The 2012 CMT Awards might be best marked by fans of the show as being somewhat sedate in comparison to previous years--after all, this is the country-music awards program that holds the distinction of being the most adventurous, and this year's program concentrated more on musical performances rather than crazy jokes.
However, there were three standout moments that separated this year's program from previous fêtes. Have a look and see if you agree!
The POTUS and his rival make an appearance. It is an election year, folks, and the CMT Awards honored this fact in undiluted fashion. Following a somewhat silly skit featuring co-hosts Toby Keith and Kristen Bell in competition to see who could win votes to be the sole host of the show, the CMTs trotted out both incumbent President Barack Obama ("This is one of the toughest decisions I've had to make since I've been in office") and GOP nominee Mitt Romney ("I thought the Presidential election was a tough race, but it's nothing compared to the politics of the CMT Awards").
Scorecard? Speaking in total political neutrality, Romney won the crowd. While both candidates noted they wanted to vote for both Keith and Bell, Romney was granted the line of the evening: "See? I just put two people back to work! You're welcome, America!" he crowed.
(A note: This isn't the first time the CMTs have played off an election year. In 2008, they managed to woo Obama, his Democrat nominee rival Hillary Clinton, and Republican candidate John McCain to appear on the show.)
Willie Nelson performs. It's always a pleasure to have Willie Nelson show up and play anywhere. It's extra fun when he performs his humorous (if slightly disturbing) latest, "Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die." It's not so much fun that his duet partners on the single, Snoop Dogg and Kris Kristofferson, didn't join him on stage. However, Nelson was accompanied by fellow outlaw Jamey Johnson (who also is a part of the official recording), Toby Keith, Zac Brown, and Darius Rucker. Which, really, is plenty good if not quite as good as a Snoop or Kris appearance would have been.
Neal Schon and Michaele SalahiJourney performs with Rascal Flatts. Okay, for those who haven't been exactly following the current doings of Journey--aside from Neal Schon's affair with Real Housewife Michaele Salahi--I'll forgive you. I'll just come right out with it: They have a different lead singer. Now that we're past that, the band joined country hitmakers Rascal Flatts for a medley of the Flatts' current single, "Banjo," with Journey's arguably most-loved hit "Don't Stop Believin'." (BTW, Schon showed up on the CMT carpet pre-show with Salahi, for those of you who keep track of such things.)
The big winners of the night were Carrie Underwood for video of the year, Luke Bryan in a surprise scoop of the male video award, Miranda Lambert for female video, and Lady Antebellum for group video. A complete list of winners can be found here.
What did you think of the 2012 CMT Awards? Be sure to let me know your thoughts!
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