CMAs postcard: Until next year, Nashville

Some awards show winners take the podium and immediately unfurl scraps of paper with their acceptance speech scrawled across it, but not Taylor Swift.

When the 21-year-old country cutie was named Entertainer of the Year at Wednesday's 45th annual CMA Awards, she began reading names off her forearm, thanking everyone from Justin Bieber to Kenny Chesney to T.I. - 19 names in all, printed on her skin like a temporary tattoo.

"This is so amazing to win this for a second time," she told CNN a few moments later. "Winning that the first time [in 2009] was like the best thing that ever happened to me, and then to win it again is absolutely insane! I'm so excited."

Swift edged out Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and Jason Aldean for the event's top accolade, but Aldean proved victorious in the album of the year category.

For Aldean, it gave him bragging rights with his two young daughters.

"My oldest one always asks me why I lose to Taylor Swift. 'Why does Taylor Swift always beat Daddy?,'" he laughed backstage. "So tonight, I actually beat Taylor Swift. I'm going to call her and say, 'Hey finally, look, here you go. You can go to school and tell all your friends!'"

Aldean's current album, "My Kind of Party," is the best-selling country album of 2011.

Wednesday was also a good night for golden couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, who defended their titles as male and female vocalist of the year - and provided some comic relief in the process.

"It's going to be a good night, baby!," Lambert shouted from the podium, holding her trophy high over her head. TV cameras immediately cut to Shelton in the audience, as he gleefully rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

This year's CMA ceremony also marked a breakthrough moment for The Band Perry. The sibling trio walked away with three crystal statues, including one for best new artist and another for single of the year. Lead singer Kimberly Perry picked up an additional trophy for writing the single, "If I Die Young," about a young girl who wants to believe she's lived life to the fullest.

"Our little party starts at 10:30," said multi-instrumentalist Neil Perry. "We have a bunch of Cajun cousins that came in."

But the show's finest moment came during a heartfelt tribute to the legendary singer-guitarist, Glen Campbell. With the 75-year-old musician mouthing the lyrics as he watched from the audience with his wife, Kim, three other singer-guitarists serenaded him with a medley of his songs. After the show, Campbell didn't mince words about the tribute: "It was awesome."

These days, Glen Campbell has a new motto: "Be in the present, and I tell you, it'll change your life."