March 2008 Archives

Don't worry. He's still around. He's doing plenty of live chats and they're on Youtube. Check it out.




Thanks to Vote for the Worst for the link

You've seen those annoying Geico commercials. The one where the announcer says something like: "Mary Jane is a real customer, not an actor. So we've hired a real actor to tell her story." Mary Jane speaks, and the person next to her (a minor celebrity, a crazy actor) paraphrases what she just said, either in a dramatic, music or comedic way.

Here's Chikezie on Jay Leno, doing pretty much the same thing...

In Chikezie's exit Q&A with Entertainment Weekly, he mentions a couple of nicknames: Archie for David Archuleta and Cookie for David Cook.

Reading the whole interview made me sad. Chikezie sounds very sweet and kind, someone who can be friends with anyone. And it doesn't appear like he's high maintenance or has a big ego (Ahem, Danny Noriega...)

Ryan Seacrest was doing some damage control for the whole "BIllie Jean"/Chris Cornell/David Cook issue on his radio morning show today.

Here's the story. David Cook sang Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" Tuesday night. But he sang the Chris Cornell version of it. When Ryan Seacrest introduced David Cook, he said it was Chris Cornell's version. But Ryan was also surrounded by a mob of screaming girls, and he judges apparently didn't hear "Chris Cornell." After David's performance, the judges threw heaps of praise on him, and it seemed like the slower, rock version of "Billie Jean" was David's original idea. It wasn't.

Bloggers, Youtube viewers and Chris Cornell fans quickly pointed out that David wasn't doing his own version, but Cornell's.

Today: On his morning show, Ryan was heavy on the spin control. Over and over, he told listeners it was Chris Cornell's version of "Billie Jean." Chris Cornell called in and said he's performed that song many times live and that it's in his studio album as well. When Chris first told people he was going to sing "Billie Jean," a lot of people thought it was crazy. After hearing his slow rock version, they love it. Chris praised David's performance and singing, adding that he hit every note in the runs in the same way that he does it.

Ryan speculated that the judges didn't hear his intro for David Cook on Tuesday night. But, both Ryan and Chris were surprised that Randy, whom Ryan called an encyclopedia of the music industry, didn't mention or know that David sang Cornell's version.

This song-and-dance show with Ryan and Chris went on for several minutes. We get it. Chris Cornell is great. David Cook wasn't all that original. American Idol judges may have goofed. It wasn't Ryan's fault. David Cook did Chris Cornell proud.

New news: Chris Cornell announced that Timabland is producing his third solo album. Timbaland also called into the morning show saying that the album is the best work he's done in his career, better than Nelly and Justin. Cornell said he hasn't been this excited about an album in years.

Diol Idol predicts the three contestants safest contestants are: David Cook, David Archuleta and Carly Smithson.

Everyone else is in the nebulous yellow cautionary area. Here's their order from safest to least safe:
Michael Johns
Kristy Lee Cook
Brooke White
Syesha Mercado
Ramiele Malubay
Jason Castro
Chikezie Eze

Here's Chris Cornell's version of "Billie Jean," which I think is more rich and soulful than David Cook's. Of course, David Cook is an amateur, right?


And here's David Cook's version


And here's the original by Michael Jackson.

At this point in the season, I'm not at all excited about the show or any of its contestants. So I'll keep this short.

Ramiele Malubay
“Alone” by Heart
She almost pulled it off.

Jason Castro
“Fragile” by Sting
He's fun to watch on a reality show, but would you buy tickets to his concert?

Syesha Mercado
“If I Were Your Woman” by Whitney Houston
She sounds great, but I don't think she has a large fan base.

Chikezie
“If Only for One Night” by Luther Vandross
What has this show become? An medley of tunes from the easy listening radio station? He also sounds just like Ruben.

Brooke White
“Every Breath You Take” by The Police
Why is she singing a stalker song? The piano was nice, but at some point she should have walked away from it. It limited her from really shining in the big notes.

Michael Johns
“We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” by Queen
Michael Johns can only sing Queen. You know he's sung these two songs several hundred times in his life. Michael's range needs some improvement.

Carly Smithson
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler
Electrifying and scary.

David Archuleta
"You're the Voice" by John Farnham
Why can't this kid sing a contemporary song? All of his performances are 20 years too old for him. He did well, as usual.

