Blake Shelton was the big winner at the 46th annual Country Music Assn. Awards. The 36-year old Oklahoma native won three awards: Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year. He shared the latter prize with his wife Miranda Lambert, who won Female Vocalist of the Year for the third year in a row.

[Related: Miranda Lambert cries after Song of the Year win]

Shelton was an upset winner for Entertainer of the Year. He beat Taylor Swift, whose new album, Red, made headlines just yesterday for selling more copies in one week than any other album since 2002. Swift was vying to become the first woman to win Entertainer of the Year three times. That potential record-setting achievement was promoted three times during the three-hour telecast, a sign that she just might pull it off.

In accepting the award, Shelton said that winning Entertainer of the Year was never in his sights. "When I moved here, I had two goals, to someday have a gold record and to someday be a member of the Grand Ole Opry," he said. Shelton was presented the award by Reba McEntire, a fellow Oklahoman who won the prize in 1986.

Photo: Jason KempinJust minutes before, she was ripping up the Country Music Association Awards with a no-holds-barred rendition of her spirited hit "Fastest Girl In Town." But when Miranda Lambert returned to the stage shortly after to accept the Song of the Year award with her husband, Blake Shelton, the spitfire singer was reduced to a puddle of uncontrollable tears.

[Related: 2012 CMAs red carpet photo gallery]

The reason was simple: The winning song she co-wrote with Shelton, "Over You," carries a deeply personal meaning to the couple. It's about the death of Shelton's older brother Richie, who died in a 1990 car accident when Shelton was only 14 years old--and whom Lambert has never met.

It's a safe bet that Rascal Flatts and Martina McBride prefer the CMA Awards to the Grammys. Rascal Flatts won six consecutive CMA awards as Vocal Group of the Year, but has yet to win a Grammy. McBride has been named Female Vocalist of the Year at the CMAs four times, which puts her in a tie with Reba McEntire for the most awards in the category in the show's history. She, too, has yet to win a Grammy.

George Strait and Diamond Rio also probably prefer the CMAs to the Grammys. Strait has been named Male Vocalist of the Year at the CMAs five times, which puts him in a tie with Vince Gill for the most wins in the category in the show's history. But he has yet to win a Grammy in the equivalent category—Best Male Country Vocal Performance (now Best Country Solo Performance). (He did win a Grammy for Best Country Album for 2008's Troubadour.)

Diamond Rio has won four CMA Awards for Vocal Group of the Year, but has yet to win a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. (The group did win a Grammy for Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album for 2010's The Reason).

Tim McGraw handed out some treats--of the musical variety--on Halloween night, when he played an intimate show at a Nashville club as part of CMA Awards week. The singer previewed material from his upcoming new album Two Lanes Of Freedom (which will hit stores in February) and grooved to a variety of his older hits, but his best "trick" for the audience was a surprise appearance from an unexpected guest--R&B star Ne-Yo.

McGraw and Ne-Yo (Photo: The Green Room PR)

McGraw performed two songs with his friend, one his own ("Only Human") and the other Ne-Yo's ("She Is"). The latter song appears on Ne-Yo's new album, R.E.D., which is out next week. McGraw collaborated with the R&B crooner for the tune, so fans who weren't lucky enough to see the duet live will still be able to enjoy it on the record.

Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood (Getty Images)Bon Jovi already went Nashville a while ago, but is the world ready for a country-fied Aerosmith? That's what they'll be getting with a Steven Tyler/Carrie Underwood that appears on the group's new album, Music From Another Dimension!, due in stores Nov. 6. Steven Tyler tells Yahoo! Music that he's certain the song will be a radio smash.

But as much benefit as there might be to including a country power ballad featuring one of America's most wholesomely leggy stars, how does that square with this comeback CD being touted as a return to seminal 1970s hard-rock form? After all, Tammy Wynette wasn't making any guest appearances on Rocks, was she?

[Related: Watch Carrie Underwood Music Videos on Y! Music]

Apparently, there was a minority faction within the band that wondered that very thing.

Tyler told us how the duet spontaneously came about. In the recording studio, "I sang it a little country," he recalls, "and one of the guys in the band said, 'You know what, you need to re-sing it,

Photo: Frederick Breedon IVWhen Jana Kramer shows up at the Country Music Association Awards on Thursday to help hand out the honors to her fellow country stars, the glamorous singer (and One Tree Hill actress) will no doubt be dressed to the hilt in a fancy gown and towering high heels. However, in this new video for her tune, "Goodbye California," Kramer shows fans that underneath it all, she'd really rather be barefoot in a pickup truck. We've got the first look at her clip right here!

She's well-known for her love of Bacardi--even invented her own cocktail using the brand!--and has told her personal trainer that giving up alcohol isn't a dietary option. However, Miranda Lambert does have a penchant for another, more wholesome drink. In fact, she's now the newest spokesperson for it.

Yup, Lambert is the latest in a string of celebs to join the Got Milk? campaign. On Wednesday, the singer--who's nominated in four categories at the Country Music Association Awards the following day--announced her participation in the famous campaign and unveiled her new ad, which boasts a sexy shot in her Old Gringo cowboy boots and the copy "Fine Tune Your Morning." Oh, and a white mustache, of course!

Lambert's new ad

Lambert noted that she feels the ad campaign is a great fit for her. "I'm a girl from Texas and I grew up having big breakfasts with my family," she smiled. "Milk was always on the table." She related that her mom always made sure that she had breakfast with protein before

Tim McGraw (Photo: Gregg DeGuire)It's been a long and bumpy road along the way, but Tim McGraw finally has announced a release date for his first album on new label Big Machine Records. Appropriately enough, it's titled Two Lanes Of Freedom, and it'll be out on February 5.

The record is a welcome new start for McGraw, who has been embroiled in a long and still-churning legal battle with former label Curb Records. He received permission to record for another label back in November 2011, and signed formally with Big Machine in May 2012.

McGraw explains that the set is reflective of his own life at the moment: "It's about reflecting on old times with a sense of nostalgia, but it's also about creating new memories and living in the moment and looking towards the future. I am doing that in my own life and career now, and I can't wait for my fans to hear the single and album. It's an unbelievably exciting time for me!"