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For the fourth consecutive year, Kenny Chesney has won “Entertainer of the Year” at Sunday’s 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards—beating out another country superstar Keith Urban.

This was the first year that fans selected the award, which received a mixed reaction from Chesney.

“This one is really extra special because long before I had a hit record, the fans always came to the shows. I want to thank you guys for voting and for being there for me,” said the singer.

Other winners include Carrie Underwood for “Top Female Vocalist,” Brooks& Dunn for “Top Vocal Duo” while Garth Brooks accepted the first Crystal Milestone Award—honoring sales topping 128 million—making him the biggest-selling solo artist of all time.

Jay Leno, Dick Clark and Billy Joel all appeared via satellite to congratulate Brooks.

Superstar GARTH BROOKS has confirmed he’s making a country comeback, seven years after he announced his retirement.

The 45-year-old declared his intention to cease touring and recording in 2000, but has now changed his mind with a new single and a greatest hits collection, which includes a further three new tracks, coming out later this
year (07).

And Brooks, who is married to singer Trisha Yearwood, is looking forward to seeing how he fares against a new generation of country stars.

He says, “Sure I’m scared to death – I’m rusty and I’ve seen these young guys. But I’m a competitor and when it’s game day you start competing.

“Keith Urban is a beautiful guy, and he’s just one of about 50 guys out there I’ll have to face this fall so if you don’t bring your A game you’re going to get run over.

“And I’m Mr. Yearwood now so I want to make her proud.”

But Brooks has no plans to tour and hints he may head back to retirement after the new material’s release.

He says, “We’ll go back to what I was doing before and sit on our butts for a while after the promo work for the new album is complete.” (GES/WNWCPL/MEH)

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Country superstar Garth Brooks has announced the latest project in his exclusive deal with retailer Wal-Mart.

A five-set DVD titled Garth Brooks: The Entertainer gives fans more than seven hours of never-before-seen footage from concert performances in the form of 15 music videos, including three never-before-seen videos, plus photo galleries and exclusive appearances.

“At Wal-Mart, pleasing the customer is our goal. The Garth Brooks exclusives continue to be a favorite of our customers and this very limited edition will likely fly off the shelves as Garth’s previous releases have in the past,” said David Porter, Wal-Mart vice president.

The collection is being offered in a limited edition collector’s tin.

The Entertainer will be available at Wal-Mart stores on Nov. 1 for $20 US, but is available for pre-order in the United States through walmart.com.

Since Brooks signed a contract with Wal-Mart, he has released a new box set and new CD filled with previously unreleased material. Both were made available at low prices in the United States and Canada.

Garth Brooks is back, for one night at least.

As part of his contract with Wal-Mart, Brooks is putting on one full concert to thank the retailer and its associates for the support, reports Access Hollywood.

“We’re gonna bring the stage, the light rig, the trucks, something we haven’t done since the tour ended in ‘98,” Brooks told the TV tabloid.

The concert marks the end of the deal struck between Brooks and Wal-Mart last year that saw Brooks release a Limited Series box set as well as a CD of new material, The Lost Sessions. The box set became the best selling musical event in Wal-Mart history, achieving gold status in its first day.

“This is a great surprise for us and we look forward to working on the details,” said a Wal-Mart spokesperson.

Country superstar Garth Brooks is just 500,000 albums sold away from topping a record set by Elvis Presley.

The retired country singer could soon become the best-selling solo artist in American music history thanks to the high sales of his 2005 box set, The Limited Series.

Sales of the box set have topped 116 million, just 500,000 behind Presley’s record number of albums sold.

These numbers are coming from the Recording Industry Association of America, which legally can’t list Brooks’ The Limited Series collection as a specific title for certification. The individual discs sold are being certified, however, reports contactmusic.com.

WalMart and Sam’s Club stores are the only locations where The Limited Series is being sold.

Wal-Mart announced it will release The Lose Sessions, a CD of unreleased tracks from Garth Brooks, as a separate disc.

The CD can already be found in Brooks’ The Limited Series boxed set, available only from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores, but will be reissued Feb. 7 with six additional previously unreleased tracks, including the duet “Love Will Always Win,” with wife Trisha Yearwood.

“We are thrilled with how Wal-Mart customers have embraced Garth and this boxed set,” said Wal-Mart vice president David Porter. “To be able to bring
them additional, new Garth Brooks releases is exciting -especially when it includes this amazing duet with Trisha Yearwood – it’s a great way to kick-off the new year!”

The Lost Sessions, part of Brooks’ exclusive Wal-Mart deal, will sell for $11.88 US.

Just one day after filing for a marriage license, country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood wed at their Oklahoma home Saturday.

