Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, how do this year’s CMT Awards begin?

How else? With Taylor Swift rapping alongside T-Pain.

And then racing for the stage to wrestle hosting duties from Bill Engvall, until she gets tripped up by Kellie Pickler.

Very cute. Now it’s time to get down to business.

Will Kellie beat out Taylor for Female Video of the Year?

Will Carrie Underwood walk away with Video of the Year honors?

We’ll find out soon. Meanwhile, I’ll be posting tons of photos from the show, beginning now with some red carpet shots.

Kellie and Randy Jackson get to present the first award of the night, for Breakthrough Video of the Year. The award goes to the Zac Brown Band for “Chicken Fried.”

And, the first good news of the night for Idol fans: Carrie Underwood’s video for “Just a Dream” made the cut for Video of the Year nominees. Others still in the running include Taylor for “Love Story,” Trace Adkins for “You’re Gonna Miss This,” Sugarland for “All I Want To Do,” and Brad Paisley for “Waitin’ on a Woman.”

And now we learn the winner of the Female Video of the Year Award. And the honor goes to: Taylor for “Love Story.” Well, I imagine tour buddy Kellie isn’t too disappointed.

Oh, well, Kellie might not have won Female Video of the Year, but she looked scintillating in silver while singing her latest hit, “Best Years of Your Life.”

Now Martina McBride and Luke Wilson announce the winner of Video of the Year. And the winner is: Taylor Swift for “Love Story.”

Oh, well, better luck next year, Carrie.

Meanwhile, Taylor’s on fire tonight. First, she raps. Now she rocks, singing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” with Def Leppard to close the 2009 CMT Awards.

Enjoy these photos from the show, courtesy of The Associated Press.

Dierks Bentley and his dog, Jake, arrive for the CMT Awards.

Keith Urban arrives for the show

Julianne Hough, a Breakthrough Video nominee, before the show

Martina McBride was in the running for Female Video of the Year

Caroline and Luke Bryan before the show

Lee Ann Womack on the red carpet

Dierks Bentley performs during the CMT Awards

The Zac Brown Band accepts the award for Breakthrough Video of the Year

Kellie Pickler and Randy Jackson present the award for Breakthrough Video of the Year

Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland accept the Duo of the Year Video Award

Darius Rucker, formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish, performs during the CMT Awards

Taylor Swift arrives for the CMT Awards

Brad Paisley performs during the CMT Awards

Kid Rock accepts the award for Wide Open Video of the Year

Rascal Flatts accepts the award for Group Video of the Year

Trace Adkins before Tuesday’s show in Nashville

Taylor Swift performs during the CMT Awards

Taylor Swift and her background dancers at the CMT Awards

Keith Urban performs during the CMT Awards

Kellie Pickler and her brother, Eric, arrive for the ceremony. Kid Rock is Eric’s favorite performer, Kellie wrote in a blog this morning, explaining how Eric would be her date for the evening.

Keith Urban, Alan Jackson and Dierks Bentley receive the award for CMT Performance of the Year

Randy Jackson was one of the presenters during Tuesday’s show

Taylor Swift accepts the award for Female Video of the Year

Sugarland and the B-52’s perform “Love Shack” during Tuesday’s show

Sugarland performs during the CMT Awards, before being joined by the B-52’s

Brad Paisley and Keith Urban won the award for Collaborative Video of the Year

Trace Adkins performs “You’re Gonna Miss This”

Brad Paisley accepts the award for Male Video of the Year

Kellie Pickler, decked out in silver and singing her latest hit, “Best Years of Your Life”

Jason Aldean and Keith Urban perform

Taylor Swift accepts the night’s biggest award, Video of the Year for “Love Story”

Taylor Swift performs “Pour Some Sugar on Me” with Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Taylor Swift and Joe Elliott of Def Leppard at the end of their show-closing CMT performance