Thursday, April 23, 1998 | 10:16 a.m.
Garth Brooks always sells out his concerts, his records soar to No. 1 and a cable TV special was a spectacular success. Still, the Oklahoma native was stunned when he got the entertainer of the year honor at Wednesday night's Academy of Country Music Awards. He seemed to suggest George Strait, his idol, was more deserving. "George, you the man, you are!" Brooks declared as he looked over to Strait and got an appreciative nod. Strait wasn't left out. He won the male vocalist award for the second straight year, and his "Carrying Your Love With Me" CD won the top album trophy, also for a second consecutive year. Brooks and Strait shared the biggest part of the evening with another man in a black hat, Tim McGraw, and his wife Faith Hill, whose romantic "It's Your Love" won four awards -- top song, single, video and vocal event. "Oooh! Where's the party at?" McGraw asked as the couple picked up one of their trophies. Hill was thrilled, saying backstage: "We got enough to buy a new piece of furniture." Other winners: Trisha Yearwood as top female vocalist; Brooks and Dunn as top duo or group for a seventh consecutive year; Kenny Chesney and Lee Ann Womack won new artist awards; The Kinleys -- sisters Jennifer and Heather -- were the top new group or duo winners; and the Pioneer award went to Charlie Daniels. Brooks also won a Special Achievement Award for his unprecedented efforts in the field of country music, including his big Central Park concert last year.
Briefly
Shirley Temple Black was glum about a video being released in honor of her birthday today. It's the "Shirley Temple -- Sing and Dance Along" video, touted by 20th Century Fox as a celebration of the "70th birthday of America's favorite sweetheart." Black, who won the world's heart by age 5 with her singing and dancing in such films as "Curly Top" and "Poor Little Rich Girl," said she wasn't getting "a dime" from the video and brushed off questions about her birthday plans. "There's nothing special," she said Wednesday.
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