Big Al
03-11-2007, 05:21 PM
Courtesy of <A HREF=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=d25238bb-43b6-41ca-9279-b228237b014f&page=1>E! News</A>
Antonella Barba may not have been able to conquer American Idol on looks alone, but at least she has other options on the table.
The sexy New Jersey native's Idol tenure came to an end Thursday, after her shaky vocals proved no match for the competition.
Barba's elimination seemed a foregone conclusion after her performance of Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" failed to generate much enthusiasm from the judges on Wednesday.
"You've gone as far as you can go, Antonella," Simon Cowell said. "I don't think your voice is going to get any better."
Despite his negative evaluation of Barba's vocal skills, Cowell showed a sympathetic side when alluding to the infamous racy photos of her that turned up on the Internet last month.
"I feel for you, because you've taken a lot of stick in the media. I think you've handled yourself well throughout, and I don't think anyone should be put in that situation," Cowell said.
"I just wish you could sing better."
Barba's Idol exposure may not have earned her a record contract, but there's no doubt her experience on the Fox show has resulted in a wealth of new opportunities.
On Wednesday, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis extended a public invitation to the comely brunette to join his company, offering her $250,000 to host an upcoming video release from the franchise.
"Antonella Barba is an unbelievably sexy girl who obviously knows how to have a good time," Francis said.
Francis wasn't the only entity bidding for Barba's talents. Adult film purveyor SugarDVD raised the stakes Thursday by offering the Idol hopeful $500,000 to become the company's celebrity spokesmodel.
"We have set aside money for the right opportunity and we feel like this is it!" SugarDVD CEO Jax said in a statement. "You saw her photos online, she's smokin'!"
In a KIIS-FM radio interview with Ryan Seacrest Friday, Barba said she had a "gut feeling" that she would be cut Thursday.
"It was a big whirlwind," she said of her experience. "I'm thankful for how much stronger everything has made me."
She called the controversy over her racy photos "an unnecessary distraction," but said she had tried not to let it affect her.
Though she stopped short of commenting specifically on the various offers that have come her way so far, Barba said she planned to stick around Los Angeles for a couple of weeks while weighing her options.
While Barba's ousting was perhaps less than shocking, the judges proved fallible when it came to predicting which singers would make it through to the finals.
Sabrina Sloan, pegged as a frontrunner in the competition, was eliminated Thursday, while Haley Scarnato, whose performance was deemed "horrible," "terrible" and "ghastly" by Simon Cowell, survived another round.
"Sabrina should be in that top 12, dawg. She definitely put it down." Randy Jackson said after hearing the verdict. "America got that one wrong, I think."
During her radio interview with Seacrest on Friday, Sloan said she was "surprised" by the result."I really wanted to be in that group of top 12," she said. "I wasn't ready to go home, but you try and be prepared for whatever."
Despite her elimination, Sloan said she had no regrets about the choices she made on the show.
Less startling was the elimination of Jared Cotter, who the judges felt "wasn't very original."
"We've heard lots of performances like this, and this one gets lost in the mix," Cowell said Tuesday.
Unfortunately for Cotter, while he may not have agreed with Cowell, America apparently did.
"I was definitely stunned," Cotter told Seacrest Friday. "I really don't think my performance this week warranted me going home."
He attributed his exit in part to Cowell's criticism.
"For some reason, Simon just didn't like me, and I think people really listen to him," Cotter said.
The final casualty of the night turned out to be another shocker, when Sundance Head was edged out by Sanjaya Malakar, despite receiving consistently better feedback from the judges.
"I am speechless. This is a singing competition, and Sundance, you've been one of our finest," Paula Abdul said upon hearing the result.
Speaking with Seacrest Friday, Head said he was "angry," "bitter" and broken-hearted over being sent home.
"I was amazed," he said. "I had not prepared myself for that at all."
Both Head and Sloan also alluded to a male contestant still in the running who has made it clear he believes he has the competition wrapped up, though neither would name names.
In addition to revealing the 12 finalists Thursday night, Idol also announced plans for an upcoming two-night charity special on Apr. 24 and 25, dedicated to raising funds for impoverished young people in Africa and the United States.
On Apr. 24, the six remaining finalists will perform songs about compassion and hope. For every vote cast, Idol sponsors, including Coca-Cola and AT&T, will contribute money to the cause.
The following night's results show will feature performances by artists including Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, Pink, Michael Bublé, Annie Lennox, Il Divo and Borat Sagdiyev (aka Sacha Baron Cohen). During the show, viewers will have the opportunity to make their own donations over the phone and online, adding to the corporate donations funded by the show's sponsors.
"Having witnessed some of the appalling conditions in Africa firsthand, I'm especially proud that our show is offering Americans the chance to help those most in need," Cowell said in a statement. "Ensuring that American charities will equally benefit from these efforts was one of my priorities, and I'd like to thank our sponsors for their support and generosity in making this possible."
Next week, the 12 remaining finalists—Scarnato, Malakar, Blake Lewis, LaKisha Jones, Chris Sligh, Jordin Sparks, Phil Stacey, Melinda Doolittle, Brandon Rogers, Gina Glocksen, Chris Richardson and Stephanie Edwards—will face off on Tuesday, with one singer going home on Wednesday's results show.
