5 Reasons Not to Miss the ACM Awards Tonight

Are you excited about the 50th Anniversary edition of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards tonight at 8 on CBS?  I must confess, this award show is one of my favorites because it seems more laid back and performance-driven from the rest.  And we all know the endless list of award shows that the networks are offering these days. I say bring 'em on!

Here are my 5 reasons for not missing this year's show:

1)  Lady Antebellum - Forget Blake and Luke. Lady Antebellum may be the stars of this year's show, especially after the bus fire that had us all on edge when the Hawk first reported that Hillary Scott's bus caught on fire after blowing a tire on the way to Texas for rehearsals.  According to TasteofCountry.com, the group's manager tipped them off about the fire.  We do know that Hillary is fine (thankfully) and we'll all be watching to see what she says.

2)  Thompson Square - As reported Saturday morning by TasteofCountry.com, Thompson Square's bus was involved in a accident. Husband wife duo, Keifer and Shawna may be a bit shaken up but they "escaped without injury."

3)  Blake and Luke - just how bad will the jokes be this year?  After Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley's A+ stint hosting the CMA Awards last year, it will be interesting to see if the ACM's hired network comedy writers as Carrie and Brad enjoyed some stellar lines on their show.  Hopefully Blake's comfort level will ease Luke with his lines.

4)  Longer show - I love this.  The network is spending double the money this year doing the show from AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas.  Because of this, CBS is treating us from a 3 hour show to 3 1/2 hours.  An extra 30 minutes means more fun and music.  Yeah buddy!

5)  50th Anniversary Edition - Blake and Luke aren't talking but according to our sources, there are a lot of surprises in the bag this year. There's a lot of history with this show so expect them to pull out all the stops this year.  I do know Reba McEntire is planning to debut her new duet with Jennifer Nettles.

Watch the 50^th Annual ACM AWARDS live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas this Sunday Night April 19^th at 8pm on CBS, WBNG-TV in Binghamton.  Blake, Luke and country music’s biggest stars will be on hand.  This year's show is powered by the Academy of Country Music and 98.1 The Hawk!