Kristy Lee Cook
“God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood
Hating Kristy's performance would be unpatriotic. It wasn't on par with some of the other contestants this season, but it was Kristy's personal best. Doesn't say much.

David Cook
“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
David is probably the smartest contestant on the show. It was a great performance. That said, it wasn't original. Chris Cornell did it -- and better.

From best to worst:
David Cook
Michael Johns
Carly
Syesha (though no one will remember it)
Brooke
David Archuleta
Chikezie
Kristy
Jason Castro
Ramiele

Tonight's theme is Music From the Year You Were Born. That means Carly Smithson will sing something from 1983 and David Archuleta will pick a song from 1990. Expect more 80s hits and if we're very very lucky, a Paula Abdul
song.

Phil Stacey is making his debut at the Grand Ole Opry this weekend.

Press release
Grand Ole Opry site
Phil's web site

Other performers at Saturday's show are: Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, Kellie Pickler, Neal McCoy, Ralph Stanley, Jimmy C. Newman, Bill Anderson

Remember Josiah Leming, the kid who lived out of his car? Knoxnews.com is reporting that the ex-Idol contestant has nailed a major record deal with Warner Bros. records. He has an agent and he's bought his dad a new truck.

If that's not enough, here's more Josiah news:

• Profile on Josiah: "Leming estimates he has sold close to $40,000 worth of his music off the Internet since his "Idol" experience."
• Simon Cowell says they shouldn't have cut him
• Josiah gets free car, clothes and other gifts
  

From what I've read on other Idol fan sites, a lot of people think Brooke White looks like Skeletor. (Just don't tell prep sports editor Fred Robledo. She's his favorite.) Thoughts?

Even if you didn't like her singing, you have to admire Amanda Overmyer's down-to-earth attitude about getting voted off. She's definitely no diva. Here's an excerpt from the Entertainment Weekly exit interview.

You sound very grounded and normal about this whole experience. Good for you.
That's the attitude I've had with all of this. I'm thankful to be here and feel very privileged to have come this far. But I absolutely refuse to be nostalgic about it. You know why? That's when you lose a sense of reality. I saw it happen with a few people. It's just ridiculous. We have the potential to be stars right now. We're not stars. All we are now is recognizable. That's it. I've got a hell of a lot more work in front of me before I can exhale and say, ''Alright. I've made it.''

Here are the Vegas odds of who will win it all. (As you can see, these odds were put out when Amanda Overmyer was still in it.)

Kristy Lee Cook – 50/1

Agree. No chance.

Chikezie Eze – 35/1

Possibly, but worse odds than Amanda?!

Amanda Overmyer – 25/1

Already out.

Ramiele Malubay – 20/1

She hasn't given us a power performance. She hasn't found her song yet.

Syesha Mercado – 15/1

Seems about right.

Jason Castro – 15/1

Jason has great eyes and a cute smile. But his vocals aren't as strong as some others. He also looks kind of goofy without his guitar.

Michael Johns – 15/1

Great singer, great performer. He needs to choose less complicated songs.

Carly Smithson – 4/1

Carly has some of the best vocals and stage presence in this competition. She needs to embrace the idea that she's in a popularity contest and pick some more interesting/mainstream songs. Last week, "Come Together" was a brilliant choice for her.

David Cook – 4/1

David is the surprise contestant. His hair looks kind of greasy, but his performances haven't disappointed.

Brooke White - 2/1

I'm not a huge fan of Brooke's, but for some reason, American loves her.

David Archuleta – 5/4

Is there any doubt that the boy wonder would be the front-runner? It would take a major blunder on his part, or several amazing performances by the other contestants to knock him off his pedestal.

Here's Amanda's best performance: Joan Jett’s "I Hate Myself For Loving You"

Did anyone think last night's performances on American Idol were good? Anyone?

The performances, briefly:

Amanda Overmyer
“Back in the USSR”
It's too bad that the best part of Amanda's performance last night was when the singing ended. The singing was all over the place and more of the same Overmyer-styled Southern rock. The best part was when she told the judges, Simon in particular, that she's performing the way she would at an actual concert. Simon quipped back: You haven't sold any tickets.

