We finish off this week chock full of USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year nominees with the one who racked up the most CMT Music Awards nods. The Band Perry — comprised of siblings Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry — are also up for Video of the Year and Group Video of the Year for the hit If I Die Young, as well as the Nationwide Insurance On Your Side Award honoring country music’s best new live act. (The filmmaker behind the very cinematic video, David McClister, is also up for Video Director of the Year.) “It’s our first round through this awards cycle, and it’s just really cool,” says singer Kimberly Perry. “We never really know when the nominations are coming down for any of these award shows. We didn’t have any idea we’d be nominated in so any categories. And we’re grateful to CMT for playing the heck out of our videos!” And like any bunch of modern musical youngsters, there’s more than just country music on The Band Perry bus, as the Beatles, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Avett Brothers, Jason Aldean and Lady Gaga all compete for iPod space. The trio checked in from the road recently to talk about the video for If I Die Young, hanging with family and who they hope to share a stage with one day. Read below for our conversation, and check out the video for If I Die Young. If you dig it, or any of the other nominees, be sure to vote at CMT.com. And remember, the CMT Music Awards air live on CMT this Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of Republic Nashville, USA TODAY

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Thompson Square, the up-and-coming country coupling of married musicians Keifer and Shawna Thompson, share everything on the road, including the TV remote, social-media duties, a yearning to see the family dog and a dream finally come true. The duo has been rocking cowboy hats off people on their nationwide tour, with their self-titled debut album (released in February), and the stunning video for their No. 1 hit single Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not. The video, directed by Wes Edwards, is up for USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday, as well as vying for Duo Video of the Year with the likes of Sugarland and Steel Magnolia. “It’s unbelievable, man,” Oklahoma native Keifer Thompson says. “We’re trying to get our head around the whole thing, to be honest with you. It’s everything we’ve always wanted and never had.” Adds his colorfully coiffed, Alabama-raised wife: “The day we got a call about it, our manager was reading the list off and we’re like, ‘Seriously, our name is in that list with all those people?!’ It’s just weird.” The twosome called in from the road while heading to Detroit to talk about their first kiss, filming music videos and other topics — with Shawna even taking over as interviewer for a spell — so read below for our lively conversation. Also, check out the video for Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not and if you dig it, or any of the other nominees, be sure to vote at CMT.com.

Photos by Frank Ockenfels

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We’re halfway through profiling all of the USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year nominees at next week’s CMT Music Awards, and today’s is arguably the most charismatic of the bunch: Jerrod Niemann, the native of Liberal, Kan., honored for the video for Lover, Lover — a cut off his 2010 album Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury. Not only does he impressively sing in nine-part harmony with himself, but the video is swell, too. It’s directed by Potsy Poncirol and chronicles what happens when a dude’s relationship goes awry. Niemann’s made lots of touring friends in Nashville — including pal and fellow Breakthrough nominee Lee Brice — and is about to make some more when he joins up with Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton for a summer tour soon. “I’m probably going to learn what to do from Brad and what to not do from Blake,” Niemann quips. We talked recently about his nomination, his video and his favorite country videos, so read below for our conversation. Also, check out the video for Lover, Lover and if you dig it, or any of the other nominees, be sure to vote at CMT.com.

Photos courtesy of Sony Nashville

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Lee Brice loomed large on the gridiron, and now he’s making becoming an even bigger star in country music. The South Carolina native and one-time long snapper for Clemson University garnered a nomination in the CMT Music Awards’ USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year category for his song Love Like Crazy (directed by Eric Welch), and released his first studio record a year ago after spending a decade in Nashville as a songwriter. (He co-wrote the hit More Than a Memory for Garth Brooks.) Brice is also quite the family man, too — I caught up with the 6-foot-3, 240-pound singer while he was visiting his little boy Takoda up in Youngstown, Ohio, who lives with his mom. “He’s almost 3 and he’s at that age right now where he’s soaking in everything, so I’ve gotta be around,” says Brice, who’s touring with Willie Nelson this summer and 2010 Breakthrough winner Luke Bryan in the fall. “He needs Daddy and it’s so awesome to be with him and see him growing up. It really is an unbelievable experience.” We talked about his Glee-ish high school experience, football and his favorite country videos, so read below for the interview. Also, check out the video for Love Like Crazy and if you dig it, or any of the other nominees, be sure to vote at CMT.com.

