NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Outpacing the competition, Jason Aldean leads the way with four nominations for this year's 2011 CMT MUSIC AWARDS, it was announced this morning live on the "Today" show by CMT's Evan Farmer and hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. Following closely behind are Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and Zac Brown Band with three nominations each.  Also garnering three nominations, their first from CMT, are country music's hottest breakthrough family band, The Band Perry, who performed on "Today" as part of the nominations event.  Online voting is now open at CMT.com.  

Superstars Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Reba, Sheryl Crow and Sugarland are each nominated for two awards.  With their first CMT nominations, Thompson Square and Aaron Lewis are each up for two awards as well.  Also garnering nominations this year are non-country favorites such as Justin Bieber, whose duet with Rascal Flatts is up for COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR, Adele and Train.  

The 2011 CMT MUSIC AWARDS mark the 10th anniversary of the awards show and will air LIVE from Nashville on Wednesday, June 8 on CMT and CMT.com.

The final nominees in each of the 2011 CMT MUSIC AWARDS categories include:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.

• Jason Aldean – "My Kinda Party"
• Kenny Chesney – "The Boys Of Fall"
• Lady Antebellum – "Hello World"
• Miranda Lambert – "The House That Built Me"
• Rascal Flatts – "Why Wait"
• Sugarland – "Stuck Like Glue"
• Taylor Swift – "Mine"
• The Band Perry – "If I Die Young"
• Carrie Underwood – "Undo It"
• Zac Brown Band – "Colder Weather"

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist

• Jason Aldean – "My Kinda Party"
• Kenny Chesney – "The Boys Of Fall"
• Toby Keith – "Bullets In The Gun"
• Blake Shelton – "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"
• Keith Urban – "Without You"

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist

• Sara Evans – "A Little Bit Stronger"
• Miranda Lambert – "The House That Built Me"
• Reba – "Turn On The Radio"
• Taylor Swift – "Mine"
• Carrie Underwood – "Undo It"

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a group; awarded to the artists

• Lady Antebellum – "Hello World"
• Little Big Town – "Little White Church"
• Rascal Flatts – "Why Wait"
• The Band Perry – "If I Die Young"
• Zac Brown Band – "Colder Weather"

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists

• Steel Magnolia – "Last Night Again"
• Sugarland – "Stuck Like Glue"
• The Civil Wars – "Barton Hollow"
• The JaneDear Girls – "Wildflower"
• Thompson Square – "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not"

USA WEEKEND BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from an artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female, or group/duo)

• Lee Brice – "Love Like Crazy"
• Aaron Lewis – "Country Boy"
• Jerrod Niemann – "Lover, Lover"
• The Band Perry – "If I Die Young"
• Thompson Square – "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not"

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)

• Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson – "Don't You Wanna Stay"
• Justin Bieber feat. Rascal Flatts – "That Should Be Me"
• Kid Rock feat. Sheryl Crow – "Collide"
• Aaron Lewis feat. George Jones and Charlie Daniels – "Country Boy"
• Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow – "Coal Miner's Daughter"

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

• Martina McBride and Train – "A Broken Wing" from CMT CROSSROADS: TRAIN AND MARTINA MCBRIDE
• Reba – "If I Were A Boy" from UNPLUGGED: REBA
• Darius Rucker and Adele – "Need You Now" from 2010 CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR
• Keith Urban and John Mayer – "Sweet Thing" from CMT CROSSROADS: JOHN MAYER AND KEITH URBAN
• Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett – "Margaritaville" from CMT CROSSROADS: JIMMY BUFFETT AND ZAC BROWN BAND

BEST WEB VIDEO OF THE YEAR (New for 2011)

Best video created primarily for internet streaming; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

• Jason Aldean – "My Kinda Party" (Live From The CMT Webcast)
• Luke Bryan – "It's A Shore Thing"
• Lady Antebellum – "Stars Tonight"
• Blake Shelton – "Kiss My Country Ass"
• Taylor Swift – "Mine" (Live from the Speak Now Album Release Party)

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Best video director of the year; awarded to the director for his or her body of work from the past year

• Deaton Flanigen (award eligible videos include: Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow's "Collide" and the JaneDear Girl's "Wildflower")
• Trey Fanjoy (award eligible videos include: Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me" and Blake Shelton's "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking")
• Chris Hicky (award eligible videos include: Carrie Underwood's "Undo It" and Keith Urban's "Without You")
• David McClister (award eligible videos include: The Band Perry's "If I Die Young" and LeAnn Rimes' "Swingin'")
• Roman White (award eligible videos include: Lady Antebellum's "Hello World" and Kellie Pickler's "Makin' Me Fall In Love Again")

Fans can vote online at CMT.com through June 7 to determine the winners. The final nominees for VIDEO OF THE YEAR will be announced at the beginning of the live show and fans can then vote at CMT.com and via text message throughout the live telecast (ET/CT only) to determine the night's big winner.  For more information as it becomes available, follow CMT on Twitter (@FollowCMT) with hashtag #CMTAwards or become a fan of the CMT MUSIC AWARDS on Facebook.

CMT has once again tapped Jesse Ignjatovic as executive producer and Hamish Hamilton as director for the 2011 CMT MUSIC AWARDS.  John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.

www.cmtmusicawardspress.com – Follow @CMTPress on Twitter

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 91 million homes in the U.S.  CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand.  The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

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SOURCE CMT