Kristy Lee Cook
“You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away"
Better than last week. Still not good. Bad arrangement, lackluster singing. It's a good thing she's pretty.

David Archuleta
“The Long and Winding Road”
The boy wonder went back to a slow ballad, telling America that he can't sing fast songs. That makes me wonder about his viability as a pop star. Right now, his career trajectory is pushing him to senior homes and local civic centers. This performance was definitely better than last week, but he didn't blow away the competition like he has in past weeks.

Michael Johns
“A Day in the Life”
Again, better than last week. (That seems to be the theme...) Michael is turning out to be a really good-looking karaoke singer.

Brooke White
“Here Comes the Sun”
You knew her happy, smiley streak couldn't last. Too bad she couldn't just stand there and listen to the criticism. Brooke showed her diva and know-it-all attitude when she repeatedly interrupted Simon's critique of her performance. Although it sounded like she trying to calm down the boo-ing in the audience instead of talking back to Simon, it was still very annoying. At what point did she grow such a big head?

David Cook
“Day Tripper”
David was probably the only performance that was good. And it wasn't even that good. Simon was right. David didn't surprise us like he did in previous weeks, but at least he didn't disappoint. At this point, not disappointing us is becoming a tall order for most of the performers.

Carly Smithson
“Blackbird”
Carly, we know you have a great voice. Carly, pick a more interesting song!

Jason Castro
“Michelle”
At this point during the show, I realize we're riding on the crazy train. I laughed the entire time during Jason's performance. This was more hysterical than Sanjaya's rendition of "Bea Me Mucho" -- and he sported a mustache! The singing wasn't bad, but it was like a comical high school talent show performance.

Syesha Mercado
“Yesterday”
Syesha looked beautiful. She has a great voice. She even picked the right song. For some reason, she doesn't feel inspiring.

Chikezie
“I’ve Just Seen a Face”
Wow. Chikezie gave a really fun performance. The slow beginning was a little boring, but the fast part really showed off his energy. Too bad it still feels like we're on a crazy circus train.

Ramiele Malubay
“I Should’ve Known Better”
She is the cutest contestant, but she needs to work on her confidence and stage presence. Although the singing was good, she looked like a nervous animal on stage.

If you're a fan of Mimi/MC/Mariah Carey, you'll be happy to know that she'll appear on American Idol three times this season:
1. Guest judge
2. Guest performer
3. On the Idol Gives Back charity show

Perhaps she'll perform her new single "Touch My Body."

If you enjoy bad singing, watch the following video. If you want to avoid much pain, don't read this entry.

I don't know how William Hung has managed to maintain a career in singing. Somebody must be buying his albums, and it's not me! (He has three albums: "Inspiration", "Hung for the Holidays" and "Miracle: Happy Summer from William Hung".)

I guess past Idol contestants are keeping busy. FOX has a new show that's all about American Idol starring past Idol contestants as hosts and guests. It's called American Idol Extra. It's a lot like the show EXTRA or Entertainment Tonight, except it only covers one subject: American Idol.

Gina Glockson and Constantine Maroulis (you know he wasn't going away) are co-hosts, along with JD Roberto. This week, they interviewed William Hung, who now has recorded three albums, Melinda Doolittle and David Hernandez.

The show airs on Fox Reality channel. If you don't get cable, the web site has a few videos, including interviews with Melinda and William and a performance by Chris Sligh.

People who know David Cook, a Tulsa native, say he's the real thing:

"He's the real thing," said Jeff Martinson, the owner of the Blank Slate complex of clubs in downtown Tulsa's Blue Dome district, where Cook bartended and enjoyed a flourishing musical career before landing a spot on the Fox Television program.

"He's gone out and actually played hundreds of gigs in bars in front of, sometimes, five people. He's the real deal in the sense that regardless of what happens in this competition, he'll still be out playing three nights a week."

If David's the real deal, then which contestant is faking it?
 
Carly Smithson?
Michael Johns?
Amanda Overmyer?
David Archuleta?

Everyone?

Check out this exit interview with David Hernandez by Entertainment Weekly.

"To be honest, everyone has skeletons in their closet. I'm not ashamed of anything in my past. I am fully aware of people's opinions on stuff like that. The only person I have to answer to is myself and God."