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All this week, we’re profiling the acts nominated for this year’s USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year honor at the CMT Music Awards, airing live from Nashville June 8. Today, we’re starting with Aaron Lewis, an interesting nominee for a breakthrough award since he’s been part of the national music scene since 1995 as frontman for the rock group Staind. However, Lewis isn’t taking his nod for the biographical song Country Boy (off his solo country record Town Line, released in March) for granted. “Anytime you get nominated for something, it’s a pretty cool thing,” he says. “Having a career in rock for my entire career and for how this is all played out and gone down — releasing my first solo record and having it debut No. 1 on the country charts — it’s pretty huge.” And he’s doing it all back in his home state of Massachusetts, where he spends his time with family when not on tour. Lewis checked in from his place recently after wrapping up a new Staind album — he still plays countrified versions of the band’s hits such as Outside and It’s Been Awhile in his solo sets, Lewis says. “Every one of those songs lends itself to a country application quite nicely.” We talked recently about his nominated song and how his country career has been going so far, so read below for our conversation. Also, check out the video for Country Boy (which is up for Collaborative Video of the Year as well) and if you dig it, or any of the other nominees, be sure to vote at CMT.com.

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The hottest stars on Daytime TV will converge on sunny Las Vegas on June 19 for this year’s Daytime Emmys. One lucky USA WEEKEND reader and a guest will be there!

One lucky reader will receive a trip to Las Vegas and two free tickets to the Daytime Emmy Awards on June 19. The winner will fly to Las Vegas and stay for 3 nights — June 17, 18 and 19. This year’s show features Lifetime Achievement Awards for Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek, to be presented by Vanna White, all of whom are scheduled to appear on our cover June 17-19.

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Kathryn Cross, Salisbury, N.C.
After being runner-up to Kris Allen on Season 8 of Idol, Lambert put out his first album, For Your Entertainment, which sold more than 775,000 copies. When he did a racy number at the American Music Awards in 2009, the openly gay Lambert, 29, acknowledged he got “carried away” onstage but asked why straight artists were not judged as harshly.

In 2010, he launched a world tour and earned a Grammy nomination for best male pop vocal performance for his single Whataya Want From Me. And in March, Lambert released a second album, Glam Nation Live.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Olivia Barker, Cindy Clark, Andrea Mandell, Maria Puente

Yvette McHenry, Owensboro, Ky.

“It’s definitely been nonstop since the beginning of last year,” the Idol Season 6 winner says, recalling the past 12 months, which have included a headlining tour, a run on Broadway in the Tony-winning musical In the Heights, a fragrance launch, her 21st birthday, a performance at the White House and recording her third studio album. And, she’s ready to take on more. “I would love to do some more acting and maybe do movies or TV,” she says. But, that will have to wait until she finishes her album, which is still in the early stages.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Gayle Jo Carter, Cindy Clark, Elysa Gardner, Arienne Thompson, Brian Truitt

Sandra Goodwin, Ellsworth, Maine

LaPaglia, an Aussie, has tailored his accent for roles since his arrival in the States in 1982. “When I moved here, it wasn’t particularly fashionable to be an Australian actor,” says LaPaglia, 52, who won a Tony in 1998 for A View From the Bridge, an Emmy for guest-starring on Frasier and a Golden Globe for his work on Without a Trace. “I was always a great believer in ‘When in Rome . . . adapt,’ ” he says.

After LaPaglia’s seven years on CBS’ Trace, pal Stanley Tucci invited him back to Broadway in last year’s revival of Lend Me a Tenor. “It was too hard to resist,” says the star, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif., with actress wife Gia Carides and their daughter Bridget, 8. Now he’s adapting View From the Bridge into a movie. “I’ve been in love with this play since I was an acting student in my 20s,” says LaPaglia, who is producing.

