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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Mar 5, 2007 17:29:18 GMT -5
American Idol alum Kellie Pickler would seem a likely candidate to be ubiquitous at this week's Country Radio Seminar.
But Pickler, whose Small Town Girl album topped country album charts in its first week of release, is off in Los Angeles, where she sang new single "I Wonder" on Idol Thursday night.
"Everything that has happened to me is just amazing," Pickler said Monday afternoon, lunching at Midtown Cafe. "Every dream that I've had is coming true."
Pickler is the second female vocalist to emerge from Idol and become a major-label country performer. The first, of course, is Carrie Underwood, who recently added Grammy Awards to a trophy haul that includes prizes from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Pickler herself this week was nominated for a CMT Music Award, and she stands a good chance at a best new artist nod when the ACM nominations are announced Monday.
In April, Pickler will begin a string of dates opening for Brad Paisley at tour stops across North America.
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Post by niki822 on Apr 1, 2007 23:19:02 GMT -5
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Apr 2, 2007 19:11:28 GMT -5
Thanks. I LOVE this video. It is really reminicent of what life without your mom would be like. You just can't help but wonder if she ever thinks of you. It made me cry but it was a GREAT video. GO KELLIE!!
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Apr 2, 2007 19:59:35 GMT -5
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Post by niki822 on Apr 22, 2007 17:09:15 GMT -5
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Apr 23, 2007 0:17:38 GMT -5
That was such a GREAT performance. And she got a standing ovation too. How many times does that happen... especially at the opry. She is getting better and better every time I hear her.
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Aug 16, 2007 12:07:49 GMT -5
Kellie Pickler is angry. But she’s also had her feelings hurt and she’s not going to take it!
A radio DJ on 107.5 FM The River in Nashville who goes by the name of Intern Adam (real name Adam Davis, apparently) went on the record Tuesday — he has a gossip spot called the Sleaze report: 57 Seconds of Sleaze — saying that he’d seen Kellie driving a black Mercedes the night before and that she was driving drunk. No proof, no facts, just his assumption.
He said he saw her in the drive-through of McDonald’s at just before 1 a.m. He said she was screaming into the speaker “like a skanky sorority girl” and she was dancing in her car with the tunes cranked up to Fergie’s Glamourous. A male passenger was with her. The hotshots at the station assumed it was her boyfriend hockey player Justin Tootoo, but that was wrong too. (Imagine that!)
“Obviously this girl has had too much to drink and shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a car,” he said. Of course Intern never got close to Kellie, never looked her in the eye or spoke to her. Never tried to get any facts at all. Yet he thought it would be just fine to call her Nashville’s Lindsay Lohan.
“I’m not here to defend myself,” she said the next day. “It’s not my side of the story. It’s the truth. You said I was drunk driving! Listening to music, dancing, there’s nothing wrong with that. You should’ve called us and actually got your facts together. I didn’t do anything wrong. I want to get this little story that you have created about me straight. There’s kids that listen to your station…I don’t want them to think I’m drunk driving. I’m a role model for these little girls and little boys, and it hurts me that you would get on here and say that about me when it’s false.”
Adam tried to defend his lack or journalist tactics, but couldn’t. He tried to justify his rumor-mongering by saying it’s his job. Finally, he apologized (although he didn’t sound the least bit sorry to me) and said it was a big “misunderstanding.”
“I forgive you. I’m all about forgiveness,” she said.
At one point, she broke down and cried. “I would hate to think my 7-year old brother heard that,” she said. “You can’t get on the air and just say things like that. It’s mean and it hurts. I would never judge you. Do your research next time.”
Kellie takes her responsibility as a public figure seriously. She’s conscious of her behavior and knows that she’s going to be scrutinized for everything she does now. She told me when we spoke last October that songs about partying aren’t the kind of songs she wants to sing because that’s not what she’s about. Her parental history has taught her about substance abuse and maybe that’s why a report of her “drunk” upset her so much.
“This is my home town now. You’re my local radio station. I can’t believe you’re bashing me,” she said.
Good for you, Kellie! Stand up for yourself and what you believe in. And Adam? You might want to rethink your career.
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Aug 16, 2007 12:09:15 GMT -5
Kellie Pickler will not stand by silently while being falsely accused. When radio personality Intern Adam of WRVW in Nashville stated on the air and on his web page Tuesday that he had spotted Kellie driving drunk, she headed down to the studio to confront him. Adam reported that he saw Kellie driving a black Mercedes at a Nashville McDonald's drive-through window while bouncing up and down, waving her arms in the air and screaming into the speaker. "Kellie then cranks up Fergie's song 'Glamorous' and puts the car in park to sit up in the car and spell out the letters like a cheerleader," he wrote. "In true Pickler style she had her "s" backwards and missed the "o" in the spell-out. Obviously this girl has had tooo much to drink and shouldn't be behind the wheel of her car."
The next morning, Kellie appeared on the show and chided Adam for not checking out his story before reporting it.
