[image courtesy IDontLikeYouInThatWay.com]
[We apologize if you're reading this over dinner, or breakfast, or lunch, or in front of your boss -- Ed.]
I have avoided directly addressing the American Idol / Antonella Barba "racy photo" "controversy" for good reasons, I think. Anyone who's reading this blog surely knows all about it, doesn't need my superfluous snark about it, and has surely seen at least a few of the photos. Also, I didn't have a good "hook" into the "story" that would allow me to avoid looking purvy.
But there are new developments in this "controversy", and I also now have a hook, so it's time for me to write.
Follow me after the jump, and we'll talk about youthful indiscretion, your most "private" moments made "public", and double standards.
The photo above appears to show four college-age girlfriends on Spring Break, goofing for each other -- and a friend with a camera -- while blowing off a little steam before the academic home stretch. It appears to show that, because that's exactly what it is. This photo may be a little racier than anything in my personal private photo album, but it's not particularly shocking or offensive. This photo certainly wouldn't make Joe Francis perk up.
Also, this photo is typical of about half of the Antonella photos -- in the photo above, Antonella is third-from-the-left, or second-from-the-right, depending upon how you look at such things -- that have popped up on the internets. I say "about half", because some of the photos -- the photos showing Antonella alone in multiple "poses" with the same props -- look as if they may have been shot for a portfolio. But we'll get to that later.
But this photo is of special interest to me.
I am reliably informed by multiple independent sources that one of the young women in this photo is someone I know personally [I say "reliably informed" because I think the photographic evidence is a little ambiguous, but I trust my sources]. She is second-from-the-left, to Antonella's right. I won't "name" her here, to protect her "privacy". But for the sake of easy reference, I'll call her "J".
[Any reader who also knows this young woman's identity should refrain from commenting about it. Thank you -- Ed.]
Rob, what's that you say about her "privacy"? She's topless in a picture on the internets???
When Antonella and J -- and the other young women in these photos and in the others -- posed for these photos, they certainly never had any intention -- and probably no thought -- that they would ever end up on the internets and be downloaded thousands of times. I can assure you that J is horrified to see this photo of her out there for any-ole-one to see. I suspect that Antonella feels the same way.
Most of us reading [and writing] this blog are probably saying to ourselves, "I would never do anything like that." And I know a few people of Antonella's age -- and a few a little older, and a few a little younger -- who would probably say that as well. But I think when we say we would never do "that", we're probably thinking something like, "pose for racy pictures on the internets". We're certainly not saying, "I would never be 20 years old".
Most of us, when we were that age, did all kinds of things that completely embarrass us to think about now. We may even have posed for silly photos -- or passed out drunk and had such photos snapped of us anyway. Photos that when we saw them a couple of weeks or ten years later, made us roll our eyes. What's different for Barba and J and the rest of their Gen Y peers is that the ubiquity of digital media -- digital cameras, camera phones, scanners, etc. -- and the rise of "You"-centered narcissistic media -- MySpace, YouTube, flickr, etc. -- has resulted in all of this embarrassing "youthful indiscretion" stuff being repurposed into entertainment for thousands of other strangers. Immediately -- or, if not immediately, very quickly when opportunity struck.
In an age where flickr is the new "shoebox", and 10,000 MySpace friends is the new "10 sorority sisters", your most embarrassing silly private moments are potentially a whole lot more public. But does that make them any less embarrassing or silly? Or any less private for you?
And not surprisingly, the public's interest in this type of "content" rises in proportion to the pseudo-fame of the participants involved. Look at this photo and ask yourself -- if Antonella Barba had not auditioned for American Idol, would you ever have seen this photo???
So, when you see this photo above -- or any number of similar photos out there on the internets -- please keep this in mind. These photos were most likely "private" "friends-only" photos of some friends goofing around. They were never intended to be seen by thousands of people.
And, they're not even very exciting or jaw-dropping.
Which brings us to the solo Antonella photos. And Frenchie Davis.
I'm talking about the photos of Antonella posing in her underwear with a ball, and the photos of Antonella at the World War II Memorial. These photos look like they may have been part of a portfolio [they're not racy enough to be commercially-attractive featuring an unknown Antonella, so they probably weren't intended for immediate sale or consumption].
