The Academy of Country Music today announced that for the first time ever music fans can vote for the prestigious Entertainer of the Year award. Starting today, May 1, anyone can vote for Entertainer of the Year nominees Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban or Rascal Flatts by logging on to www.voteacm.com. Fans can vote through the last hour of the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards airing live on CBS television Sunday, May 18th at 8:00 PM live ET. Each Entertainer of the Year nominee is also scheduled to perform.

Chesney leads all ACM nominees with 11 nominations. If he were to win the Entertainer award, it would be his fourth consecutive win in that category. Paisley recently celebrated his 10th No. 1 single, 10 million album sales and 10 years as an Arista Nashville recording artist. Urban, who has built a reputation as a virtuoso guitarist, singer, songwriter and showman, just completed an 11-month World Tour featuring sold-out arenas in Germany, Australia, Canada and the United States. Strait has more No. 1 hits in a single chart format than any other recording artist. Strait's 37th album, Troubadour, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. Rascal Flatts has also been selected as the 2008 recipient of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award.

Again, fans can vote, starting today, at www.voteacm.com. The show airs live, Sunday May 18th, on CBS at 8E/7C from Las Vegas.

Labels: Academy of Country Music, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts