too bad brad can't wear THIS tonight

Chances are high that Brad Paisley will look a little differently for his duties as co-host of tonight's CMA Awards. That's Brad and Carrie at rehearsals for tonight's ABC event, where we managed to score 4th row seats. Meanwhile, here is a list of observations since arriving in Nashville:

Kellie Pickler's red hair seems to be getting a thumbs up from the public. Kellie showed off her new look during a private party at the Hall of Fame last night, where she rocked some major stilletos.

Jack Ingram's hair looks good, even at 7 in the morning. He says he only hit snooze once, and never complains about getting up early. 'I get to play music for living, I won't bi**h.' Sure hope Jack doesn't catch a cold, he left his shirt unbuttoned rather low.

The bathtub in my hotel room wouldn't hold water, despite my many efforts to fill it. However, the coffee maker was just short of amazing and I enjoyed the poof of steam as a finale' at 4:00 am today. Hey, it doesn't take much to entertain me that early in the morning.

Gator, our producer, brought some wine to celebrate our CMA, but Jim had the corkscrew in his room on a different floor. Sort of a problem.

The same shoe shine guy who was working in the lobby of our hotel is here again this year. Actually, he's always been here, but WE are the ones here again. And he remembered us. However, Jim's the only one who gets a shoe buff.

Our hotel clerk told us it's not uncommon to see Taylor Swift and her momma in their Hummer at Wal-Mart. Taylor shops at Wal-Mart, just like the rest of us.

Jimmy Wayne likes his Starbucks, and had it with him this morning. But no fancy stuff, so hold the whip, he drinks it black.

And that's only some of what we're seeing. Gotta love Nashville.