Even if these photos were part of a portfolio, they appear to have been designed only to land future modeling gigs -- they weren't of themselves commercially viable when taken. But interestingly -- and very importantly? -- the "portfolio" shots are even less racy than the "private" photos [which makes a lot of sense, doesn't it -- they were meant for public consumption]. Sure, we may think Antonella's "desecration" of the World War II Memorial was in poor taste and bad judgment, but -- ahh, to be a 20-year-old model in Washington DC...
There has been much hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing about whether American Idol has exhibited a double standard by not taking any disciplinary action against Antonella, after famously booting Frenchie from AI2 after word leaked that she had posed for an adult web site [how Web 1.0!!!]. AI defenders in some cases have sought to cast the differential treatment in the light of a distinction between Frenchie's "commercial" pornographic activity and Antonella's "private" activity -- a tack both Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Cowell have taken.
Over the last couple of weeks, however, the "American Idol has a double standard" crowd has gotten more vocal. And the battle has become more pitched. On Monday, pro-"AI-has-a-double-standard" and pro-Fenchie supporters announced plans for a protest rally outside the Kodak Theatre, where AI will host its finals. This prompted Rosie O'Donnell to bring up the topic on Tuesday's broadcast of The View, where Rosie sparred with Elizabeth Hasselbeck over the double-standard and called AI's decision-making "racist" and "weightist". Also on Tuesday, news reports surfaced that other female contestants still in the competition are upset about the whole kerfluffle, especially those who consider themselves more "religious" than Antonella. Finally, Frenchie herself is even dropping hints that she's thinking about suing AI over the whole mess.
I actually think both of these cases are very close, and both could have gone either way. I understand and respect AI's decision to boot Frenchie. I also understand and respect AI's decision not to boot Antonella. And my opinions have nothing to do with race, weight, commercialism or any of that.
I think that AI decided to boot Frenchie for the very banal reason that the producers feared the controversy would harm the show. At that time, AI, while a surprise breakout hit, still had a precarious hold over its fickle audience. It was very reasonable for the Idol producers to fear that a "controversy" like this could derail the whole franchise. Three-plus years later, American Idol is the most popular show on television and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It is very reasonable for the Idol producers to assume now that this new controversy will be nothing but a blip in the radar, requiring no action on their part. They might reasonably think that if the public is really offended by this, the public will register that with their votes. The producers might turn out to be wrong, but the assumption is not unreasonable.
In retrospect, I wish we could turn back the clock and have the Idol producers allow the viewers to make the call about Frenchie Davis. We can't do that now, of course, but we can let the viewers make their own decisions about whether Antonella Barba should be the next "American Idol".
And guess what -- she won't be. Her [relative] lack of singing talent will get to her before the courts and judges do. After all, there is a reason why VoteForTheWorst has been pimping her.
But let's keep watching, and see if I'm wrong.
And, as always, feel free to rip me up in the comments.
*****
As a final note, I'd like to note that J herself is a singer and actress. I've had the pleasure of hearing her sing, and I can say unequivocally that she is a *much* better singer than Antonella. I'd be curious to know if J herself tried out for AI? Does anyone know???
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
This Week In Antonella Barba [6 March 2007 Edition]
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
This Week In Tonight In American Idol [6 March 2007 Edition]
8:00 PM: We are down to our last week in boy-on-boy and girl-on-girl competition. We have 8 of each. We'll eliminate 2 of each this week, and starting next week all 12 finalists will be competing with each other.
A lot has happened in the last week. Let's see how it plays out this week.
UPDATED: DialIdol's numbers are now in, and they're not very helpful.
8:01 PM: Ryan promises us "a major" announcement on Thursday. Maybe AI will be booting Antonella Barba and bringing back Frenchie Davis???
8:02 PM: This week, the contestants tell us "a secret" about themselves. I won't bore you with these "secrets". It's just Idol trying to create personalities for these folks.
8:02 PM: First up for the guys is Blake Lewis. Blake performs 311's "All Mixed Up." Blake plays it right down the middle, staying true to 311's pseudo-hip hop reggae style. But he does a great job with it. Randy says he doesn't know the song but he loves it. Paula doesn't know the song either, but she loves it. Simon also likes the song. [*We* knew the song -- Ed.] All three judges praise Blake for being "unique" and "current". Simon says he will "absolutely" be back next week.
