Reba McEntire photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of the Valory Music Co.

You could make a pretty good argument that Reba McEntire is a bigger star than any of the contestants on this year’s edition of “Dancing With The Stars,” so she ought to be a huge draw for the ABC show Tuesday as it competes for viewers with “American Idol.”

Reba is slated to sing two songs from her current album, “Consider Me Gone” and “I Want A Cowboy,” when she makes her first guest appearance on the show at 8 p.m. ET. She adds her name to a substantial list of country stars who’ve sung on the show, including LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift.

It’s not an unfamiliar position for Reba, who has plenty of TV credits behind her. She spent six seasons as the lead in her own sitcom, “Reba,” and she’s hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards a whopping 11 times.

Reba makes it an even dozen when she hosts the ACMs again on April 18. She’ll pull double duty that night, adding a performance in between the jokes and the segues at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The script can change on a dime in the course of an awards show, making hosting one a real challenge. But Reba hasn’t the slightest reservation.

“Selfishly, I’d much rather do that than sit in the audience,” she says. “I love to be a part of the action. It’s fun, it’s exciting. The hardest work is for [wardrobe pro] Terry [Gordon] and I to decide what I’m gonna wear… I’m pullin’ pages out of magazines — I like this top, I don’t like this bottom, that thing there. I’m gonna perform, and then [I’ll need] a performance outfit, and it’s just exciting. I love live television, so [I’m] kinda selfish and they asked me and I jumped on the chance.”

Reba is a nominee for Top Female Vocalist at the awards. Among the other acts scheduled to perform are Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and GAC’s April Fan Focus artist, Laura Bell Bundy.

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