Mark Mudd auditioned on American Idol in Louisville, Kentucky, and sang a George Jones song called White Lightning. From the start the judges all prejudged Mark, and made comments that showed their obvious lack of understanding for his southern culture. After the judges gave Mark the thumbs down left with the following comment:

"Be careful in whatever you do."

Paula Abdul immediately shot back:

"Is that a threat?"

Whoa! Simmer down Paula. It’s just southern slang, and it’s meant to mean something like "take care."

After American Idol realized how offended southerners might be they issued the following apology:

"We apologize to any viewers who were offended by the misinterpretation of the contestant’s comment to "be careful" upon completion of his audition in Louisville, KY. Our visits to audition cities are relatively brief and sometimes regional greetings and salutations are lost in translation. We had not heard that phrase from any other contestants during the day, so it took everyone by surprise. We now know better and look forward to visiting Louisville again someday."

The judges might also apologize for mocking Mudd as he walked into the room. It’s obvious they saw him as white trash, and prejudged him before he even opened his mouth. Sad.