Ladies in the lead for CMTs

Four of country music’s hottest acts lead the nominees for the CMT Music Awards.

Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Jason Aldean each received three nominations this week. Ten other acts received two nominations.

Overall nominations were announced in April. Fans voted to narrow down each category to a handful of finalists.

Finalists for video of the year will be announced at the beginning of the June 9 show in Nashville, Tenn., and fans will vote for the winner by text message. There are 10 nominees in that category, including the four top nominees.

Kid Rock will host the live broadcast.

Swift rise to the top

Taylor Swift will take home one award for sure next month.

The 20-year-old singer will receive the Hal David Starlight Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards on June 17.

Swift wrote or co-wrote every song on her two multiplatinum CDs, 2006’s “Taylor Swift” and 2008’s “Fearless.”

Crazy in love

Country singers Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton got early prizes – each other.

The “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” singer’s publicist confirmed that Shelton proposed to her in the woods near her Tishomingo, Okla., home last Sunday.

He went old-fashioned, calling Lambert’s father, Rick, to ask permission. No word yet on a wedding date.

The birthday bunch

Musician Jack Bruce (Cream) is 67. Movie producer George Lucas is 66. Musician David Byrne (Talking Heads) is 58. Director Robert Zemeckis is 58. Actor Tim Roth is 49. “Musician” Fabrice Morvan (Milli Vanilli) is 44. Singer Raphael Saadiq (Tony! Toni! Tone!) is 44. Actress Cate Blanchett is 41. Director Sofia Coppola is 39. Actress Amber Tamblyn is 27. Actress Miranda Cosgrove is 17.