I'll admit it. When I heard Hollywood was coming to town I was prepared for attitude, arrogance, and pushy television producers who had no respect for southerners. Perhaps I read too many tabloids as nothing could have been further from the truth. From the beginning, the 'American Idol' team asked for and listened to our opinions on important issues like where to take their media parade, and what to expect at each location. There was never a sense of "this is how it's going down and if you hillbillies don't like it, you can go back to your tobacky farm." To our credit we were agreeable partners who realized at the end of the day it was their show. I was shocked by the mutual respect.
QDR was the day's first stop and you could see the anxiousness in the producer's face. The visit would ultimately set the tone for the afternoon, so some nervousness was to be expected. There wasn't any rudeness (despite a larger than expected in-studio audience) and Scotty McCreery's bodyguards were purposeful but understanding when the 17-year-old was peppered with autograph requests. They kept the parade moving, but didn't turn down any of the youngest "Scotty Hotties."It turns out Scotty's stop at QDR did set the tone for the day. Everyone who had a hand in the planning should have beamed with pride when the producer announced that the Garner stop was the best she'd been a part of in eight years on 'Idol.' Kudos to the town of Garner for throwing together a wonderful show with little time and money. They weren't prepared for this, but their effort was exemplary.
Watch Scotty Talk to the Q-Morning Crew
(The A.I. producer is the dark haired woman in the white blouse, who enters just behind Scotty.)
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