Danny Noriega's title has officially changed from American Idol contestant to Ramiele Mulabay's best friend. I hope his diva attitude and sub-par singing doesn't rub off on her. Here are screen shots from last night's show.

Why do you think these two have clicked?

Not only is American Idol a singing competition, it's also a powerful marketing machine. Singers promoting their albums, actors promoting their movies, car companies selling their cars, Coca-Cola selling its drinks... it won't be long until you can buy their clothes and the show starts its own fashion line....

Related

• Jeans are in this year
• Idol transformations
• How to dress an Idol
  

Danny Noriega.

Ring any bells?

Probably not, unless you watch American Idol.

And if you do watch it, you know that the Azusa resident didn't even make the top 12. The 19-year-old Sierra High graduate got the boot last week during a very teary and emotional show.

So why is this no-name talentless San Gabriel Valley native still acting like a diva?

I called his home and spoke to his kind mother, who said her son couldn't talk on the phone because he was resting after doing several interviews. (At this time it was 10:30 a.m.)

So I politely asked if Thursday would be a good day to meet with him and have a photographer take some pictures as well.

Nope, no pictures, she says.

She went on to add that he would have to check with his manager first before he actually talked to me person-to-person. I guess he usually does phone interviews.

Who is this kid? We tried to do a nice feature on his American Idol experiences, but he's obviously still basking in his 15 minutes of fame.

He might as well milk it. It's not going to last for very much longer.

Entertainment Weekly has an interesting Q&A with Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe and vocal coach Debra Byrd. It reveals a lot about song selection process.

Highlights:

• For last night's McCartney theme, the finalists chose from only 25.
  
• If two people want the same song, it may come down to a coin toss.
• Asia'h Epperson sang ''I Wanna Dance With Somebody" even after the AI folks told her about two previous contestants getting kicked off after singing that song. And what happens to Asia'h? She gets kicked off.

According to Dial Idol, Syesha and David Hernandez are in trouble tonight. The safest finalists are David Archuleta and Brooke White.

Check it out.

Nerves, the big stage and general brain farts got the better of half of the singers last night.

Poor performances:
David Archuleta - "We can work it out" - Yes, the boy wonder goofed. He can't sing fast, can't take quick breaths and tried to belt his way through a song that needed a fast, light touch.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Eight Days a Week" - What a mess. Kristy took a simple, sweet song and ruined it with an up tempo, country arrangement.

Michael Johns - "Across the Universe" - Boring. With Carly and Chikezie giving far superior performances, Michael slipped into the shadows. He didn't mess up or sing poorly, but he didn't make a statement.

Ramiele Malubay - "In My Life" - I love Ramiele, and I want her to do well in this competition. However, she could have put more drama into this song. But her performance sounded like a sad, eulogy to the contestants who had been kicked off. Maybe she'll join them.

David Hernandez - "I Saw Her Standing There" - My critique of David is the same as Michael Johns'. He did well, but didn't make a statement.

Syesha Mercado - "Got to Get You Into My Life" - It's tough being the first one to sing. That and the big stage overwhelmed Syesha.

If you haven't had enough torture, here's some more Danny Noriega.

Danny was invited to go on the morning Good Day LA show, not just by satellite, but in the studio. I bet the producer wishes they could take this back. This definitely shows why he didn't make it into the top 12. No individual personality, no class during elimination and what type of vocabulary is this? 

 

 

According to a thread on Idol forums, here's the rumored singing order tonight:

Traditionally, the first and last spots are the best ones, so are the second and second to last spots. So what does it mean that the show has buried Michael Johns, Amanda Overmyer, David Hernandez and Ramiele Mulabay in the middle? Or does it mean nothing at all?

1. David Cook
2. Syesha Mercado
3. Chikeze
4. Kristy Lee Cook
5. Michael Johns
6. Amanda Overmyer
7. David Hernandez
8. Ramiele Mulabay
9. David Archuleta
10. Carly Smithson
11. Jason Castro
12. Brooke White

Here's a funny video on YouTube about Idol look-alikes



I laughed out loud at these comparisons:
Danny Noriega -- Jessica Alba
Colton Berry -- Ellen DeGeneres
Jason Castro -- John Travolta

The LA Times has an interesting article out about American Idol, and in particular, David Archuleta. The fans and judges have anointed the boy wonder as the show's front-runner. And his fans call themselves "Archies."

