Vote now for your pick of the CMT Music Awards

Voting begins today for the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS, country music’s only fan-voted award show, with the announcement of this year’s first round finalists. Beginning today, Tuesday, February 5 at 5:00 p.m., ET, fans can vote on CMT.com for their favorite artists to determine the final nominees for CMT’s seventh annual awards show. Country music’s biggest stars will rock Nashville’s Curb Event Center at Belmont University when the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS premieres LIVE on Monday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT* on CMT and CMT.com.
The first round of voting runs from February 5 through February 25, only at CMT.com, where fans will select from the top nominees in each of the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS categories. On Thursday, March 6, CMT will announce the four finalists in each of the thirteen 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS categories, except VIDEO OF THE YEAR. Fans can then vote online at CMT.com through Friday, April 11 to determine the winners. The final nominees for VIDEO OF THE YEAR will be announced at the beginning of the live show, and fans can vote at CMT.com throughout the live broadcast (ET/CT only) to determine the night’s big winner.
The nominees in each of the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS categories include:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.
Brad Paisley – “Online” (Director: Jason Alexander)
Carrie Underwood – “Wasted” (Director: Roman White)
Kenny Chesney – “Don’t Blink” (Director: Shaun Silva)
LeAnn Rimes – “Nothin’ Better To Do” (Directors: David McClister and LeAnn Rimes)
Rascal Flatts – “Take Me There” (Director: Shaun Silva)
Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson – “Because of You” (Director: Roman White)
Sugarland – “Stay” (Director: Shaun Silva)
Taylor Swift – “Our Song” (Director: Trey Fanjoy)

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
· Alan Jackson – “Small Town Southern Man”
· Brad Paisley – “Online”
· Jason Aldean – “Johnny Cash”
· Josh Turner – “Firecracker”
· Keith Urban – “I Told You So”
· Kenny Chesney – “Don’t Blink”
· Toby Keith – “High Maintenance Woman”
· Trace Adkins – “I Got My Game On”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
Carrie Underwood – “So Small”
Carrie Underwood – “Wasted”
Gretchen Wilson – “Come to Bed”
LeAnn Rimes – “Nothin’ Better to Do”
Martina McBride – “Anyway”
Miranda Lambert – “Famous in a Small Town”
Sara Evans – “As If”
Taylor Swift – “Our Song”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists
Bon Jovi – “(You Want To) Make a Memory”
The Eagles – “How Long”
Lady Antebellum – “Love Don’t Live Here”
Little Big Town – “A Little More You”
Old Crow Medicine Show – “I Hear Them All”
Randy Rogers Band – “One More Goodbye”
Rascal Flatts – “Stand”
Rascal Flatts – “Take Me There”

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists
Big & Rich – “Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace”
Big & Rich – “Lost in this Moment”
Brooks & Dunn – “Proud of the House We Built”
Montgomery Gentry – “What Do Ya Think About That”
Sugarland – “Everyday America”
Sugarland – “Stay”
Van Zant – “Goes Down Easy”

USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist's major debut album; awarded to the artist (male, female, or group/duo)
Bucky Covington – “A Different World”
Chuck Wicks – “Stealing Cinderella”
Eric Church – “Guys Like Me”
Jake Owen – “Startin’ With Me”
Jason Michael Carroll – “Livin’ Our Love Song”
Kellie Pickler – “I Wonder”
Lady Antebellum – “Love Don’t Live Here”
Luke Bryan – “All My Friends Say”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR*
Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)
Alison Krauss and John Waite – “Missing You”
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant – “Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)”
Bon Jovi feat. LeAnn Rimes – “Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore”
Garth Brooks and Huey Lewis – “Workin’ for a Livin’”
Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson – “Because of You”
Tim McGraw feat. Faith Hill – “I Need You”

