would be OK with that. They’re thanking all the usual suspects and then taking time to thank their legendary presenters.

BTW, Lady A will be in Norman Saturday to play a show, and KISS is coming later this year to Tulsa’s BOK Center, for all you Oklahoma music fans out there.

8:05: Back over the ACM Fan Jam, where ZBB is introducing new artist nominee Brantley Gilbert, who is playing a bit of his hit “Country Must Be Country Wide,” while rocking his biker look and a background of flames. Total contrast between Brantley and Hunter. Wild.

8:06: Talk about wild: Brantley kicks it back to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where his tourmate Eric Church is sitting behind a keyboard and quietly playing the intro to his hit ballad “Springsteen.” Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Eric Church and I adore the song, but it’s a lot calmer than normal for the country rocker. Still, it’s showing off that great voice and songwriting ability, so I’m all for it. Love this guy. And I think he rocks the mirrored sunglasses better than anyone except maybe Okie native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell.

8:16: LeAnn Rimes is dressed in an absolutely crazy, off-the-shoulder, short, polka dotted dress and Jake Owen is looking sexy with his long hair and suit. But they’re not just eye candy – They’re gonna present single record of the year:

Single Record of the Year (Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company)

Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band (Republic Nashville)

Produced by: Mike Wrucke

Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)

Produced by: Michael Knox

* Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith (Show Dog-Universal Music)

Produced by: Toby Keith

Tomorrow – Chris Young (RCA)

Produced by: James Stroud

You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter (BNA)

Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney

8:18: Winner: Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. Jason says he and his producer were discussing adding a female voice to the song and Kelly was the first name that came to mind. “She came in and made it a great song. She really took it to a new place,” he says. Kelly thanks the country community for welcoming her from the pop world. That’s a great ballad but I can’t say it was my favorite in the category. I love “Red Solo Cup,” of course, and I was hoping “You and Tequila” would win at least one award.

8:20: Blake and Reba come back to make a few quips, mostly at the expense of Lindsay Lohan and JetBlue, which at this point is well-plowed comedic territory, before introducing Lady A to perform their lovely, very wistful new ballad “Dancing Away with My Heart.” Such pretty harmonies.

8:29: We’re back over to the ACM Fan Jam, where the third and final new artist nominee Scotty McCreery is performing a bit of his latest single “Water Tower Town.”

8:30: Scotty is kicking the action back to the main show and laying on the praise for entertainer of the year nominee Brad Paisley, who is wailing on his electric guitar as he plays one of my favorites of his “Camouflage.” This song is so hilarious and it’s true “ain’t nothing that doesn’t go with ‘Camouflage.’” On the sheer power of his guitar solos, this man has got the crowd on its feet, cheering and ready to spray paint their entire bodies tan and olive green.

8:35: Last year’s winner The Band Perry and a couple of elaborately dressed showgirls are going to present the new artist of the year award. It’s a fan-voted award and the cheers are favoring Scotty:

Scotty McCreery

Brantley Gilbert

Hunter Hayes

8:36: Winner: Scotty McCreery. The “American Idol” victor is graciously praising his fellow nominees, along with the fans and his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He sure seems like a sweetheart.

8:40: I’m hearing a banjo, so it must be time to pay tribute to legendary banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs, who died last week. Reba is calling him a “true American original,” and Blake is pointing out he won Grammys, ACMs and even a National Medal of the Arts. Appropriately, Rascal Flatts (which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, who is rocking that silvery suit!) is going to perform its new hit, “Banjo,” with Grammy-winning banjo player (as well as comedian, actor and writer) Steve Martin on the titular instrument. Steve Martin is so cool. This is the first single from the Flatts’ new album “Changed,” due out Tuesday. And I think it may just be my favorite of theirs, since I adore a good banjo solo.

8:45: This is my favorite song and performance from Rascal Flatts EVER. Very deserved standing O. Can Steve Martin just join the Flatts?

8:46: Blake is introducing the biggest hit since someone knocked on Osama Bin Laden’s door and he said “who is it?” That means it’s time for Toby Keith, who doesn’t edit his incredibly catchy party anthem for TV. He’s singing it testicles and all.

The Norman resident’s making his way through a crowd of fans who are happily crooning along as they wave their red Solo cups and he chirps out what he has called “the stupidest song I’ve ever heard.” It’s sure infectious, though. As promised, we’ve got cameos from a couple of Las Vegas performers: I believe I caught a glimpse of Wayne Newton, as anticipated, along with comedian Carrot Top, who appeared in the “Red Solo Cup” video. Eric Church, who was also in the video, is toasting with two cups instead of blowing on his improvised RSC bong. And we’ve got everyone from Carrie Underwood to Taylor Swift singing along and/or bobbing along.

8:50: Even the incongruous sight of Marc Anthony uttering the word “howdy” had trouble getting everybody back on track after TK’s performance of “Red Solo Cup.” But the Latin star managed to get Sara Evans introduced, and now she’s crooning her heartbreaker “My Heart Can’t Tell You No.” I’m glad we have her back among the active country star ranks. It’s not my favorite song of hers, but she has a pretty voice.

