The 44^th Academy of Country Music Awards was among the week’s Top 10 rated shows according to Nielsen ratings, coming in at No. 7 and besting powerhouse shows CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Two and a Half Men and the NCAA Basketball Semifinal. Ratings were up 21 percent from last year’s show, giving the ACM Awards its best ratings in a decade.

Thank you to everyone who watched AND all the fans who voted for Entertainer of the Year and Top New Artist!

Fans named Carrie Underwood Entertainer of the Year and Julianne Hough Top New Artist at the 44th Academy of Country Music Awards. Find out who else took home the coveted trophies with our complete list here.

Hot new vocal group Gloriana is taking online viewers for a ride on their Road to the ACM Awards webisodes. Watch them HERE!

Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jack Ingram, Martina McBride, Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Miller, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker and Blake Shelton will present at this year’s show. See the full show lineup!

VIDEO OF THE YEAR AND VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Brad Paisley reeled in his fourth ACM Video of the Year award at the 44^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards for “Waitin’ On A Woman.” Paisley also nabbed his third Vocal Event of the Year trophy for his guitar-dueling duet with Keith Urban, “Start A Band.” Click here to find out more.

MORE STARS TO SHINE AT THE 44^TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Lady Antebellum, Miley Cyrus, Jamey Johnson, Reba McEntire, John Rich and Lee Ann Womack join the star-studded lineup for the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Previously announced performers include Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Heidi Newfield, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and Taylor Swift. Click here to find out more.

SPECIAL AWARDS AND INDUSTRY/MBI HONOREES ANNOUNCED

Merle Haggard, Harlan Howard, Dolly Parton, Jerry Reed, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Hank Williams Jr., David Young and Beer For My Horses have been selected to receive Academy of Country Music Special Awards this year, which are voted on by the ACM Board of Directors and are only awarded during years when the Board of Directors feels there are clear and deserving candidates. Special Awards and Industry/MBI Awards are presented to recipients at ACM Honors, a special event held annually in the fall. The event will take place in Nashville on September 22, 2009. See the complete list of off-camera winners for the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards! (Photo courtesy of Country Music Hall of Fame®)

GEORGE STRAIT: ACM ARTIST OF THE DECADE ALL STAR CONCERT

Brooks & Dunn, Jamie Foxx, Jack Ingram, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, John Rich, LeAnn Rimes, Blake Shelton and Lee Ann Womack will join the star-studded lineup of performers to toast George Strait in Vegas on April 6th. Previously announced talent included Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. Click to find out more!

FAN VOTING IS LIVE!

Fan voting for both the ACM Entertainer of the Year and Top New Artist is now live at www.VoteACM.com. Visit today to cast your ballot, then watch on Sunday, April 5 on CBS to see who takes home the trophies! VOTE NOW!

ALBUM OF YEAR NOMS ANNOUNCED; STRAIT NOW TIES PAISLEY WITH SIX NODS

The nominees for ACM Album of the Year have been announced, and included on the list are:

• Back When I Knew It All – Montgomery Gentry (Columbia)
  Produced by: Blake Chancey

• Carnival Ride – Carrie Underwood (19/Arista Nashville)
  Produced by:  Mark Bright

• Fearless – Taylor Swift (Big Machine)
  Produced by: Scott Borchetta, Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift

• That Lonesome Song – Jamey Johnson (Mercury)
  Produced by: The Kent Hardly Playboys

• Troubadour – George Strait (MCA)
  Produced by: Tony Brown and George Strait

George Strait received album nominations as both artist and producer, bringing his total ACM nominations to six. He now ties Brad Paisley as the top nominee for the 44^th Academy of Country Music Awards.

OWEN, HOUGH AND ZAC BROWN BAND ARE NEW ARTIST WINNERS

Julianne Hough, Jake Owen and Zac Brown Band have been named Top New Female Vocalist, Top New Male Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group, respectively.  The three winners are now considered nominees for the Top New Artist award, which will be opened to fan voting on March 16th. The winner will be announced live on the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Julianne Hough, released her self-titled debut album, Julianne Hough, in May 2008 which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart. Her Top New Female Vocalist nomination was her first Academy nomination.

Jake Owen's fourth official single, "Don't Think I Can't Love You," was released in August 2008 and is the first single from his second album entitled Easy Does It.  He was nominated last year for Top New Male Vocalist and Vocal Event of the Year.

Winner of Top New Vocal Duo or Group, Zac Brown Band, released their fourth album, The Foundation, in November 2008. Their single "Chicken Fried" reached #1 on the country charts in November. This is their first nomination and win for an Academy of Country Music Award.

