Yes, she definitely is.
Simon was way out of line when he callously dismissed her a couple weeks ago.
Simon doesn't know the meaning of the word apologize. He was definitely out of line. I don't get why he feels he has to dis previous winners to pimp the current year's crop. Makes no sense to me. The contestants ARE the show, and winners like Carrie and Kelly give it credibility.
Nashville Star is struggling because none of its winners have gone on to successful careers. In fact, all but the first NS winner flopped with their first CD's. But Carrie and Josh Gracin come along from AI and are carving very nice careers for themselves. Why have they been accepted in the country genre (and on country radio) when Nashville Star winners have not? Because AI has achieved a measure of credibility thanks to the success of Kelly, Clay, and Fantasia (ugh).
As far as I'm concerned, for Simon to dis Carrie or any of the former winners and runners up shows not only a lack of class on his part, but a lack of appreciation for the key ingredient in the show's success.
Amen.
I don't understand Simon when he does this. He's obviously a sharp businessman man--he wouldn't be where he is if he wasn't. So can't he see that he's hurting his business when he says these things?
Maybe he's trying to "create drama" for the show. I don't know ... To me he just looks like an ungrateful ass.