8:10 PM: Next up is Sanjaya Malakar. Sanjaya performs John Mayer's "Waiting On The World To Change". The judges are not impressed. Sanjaya has been flat since he made it to Hollywood -- and this week, his hair is even flatter. How does he continue to skate through? Randy wonders "where is the Sanjaya we first saw"? Paula wants Sanjaya to "raise [your] game". Simon says it was better than last week, but reminds the voters Sanjaya that "it's a singing competition". Simon wants Sanjaya gone.
Sanjaya sang a JOHN FUCKING MAYER song. I want him gone too.
8:15 PM: Next up is Sundance Head. HOLY FUCK!!! Sundance performs Pearl Jam's "Jeremy". Which is about as far away from an Idol song as you can get. Sundance sang it about as well as Eddie Vedder does, but still. Randy calls it "pitchy" but "hot". Paula thinks it's "really good". Simon thinks it's an "indulgent choice of song" and says he sounds like a "bar singer".
Oh man, now Sundance has me thinking about a "grunge" theme week. Maybe Antonella Barba would sing Liz Phair's "Flower"???
8:22 PM: TRAVIS FUCKING TRITT is in the hizzouse!!! Travis tells Ryan that Randy Jackson is producing his new album. Oh man, I can't think of the jokes fast enough.
8:23 PM: Okay, this is a "segue". Next up is Chris Richardson. Chris performs Keith Urban's "Tonight I Wanna Cry". [Get it??? "Country"??? -- Ed.] Chris nails this song and reworks it into a JT-esque R&B/Pop song. Great job. Randy says Chris is "in it to win it". Paula thinks it's a great job. Simon thinks it's "nasally" and "cutesy", and not what he's capable of, but predicts he'll be back.
8:31 PM: Next up is Jared Cotter. Jared performs Stevie Wonder's "If You Really Love Me". Apparently, Stevie Wonder is the new Executive Producer of AI and has a deal whereby there must be at least 3 songs of his performed over any period of 2 consecutive weeks. It was okay. It was the most dynamic performance of the nite -- but not the best vocal. Randy is surprised to say that it's good. Paula warns Jared not to "shout" the song. Simon says it's "not original" and that he's "slightly disappointed tonite, because I'm not hearing the 'wow' factor".
Ryan seems to be telegraphing that Jared may be on the bubble -- he asks the judges whether Jared belongs in the top 12. Cue the awkward silence. Eventually, the judges tell Jared he belongs there but he needs to step it up and do his best every week.
8:41 PM: Next up is Brandon Rogers. Brandon performs Rare Earth's "I Just Want To Celebrate". IMHO, it's a great funky R&B song choice, and Brandon really nails it. The best performance of the nite. But Randy calls it only "solid". Paula calls it "phenomenal". Simon thinks it's a poor song choice -- doesn't show off his voice -- and says "I'm nervous for you -- I think that song may give you a problem this week".
8:45 PM: Next up is Phil Stacey. Ryan had teased us that we had a LeAnn Rimes song coming up. Phil performs LeAnn's "I Need You". Oooooh, this is terrible. Phil is strangling this song. Okay, the start was terrible, the finish was...okaaaaaaaaaaay. Randy calls it an "interesting song choice" and says it's not his best performance. Paula agrees with Randy that the lower part of his register is not his sweet spot. Paula agrees it's not a great choice. Simon says "I didn't get it". "It wasn't good enough".
8:52 PM: Ryan tells us that Carrie Underwood will return to perform on "results nite" on Thursday 8 March. I hope she'll be wearing her new "shoes".
8:53 PM: Last up is Chris Sligh. Chris performs "We Wanna Be Loved". Was this really orginally performed by "Christian rockers" D.C. Talk??? Anyway, Chris reworks it as a Stevie Wonder-esque [damn!!! -- Ed.] R&B jam. Randy calls it the best performance of the nite. Paula completely disagrees, and warns him to keep raising the bar. Simon likes it but reiterates his advice to all the guys tonite -- you guys have to step it up.
8:58 PM: Ryan asks the judges -- how many of the final 8 guys deserve to be in the final 12? Randy: "4". Paula: "4". Simon: "3 1/2".
