Toby Keith, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes Set to Perform, Sara Evans, Jewel, Dr. Phil and More Set to Present at the 43rd ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC(R) AWARDS

Toby Keith, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes Set to Perform, Sara Evans, Jewel, Dr. Phil and More Set to Present at the 43rd ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC(R) AWARDS

KENNY CHESNEY & GEORGE STRAIT TO PERFORM SPECIAL DUET FOR THE FIRST TIME LIVE

Criss Angel, Clint Black, Brooks & Dunn, Kaley Cuoco, Sara Evans, Jewel, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Brad Mates of Emerson Drive, Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw, Randy Owen, John Rich, Carrie Underwood, Clay Walker and Trisha Yearwood Will Make Special Appearances During Country Music's Party of the Year(TM)

TELECAST TO AIR LIVE FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS SUNDAY, MAY 18th AT 8:00 PM ET/PT ON CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

ENCINO, Calif., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Country Music today announced that country music superstars Toby Keith, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes will perform during the 43rd ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and that Kenny Chesney and George Strait will perform a special live duet for the first time ever. The ceremony honoring country music's top talent and the industry's hottest emerging talent will be broadcast LIVE from MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 18th, 2008 at 8:00 PM LIVE ET/tape delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

The Academy also announced that Criss Angel, Clint Black, Brooks & Dunn, Kaley Cuoco, Sara Evans, Jewel, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Brad Mates of Emerson Drive, Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw, Randy Owen, John Rich, Carrie Underwood, Clay Walker and Trisha Yearwood will make special appearances.

As a special performance, superstars Kenny Chesney and George Strait will perform their duet "Shiftwork" from Chesney's album Poets & Pirates. This will be the first time the pair have performed this song live. Both Chesney and Strait are nominated for multiple Academy of Country Music awards, including Entertainer of the Year which fans can vote for at http://www.voteacm.com/.

Toby Keith has won nine Academy of Country Music Awards, including two back-to-back Entertainer of the Year Awards. He will be releasing a greatest hits album titled Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits later this year. The album will feature his latest single "She's A Hottie." Keith will also be hitting the road starting in June with the Biggest & Baddest Tour.

Kellie Pickler is nominated for the second year in a row for Top New Female Vocalist. Her Gold certified and debut album, Small Town Girl, yielded three top 20 hits including "Red High Heels," and "I Wonder" both of which she wrote. She's currently in the studio working on her sophomore album which will be released later this year.

LeAnn Rimes has won three Academy of Country Music Awards. In 2007, she released her 12th studio album Family. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard charts. She is currently touring with Kenny Chesney on his Poets & Pirates tour.

The artists announced today will join Trace Adkins, Rodney Atkins, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Sugarland Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban who were previously announced as performers. Reba McEntire will host the event for the tenth time.

The 43rd Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by Dick Clark Productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. R.A. Clark is executive producer, Barry Adelman is producer and Bob Bardo is executive in charge of production.

For more information on the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC and the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, please visit http://www.acmcountry.com/. For more information on the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC CHARITABLE FUND, please visit http://www.acmcf.org/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: The Academy of Country Music

CONTACT: Julie Smith, jsmith@bncpr.com, or Enjoli Duval,
eduval@bncpr.com, both of BNC, +1-310-854-4800, for The Academy of Country
Music

Web site:

http://www.acmcountry.com/
http://www.voteacm.com/
http://www.acmcf.org/

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