EW has written a story about Antonella’s increasingly racy photos online. We’re a family paper so I won’t link to them. It wouldn’t take much effort to find them. One includes her in the bathroom, a few of her cavorting about with friends, her posing at what looks like a WWII memorial in a wet T-shirt, and another possibly of her performing a, um, Monica on a guy.
A photo I can use of Antonella
Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe says he has not seen any of the Internet pictures, and only learned of the sexually explicit shots from EW. ”We have really good background checks on everybody, and we deal with that every season,” he says. ”It’s sad, isn’t it, that your best friends are the ones that come forward with information that will go to Smoking Gun or put your photographs on the web?”
Given that Antonella’s singing has been a disappointment since her first audition, this all seems like a moot point but then again, all her notoriety might get her into the top 12. Who knows? Or will Idol have to boot her next week a la Frenchie Davis season two once topless shots of her popped up on the Web?
Please tell me that last pic is not her doing what I think she is doing. If that's true, she has to be kicked off the show. Surely she can't be our next american idol.
Like I said, it's a moot point in one sense if she keeps picking songs way over her head like that. You also have to wonder how much Antonella knows about what's floating around on the Web right now and how she feels. Wouldn't "Big Brother" cameras be fun right now? :)
Posted by: Monoto on February 24, 2007 12:17AM EST
Anyone else find it interseting that in almost every picture I can find of her, this 20 year-old's hands are holding either boobs or beer?
But i think some of the shots of fake. Look at the new ones on VFTW. His point is to show how easy it is to make these pictures. His are funny. I mentioned yesterday that it would be an interesting twist if her friend Amanda was behind all the pics since she is in none of them. If that is the case, i am sure someone will have photos of her. Nigel threw in the comment of a person's "best friend" using being the one who releases such stuff. Time will surely tell what the real truth is.
Posted by: Deirdre on February 24, 2007 9:38AM EST
I think it's possible that she will be relieved of her Idol duties very soon. VFTW can't keep her in forever.
I just checked out the photos. Some may be fake but not all. Idol contestants have been kicked off for much less. She has been less than stellar in her performances.
Posted by: Diane1 on February 24, 2007 12:40PM EST
www.ew.com has interviews from the first four to go home. Nicole mentioned that not only does Antonella know, what is going on, but that she is handling it well and they are all very supportive of her. I now, think that so some shots might be real and her buddies have stabbed the girl in the back. Envy and jealous is a bad thing for sure. But some are still think are fake.
Posted by: Diane1 on February 24, 2007 12:45PM EST
Nicole also mentions that they do have a stylist and money for clothes even at this level. Paul let us know that Careless Whisper was his 6th song choice. The others did not get approved. Someone really should just find a way to get all the songs in the world approved with no backlash from the owners/writers. Paul may still be in the running if he had a different song and he does realize that he didnt do well in song choice and performance. Cool guy.
Nicole still believes that she did the right thing with her song choice. R&B is her and she is it.
Posted by: Deirdre on February 24, 2007 1:24PM EST
Diane, so sorry but I just don't agree with you about Paul...it wasn't the song, it was the way he sang it. His voice is too muddy and his style is too affected. If some of these contestants would just sing the song and not try to slide their voice from one end of a note to another, they'd do better. Randy has said it a couple of times.....sometimes it's better to just sing the melody.
Deirdre, i know you are right in that he did not sing it well. I just liked him for my underdog pick of the season and i am still mourning his early departure from the show. Elliot was my underdog pick last year and he was able to hang in there for awhile.
Posted by: Jess on February 24, 2007 7:12PM EST
Deirdre: You make a very excellent point which is why I personally don't think that "Theme Night" will hurt Lakisha. She can flat out sing.
Posted by: Deirdre on February 25, 2007 9:49AM EST
Elliot had a great voice! That's why he stayed as long as he did...with the help of the childhood illnesses and the frail mother...never underestimate the power of the backstory!
Posted by: Diane1 on February 25, 2007 10:44PM EST
Congrats Jennifer!!!!!
Posted by: Jean on February 26, 2007 9:54AM EST
There are plenty of talented girls out there that do not compromise their morals. Antonella doesn't seem to have much of either. A.I. should just boot her off the show with no other further mention. She's just a typical Jersey girl.
Posted by: MShep on February 26, 2007 11:42AM EST
In the big picture, what Antonella did isn't that far beyond what other college-aged girls have done when Mom, Dad and the college authorities are not looking. I'm not talking about the porn shots - because I don't think it's the same girl.
That being said, many of these pics were in her college friends' facebooks and elsewhere online and she had to have known about them since she posed for them. And it's not just Antonella, it's her other friends who are now exposed. BTW, I don't think Amanda (much as I dislike her) had anything to do with this. It looks like college friends took most of the pics.
Lessons learned: If you're going to go "public" as on a TV show that has millions of viewers worldwide, make sure to ask friends to remove any incriminating images (assuming they really are "friends").
Better still, be discrete to start with.
At this point, Antonella will probably remain in the competition longer than she otherwise would have, just because she's controversial and attractive and every guy who's seen her photos will be tuning in to gawk.
I am sorry, but if these pics on the above site are shots she actually participated in, then she needs to be dismissed. I know she wont win, but someont has to let these kids know that some actions have negative consequences. She can bounce back from these pics, but she needs to be disinvited. I am sure there will be plenty of men who want her to stay and a few women libbers, but she needs to be exucsed. She can hope to win an Oscar or a Tony, but not the next American Idol.
Posted by: toneman on February 28, 2007 11:48AM EST
The problem I see is that she is doing what I would guess 95% of people her age are doing. They just haven't been dumb enough to post proof publically. You mean to tell me that NONE of the contestants, past or present has ever had sex, cavorted around with friends in a racy manner??? What about Fantasia? She was a single mom - obviously she had sex out of wedlock. Was that OK? Or would it have not been OK if there was a picture of her conceiving her child? Seems a little ridiculous to me.
A photo I can use of Antonella
