Idol Thoughts, March 5: Antonella-Gate - Ignorance is Bliss, Right?

After watching five seasons of American Idol, I like to think of myself as being somewhat jaded. There isn’t much they can do that will really shock me, and the truth is, I am rarely even surprised anymore. Sure, I was a bit surprised when Chris got the boot, although I did accurately predict the possibility of such an occurrence (see Idol Thoughts, May 9: The Best Final Four Ever), but other than that, I can’t pinpoint any other event last season that caused me to say, “Wow.” But last week, I was surprised – not by the eliminations; I knew that Antonella and Sanjaya would be safe despite their pathetic attempts at performing. No, I was surprised that the entire Antonella-gate affair was completely and utterly ignored.

Once the worst of the photos started circulating on the Internet, I was sure that Antonella would “withdraw” from the competition – either of her own volition or from pressure by the producers. It didn’t seem right that she would be allowed to continue when Frenchie Davis was disqualified for pretty much the same thing. Tuesday night, I quickly scanned the girls’ section, looking for her, and was surprised to see her sitting among the others. Okay, I figured, they’ll certainly address this issue on Wednesday night. How can they not? I figured Ryan would say something to her after her performance. “You’ve had a tough week,” he would say, and she would tear up and respond accordingly. I was wrong.

Instead, what we got on Wednesday was Antonella yowling her way through a Celine Dion song in a performance that I felt was almost worthy of inclusion in an Idol bad audition show. After completely butchering the song, she stood there rolling her eyes and clucking as Randy and Simon systematically picked her performance apart. Her response? She sassed Simon back, referring to his missing out on Jennifer Hudson. At that point, I could almost hear the “Vote for the Worsters” roaring in approval. Brilliant.

Idol’s lack of any kind of on-air acknowledgement of this entire affair is an insult to viewers. Anyone with a computer and even a passing interest in the show was certainly aware of the existence of these pictures. The buzz on the various message boards, blogs, and comment sections was deafening.

Of course, not everyone who watches the show spends hours online, so they might be excused from not knowing about all of this, right? Wrong again. Not only was this story the talk of the Internet, it also made all the entertainment TV shows, cable news shows, the Today show, VH1’s Best Week Ever, and was even front page news in print versions of city newspapers, including the Post-Standard right here in Syracuse. So, unless there are viewers out there who never watch anything but Idol, never leave their homes, or even read a newspaper, I think it’s safe to say that most people who watch American Idol know about this, even if just in passing.

Let’s just pretend that millions of people haven’t seen a young woman that bears a striking resemblance to Ms. Barba in what might be called “compromising” situations! If it really isn’t her, then why didn’t she just say so? That would have worked for me. This, of course, leads me to believe that it really was Antonella in the worst of the photos and she is brazen enough to think that it doesn’t matter a whit. I guess it must have gotten her some votes – she certainly didn’t skate by on her singing merit. One wonders just how long this sympathy vote will continue. Will she make it to the finale? I sure hope not.

This leads me to the situation with Sanjaya. I’m having serious flashbacks to season three when fans thought it was a great idea to keep John Stevens in the competition even after it was clear that he would rather drop off the face of the earth than have to face another elimination night. It seems we have one of these unfortunate young people every season. You know - that cute young thing that the tweenys love but who is completely out of his or her league. Sanjaya is this season’s sacrificial lamb, and I feel sorry for him. Between Sanjaya and Antonella, I’ll bet Simon is having nightmares!

Speaking of Simon, he was interviewed on Thursday night after the elimination show, and came right out and said that he can’t stand Taylor and “didn’t get it.” Hmmmm. Them’s fighting words, Simon. By dissing Taylor, you have basically dissed all of us who voted for him and helped make last summer’s tour the most successful to date. Or was that also due to Daughtry? It would serve Simon right to have an Antonella/Sanjaya finale!

Whatever the reason, Simon insulted millions of people who did “get” Taylor and who are watching this season hoping that lightening will strike twice. So far, though, no one has got me up out of my chair. I like Melinda, Lakisha, Chris Sligh, and Brandon, but am not quite ready to jump onboard anyone’s train at this point. Last season, I was hooked on Taylor from his first audition. I think Chris Sligh comes the closest to being the same kind of irritant to Simon, though, and I hope he goes far! I like his attitude and his seeming lack of convention. I don’t think Chris will play Simon’s game either, and I may end up in his corner for that reason alone.

At any rate, one thing is for sure. Controversy causes interest, and interest raises the ratings even higher. If there were no controversy, there’d be nothing to write about, so I say, “Bring it on!” The season is young.

Donna Reynolds is a freelance writer based in Syracuse, New York. While entertainment sustains her emotionally, she earns her daily bread by writing and editing web copy. Check out her new website at www.idolthoughts.net. Donna loves mail, so shoot her an email at foxydonna@earthlink.net.

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