Carrie Underwood took top honors at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards tonight, becoming the seventh female in ACM history to take home the Entertainer of the Year award. It was the second win of the night for the American Idol alum, who capped off the Reba McEntire-hosted ceremony with a tearful acceptance speech (Underwood also won the Top Female Vocalist award). Newbie Julianne Hough was also a big winner, nabbing the win for Top New Female Artist, while Jake Owen picked up the trophy for Top New Male Artist. Taylor Swift, meanwhile, picked up Top Album of the Year for Fearless, while Brad Paisley won Top Male Vocalist. See below for the complete list of winners, and check out what went on behind scenes at the ceremony with Whitney Pastorek’s live backstage blog.
Entertainer of the Year
Carrie Underwood
Album of the Year
Fearless, Taylor Swift
Top Male Vocalist
Brad Paisley
Top Female Vocalist
Carrie Underwood
Top Vocal Group
Rascal Flatts
Top Vocal Duo
Sugarland
Top New Male Vocalist
Jake Owen
Top New Female Vocalist
Julianne Hough
Top New Vocal Duo or Group
Zac Brown Band
Single Record of the Year
"You’re Gonna Miss This", Trace Adkins
Song of the Year
"In Color", Jamey Johnson
Video of the Year
"Waitin’ on a Woman", Brad Paisley
Vocal Event of the Year
"Start a Band", Brad Paisley with Keith Urban
Comments (1-30) of 110 Add your comment
Carrie, I love you!
Carrie Underwood winning entertainer of the year is a travesty. She lacks showmanship. Wearing a huge dress and belting out hard-hitting notes are what should win her female vocalist of the year. SHOWMANSHIP, not fan votes, should win an artist Entertainer of the Year, and I’m sorry to say that Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and Kenny Chesney–not to mention Sugarland–all have more showmanship in their little fingers than Carrie Underwood does in her entire body.
To Kelly:
Who the hell are you to say something about carrie. if you don’t like her, then dont comment here. you’re so pathetic. cguro wla kang pinag-aralan. BOBO. Putang ina mo
Having an opinion does not make me pathetic. She’s just not the performer that some of the other artists are. She just may have a larger, computer-literate fan base. The girl can sing, there is no denying that, but she really needs to work on all aspects of being a performer. She’ll get there. I just know that, as a country fan, I’d be much more willing to pay to see Brad Paisley or Kenny Chesney in concert again. (Note: I said again because yes, I have seen Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, and Brad Paisley all in concert, and the latter were far more entertaining.)
to kelly:
yeah u suck. carrie underwood is AMAZING and she deserved to win. You would allow kenny to win again for the sixth time in a year when he himself cannot sing one dang note in tune. carrie underwood has accomplished so much and she deserved this more than anyone. so suck it!! and her dress has nothing to do with her singing abilities.
Finally women are starting to be recognized in the very sexist, male-driven realm of Country music. Way to go Carrie and Taylor!
Call her Scary Underwood or Carrie Underwhelms, and that explains why she’s just some robotic princess and not an authentic singer or performer. When the people defending her hit puberty, maybe they’ll see that for themselves.
Aww sorry but I feel the same way as a few people here – Carrie didn’t deserve it. She is a great singer of course (for country music that is) but her as entertainer of the year? you gotta be kidding me. They just wanted a female to win so they decided to choose carrie. The only reason why carrie is popular is because she is given some of the best country songs to sing. She doesn’t write her own music, she’s very stuck up, and she certainly does not know how to entertain lol
Carrie Sucks!!! That dress was ugly and she cant sing!
George Strait Rules
Carrie definitely deserved to win as her Carnival Ride tour was extraordinary. No one in the music industry has a more pure voice than Carrie. If you have not been to one of her concerts, you cannot appreciate the love that her fans feel for her and she is kind enough to reciprocate that respect with very generous meet and greets. So the joy she gives away at every one of her concerts came back to her tonight and it was a well deserved win.
Love you Carrie… Congrats!! you deserved the EOTY for your hard works. She always give the amazing performances.
Carry is truly beautiful in voice and looks, glad she wins. However the American idol shall not become the new gateway to country celebrity
Some of you people are unbelievable with your derogatory comments. Few people have ever done what Carrie has been able to accomplish in the past four years, and for people to put her down like this is crazy. For the record, she does write music. She has writing credits on four songs on her album, three of which became #1 singles. Heck, some of the greatest artists of all time NEVER wrote music. It’s a talent few possess.
