Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Blake Shelton Hit the Stage for THE 48TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, Sunday, April 7 on CTV

- Star-studded lineup of music's top artists celebrate 48 years of ACM history -
- Hosted by CTV's THE VOICE's Blake Shelton, and singer-songwriter Luke Bryan -
- Performances by Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, George Strait, The Band Perry, and more -
- Music darling Taylor Swift nominated for five awards -

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TORONTO, March 13, 2013 /CNW/ -  Home to the biggest awards shows in Canada, CTV has added another star-studded showcase to its lineup. CTV announced today music superstars Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Blake Shelton will light up the stage at THE 48TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, airing live Sunday, April 7 at 8 p.m. ET (PT delayed) on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local listings). Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan co-host the rockin' event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, introducing the industry's hottest emerging talent as the night honours country music's best with a non-stop lineup of show-stopping performances.

**Media Note** Photography for THE 48TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS is available online at BellMediaPR.ca

Just two weeks after the Season 4 premiere of CTV's hit series THE VOICE (March 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two), judge and reigning ACM Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year, Blake Shelton returns to co-host the ACM Awards for a third consecutive year. Nominated for three of the night's awards - Song of the Year (for "Over You" with wife Miranda Lambert), once again for Male Vocalist of the Year, and also Entertainer of the Year - the Academy's most prestigious honour, Shelton takes the stage alongside first-time co-host Luke Bryan.

One of country music's fastest rising stars, Bryan is nominated for four awards this year, including Album of the Year (for tailgates & tanlines) and Vocal Event of the Year. Rounding out his nominations, Bryan also goes head-to-head against Shelton for Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.

With a full lineup to be announced in the weeks ahead, performers announced to date include Kelly Clarkson, Hunter Hayes, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, and The Band Perry, with co-hosts Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton headlining this year's broadcast.

Leading this year's nominees with a total of seven nominations is Eric Church, followed by Hunter Hayes with six, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift with five a piece, and Luke Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, and Little Big Town at four nominations each.

The excitement continues this spring and summer as CTV keeps the red carpet rolling with upcoming award shows including, THE JUNO AWARDS, THE BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS, and the 2013 MUCHMUSIC VIDEO AWARDS.

THE 48TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS are produced by Dick Clark Productions.

About CTV

CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 10 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at ctv.ca.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter -
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@Blakeshelton
@LukeBryanOnline

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facebook.com/AcademyOfCountryMusic

SOURCE: CTV

Tonia Addison, CTV, 416.384.2194 or [email protected]
Aviva Sokolsky, CTV and CTV Two, 416.384.2186 or [email protected]