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It was a brave move from a lady better known in Hollywood than in Nashville.Gwyneth Paltrow made her country music debut at the CMAs this week – and she received a standing ovation for her performance.In front of a room filled with the industry's biggest stars, the actress walked out on stage with her acoustic guitar and belted out the title track from her new film, Country Strong.If Gwyneth was nervous, it didn't show. Accompanied by country veteran Vince Gill, the gorgeous blonde boldly hit the high notes with a strong voice.
Even when she wasn't on stage, the 38-year-old didn't go unnoticed.
Hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood joked with the actress as she sat in the audience, making reference to her rock star husband, Chris Martin. "Gwyneth, I've always wanted to ask you something…Can I have two Coldplay tickets?," quipped Brad. "Can you make it four," Carrie added, before going on to address the star's bravery. "It takes a lot to come to our town and sing on our stage," she said.
To prepare for her role in Country Strong, in which she plays a troubled country star looking for a comeback, Gwyneth said she watched a lot of concert DVDs and clips of country singers on YouTube.And despite having a rock star in the family, Gwyneth said she relied more on the advice from her singer girlfriends than her spouse. "I had to learn how to play guitar, and I took singing lessons. It was a real challenge," she said. "But it was really fun!"Gwyneth wasn't the only screen star stepping out for the 44th CMA's. Katherine Heigl was at the event with her singer husband Josh Kelley, as was Nicole Kidman, who was there to support Keith.Taylor Swift, Leighton Meester – Gwyneth's co-star in the film – Sheryl Crow and LeAnn Rimes were also in attendance.