Update!

Fiancé Face-Off! Miranda vs. Blake at CMAs (and Brad, Zac and Lady A, Too!)

First batch of nominees for Nov. 10 country music awards are released; Lambert scores a leading five nominations, while Lady Antebellum trails with four

By Gina Serpe Sep 01, 2010 1:00 PMTags
Blake Shelton, Miranda LambertRick Diamond/Getty Images

UPDATE: Miranda Lambert is definitely the woman of the hour. After the final round of nominations were unveiled, she remains the top nod-getter with nine nominations to her name, including the all-important Entertainer of the Year.

"I'm shocked," she said after announcing the final nominees on GMA. "Unbelievable."

Also picking up nods this morning were Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift, George Strait and Reba McEntire.

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The Country Music Association Awards are clearly too good for a standard press release. Instead, they're milking their nomination week (yeah, week) for all its worth, releasing just the first batch of nominations from Nashville this morning.

Which is bad news for fans of brevity. But good news for Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Zac Brown Band, Little Big Town, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts and the rest of the nominees.

Seven categories were unveiled by Chris Young and Justin Moore for the 44th annual bash, with the remaining five set to be announced by Lambert and Dierks Bentley on Good Morning America bright and early tomorrow.

All told, it was Lambert who emerged most victorious this morning with a leading five nods, as two of her songs, the ubiquitous-on-country-radio "White Liar" and "The House That Built Me," both received nominations for Music Video, Single and Song of the Year.

Incidentally, despite going head to head with herself in three categories (and counting, presumably) she's not necessarily her toughest competition—that honor may go to her fiancé Shelton, whom she's up against in two top races.

Shelton's "Hillbilly Bone," on which he's accompanied by Trace Adkins, is up for both Music Video and Single of the Year.

Providing some steep competition for the betrothed belters are Lady Antebellum, who racked up a second-best four nominations, whose crossover smash "Need You Now," is up for Music Video, Single and Song of the Year; Paisley, whose "Water" is up for Music Video of the Year; and Zac Brown Band, whose "Toes" is up for Song of the Year, while the band faces off as for honors as best Vocal Group.

The dynamic duo of Paisley and Carrie Underwood (who will no doubt join the list of those honored to be nominated when Female Vocalists are announced tomorrow) will once against host the ceremony, which airs live from Nashville on Nov. 10.

The nominees themselves will be honored tomorrow night (see what we mean about dragging this out?) when ABC airs the three-hour special, CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock.

Here are the nominees so far:

Entertainer of the Year
• Lady Antebellum
• Miranda Lambert
• Brad Paisley
• Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band

Album of the Year
Need You Know, Lady Antebellum
Play On, Carrie Underwood
Revolution, Miranda Lambert
Twang, George Strait
Up On the Ridge, Dierks Bentley

Musical Event of the Year
• "Bad Angel," Dierks Bentley feat. Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
• "Can't You See," Zac Brown Band feat. Kid Rock
• "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton feat. Trace Adkins
• "I'm Alive," Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
• "Till the End," Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack

Female Vocalist of the Year
• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist of the Year
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• George Strait
• Keith Urban
• Dierks Bentley

New Artist
• Luke Bryan
• Easton Corbin
• Jerrod Niemann
• Chris Young
• Zac Brown Band

Vocal Group
• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• The Band Perry
• Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo
• Brooks & Dunn
• Joey + Rory
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland

Single of the Year
• "A Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin
• "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
• "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
• "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• "White Liar," Miranda Lambert

Song of the Year
"A Little More Country Than That," Easton Corbin; Songwriters: Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress and Wynn Varble
• "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum; Songwriters: Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Josh Kear
• "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert; Songwriters: Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
• "Toes," Zac Brown Band; Songwriters: Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins and Shawn Mullins
• "White Liar," Miranda Lambert; Songwriters: Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby

Music Video
• "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
• "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
• "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
• "Water," Brad Paisley
• "White Liar," Miranda Lambert

Musician
• Paul Frankin, steel guitar
• Dann Huff, guitar
• Brent Mason, guitar
• Mac McAnally, guitar
• Randy Scruggs, guitar

(Originally published on Aug. 31, 2010 at 11:20 a.m. PT)

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