Country Music & Television Superstar Reba McEntire to Host the 41st ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Country Music & Television Superstar Reba McEntire to Host the 41st ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Telecast to Air Live From Las Vegas Tuesday, May 23rd at 8:00 PM ET/PT on CBS

BURBANK, Calif., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Country Music announced today the return of Reba McEntire as host of the 41st ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Country Music's Biggest Party of the Year, which will be broadcast LIVE from MGM GRAND in Las Vegas. The event, which honors country music's top talent as well as the industry's hottest emerging talent, will air on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on CBS.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060406/LATH012 )

Reba McEntire is a country music legend who been delivering number one songs for more than 20 years and has sold more than 48 million records over the course of her incredible career. Her name and voice are synonymous with country music. In 2001, after conquering the country music world many times over, Ms. McEntire set her sights on Broadway, where she starred in the hugely successful revival of Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun." Soon after, she began work on her hit WB sitcom, "Reba," for which she was awarded a 2001 People's Choice Award and a 2004 Golden Globe nomination.

"Reba #1's," her new compilation album, celebrated platinum certification in January 2006 and is a celebration of a career that has included 33 #1 songs, 29 albums, multiple awards and countless shows and performances.

"I am honored to once again be hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards," said Reba McEntire. "May 23rd will be a fun, music-filled night, full of great performances from some of my closest friends. I can't wait!"

This year's telecast will mark the unprecedented eighth time that Ms. McEntire has hosted the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. She has won 11 Academy of Country Music Awards and has 41 nominations total. In 2001 she was awarded the first annual Academy of Country Music / The Home Depot Humanitarian Award for her outstanding philanthropic work. In 2003, the Academy of Country Music awarded her the title of "Leading Lady" in recognition of her status as the all-time leading winner in the Top Female Vocalist category with seven wins.

"We are delighted to have Reba return to host the 41st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards," said Bob Romeo, Executive Director, Academy of Country Music. "Not only is she the Leading Lady of this organization, she has also become the face of the Academy by making her eighth appearance as our host. Her wit, comic timing, and her relationship with the artists bring a dynamic to the awards that I think is unprecedented in our industry. Reba is a true talent, a true treasure and a true friend to us and we couldn't be happier to have her back."

The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 with a mission to support, promote, and enhance the advancement of the country music industry worldwide. The Academy, which is comprised of more than 4,000 professional members and a newly established Associate Membership, is headquartered in Burbank, Calif. For more information on the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and the Academy of Country Music, please visit www.acmcountry.com.

The ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS is produced for television by dick clark productions. The show is executive produced by Allen Shapiro and R.A. Clark, and produced by Barry Adelman. The executive in charge of production is Bob Bardo, and the executive in charge is Fran LaMaina.

The ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS will be broadcast LIVE on CBS Tuesday, May 23, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060406/LATH012
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN3
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Academy of Country Music

CONTACT: Brooke Primero of BNC, +1-310-274-7800, bprimero@bncpr.com, for
Academy of Country Music

Web site: http://www.acmcountry.com/

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