Reba McEntire Begins Prepping and Primping for the ACMs

Reba McEntire returns as the host of this year's Academy of Country Music Awards, and she is already planning her costume changes for the big show.

Not only does the hostess with the mostess have to sound good, but she has to look good, as well. "It takes a lot off hard work and preparation to be ready for a successful hosting job!" she says. So, the first thing Reba will do is prepare the outfits she'll wear during the three hour show. "[My stylist] Terry Gordon and I work together on designing my looks for the evening, which wind up to be five outfits we design," Reba reports. "I will probably only wear four, but that gives us a little wiggle room."

The next step in ACM preparation is the script. "I have wonderfully talented writers who invent witty things for me to say," explains Reba, who boasts a lot of laughs in her years hosting. "Just like with my music, where would I be without the songwriters? Where would I be without my script writers?"

She will also most likely need to ad-lib or cut her time during the show, if someone's acceptance speech runs short or long or other timing issues come into play. "To make it a smooth running show, I have to listen to the directors and stretch when we're running ahead of schedule and make my intro's short and sweet when we're running behind."

The 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live Sunday, April 18 on CBS.