Anyways, she has one of the greatest voices country music has ever heard, she’s sold 10 million albums & counting, she embarked on a HUGE tour with over 120 shows in 2008 alone, & she has incredible music to boot. For those who say she’s not a performer, go to one of her concerts before you talk. She doesn’t rely on all the fancy effects and electronic light displays to entertain like so many country artists of today; she does it the old fashioned way with great music and mesmerizing vocals. Now that’s an entertainer, and IMO, she’s most deserving of this award.
Wow…Entertainer of the Year is for the best of the best, the elite, and the most “entertaining” COUNTRY singer….not for the most popular american idol. sorry but carrie doesn’t deserve the award at all!!! look up the statistics for 2008 and compare Kenny Chesney with Carrie Underwood. It’s plainly obvious who deserves to win. I wouldn’t be upset if Kenny lost to George Straight or even Brad Paisley because at least these artists put on a great quality show, write songs, and have a true Country fan base. Although i’m happy that country music has many fans, i’m disappointed that probably a large majority of voters didn’t even know anything about the other 4 nominees…they only saw carrie’s name and voted for her because they remembered her on american idol. I agree with Kenny Chesney’s remark last year, the award should be left up to the industry to decide not fans. Again look up the awards, concert attendance, hit singles, and albums..they clearly state Kenny Chesney deserved it!
Carrie Underwood can’t sing? LOL how jealous can one be?
Congratulations, Carrie! You deserve it.
I love Carrie Underwood, but earning the Entertainer of the Year award the way she did is just an extension of winning American Idol. I think having viewers vote cheapens the award. It doesn’t really say she is the best entertainer, just the most popular.
I think they all deserved the awards they won. Carrie you are such an awesonme singer. Keep them coming!!
I’m sorry. But for those of you saying that Carrie lacks showmanship than obviously you have never seen her in concert. I luckily have… 5 times total with in a year. She is an amazing performer. The audience leaves only realizing they saw one of the best shows. She deserved to be nominated and i’m sorry, but if you deserve to be nominated you deserve to win. So IMO she should have won.
So please, stop bashing her if you’ve never seen her perform. And if you think I am just a Carrie fan… you are wrong. I have seen Brad and Keith and also wouldn’t have been upset if they won. But you have to understand, don’t bash someone unless you’ve seen them live.
Who was the designer for your white dress???? Loved it
To the uninformed on here, EOTY was not just fan voted and you can go to the ACM site and check it out for yourself.
Carrie won because Carrie got the industry vote too.
if my memory is correct,all of the guys nominated have won…so LET A WOMAN WIN IT FOR THE 7TH TIME ONLY…AND SHUT UP.
carrie is the only woman who deserved it with her amazing vocals,range,& talent.
don’t be jealous.
if carrie wouldnt have won,then I wanted george to have it.
luckily carrie won!!! all the men have won before,esp kenny chesney,so let a woman have it.and carrie is most deserving having put country music out there & helping make it more popular in the last 4 years.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME SHELBY!! Entertainer of the year should go to some clown who has never grown up from the college frat parties? Some guy who can only write songs about the beach and his stupid blue chair? Carrie Underwood is an UNBELIEVABLE singer and a GREAT preformer. She doesn’t fall into the juvenile “headbanging” like Taylor Swift and Hannah Montanna during her shows. I was lucky enough to see her in concert with Brad Paisley a few years ago and won’t miss any shows she has around my viewing area in the future. But to claim Kenny Chesney deserved it more than her! The world aready has one Jimmy Buffet…we don’t need another one…and I praise the FANS of Country Music for taking note of that!
After reading the previous comments I wonder if some of these people are even true country music fans, but rather fans of other music genres that are bashing country music for the hell of it (so, what’s new, huh?). Some just sound petty. It’s a shame.
I am so happy Carrie won because when she sings it’s totally from the heart and she brings me to tears as well as George Strait. Congratulations to both.
who were the other nominees for new female??? Julianne Hough? Really? This is worse than the people’s choice awards!
they actually combined the new vocalist…so there was a guy nominated & some new band… so julianna was the obvious winner.
Carrie has come a long way and I certainly applaud her success. I’ve seen her in concert and she put on a good show. I do have to disagree with the award tonight and give the nod to Brad Paisley. The guy is an absolutely amazing performer and the fact he has yet to win EotY after so many great years is mind blowing. I’m am excited he wrapped up another Male Vocalist, but where is the Entertainer love?!