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Trip to Nashville - 50th Annual ACM Awards

by on ‎03-23-2015 06:25 PM

Hey! My 50th blog post is about the 50th Annual ACM Awards! Too cool...



We got to shoot some footage this past week in honor of the 50th Annual ACM Awards! QVC will be broadcasting LIVE from Arlington, TX on Friday, April 17th at 10pm ET where your hosts, Carolyn Gracie and Courtney Cason will be sharing the party with you! The crew and I headed to Nashville to share a little bit of the story of the history of country music. Want to see the footage we shot in Nashville? Keep your eyes on QVC Plus soon!

In the meantime, how about a photo blog? We started our trip on St. Patrick's Day! Scott and I celebrated in style...



This is how dedicated our crew is: when we got to the gate, Helene was still working!


We landed in Nashville, grabbed our gear and headed to lunch at the Gaylord Opryland.



Quick break and it was off to our first shoot-site: Music Row. It was FREEZING! The crew stayed focused, I danced to stay warm...



It was SO WINDY. It took our stylist Dianna AND my Mom to hold my hair down. My folks drove up to catch some of the shoot. It was amazing to see them and they are the kindest folks on the planet. Looks like Sean is trying to capture the moment too.



That was a wrap after that for that day. But, we woke up bright and early to kick off a long day. At our hotel, Sunshine would sing to us in the morning. She would sing, "You Are My Sunshine" and it was an instant spirit lift!



Out the door and headed to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge! The most famous country music bar in the world. It's only 37 steps from the Ryman! I got to speak with Steve and Jim. They are the go-to guys at Tootsie's and they take wonderful care of all the artist's that come through their doors. That's just how Tootsie Bess would have wanted it!



And I MIGHT have gotten on stage with the band (Prestige Worldwide) for a hot second. They ROCK. I did NOT. HUGE photo credit to Scott Kinkade for this action shot Smiley Happy



I got to sign the wall while I was there: no words for how excited I was.



Then we headed to the Bluebird Cafe - historical songwriting venue, to chat with Erica. She started at the Bluebird waiting tables. Now, she's the general manager. She has seen some things! Can't wait for you to hear her stories.



We then did some interviewing of some local songwriters. We got the chance to meet Jason Frye: what a talent! He said he's influenced by a number of artists, including Waylon Jennings. You sure can hear it in his voice. So great!



Then we moved on to the next balcony spot to show you some of the bright lights in the big city!



Off to bed for us!! Next day, up and at 'em for The Ryman Auditorium!




The Ryman Auditorium is the spot for the original Grand Ole Opry. It was built originally as a church and became the go-to destination for country hits. It's magnificent inside.


You'll get to see all of this together in an awesome one-hour special starting on soon QVC Plus. But the most important part of this trip? THE CREW. These folks can do ANYTHING and they make it fun at the same time. Much love to Coop, Helene, Dianna, Scott, Christian, and Sean for making this trip such a success. They're so talented, I sure hope you get to meet them one day.



That's going to do it for my quick recap, I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to watch the 50th Annual ACM Awards LIVE on CBS on Sunday, April 19th at 8pm ET! Much love, Mary DeAngelis