They're all being generous.
The guys really suck this year. Seriously.
The guys were so bad this week, I hesitate to make any predictions. I will only say...SHOULD GO: Sanjaya Malakar [please!!!] and Phil Stacey.
I'll update later with DialIdol's numbers.
UPDATED 4:00 AM: DialIdol's numbers are in, and all the guys are going home!!! Seriously, the numbers were so close, the site has everyone within the margin of error. Here is the actual ranking: 1) Chris Richardson; 2) Chris Sligh; 3) Blake Lewis; 4) Sanjaya Malakar; 5) Brandon Rogers; 6) Jared Cotter; 7) Sundance Head; 8) Phil Stacey.
META: Ask, And Ye Shall Receive...Maybe
Some of my faithful readers recently commented to me that my posts were so long that it was difficult for readers to scan through to find particular posts of interest. For some time, I have been wanting to enable "jump" capability to cut down on the lengthy posts taking up so much space on the main page.
After much frustration and testing, I'm proud to announce this new functionality on DHMBIB.
Enabling this functionality was much more difficult than it should have been. Blogger was not very helpful, unfortunately, as their HowTo article works only for the old version of Blogger, and not the "new" version I'm using.
After much searching, I found some very helpful instructions on how to enable the "jump" functionality on Ramani's Hackosphere blog. These instructions worked like a champ! Thanks, Ramani!
I'll be re-editing some of my older posts -- this hack requires code in each post, as well as in the site template -- to enable this functionality in those posts, to make the site more readable.
Of course, I'm open to feedback from my readers. Please let me know your thoughts.
ciaobaby
Saturday, March 3, 2007
This Week In The iTunes Music Store [3 March 2007 Edition]
There are a few interesting doings at the iTMS this week. After the jump, we'll talk about new music from Tila Tequila, the Dixie Chicks, and some new Nirvana-inspired playlists.
* Have y'all heard of this Tila Tequila person?
In case you haven't heard of her, Tila Tequila is a "model"-"turned"-"musician" who up-til-now [at least] has been famous more for her racy photos than her music. Tila also is pretty-much the undisputed "most popular" resident of MySpace, with [as of this writing] *1,703,260* "friends".
When she wasn't "practicing celibacy" by "sleeping with" her "sex toy" Jared Leto [insert your own "30 Seconds To Mars" jokes here, please -- Ed.], she was threatening to release a record that would take the world by storm. Unfortunately, she had some trouble getting a record deal -- and I have no idea why, of course -- so there has been a considerable delay.
But on Tuesday, Tila's song finally hit the iTMS. Tila hopes to become the first unsigned artist ever to make it to [presumably] the Billboard Top 20. As Idolator notes, if she quickly can get even 10% of her MySpace "friends" to pony-up $0.99 for the track -- which smartly comes bundled with a free video for the song -- she should make it with plenty of room to spare.
After 24 hours in the store, Tila did crack the iTMS top 100. And as you can see in the graphic above, the iTMS is still pimping her in the masthead. But even though "I Love U" has finally made it past the not-exactly-current "White & Nerdy", she's still languishing at #73, behind such au courant hits as the year-old "Hips Don't Lie" [#71] and "Chasing Cars" [#51] [we're giving Tila a pass on being a full *65 spots* behind "Not Ready To Make Nice"...that whole history-making five-Grammys-in-one-nite thing a few weeks ago, ya know -- Ed.].
So, what do you think? Does Tila Tequila have "the goods" to make it into the Billboard Top 20? Or -- to lower the bar a bit -- the iTMS Top 20?
Do you care?
* And speaking of the Dixie Chicks...
Next to Tila on the masthead is an ad for an "exclusive" Dixie Chicks track, "The Neighbor". Although the track is "new" to the store this week, it was actually written and recorded for the Shut Up & Sing documentary last year.
Striking while the iron is hot is a smart move on the Chicks' part. There's still no word on whether the Chicks plan to break up as previously rumored, but their website still lists only 2006 tour dates -- i.e., no upcoming shows.
