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Counting down country: New music awards show is coming to Fox

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley host the American Country Countdown Awards

Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley host the American Country Countdown Awards

Counting down country: There cannot be any doubt: America loves its country music.

The multitude of country music awards shows on television proves it. Beyond the country categories at the Grammys and the American Music Awards, we also have the Academy of Country Music Awards, the American Country Awards and the CMT Music Awards.

Well, there's another one entering the fray, but if there's a music genre big and bold enough to hold all of these awards shows, it's definitely country.

The brand-new American Country Countdown Awards will be broadcast Monday, Dec. 15, on Fox. The two-hour extravaganza is coming live from the Music City Center in beautiful Nashville, Tenn., and it has lassoed itself a pair of hosts who won't need much of an introduction for country music fans.

Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, better known to their fans as the duo Florida Georgia Line, are used to being in the spotlight. Their sophomore album, "Anything Goes," debuted at No. 1 when it was released in October, and its first single, "Dirt," also seized the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

This new awards show is taking a somewhat different direction than its contemporaries -- with such a crowded playing field, it pays to stand out. The American Country Countdown Awards is basing itself on radio's "American Country Countdown With Kix Brooks," which just happens to be country's longest-running radio countdown show.

How well a weekly countdown show translates into an awards show remains to be seen, but it's the hosts that can really make or break an awards show -- just look at how Oscar hosts' performances are analyzed for years after their few hours on the stage.

The American Country Countdown Awards has a pair of talented and likeable performers in Florida Georgia Line and some of the country's most popular music to back them up. The first American Country Countdown Awards airs Monday, Dec. 15, on Fox.

 

Dad's home: Sometimes a move can feel awkward, uncomfortable even. A new house just doesn't always feel like a home.

Other times, though, new digs can just feel so right. That must be what's going on with "American Dad!", the animated comedy from the brain of Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy") that moved from Fox to TBS for its 11th season earlier this autumn. It has already been renewed for a 12th season by its new network.

Not only is TBS putting its money where its mouth is with the early renewal, but it's putting a lot of green ones there: a full 22 episodes have been ordered for season 12, which will make it the biggest "American Dad!" season yet.

"We are thrilled with 'American Dad!'s' performance to date and are confident the show is going to continue its tremendous success," Turner executive Deborah K. Bradley said of the show's renewal.

Despite being nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards during its life on Fox, "American Dad!" never managed to pull in the big ratings of MacFarlane's "Family Guy." That appears to have changed with its change of address: "American Dad!" is reportedly pulling in an average of almost two million viewers each episode -- tepid numbers for a big network like Fox, but enough to make it one of the highest-rated shows airing Monday nights on cable.

"American Dad!" may have moved to a new home, but it appears that its audience has moved along with it. New episodes of season 11 air Monday nights on TBS.

 

A time for Hardy: Tom Hardy's a hot commodity these days. The English actor's been in some of the biggest films of the past decade, and now he's teaming up with the BBC and FX to bring an exciting new drama to TV screens.

"Taboo," a 19th-century period drama about an international adventurer (Hardy) returning to England to seek vengeance for his father's death, will begin production next year for a planned 2016 release date.

Hardy's handsome face has been seen alongside some of Hollywood's biggest stars. His earliest film work was in "Black Hawk Down" (2001), and the credits just kept on rolling after that: "Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002), "Layer Cake" (2004), "Inception" (2010), "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (2011) and "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) were some of his biggest hits that followed.

With well over a year to go before "Taboo" finally makes its way to audiences, the details are still being planned out -- including who will be starring alongside Hardy. Nonetheless, this may be a project to keep an eye on. Watch for "Taboo" on FX in 2016.