When country music goes to Las Vegas for the annual Academy of Country Music Awards, there are many planned events, but also a lot that is unexpected. Certainly the Awards TV show on Sunday night is the main event. But there are a lot of other things going on in town, starting with the annual radio remote, where 50 of the nation’s largest radio stations broadcast live from the MGM Grand Hotel. That’s where Country Countdown USA host Lon Helton was camped out, taping video interviews with the stars for the show’s new Video Player.
Lots of country’s biggest stars came by the remote site to speak with Lon, including Faith Hill, who was in town for the Artist of the Decade tribute to George Strait. Faith told Lon about the first time she went to a Strait concert. “When I was 14, I pleaded with my brother to drive me from Mississippi to Houston to see George at Gilley’s. And I told him, ‘I’m gonna open for him someday.’ So when I got the job to open for him, my brother Steve was the first person I called. He epitomizes what is great about country music.”
The host of the ACM Awards TV show, Reba McEntire, came by as well. She previewed her new single, “Strange,” which she performed on the show. While she was there, Lon gave her an award as the most-played country female artist in the history of the Mediabase chart.Rascal Flatts dropped by the set on Friday afternoon. They’d just flown in from LA, where they attended the premiere for the Hannah Montana movie. Joe Don told Lon they weren’t able to stay for the movie because they had to fly to Vegas. They walked the red carpet, and got to talk with Miley & Billy Ray Cyrus. The other reason they were in Vegas was to host the annual ACM golf tournament, which took place Saturday morning.
One of the celebrities at the Westwood One radio remote was NFL star Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings. Lon asked him about the big trade involving Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears. That means they’re now in the same division. “I was just goofing with him the other day. I got to play against him when I was in Kansas City, so now I can play against him in Chicago. So now twice a year, I get to peal the back of his head off the turf! I love the guy, but business is business!”
Other stars who came to the remote included Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, John Rich, Heidi Newfield, Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Miley Cyrus, and many more.Saturday night, after the radio remote, there was a small ceremony where the ACM presented the awards for Radio Station and Radio Personality of the Year. Sugarland was on hand to do the honors. Lon was given his award for National Personality of the Year.
Sunday afternoon, lots of fans gathered outside the MGM Garden Theater for the red carpet activities. The biggest screams came when a black Escalade pulled up, and Keith Urban jumped out. The crowd screamed even louder as he ran to the other side of the car and opened the door for his wife, actress Nicole Kidman. Keith signed a few autographs for some happy fans before heading in for the Awards show. Other stars on the red carpet included Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins, Taylor Swift, and many more.
You can watch all of Lon’s video interviews by going to CountryCountdownUSA.com and clicking on the Video Player.
