CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards Finalists Announced
Video favorites Toby Keith, Alan Jackson and Martina McBride are among the most nominated artists in fan voting for the inaugural CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards -- the first-ever awards show devoted to country music videos.
Chris Cagle and Chely Wright announced nominees Tuesday (May 14) at Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Club in Nashville. Fans cast 1.4 million votes in the first round of voting, from April 16-May 12.
Final voting in 11 of the 12 categories got underway Tuesday (May 14) immediately following the press conference and continues through June 9 at midnight EDT on CMT.com.
Final voting in a 12th category, Flameworthy video of the year, also at CMT.com, takes place only during the live telecast of the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards on CMT. The five finalists in that category will be announced at the beginning of the telecast.
Actress Kathy Najimy will host the first CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards. Among her many credits, Najimy played Sister Mary Patrick in the movie Sister Act and is the voice of Peggy Hill in the animated Fox TV series King of the Hill.
Jackson, Keith, McBride, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans and Brooks & Dunn are slated to perform during the two-hour telecast.
Keith has three nominations including Flameworthy "lol" (laugh out loud) video of the year, for the funniest video, for "I Wanna Talk About Me"; Flameworthy concept video of the year, for "My List" and Flameworthy male video of the year, for "I Wanna Talk About Me."
Michael Salomon, director of Keith's "I Wanna Talk About Me," is in the running for director of the year.
McBride also has three nominations, vying for female video of the year and fashion plate video of the year, for "Blessed," and for "lol" video of the year, for "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues."
The video team of Deaton Flanigen (Robert Deaton and George Flanigen) is up for director of the year for "Blessed."
"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" earned nods for Jackson in the "love your country" patriotic category and in the male video of the year field. Jackson's humorous clip "It's Alright to Be a Redneck" is up for "lol" video of the year, his third nomination.
A number of artists landed two nominations apiece including Brooks & Dunn, Cagle, Faith Hill, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Tim McGraw, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, Cyndi Thomson and Keith Urban.
Among the multiple nominees, Keith, Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Hill, Alison Krauss & Union Station and McGraw could pick up an additional nomination since all have clips in the running for Flameworthy video of the year. First-round voting in that category has closed. The five final nominees will be announced at the beginning of the telecast of the Flameworthy Awards, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET on CMT. Voting for video of the year will take place ONLY during the Flameworthy telecast.
The CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards take place the night before the 31st Country Music Fan Fair gets underway in Nashville. Tickets for the Flameworthy Awards are available from CMT.com or through Ticketmaster.