Who’s News Column Contributors: Olivia Barker, Lorena Blas, Gayle Jo Carter, Andrea Mandell

Renowned American fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo is the top-selling evening-wear designer at Neiman Marcus. His lines include everything from eyewear to lingerie, Victoria’s Secret swimwear and home décor. His dresses have been worn by starlets such as Beyonce Knowles, Kate Winslet, Lucy Liu and Catherine Zeta-Jones on the red carpet.

And the fashion concierge couldn’t help but to be disappointed about the lack of attention to detail on the red carpet at this year’s Oscars. The hair was sloppy, he told us, and they didn’t put as much thought into their jewelry as they could have. He noted Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman and Helena Bonham Carter as just a few who missed the ball. If you’re going to dress fabulous you can’t miss those details, he says.

Some of Valvo’s favorite looks included those of Gwyneth Paltrow, Hailee Steinfeld and Helen Mirren. Valvo noticed a lot of shimmer and shine and blushes and whites on the carpet this year. Is this a sign of what’s to come this spring? Valvo is thinking not quite. “For spring, it’s about color,” he says. “It’s about coral. It’s about blue because blue is the new black in my opinion.”

Why blue? As a survivor of colon cancer Valvo is taking a stand against the disease and a blue star is the symbol of his efforts. He will be teaming up with the makers of Dulcolax and the Colon Cancer Alliance to fight the fears of the colonoscopy that saved his life. “There’s a lot of blue in my new collection this season to celebrate colon cancer awareness this month and the importance of early screening,” he says. Keep an eye out for Valvo as he spends next two months traveling to promote his book and and his mission to make colonoscopies fashionable. Read below for our interview with Valvo about his journey from cancer survivor to colonoscopy crusader, and his tips on making fashion work for you.

Photo by Melanie Dunea

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Larry Isenberg, Tyrone, Pa.

Since 2004’s Chasin’ Wild Trains, the Grammy winner has spent a lot of time touring in South America and Europe, where she has “such a wonderful following.” And yes, at each show, Carnes, 65, performs her ’80s classic, Bette Davis Eyes. Once, when she didn’t, “people were really upset afterward. I thought: ‘That was really stupid. I have to do it.’ Which is fine,” she says. “It’s part of my history.”

Who’s News Column Contributors: Olivia Barker, Gayle Jo Carter, Andrea Mandell, Nancy Mills, Arienne Thompson

James Friel, Newcomerstown, Ohio.

You nailed it! The Boston-born Wahlberg brothers got their start in the biz singing—Mark as Marky Mark (of the Funky Bunch) and older brother Donnie as a member of New Kids on the Block. But the golfing buddies have taken on darker, meatier roles through the years: Donnie landed a lead on CBS’ Blue Bloods, and Mark earned an Oscar nomination for The Departed and a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in The Fighter.

“I spent the last 10 years or so working hard to build respectability as an actor,” says Donnie, 41, who has taken on film and TV in Band of Brothers, Righteous Kill, Boomtown and The Kill Point, while Mark, 39, executive-produced HBO’s Entourage and appeared in The Italian Job and Max Payne. “The irony is the Wahlberg boys are always playing cops,” Donnie jokes. “Nobody confused us for cops when we were kids.”

Gloria Douglas, Gary, Ind.

Pitts hasn’t gone anywhere! He’s still a contributor for 60 Minutes—he started off the new year with a piece on the violent drug war in Mexico. Before that, in November, he reported a story about Haiti. But it’s Pitts’ job as chief national correspondent for the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric that “keeps him quite busy,” a CBS spokesman says. Pitts, 50, won an Emmy Award for his CBS News coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning. Here are the main categories:

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, The Fighter; Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech; Melissa Leo, The Fighter; Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit; Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter; John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone; Jeremy Renner, The Town; Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right; Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Actress: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right; Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole; Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone; Natalie Portman, Black Swan; Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Actor: Javier Bardem, Biutiful, Jeff Bridges, True Grit; Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network; Colin Firth, The King’s Speech; James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan; David O. Russell, The Fighter; Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech; David Fincher, The Social Network; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Best Picture: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone

The Academy Awards, hosted by Franco and Anne Hathaway, will air live on ABC at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Sunday, Feb. 27.