Antonella Barba may not have been able to conquer American Idol on looks alone, but at least she has other options on the table.
The sexy New Jersey native's Idol tenure came to an end Thursday, after her shaky vocals proved no match for the competition.
Barba's elimination seemed a foregone conclusion after her performance of Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" failed to generate much enthusiasm from the judges on Wednesday.
"You've gone as far as you can go, Antonella," Simon Cowell said. "I don't think your voice is going to get any better."
Despite his negative evaluation of Barba's vocal skills, Cowell showed a sympathetic side when alluding to the infamous racy photos of her that turned up on the Internet last month.
"I feel for you, because you've taken a lot of stick in the media. I think you've handled yourself well throughout, and I don't think anyone should be put in that situation," Cowell said.
"I just wish you could sing better."
Barba's Idol exposure may not have earned her a record contract, but there's no doubt her experience on the Fox show has resulted in a wealth of new opportunities.
On Wednesday, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis extended a public invitation to the comely brunette to join his company, offering her $250,000 to host an upcoming video release from the franchise.
"Antonella Barba is an unbelievably sexy girl who obviously knows how to have a good time," Francis said.
Francis wasn't the only entity bidding for Barba's talents. Adult film purveyor SugarDVD raised the stakes Thursday by offering the Idol hopeful $500,000 to become the company's celebrity spokesmodel.
"We have set aside money for the right opportunity and we feel like this is it!" SugarDVD CEO Jax said in a statement. "You saw her photos online, she's smokin'!"
In a KIIS-FM radio interview with Ryan Seacrest Friday, Barba said she had a "gut feeling" that she would be cut Thursday.
"It was a big whirlwind," she said of her experience. "I'm thankful for how much stronger everything has made me."
She called the controversy over her racy photos "an unnecessary distraction," but said she had tried not to let it affect her.
Though she stopped short of commenting specifically on the various offers that have come her way so far, Barba said she planned to stick around Los Angeles for a couple of weeks while weighing her options.
While Barba's ousting was perhaps less than shocking, the judges proved fallible when it came to predicting which singers would make it through to the finals.
Sabrina Sloan, pegged as a frontrunner in the competition, was eliminated Thursday, while Haley Scarnato, whose performance was deemed "horrible," "terrible" and "ghastly" by Simon Cowell, survived another round.
"Sabrina should be in that top 12, dawg. She definitely put it down." Randy Jackson said after hearing the verdict. "America got that one wrong, I think."
During her radio interview with Seacrest on Friday, Sloan said she was "surprised" by the result."I really wanted to be in that group of top 12," she said. "I wasn't ready to go home, but you try and be prepared for whatever."
Despite her elimination, Sloan said she had no regrets about the choices she made on the show.
Less startling was the elimination of Jared Cotter, who the judges felt "wasn't very original."
"We've heard lots of performances like this, and this one gets lost in the mix," Cowell said Tuesday.
Unfortunately for Cotter, while he may not have agreed with Cowell, America apparently did.
"I was definitely stunned," Cotter told Seacrest Friday. "I really don't think my performance this week warranted me going home."
He attributed his exit in part to Cowell's criticism.
"For some reason, Simon just didn't like me, and I think people really listen to him," Cotter said.
The final casualty of the night turned out to be another shocker, when Sundance Head was edged out by Sanjaya Malakar, despite receiving consistently better feedback from the judges.
"I am speechless. This is a singing competition, and Sundance, you've been one of our finest," Paula Abdul said upon hearing the result.
Speaking with Seacrest Friday, Head said he was "angry," "bitter" and broken-hearted over being sent home.
"I was amazed," he said. "I had not prepared myself for that at all."
Both Head and Sloan also alluded to a male contestant still in the running who has made it clear he believes he has the competition wrapped up, though neither would name names.
In addition to revealing the 12 finalists Thursday night, Idol also announced plans for an upcoming two-night charity special on Apr. 24 and 25, dedicated to raising funds for impoverished young people in Africa and the United States.
On Apr. 24, the six remaining finalists will perform songs about compassion and hope. For every vote cast, Idol sponsors, including Coca-Cola and AT&T, will contribute money to the cause.
The following night's results show will feature performances by artists including Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, Pink, Michael Bublé, Annie Lennox, Il Divo and Borat Sagdiyev (aka Sacha Baron Cohen). During the show, viewers will have the opportunity to make their own donations over the phone and online, adding to the corporate donations funded by the show's sponsors.
"Having witnessed some of the appalling conditions in Africa firsthand, I'm especially proud that our show is offering Americans the chance to help those most in need," Cowell said in a statement. "Ensuring that American charities will equally benefit from these efforts was one of my priorities, and I'd like to thank our sponsors for their support and generosity in making this possible."
Next week, the 12 remaining finalists—Scarnato, Malakar, Blake Lewis, LaKisha Jones, Chris Sligh, Jordin Sparks, Phil Stacey, Melinda Doolittle, Brandon Rogers, Gina Glocksen, Chris Richardson and Stephanie Edwards—will face off on Tuesday, with one singer going home on Wednesday's results show.