Apparently Americans Can't Understand An Accent
It looks like Cheryl Cole won't have to kick Derek Hough out of her life after all. Producers of the show really hated the guy and wanted Cheryl to distance herself from him. But, now she can keep on going on because the producers have decided to fire her. Oh sure, they say replace, but it is fired. Why? Her accent is too thick for Americans to understand. So, they are going to replace her with Nicole Scherzinger who Americans cannot stand. It is not like people are not going to watch the show because Cheryl has a thick accent. We have watched Paula slur every other word for almost a decade so I think we can handle a British accent. Plus, Nicole cannot sing so I don't see how she is going to mentor anyone. Sample conversation.
"This is Mike. He is my autotune guy. All you have to do is press this button and you sound great. Of course since you have to sing live this will be of no help. Good luck everyone."
This is curious b/c I thought that Cheryl Cole was Simon's FIRST choice---and it's his show.
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like they had a falling out? I really don't know much about her but I know Simon Cowell is going to have things exactly as he wants them on his show.
Wait, wasn't Nicole Scherzinger paired with Derek Hough on DWTS? INTERESTING.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering what the appeal of Nicole Scherzinger is...she's not THAT popular, but people keep giving her chance after chance, opportunity after opportunity...
If Cheryl Cole was REALLY fired because of her Geordie accent, that's embarrassing for me as an American. My British boyfriend is going to give me so much crap for this.
Did you know that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone in the States because kids there didn't know what a philosopher was? True story.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this does not surprise me.
LOL. Paula Abdul is a judge, and she basically speaks drunken Klingon more than anything resembling English. I don't see why they'd fire Cheryl because of the way she talks (she's so gorgeous, I'd think they'd overlook it!), but there ARE lots of Americans out there who refuse to even read subtitles, let alone listen to a thick accent.
ReplyDeleteThis is a shame, truly. I cannot STAND the Pussycat Dolls. Since when does pelvis-thrusting and autotune equal actual talent? They absolutely suck.
Then again, I don't know if Cheryl has any talent, either. From what I know about Girls Aloud, the chick with the cropped blonde hair and the redhead seem to be the strongest performers. I could be wrong, but whatever. The Spice Girls did it better, anyway.
teehee @ 'drunken Klingon'. Ida ftw!
ReplyDeleteI am embarrassed to admit this, but I have a really hard time understanding English accents.
ReplyDelete(I'm an American)
I try to watch movies, shows, etc...with folks who have the accent,and I can't keep up with it.
I bet Cheryl was market tested, and people didn't think much of her. In the UK, she came with a lot of previous popularity. Here in the US, she's completely unknown. If she tested poorly (not charming enough, bad accent), I have no doubt that Simon would cut her regardless of their friendship. Simon is a savvy businessman, and he won't let a personal relationship stand in the way of his success.
ReplyDeleteGiven Cowell's clout and how he fights for someone he believes in, I think that there has to be more to this. I've actually never heard Cheryl Cole speak is it that thick of an accent? Worse than Cowell's? (not to sound ignorant).
ReplyDeleteIn defense of America's ears, I don't think its the British accent but her "thick" regional accent. I understand Simon and even Sharon Osbourne with no problem, but have you ever heard Hugh Grant talk? Or Joss Stone? Or the Spice Girls before they got refined? They sound as confusing to my ears as Rocky Balboa probably does to England's ears.
ReplyDelete@M:have you ever heard Hugh Grant talk? Or Joss Stone? Or the Spice Girls before they got refined? They sound as confusing to my ears as Rocky Balboa probably does to England's ears.
ReplyDeleteseriously? I have more of a problem understanding Rocky than any of those mentioned. Especially Hugh Grant...very big fan of the RP accent. I am American and raised in Napa...not exactly a melting pot...
@Sue Ellen -
ReplyDeleteThat's not quite accurate.
Scholastic changed Philosopher to Sorcerer b/c in the US, a philosopher is a scholar of philosophy, not alchemist/magician. It was a marketing thing and they figured a kid would be more apt to buy a book about magic!
But yes, we Americans can be very moronic! :)
I really don't know who Cheryl Cole is but I'm not understanding why a Pussycat Doll would be her chosen replacement.
@G - I've heard her talk. She's got a very charming accent. A bit thick (and I'm a HARDCORE Anglophile and can understand pikeys), but it's not enough to require her to be replaced.
ReplyDeleteCheryl & Simon have AMAZING on-air chemistry. The US is losing out on some pure comedic gold. And Cheryl's...adorable.
@Ida - Cheryl can't sing to save her life...but she can dance CIRCLES around Nicole & all the Pussycat Whores...I mean Dolls. Two words: Hypermobile hips. She can undulate like a snake. It's cool looking.
hey! nicole is a good singer, she just lacks good taste.
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ReplyDeleteTo be fair and not slam Americans, there are a lot of English accents that are difficult to understand. I can't understand a Scottish accent and some types of British accents (think Scary Spice's awful speaking voice). For American accents, have you ever been to Rhode Island or Massachusetts? They don't pronounce their Rs. And some southern accents are impossible to understand (the butchery of the English language doesn't help). In Canada, I have a hard time with thicker Newfoundland accents.
