LAS VEGAS — Taylor Swift won her second consecutive entertainer-of-the year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night, just 24 hours after she was saluted by first lady Michelle Obama for her charity work on The Kids’ Choice Awards.
Even by Swift’s lofty standards, it was an outstanding weekend - though tempered with a little melancholy.
After hugging her way to the stage, she took a moment to say hello to Kevin McGuire and his family. McGuire, a high school football player and Swift fan who has cancer, was to have been Swift’s date to the awards, but he was hospitalized and couldn’t make it.
“He’s not here but I promised him I would give him a shout out,” Swift said of the Somerdale, N.J., resident.
Swift, 22, becomes just the second woman to win the award twice after Carrie Underwood accomplished that feat. She beat out an all-male field that included Kenny Chesney, who was shut out at the awards after leading all nominees with nine. Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson were the night’s top winners with two awards apiece.
Swift did not perform but was an oft-acknowledged presence. In the monologue co-hosts Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton wondered about that rumored date with New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow. She also was a presenter. Swift was given The Big Help Award by Obama in Los Angeles just a day earlier.
“I’m so happy about this,” Swift said after thanking her followers for giving her the fan-voted award. “I want to say to my fellow nominees in this category I respect you so much and I love you.”
Lambert shouted “Seriously?” to her fans as she picked up the trophy for Four the Record. It was her third album-of-the-year win, tying her with Alabama and George Strait, and she also picked up her third female vocalist of the year award, scoring a family sweep as her husband Blake Shelton won male vocalist.
“I own every record in this category and I’ve been listening and listening, thinking I’m not going to get it,” said Lambert, who got a hug from her grandmother and close friends Lady Antebellum before accepting her award. “Every record is amazing, and I’m so thrilled. I will never take this trophy for granted. My albums are my babies. It’s what makes me wake up in the mornings.”
Lambert’s album win wasn’t the only surprise of the evening. The Eli Young Band’s smash hit “Crazy Girl” brought the Texas quartet its first win in Las Vegas, for song of the year, and it was something of an upset over superstar acts such as Chesney and Lady Antebellum (though the trio did win vocal group of the year).The band’s lead singer, Mike Eli, hoped the group’s win was an inspiration for people who hope to someday do the same thing.
“I have dreamed this moment my whole life and I can speak for the rest of these guys up here that they have, too,” Eli said. “For those of you watching on television, if you’re sitting here and thinking, ‘I’m dreaming about this moment and I want to be here,’ follow your dreams, believe in yourself and do it.”
It was the second big upset of the awards: Thompson Square took vocal duo of the year over Sugarland in an early award. American Idol winner Scotty McCreery won the fan voted new artist of the year.Toby Keith won video of the year for “Red Solo Cup.”
Aldean told the crowd he trusted his instincts when he was trying to sort out what to do with “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” which became a steamy, soaring duet that shows Aldean is capable of keeping up vocally with Clarkson. It netted the duo single record and vocal event of the year.
“I kind of thought it needed a female vocal on it and Kelly was the first name I threw out,” Aldean told the audience. “And I’m really glad I did because she came in and made a great song, and just took it to a great place.”
Added Clarkson: “Thank y’all so much for welcoming me from the pop world !”Information for this article was contributed from Las Vegas by Cristina Silva of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 04/02/2012