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TV This Week

The ‘CMA Awards,’ a little bit country

One of sweeps' big nights is increasingly featuring crossover acts

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

November 1, 2012

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The “Country Music Association Awards” are annually one of the biggest sweeps stunts in November, and that should hold true again this year.

Last year’s “CMAs” averaged a 4.8 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen, lifting ABC to its highest-rated night of sweeps.

This year the “CMAs,” airing tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC and hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, once again feature some of the top acts in music.

But are they really country? That’s the gripe being heard this year, with an increasing number of crossover artists, or just plain non-country folk, up for awards.

Pop princess Kelly Clarkson, for instance, is competing for female vocalist of the year for a country-tinged remixed of her hit song “Mr. Know It All.”

The Civil Wars, a folk group, has been nominated two times. Even Snoop Dogg is up for an award.

Those non-traditional country acts may not win, but they highlight the increasingly blurred line between country and other genres.

Country artists have long been crossing over into pop, seeking a wider audience. This goes back to the earliest days of country radio and stars like Hank Williams.

But is has become a lot more common in recent years.

Taylor Swift’s latest hit, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” has little twang in it. And country artists such as Lady Antebellum and Luke Bryan are frequently played on pop stations.

The reason may be that it’s harder than ever, in an iTunes-driven world, to come up with an album that appeals to everyone. By throwing in a few singles that appeal to fans of other genres, at least you’re guaranteeing strong singles sales.

A look at this week's top TV draws
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	"The X Factor" (R)	The first part of the wildcard round.
8 p.m.	ABC	"CMA Awards" (A)	The 46th annual event, hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.
9:30 p.m.	TNT	"NBA Basketball" (S)	Rematch of the Western Conference finals between San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
9:30	NBC	"Parks and Recreation" (C)	Leslie meets Ben's parents for the first time.
10 p.m.	CBS	"Elementary" (D)	Holmes believes someone is killing terminally ill patients in a hospital.
10 p.m.	MTV	"Jersey Shore" (R)	Mike's rules for being in a relationship apparently differ from those of the girl he's seeing.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	"Undercover Boss" (R)	Season premiere. First up this season is the CEO of Modell's Sporting Goods.
8:30 p.m.	ABC	"Malibu Country" (C)	Series premiere. Reba McEntire stars as the ex-wife of a country star who tries to get her own singing career going.
9 p.m.	NBC	"Grimm" (D)	A murder case could be connected to a Grimm.
9 p.m.	Fox	"Fringe" (D)	One of the team members makes a startling choice amid devastating events.
10 p.m.	TLC	"Brides of Beverly Hills" (R)	Season premiere. Hulk Hogan's ex, Linda Hogan, is featured.
10:30 p.m.	ESPN	"NBA Basketball" (S)	Battle of Los Angeles between the Lakers and Clippers.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	Fox	"College Football" (S)	High-flying Oregon takes on USC in Los Angeles.
8 p.m.	NBC	"Horse Racing" (S)	Live coverage of the 29th Breeders' Cup.
8 p.m.	CBS	"College Football" (S)	A rematch of last year's national championship game between Alabama and LSU.
9 p.m.	Hallmark Channel	"Christmas Song" (M)	Yes, it's a new Christmas movie airing before Election Day.
9 p.m.	Discovery Channel	"Plane Crash" (N)	Behind the scenes of a planned remotely controlled plane crash, staged in an effort to improve airline safety.
11:30 p.m.	NBC	"Saturday Night Live" (C)	Comedian Louis C.K. hosts, with musical guest Fun.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	"The X Factor" (R)	The wildcard round continues on a special night.
8:20 p.m.	NBC	"Sunday Night Football" (S)	The Cowboys face the Falcons in Atlanta.
9 p.m.	AMC	"The Walking Dead" (D)	The group gets separated, throwing lives into danger.
9 p.m.	Lifetime	"Left to Die" (M)	An American woman is put in an Ecuadorean prison after being falsely accused of drug trafficking.
9 p.m.	Bravo	"Real Housewives of Atlanta" (R)	The Atlanta edition of the franchise kicks off its fifth season.
10 p.m.	WE	"Bridezillas" (R)	Season finale. Former "Bad Girls Club" cast member Natalie Nunn gets married.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.