Tuesday, 05/17/05

Tennessean music writer Peter Cooper is in Las Vegas, Nev., covering the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Here are some dispatches:

Throat sidelines Strait

The gaming tables are hopping, the pool is packed and George Strait is … sick. Strait was slated to sing at tonight's awards show, but that's not going to happen. The culprit is a throat infection. He'll be fine, but not in time to perform.

Strait will be honored tomorrow evening with a special award during the 40th Anniversary Celebration, which will be televised on CBS in December. Organizers are hoping he'll at least be able to be there for that one, which will feature Kenny Chesney singing a version of the Strait hit, Marina Del Ray.

Chesneys to sit in front row

Speaking of Chesney, he's laying pretty low out here. He and new wife Renee Zellweger will be at the awards show tonight. They're sitting together in the front row, so we can expect lots of ''happy couple'' shots during the program (7 p.m. on CBS).

Chesney's Monday morning rehearsal was closed to all media, but apparently he's singing his most recent No. 1, Anything But Mine. If Chesney wins the entertainer of the year prize tonight, he'll secure what the ACM people are calling the Merle Haggard Award, given to acts that have won best new artist, a trophy for vocalist or best vocal group and won best entertainer. That's the ACM's version of the triple crown. Rascal Flatts can also earn a Haggard Award by winning the entertainer crown.

Wiseman's toes in color

Craig Wiseman, co-writer of Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying, is a large and jovial fellow. And his feet are exquisite. Wiseman painted a big toe with the OPI ''Friar, Friar, Pants on Fire'' nail coloring, and he showed it off at Sunday's pool party.

''I do it to remember to lighten up,'' he said. When Wiseman joined co-writer Tim Nichols in winning a best country song Grammy earlier this year, the big guy colored the same nail with OPI's ''I'm Not Really A Waitress'' shade. ''I could stick with what worked before, but I'm going with the Friar,'' he said.

Wilson, Womack sing strong

ACM rehearsals are often rather staid, because most performers are singing live vocals to pre-recorded backing tracks and the whole thing is a little karaoke-like. Two of the rehearsals so far have proven riveting, though: Gretchen Wilson's show-opening Here For The Party is a rafter-shaker, and Lee Ann Womack's run-through of I May Hate Myself In The Morning offered plenty to suggest that she's one of Nashville's finest singers.

Award could match wife's

Matraca Berg won an ACM for ''best song'' in 1997 for co-writing Deana Carter's Strawberry Wine. Now, husband Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has a shot at matching her at the mantel: he co-wrote the Rascal Flatts hit Bless That Broken Road, which is up for best song and best single this year. Hanna's only regret about the awards show is that he won't be able to make it back to Nashville for the funeral of Jimmy Martin, a friend and musical mentor.

Tuning in

The 40th annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be tonight at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Events Center. The show will air live at 7 p.m. on WTVF-Channel 5.

On Wednesday night, Kenny Chesney, Merle Haggard, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood and many others will appear at the Events Center for the taping of the ACM's 40th Anniversary special. Footage from that event will air in December on CBS.

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