In what many people will likely construe as an inappropriate and bigoted remark Los Angeles radio station deejays Kevin and Bean asked the question "Would Mandisa be a Top 10 contestant on 'American Idol' if she were white?"
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| She Deserves Her Spot |
Mandisa is a large 280-pound black female singer with a fabulous voice, but the two white deejays apparently wanted to push the envelope and get provocative with their Friday show. It seems to me that they went over the line - even if they aren't bigots.
The question just seems classless and besides this gal is fabulous.
TMZ has the details of the Friday program:
"It's fascinating that she can be a front runner and look like she does, yet there's no way 'Whitey' shows up at 280 [lbs.] and gets in the Top 10. It's not even possible," commented Bean, half of the the popular team of Kevin and Bean -- both of whom are white.
With Mandisa considered one of 'Idol's' favorites, the discussion, which included co-hosts Ralph Garman and Lisa May, focused on how overweight Caucasian 'Idol' contestants are seemingly treated differently from African-American contestants. "What is the double standard?," they asked.
"Why is it acceptable for the African-American contestants -- and we're not just talking about 'American Idol'-- in all the world, you can be big and black and be considered sexy and no one's trying to get you to lose any weight... yet the big white guy all of a sudden is a pariah."
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While even Simon immediately joked about Mandisa's weight on her very first appearance on Idol and took some heat for it, he later apologized.
If one wants to poke fun at her weight, that's probably fine, but bringing race into it was not necessary.
TMZ has a poll here and right now it's 3-1 that she would NOT be in the final ten if she were white.
I strongly disagree.
--Karen Diaz
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