I've just watched a recording of last night's Kentucky show at this unearthly hour (can't sleep), and I really felt for two of those auditionees tonight.
A guy came on, Mark Mudd Jr., after an intro where it sounded like he was trying to prove he wasn't a bad lad like his great x 5 grandfather who'd tried to assassinate Abraham Lincoln (some helpful Wikipedia soul has even added the detail to Samuel Mudd's entry already). Simon started out by asking if he had a gun because he had an empty mobile phone holster on his belt (I presume they are not allowed to take them into their audition). That of itself might have been taken as dry humour, Simon looking up from his usual 'face buried in sheets of profile info' posture.
But when the guy left and said 'be careful' as part of his Kentucky goodbye, similar to 'take care now', and delivered without any menace, Simon picked him up on it as if a threat. Paula, who should know better after a humiliated auditionee committed suicide outside her house, said the same and then made some aside to security. All this and the poor guy having to explain his innocent remark was mercilessly shown. Thankfully Randy offered him some respect, tried to bouy his spirits, and didn't take it as a threat.
Paula also invited another auditionee to drink some of her water. He used the straw. Even if he'd drank from the cup she wouldn't have wanted to use it afterwards but she enjoyed humiliating a sweet, harmless guy by commenting on the use of the straw, and demanded a replacement drink. He was only ever more at risk from catching the diva's germs, however he drank. He was also introduced in a 'coming up...' intro by Ryan as a 'nerd'.
Criticism of singing is one thing, that's what they're there for, but suggesting they're issuing gun-toting threats or implying they harbour untold communicable disease in front of 40 million fellow Americans is going too far.
A guy came on, Mark Mudd Jr., after an intro where it sounded like he was trying to prove he wasn't a bad lad like his great x 5 grandfather who'd tried to assassinate Abraham Lincoln (some helpful Wikipedia soul has even added the detail to Samuel Mudd's entry already). Simon started out by asking if he had a gun because he had an empty mobile phone holster on his belt (I presume they are not allowed to take them into their audition). That of itself might have been taken as dry humour, Simon looking up from his usual 'face buried in sheets of profile info' posture.
But when the guy left and said 'be careful' as part of his Kentucky goodbye, similar to 'take care now', and delivered without any menace, Simon picked him up on it as if a threat. Paula, who should know better after a humiliated auditionee committed suicide outside her house, said the same and then made some aside to security. All this and the poor guy having to explain his innocent remark was mercilessly shown. Thankfully Randy offered him some respect, tried to bouy his spirits, and didn't take it as a threat.
Paula also invited another auditionee to drink some of her water. He used the straw. Even if he'd drank from the cup she wouldn't have wanted to use it afterwards but she enjoyed humiliating a sweet, harmless guy by commenting on the use of the straw, and demanded a replacement drink. He was only ever more at risk from catching the diva's germs, however he drank. He was also introduced in a 'coming up...' intro by Ryan as a 'nerd'.
Criticism of singing is one thing, that's what they're there for, but suggesting they're issuing gun-toting threats or implying they harbour untold communicable disease in front of 40 million fellow Americans is going too far.
