Possibly one of the biggest nights for country music took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 18th. Celebrities lined the red carpet for a star studded affair at the 43^rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Actress Nicole Kidman was there (very pregnant) with husband Keith Urban close by. Carrie Underwood opened the show with a performance of her new single “Last Name." How appropriate for Underwood to sing a song about wild nights of drinking while in Las Vegas. Country music stars Taylor Swift and Jack Ingram were also in attendance. Ingram also took home the Best New Male Artists award during the night.

Even more exciting than the actual award ceremony was all the pre and post parties happening all around Sin City. Earlier in the week, singers LeAnn Rimes and Tracy Adkins preformed live for the The Early Show on CBS live from the pool at MGM Grand. Toby Keith was also spotted in the famous Studio 54 nightclub inside the hotel. Album of the year winner Miranda Lambert also was spotted splashing and partying at MGM’s new Wet Republic.

On the red carpet, Leann Rimes looked beautiful in her long flowing purple dress with embroidered flowers.  Ex-American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler wore a sheer black dress and some really big hair. However, Julianne Hough really stole the show with a short black dress that was mostly open in the back and had a square neck line in front. When it comes to the golden statues, Kenny Chesney led the night with 12 nominations. Rodney Atkins also received six nominations. The show was hosted by comedian/country music star Reba McIntire who cracked jokes about the similarities between MGM’s Wet Republic and Montgomery Gentry’s hospitality suite, saying that they both have hundreds of drunken people jumping in and out of hot tubs. Other memorable moments included Chesney thanking his parents for having sex because if they didn’t, he wouldn’t be up there winning awards. The after parties continued long into the night with hosts of celebrities packing almost every nightclub in Las Vegas. Many stars took advantage of the trip and stayed the entire weekend for a little fun, sun, and Vegas-style partying.