COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

CMA AWARDS: First Round Nominees

It's shaping up to be Miranda Lambert's year at the CMA Awards. In the first round categories, announced yesterday in Nashville, Miranda scored five nominations, including two each in Single and Video of the Year ("The House That Built Me" and "White Liar") and one in Song for "White Liar." Lady Antebellum captured four nominations including Vocal Group of the Year and Single, Song and Video for "Need You Now." Newcomer Easton Corbin and Zac Brown Band also made a showing with three nods each.

The remaining CMA Award categories will be announced this morning by Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert on ABC's Good Morning America.

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL: You Are There

Tim McGraw hosts CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock tonight at 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC. The three-hour special features concert footage from CMA Music Fest, including performances by Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley and Justin Moore, as well as a behind-the-scenes footage at Taylor Swift's fan club party.

KENNY CHESNEY: Still A Thrill

Winning Entertainer of the Year four times in a row doesn't make Kenny Chesney want to be nominated any less than anyone else. However, he tells us that winning or not winning doesn't change him -- "If I do or if I don't, it's not going to stop my creative mind from wanting to do great things"

The nominees in the final five categories for this year's CMA Awards will be announced this morning.

TOBY KEITH: Happy Clouds, Friendly Trees

Toby Keith has taken up a new hobby -- oil painting. He's still learning his way around a brush and palette, but admits that he is inspired by the late painter, Bob Ross, best known for his "happy clouds" and "friendly trees." Toby is embracing Bob's philosophy that "there are no mistakes, just happy accidents," when it comes to applying paint to canvas.

JAMES OTTO: Emotional Dad

New dad, James Otto says meeting his newborn daughter Ava for the first time was a feeling like no other. He tells us, "When I first heard her cry it was like the most emotionally overwhelming feeling I ever had in my life."

James has another production on the horizon -- his album, Shake What God Gave Ya comes out on September 14th.