by Gotham Dark Knight

Created on: February 15, 2008   Last Updated: February 17, 2008

Where there is fame and fortune to be made, you can bet you will always find some controversy. It is something that fans of American Idol should be used to by now. Last year there was the Antonella Barba photo scandal. Though lucky for American Idol that Antonella butchered some of her songs along the way, and was shown the door by the voting public. Before that there have been other scandals, including the one that had American Idol judge Paula Abdul at the center of a controversy that alleged that the former pop star had a relationship with one of the contestants.

Well, we will have to look no further for this year's entry, it's Irish singer Carly Smithson. Smithson who has been portrayed in the show as a hard luck Irish girl that made the cut on the show two seasons ago, only to have been booted out of the country shortly there after for a Visa problem, is at the center of this year's controversy. It seems that this blue-eyed Irish girl, with the tattoo that takes up most of her right arm, is a pro. By pro I mean, the girl has already had a contract with a major recording label, MCA.

Apparently this would be Idol never made much of an impression with her debut album despite a good effort by the record label to promote her. Which really begs two questions; One, if she is a pro, what is she still doing on idol; Two, if she wasn't good enough to make it with a major record label, why is she taking up a slot on the list of the final 24 contestants? I mean, this is a girl to whom Simon Cowell said, "That was not as good as two years ago," when he first heard her audition this year.

I personally would boot her off the show and bring back one of the other contestants that did not make it through the second audition. Chief among them would be the 18 year old kid, Josiah. At least he was fresh and original, performing his own music during the audition, and at 18, he is on his way up, not down as Carly seems to be. Heck, I would not even mind it if they were to ask back the red-headed kid with glasses and politician tie, at least he was entertaining in an odd Idol sort of way.

But who knows, maybe the powers that be knew this girl was a ringer and decided to put her through any way. Maybe, they saw her for what she really may bring to the show, and cast her as this year's "scandal girl." After all, controversy and scandal are part of this show's tried and true formula. So move over Antonella Barba and make room for Carly Smithson.

Sources:
"Carly Hennessy Smithson Controversy,"www.musiclyricsfyi.com

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