A Changed Kelly Pickler: American Idol

Kelly Pickler is the sweet down home girl we all fell in love with during American Idol season six. Her personality and humor won her a spot in the top 12 and she placed very high in the overall competition. She has done amazing with her debut album Small Town Girl, which has recently gone gold. She is an amazing singer and very talented, she has a natural gift to make everyone around her smile, but recently she has undergone some drastic changes.

The first noticeable appearance changes came at the end of American Idol season six. When she left the stage she was the sweet innocent Kelly we had all come to love. But upon her retune to the stage during the finales of the show she looked very much effected by Hollywood. Her hair was different, short not long, and her dress was not the casual country girl America fell in love with.

During last Thursdays result show for American Idol season seven Kelly Pickler was the guest star and featured performer of the night. Since the last time we had seen her on stage her album had been released and America thought that we were going to see the real Kelly, but we were all wrong. Once announced Kelly took the stage, looking like a Merlyn Monroe wanna be, with short bleach blond hair, and an obvious breast augmentation. She looked nice, but it was not the Kelly we wanted to remember.

Many fans will be displeased with the changes our country girl has undergone, but I feel the true reason for this transformation is a sad one. Kelly during her time on the show was made fun of unmercifully for being a kind of ditzy and unknowing dumb blond. She would always make funny candid statements that would have everyone laughing; even the judges could not resist her charm. Simon Cowl was one of her biggest fans, looking forward to the outtakes on live television she would perform.

This overall added to her draw factor with the American public, but looking back she probably felt embarrassed and singled out because of her lack of knowledge about Hollywood life. Kelly grew up in a small town in a very rural area in North Carolina, with her Grandfather. She is the absolute personification of how we would perceive a down home country girl to be, but when she was constantly made fun of for not knowing what calamari was or a minx then I could see why she would feel a bit disheartened.

During the season finale last year a segment was taped called "Puck and Pickler" featuring renowned gourmet cook Wolfgang Puck and idol finalist Kelly pickler. America laughed as Puck tried to teach Kelly the finer points of Hollywood and upper-class cuisine but to no avail. This to us was funny, but it's the equivalent of an ongoing dumb blond joke. How would you feel if you were an amazing singer and all anyone did was poke fun at you 24/7 and never really let up, even after the show was over?

Kelly is probably feeling belittled and is trying to compensate by "becoming what Hollywood is" and that's fake. However, through all the changes she has undergone, Kelly has remained Kelly. She may look different and dress different, but her personality still shows through, and we love her for that. Her album also showcases her amazing voice, something we lose sight of during her stage performances because everyone waits on edge to see her candid moments rather then listen to a talented singer.

Kelly will eventually find herself and the public will be thrilled when we can get our old down home girl back. She is an amazing singer, and talented beyond comprehension, and does not need the trials and tribulations of Hollywood to prove that she is a true American Idol!