ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – The home of the Dallas Cowboys will be the home to the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The 50th Annual edition of the awards event is set for Sunday night at AT&T Stadium. In the running for Entertainer of the Year are Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line. Lady Antebellum is up for vocal group of the year – competing against Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band. Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan will co-host the event, which will air on CBS.

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Tim McGraw is defending his decision to headline a Connecticut concert to benefit a Sandy Hook group, responding to critics who call it a “gun control fundraiser.”

Gun rights advocates took to Facebook and Twitter, calling the country singer a hypocrite for appearing in the event that will benefit Sandy Hook Promise, which seeks to protect children from gun violence.

Opening act Billy Currington withdrew and said on his Facebook page he’s “never been one to take on controversial issues.”

McGraw said in a statement to The Washington Post Thursday he supports gun ownership, but it requires education and safety. He said the concert is intended to help the community.

McGraw will perform at the XFINITY Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 17.

In December 2012, 20 first-graders and six educators were fatally shot in Newtown.

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NASHVILLE (AP) – Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard will team up for a new album. Nelson says they called the album “Django and Jimmie” because the title track is about two of their influences, jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and country legend Jimmie Rogers. Nelson and Haggard also pay tribute to each other. Nelson sings Haggard’s song “Somewhere Between,” and Haggard sings Nelson’s song “Family Bible.” The album comes out June 2.

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NASHVILLE (AP) – Eric Church is getting into the furniture business. Church has partnered with Pulaski Furniture to create a line called Highway to Home. Church actually has some experience in this area. His dad worked in the industry, and Church himself got his first job in a furniture plant. The furniture line will include sets for bedrooms, dining rooms and living areas, in a variety of styles. The furniture will be unveiled to retailers at the end of this year and will be for sale to the public next year.

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NASHVILLE (AP) – Tim McGraw will give all the proceeds from his July 17 concert in Hartford, Connecticut, to prevent another Sandy Hook tragedy. McGraw will perform as a benefit for Sandy Hook Promise, an organization founded after the Sandy Hook shootings in 2012 that aims protect children from gun violence. A friend of McGraw’s fiddle player lost a child in the shootings. Billy Currington and Chase Bryant will open the show.

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NASHVILLE (AP) – Fan voting is now open for two of the big trophies for the Academy of Country Music Awards. Fans can decide whether Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert or Florida Georgia Line should win entertainer of the year. They can also decide whether Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett or Cole Swindell should win new artist of the year. Voting is open at VoteACM.com and will close during the broadcast on April 19.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Garth Brooks was happy to open a space in an Indianapolis children’s hospital where kids can forget about their illnesses for a while. Brooks dedicated a new child play zone at Riley Hospital for Children, which was funded through his Teammates For Kids foundation. The space includes billiards, foosball, video games, an arts and crafts area and a recording studio. Brooks got teary-eyed when he pointed out the space is a “miracle” for kids. He called it “a place in a hospital where no doctor and no needles are allowed. It’s a place where a kid gets to be a kid.”

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NEW YORK (AP) – Billy Ray Cyrus was walking his dog during a tour stop when he was inspired to write a TV show. Cyrus says he was on the Gulf Coast and saw a church in the distance, and he was thinking about how Elvis Presley performed around there at the start of his career. Cyrus started writing down ideas and he came up with the character Vernon Brown, a one-hit wonder country singer who became an Elvis impersonator and later pretends to be a minister at a country church. The comedy, “Still the King,” will premiere on CMT early next year.

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NASHVILLE (AP) – Brooks and Dunn will reunite for the Academy of Country Music Awards. It’s their first televised performance in five years. Other performers added to the lineup are Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts. Nick Jonas will do a duet with Dan and Shay, and Christina Aguilera will perform with surprise guests. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, Dierks (DURKS) Bentley, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Reba, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett and Cole Swindell (swin-DEL’). The ACM Awards are April 19.

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AUSTIN, Tex. (AP) – Willie Nelson is bringing back his Fourth of July Picnic to Austin, Texas, for the first time in five years. Beside Nelson, the performers include Eric Church, Merle Haggard, Kacey Musgraves, Asleep At The Wheel, Jamey Johnson, Leon Russell and Billie Joe Shaver.

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UNDATED (AP) – Jo Dee Messina has co-written a book in honor of mothers. Messina and author Amy Newmark have written “Chicken Soup For The Soul: Thanks to My Mom: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love, and Lessons.” It’s in stores now.

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