Kenny Chesney Asked Fans to Vote for ACM Award

Kenny Chesney, who has won the Entertainer of the Year award four years in a row, criticized the voting process for the award on Sunday after he accepted the award onstage. Backstage Chesney told reporters:

"I don’t think it’s right that they pick the one award that means the most, that all the artists sacrifice the most for."

Despite the criticisms Chesney had a big banner on his MySpace page that said "bring it home for KC," urging fans to vote for him. The page included links to the academy’s online page and messages from fans lower on the page.

Chesney made clear Sunday night that his criticism was an industry complaint about the process for one award, not a dig at his fans or at the awards show overall. It was the first time in the show’s 43 years that the top prize was decided by a fan vote.

Chesney added:

"They’ve taken it from what the award really represents (and turned it) into a sweepstakes to see who can push people’s buttons the hardest on the Internet."

If he really disagreed with it, then Chesney should have refused to play the game. Since he did play the game, he sounds hypocritical.