# American Idol 3/21 - the 1950s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270 "2006-03-21T12:31:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/221 "2006-03-23T09:44:44Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Watching Covais, I always thought it seemed like a mean spirited prank. Putting the kid on stage, letting him think he was any good, telling him he was a “sex symbol,” etc. Mean spirited? Perhaps it would have been kinder had someone told him he was too stupid to live. ---
**Author:** ![marymargaret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@marymargaret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marymargaret)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/222 "2006-03-23T12:09:27Z")
Jennifer Hudson was voted out seventh and is making a big-budget film. ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Windchill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Walter\_Windchill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walter_Windchill)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/223 "2006-03-23T12:50:26Z")
> [@marymargaret](#): > > Jennifer Hudson was voted out seventh and is making a big-budget film. Was she the seventh voted off, or in 7th place? As I remember it, she went pretty early. I know she went before the red haired guy because everyone lost their minds and Elton John said the show was racist. Notice they haven’t invited him back… ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/224 "2006-03-23T13:07:08Z")
> [@Walter Windchill](#): > > Was she the seventh voted off, or in 7th place? As I remember it, she went pretty early. I know she went before the red haired guy because everyone lost their minds … She finished 7th. She was an early surprise boot, as most people expected her to make it pretty far. I believe that was the week that Jennifer, Fantasia, and LaToya London were all in the bottom three. Afterwards we got stern lectures from Randy and Simon about how it was all our fault because we didn’t vote for the right people. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/225 "2006-03-23T13:09:52Z")
I’m with **Biggirl** ; I heard, “Ah’m not ballsy!” Can we all just agree Kellie’s an idiot? ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/226 "2006-03-23T13:29:15Z")
1. Yes, Kellie is an idiot. I think we’re all in agreement about that. Reading through everyone’s comments flashes the “TRAINWRECK!” sign in my head. 2. Kevin wasn’t one of my favorites, but yeah, I think he’s going to get some mileage out of all this. Whether or not he actually gets laid is another story. And you have to admit he must like poking fun at himself – did anyone catch the AI commercial toward the beginning? 3. Can either Ace or Bucky go home next week? Please? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/227 "2006-03-23T14:05:14Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Mean spirited? Perhaps it would have been kinder had someone told him he was too stupid to live. But he wasn’t stupid, just geeky. Unlike The Pickler who, although the evidence clearly shows that she isn’t too stupid to live because, well, she lives, it’s quite obvious she’s lucky they had air in her small town because if they didn’t she surely wouldn’t know how to breathe. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/228 "2006-03-23T14:18:10Z")
I missed the show last night, but our local news played the re-cap for all of the NC contestants this morning. I heard her say “What’s a ballsy?” To make it even stranger, they later showed an interview with her Dad on location in Central Prison in Raleigh. There’s Dad Clyde, attired in an orange jumpsuit, telling us his daughter is one of the most popular contestants on the cell block. 'Course, they don’t get to vote for her, because they don’t have phones… Clyde Pickler willl be released this May, for those whose lives wouldn’t be complete without that knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/229 "2006-03-23T14:27:36Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Tell me that line was not written for her. That was a play on “what’s a minx?” She had 24 hours of hanging out with the other people. Tell me the only way she had of actually asking that question was on live television. Right. She may be a lot craftier than we think, framing the question parallel to the last one and winking at the in-joke we’re all enjoying. Or she an annoying idiot. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that Kevin is out of there. Let the real competition begin! “America, make one of these great people the winner”. Um, what else could we do? Those are the options. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/230 "2006-03-23T14:28:00Z")
His name is Clyde Pickler? No wonder he turned to a life of crime! ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/231 "2006-03-23T14:31:16Z")
> [@YWalker](#): > > Clyde Pickler willl be released this May, for those whose lives wouldn’t be complete without that knowledge. Awww, maybe he’ll be out in time if his daughter is in the finale! Wouldn’t that be something. Did they mention what he’s in for? My life will not be complete without that knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/232 "2006-03-23T14:36:40Z")
> [@YWalker](#): > > There’s Dad Clyde, attired in an orange jumpsuit, telling us his daughter is one of the most popular contestants on the cell block. I’ll bet she is. Hopefully dad doesn’t realize in what way she’s popular with the cell block boys. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/233 "2006-03-23T15:07:34Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Tell me that line was not written for her. That was a play on “what’s a minx?” Now I’m even wondering if she came up with it herself. Since “ballsy” was clearly an adjective, asking “what’s **a** ballsy” sounds almost too dumb to believe - or as **gigi** suggested, dumb like a fox. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/234 "2006-03-23T15:19:34Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > Now I’m even wondering if she came up with it herself. Since “ballsy” was clearly an adjective, asking “what’s **a** ballsy” sounds almost too dumb to believe - or as **gigi** suggested, dumb like a fox. She said “It wasn’t ballsy.” ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/235 "2006-03-23T15:25:20Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > She said “It wasn’t ballsy.” But then why did Ryan respond with “I don’t have enough time to explain it to you”? Either way, she’s a dope. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/236 "2006-03-23T15:27:45Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > But he wasn’t stupid, just geeky. Okay, too _geeky_ to live. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/237 "2006-03-23T15:31:58Z")
> [@monster](#): > > But then why did Ryan respond with “I don’t have enough time to explain it to you”? Either way, she’s a dope. Maybe Ryan’s a dope. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/238 "2006-03-23T15:38:36Z")
> [@monster](#): > > But then why did Ryan respond with “I don’t have enough time to explain it to you”? Either way, she’s a dope. Oh, gosh, no. She’s a bit of an airhead, but she’s clever in her approach. Much of what you see is pure malarkey; she’s putting it on to play up the hayseed element, and I’m sure the AI folks are helping her and writing some of the lines. Most of what you see isn’t spontaneous. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/239 "2006-03-23T15:40:30Z")
Here’s my question: why the big freakin’ deal over her not knowing things that sluts and slackers know? Honestly, she’s not the one who such utterly hateful incredulity makes look bad. Maybe she just hasn’t been exposed to the MTV Spring Break lifestyle. I cannot for the life of me understand why there is nearly a jealous rage over her. And stupid? I happen to know ballsy, but I didn’t know what a minx was. I’m not stupid. Maybe she knows some things that you don’t know. Does that make you stupid? I don’t think so. And if you’re so much smarter than she, why is she there and you’re not? ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270/240 "2006-03-23T15:53:44Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > And if you’re so much smarter than she, why is she there and you’re not? I don’t know if you are addressing me directly, but she’s there and I’m not because she sings WAY better than I do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-3-21-the-1950s/349270.md?page=13)