LAS VEGAS — The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards swung political, personal, playful and patriotic on Sunday and ultimately opted for popular in bestowing its top honor on "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, naming her entertainer of the year over veteran male performers George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.
"I've had a lot of good moments in the past four years," the Oklahoma-born Underwood said at the climax of the three-hour event at the MGM Grand Arena, "but this one takes the cake."
The award was determined for the second year by popular vote during the show at CBS.com instead of being determined as it had been in past years by the performer who sold the most concert tickets during the previous 12 months, which would have given a fifth title to Chesney.
But the ACM, in striving to boost ratings and make the event more interactive for fans, opened the voting for entertainer and new artist to the public. That helped TV-friendly faces such as Underwood and former "Dancing With the Stars"-turned-country singer Julianne Hough, who took home the new artist trophy.
It was a big night as well for Internet-savvy teen phenom Taylor Swift, who sold more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre, passing 5 million. Her overwhelming success contributed to her sophomore album, "Fearless," which has topped 3 million since its release in November, being named album of the year.
The giddy singer and songwriter from Pennsylvania clapped her hands over her mouth and danced in her signature cowgirl boots upon learning she'd been chosen by the academy's 4,000 voting members over Strait, Underwood, duo Montgomery Gentry and newcomer Jamey Johnson.
Outside the arena just after the show ended, 11-year-old Josei Molasky beamed a broad smile at her role model's win. Molasky not only patterned her gold lame dress and cowgirl boots after Swift's look, she said she's been learning to play Swift's hit "Our Song" and starting to write songs of her own.
It's exactly the kind of fan motivation Nashville is looking for these days as it wrestles with declining music sales like every other corner of the music business. But the problem is trickier in country music because fans are much less likely to get music over the Internet, according to a recent market survey conducted at the behest of the annual Country Radio Seminar that took place in March.
