AI winner Fantasia Barrino trashes her NC town in autobiography, say residents

[Rover_Wow]

One word: Ouch.


Hometown residents upset about 'Idol' winner Fantasia Barrino's "lies"

UPI News Service, 10/18/2005

A High Point, N.C., couple claim "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino trashed their town "to sell records."

Kyle Sandler and Jennifer English maintain Barrino's autobiography, "Life is Not a Fairy Tale," describes her hometown of High Point "as some slum in the backwoods of Mississippi or something," the Greensboro (N.C.) News-Record reported Tuesday.

Barrino disclosed in her book she was illiterate despite having attended High Point schools and called the city "Land of the Dead."

Sandler and English created a Web site denouncing her claims, www.fantasiaslies.com, and have asked the city to take down signs saying: 'Welcome to High Point, home of Fantasia Barrino.'

Ironically, Sandler and English said they voted for Barrino to win "American Idol" and own her CD. But they are fans no more.

"You don't need to cut on my town to sell your records," Sandler told the newspaper. "I can't stand behind her anymore."

[Kurtman]

Slum in backwoods Mississippi? Land of the Dead? Oooooh,that's gotta sting!

[ManicWebb]

Either Fantasia is sensationalizing for the sake of publicity, or she's telling it like it is, and the residents don't like to hear the truth about their own town.

Either way, I'm not exactly running to the book store for her quarter-life story anytime soon.

[Sharklady]

Well, she's clearly lied about High Point's location, if she called it "some slum in the backwoods of Mississippi" when it's actually in North Carolina. Those two states aren't even in the same timezone.
(Admittedly, such geographical floundering supports her claim that she got a sub-par education.)

[The Penguin]

I'm just thinking she's way too young to have an autobiography. I don't care what she's been through, that's just trying to cash in in my book.

[ManicWebb]

Fantasia is only a week younger than I am. I know I wouldn't want to read my own autobiography at this point-- even though I do have a few juicy stories to tell. But therein lies the problem: I have a few juicy stories. There's no way her book could be any longer than 50 pages without her needlessly rambling for filler space. She just reached legal drinking age.

Of course, if Fantasia had waited until she was 50 to write her book, nobody would remember who she is. Thanks to William Hung, we barely remember her now.