Are the Chicks reconsidering in light of their astounding Grammy sweep? Are they waiting to make a decision -- or an announcement -- until after the April 16th CMT [that's "Country Music Television", BTW] Music Awards, where "Not Ready To Make Nice" is a nominee in the categories of Video Of The Year and Group Video Of The Year? The CMT Music Awards are awarded based on fan votes at the CMT website. How the Chicks fare at these awards should give them some idea how "country music fans" feel about them now.
Stay tuned. But in the meantime, pick up "The Neighbor". It's a solid track.
* And finally, "He's the one who likes all our pretty songs..."
I missed this last week, but in a blatant attempt to cash in on on the occasion of the 40th birthday of Kurt Cobain's dead body, the iTMS put together some Nirvana-esque playlists called "Influences", "Contemporaries", and "The Nirvana Legacy".
And apparently, I'm writing copy for the iTMS and didn't even know it!
Here's a description of Everclear's "Santa Monica" from the "Contemporaries" collection:
" "Santa Monica" (Track 2): In many ways the pretty-boy answer to Nirvana was Everclear. What you may find on closer scrutiny is that Art Alexakis was fighting many of the same demons as Mr. Cobain, he just used more bleach. "
"More bleach" -- very clever.
This Week In Kellie Pickler's New "Shoes" -- Update [3 March 2007 Edition]
I decided to write this up as a new post instead of merely "updating" my previous post on this topic.
Finally, Kellie Pickler's appearance on Thursday's American Idol has made it to YouTube. The video below includes not only Kellie's performance of her new song "I Wonder" but also the pre-song chat with Ryan in which he once again shows America just how stupid she is.
Since Thursday, the consensus on the internets is clearly in favor of "yeah, she got some new girls". Washington Post teevee columnist Lisa de Moraes wrote:
" Maybe the surprise was Kellie Pickler. Pickler, last season's goofy blonde from Albemarle, NC, has made a return visit to "American Idol" to sing a song, promote her new album, and show off the girls, which she cutely calls "shoes" when show host Ryan Seacrest asks what she's bought with the money from her record contract.
" "Just shoes?" Ryan asks, while the cameraman, who's apparently the only one noticing Pickler's new double-D's, points the camera at her silver pumps and hangs on for dear life. "
"Feelin' Good" -- Bad Idea [washingtonpost.com]
Idolator Maura Johnston's [I presume] wrapup [which included probably the cutest picture you will ever see of now-departed contestant Alaina Alexander, BTW] of Thursday's show had this to say:
" THE DOWNSIDE OF LOSING: Kellie Pickler stopped by served as a sort of cautionary tale to future Idol also-rans, with her bad peroxide-job hairdo, out-of-control eye shadow, absolutely atrocious dress (who knew that turquoise could be headache-inducing?), and seemingly inflatable chest. (Kellie claimed she spent her Idol money on "shoes," but we're pretty sure those don't come in size 36DD.) "
Idolator's American Idolatry: Tears, Self-Doubt, And Shaken Faith [idolator.com]
But I'm willing to throw just one more little doubt into this whole matter. When I was live-blogging this on Thursday, I wrote: "She looks to have gained a few pounds. And a set of twins. If you catch my drift." After reviewing the video again, I'm wondering if it's just possible that Kellie has gained some weight [okay, we'll stop being coy -- she has OBVS gained some weight in the last year -- compare her face and her hips [ignoring the twin 800-pound gorillas for a moment] to those same features in the videos from last season or in any of the multitude of photos on the internets --Ed.] -- and that some of that weight has made its way upstairs, to a part of the female body that is notoriously "fatty".
In the end, I guess it doesn't really matter whether she's had the work done or not. But if you'd like to keep debating -- or if you just really love watching Kellie Pickler nearly explode out of her dress -- here's the video of Kellie's appearance:
[BTW, wouldn't you just love to have been a drunken fly in Paula Abdul's "Coca-Cola" and overheard the conversations between Simon and Paula captured twice by the director? Don't you just know the director was thinking that Simon and Paula were discussing what Ryan was joking about? Because, why else cut away to them whispering to each other -- TWICE???]
Friday, March 2, 2007
Odds & Sods: And I Am Telling You What Goes Around...Comes Around [2 March 2007 Edition]
* j.hud has something she wants to say:
Haven't gotten around to seeing Dreamgirls yet? ifilm has the clip of j.hud's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", but because it's not embeddable, you'll have to go here to see it.