Each winner will perform and receive their trophy on the Sara Evans hosted GAC special, "ACM Top New Artists" premiering March 19 at 10pm ET.

Voting for Top New Artist takes place at www.VoteACM.com beginning March 16 and ends at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday April 5th.

ACM NOMINEES ANNOUNCED; PAISLEY LEADS WITH SIX

Country cuties Julianne Hough, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes and Jessica Simpson announced nominees for the 44^th Academy of Country Music Awards at Country Music Hall of Fame, and Brad Paisley was at the top of the list with six nominations. Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Sugarland, Heidi Newfield and newcomer Jamey Johnson also received multiple nods. Find out who else made the list.

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC, DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS & GAC TELEVISION PARTNER TO GIVE FANS THE POWER TO NAME TOP NEW ARTIST CATEGORIES FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

Encino, CA (February 4, 2009) - The Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions and Great American Country (GAC) announced today that for the first time ever, the three newcomer categories for the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS -Top New Female Vocalist, Top New Male Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group-will be opened up to interactive fan voting through GACTV.com.

The 44^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Fan voting for these three categories will begin at GACTV.com on Friday, February 13, and will close on Thursday, March 5.  The winner in each of the three categories will be announced March 9, and will move on to compete in a brand new Academy of Country Music Awards category, Top New Artist.  Voting for the Top New Artist category will begin on March 16, and will close on April 5, with the winner being announced live during the 44^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

As part of this new partnership, GAC will air several stand-alone specials, including a show featuring all the nominees from each of the three categories, as well as a special on the winner.

"GAC is honored to be part of this fan-focused selection process particularly because so many of these top new artists get their first exposure to TV on GAC," said Sarah Trahern, senior vice president of programming for GAC. "Country Music fans everywhere will get the rare opportunity to show their support for the many talented new artists in our country format."

"The Academy has been at the forefront of supporting new artists and introducing them to new audiences.  This alliance felt like a natural fit and extension of that support," said Bob Romeo, executive director of the Academy of Country Music.

Orly Adelson, president of dcp said, "dick clark productions has always celebrated the instrumental role music fans play in the popularity of new and emerging artists.  The ability for country artists to vote directly online will provide them with an even greater opportunity to make their voices heard."

The first GAC special, hosted by reigning Top New Male Vocalist Jack Ingram, will feature the nine nominees, three from each newcomer category, and will premiere on Friday, February 20. This special will re-air through March 5, when voting closes.

On March 10, GAC will tape a special hosted by Sara Evans, wherein the winner in each category will be named and presented with the award for Top New Female Vocalist, Top New Male Vocalist, and Top New Vocal Duo or Group.  Each winning act will perform on this special, which will air March 19 with multiple re-airs scheduled.

The winner of the new Top New Artist category will be awarded on the 44^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced on Wednesday, February 11, in Nashville.

MULTI-TALENTED REBA McENTIRE TO HOST 44TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

The multi-talented Reba McEntire will host the 44th Academy of Country Music Awards, set for Sunday, April 5th at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. The live broadcast, produced by Dick Clark Productions, will mark McEntire's 11th turn as host. She says the ACM Awards hold a special place in her heart.

"It was my first award show that I was nominated for in 1981, the Top New Female Vocalist of the Year," Reba recalls. "I didn't win it-Terri Gibbs got it that year--but I was nominated! It holds lots of great memories for me. That was the first time I ever went to Disneyland when we came out for that."

She has since won 11 Academy of Country Music Awards and has 41 nominations total. In 2001 she was awarded the first annual Academy of Country Music / The Home Depot Humanitarian Award for her outstanding philanthropic work. In 2003, the Academy of Country Music awarded her the title of "Leading Lady" in recognition of her status as the all-time leading winner in the Top Female Vocalist category with seven wins. She was nominated again this year in the vocal event category with Kelly Clarkson for their duet "Because of You."

McEntire is, of course, a country music legend who has been delivering number one songs for more than 20 years and has sold more than 50 million records over the course of her incredible career. Her name and voice are synonymous with country music. In 2001, after conquering the country music world many times over, McEntire set her sights on Broadway, where she starred in the hugely successful revival of Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun." She was nominated again in 2008 in the vocal event category with Kelly Clarkson for their duet "Because of You."

McEntire's latest project is a three-CD set called Reba's 50 Greatest Hits. Spanning her tenure with MCA Records beginning in 1984, 50 Greatest Hits features 20 No. 1 hits and 46 Top 10 singles. The ultimate retrospective, 50 Greatest Hits, follows her hugely successful Duets album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, a first in her 30 year career.