ACM Tempo (Spring 2012)

Reba & Blake take Vegas: The Sequel

When you have superstar hosts like Reba and Blake Shelton, it’s really hard to get them in the same place at the same time. Reba is jetting around the country preparing to shoot the pilot for her new TV show Malibu Country, while still playing shows and running her namesake clothing and home goods lines.

Blake has been burning up the skies back and forth to Hollywood to shoot his hit series The Voice in between his sold-out concert dates. But when the stars align and you do get them in the same time zone, the chemistry between the two is undeniable. That special interplay - and lots of laughter - filled the Nashville soundstage where the pair shot this year’s ACM Awards promo for CBS.

ACM Tempo caught up with them for a few questions about their second time around hosting the live broadcast as a duo.

Tempo: You now have one of these shows as co-hosts together under your belt already. Blake, what is the best thing about having Reba as your co-host on the ACM Awards?

Blake: Somebody to blame things on when it goes south, when it goes badly. If there’s ever a line that’s messed up, it’s usually because her timing is off a little bit. Let’s be honest [he grins at Reba]. But the good thing is, I can’t think of a disaster that happened last year.

Reba: He’s flawless. I thought you did an excellent job.

Blake: Say that again!

Reba: I thought you did a real good job.

Blake: Stop there. That’s all you’ve got to say.

Reba: End of the interview (laughs)

Tempo: Reba, what is great about having Blake up there with you? You’ve done this with other co-hosts, but you guys have some great chemistry.

Reba: For some reason we both have a unique type personality that, for me, when I get around Blake, it just seems to come out a little bit more. There’s not as many guarded gates that come up. It’s all ‘what you see is what you get,’ and that’s what I’ve learned being around Blake. He’s such a lovable creature. He’s just sweet, adorable. [Blake gives her a loving look] Don’t look at me like that. He’s adorable. Everybody loves him. No matter what age group everybody loves him. He’s a sweetheart.

Blake: Keep going. Talk about my looks.

Reba: He’s a cutie pie. (laughs) And we have a great time.

Tempo: Reba, fans have come to expect a lot of different looks from you on the show. How hard is it for you to get all the different looks and pull them together?

Reba: You know honestly after 14 years of doing this, [stylist] Terry Gordon and I are getting it down to a science and we already have our clothes ready. They are ready. This is the first time we’ve been this prepared. It just worked out, so we’re really tickled.

Tempo: And, you, Blake? What will you be wearing?

Blake: I don’t know for sure. I may wear this [vest and jeans] because I didn’t use it that much today.

Reba: I think it looks good on you.

Blake: I don’t do the wardrobe changes.

Reba: You are this time!

Blake: No!

Reba: Yeah, Narvel [Blackstock, Reba’s husband and manager] has already said you’re going to change four times, just like me.

Blake: Narvel is full of crap. It takes me 15 minutes to get in these jeans, and have you ever tried to put biscuits back in the can after you’ve opened it, like pushing things in there? That’s what I have to do. I’m pushing things in there.

Reba: Maybe it is just going to be one clothes change for him. I didn’t know about the biscuits.

Tempo: Today you both were taking pictures and tweeting with your fans so they could experience today’s shoot along with you in real time. How important is it for you to have that direct connection with your fans?

Reba: I don’t have quite the close connection with my fans that Blake has with his fans.

Blake: No, that’s not true at all. Look, I follow you on Twitter and I see that you’re writing to people that there was one time that you were on vacation and you wrote the same tweet like 70 times on Twitter: ‘I’m having a fifth on the fourth.’ Do you know what I’m talking about? And you kept posting it over and over. As a fan, I loved that.

Reba: I think that was the first time I was tweeting when we were at Atlantis last year or two years ago. It kind of like got hung and they were like ‘Y’all can quit that now.’ I was calling back to the office saying ‘I don’t know how to stop this thing.’ It was going nuclear.

Blake: Of course I tweet about drinking most of the time. Like not once a day… like most of my tweets are about drinking. It’s probably the only time you’ve ever tweeted about having a fifth on the fourth and she was so drunk that she was actually passed out on her phone and her face was on the tweet button. Cause I saw a picture later. She was passed out on her send button. (laughs)

Reba: And I had an imprint of my phone on my chin. (Reba laughs)

Tempo: Blake, in addition to hosting, you are one of the five artists up for ACM Entertainer this year. What is it like to be recognized in that category this year?

Blake: Man, I’m not going to sit here and be like other artists that will say, ‘Well it’s nice just to be nominated.’ Bull crap! I’m pumped about it.

Reba: Heck yeah.

Blake: Hell yeah. It’s cool.

Reba: That’s a big deal.

Blake: It is a big deal. And I don’t know what my chances are of winning it but…

Reba: One out of five.

Blake: See, she’s so smart.