ACM Awards Recap

ACM Awards close weekend in Dallas with superstar luster and hometown pride

Texas loomed large at the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night, including the night's big winner, Texas native Miranda Lambert, who took home the most awards, for album, song and female vocalist of the year.

Lambert joined a superstar lineup of performers that also included George Strait, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire. Taylor Swift was one of five acts who received Milestone awards, along with Strait, Brooks & Dunn, McEntire and Brooks.

Swift, whose award was presented by her mother, Andrea Finlay, was the only Milestone winner who did not perform. The entire list of winners is here.

Held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the awards followed a weekend of ACM-related events including a charity party on Friday night at the Omni Dallas hotel. The awards had a Dallas-centric theme: There were Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders onstage, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo threw a football pass to co-hosts Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton. Dallas-based cosmetics company Mary Kay handed out bracelets that glowed and changed colors.

A number of performers directed their comments to Dallas. Only Cole Swindell, who won for new artist of the year, addressed the fact that the stadium was not, in fact, in Dallas. "Thank you from Dallas – or Arlington, Texas," he said, falteringly.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Gov. Greg Abbott and CBS head Les Moonves announced that a record had been set with 70,252 in attendance.

"We're so proud to have the ACMs here, I just have to pinch myself," Jones said. "It's an honor, but it's one that we just want to do such a great job. If we do a good job, then we'll have the opportunity to do this and many other things.

"That's what Gene and I had in mind when we were thinking about building this stadium."

The evening's success helped dispel the memory of the Super Bowl held at the stadium in 2011, a weekend ruined by ice and snow. This time, it was blue skies for a red carpet at the stadium preceding the awards, covered by local and national press including Glamour, Billboard, People and US Weekly. Walkers included Stephen Jones, Troy Aikman, Jason Witten, Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry, Deana Carter, Montel Williams and local acts like Casey Donahew Band and Josh Abbott Band.

The night featured a pair of odd combinations, including Nick Jonas guesting with country duo Dan & Shay, and a pairing between Christina Aguilera and Rascal Flatts, who sang "Shotgun."

Offbeat presenters included Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev; Dr. Phil McGraw; actresses Reese Witherspoon and Sophia Vergara, who introduced Miranda Lambert; Chris Kyle's wife, Tara, who introduced Garth Brooks; and Steven Tyler, who presented the Entertainer of the Year award to winner Luke Bryan.

Kelly Clarkson presented Reba with her Milestone award, calling her "the coolest mother-in-law." Clarkson is married to McEntire's stepson, Brandon Blackstock, with whom she recently had a baby.

After the show, Lambert choked up over her hometown roots.

"I was proud in general of the show being here, all the artists and all the fans get to see exactly what we're about in Texas," she said. "The crowd was so warm and so excited. It made me happy because I'm from around here."

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Alex Bentley contributed to this story.

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Movie Review

Revived Coyote vs. Acme shows Looney Tunes’ enduring appeal

Photo courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment

Wile E. Coyote in Coyote vs. Acme.

No movie studio has gone through more ups and downs in the past few years than Warner Bros. In 2022, they oddly shelved two mostly-completed movies, Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. But the next few years brought major movies like Barbie, Dune Part Two, Sinners, Superman, Weapons, and One Battle After Another, giving them a huge boost. Strangely, that led directly into a proposed sale to Paramount that is now going through legal battles.

Another previously-shelved Warner Bros. movie, Coyote vs. Acme, is now seeing the light of day thanks to a deal with a small company called Ketchup Entertainment. Taking its cue from the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, the film creates a world in which Wile E. Coyote - sick of constantly being thwarted in his pursuit of Road Runner by faulty Acme products - decides to sue the company.

To do so, he approaches the law firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese, led by Kevin Avery (Will Forte). The firm typically takes on small cases that are easy to settle, but - with a little subterfuge from Wile E. Coyote - they are soon presenting Acme and its lead attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), with a lawsuit that could be worth millions of dollars. Naturally, the big corporation won’t give in without a fight, leading to all sorts of shenanigans on both sides.

Directed by Dave Green and written by Samy Burch from a story by Burch, James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater, the film is a fun mixture of nostalgia and clever storytelling. Most of Looney Tunes’ classic characters make an appearance in the film, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Sylvester. The two, other than Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, who get the most play are Tweety, who appears in some of the movie’s funniest scenes, and Foghorn Leghorn, reimagined as the CEO of Acme.

The blend of live action and animation is not quite on the level of something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but it is still effective. It also affords the film plenty of opportunities to employ Looney Tunes’ signature brand of cartoon violence that doesn’t actually leave lasting damage. The gags are very familiar for those who grew up on the studio’s short films, but combined with the inventive ways in which they’re used and the pointed jabs at corporate culture, they become somewhat fresh again.

Naturally, there are plenty of references in the film, starting with the name of the law firm, which pays homage to legendary directors Chuck Avery and Chuck Jones, as well as writer/animator Michael Maltese. Sly jokes that could turn the film from PG to PG-13 sneak their way in, although they steer clear of elements that haven’t aged well (documented in a recent viral comedy clip). But the film is at its best when it leans into the well-earned traits of its favorite characters and just lets them cook.

Forte is a great scene partner for Wile E. Coyote, as he can turn even minor slights into comedy gold. His deadpan reactions are the ideal way to counter the insanity going on around him. Cena has proven in other films that he has great comic timing, and he demonstrates that skill well here, too, especially in a fantastic scene opposite Tweety. The voice talent does a good job with the iconic characters, although the legendary Mel Blanc remains the gold standard.

Coyote vs. Acme is not a world-changing movie by any means, but it is a fun twist on the characters many know and love that deserved to be seen by moviegoers. Wile E. Coyote may never actually catch Road Runner, but this movie shows that his unceasing attempts remain entertaining after all these years.

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Coyote vs. Acme is now playing in theaters.

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