Yahoo News said the couple exchanged vows in a private ceremony in front of family members.

“They said it is the perfect Christmas gift to each other and they couldn’t be happier,” said Nancy Seltzer, publicist for the couple. She declined to provide any other details.

andPOP previously reported that Yearwood and Brooks had obtained a marriage license on Friday from Oklahoma’s Rogers County court.

This is the second marriage for Brooks and the third for Yearwood. Brooks has three daughters from his previous marriage to Sandy Brooks, while Yearwood has no children.

Country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood filed for a marriage license on Friday with Oklahoma’s Rogers County court.

The license states that they must legally wed within 10 days.

People is reporting that witnesses saw the couple leave the Rogers County Courthouse in Claremore on Friday morning.

Brooks proposed to Yearwood in May at the unveiling of a bronze statue of himself at Buck Owens’s Crystal Palace.

This will be the second marriage for Brooks who divorced Sandy Brooks in 2001 and the third for Yearwood who was previously married to musicians Chris Latham and Robert Reynolds.

Fans were lined up outside Wal-Mart at 5 a.m. last Friday to propel Garth Brooks: The Limited Series box set to gold status in its first day on sale.

Wal-Mart announced on Tuesday that the box set has become the top selling music item in the company’s history after only three days on store shelves. It sold 500,000 copies in the first day at a special price of $25 US.

“Garth Brooks? fan appeal is tremendous,” Wal-Mart merchandise vice-president David Porter said in a statement. “It doesn?t get much better than this for Garth fans. And since this is a limited series set, once it?s gone; it?s gone … And it?s going fast.”

Brooks announced the release of The Limited Series on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” earlier in November, and pre-orders for the set reached record-breaking levels according to Wal-Mart.com.

Garth Brooks: The Limited Series boxed set includes five CDs, including a Lost Sessions CD with 11 previously unreleased recordings, and a 90 minute all-access DVD.

Seventy tracks are featured from Sevens, Scarecrow and the 2-disc Double Live CD, packaged with one of three new commemorative double live collector covers.

The boxed set also contains a 68-page booklet with lyrics and color photos.

The Limited Series is sold only at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores, as per Brooks’ new agreement that will see only the retail giant carry his music.

Country superstar Garth Brooks will perform his new single, “Good Ride Cowboy,” at the 39th annual Country Music Association awards.

Though he is officially retired, Brooks will perform as a tribute to late singer and rodeo champion Chris LeDoux.

“Chris embodies everything that?s great about country music,” Brooks said. “He lived with passion, integrity and a commitment to big dreams. It?s how he rodeoed and it was how he made his music. Chris wasn?t larger than life, he was life ? and that?s what the very best of country music is made of.”

Kenny Chesney’s performance of “Living in Fast Forward” will kick off the awards.

Chesney is the reigning Entertainer of the Year. “Living in Fast Forward” can be found on his new CD, The Road and the Radio, which will be in stores on Nov. 8.

The extensive list of performers also includes Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Bon Jovi with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, ceremony hosts Brooks & Dunn, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Julie Roberts, George Strait, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson and Lee Ann Womack.

For the first time ever the CMAs won’t be held in Nashville. Instead, the awards will air live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show will be broadcast on CBS on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.

Nominees for the 39th CMA awards

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Martina McBride
Gretchen Wilson
Lee Ann Womack

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Keith Urban

HORIZON AWARD
Dierks Bentley
Big & Rich
Miranda Lambert
Julie Roberts
Sugarland

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
Diamond Rio
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Van Zant
The Warren Brothers

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
?Alcohol?? Brad Paisley
?As Good As I Once Was? ? Toby Keith
?Baby Girl? ? Sugarland
?Bless the Broken Road? ? Rascal Flatts
?I May Hate Myself In The Morning? ? Lee Ann Womack

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Be Here ? Keith Urban
Feels Like Today ? Rascal Flatts
Live Like You Were Dying ? Tim McGraw
Somewhere Down In Texas ? George Strait
There?s More Where That Came From ? Lee Ann Womack

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
?Alcohol? ? Brad Paisley
?As Good As I Once Was? ? Toby Keith
?Days Go By? ? Keith Urban
?I May Hate Myself In The Morning? ? Lee Ann Womack
?When I Think About Cheatin?? ? Gretchen Wilson

SONG OF THE YEAR
?Alcohol?
Brad Paisley
?As Good As I Once Was?
Toby Keith/Scotty Emerick
?Bless The Broken Road?
Marcus Hummon/Bobby Boyd/Jeff Hanna
?I May Hate Myself In The Morning?
Odie Blackmon
?Redneck Woman?
Gretchen Wilson/John Rich
?Whiskey Lullaby?
Bill Anderson/Jon Randall