Coming Down Home Stretch

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

CMA voting almost done and the awards are a month away ... The year is speeding by with a dozen weeks to go.

Already talking New Year's Eve shows like Hank Williams Jr. in Nashville with a free concert on Broadway as they drop the "note" at midnight.

Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan head to head as they most visibility fight for the championship. Taylor Swift will have a following, too. Photo finish in the EOY category.

What a week for The Band Perry! Making news with their CMT Crossroad's. Fall Out Boy is an interesting collaborator, but all the Crossroad's have been unique.

Kimberly Perry's engagement that got some national ... in fact, international ... attention. Not sure a lot of people saw that one coming. Congratulations to a hard working couple.

Hard to ignore the crazy news out of Washington. Cars driving through security barriers followed by a shooting. Woman was believed to have thought Obama was stalking her. Reminds Country music managers and senior staff that our artists get threats. Some very scary. Often the road manager gets a briefing from special hire on the stalkers, threat makers and odd balls they are aware of. Similar to the Secret Service threat assessment for every Presidential visit.

Fans and fanatics ...very close. Not sure which was most in attendance last week at the Nashville stop for Lionel Richie. Sheryl Crow was right about the cellphone camera usage. Been a while since I tried attending a show in the first seven rows . The picture taking was maddening ... never stopped ... cellphones, iPhones even iPads.

A few at the start and at the end ... but every song ... movies, stills, group shots. I'm not sure they watched the show. It was fun ... the amateur paparazzi have got to have limits. Something...

Fall tours underway ... temps trying to fall. Football season well underway. Great time of the year. Still waiting for a song other than CRUISE to grab our imaginations. That has been the one for 2014.

This CMA show is going to be a little dramatic ... the top stars will shine, but will one dominate?

How much did that Michael Jackson trial cost? What a dud.

Think any of the tour folks will change the way they do business now with this scare? I doubt it ... Too much money and worth the risk.

Can one label dominate this CMA show or will the love be spread around? I say love will spread a little. All will go home with heads held high.