Wishful Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

"I wish..."

I could have stolen Carrie Underwood's spotlight in the Michael Jackson tribute at the Grammys!

(Edited to add: always read your instructions. I feel silly, but instead of scrolling down in my Reader, which I'm behind on, to read the actual topic post from the Seattle Smiths blog, I just read her entry today before posting my own. So I assumed I had to pick from just the folks that did the MJ tribute. & there I was scratching my head thinking, really? That's all I've got to pick from? D'oh! I could've picked any performance at the Grammys! Oh, well, I still think Carrie's adorable. I'll pay attention more closely next week.)

I think Carrie Underwood is one of the

classiest,

most fabulous,

& most stylish

ladies in pop culture today.

Not just in country music. In pop culture as a whole.

I enjoy her music,

she is immensely talented

(I've been fortunate enough to see her live),

& she seems genuine.

Not because she won American Idol. As I've mentioned before, I've never seen American Idol, & I have zero interest in watching it.

She seems real because in any interview I've read or seen with her, she is

candid about her insecurities,

honest about her dedication to counting calories

& using the treadmill,

& up-front that she uses a stylist to (usually) hit the red carpets in perfect style.

So many celebrities waah waah waah about celebrity, while she seems genuinely grateful for her fortune, & still maintains a "down-home" kind of appeal.

(& don't get me wrong, I like Taylor Swift, & I like her music, but hasn't her "Oh, me? You really chose me for this? Oh, wow, I'm surprised!" thing kind of gotten old? It's not a surprise to anybody anymore when she wins an award, & we know it's not a surprise to her either. It comes off as phony these days, not humbling. But that's just my impression.)

I also get tired of celebrities that claim they don't need a stylist, when so many clearly do. & I get really tired of the ones that claim

they can eat whatever they want,

or they lost the baby weight from "chasing their kids,"

or they are "totally secure with their bodies & don't have scales."

HA! I don't know any real women that can honestly say those things, & we're not on magazine covers all the time!

Lastly, I respect Ms. Underwood for her commitment to keeping her private life private as best she can. I think she's proven that a lot of people whose messy love lives are all over the tabloids could do a bit more to prevent their dirty laundry from being so accessible to the media.

(Now, I do have to wonder, though, WHO ON EARTH cast this tribute? I like these artists, truly, & I totally get Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, & Usher; but Carrie & Celine Dion? Really?! That, I don't get. & it has nothing to do with race. I could have understood Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, etc. But neither of those [classy&talented] ladies really brings to mind anything even remotely in the same style of Michael Jackson! Though I admit I was surprised at how well they did with one of my favorite MJ songs.)

The images I've peppered this blog post with are a few of my favorite looks of Ms. Underwood's over the last few years.