But what is the point in acting dumb? It’s usually the other way around, isn’t it? The displaced hayseed makes a fool of herself by wishing to appear smarter than she is. Isn’t that the usual caricature? I often have to ask about words I don’t know, or if I have the Internet handy, I look them up. Especially when they’re weird food from up north or terms used in contexts I seldom encouter. Maybe it’s just that I’ve seen so many people like her around these parts that she just doesn’t strike me as that unusual.
Pauler seemed sober last night. I mean, her eyes were open and she seemed able to focus. Still as incoherent as ever, though.
I heard something also and I have the episode on tape–I’ll check tonight.
This is the first time that I heard a big, strong voice from Melissa McGhee. Still smoky, but powerful at the same time. And Simon dissed her. Was that reverse psychology, to get all of us who hate him to vote for her?
I know Kinnik’s vocals haven’t been real awe-striking the last couple of weeks, but I’d kind of like to keep her around just to look at. Besides, I think she & Ayla (at least) were both screwed by the sound mixing this time. Or I need a new TV set, with stereo. Or their voices just fell into the range where my hearing sucks.
Can’t we lose Paris & Kellie instead? Oh, well.
I’ve been thinking of stopping my viewership of AI after the semifinal round. I already have favorites, I’m not judging objectively anymore, & it’s only gonna drive me crazy.
And last night, when Simon was dissing everybody else to butter up Mandisa, I thought, “I would rewind to listen to Melissa’s over Mandisa’s.” So there.
…
On to tonight. I’m hoping we lose Covais. Other than that, I dunno. Bucky?
Actually, although the show would suffer, I would be cool with Chris Daughtry ending his Idol run here. Then he can get a contract with someone other than 19 Entertainment that much sooner.
Come to think of it, that may be even more true of Elliot Yamin.
You mean Luther. Luthor is a comical book charactaber.
I don’t think she’s trying to fake being dumb, exactly, I think she’s trying to fake naiivete and wide-eyed innocence. I think her whole hick-in-the-city thing is affected. I think she over-acts her her culture shock. I think she over-acts her facial expressions. I think she even exaggerates her accent. I don’t believe she doesn’t know how to pronounce the word “salmon.”
In addition to the above, I think she really is dumb. I don’t think she was faking it when she didn’t know what the word “minx” meant.
Of course, these are completely subjective, visceral impressions on my part. It’s just how I respond to her on an intutive level. It’s completely superficial and shallow. I could change my mind tomorrow. I often do with reality show people. Sometimes I’ll change my mind two or three times. In Pickler’s initial audition liked her. Ever since then it seems like she’s jusy been milking the same themes, but I’m sure the producers have something to do with that.
She pronounced it correctly. That’s how it’s pronounced where she comes from. It wasn’t that she’d never heard of it; it’s that she’d never eaten it. You’re giving the alleged moron an awful lot of mental credit if she’s supposed to be a master of linguistic nuance and sociological psychology.
Neither was I, and I’m not dumb. Dumb doesn’t mean that you’ve not run across this or that word. After all, look how many people don’t know what a toboggan is. I’d never seen or heard the word “minx” used like that in my life. And I’m fifty-something.
Well, let’s say you’re right. What I can’t understand is why you find the theme of wholesomeness and innocence to be so offensive. I mean damn. Say you’re in a jam, and you have her on one side of you and some bitch who thinks she’s all that on the other side of you. Do you honestly cast off the good one and look to the bad one for help? And if she’s the type of gal who’d loan you a dollar when you need it, why be so grumpy?
Know what bugs me far more than silliness like “Wow, weird unpronouncable food!” and the whole aw-shucksness? The entire “I’m a orphaned hayseed with no sophistication who’s never seen sheet music or sang with a band” is such a crock. She took first place in the Miss Stanly County pageant and competed, but didn’t win, the Miss North Carolina Pageant the following year, both times she used singing for the talent portion of the competition. She got a total rehearsel for Idol by placing in the finals in her local TV stations “Gimme the Mic” contest last year. So where does the ‘never seen real live musicians before’ schtick fit into that?
Granted, the kid’s caught a lot of tough breaks, mom died and daddy’s a loser, that doth suck. Millions of people catch tough breaks in life, often without the benefits of beauty and talent and a huge extended support system to ease the pain, but g’head and exploit your backstory if it’ll advance your career. Just don’t cling so tightly to the unsophisticted act when you’ve had plenty of experience singing on camera in front of live audiences with multiple different backing bands.
It’s disingenuous and makes all her other starry-eyed commentary suspect.
I would say it’s inbred for southern girls – especially country girls-- to act sweetly daft and innocent. Even if it’s affected, it’s who Kellie is. It doesn’t mean she’s a master ling
oops. I was trying to scroll down to remember what Liberal said, and hit some key on my keyboard that submitted the post prematurely.
I wanted to say, It doesn’t mean she’s a master of linguistic nuance and sociological psychology. It just means she’s a southern girl. Most southern gals have a little Scarlett O’Hara in them.
My husband guffawed when she said “sal-mon.” The funny part for me? It’s how he says it, too. He’s from Kentucky.
By the way, a toboggan is a had and a sled. You wear one while you ride one. So sayeth Ohio; so sayeth the world. 
Er, a hat, that is. slinks away
No, I meant Luthor! I want him to sing it with a bald head after he changes his name to Gene Hackman.
I didn’t notice at first but I just undeleted this on my Tivo and rewatched…
It’s there, and it’s Simon. You can see him lean over and address either Randy or Paula. You got what he said right too, but there’s some other words I can’t quite make out.
“Paula, you drunken slut”?*
*Paleological SNL reference.
Does the format change for the 12? Do the guys and girls compete together? Will it be on less days a week? The clueless would like to know.
There is something wrong with Gedion. Gideon. Gedeon. The black guy.
“See my pretty painting.”
He did okay. Best so far tonight.
Gedeon IS a funny little thing. isn’t he? He kind of grows on you. He’s got an odd personality but he sings well.
He can sing, I’ll give him that. I’m going in the reverse of everyone else. He’s getting stranger and more off to me.