News

TICKETS ON SALE TODAY FOR GAC TAPING OF ACM SHOWCASE JANUARY 18, 2011 AT NASHVILLE’S RYMAN AUDITORIUM

EVENING OF GRAND OLE OPRY PERFORMANCES HOSTED BY LUKE BRYAN
RECOGNIZES NOMINEES FOR
TOP NEW SOLO VOCALIST & TOP NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP

Encino, CA (January 4, 2011) – The Academy of Country Music, Great American Country (GAC), and the Grand Ole Opry® are announcing that tickets go on sale to the public TODAY for the taping of GAC’s ACM SHOWCASE, an evening dedicated to recognizing the newcomer nominees for the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.  This one-night-only open-to-fans taping hosted by ACM reigning Top New Artist Luke Bryan will take place as a special Grand Ole Opry performance on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 7:30PM CT at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN and will feature Top New Solo Vocalist nominees Eric Church, Randy Houser and Easton Corbin and Top New Vocal Duo or Group nominees The Band Perry, the JaneDear girls and Steel Magnolia.

Tickets have been made available to country fans beginning today, January 4, 2011 at opry.com or by calling 1-800-SEE-OPRY.

This special will air at 10:00PM EST on Thursday, January 27 on GAC and will kick off fan voting for these categories at VoteACM.com and GACtv.com/ACM. Voting will close on Thursday, February 24 at 12noon EST. The winner in each category will be announced in March and will move on to compete for Top New Artist, with the winner being announced LIVE during the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast April 3, 2011 on the CBS Television Network.  

 “Each and every Opry performance is a journey which features the past, present, and future of country music,” said Grand Ole Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher. “Every year, fans visit the Opry to tune in and see, not only country’s superstars and legends, but also its new stars. We’re excited to kick this new year off with the Academy of Country Music and GAC for a special Opry performance showcasing six of country’s most talented new acts in one great night of music.”

The complete list of nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced in February.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The 46th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry.  The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.  Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers.  Barry Adelman is producer, and Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.  For more information, please visit www.acmcountry.com.

About Great American Country (GAC)
Great American Country is the leader in country music entertainment, and delivers to viewers the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. GAC broadcasts original country music programming, music performance specials, live concerts and music videos. GAC is available in more than 59 million households and online at http://www.GACTV.com.

GAC is owned by Scripps Networks, the leading developer of lifestyle-oriented content for television and the Internet, including HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Travel Channel and Fine Living Network. Scripps Networks is based in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Nashville, and is a unit of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE:SNI).

About the Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn.  Celebrating 85 years of entertainment, the Opry can be heard on 650 WSM-AM, SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, and opry.com. The syndicated weekly program, America’s Opry Weekend, airs on country radio stations across America and on the Armed Forces Radio Network. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that also owns and operates Gaylord Hotels.  For more information, visit opry.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com

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Media Contacts:

Brooke Primero
Academy of Country Music
818.788.8000
brooke@acmcountry.com

Lee Hall
Great American Country (GAC)
865.560.3853
LHall@scrippsnetworks.com   

Ronna Rubin
Rubin Media for Great American Country (GAC)
615.298.4400
ronna@rubinmedia.biz

Darlene Bieber
Schmidt Relations for the Grand Ole Opry
615.851.4917
Darlene@schmidtpr.com