ReplyDeleteAs someone above said, I too turn on the subtitles when I watch British (Irish, Scottish, etc.) movies or tv. It's hard to get used to the accent and sometimes I don't get the joke (regional-wise).
Her accent reminds me of a friend's who is from Edinburgh. I imagine Cheryl is from northern England, somewhere closer to the highlands than to London. I listened to a sample of her on YouTube, and I understood her, but, sad to say, I can see where many of my redneck relatives would be completely lost.
ReplyDeleteAll that said, I smell more to this story than her accent.
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ReplyDelete@anita You speak the truth. Have you ever tried to understand a native from the Gullah region of South Carolina? Impossible.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started watching Treme, I had a little trouble with some of the native dialects (and I'm not even sure which ones) of New Orleans. Now, I totally have the ear.
I think with time, we would have adjusted to Cheryl Cole. It just takes practice and repetition.
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ReplyDeleteI watched the British version of the X-Factor with my daughter and found Cheryl Cole totally charming. Her accent was not hard to follow at all on the British show.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I actually made a date to watch the program live online together every week (I thought it was kind of sweet that my college student daughter wanted to make sure we had scheduled time together to watch this).
My daughter also asked me to listen to Cheryl's music and I found that I really like her brand of pop music more than some American artists. She has a really wonderful song with Will.I.Am. on her solo CD.
My daughter pointed out that Nicole Scherzinger is supposed to be a judge on another singing show and that she filled in for Cheryl Cole at one of the auditions and was scheduled to host/coach or whatever on the American version.
She also said that she knows quite a few people who attended the X-Factor auditions (not as far-fetched as it sounds- husband's coworker made it to the second round of auditions).
Anyways, K's friends who went to the auditions said the crowds loved Cheryl, was warmly received and that no one seemed to have a problem with her accent.
So, I am wondering if one of the other judges had an issue with Cheryl being so well received...
I am not surprised by that and it is interesting that the British X-Factor host, Dermot O'Leary was being looked at to host the American version.
If you haven't seen Dermot yet, google him. He is an English tv host/presenter. I don't know why he was not hired either-he is very likable and engaging.Both of my daughters loved him.
So I don't know if I will watch the American show because I really enjoyed the British version and I cannot stand that former Pussycat Doll-don't know why, she just rubs me the wrong way.
Bottom line: The whole accent thing sounds like bullshit to me and that there is some other reason for Cheryl leaving.
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ReplyDeleteCheryl is so hot she could set the earth on fire. Nicole Shitzinger is annoying and bitchy.
ReplyDeleteThis accent stuff is bullshit. Having a thick British accent didn't hurt Simon Cowell from being on Fox for eight years. And let's not forget those Harry Potter movies (Box Office gross - over 7 BILLION dollars with one more to go)
Like I said Bullshit. I'm sure what really happened was that Nicole put in a little extra "effort" to become a judge - and by effort I mean she sucked some executives dick.
I have no clue who she is so I just went and listened to a youtube clip. That is one ugly accent. I wouldn't like listening to that for more than 30 seconds.
ReplyDeleteLast year, I was lucky to get to go to London for five weeks for work. I remember talking to our driver from the airport and he was talking about her and saying she was gorgeous but then she opens her mouth and ugh.
Simon Cowell doesn't have a thick accent and the Harry Potter kids all sound well-bred.
@anita_mark - I have been known to use subtitles some UK films. Glad I'm not the only one. But I also had to do it for Johnny Depp's character in Pirates so...
ReplyDelete@Little Miss Smoke & Mirrors - To me, her accent sounded more Scottish, also??
ITA re: Gullah.
I just listened to a clip of Cheryl and her accent wasn't THAT difficult to understand.
Sorry to break it to ya but Nicole, actually can sing
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQvU9MCUr0Q&feature=related
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ReplyDeleteYeah, Nicole really can sing. I remember her from Popstars all those years ago, singing a capella in her audtions for David Foster. She has a very strong natural voice.
ReplyDeleteI have many English and Irish relatives, and I visit England as often as I can. I have a very hard time understanding Cheryl, she has a pretty thick Northern accent (Newcastle area perhaps?). That said, she is very attractive and very charming and I was actually going to watch the show because of her. I'm sorry that she won't be on it.
Trust me, as a Brit who has put up with Cheryl for many years I can assure you she is really not a loss. She is a dreadful singer and I just hope she doesn't come back over here.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad somebody stepped in here to set the record straight about Nicole. Yes she is actually a great singer. So many of the pop songs out now are so over produced that you might think she is all autotune but I can assure you that if you look her up on YouTube as someone else said, you will be surprised. After seeing her on Dancing With The Stars (with partner Derek Hough), she is actually very sweet and charming. As for Cheryl, I know nothing of her so I will not judge.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason Cheryl is out is because of Paula Abdul. I'm amazed no one has posted this! Paula cannot stand her. Simples.
ReplyDeleteProof Cheryl is a crap singer
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egq4ZQg5yNo
or even worse...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvB-PGhKFlE