* Diaz to Cuthbert: "At least you didn't shave your head":
Did you think that Justin Timberlake's song "What Goes Around...Comes Around" was about Britney? Even after he kept denying it over and over again?
Well, the newest rumor in Hollywoodland is that the song is actually about Elisha Cuthbert. It seems that Elisha used to be engaged to JT BFF Trace Ayala. Elisha supposedly cheated on Trace, and that pissed off JT so much he wrote "What Goes Around..." in response. Elisha recently confronted Cameron Diaz -- JT's GF at the time he wrote the song and also a mutual friend of all parties -- about this, and Cameron told Elisha her relationship with Trace was "only an inspiration" for the song. In this town, we used to call that "a non-denial denial".
Starpulse has the story here.
This Week In Yesterday In Beyonce [2 March 2007 Edition]
I'm a day behind on this due to time constraints.
On Thursday, the music/entertainment bloggosphere was rocked by the appearance of NOT ONE, BUT TWO new videos from Beyonce.
"Upgrade U" is the next single from Beyonce's album B'Day. Shockingly, both the single and the video feature a cameo from Jay-Z.
The song has Beyonce noting that the object of her affections has the bling, the fancy cars, the clothes, etc., but she wants to "Upgrade U" by adding...her. The video follows a well-worn path for both artists, with Beyonce frolicking in gold coins and the back of a Rolls and dancing around Jay while he raps. Nothing special -- for me, the video's highlight is when Beyonce dresses "in drag" and lip-synchs part of Jay's rap -- but it's sure to be a big hit...
More interesting than "Upgrade U" is "Beautiful Liar", a collaboration with Shakira. I love this video. Both the song and the video incorporate elements of both of their styles -- it feels like a true collaboration -- and the choreography is so great, it's difficult at any given time to determine whose non-lying hips you're seeing...
"Beautiful Liar" first appeared in conjunction with a behind-the-scenes video for Beyonce's cover shoot for the SI Swimsuit Issue. It will be among three new tracks on a reissued "Deluxe Edition" of B'Day scheduled for release in April [I looked for a more specific date but couldn't find one]. Right now, the track is not available at the iTMS, which I fear means it will have an "Album Only" designation after the re-release of B'Day, which would totally piss me off.
This Week In Charlotte Church [2 March 2007 Edition]
On Wednesday, I posted a video of Charlotte Church and Alesha performing The Killers' "Somebody Told Me" from The Charlotte Church Show.
On Thursday, Charlotte Church announced via her website that she is pregnant:
" A message from Charlotte’s management:
" Charlotte has asked us to bring you the news exclusively today via CharlotteChurch.com that she is pregnant. For reasons of privacy, Charlotte has chosen not to comment on this matter, other than to confirm that she and her boyfriend, Gavin Henson, are delighted. In an ideal world, we would not have made this announcement so early in the pregnancy. However, due to recent speculation and persistent questions from the media about this most private of matters, Charlotte felt she had no choice other than to go public and she was keen to ensure that her fans had the opportunity to read the truth here first. "
[charlottechurch.com]
[coincidence??? hmmm....Ed.]
What's that about "recent speculation and persistent questions from the media"? The AP report sheds a little light on the matter:
" Speculation began about Church's pregnancy when she was seen avoiding alcohol at her 21st-birthday party. "
Charlotte Church Announces Pregnancy [AP, via washingtonpost.com]
So, why would the media be speculating about Charlotte's "pro-active" decision to "avoid" alcohol at her birthday party? I mean, it's not like EVERYBODY wants to get drunk at their 21st birthday party, right?
Well, if you've had a life over the last few years, you probably haven't had enough time to occasionally check in on the life of Charlotte as she grew from the sweet angelic teenager you may remember to the 21-year-old teevee star she is today. You see, Charlotte for a few years was roughly the Welsh equivalent of, oh, perhaps, Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears. Wikipedia can help catch us all up:
" Church's personal life has often been portrayed in the sensationalist tabloid newspapers in the UK, rather more frequently than her career (inspiring the song "Let's Be Alone" on her album Tissues And Issues).
