Award Talk, Miranda Talk, Mayor Talk ... No Shortage Of Talk!

With the dawn of Spring, Daylight Saving Time and American Idol returning, the mouthpieces have their machines in high gear. You could get hurt with the flying PR machines in high Spring gear!

First the Nashville Mayor: When you talk to just about anyone out of town or around town for that matter, the subject of the Mayor and her affair comes up. The Tennessean editorial board called for her to step down. She has been very popular on Music Row ... stay tuned.

The ACM nominations were fairly predictable. Chris Stapleton has sold more product than anyone in the last year. He got the most nominations. He may even get his first radio #1 shortly. One hundred-eighty degrees away is Thomas Rhett ... then not really close to that, Keith Urban. All three styles ... very different. Then look after Shane McAnally's five writing nominations, Miranda and Maren Morris. The most nominated performers couldn't be any more different.

But do the award nominations reflect radio airplay? Pretty much. But this show, much more so than the CMAs, you see new things pop up: Tim and Faith in the duo category is getting talk. They are great duet partners! No nominations in the Male Vocals or Entertainer categories for Eric Church and Blake Shelton. Hmmmm.

Sam Hunt got a few nominations but not as a male vocal. Country music is awash in male vocal candidates. The five females are all worthy. Without naming names, but how do you define someone as a new male/female when they have been around for years?

Reba as host was the only way to go. The bench seems shallow in that "host' department for a CBS-based show.

Rodeo Houston had 75,018 paid admission for Garth Brooks. The reviews were off the scale! The local media way into the B, C and D reaches couldn't say enough about how nice and gracious he was with his time for interviews.

Said it once and saying it again: No one in Hollywood, NY or Nashville does it better. He is the media master. Garth is in the league with President Clinton in this contest. Garth plays the media like a musical instrument. Others are good, but Garth is in a different league!

Miranda Lambert's love life seemed to have been in the spotlight again has March began. One of the tabloid sites has her breaking up with her boyfriend of two years, Anderson East (or he broke up). The same old way news is these days. In Touch has it, then The Daily Mail, then the radio prep sheets and websites add it but with no attribution. It's crazy to watch. It must be so hard to live your life in the TMZ spotlight.

Note to managers: Not every act is right for every occasion! The money might be great, but that is when you are supposed to be a manager. Just say NO. I hate to see people I like over their heads. It happens when singers try to act or actors try to sing. Or when artists push out a little farther than they should. Most have an operational ceiling ... but money is hard to turn down.