The first episode in the competitive portion of American Idol just started on the East Coast, and tonight the top 12 guys are giving their spin to the songs of the 1960s. The above shot is of the young ladies remaining in the competition–in a nice bit of reverse chivalry, they get to kick back and relax a bit while the men go first–but note that there are only 11 of them, thanks to one notable absence: Carly “Hennessy” Smithson, the former MCA signee who’s caused quite the firestorm before even stepping on Idol’s big stage. The obvious question: Where is she? Was she on a bathroom break? Did her visa expire again? Is she going to come back from the commercial with a huge record contract? Or is there going to be some sort of big, embarrassing announcement at show’s end? I’m going to unpause my DVR and find out right now!
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Wow!
I’m not watching “live” either — something about Wisconsin blah Texas-and-Ohio blah-blah — but I’m also DVR’ing it.
Keep me informed!!
Maybe one of the 3 Hoosiers in the competition will win instead!!!
This Danny Noriega girl is pretty hot…oh wait, what?
Smithson-Hennessy was included in the montage of the top 12 girls promised to perform tomorrow night, so perhaps her absence is unrelated to the controversy.
@Charles A. Hohman: perhaps. especially since another girl (the chick with the red scarf) was missing at show’s end.
Seeing as how not even all of the final 24 contestants can be bothered to show up, I don’t know how Fox expects America to get interested in the show. Step up your game, 19 Entertainment!
Ok, DHMBIB, I hope the three !!! after the Hoosier comment was a good thing. I don’t admit it often but I am from Indiana. I am right on the IN/IL border so if anyone asks I’m from Chicago.
Can’t we have three Idol contestants? What else do we have going for us here? Oh, besides the popcorn, Homicide Capital of the Country and I guess death.
Ummm, no. Because America still votes (aren’t we still holding onto that little dream?). As good of a singer as Danny is (he actually can sing, and he definitely made Elvis “his own”), “America” doesn’t want an out Idol.
So weird how the biggest voices belong to Danny and little Archuleta. Best performance was Jason Castro. The rest were just odd, or badly-singing “hot” guys.
I’d have sworn we were in for a male Idol this year, but after last night…I’m not so sure.
@kityglitr: You’re not the only one! Danny was just the most adorable little queen on that stage - and I vote David Archuleta for most adorable (possibly Mormon) closet case.
@CapnCalamity: How do you know what America wants? (Or “America”? And which one are you talking about - with quotes or without?)
I’m not saying the kid doesn’t have an uphill battle, but he’s got more talent than most of the others and more personality than any of them. And so far, he’s got my vote.
@JedTheMime: Oh, I don’t disagree that he’s talented (did you read my whole post?), but if you think an openly gay kid (which, btw, we don’t know that Danny is, do we?) will win American Idol, you’re more of an optimist than I.
@CapnCalamity: You’re the one who claimed he was “out”, and regardless of whether he is or not, he’s bound to come under fire from the homophobic peanut gallery, as gay-seeming contestants always do.
I think we agree that being gay (open or not) could be an obstacle to a hypothetical contestant, but obstacles are made to be overcome. A couple of years ago, people might’ve said “America doesn’t want an African-American president”.
@jasonelias: I said the exact same thing last night. If he really was a rocker, they wouldn’t be shoving the word “rocker” down our throats every other sentence.
@JedTheMime: Umm, actually KITYGLITR was the one who suggested Danny was “out.”
Obstacles ARE made to be overcome, but first their needs to be an OUT constestant (has their been one? I remember a couple who chose to stay in the closet until after they were elimated in Season One, and Clay Aiken certainly isn’t out-and-proud).
And in case you hadn’t noticed, some people are STILL saying they don’t want a black or woman president. Prejudice dies HARD.
I don’t think a gay Idol is YEARS away or anything, but I don’t think Danny has the overall package to overcome people’s prejudices. He’s too young to really know what he’s doing, and he’s got stiff competition in Archuleta (who’ll divide the tween Disney vote) and all the older beefcake-dudes who’ll take a lot of the older female audience. And call me crazy, but I don’t think a lot of straight men will vote for Danny.
Umm, why are these guys so bad? I love this show and undoubtedly someone will impress me later on, but so far everyone’s either questionably fey or totally douchey (or both).
And so help me God, when the first contestant starts drops the single mother card, and the third dedicates to both his grandmother AND his son (who appears to be only 15 years younger than him) and the “rocker” who toured with Britney Spears violently denounces pop music (umm, dude, if you were such a rocker, you wouldn’t have auditioned for IDOL)…
…it’s gonna be a looooong season.
Am I the only queer out there hoping for an openly gay American Idol winner this season? I mean, little Danny Noriega is fucking gorgeous (watch out Jessica Alba), and there were so many fabulous moments last night that I almost got interested in the show again. Almost.
The rules state that the contestant cannot have a signed contract with any record company when they fill out the paperworl fpr Idol. When the contestants sign those papers they are practically signing their life away. Sing the papers and 19 Entertainment owns you for the specified length in the papers.
Carly had - past tense - a contract but currently does not. Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks, and Constantime all had recrods out when they signed on to Idol.
As for this year’s rocker, touring with Britney could turn anybody off pop and since Bo, Chirs, and Constantine have already broken the rocker into Idol ice; what’s the deal?
It’s funny that Simon doesn’t believe that Britney Guy is a rocker. You know, I don’t either, he’s as much a rocker as that guy from O Town was.
I checked out “Carly Hennessy’s” old page by way of the Wayback Machine. Good lord, MCA really tried with her, they seemed to give up the ghost by 2002 or so.
Okay, I guess I cursed in my last submisson, so it didn’t get posted? On the clean mouth tip: DANNY NORIEGA IS QUEEN FOR THE DAY! I love this boy… when he want’s to, he really can sing… when he feels like it, he makes hilarious faces at the judges. Maybe this will be the first year we get an openly gay American Idol??
The only contestant who has come out is Jim Verraros in Season One. Jim has the distinction of being the very first one voted off the show. He has since returned home to Illinois and has an album “Rollercoaster”.
Contrary to popular belief there is no “gay look”. You might be surprised who is or is not gay.
There could be a gay Idol if one auditioned and really blew them and the audience away.
I don’t dispute that. But Danny Noriega (whether he’s gay or not, and I wasn’t the one who said he was) isn’t the one to do it.
Frankly, I’m not sure who can win this year. They’re all pretty awful, boys AND girls.