I’m not that surprised by who was dropped from the American Idol competition last night. I would have picked all of them to go except Sabrina. I can think of a couple of the ladies I would have picked before her to leave.

Antonella BarbaAs everyone knows, the infamous Antonella Barba is gone. I have a feeling she won’t be forgotten or unemployed however.

She’d like to have an image in the future that is “more classy,” she said.

Having said that, she didn’t entirely rule out posing for Playboy, though she did say that she had not been approached about that directly. At first she said, no, she wouldn’t pose for the magazine, but then a reporter asked if she would “absolutely not” ever appear in Playboy.

“Right now I want to look at all the offers that I get,” Barba answered, which is why she’s going to stay in L.A. for a few weeks. “I’m definitely not opposed to [thinking about] other offers, whether it’s acting or modeling or something,” she noted.

“I want to strike while the iron’s hot,” Barba said. [source]

Sabrina SloanWell, I wish her luck. What else can anyone say. I have a sneaking feeling we’ll be seeing more of her …. so to speak.

I thought Sabrina Sloan was talented and should have stayed longer. Everyone kept talking about Antonella being the pretty one. I think several of the females are as or more attractive. Look at Antonella in the picture above and Sabrina in the picture to the left. See what I mean? I know that’s a matter of opinion. Maybe it’s just that they’ve seen so much more of Antonella.

The guys who left were Sundance Head and Jared Cotter. I know everybody loved Sundance but I didn’t. I don’t know why - I just didn’t. I DID think the kid named Sanjaya should have gone home first. Jared said he was ‘totally shocked’ that he didn’t make it through last night. That seemed like the kind of comment he would make. He struck me as arrogant from the get-go. I would have sent him home sooner.

Is it just me or did all of them sound better when they were first trying out than they did on stage? With the band, background singers and atmosphere, one would expect them to sound better. Maybe those things are what made them freeze up. I don’t know.

Here’s the thing about American Idol. Once it gets to this point it’s up to whoever cares enough and takes the time to call in and vote. I’m guessing that is primarily pre-teens or teens. You know, other than the family and friends of the contestants. So expecting rhyme or reason to why and when someone is voted off might be expecting too much.

Look at past American Idol seasons. It often seems that the runners-up get more work post-contest than the winners.

I also have to admit that 99.9% of the time I agree with Simon’s assessment of the singers. I know everyone says he’s too harsh, but he’s usually right. I admit that I would probably not say it quite as directly and graphically as he does. I do think that it’s unkind to avoid telling these kids the reality of their chances to make the big leagues. A realistic assessment of their talents is what they need to hear. If they can’t take what Simon says to them they certainly won’t be able to handle what the tabloids have to say about them if they ‘make it’.

hat-tip: Cozy Reader