No Time For Legends

Country music award shows are boring and the format is dead! Go ahead Jimmy tell us how you really feel.

I really do like award shows or I used to. Love to use to sit in the audience for the American Music Awards, it was a blast. So much fun just to be in the audience.

The CMT awards were OK the other night. In the shadow of the Virginia Tech massacre, it was hard to watch something silly with Foxworthy or party with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. Timing in life can be unfortunate.

I'm looking ahead to the ACMs and seeing they don't plan to spend any time with the Pioneer Awards. They will mention and move on. Dolly, Waylon, Harland Howard and Don Williams are the ones chosen for honor this year.

The ACMs and CMAs don't have time for the senior's circuit. We have seen this issue grow with every year. The CMAs have been downright disrespectful. The ACMs are having a June 20 event in Nashville to try and do it right. But hey! It's not on TV...

Now let's think about this. No producer is sharp enough to get cool people together to salute Dolly or Waylon? Of course you could and it would be the highlight of the whole show. The big issue is too much control by CBS/ABC who want young people for a sales demo and the bigger issue is record company control who could give a hoot about Dolly since she's not signed to her label and this takes away from a performance from some Waylon or Dolly wannabe.

The Dick Clarks are not in control, etc., so it's a mess and these shows are not about doing what's best for the industry -- it's about creating an infomercial to get folks to buy the next big thing. At least the very political Grammys and Oscars still sort of control their content. Grammys still do salutes and themes. The audience needs to speak and has to some degree, we would rather watch 24 or Desperate Housewives or Idol or Dancing with the Stars.

A new format for award shows is badly needed ...

Imus, Virginia Tech, Alec Baldwin yelling at his daughter -- what an awful seven days for news! Depressing.

Here in Hollywood to see the new Spiderman film and attend the ASCAP Hollywood Expo. Saw a guitar pull last night with John Rich, Jimmy Webb, Michelle Shocked and JD Souther. What a foursome. (The Spiderman 3 movie is fun, lots of fun.)