CMA Awards to bring attention to storm devastation

Fans might be tuning in to the Country Music Association Awards tonight for Taylor, Miranda and Carrie - but Sandy will be front and center.

The superstorm has devastated the eastern U.S., killing at least 72 people as well as another 69 people in the Caribbean. It's one of the most expensive U.S. disasters in history, with an estimated cost of $20 billion.

CMA co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood say they plan to encourage people to donate to the Red Cross throughout the show.

"Country fans are so amazing and so giving," Underwood said. "To make sure everybody can pitch in, that's going to be really important."

But the show will have its lighter moments too. Take this exchange for example, when Paisley revealed that his mother's name is also Sandy.

"Oh gosh. When I tweeted, 'Sandy's one mean lady,' did you think I was talking about your mom?" Underwood asked.

"No. I figured you just knew her," Paisley deadpanned.

Superstorm Sandy won't be the only topical event brought up. Anything controversial that has happened in the past year is fair game. Remember Randy Travis getting arrested for drunk driving naked, and the pictures of Jason Aldean kissing a girl who wasn't his wife?

The key is to find a punch line without hurting anyone's feelings.

"Nobody should be nervous. If we do anything, it's quick and we want to really do things that people can laugh at themselves," said Underwood. "We don't want to make anybody mad. We don't want to offend anybody. We don't want to make our people look bad."

"But if you're not our people, you're a target," joked Paisley.

If you're looking for a CMA Awards drinking game, count every time Underwood changes clothes.

"I'm not exactly sure how many, because I just got my running order of everything, and I need to go back and look at all of my options," she said. "I have a lot of options. So it's going to be about just picking which ones fit in which time slot."

Paisley said she has enough options for the year, not just the night.

The CMAs will feature performances from Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan, a duet between Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill and many more, along with a musical tribute to Willie Nelson.

Eric Church leads the nominees with five. Swift, Paisley, Shelton, Chesney and Aldean are competing for the night's top prize: entertainer of the year.

"(It's a) big night of celebration, and country music is so much about the songs and the talent," said Underwood: "Don't you want to be cool and watch the CMAs? Because all the cool kids are doing it."

"Yeah, and even some of the nerdy ones," added Paisley.

The CMA Awards air live from Nashville on ABC.