Group-video award goes to Rascal Flatts

By Brandy McDonnell

Published: April 15, 2008

Popular trio Rascal Flatts and comedian Rodney Carrington were among the winners with Oklahoma ties Monday night at the CMT Music Awards.

The seventh annual Country Music Television awards show, hosted by “Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus and her country singer father Billy Ray Cyrus, honored the top videos and performances in the genre. It was broadcast live from the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

Rascal Flatts, which includes guitarist Joe Don Rooney of Picher, won the first prize of the night, best group video for “Take Me There.” The band also was nominated in the category for its hit “Stand.”

“We're glad we beat that other band, Rascal Flatts,” quipped bassist Jay DeMarcus.

Carrington, a Tulsa native, won in a new category, supporting character of the year, for appearing in the video for Trace Adkins’ “I Got My Game On.”

Another Oklahoman, actor Christian Kane, who was raised in Norman and attended the University of Oklahoma, was nominated for his role in the video to Carrie Underwood’s “So Small.”

The night’s big winners were former “American Idol” contestant Kellie Pickler and fast-rising star Taylor Swift. Swift, 18, won video of the year and female video of the year for “Our Song.”

“Are you sure? Are you serious? I can't even believe this,” said Swift, who won the show’s USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year prize last year.

Swift passed that award along to Pickler, who also won performance of the year and tearjerker video of the year, all for “I Wonder.”

“Thank you ‘American Idol,' you are the rocket that launched my career,” Pickler said.

“American Idol” judge Paula Abdul, who introduced Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's performance of “I Need You,” commented, “There are so many 'American Idol' alum here that I feel this is a reunion and I'm a proud mom.”

But the night marked a rare shutout for 2005 “American Idol” winner Underwood, who went in with three nominations. The Checotah native closed the show with no awards but with a performance of her sixth straight No. 1 single, “All-American Girl.”

Several Oklahomans were nominated for awards but watched them go to others:

- In the female video category, Underwood was nominated for “So Small,” along with Miranda Lambert, who owns a Tishomingo farm, for “Famous in a Small Town.” The prize went to Swift.

- Norman resident Toby Keith was nominated for male video of the year for “High Maintenance Woman.” Adkins’ “I Got My Game On” won.

- Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton’s “The More I Drink” and Keith’s “High Maintenance Woman” were nominated in the new best comedy video category, an award that went to Brad Paisley’s “Online.”

- McAlester native Reba McEntire and “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson were nominated for best collaborative video for their hit duet “Because of You.” Owasso resident Garth Brooks and rocker Huey Lewis were nominated for “Workin’ for a Livin’” The award went to Bon Jovi and LeAnn Rimes’ “Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore.”

- Brooks & Dunn, which includes Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, was nominated for duo video of the year for “Proud of the House We Built.” Sugarland’s “Stay” won.

- The awards show started with eight semifinalists for video of the year, including Underwood’s “Wasted,” Rascal Flatts’ “Take Me There” and the McEntire-Clarkson duet “Because of You.” All three were eliminated at the top of the show, when the field was narrowed to four finalists. Fan voting continued through the show, with Swift winning.

In the new director of the year category, Michael Salomon, who helmed Keith’s “High Maintenance Woman” and “Love Me if You Can,” emerged the winner.

The show included some memorable moments, including an appearance by rapper Snoop Dogg, who donned a black cowboy hat and duster, and an elaborate opening skit about the scarcity of tickets to see preteen favorite Miley Cyrus. Among those appearing in the star-studded skit were presidential hopefuls John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

But one of the most intriguing sights was Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and his duet partner, bluegrass star Alison Krauss, accepting the Wide Open Country Video award for “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On).” The prize goes to artists outside mainstream country music.

“I’d like to say how peculiar it is to be here, but it’s an honor to have made an album in Nashville (last year’s “Raising Sand”) and have it sound so good,” he said.

For all the CMT Music Awards nominees and winners, go online to cmt.com

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