Luxe Life Blog
ACM Roundup: Toby Keith scraps movie to entertain troops in Afghanistan
Toby Keith rehearses for his performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images/ACM
Before the final Academy of Country Music stars leave town after their successful 44th awards at the MGM Grand, it’s time for me to sort through my reporter’s notebook with my final wrap-up of news:
*Toby Keith, who first played Las Vegas pre-stardom at Arizona Charlie’s for Elvis Presley’s road manager Joe Esposito, revealed that plans for him to make a follow-up to Beer for My Horses have now gone south! Provinces of Night was delayed going into production, and Toby kept his promise to the USO to play for our troops in Afghanistan. I asked him about the tour through one of the world’s toughest trouble spots: “I don’t know where in Afghanistan. They keep that from us until the last minute. I do three shows a day. The band is going to support me on six of the 14 days I’m there. The night shows are at the biggest bases, and they’ve never let us do that before. I go out on the front lines and then come in at night and play with the band.”
I asked Toby, in light of his “The Taliban Song,” if he will take anything special with him for protection: “The irony of the Taliban song that I wrote is we played in Camp Phoenix right outside Kabul, and they let the locals come on base and work. They scanned their eyes, and they checked them for everything. They had a translator there, and we sold out of my CD because I wrote the Taliban song, and all the locals lined up to buy it.” Toby thinks Val Kilmer and Dwight Yoakam will replace Kris Kristofferson and him, but Hilary Duff remains with the film.
Carrie Underwood at the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
*Congratulations to Carrie Underwood for winning an award she wasn’t even presented! By winning Entertainer of the Year on Sunday night, Carrie also won the ACM Triple Crown Award. It’s awarded to an artist who achieves wins as Top New Artist, Top Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year. Brad Paisley and Keith Urban also qualified for the Triple Crown if either had won, but Carrie snagged the night’s top trophy. She is only the seventh female to take entertainer honors in 39 years, but by winning the Triple Crown, she became only the second female to do so. Barbara Mandrell was honored with it in 2004 when her chase began back in 1971 as Top New Female. Carrie won that in 2005 and grabbed Top Female Artist wins in 2006 and 2007, as well as this year.
Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum, Kellie Pickler and Rascal Flatts frontman Gary LeVox at the Bank in the Bellagio.
*Some of country’s biggest names threw a birthday bash for Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott at the Bank in the Bellagio. Hillary celebrated her 25th birthday with her band mates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood. The all-star group that partied included Kenny Chesney, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox, John Rich, Luke Bryan, Jamey Johnson, Emily West, Holly Williams and Matt Stillwell. Hillary was presented with a gorgeous cake created by Jean-Philippe Patisserie, and she joined Kelly and Emily “dancing wildly on top of the banquettes,” according to my spywitness. Before the Bank, Lady Antebellum members and friends dined on tuna pizza, rock shrimp and strawberry roll prepared by Yellowtail chef Akira Back.
Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy.
*Presenter Jennifer Love Hewitt, who brought boyfriend Jamie Kennedy as her date, admitted that she’s a big fan of the girls of country: “I like Miley Cyrus. I love Carrie Underwood, and I’m a huge fan of Taylor Swift. She’s a gorgeous young star, and I think she’s just lovely. I was excited about getting to chat with all of them. Since I’m from Texas, I’ve thought about becoming one myself -- maybe one day!”
Darius Rucker at the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
*Darius Rucker, ex-frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, has gone country, and with three singles hitting No. 1, he’ll open for Rascal Flatts this spring and summer. “We all play golf and play practical jokes on each other, so it’s going to be a fun tour,” he said. “Life is amazing. I had something happen to me the other day. I was in Baltimore visiting my oldest daughter, and I went into the hotel to check in, and this woman recognized me. I’m used to people recognizing me from Hootie, but she was like, ‘Are you Darius Rucker, that country singer?’ I said, ‘Yes, I am!’ It was such a great feeling.”
Rascal Flatts at the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
*Rascal Flatts won Vocal Group of the Year for the seventh consecutive year, beating Alabama’s record! “It’s been a bit overwhelming; it’s been an emotional night to say the least. They are our greatest heroes! Alabama has such big footsteps to follow in, let alone fill, which is something we would never try to do. You dream these kinds of dreams, but to be able to live them out is more than we could have ever hoped for.”
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough at the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
*Former Las Vegas Academy student Julianne Hough admitted that she and her brother Derek had great support for their dreams of dancing and music from their family while living here. Julianne said: “Growing up, we were always trying to be in front of the camera for home videos, so we were always doing it from the beginning. They put us in lessons, singing, dancing, acting, you name it. We just picked what we loved, and they said to go for it. I’ve always believed in myself, too. No matter what other people say, because a lot of people have said, ‘You’re crazy for giving up your dancing to go do country music.’ The first call I got tonight after winning was from my sisters: ‘Go, girl, we’re screaming in the house right now!’ I’ve got the best family in the world. I am not an emotional person. I’m normally the one who takes care of everyone, but right now, I’m like a little baby. I’m still shaking from it!”
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.
E-mail
del.icio.us
digg
Facebook