There's debate among critics and bloggers over David's authenticity. Is he manufactured? Is his aw-shucks persona an act? And is the light in his eyes real?

I have three questions:
1. Is vocal paralysis a real ailment?
2. If he's so good, why hasn't he "made it" already?
3. Why does he breath so loudly?

If Blake Lewis were still a contestant on American Idol, what do you think the judges would have said about his performance last night?



If it were me, I'd say that Blake was being Blake. His style came through. The vocals were just OK. He looked fantastic. And the performance overall was a little boring.

Are there any surprises in this year's Top 12? Let's see....

David Archuleta - Little boy with a big voice. An easy favorite for young girls, mothers and grandmothers
Michael Johns - Good looking Aussie with a rocker style. Eye-candy for anyone over the age of 16.
David Cook - A rocker with hair issues. Has a likable smile, decent voice and flat hair.
Chikezie - Doesn't need a last name. Great voice, positive attitude.
David Hernandez - Exudes sensuality.
Jason Castro - Kind eyes, sensitive style.

Amanda Overmyer - Probably the only unexpected contestant. She doesn't seem happy to have "made it."
Carly Smithson - Big voice. Judge and producer favorite from the start.
Brooke White - Good, clean, honest, goody-goody singer. Folksy and pretty.
Kristy Leigh Cook - Very pretty. Ok voice. She may try for the country vote.
Syesha Mercado - Excellent voice. Sunny personality. Wears scarves.
Ramiele Malubay - Little girl with a big voice. Cute as a button. Cries a lot.

When one think's of 80s songs now, it usually is mostly pop or new wave. But I think the contestants did a good job of mixing it up a little on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

What did you think of 80s night? Did the Idol contestants sing your favorite songs?

What theme would you want the contestants to cover in the future? Movies, One-hit wonders....?

 

Wasn't it interesting that not one American Idol contestant sang a Paula Abdul song this week? Could it be that:
A) Her songs aren't singable
B) No one can replicate her dance moves
C) Paula and Co. didn't give permission
D) The Idol producers didn't want to subject audiences to the songs
E) None of the contestants like Paula's music

Your thoughts?

Another night of American Idol. Eight girls singing 80s songs and only six make it onto next week. Last night was good but not spectacular. So can the girls outsing the guys?

Asia'h Epperson
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston
Why does anyone attempt to sing a Whitney Houston song? You know you're not going to measure up, and you know Simon is going to criticize you for even trying. Asia'h did an ok job, but she really could've shined brighter with a different song. It's a huge risk to sing a Whitney song, and I don't think it paid off that much for Asia'h.

Kady Malloy
"Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen
What an odd, depressing song to choose. I didn't even recognize this song when she first started. I'm not even sure this was the same song that Freddie Mercury sang. Of all the fun, lively 80s songs to choose, why this one? Kady needs to go!

Amanda Overmyer
"I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett
This is Amanda's first performance (besides the original audition) that I really liked. Was it really good? Or am I just getting used to her? I love her new hair style, but I don't think she feels comfortable conforming to the Idol world.

Carly Smithson
"I Drove All Night" by Cyndi Lauper and Celine Dion and Roy Orbison
I think this was an excellent song for Carly. She got to show off her big voice and put some really umph into her performance. Great performance. Great song. Great energy. I still don't like Carly.

Kristy Lee Cook
"Faithfully" by Journey
OH MY GOSH. I can't believe she's singing Journey. I can't believe Steve Perry and his former bandmates gave them permission to use the song. How much money is Idol paying them? And how in the world did they split it? Kristy started the song out well, she got through the middle section OK, she butchered the first mentioning of "Faithfully" (she didn't get to the mic fast enough), and she had a rocky second half, but managed to finish on a strong note. Like Whitney and Celine, how can anyone compare with Steve Perry? Good for you for trying, but geez. That was tough.

Ramiele Malubay
"Against All Odds" by Phil Collins
I think Ramiele could have picked a better song to show off her big voice. She wavered in the low, slow notes but she shined in the bigger notes. Still she never broke out and really SANG. I'm a little worried about her. We haven't seen anyone crash and burn on stage tonight, so her OK performance may put her in the danger zone, which btw, is another great 80's song.