"I'm not here to defend myself," she said. "It's not my side of the story. It's the truth. You said I was drunk driving! Listening to music, dancing — there's nothing wrong with that. You should've called us and actually got your facts together. I didn't do anything wrong. I want to get this little story that you have created about me straight. There's kids that listen to your station...I don't want them to think I'm drunk driving. I'm a role model for these little girls and little boys, and it hurts me that you would get on here and say that about me when it's false."
Kellie finally accepted Adam's apology. "I'm all about forgiveness," she said, "but you can't get on the air and say things like that about a person. How would you like it I went around town and just trashed your name? It's mean. It really hurt me."
To hear the on-air confrontation, log onto 1075theriver.com.
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Aug 16, 2007 12:10:06 GMT -5
If former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler is angry, she will let you know.
Just ask "The River" (WRVW) radio personality/intern Adam, who stated on air and on his personality page on August 7 that he spotted the country singer behind the wheel of a black Mercedes in a Nashville McDonalds drive-thru and appeared to be inebriated.
The Southern belle "screamed into the drive-thru speaker," according to Adam, while singing along to Fergie's "Glamorous."
"In true Pickler style she had her "s" backwards and missed the "o" in the spell out," Adam wrote on his page.
Check out Adam's personality page for more details!
"Obviously this girl has had tooo much to drink and shouldn't be behind the wheel of her car. Could she be Nashville's own Lindsay Lohan???"
The next morning, an irate Pickler, who is known for her sweet and ditzy personality, appeared on the show and scolded Adam for his inaccurate report.
"I'm not here to defend myself," she said. "It’s not my side of the story it’s the truth. You said I was drunk driving! Listening to music dancing, there’s nothing wrong with that. You should’ve called us and actually got your facts together. I didn’t do anything wrong. I want to get this little story that you have created about me straight. There’s kids that listen to your station...I don't want them to think I'm drunk driving. I'm a role model for these little girls and little boys and that hurts me that you would get on here and say that about me when it's false."
A teary Pickler finally accepted Adam's apology after initially refusing to do so.
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Aug 16, 2007 12:10:28 GMT -5
Last November, Kellie Pickler signed on the dotted line for a sitcom to be developed with 20th Century Fox for a character based on herself. The premise was Kellie would play "a naive small-town Southern girl who discovers that her biological father is the state's well-respected governor." But now, with the success of her music career, the fifth-season "American Idol" finalist is having second thoughts. "Country music's my whole life now. I want to establish myself as an important country artist while I have the chance," says Kellie in an interview with Ohio's Akron-Beacon-Journal. "If I was working on a TV show, that would take 14, 15 hours a day. When would I fit my music in? When would I tour?"
Kellie is currently performing on Brad Paisley's "Bonfires & Amplifiers" tour, which is scheduled to wrap in October. In related news, Kellie was at the Fort Campbell Army Post on Monday, along with tour mates Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift, giving a free concert to soldiers and their families, according to The Tennessean.
"It's a great thing to do for them because they do so much," she says. "It's all out of pure love, and we want to have a good time and show them a good time."
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Aug 16, 2007 12:10:52 GMT -5
Why did Kellie's mom discard her as she did?
Kellie Pickler has to be the bravest and the most understanding young lady I know ["'American Idol' singer's mom tells of shame, amends," July 30].
The song about her mother, Cynthia Malone, is a song that every mother who has abandoned her children should be made to listen to.
Kellie's mom could have and should have taken her daughter with her. Why leave her with in-laws so close to her so-called abusive dad? Makes no sense to me.
There are a lot of unanswered questions I have for Cynthia Malone. How much child support did she pay? Had she not heard about any places that help abusive mothers? Too many unanswered questions.
It is just so sad that now mothers can just abandon their children with no remorse, no feeling, and no liabilities.
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Aug 16, 2007 12:42:00 GMT -5
So it seems Kellie Pickler will end 2007 with an upbeat and fun song. Her third single "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind" penned by Tim Johnson, Don Poythress, and Wynn Varble is set for release September 10, 2007.
A welcome change from the very emotional hit single "I Wonder," a song about the missing relationship with her mother.
While trying to be politically correct, the song is about what a rugged straight man wouldn't do or say. At least according to the writers. Most jokes have casualties and this song is no exception. It's actually funny and you can laugh about it. At times you'll find yourself nodding in agreement to some of the verses.
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Aug 16, 2007 12:42:27 GMT -5
Choking back tears on the stage at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre recently, former "American Idol" sweetheart Kellie Pickler sang a song of questions to the mother who abandoned her.
In a church sanctuary not five miles away, Pickler's mother, Cynthia Malone, prayed once more for the strength to fully forgive herself for deserting Pickler as a toddler.
What was once a mother's private shame has become national intrigue as Pickler, 21, a budding country music vocalist, penned a song about a little girl's longing for a vanished mother.
"I Wonder" is climbing the Billboard Hot Country Songs list, hitting No. 15 last month.
