CMT Announces First–Round Award Finalists

CMT has revealed the first–round finalists for the 2008 CMT Music Awards, which will air live from the Curb Events Center in Nashville, April 14, at 8 p.m. ET on CMT and CMT.com.

The awards honor the year's top country music videos and are voted on by the fans. Brad Paisley's "Online" leads the way with six nominations, including Video of the Year, while Sugarland garnered five nods for their videos "Stay" and "Everyday America." Fans can now vote for their favorites on CMT.com through Feb. 25 to determine the final nominees. On March 6, CMT will announce the final four nominees in each category, except the nominees for Video of the Year, which will be announced at the beginning of the live telecast. Fans can then vote on CMT.com during the show to determine the Video of the Year winner, which will be announced at the end of the telecast. The first-round nominees for Video of the Year are: "Online," Brad Paisley; "Wasted," Carrie Underwood; "Don't Blink," Kenny Chesney; "Nothin' Better to Do," LeAnn Rimes; "Take Me There," Rascal Flatts; "Because of You," Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson; "Stay," Sugarland; "Our Song," Taylor Swift. For the rest of the nominees, go to CMT.com.

• published February 6, 2008