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR*
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on a broadcast or major cable network; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
Big & Rich with John Legend – “Lost In This Moment” from the 42nd ACM Awards (CBS)
Dierks Bentley – “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" from A Capitol Fourth 2007 (PBS)
Keith Urban and Alicia Keys – “Gimme Shelter” from Live Earth (NBC)
Kellie Pickler – “I Wonder” from the 41st Annual CMA Awards (ABC)
LeAnn Rimes and Joss Stone – “Tell Me ‘Bout It” from CMT CROSSROADS (CMT)
Miranda Lambert and Jack Ingram – “Gunpowder & Lead” from CMT CROSS COUNTRY (CMT)
Sugarland – “Stay” from the 2007 CMT MUSIC AWARDS (CMT)
Tim McGraw – “If You’re Reading This” from the 42nd ACM Awards (CBS)

SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE YEAR*
Best supporting character whose guest appearance enhances the video concept; awarded to the special guest
Christian Kane for Carrie Underwood’s “So Small”
Drea de Matteo for Shooter Jenning’s “Walk of Life”
James Denton for Dale Watson’s “Justice For All”
Jason Alexander for Brad Paisley’s “Online”
Maureen McCormick for Brad Paisley’s “Online”
Rodney Carrington for Trace Adkins’ “I Got My Game On”
Tyler Hilton for Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops On My Guitar”
William Shatner for Brad Paisley’s “Online”

WIDE OPEN COUNTRY VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist outside the mainstream of country music; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration)
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant – “Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)”
Billy Joe Shaver – “Get Thee Behind Me Satan”
Dwight Yoakam – “Close Up the Honky Tonks”
The Eagles – “How Long”
Jack Ingram – “Measure of a Man”
Old Crow Medicine Show – “I Hear them All”
Shooter Jennings – “Walk of Life”
Willie Nelson – “Gravedigger”

TEARJERKER VIDEO OF THE YEAR*
Best video most likely to stir emotion, whether tears of joy or sadness; awarded to the artist
Big & Rich – “Lost In This Moment”
Billy Ray Cyrus – “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”
Jason Meadows – “18 Video Tapes”
Kellie Pickler – “I Wonder”
Kenny Chesney – “Don’t Blink”
Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson – “Because of You”
Sugarland – “Stay”
Tim McGraw feat. Faith Hill – “I Need You”

COMEDY VIDEO OF THE YEAR*
Best video to convey a song’s humor and wit; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
Blake Shelton – “The More I Drink”
Brad Paisley – “Online”
Dale Watson – “Hollywood Hillbilly”
Luke Bryan – “All My Friends Say”
Sarah Johns – “The One In the Middle”
Shooter Jennings – “Walk of Life”
Toby Keith – “High Maintenance Woman”
Trace Adkins – “I Got My Game On”

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Best video director of the year; awarded to the director for his or her body of work from the past year
Charles Mehling (award eligible videos include: Dierks Bentley’s “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" and Keith Urban’s “I Told You So”)
David McClister (award eligible videos include: LeAnn Rimes’ “Nothin’ Better To Do” and Jason Michael Carroll’s “Livin’ Our Love Song”)
Deaton Flanigen (award eligible videos include: Big & Rich’s “Lost in this Moment” and Martina McBride’s “Anyway”)
Michael Salomon (award eligible videos include: Toby Keith’s “High Maintenance Woman” and Trace Adkins’ “I Got my Game On”)
Rocky Schenck (award eligible videos include: Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s “Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)” and Sugarland’s “Everyday America”)
Roman White (award eligible videos include: Carrie Underwood’s “So Small” and Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You”)
Shaun Silva (award eligible videos include: Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” and Rascal Flatts’ “Stand”)
Trey Fanjoy (award eligible videos include: Bucky Covington’s “A Different World” and Taylor Swift’s “Our Song”)

*indicates new category for 2008

Videos that debuted on CMT between January 16, 2007 and January 17, 2008 are eligible for the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS. Finalists were determined by an industry panel that includes noted country music journalists, as well as music industry, music retail and CMT executives. Log on to CMT.com to view streaming clips of nominated videos.