9:00: I love Reba’s latest gown, with its glistening silver bodice ending in flame-like feathers or fringe at the bottom. Anyway, she and Blake are introducing the network TV debut of “Brothers of the Sun,” the team-up of superstars Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, who are hitting the road together this year. They’re thrilling the crowd with their duet “Feel like a Rockstar.” That’s a lot of star power and handsome for one stage. It’s a standing ovation from the crowd, plus an obligatory closeup on Tim’s wife, Faith Hill.

9:04: Ashton Kutcher is getting a little too into the country bit with a bright red jacket with white piping, a black cowboy hat and a big belt buckle. He’s going to give out the female vocalist award, but he’s singing a bit of George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart” first, dedicating it to the also-rans. The man is cute but he’s no George Strait. Here are the noms:

Female Vocalist of the Year

Sara Evans

* Miranda Lambert

Martina McBride

Taylor Swift

* Carrie Underwood

9:06: Woohoo! Winner: Miranda Lambert. Her jaw just dropped backstage, where she was getting ready to perform. The Tishomingo resident thanks Jesus for giving her a gift she can share with the world. She then declares herself a fan of country music, adding “I’m so proud of us right now. We deserve this” as she hoists her latest trophy.

9:12: “Here to perform the most important and personal song of our lives together is the most important person in my life, Miranda Lambert Shelton,” is the introduction Blake gives his sweetie, who has won two ACMs tonight to go with the four ACMs she took home last year. Lambert takes the stage to sing the emotional ballad “Over You,” which she and Shelton penned in honor of his late brother, who died when Blake was a teenager. Miranda sounds great and she looks amazing in one of the most unusual getups of the night: a shiny black bustier with a skirt that has a black and white pattern and a big swirl of feathers, with lots of glitters at her ears and neck. Like the music video, she’s belting with fake snow falling around her. Such a beautiful performance.

9:16: Reba has got her hair in an updo and a glittery deep blue gown on, which matches the dark blue suit of the presenter she’s introducing: the handsome “Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth. The Aussie actor is at the ACM Fan Jam and he can sure fill out a suit, but he don’t get much chance to enjoy it, as he quickly sends the show over to his friends, the Zac Brown Band, who are just playing the fire out of their high-energy hit “Whiskey’s Gone.” They’re joined by  Brad Paisley, who’s wearing one of Zac’s signature stocking hats and is rocking away in full-blown guitar god mojo. This is an amazing performance that just boosted the energy level about 1,000 percent.

9:20: U2′s Bono is appearing via video to say that Dierks Bentley’s “Home” reaches out to him in his home in Ireland. When he hears it, “I feel patriotic about America and I’m not even American,” he says. He’s saying that he thinks country fans understand better than anybody that America is about more than geography, it’s about an ideal. Such wonderful words. And it’s leading up to great, heartfelt rendition of a truly wonderful song. I’ve loved Dierks for a long time, but never more than right now. My heart feels just lifted by this. So moving.

9:31: “Entertainment Tonight” host Nancy O’Dell is introducing the lucky couple who will be married on tonight’s ACM Awards. It’s a first for the awards show, and I have to say that the story of this couple makes it worthwhile:

Christina Davidson and Frank Tucci thought they would never find love again. In July 2009, Frank lost his wife, Danielle, to thyroid cancer and in that same year, Christina lost her husband, Paul, in a tragic drowning accident. As a way to deal with the grief of losing her husband and raising her two sons, Stephen and Paul, on her own, Christina started a support group for young widows and widowers in Washington Township, N.J., where she met Frank. Slowly their friendship blossomed into love as they bonded over their shared views about the challenges of single parenthood and the struggles to keep the memories of their spouses alive.

9:33: Their wedding song is “Marry Me,” by Martina McBride and Pat Monahan of Train. We’re hearing a snippet of the preacher talking to the couple, who look lovely in their finery, and then Martina appears in a lovely flowing white and shimmering gown. The producers are smoothly interspersing bits of the preacher’s words with the performance as Monahan takes the stage. I’m not a fan, but he’s not nearly as whiny as usual and Martina is always great.

It’s a crazy way to get married, but the couple are exchanging rings and lighting their unity candle onstage behind the singers. They look really happy as he kisses the bride to a standing ovation and they get hugs from their famous wedding singers.

And it’s surely not the craziest wedding that will happen in Vegas tonight! So good luck to them!

9:38: Reba has ditched the updo – thankfully – and she’s introducing Thompson Square, who last night received the vocal duo of the year award. Now they will set up the video montage about what happens when Vegas goes country, a quick look at all the country music festivities that have been happening in the past week leading up to the ACMs.

I’m so excited that Thompson Square, which consists of Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson and his wife Shawna, won the vocal duo award. But I wish they could have gotten the trophy tonight so that we could hear them. I’m sure their acceptance speech would have been awesome!

Look for my interview with Thompson Square, who will open for Lady A Saturday in Norman.