Anybody or any movie you felt should have received recognition but didn’t? Let us know in the comments.

Sofia Vergara of Modern Family and Community‘s Joel McHale took the stage with Television Academy chairman/CEO John Shaffner this morning in L.A. to announce the Emmy nominations. Jimmy Fallon will host the Aug. 29 show from the Nokia Theater in L.A., live on both coasts on NBC. Some of the top categories:

Comedy series: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, Glee, Nurse Jackie, The Office, 30 Rock

Drama series: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, Lost, Mad Men, True Blood

Actress, comedy:, Lea Michele, Glee; Julia Louis Dreyfuss, New Adventures of Old Christine; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Toni Collette, The United States of Tara

Actor, comedy: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Tony Shalhoub, Monk; Steve Carell, The Office; Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Matthew Morrison, Glee

Actor, drama: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights; Hugh Laurie, House; Matthew Fox, Lost (his first Emmy nomination); Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Actress, drama: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer; Glenn Close, Damages; Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU; January Jones, Mad Men

Reality Competition program: American Idol, Amazing Race, Dancing With The Stars, Project Runway, Top Chef

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Saturday Night Live, Real Time With Bill Maher, Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

What do you think? Let us know who you’re happy with and who you’re upset were left out in the cold below.

Carrie Underwood starred on our special CMT Music Awards cover this past weekend, and she starred at the actual event last night in Nashville, taking home Video of the Year for Cowboy Casanova and CMT Performance of the Year for Temporary Home. And Luke Bryan, who we profiled last Wednesday, added to his growing trophy collection by capturing the USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year Award for his video Do I — he had previously won two ACM Awards this year, including Top New Artist. Other big winners during last night’s ceremony, which was hosted by Kid Rock, were Lady Antebellum (group video), Brooks & Dunn (duo video), Miranda Lambert (female video) and Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins (collaborative video). Check out the video below for highlights from the night.

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Carrie Underwood rehearsed at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville yesterday for tomorrow’s 2010 CMT Music Awards. Kid Rock will host the show, airing live on CMT at 8 p.m. ET (tape-delayed PT) and he’s ready to party. “You go to the Grammys, and it’s very serious. You’re just like, ‘Man, everyone lighten up a little bit. It’s fun. It’s music. Let’s celebrate,’” he told AP. “And that’s just kind of the atmosphere at the CMT Awards, just really laid back, really fun, got some over-the-top performances, a little riff raff here and there. It just creates for a good atmosphere, good time.” He joked about what might happen at the show. “There will probably be [a moment] where I propose to Kellie Pickler,” he said. “She’ll immediately dump me as I’m flirting with Carrie Underwood. I’ll probably be smacked by Miranda Lambert for the whole fiasco. Then me and Jamey Johnson will go get drunk.” Remember: Today is your last day to vote for the USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year and other honors at cmt.com. – Ann Oldenburg

If you’ve been following our profiles of the USA WEEKEND Breakthrough Video of the Year nominees (Easton Corbin, Laura Bell Bundy, Luke Bryan and Steel Magnolia) this week, you’ll most definitely want to check out this weekend’s special CMT Music Awards cover story featuring Carrie Underwood. There aren’t too stars in Nashville these days more popular than the former American Idol winner, and she’s up for three awards on Wednesday night, including Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year for her song Cowboy Casanova. (Check it out below.) In our cover story, she talks about the role Idol played in her success, earning her place in Nashville’s elite, and planning a wedding to her hockey-playing fiance. And it’s not too late to see her pick up a few more trophies — you have until Tuesday to vote at cmt.com for her or any of the other talented nominees.

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