Charlie Cook On Air: America’s Second Most-Popular Sport

Charlie Cook

For years we have heard that if you don’t vote, you cannot complain. Of course that is not true. Next to the NFL, complaining is the second most-popular sport in America.

Well, I voted and I am going to complain. The problem is I don’t know who to complain to or what exactly to complain about.

The CMA final nominations were announced last week for the Awards show, which will be broadcast Wednesday, Nov. 6 on ABC-TV at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT. (No one can accuse me of missing an opportunity to promote.)

I am not going to dispute any of the nominated artists. If they were nominated then they deserve to be on the list. And this is where I am confused about how to complain and who actually I should complain to.

How can Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney NOT be nominated? I mean not nominated in any categories.

Really? Kenny played in front of well over one million fans this year. Every one of his shows were citywide events. Brad’s show is one of the most high tech, produced, entertaining and well attended shows of the year. This wasn’t his best radio year but he still had three songs chart in 2013 and so far “Beat This Summer” is a Top 20 song.

I count five charted songs for Kenny this year, which would indicate the CD Life on a Rock is a rousing success.

Again, the five male vocalists are all deserving and I am not suggesting any of them should not have been nominated but what is happening to the format when we have to stretch to come up with five finalists in the Female category and we leave two of the format’s biggest stars off the nominations list because there are already five males? And let’s be honest here, the five males are INCREDIBLY strong. I would not move one of them off the list. Dang!

Like I said, I don’t know who to complain to. I am a CMA member. In fact, I’m a board member so you would think I can find someone to complain to but not really. The rules are laid out and everyone followed the rules but I cannot get over one of the hosts of the show is not in the running for any of the awards.

Brad is a bigger man than me so I am sure there will be some self-deprecating humor and there may also be a jab or two from his co-host but I think it is a shame not have him nominated.

In Kenny’s case, his tour had three opening acts and all three got nominations. The headliner did not?

I don’t have a solution to this issue. I was going to say problem, but maybe it is not really a problem, just a situation for me to complain. But, like I said, I voted and I already watch NFL football every Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)