9:44: Looking handsome in his jeans, white T-shirt and trademark trucker cap, Luke Bryan is crooning his down-home ballad “I Don’t Want This Night to End.” He’s such a country boy, so it’s funny that he has the rock-star laser lights going. But they match the rock-star energy he brings as he struts and jumps around the stage. And he’s got a bunch of the crowd on its feet and Reba howling in excitement.

9:48: Reba is introducing Taylor Swift, joking that she got stuck behind her at the airport metal detector and knows firsthand that she got 11 awards last year. Taylor looks elegant in her white gown with the gold embellishments and sexy cutouts, but she’s not there to perform, she’s there to present best male vocalist. Go Blake!

Male Vocalist of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

* Blake Shelton

Chris Young

9:50: Winner: Blake Shelton! Woot! He looks genuinely shocked as he heads up to the stage and comments “that was a real surprised face” as he takes the trophy from Taylor. He’s saying “holy crap” and thanking the usual suspects before paraphrasing Dierks’ song “Been a long hard ride, got a ways to go, but I’m proud to take this home.” Good for him! Now he just needs the entertainer trophy!

9:55: Lionel Richie is taking the stage to introduce the final and biggest award, the fan-voted entertainer of the year. Can anyone match the fan support of Taylor Swift?

Entertainer of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

* Blake Shelton

Taylor Swift

9:56: Nope. Winner: Taylor Swift, the only one of the nominees who did not perform tonight. She’s hugging just about the entire front row, including Lady A, Miranda Lambert and Kenny Chesney. “Thank you so much for the fans who voted for this. I’m so excited about this,” she says. “To my fellow nominees, I respect you so much.” She’s giving a shout-out to her family as well to her would-be date Kevin McGuire, who was hospitalized over the weekend as he continues to battle cancer. Then, she’s thanking the fans again. She toned down the surprised face, but she’s still just as fervent as ever about thanking her fans, which undoubtedly has something to do with her having so many.

9:57: We’re cutting over to Blake and Reba, where she is consoling Blake, who is pretend crying and inquiring “Is there a silver medal or something?” Nope, but he’s going to close out the show performing “You Are” with Lionel Richie. It’s a preview of the ACM’s Lionel Richie concert special, which will be taped Monday and then air April 13. The whole crowd is on its feet and clapping along and helping out with the “whoa-ohs.” They have great chemistry together, and that’s my favorite duet of Lionel’s new duets album “Tuskegee,” which I’ll be reviewing for you soon.

Well, that’s the show. Thanks for following along with me during my annual ACM Awards live blog! Look for more coverage tonight and Monday!

-BAM

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REMINDER: ACM Awards live blog tonight here on BAM’s Blog!

It’s almost here!

The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas from 7 to 10 tonight on CBS.

Oklahoma-born and bred superstars Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire will co-host the show for the second straight year.

In addition, at least one artist with Oklahoma ties is nominated in every category except one. Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill and Rascal Flatts are all nominated.

Thompson Square, which includes Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson and his wife Shawna, is already a winner: The couple was named ACM vocal duo of the year Saturday night during the ACM Salute to the Military Concert at the ACM Experience at Mandalay Bay in Vegas. To read more about that story, click here.

Jason Aldean, Dierks Bently, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Bradley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride with Pat Monahan, Scotty McCreery, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Lionel Richie, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Chris Young, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts with Steve Martin, and Little Big Town have been announced as performers for the awards show, with Zac Brown Band hosting the second annual ACM Fan Jam at Mandalay Bay.

Presenters for the ceremony include Marc Anthony, Ashton Kutcher, Jake Owen, LeAnn Rimes, Grace Potter, Eli Young Band, Beth Behrs, Zac Brown, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Liam Hemsworth, LL COOL J, KISS, Scotty McCreery, Nancy O’Dell, Lionel Richie, Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, Sugarland, and Thompson Square.

As is customary, I’ll be live blogging along with the show starting at 7 p.m. and providing live commentary on the winners, performances, banter, fashion choices and more until the final prize, entertainer of the year, is handed out. Please make plans to follow my live blog tonight right here at BAM’s Blog!

-BAM

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Live blog: 2012 Grammy Awards

7 p.m.: The 54th Annual Grammy Awards is getting off to an old-school star, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and a symphony orchestra performing The Boss’ new anthem “We Take Care of Our Own.” The performance has everyone in the star-studded crowd on their feet. As billed, it’s a very uplifting anthem on the outside but with lots of pointed social commentary on the inside, so it’s hard not to join the chorus comparing it to “Born in the U.S.A.” Mostly I’m just happy to see that Springsteen still rocks at age 62. And I hope I’m as beautiful and cool as his wife and bandmate Patti Scialfa is when I finally grow up.

7:05: The Grammys have gone back to a host this year, and LL Cool J proves from outset that he was the right man for the job: “There’s no way around this: We’ve had a death in our family. So for me, the only thing that feels right is to open with a prayer for our fallen sister Whitney Houston.” Every head in the crowd is bowed as he thanks God for letting Whitney make music for the world and asking for peace for her mother and daughter.

