Who Was Carrie Underwood Winking At? 10 Questions We Have About the 2020 CMA Awards
The awards have been handed out and the set has been taken down, but there are still some unanswered questions about the 2020 CMA Awards. We have 10 of them, actually, including ...
Who was Carrie Underwood winking at?
Was it even a wink? Carrie Underwood responded to Eric Church winning Entertainer of the Year like a woman who knew she'd be scrutinized no matter what she did if she lost. She seemed disappointed, but still proud of what she's accomplished, as she should be. But then her eye kind of twitched as if she was winking at someone across the room to tell them everything was all good?
In the end, one thing is clear: Underwood was right about being scrutinized no matter what she did. We were so focused on her that we glossed over the best reaction, Luke Combs jumping for joy like he'd won the award himself!
How is everyone feeling today?
Let's not roll over the fact that a bunch of people tested positive for coronavirus before the CMA red carpet rolled out. Lee Brice and Tyler Hubbard have kept fans updated on social media. No one from Lady A has actually been reported as infected. Jenee Fleenor reported that she was feeling fine on Wednesday night, but the men of Rascal Flatts have been less open about their condition(s). There's no reason for alarm, but there should be an understanding that symptoms change and this thing is serious.
What made Ingrid Andress cry?
At the very end of her performance of "More Hearts Than Mine," Ingrid Andress burst into tears. Why? The song is built around an old relationship, so it's likely not that. Did the moment just get to her, or was there something else on her mind? Andress was not one of the artists who spoke to media after the show.
Is anyone more snake-bit than Rascal Flatts?
The country trio have a history of technical issues at awards shows, but seemed fit for a proper sendoff with a farewell tour in 2020. Then, the pandemic hit. That's OK, at least we get to see them perform one more time on television, except ... DANG! Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney deserve a better goodbye.
On the other hand, if you believe luck is when hard work and opportunity meet ...
Brothers Osborne are CMA favorites who frequently get way more television time than you'd expect, given their level of mainstream success. John and TJ Osborne are tremendously entertaining and talented, but they also always show up and must be easy to work with, because when Rascal Flatts bowed out, they got the live gig singing their new single "All Night," a song that's just now starting to soak radio airplay lists.
Can we let Eric Church finish?
He seemed to have more to say when he won, but said he didn't really think he'd win, so he didn't prepare. After the show, Church did expand on his thoughts about the coronavirus and our freedoms as a country, but it would have been nice to give him more time at the podium.
When did Lady A, Rascal Flatts and Jenee Fleenor know?
This is coming into focus, actually. Per fill-in fiddler Dan Hochhalter's Twitter feed, Fleenor tested positive by Monday night. Lady A pulled out of media commitments early Tuesday morning, but neither one announced they wouldn't be at the CMA Awards until showtime on Wednesday. Were they asked to hold back on announcing they were sick to keep the focus on more positive things? If so, it didn't totally work, because ...
Few people, if anyone, wore masks. Why?
To be clear, few in the televised audience wore masks. Everyone backstage did, and the CMA says that when an artist stepped away from their seat, they were required to mask up. The country music community isn't unified on mask-wearing or how serious to take the virus — you could say they're split like the country is split. It's worth wondering why nobody masked up for the show at all.
Why didn't Carrie Underwood perform?
She was the only Entertainer of the Year nominee to not take the stage for a performance. We speculated before the show, but honestly, it'd be nice to know for sure.