Following in the footsteps of several award show hosts, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood took the stage of the Country Music Awards and brought all of the latest hot topics with them.
To start off the show, a Star Wars storm trooper, played by William Shatner, made a brief appearance on stage. The skit didn’t add anything to the opening act and seemed to have no significant meaning other than plugging the new Star Wars movie.
As almost every award show host does, Paisley and Underwood attempted to throw an awkward breakup joke to Blake Shelton. But, they used another shameless plug to sneak the joke into their script. When the mentioned a breakup of America’s favorite couple, the camera slowly panned to Kermit and Miss Piggy of the Muppets Show. A few months ago, these two Muppets broke the hearts of those on the Internet when they announced their breakup.
To end the skit, Paisley just slightly mentioned Shelton. To those that are in the know, Shelton and his now ex-wife, Miranda Lambert, broke up earlier this year. The audience didn’t take well to the joke, however, and a silent tension had filled the room at this point.
On a more somber note, Paisley and Underwood took the time out of the show to respect the lost life of James Cecil Dickens or “Little Jimmy Dickens.” Dickens became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1948 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.
He suffered a heart attack in December of 2014 and died soon after in January. Paisley shared Dicken’s last wish with the audience of the CMA’s stating the Dickens just wanted to make someone laugh while on stage, one last time. Holding a small urn, Paisley held it up to the audience and said “one last laugh.”
The highlight of the show that is still one of the hottest topics almost 24-hours later, was the once in a lifetime collaboration between Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton. The duo performed two songs, Tennessee Whiskey by Stapleton and Drink You Away by Timberlake. The charisma between the two was phenomenal and really drew the audience in. It’s an odd combination of musicians, but it will go down in history as one of the best live collaborations.
From the collaborations to the awards, the Country Music Awards were entertaining for all who watched. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of country music, the show had plenty of twists and turns to hold your attention. Fantastic hosting, incredible guests and unique features, the Country Music Awards should be at the top of your list for things to watch when 2016 comes around.