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Carrie Underwood: "We Don’t Want Surprised"

Prepping for Her CMA Gig Takes Practice and More Practice

Obviously, Carrie Underwood is not going to just wing it when it comes to the CMA Awards in November.

One, because she seems like she always thinks things through. And two, because it is the 50th anniversary of the awards, so it is an extra special gig for Underwood and her co-host Brad Paisley.

And she told the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper that in order for the night to turn out as planned, they rehearse often.

"Hopefully, there’s no surprises. We don’t want surprised," Underwood said. "We want things to go really smoothly. And, hopefully, we’ll be able to run through our script many, many times and feel comfortable.

"We have a lot of fun and a lot of meetings to prepare for everything. We crack each other up and stress each other out, and everything in between, because a lot of time goes into planning."

Since it's the anniversary of the CMA awards, there will likely be some tributes to the country artists who paved the way. Much like the way Underwood plays some country classics in her own shows.

"I think it’s important to sometimes pay homage to the incredible artists and storytellers who have come before and contributed so much," she said. "That’s one thing country music has always done so well."

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