Although he forgot to remove his admittedly cool hat, I applaud Cool J for his excellent delivery of the prayer, which is leading into a video of Whitney performing “I Will Always Love You” on the Grammys back in the early 1990s. Jennifer Hudson is going to perform the song tonight in honor of her. “Whitney we will always love you, and later tonight, we will remember you the best way we know how, with a song.” He’s encouraging everyone to remember the joy Whitney brought to the world and relish the joy of tonight’s awards.

7:09: Cool J welcomes back Adele, who will give her first live public performance since her vocal cord surgery, and hypes all the big performances coming up tonight. The slate ranges from Oklahoma country star Blake Shelton to Sir Paul McCartney of the Beatles, so it’s a wide range.

7:11: Bruno Mars may be a relative newcomer to the music scene, but he’s delivering another throwback performance, from his pompadour and gold jacket and bow tie to the old-school R&B sound of “Runaway Baby.” It’s a fun performance, with a big-time nod to the late James Brown, and it gets another standing O from the crowd.

7:15: Next up, Chris Brown is going to perform. Presumably, he hasn’t beaten up any girlfriends before the show this year, so I guess this is still on. It will be interesting to see if the crowd is as unenthused about this comeback performance as I am.

7:20: Before Chris Brown comes back, Alicia Keys at keyboards and Bonnie Raitt on guitar are paying tribute to Whitney Houston and now are going to perform in honor of the late Etta James, who died last month. They are singing “A Sunday Kind of Love,” and they are making it clear that they don’t need flashing lights, carefully choreographed dance moves or color-coordinated outfits to make a Grammy moment. It’s a beautiful but heartbreaking performance. Just don’t stop, ladies. The crowd is on its feet again.

7:24: Now the lovely ladies are presenting the award for best solo pop performance and my money is on Adele:

Someone Like You

Adele

Track from: 21

[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

 

Yoü And I

Lady Gaga

Track from: Born This Way

[Streamline/Interscope/Kon Live]

 

Grenade

Bruno Mars

Track from: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

[Elektra]

 

Firework

Katy Perry

[Capitol]

 

F***in’ Perfect

Pink

[Jive Records]

7:26: Winner: Adele. She’s getting a standing O as she immediately gets choked up. She says “Someone Like You” changed her life even before anyone else heard it. “Seeing as it’s a vocal performance, I ought to thank my doctors I guess for bringing my voice back,” proceeding to do just that. Love her. She’s already won a trophy or two in the pre-telecast ceremony, too, so I’m betting she will need a wheelbarrow by the end of the night.

7:27: Chris Brown is singing “Turn Up the Music” while running and dancing all over a stack of brightly colored LED cubes as masked doctors in capes chase him. The crowd applauds and a few stand up but he’s the first non-standing O moment of the night.

7:30: Am I the only one just tickled that Lady Gaga has been seated next to country stars and Tishomingo residents Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton? It’s a good thing she’s past her meat-dress phase or Blake would be hunting up a fork and sitting in her lap!

7:35: Fergie and Marc Anthony are up to present, and can someone please toss a robe over Fergie? First, who brought back the transparent lace trend; was the world not tacky enough already? And do you really want to show the world your black underwear under your peekaboo red dress at the Grammy Awards? Way to keep it classy Fergie. Anyway, they’re gonna present best rap performance:

Otis

Jay-Z & Kanye West

Track from: Watch The Throne

[Roc-A-Fella Records/Def Jam]

 

Look At Me Now

Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes

Track from: F.A.M.E.

[Jive Records]

 

The Show Goes On

Lupe Fiasco

Track from: Lasers

[1st & 15th/Atlantic]

 

Moment 4 Life

Nicki Minaj & Drake

Track from: Pink Friday

[Cash Money/Universal Motown]

 

Black And Yellow

Wiz Khalifa

Track from: Rolling Papers

[Rostrum/Atlantic]

7:37: Winner: “Otis.” Jay-Z is presumably still on daddy leave with his new baby girl – who as expected from any child of Beyonce is freakin’ adorable – but I’m wondering where Kanye is this fine evening. With him gone, the sense of impending disaster just isn’t as acute.

7:38: Oklahoma-born and bred superstar Reba arrives to praise the Grammys for bringing together musical artists from different musical genres like no other show. She’s introducing hot country star Jason Aldean and her pop-star pal Kelly Clarkson performing their smash duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” I’ve heard them sing this power ballad on a couple of different awards shows, and they’ve nailed it every time. But I wish we could’ve had more Reba on the show tonight.

7:46: Jack Black – in a red Western-style shirt – is talking about how he’s outside the Grammys because he is holding onto his indie cred. Dude, you made “Gulliver’s Travelers” into a comedy for 20th Century Fox, so no matter what you do with Tenacious D, you can never get that indie cred of which you speak back.

