Weren’t a big fan of Carrie Underwood‘s performance on NBC’s special “The Sound of Music Live!” on Thursday night?
Don’t worry; the “American Idol” alum is praying for you.
The hills were alive with the sound of criticism for Underwood’s portrayal of Maria on the live special, and the singer appeared to address the naysayers on her Twitter account Friday night, opining that mean people “need Jesus.”
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“Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus,” Underwood wrote. “They will be in my prayers tonight… 1 Peter 2:1-25.”
For those who don’t have their Bibles handy, the passage that Underwood cites — according to the New International Version — begins, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
It’s like looking into a mirror, isn’t it, haters?
Also read: ‘The Sound of Music Live’ Reviews: Critics Think Carrie Underwood’s Acting Is Biggest Problem
Underwood was singled out for criticism in reviews of the special. While reviewers didn’t question her vocal chops, the general consensus seemed to be that she could use a few more acting lessons.
“The strength of the songs and of her own vocal talents pulled her through when she was singing. It was the speaking that did her in,” USA Today’s Robert Bianco opined, adding that her Maria character “turned to wood” when Underwood uttered her dialogue.
Hank Stuever of the Washington Post, meanwhile, chimed in, “it’s impossible not to notice that she can’t act.”
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Ouch.
Underwood shouldn’t feel too bad, or pray too hard, however; while reviewers might have panned her performance, the special was a ratings smash for the network, posting a 4.6 rating/13 share in the key 18-49 demographic — giving NBC its best-rated non-sports Thursday night since the 2009 finale of “ER” — and grabbed 18.5 million total viewers, which handed NBC its most-watched Thursday night since “Frasier” bowed off the air in 2004.
Critics aside, maybe Underwood’s Maria isn’t a problem that needs solving after all.