Thursday, February 14, 2013
NEWSMAKERS
Church leads ACM nominations with 7
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
They don’t call him Chief for nothing: Eric Church is the top nominee at this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards.
The rising country music star has seven nominations for the April 7 awards show in Las Vegas. Hunter Hayes is next with six, followed by Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert at five apiece.
Swift and Lambert are up for the academy’s top honor — entertainer of the year — with Lambert’s husband, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. Swift is going for her third-straight win in that category.
Shelton and Bryan will co-host the broadcast, to air live on CBS from the MGM Grand.
Along with naming nominees in a series of videos online Wednesday morning, the academy also awarded trophies in the three new artist categories. Jana Kramer is the new female vocalist of the year, Brantley Gilbert is the new male vocalist winner and Florida Georgia Line took new vocal duo or group, as voted by fans. Those three acts will now compete for new artist of the year.
Bond reduced for ‘Buckwild’ actor
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va.
A Nicholas County magistrate has cut reality show “Buckwild” cast member Salwa Amin’s bond in half.
The 24-year-old Amin has been held on $200,000 bond at the Central Regional Jail since her arrest late Sunday. She’s charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Her lawyer, Michael Callaghan, says Amin’s bond was reduced Wednesday to $100,000 cash. She waived a preliminary hearing.
Callaghan says he expects Amin to be released within a day or so.
He says they will address the charges at the appropriate time.
West Virginia State Police say a multi-agency task force arrested Amin and two other people at a Summersville residence after receiving a tip from an informant. A search found oxycodone pills, heroin and $3,000 in cash.
Rapper DMX arrested for not having license
GREER, S.C.
Rapper DMX has been arrested in northwestern South Carolina for driving without a license.
Authorities say the 42-year-old, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was arrested at 1 a.m. Wednesday after an officer saw him at a gas station in Greer. Simmons already faced several charges of driving without a license, so deputies say an officer pulled him over after watching Simmons leave a gas station, get into a car and drive away.
Simmons was released after paying a fine. It isn’t clear if he has an attorney.
Simmons was arrested in a Phoenix suburb in 2011 after a trooper clocked him driving at 102 mph. He had recently finished a stint in prison on probation revocation for failing to submit to drug testing and driving without a license.
Vindicator wire reports