CMA Announces Eclectic Mix of Celebrities, Actors and Country Superstars as Presenters for 'The 39th Annual CMA Awards'

CMA Announces Eclectic Mix of Celebrities, Actors and Country Superstars as Presenters for 'The 39th Annual CMA Awards'

Presenters to Include Vince Gill, Kris Kristofferson, Donald Trump, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood Along with Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- CMA announced an eclectic mix of presenters today for "Country Music's Biggest Night(TM)" including a business-mogul-turned-media-icon, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Country superstars and two actors who play Country royalty in the upcoming movie about the life of Johnny Cash.

"Selecting our presenters is always a lot of fun," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "It gives us an opportunity to involve people who may not be nominees, but will add excitement and something special to the Awards."

Announcing categories and presenting trophies on "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" will be Vince Gill, Kris Kristofferson, Donald Trump, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, and actors Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. The CMA Awards are hosted by Brooks & Dunn and will be broadcast live Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Gill hosted the CMA Awards for a record 12 years, before stepping down from the host podium after the 2003 event. But, he's back in 2005 to present. Gill has a career total of 48 CMA Award nominations, with a total of 18 wins - more than any other artist including a record five consecutive wins in the Male Vocalist of the Year category (1991-1995).

An actor, musical innovator and songwriter, Kristofferson was formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during the 2004 CMA Awards. Kristofferson has received seven CMA Award nominations and one win for Song of the Year in 1970 for "Sunday Morning Coming Down." Kristofferson also hosted the Awards gala two times - with Anne Murray in 1985 and again in 1986 with Willie Nelson.

Trump is the executive producer and star of NBC's "The Apprentice," which is now in its fourth season. It debuted Sept. 22. This will be Trump's first appearance on the CMA Awards.

Twain, who was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1999, was Brooks & Dunn's special guest in 2004 and she is back in 2005 to present. Her current Mercury Nashville album, Shania Twain Greatest Hits, has been certified 3X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. She is the only artist in history to have three consecutive Diamond (10X Platinum) certified albums: The Woman in Me (12X Platinum), Come On Over (19X Platinum) and Up! (10X Platinum).

Yearwood has a career total of 19 CMA Award nominations with three wins including Album of the Year (1994) and two wins for Female Vocalist (1997 and 1998). There is obviously more where that came from; Yearwood's first-week sales for her current MCA Records release Jasper County, were the best of her career with more than 117,000 units sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Current Country Albums chart and No. 4 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.

Nashville native Witherspoon plays June Carter Cash and Phoenix plays Johnny Cash in the feature film "Walk The Line," which releases November 18 to theatres.

Performers already announced include CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack.

For the first time ever, tickets for the 2005 CMA Awards are available to the general public. Tickets can be purchased by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com; calling (212) 307-7171 (or any local Ticketmaster outlet phone number); or in-person at the Madison Square Garden box office. They can also be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets across the nation. The ticket price is $250 (not including tax and service charges).

The CMA Awards are produced by Walter C. Miller and directed by Paul Miller. David Wild will script the ceremonies. MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, which includes Red Carpet coverage and a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official automotive sponsor of the 2005 CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2005 CMA Awards. Additional promotional sponsors include Prilosec OTC and Creme Savers(R) candies. Charles Fazzino is the official artist of the 2005 CMA Awards.

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Wendy Pearl, +1-615-244-2840, or Scott Stem, +1-615-244-2840, both of CMA; or Beth Stoller-Feldman of CBS-NY, +1-212-975-3183

Web site: http://www.cmaawards.com/ http://www.cmaworld.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For CMA Awards information, history and high-resolution images visit www.CMApress.com. This is a protected site for media only and is not intended for public use. The public should be directed to www.CMAawards.com.

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