Hey MAB,
Sounds like your coporate event is going to be a really good show, and a pretty big event for you and the others. Best of luck with that. About Kelly Pickler, I recall watching the season she was a contestant on Idol. She was so cute, innocent, and somewhat backwards with her country girl charm. She was refreshing with her sweetness and you couldn't help but fall in love with her (well, the Old Dog anyway).
That was several years ago but there are two things I remember about her. For some reason while talking with the judges after a performance, she mentioned she had tried (for the first time) and hated Calamari. While even mentioning them and telling the judges about them, they grossed her out and caused her to make a funny face and quiver a little. That was so cute.
The second memory I have about Kelly that season was after she had performed a song by Sara Evans "Suds In The Bucket". She waited on stage for the judges comments and when it came time for Simon to speak, he questioned her choice of songs by singing anything titled (and he said sarcastically) "Suds In The Bucket". Ha!!! Kelly defended the song by answering Simon in a girlish manner, "I like that song".
Now, my follow up memory. A group of us from the Ramp took a group tour with you in '09' . That group included: The Deaner (from Canada), MattH, Becky, Cindy R, and the Old Dog. One of the events you had planned for us was to have lunch with hit songwriter Will Nance and his lovely wife. Then, for a special treat you made a phone call and got us a large table at the Bluebird for a late performance featuring Will and some other hit songwriters (sorry, I can't remember their names).
Into the evening, one of the male songwriters began to introduce his next song by telling the story of how Simon criticized poor little Kelly Pickler for singing a song he had written. He then went on to say Simon's comments got his song more attention than having Sara record it. Of course he was intoducing his song "Suds In The Bucket".
What a night that was.
OD