Leave it to a country music awards show to get all patriotic with its nominees.
While Brad Paisley and Sugarland received a leading four nominations apiece for the 2008 CMT Music Awards, the biggest winner, even before the hardware is doled out, is shaping up to be American Idol.
The show that Simon built has spawned four nominees for the awards, which, much like Idol itself, is decided on entirely by fan voting.
Former champs Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson scored three and two nods, respectively. Also-rans Kellie Pickler (three nominations) and Bucky Covington (one) also rated.
Underwood is up for the most prodigious trophy, Video of the Year, for "Wasted," as well as Female Video of the Year ("So Small"), while Pickler picked up a nomination for Performance of the Year, thanks to her headline-making, tear-inducing rendition of "I Wonder" from the 2007 CMA Awards last year.
Pickler also goes up against Covington for Breakthrough Video of the Year.
Meanwhile, Clarkson's nods both came courtesy of her duet with Reba McEntire, scoring Video and Collaborative Video of the Year nominations for their reworking of "Because of You."
Joining the Idol alums in the nomination ring were country music staples Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and Trace Adkins, each of whom, along with Pickler and Underwood, rated in three categories.
Father-daughter duo Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus are on board to host the ceremony, which will air live from Nashville on CMT Apr. 14. The duo will also perform on the show, as will Paisley, Underwood, Swift, Sugarland, Toby Keith and Alan Jackson.
Here's the complete list of nominees for the 2008 CMT Awards:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Brad Paisley, "Online"
- Carrie Underwood, "Wasted"
- Kenny Chesney, "Don’t Blink"
- LeAnn Rimes, "Nothin’ Better to Do"
- Rascal Flatts, "Take Me There"
- Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson, "Because of You"
- Sugarland, "Stay"
- Taylor Swift, "Our Song"
MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Brad Paisley, "Online"
- 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
- Carrie Underwood, "So Small"
- LeAnn Rimes, "Nothin' Better to Do"
- Martina McBride, "Anyway"
- Miranda Lambert, "Famous in a Small Town"
- Taylor Swift, "Our Song"
GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Bon Jovi, "(You Want to) Make a Memory"
- Little Big Town, "A Little More You"
- Rascal Flatts, "Stand"
- Rascal Flatts, "Take Me There"
DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Big & Rich, "Lost in this Moment"
- Brooks & Dunn, "Proud of the House We Built"
- Montgomery Gentry, "What Do Ya Think About That"
- Sugarland, "Stay"
USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Bucky Covington, "A Different World"
- Chuck Wicks, "Stealing Cinderella"
- Kellie Pickler, "I Wonder"
- Luke Bryan, "All My Friends Say"
COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- 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
- Dierks Bentley, "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" from a Capitol Fourth 2007
- Kellie Pickler, "I Wonder" from the 41st Annual CMA Awards
- Sugarland, "Stay" from the 2007 CMT Music Awards
- Tim McGraw, "If You’re Reading This" from the 42nd Annual ACM Awards
SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF THE YEAR
- Christian Kane for Carrie Underwood's "So Small"
- Jason Alexander for Brad Paisley's "Online"
- Rodney Carrington for Trace Adkins' "I Got My Game On"
- Tyler Hilton for Taylor Swift's "Teardrops on My Guitars"
WIDE OPEN COUNTRY VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)"
- The Eagles, "How Long"
- Jack Ingram, "Measure of a Man"
- Willie Nelson, "Gravedigger"
TEARJERKER VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Billy Ray Cyrus, "Ready, Set, Don’t Go"
- Kellie Pickler, "I Wonder"
- Kenny Chesney, "Don’t Blink"
- Sugarland, "Stay"
COMEDY VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Blake Shelton, "The More I Drink"
- Brad Paisley, "Online"
- Toby Keith, "High Maintenance Woman"
- Trace Adkins, "I Got My Game On"
VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
- Michael Salomon: Toby Keith's "High Maintenance Woman" and Trace Adkins' "I Got My Game On"
- Roman White: Carrie Underwood's "So Small" and Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You"
- Shaun Silva: Kenny Chesney's "Don’t Blink" and Rascal Flatts' "Stand"
- Trey Fanjoy: Bucky Covington's "A Different World" and Taylor Swift's "Our Song"