This article is part of a series in celebration of a new, dynamic voice in Black America: the NUBIANO Exchange. Brace yourself for the NUBIANO experience. 
by Kemi James
Something disturbed me a few weeks back while watching the new American Bandstand - easily disguised as American Idol. The panel of judges (Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell) had to endure the cacophony of a particular weak link among the female contestants. Among the future divas was one Antonella Barba, a current student at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., who croaked her little heart out, singing the 1998 Aerosmith hit, “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing.”
As she made her final, forgettable note, Humpty Dumpty (Jackson), Loopy (Abdul), and the Grinch (Cowell) evaluated her suicide-committing rendition of the previously mentioned song. Jackson, the newer, darker Simon Cowell (always with a “yo” here and a “dawg” there), pretty much listened to Barba’s voice and didn’t like it one bit. Miss Abdul, famous for being the cop-out among the three arbiters, told Miss Barba 1) she’s pretty, 2) the song “choice” was not good and 3) she sounds just like her - a cute face with no tonal quality whatsoever.
Then, America’s star grump from across the Atlantic bashed Barba’s performance. Surprisingly, in a weird twist of fate, he followed that dismissal, possibly saving the 20-year-old from elimination, by adding that she is an attractive girl and voters would place that in her favor.
Beauty over talent? Noooo! Not again!
Cowell was right: On Thursday night, Barba wasn’t kicked off the island, er, stage, as host Dick Clark, ahem, Ryan Seacrest booted off two other hopefuls whose performances were slightly better than Barba’s own. Harmless, right? Barba did nothing wrong, right? This is the land of opportunity, a country which gave its popular vote to Al Gore in 2000, without glaring spots of fault, right?
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
Fortunately, Antonella was kicked off the following week. I get what you're saying, but here's what you're missing:
1. People are voted off based on phone calls, and that's what Simon meant. He often says that people *should* vote based on singing ability, but they *do* vote based on other things.
2. The explicit photos were not actually Antonella, but a pseudo-lookalike. (You mention this in your article, but it bears remembering on the next point.)
3. Frenchie Davis had been paid to appear in nude bondage photos, and specifically failed to disclose that on the comprehensive paperwork all contestants fill out. Antonella had private non-nude photos leaked by a slimy ex-boyfriend. Private photos wouldn't be expected to leak, and wouldn't need to be disclosed on paperwork. Frenchie lied, Antonella didn't. Worlds apart.
4. And honestly, it's been a couple of years. It's *possible* they wouldn't boot Frenchie in 2007, either. Maybe. The show evolves.
5. Two of the three leading contestants this year are large (by popular standards) black women. The judges give them nothing but praise. I think Simon has a serious crush on Melinda, actually.
So overall, I don't know that your thesis is supported, but it is interesting to note that people's voting patterns definitely seem to have a racial factor sometimes.
2 - Phillip Winn
One more I forgot: After Jennifer Hudson recently said that Simon Cowell had been mean to her, someone assembled all the video footage of Simon talking to Jennifer from her season of AI. She was wrong -- Simon had said almost all good things about her. Raving praise, in fact, including saying that he thought she absolutely deserved to be the American Idol. 'Twas the phone voters that blew it, not Simon.
Bottom line: AI is skewed in all sorts of ways, but once the final whatever hit the stage, it's entirely and completely up to whomever dials those phone numbers, and AI has a track record of putting through good singers of all colors and all shapes and all sizes.
If Melinda, LaKisha, or Blake don't win this year, well, then, I'll take it all back and AI sucks. :-)