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Taylor Swift is fans' favorite at country-music awards

NASHVILLE - Taylor Swift won video-of-the-year honors last night at the Country Music Television awards for "Love Story."

The Collaborative Video of the Year Award went last night to Brad Paisley (left) and Keith Urban. Paisley was among performers during the Country Music Television awards show in Nashville.
The Collaborative Video of the Year Award went last night to Brad Paisley (left) and Keith Urban. Paisley was among performers during the Country Music Television awards show in Nashville.Read moreMARK HUMPHREY / Associated Press

NASHVILLE - Taylor Swift won video-of-the-year honors last night at the Country Music Television awards for "Love Story."

Swift had a big night, also winning female video of the year for "Love Story" and performing "Pour Some Sugar On Me" with the rock band Def Leppard.

Swift won the fan-voted award over Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Carrie Underwood and Sugarland.

Swift hugged Paisley as she walked up to accept the honor. She thanked Shania Twain for making theatrical videos and Garth Brooks for "always putting the fans first." The 19-year-old singer also thanked her younger brother, Austin, for being her date.

Sugarland won duo of the year for their island-themed video "All I Want to Do," and the Zac Brown Band won breakthrough video for "Chicken Fried," their snappy song about life's simple pleasures.

"Thank you for following us wherever we've been going," Sugarland's Kristian Bush said of the soulful song and video, which features singer Jennifer Nettles on a surfboard.

In accepting the award, Nettles said Keith Urban leaned over to her as the nominees were being announced and told her, "I like your odds."

Brown originally recorded "Chicken Fried" five years ago and reworked it for the group's recent album. With lines like "cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right," the track begins as a celebration of life's simple things, then turns a bit in the third verse by saluting "the stars and stripes" and the "ones who died."

Brown thanked CMT and country fans. "Without you supporting us we wouldn't have a life in music," Brown said.

Kid Rock won wide open country video for "All Summer Long," which samples Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London." The video, set on a lake in northern Michigan, features bikini-clad dancers on a pontoon boat.

"I think this was based on creativity, this award, because what's more creative than a strip pole on a pontoon boat?" said Kid Rock, who hugged Sheryl Crow as he walked up to accept the award. A few years ago, Kid Rock and Crow teamed for the hit "Picture."

The show kicked off with a skit featuring Taylor Swift and host Bill Engvall that had Swift rapping with T-Pain, appearing in a "Star Trek" movie and playing for the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

Musical performances were a big part of the show. Paisley punctuated his hit "Then" with bluesy guitar solos. Swift brought out a stage full of cheerleaders for "You Belong With Me."

Sugarland led all the nominees for the fan-voted awards with five, followed by Paisley and Swift with four each.

Viewers cast more than 2.5 million votes to decide the four finalists in most categories.

The video of the year competition was done a little differently. Fans could vote for their favorites throughout the show.