We're doin' it for all the little girls watching tonight, dreaming of ruling the world of country music—or maybe just ruling the world. | | | | Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles unfurls her train on the red carpet at the CMA Awards, Nashville, Nov. 13, 2019.
(John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “We're doin' it for all the little girls watching tonight, dreaming of ruling the world of country music—or maybe just ruling the world.”
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| | rantnrave:// "Play our f*@#in' records." That was the note scrawled on one part of the hot pink train that JENNIFER NETTLES used as a billboard on the red carpet at the CMA AWARDS Wednesday night in Nashville. The back of her outfit asked for "Equal Play." Who was she wearing? CHRISTIAN SIRIANO—or, as Nashville journalist MARISSA R. MOSS put it, "CENTURIES OF FEMALE RAGE." There are plenty of institutions Nettles' protest could have been aimed at in an industry that keeps releasing records by major female voices while continuing to have trouble putting them on the radio, programming them on playlists and giving them awards. But country radio, whose strange aversion to female artists sets the unfortunate tone for everyone else, was the clear target. In an interview in COUNTRY LIVING published Wednesday, Nettles offered what seemed like a simple solution: "Just hit the [play] button." Easier scrawled on an awards show outfit than done. Actually, that's not true. It's exactly as easy to do as it is to say, and significantly easier to do than to incorporate into a photographable outfit. One day, maybe, it will be done. For now, we have righteous protests and the awards show itself, which made a point this year of showcasing women. Three generations of legends, CARRIE UNDERWOOD, REBA MCENTIRE and DOLLY PARTON, hosted, and female artists from MAREN MORRIS and KELSEA BALLERINI to visiting pop stars HALSEY and PINK to influencers TANYA TUCKER and CRYSTAL GAYLE dominated the live performances. It served as a hell of a showcase for what is and what could be. Along the way, fiddler JENEE FLEENOR became the first women to win the CMA's Musician of the Year award (presented off-air; in lieu of an acceptance speech, she took a featured solo during BLAKE SHELTON's performance of Single of the Year "GOD'S COUNTRY" and let out a silent scream); ASHLEY MCBRYDE was named New Artist of the Year, and Morris' GIRL won for Album of the Year. But Morris came up short in several other categories, and the night ended with GARTH BROOKS winning his seventh Entertainer of the Year trophy over a field that included only one woman (Underwood). Brooks is a country giant and at least three or four of those trophies are deserved; this one, which seems to have something to do with a tour of dive bars, requires a bit of work to justify. There are more deserving men. To say nothing of all those women. Just hit the play button. Really, that's all you have to do. And put a check next to their name on a ballot or two... ALICIA KEYS, who should probably host all awards shows in all media, returns to host the GRAMMYS on Jan. 26... You know all about TV and movie syncs. But what about sneaker syncs? As in sneakers that vibrate in sync with music and other audio? New wearable tech from former BEATS BY DRE CEO SUSAN PALEY... A list of all the musical content on DISNEY+... Not on Disney+: The MICHAEL JACKSON episode of THE SIMPSONS... In his role as an NFL music and social-justice consultant, JAY-Z reportedly had "some influence" on the league's decision to arrange a very strange private workout for COLIN KAEPERNICK. NFL pundits are as skeptical of the league's interest in the activist quarterback as Kaepernick has seemed to be of Jay-Z's role in the league... KODAK BLACK sentenced to 46 months on weapons charges. | | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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