- January
- 11
The big girl with the even bigger voice, Frenchie Davis made huge news when she was disqualified from Season 2 of “American Idol” after topless photos of her appeared on the Internet.
Although some feared the DQ would derail her career, Davis bounced back and was featured in multiple runs of the Broadway musical “Rent.” She’ll join Season 2 champ Ruben Studdard in the 30th anniversary tour of “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” which will launches Nov. 14, according to TheaterMania.com.
Davis’ name came up again during Season 6, when risque photos of “Idol” contestant Antonella Barba also appeared on the World Wide Web. Some critics claimed the decision-makers on the show were being racist and weightist, wondering why Barba (white and thinner) was allowed to compete while Davis (black and heavier) was disqualified. Barba made the Top 24 but, despite her popularity among Internet search engines, failed to earn enough “Idol” viewer votes make the final cut into the Top 12.
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Posted by Chris Serico on Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 11:15 am | del.icio.us Digg Reddit Google StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo!
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- January
- 11
Who? Only the most prematurely, unjustly eliminated contestant in show history.
With soulful pipes and a pleasant, confident demeanor, Lisa Leuschner wowed audiences and appeared to impress show judges with her performance of Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing” and other soulful selections.
Leuschner sang her way to that season’s wildcard round (now defunct, for good reason). In this round, the judges eliminated her without explanation yet allowed other wild card contestants the chance to perform to make the top 12. Absurd.
Forget “potential.” In what wound up being a subpar “Idol” season, Leuschner had the flat-out ability to make it all the way to the final episode had she been given a fair shot. With respect to Season 3 runner-up Diana DeGarmo and future Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson (who didn’t seem to bring her A-game while she was on the show), Leuschner was the only contestant that season with a legitimate chance to beat Fantasia Barrino.
Curiously, the voting format was changed the next season to allow viewers to vote on everyone making the semifinal round. If you ask me, Leuschner is reason why.
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Posted by Chris Serico on Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 9:15 am | del.icio.us Digg Reddit Google StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo!
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- January
- 10
What does it take to be one of the most significant “American Idol” contestants in history?
If you’re Kelly Clarkson, it’s the guts to subject your talent to an untested medium and defy expectation by becoming a pop superstar. If you’re Chris Daughtry, it’s the tenacity of overcoming a fourth-place finish to break album sales records. Or if you’re William Hung or Sanjaya Malakar, it’s the ability to be recognized—for all the wrong reasons—by millions of people who have never seen one minute of the show.
With Tuesday’s premiere of “Idol” looming, I gave myself the unenviable task of ranking the 20 most significant (read: “Top”) contestants in series history.
Mind you, this does not necessarily or exclusively mean most musically talented. Among the criteria I used to rate candidates were not only album sales, radio play and “Idol” performances; but also notable career moments, potential for longevity, and impact on pop culture, the show itself and the music industry. And when those indicators didn’t seem to be enough, I basically just trusted my gut. My list, my rules.
The Top 20 will unfold over five consecutive days on Remote Access starting tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the Honorable Mentions (Nos. 31-21) who didn’t make the cut after the break.
1/15 /08 UPDATE: Now that the entire list has been revealed, Nos. 1-31 are after the break.
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Posted by Chris Serico on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 6:15 pm | del.icio.us Digg Reddit Google StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo!
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Like fellow “Idol” alumna Frenchie Davis, Diana DeGarmo has also made a name for herself on Broadway, playing Penny Pingleton in “Hairspray.”
