Nov 7, 2006

Statement From Clarence Spalding, President CMA Board Of Directors:

There has been a lot of public discussion about Faith Hill's on-camera reaction during the announcement of the Female Vocalist of the Year Award. Having been there, I can assure you that Faith was in no way being disrespectful of Carrie Underwood or her accomplishments. It was a playful moment caught on camera that has been blown out of proportion and taken out of context. Faith has always shown the utmost respect for Country Music artists and the CMA Awards. This inadvertent moment does not reflect who she is as a performer or a respected member of this community.

STATEMENT FROM THATS COUNTRY:

I find it incredible that there are so many people out there who are sitting at the edge of their seats, waiting for someone in the spotlight to do something that can be interpreted in a negative way.  An example is the reaction from Faith Hill's surprise at Carrie Underwood's win of Female Artist at last night's CMA Awards.

People are calling the reaction sour grapes since Ms Hill was also nominated for the same award.  I find it really hard to believe that Ms Hill was acting in a negative manner since I had the same reaction.  Since I'm a big fan of Carrie Underwood's, my loudly voiced "what" and my raised arms were shock at Carrie having won both the Horizon Award and the Female Artist award, which is a very big deal.

Could Faith Hill's identical reaction not have meant the same thing as mine or something similar?  Why is everyone so accepting of the media's interpretation that she was enraged that Carrie won????

At times like these, I am really embarrassed to be a part of something that can hurt people and wreck lives.