Anyway, just introduce the band, especially since it’s the Foo Fighters, who have already snagged four Grammys tonight. They’re performing “Walk,” they’re keeping rock relevant, and for that we thank them. Who knew that Dave Grohl would just keeping getting more awesome with each passing year? Incredible.

7:56: This is one of  the more intriguing cross-cultural matchups of tonight’s Grammys in my opinion: Rihanna with Coldplay. She’s getting it started in dance-party fashion as she coos “We Found Love,” and if she’s not thinking “suck it, Chris Brown, I don’t need you,” I’m thinking it for her. She’s got athletic backup dancers and real-life torch bearers and abs that you could crack concrete with, plus she’s now proving that she is just as good a dancer as her ex. I’m just wondering when we’re going to get to the Coldplay part of the performance.

8: The stage goes dark and Coldplay’s Chris Martin appears strumming an acoustic guitar and crooning “Princess of China,” which I think is a particularly pretty song. Rihanna returns to turn it into a duet, and even though the two parts of the much-hyped mash-up don’t really go together, she and Chris sound just lovely together. And now Coldplay is taking center stage in this medley to play their Grammy-nominated anthem “Paradise” against a backdrop of LED graffiti. Overall, I can’t really fault the quality of the performance, but I wish more had been done to actually integrate their divergent styles to make this something really special.

8:11: Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz of the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants and “NCIS” star Pauley Perrette, who is nearly as tall as they, are going to present the award for best rock performance. But first, Pauley compels Victor to give the crowd a bit of his salsa-style touchdown dance. Here’s an award that the Foo Fighters better win:

Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

Coldplay

[Capitol Records/ EMI/ Parlophone]

 

Down By The Water

The Decemberists

Track from: The King Is Dead

[Capitol]

 

Walk

Foo Fighters

Track from: Wasting Light

[RCA Records/ Roswell Records]

 

The Cave

Mumford & Sons

Track from: Sigh No More

[Glassnote Records]

 

Lotus Flower

Radiohead

Track from: The King Of Limbs

[XL/ TBD Recordings]

8:14: Winners: Foo Fighters. “This is a great honor because this record was a special record for our band,” Dave says. “We made this record in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine.” Gotta love that. “To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is the most important thing,” he says, extolling the virtues of learning your craft and declaring that music is not about sounding perfect, it’s about what goes on in your head and your heart. Preach it!

 

8:16: Dave refuses to be played off the stage, delaying the irony of having Ryan Seacrest follow the rocker’s earnest speech about keeping it real. This is the man who brought us the Kardashians, after all. Anyway, Seacrest is in the house to introduce a big moment: The 50th anniversary reunion of the Beach Boys. But not before Maroon 5 and Adam Levine’s falsetto takes on “Surfer Girl.” And now we’ve got Foster the People chiming in with “Wouldn’t Be Nice.” Wouldn’t it be nice if we’re finally going to get a Beach Boys reunion if the Beach Boys actually played it?

8:21: Finally, we’ve got the actual Beach Boys – well, the ones available to carry on – playing “Good Vibrations,” and the crowd is on its feet already. For all the drama and troubles this band has experienced over the decades, they still sound pretty darn good, even on those famous high notes. And unlike many reunited bands, I don’t see a bunch of 30-something ringers sharing the stage with a few graybeards. Now, they’re getting Maroon 5 and Foster the People involved on the last verse of their feel-good hit. And it’s not a train wreck, so that’s a good vibration for ya.

8:28: Are we actually having another snow-pocalypse here in Oklahoma, or is just the KWTV weather anchors loving the sound of their own voices and the look of their own weather maps? It’s so hard to tell sometimes …

8:30: The Trustee Awards this year go to the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs; musician, bandleader, composer, and arranger Dave Bartholomew; and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, who worked with jazz musicians such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. They were just honored in a brief clip. The awards go to people who make significant contributions to music in a non-performing capacity.

8:31: Stevie Wonder gets a standing O just for showing up. He gives his love to Whitney and plays a bit of the Beatles’ “Love Me Do” on the harmonica, which gets people clapping along. I’d love to hear more of Stevie, but he’s introducing Paul McCartney, who will be performing with Joe Walsh and Diana Krall. Sir Paul is wearing a white dinner jacket and crooning his new romantic standard “My Valentine.” It’s lovely, especially with Walsh on guitar, but I’m just not sure I was ready for the cute Beatle to sing standards. I know he’s never gonna be able sing “When I’m 64″ without it being ironic again; still, I don’t know that I’m ready for him to not rock it up. But I can’t argue with the standing O since he sounded really good crooning.

8:36: The ever-cool Common and Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson salute Lifetime Achievement winner and R&B forefather the late Gil Scott-Heron before presenting best R&B album:

F.A.M.E.

Chris Brown

[Jive Records]

 

Second Chance

El DeBarge

[Geffen]

 

Love Letter

R. Kelly

[Jive Records]

 

Pieces Of Me

Ledisi

[Verve Forecast]

 

Kelly

Kelly Price

[My Block/Sang Girl/Malaco]

8:38: Winner: Chris Brown. He’s got a few people on their feet as he thanks God and the Grammys for the opportunity to perform and dedicates the award to his fans.

