Reba McEntire Dishes on ACM Awards Opening Tribute

“Extra's” Mark Wright spoke with music superstar Reba McEntire, host of the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards, which will be broadcast live this Sunday from Las Vegas.

Reba pointed out that the show will open with a tribute to the victims of the tragic Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting last fall. She shared that the tribute will include “A lot of heartfelt words from a lot of different artists. It will open the show and it will set the tone for how we feel towards the victims, the families, the fans. It affected our community, our friends. We will definitely pay tribute to the people who were affected by it.”

The sixteen-time ACM Award winner last hosted the show in 2012. She emphasized, "I've gotten to do it 14 times before. I'm really excited to get to host them again because it's a lot of fun."

Music superstar Carrie Underwood will be performing on the show, something she hasn't done since her accident at home last November, which required over 40 stitches on her face. While they haven't seen each other or spoken lately, Reba said, "I can't wait to see her and hug her neck," which she explained is "a big southern saying." She added, "We'll be supporting her and cheering her on.”

What will Carrie be performing? Reba revealed, “I think it's going to be a brand new song off her new album.”