FAITH HILL - HILL SPEAKS OUT ABOUT COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS CONTROVERSY

HILL SPEAKS OUT ABOUT COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS CONTROVERSY

FAITH HILL has laughed off speculation she was upset when CARRIE UNDERWOOD beat her to the Female Vocalist Of The Year accolade at the Country Music Association Awards last night (06NOV06). When Underwood's name was announced as the winner, Hill was caught on camera flailing her arms and apparently shouting "What?" before walking out of camera range. Hill released a statement today (07NOV06) through her publicist responding to criticism about the sour note she appeared to have struck during the ceremony, saying, "The idea that I would act disrespectful towards a fellow musician is unimaginable to me. For this to become a focus of attention given the talent gathered is utterly ridiculous. Carrie is a talented and deserving female vocalist of the year." Hill's manager GARY BORMAN has also weighed in on the controversy adding, "I've worked with Faith for many years now and the idea that she would ever insult or undermine another artist, let alone another human being's success is absolutely preposterous. Those who know her know that she's incapable of such actions. She was being playful while the nominations were being read and playful after." Other nominees in the category were SARA EVANS, MARTINA MCBRIDE and GRETCHEN WILSON.