I demand a recount on behalf of Ledisi, who could sing this guy under the table.

8:39: Already two-time winners tonight, The Civil Wars arrive and cheekily thank all their opening acts tonight, “including that promising kid from Liverpool.” They proceed to amaze the crowd with their awesome harmonies on “Barton Hollow.” They’re there to warm the stage for fellow Grammy winner Taylor Swift, but they’ve made a pretty big impression with a very brief spotlight. Excellent work.

8:40: Taylor Swift is in straight-hair mode and is strumming her ganjo – that’s a banjo with a guitar neck – as she croons her Grammy-winning song “Mean” in her usual-for-this-number Depression-era garb. It’s one of my favorite of her songs, and she always sounds really good on it. She’s got the crowd clapping and singing along as she changes the lyrics to reflect her performing it at the Grammys. She’s really progressing on her awards show performances. Gotta love her getting so much acclaim out of a song designed to put down her critics. Talk about getting the last word.

8:44: And cue Taylor’s usual wide-eyed, lip-biting shocked face as she gets a standing O. It’s a well-deserved standing O, and I’m not saying she should take it for granted. But I’m just not sure that she should still be so surprised that people really, really like her.

8:50: Neil Patrick Harris is there and promising no naughty wisecracks as he presents song of the year. He says that’s hard for him, and a bit disappointing for me, I must admit. Here are the noms:

All Of The Lights

Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie)

Track from: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

[Roc-A-Fella; Publishers: EMI April Music, EMI Blackwood Music, Headphone Junkie Publishing, Please Gimme My Publishing, Very Good Beats/Hip Hop Since 1978]

 

The Cave

Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford & Sons)

Track from: Sigh No More

[Glassnote Records]

 

Grenade

Brody Brown, Claude Kelly, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Track from: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

[Elektra; Publishers: Mars Force Music/Bughouse, Music Famamanem/Toy Plane Music/Art For Arts Sake/Late 80s Music/Westside Ind. Music/Studiobeat Music, Warner Tamerlane, Andrew Wyatt, Downtown DMP Songs, EMI April Music, Roc Nation Music]

 

Holocene

Justin Vernon, songwriter (Bon Iver)

Track from: Bon Iver

[Jagjaguwar; Publisher: April Base Publishing]

 

Rolling In The Deep

Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)

Track from: 21

[XL Recordings/Columbia Records; Publishers: Universal-Songs of Polygram/EMI Music Publishing]

8:51: Winner: Adele, who is just tearing it up tonight, as expected. She gets extra high-pitched and even more Cockney than usual – is that possible? yes, apparently – as she squeals her joy and gives much of the mike time to her producer.

8:52: The beautiful Kate Beckinsale joins LL Cool J to introduce a woman with a great work ethic “who can shoot fireworks out of her boobs.” Yep, must be time for Katy Perry. She starts out with big production and then a fake glitch before appearing in a glass cage and skin-tight metallic catsuit and blue hair. She’s belting “Part of Me” rather defiantly. Despite all the flame effects and Chippendales-inspired backup dancers and the fake-out production breakdown, Katy seems more connected to this performance than I’ve seen in the past. At least she’s not pretending she’s still young enough to need a fake ID.

8:57: Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley are going to present best country album, and Ran’s hubby Blake Shelton is in the running here. So rooting for him:

My Kinda Party

Jason Aldean

[Broken Bow Records]

 

Chief

Eric Church

[EMI Records Nashville]

 

Own The Night

Lady Antebellum

[Capitol Records Nashville]

 

Red River Blue

Blake Shelton

[Warner Bros. Records]

 

Here For A Good Time

George Strait

[MCA Nashville]

 

Speak Now

Taylor Swift

[Big Machine Records]

8:59: Winner: Lady A. “Wow, we did not expect this” Charles Kelley of Lady A says, and I have to say I didn’t expect it either.

It wasn’t the hottest album as far as radio play (that would be Aldean’s), and they weren’t the hottest stars in the race (Shelton). I didn’t think it was the best album in the category (dead heat between Church and Blake, since Pistol Annies weren’t nominated and Ran’s “Revolution” was released past the deadline), and it wasn’t the biggest seller (Swift) or the one from the most respected artist (King George). No disrespect to Lady A, since I’m a fan of them, but I wonder if everyone else kind of canceled each other out in this race. “Thanks for changing our lives here last year,” Kelley adds. He and his cohorts also thanked the fans first, in the great country tradition.

9:05: “The only Oscar winner who sang here with Cee Lo last year” is the rather odd intro for Gwyneth Paltrow, who in turn is going to introduce Adele’s highly anticipated comeback performance. “We’re so thrilled that singular voice of hers is back,” Gwyneth says, and I couldn’t agree more. Already a four-time winner tonight, Adele sounds as great as ever as she belts “Rolling in the Deep.” The whole crowd seems to be clapping along. Whatever else Karl Lagerfeld or any other small-minded jerk says, she looks absolutely beautiful out there in a her elegant black dress. And she is just glowing. No question this is her night.

