Friday, May 13, 2005 | 8:34 a.m.
After two years at Mandalay Bay, the "Academy of Country Music Awards" received an offer to return to Southern California for its 2005 edition.
The show's organizers politely declined.
"Anaheim called and said they would love to host the awards show, and we brought it to our board and they were like, 'Why?'" said Bob Romeo, executive director of the Academy of Country Music.
"Nothing against Anaheim, but we're really happy in Vegas and we feel like the Vegas community really enjoys having this show here. We're treated well by the people and by the hotel; the artists love coming here. Why move?"
Not only did the Academy stay put for its annual awards broadcast, it added a second show - celebrating its 40th anniversary for one night later, also at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
"To try to go to another location and gather all the acts that are going to be involved is a tough task," Romeo said. "And after we talked about it, we found that a lot of people were staying here the extra night anyway, so it just came together."
The festivities kick off at 5 p.m. Tuesday with the three-hour ACMAs. The show airs live on the East Coast, and will be tape delayed for broadcast locally at 8 p.m. on KLAS Channel 8 (CBS). Attendees are urged to arrive by 4:45 p.m.
The Academy's "40th Anniversary Special" begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and is expected to run for around two hours. That show will be recorded for broadcast in December, also on CBS.
For the third straight year, Tuesday's show will stress live numbers above awards presentations, with approximately 18 acts slated to perform.
"We try to keep it more of a performance, and that's been to our benefit, according to the folks at CBS," said Rac Clark, executive producer of both of next week's Academy of Country Music shows. "People at home really are tuning in to see performances. Yes, they like the horse race of an award, but they are more interested in seeing people singing their songs."
Among Tuesday's scheduled performers: Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney, Montgomery Gentry, Rascal Flatts, Sara Evans and Big & Rich.
Romeo said that Chesney might be joined by his new bride, actress Renee Zellweger, at the event. The couple were married Monday.
Toby Keith, who has won the Entertainer of the Year award at the past two ACMAs, is slated to appear via satellite from Iraq, where he will be entertaining U.S. soldiers.
Keith Urban is also scheduled to perform via satellite from a tour stop in London.
Another much-anticipated segment in Tuesday's show will feature a rare appearance by six-time Entertainer of the Year Garth Brooks, who retired from the country scene in 2000. Brooks will present a Pioneer Award in honor of the late Chris LeDoux, a country performer who died in March of complications from liver cancer.
For the first time since the ACMAs moved to the Strip, this year's show will not be hosted by McEntire. In fact, the event will transpire without a host, instead relying on voice-over recordings to introduce live acts and presenters.
"We asked Reba again, but she's very busy right now," Clark said. "We went out to a few other people and they all nicely declined, so we said, 'OK, let's try hostless this year and see how it goes.' "
Clark, son of legendary music figure Dick Clark, will run this year's ACMAs broadcast team without his father, who suffered a mild stroke in December. But Clark said his father is doing "great" and plans to return for next year's show.
This year's most-nominated acts include: McGraw (six), Chesney (five), Alison Krauss (five), Gretchen Wilson (five), Keith (four), Brad Paisley (four), Urban (four), Big & Rich (three) and Rascal Flatts (three).
Chesney, Keith, McGraw, Urban and Brooks & Dunn will battle it out for the top honor of Entertainer of the Year.
On Wednesday the Academy will look back at its history, honoring artists who have received the most ACMAs in specific categories.
For example, Trisha Yearwood will perform a song made famous by McEntire, who has received seven Top Female Vocalist awards. Likewise, Chesney will play a George Strait song in recognition of Strait's six Album of the Year victories.
Additionally, the Academy has created a new Merle Haggard Award for artists who have won the ACMAs' "triple crown:" Best New Artist (aka Most Promising Newcomer), Top Male/Female Vocalist (or Top Vocal Duo or Group) and Entertainer of the Year.
Haggard was the first to win all three awards.
"I looked back at the history of the Academy and I'm thinking, 'That's a neat accomplishment. Probably a lot of people have done that,' " Romeo said. "To my surprise, only four other acts did that in our 40-year history."
Along with Haggard, Mickey Gilley, Barbara Mandrell, Brooks & Dunn and the Dixie Chicks have accomplished the feat.
That quintet will be honored during performances at Wednesday's concert. For example, McEntire is slated to perform a Mandrell song.
Should McGraw or Chesney win Entertainer of the Year on Tuesday, they would also join that elite group, creating a bit of a logistical headache for show organizers.
Clark said he isn't too concerned.
"I have contingencies in place, and I love that part of live TV," Clark said. "I love being long or when people talk too much or something happens onstage. That's what makes live TV so much fun."
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