Wrap-up and Quotes From 41st CMA Awards
11/8/2007 
Kenny Chesney captured the top prize at Wednesday night’s 41st Annual CMA Awards, earning his third Entertainer of the Year honor. He also earned a trophy for Musical Event of the Year, Tracy Lawrence’s “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” which also featured Tim McGraw. 
Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley also took home two awards each, with Carrie netting her second consecutive CMA Female Vocalist of the Year honor, and also earning Single of the Year for “Before He Cheats.” Brad earned his first-ever Male Vocalist of the Year award, and also took home honors for Music Video of the Year for "Online,” which was directed by actor Jason Alexander. 
Horizon Award winner was 17-year-old Taylor Swift, who told the audience, "This is definitely the highlight of my senior year." Sugarland, whose emotional acoustic performance of “Stay” was a show highlight, took home their first CMA award for Vocal Duo, ending a 14-year reign by Brooks & Dunn in that category, broken only once before by Montgomery Gentry in 2000. “If we’re standing up here and we have this lofty view, it’s because we’re standing on the shoulders of giants,” said lead singer Jennifer Nettles, proclaiming Brooks & Dunn one of those giants. Rascal Flatts notched a fifth consecutive victory for Vocal Group of the Year. They opened the show with “Still Feels Good” from their current album of the same name, and closed it with “She Goes All the Way,” with guest Jamie Foxx. The actor ad-libbed lyrics praising Nashville ad the CMAs, and backstage told the press that as a youngster he was a fan of Mel Tillis, so meeting the singer-songwriter (and 2007 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee) was a highlight of his night. Also noted during the show were the other new Hall of Fame members, Vince Gill and Ralph Emery. 
The recent loss of Hall of Famer Porter Wagoner was on the minds of many who attended the show. In dedicating their performance of “Loud” to him, Big Kenny said Porter was the “King of Bling.” Backstage, while accepting a special CMA award for International Artist Achievement Award, Dwight Yoakam showed off his Manuel-tailored jacket worn in tribute to Porter (“minus the wagon wheels,” he noted), and opened it to reveal that “Hi” and “Thank You” had been sewn into the jacket just for the occasion of paying tribute to Porter. Curiously, no mention was made of the passing of Hank Thompson, who passed away Tuesday (11/6). He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989. RANDOM QUOTES FROM BACKSTAGE, THE RED CARPET, AND BEYOND: “Shocking … a bit like a nervous wreck,” said Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles of their win for Vocal Duo. Added Kristian Bush: “Mixed with bungee jumping.” “Damn!,” Bill Anderson exclaimed after learning that, as co-writer of the CMA Song of the Year, “Give It Away,” he had become the first Country Music Hall of Fame member to write a winning hit recorded by another Hall of Fame member, George Strait. “He said that it would just be a really warm room, that everyone knows each other. It’s lovely” – Nicole Kidman on the red carpet, revealing what husband Keith Urban had told her what to expect at the CMA Awards. “We are not involved in the hoopla,” The Eagles’ Don Henley told The Tennessean, adding that the group, although they performed on the show, “don’t do red carpets. I’ve been mostly in my room since I got here. I’ve had a couple of nice dinners out, quiet, low-key dinners. We go in the side door of the hotel. We’ve never been hoopla people.” 
Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney joked, “It’s only fitting since we did the Grammys this past year and did a tribute to the Eagles, we thought, ‘Well, they’ve got to be here doing a tribute to us then, right?’” “This is where I get giddy and dorky,” said Private Practice actress Kate Walsh, who hosted a segment of the show, and admitted to being starstruck by the likes of Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, and Martina McBride. “They are real artists.” 
Check out the complete list of the night’s big winners
