THE "45TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS," HOSTED BY REBA McENTIRE, WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS, SUNDAY, APRIL 18 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

ALL-STAR CONCERT SPECIAL "ACM PRESENTS: BROOKS & DUNN - THE LAST RODEO" WILL BE TAPED AT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS MONDAY, APRIL 19, TO BE BROADCAST AT A LATER DATE ON CBS

Country Music's Party of the Year�, the 45TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 18 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The awards show honoring country music's top talent and the industry's hottest emerging talent, will be hosted by music, film and television legend Reba McEntire. In addition, the Academy will tape an all-star concert special, ACM PRESENTS: BROOKS & DUNN - THE LAST RODEO, at the same location the following night to air at a later date on CBS. Both shows are produced for television by dick clark productions.

McEntire, who will host for the 12th time, has won 12 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the first-ever annual Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award for outstanding philanthropic work. This will be the fifth year the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS will be based at the MGM Grand and the eighth year the show will be held in Las Vegas. Nearly 15 million viewers tuned into last year's Awards, a 21% increase over the previous year.

"No one does it better than Reba McEntire," said Orly Adelson, President of dick clark productions and executive producer of the Awards. "She always brings spunk and personality to the show and we are honored to have the queen of country music back to host the Awards for the 12th time."

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, the bestselling duo in the history of country music, will receive the Academy's Milestone Award in recognition of their 20-year record-breaking career during the tribute concert special, ACM PRESENTS: BROOKS & DUNN - THE LAST RODEO. They will be honored for holding the record for most wins by any artist in the Academy's history with 26 awards in total, including three Entertainer of the Year awards. They will also be honored for holding the record for most Top Vocal Duo wins, with 15 awards, eight of which are consecutive from 2000 through 2007.

Artists already scheduled to perform at the taping of ACM PRESENTS: BROOKS & DUNN - THE LAST RODEO include superstars Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban, with many others to be announced soon.

Brooks & Dunn have had 23 number one hits, sold more than 30 million records and won more than 80 major industry awards during their career. In August 2009, they announced they would retire as a duo in 2010 and embark on a final farewell tour this summer called "The Last Rodeo."

"Brooks & Dunn have defined country music for 20 years," said Bob Romeo, Executive Director of the Academy of Country Music. "With this all-star concert tribute, the Academy is honored to recognize Kix and Ronnie for their contributions to the country music industry, fans and to all the artists they have helped get a break in this business."

Founded in 1964, the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC is an artist and industry-driven organization, providing the financial resources to ensure the on-going philanthropic work of ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy which works to improve lives through music. The Academy is comprised of more than 3,800 professional members and is headquartered in Encino, Calif.

Both the 45TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and ACM PRESENTS: BROOKS & DUNN - THE LAST RODEO are produced for television by dick clark productions. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers, Barry Adelman is producer and Bob Bardo is executive in charge of production.