" Revisited with particular frequency is her love life. In 2002, aged 16, she moved out of the family home to live with her boyfriend, Steven Johnson (inspiring the song "Casualty of Love", also from Tissues And Issues); the couple later split at the end of 2003. The tabloid press documented her subsequent relationship with Kyle Johnson (no relation), which ended in February 2005. The couple stated at the time that they remained friends, though shortly afterwards Johnson revealed graphic details about the couple's sex life to the press, leading to a public punch from Church, which she later admitted. The press has recently devoted much attention to Church's relationship with current boyfriend Gavin Henson, a Welsh International Rugby player: at the end of 2005, they purchased a property in her native Llandaff, Cardiff for a reported £500,000; both celebrities have since mentioned the possibility of marriage on talk shows and in the press. They are expecting their first child in 2007.
" Other aspects of her personal life have been criticised in the press. In 2002, she was photographed smoking, and it gradually emerged that she had developed a smoking habit [mon dieu! -- Ed.] (another fact alluded to on her album Tissues And Issues, in the song "Confessional Song"). She has also been criticised for what the press have seen as excessive partying, with plenty of photos of the singer drunk or misbehaving adorning tabloid newspapers, including one in which she gave the photographer the finger. In more recent interviews, Church has stated that she has now stopped smoking and that her behaviour is now much more low-key.
...
" Liam Gallagher of the rock group Oasis is a big fan of Charlotte's, complimenting both her voice and hellraising activities. [Well, if LIAM GALLAGHER says she's cool...Ed.] "
[This is from Wikipedia, so you KNOW it must be true. YMMV -- Ed.]
There were also a bunch of topless photos -- including one found on an old boyfriend's phone -- and otherwise-racy photos that the British tabloids picked up, but you already figured that out, right? [If you care to find them, google is your friend -- Ed.]
But our prodigal daughter Charlotte has largely managed to repair her public image and is now a popular teevee star in the UK.
Congratulations and good luck, Charlotte! DHMBIB will keep watching -- at least until the Beeb C&D's YouTube.
*****
BONUS CHARLOTTE CHURCH VIDEO OF THE DAY
On Wednesday, I posted a video of Charlotte and Alesha. On Charlotte's show the following week [13 October 2006], Charlotte and guest Amy Winehouse performed Michael Jackson's "Beat It". This should have been a grand slam, as Amy is a scary-talented British new-soul singer [think Joss Stone with a hella-sharper edge]. But, alas, the famously-addicted Amy was clearly very "tired" -- in the Lindsay-Lohan-tired kind-of-way -- during the performance. The resulting performance is still "entertaining" -- and Charlotte FUCKING ROCKS!!! -- but not necessarily "entertaining" in the way that was intended. Enjoy!
This Week In Kellie Pickler's New "Shoes" [2 March 2007 Edition]
Did anyone notice anything...different...about Kellie Pickler during her appearance on American Idol on Thursday 1 March???
If not, here are some "visual aids" that may help you figure it out...
* Kellie Pickler promotional photos for Small Town Girl [released 31 October 2006]:
[images courtesy kelliepickler.com]
* Kellie Pickler at the CMA's [6 November 2006]:
[images courtesy celebritymound.com]
* Kellie Pickler on American Idol last night [1 March 2007]:
[clip courtesy bestweekever.tv; skip to the 2:20 mark to see Kellie]
Thursday, March 1, 2007
This Week In Tonight In American Idol: 1 March 2007 Edition
8:00 PM: We're back for elimination nite!
Ryan's rocking his "ooh, look, I didn't shave today" look!
8:07 PM: After the recaps, our 20 remaining wannabes perform "Joy To The World" as their group number. I realize there's "no pressure" on the contestants now, but if they would perform their competition songs with the same enthusiasm and abandon with which they perform these group numbers, they could really shake up the results.
8:13 PM: Whack time! The guys are up first. Phil Stacey: safe.
8:13 PM: Chris Sligh: safe.
8:14 PM: Sundance Head: safe.
8:14 PM: Blake Lewis: safe.
8:15 PM: Jared Cotter -- uh oh, Ryan makes him "join me" on the stage. Safe!
8:15 PM: Nicholas "Nick" Pedro: going home!
DialIdol had Nick at #9. Score one for DialIdol! I had Nick at either #7 or #8. Score none for me!
