Return of a comet
It’s too easy to fall into the trap of cynicism. After all, “nobody could be that dumb, right?”. Tonight saw me back in front of the Fox, watching the Fifth Grader tests. For a change, a familiar face. And the question.
You see, my favourite simple soul from American Idol was front and center. Kelli Dawn Pickler, looking radiantly blonde and fulfilling a lifetime of stereotypes. Her accent; flawless. Her hair and teeth; perfect. Her intellectual abilities; somewhat south of any explored territory. She didn’t even have to sing or tell a restaurant story to keep us eating out of her hand. After all, nobody could be that dumb, right?
We’re not supposed to laugh (or even giggle) at those who lack common knowledge. Then again, the premise of the program is that the candidate is smarter than you know who. She wasn’t. Every question was a guesstimation. The leaps of logic were breathtaking. What class of instrument is a piccolo? P as in percussion. What country has Budapest as its capital? Hungry – she’d heard of turkey. Was France a country? Which was the name of a president? P as in Pickler, therefore Pierce. Could this possibly be scripted?
To watch her is to love her, in the way we love helpless puppies and kittens. Hopefully she has a strong omniscient guardian angel, to protect her from the terrors of the night. Her stay in the limelight was brief, but I’m sure we’ll see Ms Pickler again. The camera loves her. She’ll be back for another turn around the sun, just like a comet. Somehow, she might be the real star among so many wannabe idols.
