From New Artist head-scratchers to the importance of the show's top prize, Entertainer of the Year, Rolling Stone’ s Nashville Now offers five hot takes When nominations for the 2026 ACM Awards were announced earlier this month, the commanding storyline was the dominance by women as nominees. Megan Moroney , Miranda Lambert , Ella Langley , and Lainey Wilson were the leaders, each of them besting the closest male nominee, Chris Stapleton with six. But while the recognition of women by ACM voters was a positive sign this year, it doesn’t necessarily mean women artists are being given the same opportunities as their male counterparts. In a special episode of Rolling Stone’ s Nashville Now podcast, we raise five questions — call them “hot takes,” if you choose — about the nominations, categories, and races at the 61st ACM Awards. The ACMs stream Sunday, May 17, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Prime Video.…