Brooke White
"Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
Kind of rambling, kind of boring, kind of uninspiring, kind of not very exciting. Brooke's main problem made a rock song into a folk song, and I don't think the conversion was successful. Brooke hasn't excited me since her first audition and some of Hollywood Week. I don't think she has taken any real chances, which may be a good thing since the judges always talk about finding a niche. Still, I don't quite like her niche, so maybe I'm not her target audience.

Syesha Mercado
"Saving All My Love For You" by Whitney Houston
I'm impressed. Syesha did the better Whitney cover tonight, and it was better by far. Syesha has a really good voice, and she has excellent control of it. She may not be at Whitney's level yet, but she may get there some day soon. She gets HIGH marks for tonight's performance.

It's 80's night on American Idol. Eight guys are singing and two will be voted out. This could be either really fun or really embarrassing.

Luke Menard
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham
Wow. This is such an iconic 80s song. The song was a little high for his register. Good effort, but I don't think he pulled it off.

David Archuleta
"Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins
I had no idea David played the piano. I don't remember if they ever showed him playing during the earlier auditions. The piano doesn't interfere with his singing. This is definitely earning him double, triple, gazillion extra points. The only thing that bothers me about this kid is his breathing. Every time he takes a breath, you can hear it. Could this be related to the mysterious vocal paralysis he mentioned during the audition?

An aside: My friend, who is watching the show with me, thinks David puts unnecessary vocal flourishes into his performance, just like last week. He doesn't think David is thinking about what the song means; he basically sings just to sound good.

Danny Noriega
"Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
I'm sure Danny had a ball with picking out his outfit this week. I think it's safe to say that Danny has become the biggest joke on American Idol. What was up with that performance? It was like a bad, scary and hilarious karaoke performance. And don't get me started on his attitude -- LOVE IT.

David Hernandez
"It's All Coming Back to me Now" by Celine Dion or by Meat Loaf
David has a pretty decent voice. It can get big, and he sings the low, slow notes well. But, it's not great. It's out of tune in lots of places and was sloppy overall.

Michael Johns
"Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds
I really like this song, but I don't particularly agree with Michael's version. Still, I think a lot of people will like it and vote for him. He certainly put a modern, rock spin to it.

David Cook
"Hello" by Lionel Richie
I don't really like David but I like his performance. He seems real, believable and quite enjoyable. I can appreciate how he made the song his own.

Jason Castro
"Hallelujah"
Jason needed to step it up this week, and he didn't The song was too quite and really didn't show off his singing ability.

Chikezie
"All The Man That I Need" by Whitney Houston
Chikezie is becoming a surprise favorite for me. He wasn't all that great in the beginning, definitely outsung Michael Johns and David Archuleta. But this song (and last week's performance) really proves that he's a heavy-hitter in the competition. Tonight's performance showed off his big range and power in his voice.

David Hernandez, whether he wins or not, will now join Frenchie Davis and Antonella Barba for being infamous not for their singing but for their scandals. It's been revealed that Hernandez has a racy past: He once did lap dances for a "mostly male" clientele at a strip club.

But he can keep singing - Fox isn't kicking him out of the competition. After all, if fellow former stripper Diablo Cody can win an Oscar for her movie, then what's stopping Hernandez from winning "American Idol," right?

From the Associated Press story:

By DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES — David Hernandez won’t be stripped of his
chance to compete on “American Idol.”<p>
A person close to the show, who is not authorized to comment
publicly and asked not to be identified, told The Associated Press
on Tuesday that there were no plans to remove Hernandez from the
Fox singing competition — despite the semifinalist’s
past as a male stripper.<p>
The 24-year-old from Glendale, Ariz., once worked as
an adult entertainer at Dick’s Cabaret in Phoenix, appearing fully
nude and performing lap dances for the club’s “mostly male”
clientele, strip club manager Gordy Bryan told the AP on
Monday.<p>
In 2003, semifinalist Frenchie Davis was dismissed from “Idol”
because of her appearance on an adult Web site, but Antonella Barba
remained in the competition last year after racy photos of her
surfaced on the Internet. The source who confirmed that Hernandez
will remain said Davis’ situation was different because of the
site’s age-themed content.<p>