Carrie Underwood Tells 'Mean' Critics They Need Jesus; Quotes Bible Verse
Former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood responded to those who criticized her for her "Sound of Music Live!" performance by telling them on Twitter that they need Jesus and encouraging them to read 1 Peter 2:1-25.
"Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus. They will be in my prayers tonight... 1 Peter 2:1-25," read a tweet by the NBC's live-musical star the day after "The Sound of Music Live!" was broadcast.
Underwood was cast as Maria in the live performance of the "Sound of Music" for television.
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The Bible passage she mentioned begins with a call to "rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."
After her performance, Underwood tweeted with a visible excitement, saying: "Glory to God tonight...I couldn't be more proud. What a tough thing to pull off and we did it! I am so blessed!!!"
However, criticism poured in soon thereafter, both on social media and in mainstream media.
"Mystified & disappointed so far by SOM special," tweeted Kym Karath, who played Greti von Trapp in the original musical film. "Love Carrie Underwood but this role is just not right for her. She is lovely her voice is beautiful but acting is wrong," she added.
Underwood "sang well as Maria but her acting inexperience was laid bare. She had zero chemistry with her love interest and lacked any intensity or shading. Deer in headlights have emoted more," remarked The Associated Press.
The People magazine commented that she was "miscast," while the Hollywood Reporter said, "Carrie Underwood ably belts out the hits - but her acting leaves a hole where this live production's heart should've been."
Days before her performance, Underwood told Reuters in an interview that the original film was "part of my growing up ... anytime it would come on TV, my mom and I would sit together and cuddle up in the bed and watch it together so it has a lot of very dear memories for me."
She admitted she had never had choreography before. "I've never had to worry too much about where I am on stage. I never really had to worry about cameras, and where they are. The whole acting challenge has been just that - a challenge - but I am surrounded by incredibly talented people and that definitely makes it easier."
She added she is from Oklahoma. "I live in Tennessee. I sing country music. Sometimes words really slip out sounding like where I am from. After this is all over, I will have to go back to my hometown and spend some time with my family and get my accent back ... I am just trying to sound as un-twangy as I can sound."
With more than 18 million viewers, the performance received a 4.6 rating with viewers younger than 50, according to Show Tracker.