Malone said it was hard to hear the first words her daughter had spoken to her in a decade uttered in a song on the radio. The lyrics are more mournful than angry, more pitiful than judging, but Pickler poses painful questions.
Did you think I didn't need you here to hold my hand, to dry my tears? Did you even miss me through the years at all?
The song — and Pickler's discussions about her tough childhood — unleashed a range of emotions for Malone. Embarrassment faded to anger, which turned to hurt.
Now, Malone is using the conversation that Pickler started in a song to speak to strangers about her struggles. She has joined with Interact, the domestic violence support center in Wake County to assist victims and hopes her unwelcome fame as Pickler's estranged mom will make them listen.
"I can't change anybody's mind or their perception of me," said Malone, 38, widening dark eyes that match her daughter's. "But, if I had a dream, it would be to help one girl. To let her know that you don't have to do it by yourself."
'Her life or yours'
Malone was 16 and a country girl living in Stanly County when she fell for Clyde "Bo" Pickler Jr. He pulled up to her window at a local McDonald's drive-through. She was smitten, and quickly they became a pair.
"He told me everything I wanted to hear," Malone said. "He told me he loved me, that I was pretty, that he wanted to be there and protect me from my dad. I wholeheartedly believed him."
Soon, Malone got pregnant with Kellie and married Clyde Pickler.
That was when the trouble started.
The beatings came fast. Malone tried to shield her bulging belly and had to take medicine to temper premature contractions.
Kellie's birth in 1986 seemed to unleash even more violence in their home. Malone said she called police so many times that officers knew her by name.
Once, she said, her husband threw her through a glass shower door and choked her before vanishing.
For three days, Malone said, she wrapped Kellie in blankets and hid her behind their bed, in case her husband returned in a rage.
By the summer of 1988, Malone had had enough. She had shut down and could think of little more than survival.
"When you're in that place, you have to make a decision: her life or yours," Malone said during an emotional five-hour interview. "I'd given her life, but I didn't want to lose mine."
A mother's shame
The morning after an immobilizing beating, Malone said, she dropped 2-year-old Kellie off at her in-laws', stuffed a few items in her car and headed off to hide with family. She grabbed a few baby pictures, Kellie's baby blanket and the outfit she brought her home from the hospital in.
Malone told no one she was leaving.
A year later, Malone showed up at a custody hearing to try to preserve some custody rights to Kellie.
Clyde Pickler's parents, Clyde Sr. and the late Faye Pickler, asked a judge for full guardianship.
Malone said she disappeared again after her husband threatened her life.
Malone stayed gone for many years. She would drive by her former in-laws', though, and park near the road to catch a glimpse of Kellie playing in the yard. She looked happy, Malone recalled.
In 1995, Malone got herself together enough to reunite with her daughter. A judge granted her custody. Kellie was in the fourth grade.
Malone said it was good for about a day; the two baked cookies and played checkers.
Soon, their relationship unraveled.
Malone said Kellie desperately longed for her grandparents. She threw fits and threatened to kill herself, Malone said.
Kellie's grandparents alleged in court records that Malone abused Kellie; a judge found her not guilty of child abuse.
Eventually Malone surrendered, heartbroken. She turned Kellie back over to the Picklers and took off again.
"I don't know what was hardest," Malone said, "watching her from afar or having her wrapped up beside me."
Wondering about Kellie
It has been 10 years since the two have met. Malone said she lived for the glimpses of her daughter on "American Idol" in 2006. She recorded each episode and watched it again and again. She raves about Kellie's voice.
In the years since they have parted, Malone has struggled. She said she survived a series of violent relationships and barely escaped with her life in 2002.
An estranged husband lay in wait for her, Malone said, and attacked her. She suffered major brain damage and had to learn to walk and talk again.
She has had eight surgeries to rebuild a shattered face and replace her teeth.
She fled to Colorado after that attack and changed her last name to Malone through a protection program for victims of domestic violence.
She has kept a low profile since returning to North Carolina a few years ago. She works in financial services but declined to be specific about her whereabouts.
Malone is still wary one of her abusers will find her.
She doesn't want to address her daughter through the media and won't discuss their current relationship.
Pickler, who declined to comment for this story, landed a recording deal with BNA Records and 19 Recordings and left to launch her career.
She fills her mom in on her adventure in the last verse of "I Wonder."
And just in case you're wondering about me From now on I won't be in Carolina Your little girl is off Your little girl is off Your little girl is off to Tennessee.
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Post by BoandNora-SexyLove4Ever on Sept 2, 2007 1:33:27 GMT -5
Kellie has been nominated for the Horizon award at the CMA awards this November. Wish her luck. She deserves this.
And she will appear on an episode of " Are You Smarter Then A Fifth Grader," With Clay Aiken during November sweeps. The money they win will go to charity.
She was also voted as the 5th most beautiful country star by the readers of Country Weekly.
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Post by soapfan94 on Sept 11, 2007 21:07:04 GMT -5
Good Luck and Congrats Kellie!
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