9:16: Already a two-time winner tonight, Taylor Swift, who looks grown-up and lovely in her long sparkly golden dress, even if it really sounded like she just referred to “Alzheimer’s” as “old timers,”  pays homage to “Rhinestone Cowboy” Glen Campell and introduces The Band Perry playing a very bluegrassy version of “Gentle on My Mind.” Every time I see them, I can’t help but think that these kids are the real deal.

9:19: Looking handsome in a simple black suit, Oklahoma’s Own Blake Shelton gets big applause as he croons “Southern Nights.” He has such a great voice, and like the Perry sibs, he’s doing right by Glen Campbell. Still, I would have preferred Blake perform one of Campbell’s great hits written by Elk City native Jimmy Webb, such as “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” or “Galveston.”

9:21: And here comes Glen Campbell himself, and he’s in an embellished cream-colored jacket as he sings “Rhinestone Cowboy” and encourages the crowd to help him out. He’s got the audience on their collective feet again, and I’m so glad that they’re doing this while he’s still able to get out there and really show how great he is. Blake and the Perry trio join him, and they sound terrific together. I love that Joe Walsh and his lady were caught on camera doing a two-step in the midst of Glen’s spotlight. “Thank y’all so much,” Glen says, asking “Do I go somewhere or just shut up?”

9:24: Along with Campbell, fellow country star George Jones as well as Diana Ross, the Allman Brothers Band, the late Antonio Carlos Jobim, the late Gil Scott-Heron and the Memphis Horns are the other Lifetime Achievement Award winners. I’m glad at least one of them actually got to spend some time in the spotlight tonight.

9:30: Checotah native Carrie Underwood, in a long, sparkle-coated gown, lavishes praise on legendary crooner Tony Bennett, who won another Grammy tonight for his album “Duets II,” which features Carrie on the standard “It Had to Be You,” which they are now singing together in gorgeous fashion. It’s another retro moment and another standing O for this year’s Grammys, but it’s hard to complain when it sounds this good.

9:33: Now Tony and Carrie are going to present best new artist. Here are the noms, which are kind of all over the map musically:

The Band Perry

Bon Iver

J. Cole

Nicki Minaj

Skrillex

9:34: Winner: Bon Iver, and indie rock fans everywhere just burst into tears of joy. Justin Vernon really looks uncomfortable, but at least he’s up front about it.

“It’s really hard to accept this award. There’s so much talent here on this stage and there’s so much talent that’s not here tonight,” he says. “When I started making music it was for the inherent reward of making songs, so I’m a little uncomfortable up here. But with that discomfort there’s a sense of gratitude.”

It’s an awkward little speech but at least he remembered to thank his parents and hometown of Eau Claire, Wisc., so well done there. And he thanked the voters, calling his win a “sweet hookup.”

9:38: Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow is telling about the Grammys’ charitable efforts and introducing the In Memoriam montage. Amy Winehouse, Heavy D, Steve Jobs, Dobie Gray, Johnny Otis, Gene McDaniels, Pinetop Perkins and Clarence Clemons are among those prominently featured, and naturally, Whitney Houston is the last pictured.

9:43: Dressed in somber black and visibly emotional, Jennifer Hudson is delivering the promised Whitney tribute, belting out “I Will Always Love You.” She gets a big standing ovation. She sounded great and managed to keep it together, which couldn’t have been easy. So well done there.

9:51: ?uestlove of The Roots joins LL Cool J to give a shout-out to the late “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius before introducing the Grammys’ much-hyped first dance performance featuring David Guetta, Chris Brown, deadmau5, Lil Wayne and Foo Fighters.

First up are Guetta with Lil Wayne and Chris Brown, and I’m really tired of Chris Brown at this point. There are comebacks and then there are blatant attempts to brainwash us into forgetting all about someone’s ugly past indiscretions, and this show’s crossing the line, people.

It’s a pretty fun groove, but so far it’s not worth all the fuss. Of course, the Foos haven’t played yet, and they pretty much make everything better.

9:57: Like right now, for instance. The Foos are rocking “Rope,” and I’m pretty sure deadmau5 is wearing his extra-fancy formal helmetry in honor of the occasion. My obvious rock bias aside, I really thought the Foos and the mouse (sorry, mau5) completely upstaged their collaborators.

10:04: The very handsome Drake is introducing one of the most beautiful, talented and driven women he has ever met in his life, his former bandmate Nicki Minaj. She’s in full-blown creep-out mode with her “Exorcism”-inspired rendition of “I Feel Pretty,” which she uses to lead into her debut of “Roman’s Holiday,” which has her throwing down while strapped to a kind of wall while nun-lookalikes in red habits dance around her and smoke plumes up from the stage. Now she’s levitating high above said stage while she mixes in a bit of “Come All Ye Faithful.” She gets a brief standing O, but I have to say that for me it was just the usual Nicki Minaj: really overdone and assaulting to the senses. I’m seeing a lot of style, such as it is, but not much substance.

