CNN host Lou Dobbs shocked his viewers yesterday when he announced that he would be leaving the network effective immediately.

The longtime host of "Lou Dobbs Tonight" said on his show that it would be his last and that he was ready "to pursue new opportunities."

He said CNN had allowed him to be released from his contract, which was set for the end of 2011 and that he was considering a number of options.

"I will let you know when I set my course," he said.

The longest-running anchor on CNN's air, Dobbs was one of the nation's leading financial journalists before turning his program in a more opinionated direction. His persistent advocacy against illegal immigration angered many.

SWIFT YOUNGEST TO WIN CMA'S TOP HONOR

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — It's been Taylor Swift's year, and last night was her night as she became the youngest person and the first solo female act in a decade to win the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award.

Swift, 19, won all four awards for which she was nominated.

"I'll never forget this moment because in this moment everything that I have ever wanted has just happened to me," Swift said through tears as she accepted the honor.

Swift beat the biggest names in country and snapped Kenny Chesney's stranglehold on the category: He won three straight and four of the past five. She also ended Carrie Underwood's three-year dominance in the female vocalist category.

TYLER SAYS HE'S STICKING WITH AEROSMITH

Relax, Aerosmith fans: Steven Tyler says he isn't leaving the band.

Tyler made a surprise appearance with guitarist Joe Perry and his band Tuesday night at a New York City venue. Tyler told the crowd: "I am not leaving Aerosmith."

Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines report the two then launched into their song "Walk This Way."

The appearance seemed to put an end to speculation about the band's future.

Perry recently tweeted that Aerosmith was "looking for a new singer to work with" and told the Las Vegas Sun that Tyler had quit, as far as he could tell. The 61-year-old Tyler was injured when he fell off a stage during an Aug. 5 performance in South Dakota. The band had two shows in Hawai'i last month.

ABC DOUBLEHEADER: MCCARTNEY, BEYONCÉ

ABC says Paul McCartney and Beyoncé will star in back-to-back one-hour specials Thanksgiving night.

The evening starts with a Beyoncé concert that was taped over the summer in Las Vegas.

That will be followed by a McCartney special that includes highlights from his July concert at Citi Field in New York City. The stadium in Queens is next to the former site of Shea Stadium, where he and his fellow Beatles rocked at the height of Beatlemania. Footage from that 1965 concert also will air during the special.