Sexy Pictures Won't Get Barba Booted From 'Idol' — But Last Night's Song Could
Wednesday's show makes no mention of scandal.
By Gil Kaufman
You'd be forgiven if you thought you'd mistakenly flipped on a rerun of "American Idol" on Wednesday night instead of the live girls' performance round. Because, while the rest of the world was thinking about, talking about our downloading those risqué pictures of New Jersey-born "Idol" hopeful Antonella Barba this past week, the show made no mention of the controversy at all.
The closest anyone came to commenting on the flap was when judge Randy Jackson referred to Barba — dressed in a body-hugging, satiny mini-dress — as a "drop-dead gorgeous, beautiful girl" before telling her she just didn't have a big enough voice to tackle the Celine Dion ballad "Because You Loved Me."
An "Idol" spokesperson declined MTV's requests for comment on the growing scandal — which was exacerbated by some X-rated pictures that Barba's friend Amanda Coluccio has said are fake (see " 'Idol' Hopeful Antonella Barba's Pal Says X-Rated Pics Are Fake") — but producer Nigel Lythgoe told "Extra" that he's not planning to kick Barba off the show. "Her fate is in the voters' hands," he said. More...
Celebrity Blues
