2012 ACM Award nominees announced

Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 | 9:57 a.m.

Twang has taken to the Internet.

This morning the nominees for the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards were announced via digital press conference on the Academy’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Reba McEntire, Lionel Richie, Beth Behrs from 2 Broke Girls, Entertainment Tonight’s Nancy O’Dell and Michael Ausiello from TVline.com announced the nominees in categories like Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and Video of the Year, which will be awarded live in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand on April 1.

For the fifth year, the coveted Entertainer of the Year award will be left to fans, who’ll name their favorite from a field that includes Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift. Swift took the honor at last year’s show and racked up three nominations this year, including nods for Female Vocalist and Video of the Year for her song “Mean.”

Predictably, Lady Antebellum also scored big this year with five nominations, including Vocal Group of the Year, which it won in both 2010 and 2011. Chesney leads the noms for 2012 with nine, many in categories he’s won previously.

Initial voting to determine the nominees for fan-driven category New Artist of the Year has already begun and will close at voteACM.com on January 30, after which a subsequent round of voting will run from March 19 to April 1.

Here are some highlights from the 2012 nominees:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Jason Aldean

• Kenny Chesney

• Brad Paisley

• Blake Shelton

• Taylor Swift

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Jason Aldean

• Kenny Chesney

• Brad Paisley

• Blake Shelton

• Chris Young

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Sara Evans

• Miranda Lambert

• Martina McBride

• Taylor Swift

• Carrie Underwood

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• The Band Perry

• Eli Young Band

• Lady Antebellum

• Rascal Flatts

• Zac Brown Band

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Chief – Eric Church

• Four the Record – Miranda Lambert

• Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney

• My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean

• Own the Night – Lady Antebellum

SONG OF THE YEAR

• "Crazy Girl" – Eli Young Band

• "Home" – Dierks Bentley

• "Just a Kiss" – Lady Antebellum

• "Threaten Me With Heaven" – Vince Gill

• "You and Tequila" – Kenny Chesney ft. Grace Potter