10:10: Lady A – who want to go on record that winning this prize is pretty awesome – are going to present record of the year. And I’m betting we get to see Adele one more time:

Rolling In The Deep

Adele

Paul Epworth, producer; Tom Elmhirst & Mark Rankin, engineers/mixers

Track from: 21

[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

 

Bon Iver

Justin Vernon, producer; Brian Joseph & Justin Vernon, engineers/mixers

Track from: Bon Iver

[Jagjaguwar]

 

Grenade

Bruno Mars

The Smeezingtons, producers; Ari Levine & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers

Track from: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

[Elektra]

 

Mumford & Sons

Markus Dravs, producer; Francois Chevallier & Ruadhri Cushnan, engineers/mixers

Track from: Sigh No More

[Glassnote Records]

 

Katy Perry

Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen & Sandy Vee, producers; Mikkel S. Eriksen, Phil Tan, Sandy Vee & Miles Walker, engineers/mixers

[Capitol]

10:12: Winner: Yep, it’s Adele. “Thank you so much. This is ridiculous,” she says. “I want to say thank you to every radio programmer and broadcaster for playing ‘Rolling in the Deep’ because you really helped it cross over.” She ends with a thumbs up.

10:18: LL Cool J says one of the first people who put him on TV happens to be a Lifetime Achievement winner tonight: Diana Ross, who gets a standing O and recalls when Cool J was “just a little kid.” She’s praising the show’s “fantastic energy” before praising Paul Epworth as producer of the year.

Now, she’s going to give album of the year … to Adele, most likely.

21

Adele

Jim Abbiss, Adele, Paul Epworth, Rick Rubin, Fraser T. Smith, Ryan Tedder & Dan Wilson, producers; Jim Abbiss, Philip Allen, Beatriz Artola, Ian Dowling, Tom Elmhirst, Greg Fidelman, Dan Parry, Steve Price, Mark Rankin, Andrew Scheps, Fraser T. Smith & Ryan Tedder, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer

[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

 

Wasting Light

Foo Fighters

Butch Vig, producer; James Brown & Alan Moulder, engineers/mixers; Joe LaPorta & Emily Lazar, mastering engineers

[RCA Records/ Roswell Records]

 

Born This Way

Lady Gaga

Paul Blair, DJ Snake, Fernando Garibay, Lady Gaga, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Jeppe Laursen, RedOne & Clinton Sparks, producers; Fernando Garibay, Bill Malina, Trevor Muzzy, RedOne, Olle Romo, Dave Russell, Justin Shirley Smith, Horace Ward & Tom Ware, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

[Streamline/Interscope/Kon Live]

 

Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Bruno Mars

B.o.B, Cee Lo Green & Damian Marley, featured artists; Dwayne “Supa Dups” Chin-Quee, Needlz & The Smeezingtons, producers; Ari Levine, Manny Marroquin & Graham Marsh, engineers/mixers; Stephen Marcussen, mastering engineer

[Elektra]

Loud

Rihanna

Drake, Eminem & Nicki Minaj, featured artists; Ester Dean, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Alex Da Kid, Skylar Grey, Kuk Harrell, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mel & Mus, Awesome Jones, Makeba Riddick, The Runners, Sham, Soundz, Chris “Tricky” Stewart, Sandy Vee & Willy Will, producers; Ariel Chobaz, Cary Clark, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Alex Da Kid, Josh Gudwin, Kuk Harrell, Jaycen Joshua, Manny Marroquin, Dana Nielsen, Chad “C-Note” Roper, Noah “40″ Shebib, Corey Shoemaker, Jay Stevenson, Mike Strange, Phil Tan, Brian “B-Luv” Thomas, Marcos Tovar, Sandy Vee, Jeff “Supa Jeff” Villanueva, Miles Walker & Andrew Wuepper, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

[Def Jam]

10:20: Winner: ADELE! And this final win seems to have finally shattered her composure: she is emotionally overcome and fighting back tears as she hugs all her producers, including Tulsa-born Ryan Tedder, and exclaiming, “Mum, gold is good! Mum, I love you and I’m sorry you’re not here.”

“This record is inspired by something really normal that everybody goes through – a rubbish relationship … and it’s really changed my life in the past year,” she says as she laughs and tries not to sob and wipes away “a bit of snot.” Great night for her, and she absolutely deserves it.

10:24: Instead of saying good night, Cool J promises to show us a good night, reintroducing Paul McCartney. Sir Paul is sitting at the piano to perform the wonderful Beatles cut “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End.” Wow. He may be singing standards this year, but Macca has still got it, baby, as he races away from the piano and takes up his guitar and plays with an all-star band including Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl. The crowd is up again and dancing while these guys rock away the final moments of the telecast.

What a great finish to a night that had many more highlights than miscues. I wish more Okies had won, but at least they had the honor to be nominated.

Hope you enjoyed following my live blog of the 2012 Grammys. Remember, “in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

-BAM

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