8:17 PM: Nick performs "Fever" one more time. I liked it better than his Tuesday nite performance.
8:19 PM: Hey, look -- Paula is dancing!!! Has that ever happened before???
8:20 PM: Jennifer Love Hewitt is shilling for Hanes. This commercial is for some comfy-fit bras or something. DHMBIB heartily approves of commercials featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt modeling bras.
8:23 PM: Okay, it's the women's turn. Stephanie Edwards: safe.
8:24 PM: Gina Glocksen: safe.
8:25 PM: Sabrina Sloan: safe.
8:25 PM: Melinda Doolittle: safe.
8:26 PM: Alaina Alexander: going home!
DialIdol had Alaina at #5. Score none for DialIdol. I had Alaina at #9. Score one for me!
DialIdol was way off, as I had hoped would be the case. There is hope for AI7 voters after all.
Later, I'll explain how DialIdol could have been so far off.
8:27 PM: Alaina is very unhappy. Time for Alaina to sing "Not Ready To Make Nice". Alaina immediately chokes up. She can't do it. The band keeps playing, and the rest of the women join her onstage and give her some backing vocal support and lots of hugs. Alaina struggles to continue, and mercifully the song comes to an end.
I'll cut Alaina some slack and not "critique" the performance.
8:34 PM: The American Idol Challenge thingy. "Which of these Idols had a big nite at the Grammys this year?" a) Taylor Hicks; b) Carrie Underwood; c) Ruben Studdard. Gee, i have no idea what the answer is.
Notice that voting in this contest is done *only* by SMS. This is the future of American Idol voting. I'll come back to this theme in my DialIdol breakdown.
8:35 PM: It's the return of Kellie Pickler!!! She looks to have gained a few pounds. And a set of twins. If you catch my drift. Cut to Simon -- whispering to Paula -- gee, did he catch this too?
8:36 PM: Ryan: "Have you spent any of the money on anything?"
Kellie: "I bought some shoes." Camera cuts to shoes as Kellie twirls to...model them???
Ryan: "Is that all?"
Kellie: "Yeah!"
Ryan is not so gay that he doesn't notice the twin 800-pound gorillas about to pop out of that blue dress.
8:37 PM: Kellie sings a new song called "Priceless" "I Wonder". It's not bad. She seems to have had a great deal of vocal training.
8:45 PM: Back to the whacking of the men, so-to-speak [whoa! -- Ed.]. Chris Richardson: safe.
8:45 PM: Brandon Rogers: safe.
8:46 PM: Only Sanjaya and A.J. remain. A.J. Tabaldo: going home! Sanjaya Malakar: safe. A.J. pronounces himself "shocked"!
DialIdol had A.J. At #7. Score none for DialIdol! I didn't rank the men, but A.J. was not in my "bottom four". Score none for me!
8:47 PM: All of the judges are shocked by this result, as A.J. performed well on Tuesday.
8:48 PM: A.J. performs "Feelin' Good" for, we can only hope, the last time for any contestant for the rest of the season. It's a good performance. And it shows why he should have stayed and Sanjaya should be gone.
8:53 PM: Back to the women. Lakisha Jones: safe.
8:54 PM: Haley Scarnato: safe.
8:54 PM: Antonella, Leslie, and Jordin remain. Ryan asks them to join him. Antonella Barba: safe.
8:55 PM: Leslie Hunt: going home. Jordin Sparks: safe. Leslie breaks down but is able to compose herself.
DialIdol had Leslie at #8. Score none for DialIdol! I had Leslie at #7. Score none for me!
Our final score -- it's a tie: DialIdol, 1 point [of 4]; DHMBIB, 1 point [of 4].
8:56 PM: Ryan speaks to the judges in American Idol-ese. "Did the right people get sent home tonite"? Simon can't contain himself, he laughs so hard. The judges and Ryan engage in their coded AI speak ["It's American Idol -- anything can happen"..."America, you have to vote for your favorite"...].
8:57 PM: Daughtry tells our evictees to go "Home".
8:59 PM: Leslie closes the show with yet another shitty version of "Feelin' Good". Sigh. But at least she still has a sense of humor -- instead of the "scat" from Wednesday, she scats "why did I decide to scat?". Good one.
