I'm not sure that it's racist or a function of American Idol waking up to a digital media world, but they are letting contestant Antonella Barba pass without punishment for all of the racy pictures that have sprung up on the Internet.
There's not just one photo, there's a lot of them, and on YouTube , too. Moreover, either she knew about them and told American Idol or she knew about them and didn't tell American Idol. In either case, the yank job that "Idol" did to Frenchie Davis four years ago could have been done again.
It wasn't.
The View's Rosie O'Donell is right to bring up race in this story. I think some people are brainwashed to only accept images of Whites, or people of color who are lighter skinned. It's wrong, of course, but all too common. None the less, we've got to put a stop to it as a society and I think we are at least waking up to the problem.
But to be fair, there's a bit more to the Frenchie Davis story and it's obvious: she's overweight. And this fact really underscores the fact that American Idol's playing a nasty double standard. It's ok to have almost nude picts of yourself online as long as you're this thin and light-skinned woman, but if you're plus-sized and Black, American Idol's got a problem.
After all, this is the same program on which Simon Cowall told a then-unknown Jennifer Hudson she was too fat. Now that same person just got the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Dreamgrils. I'm serious. He said that. Now, I'm sure he had the same feeling for Frenchie Davis.
But it doens't mean America agrees with him.
See, in this Long Tail world, there's room for all tastes. The bottom line is this: was Frenchie a terrific singer? The answer -- given her success -- is yes. Why not bring her back on the show?
Simon, you've had your say. Now, it's America's turn.
