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Did 'Jesus' Give Smithson the 'Idol' Boot?

AOL
Posted: 2008-04-25 08:38:33
(April 25) -- While many couldn't understand how and why Carly Smithson was sent home this week on 'American Idol' following a strong performance, the answer may lie in her song choice.

In Friday's New York Times, the paper suggests that Smithson's choice of singing Andrew Lloyd Weber's 'Jesus Christ Superstar' could be what did her in. The song, written for the infamous '70s rock opera, has often been viewed by Christians as blasphemy, as they claim it portrays Jesus as confused and also hints that he was sexually involved with Mary Magdalene.

According to the Times article, the firestorm began within hours online following Smithson's performance -- which the judges raved about. In one posting on the message boards of the American Idol Web site, fans began predicting Smithson's demise based on her song choice.

This wouldn't be the first time this season religion has come into play during an 'American Idol' performance. Early on, David Archuleta drew criticism for leaving out lyrics to John Lennon's 'Imagine' that question religion.



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2008-04-25 07:12:51
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798 comments

diannedavisca 01:49:05 PM Apr 30 2008

The problem is what's left to chose from, I got turned off after Michael Johns left.....the most talented of the bunch.

Dbvinson 12:56:59 PM Apr 30 2008

If well known shock jocks run campaigns to vote for the candidates who should, their pathetic followings, as "cattle-like" minions, vote to try and wreck a show that many in America enjoy. They ruin it for those who like it. This causes the judges to be outrageous and extreme to get their points across on the good and bad, meaning bad is really not that bad, and good is not that good.

Looks like the judges wrote their notes during the studio recordings or rehearsals, and Paula lost track of where she was....meaning, they know about how they will vote before going live on TV Live. But Live TV makes it the more interesting if it does not go as planned.

sorenma 11:07:09 AM Apr 30 2008

As far as Paula is concerned
DUH people SHE"S an ALCOHOLIC!!!!!
on and off stage

retha9112 03:05:22 AM Apr 30 2008

THIS IS THE WORST IDOL I HAVE EVER SEEN I THINK THAT PAULA IS HIGH RANDY IS HIGH AND SO IS SIMON. I CAN`T WAIT UNTIL IT`S OVER I WILL NEVER WATCH THAT WASTE OF TIME ********* AGAIN. IT`S OVER PEOPLE.

retha9112 03:04:42 AM Apr 30 2008

THIS IS THE WORST IDOL I HAVE EVER SEEN I THINK THAT PAULA IS HIGH RANDY IS HIGH AND SO IS SIMON. I CAN`T WAIT UNTIL IT`S OVER I WILL NEVER WATCH THAT WASTE OF TIME CRAP EVER AGAIN. IT`S OVER PEOPLE.

LTQtBeaNie3 09:14:03 PM Apr 29 2008

housemdg I agree with you 100%.. Carly has a better voice than Jason, Brooke, and Syesha!!! And that top 3 would of gave us a real show unlike what we see now....

LTQtBeaNie3 09:12:55 PM Apr 29 2008

housemdg I agree with you 100%.. Carly has a better voice than Jason, Brooke, and Syesha!!! And that top 3 would of gave us a real show unlike what we see now....

housemdg 05:52:03 PM Apr 29 2008

Jason Castro, Brooke White, David Artuleta or whatever... and Syisha whatever her name is, they all need to be gone... The Top 3 should have been Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, and David Cook. Top 2: Carly Smithson and David Cook... And the winner : David Cook

Stephsmail07 12:44:48 PM Apr 29 2008

rosethorn665 06:25:03 PM Apr 28 2008

Report This! American Idol ia a piece of crap and has as much relevance with the music industry as "Dubya" has with honest politics. It seems that there are two groups of people who watch this show: the under 25 crowd who wouldn't know good music if it bit them on the a**...and the over 25 crowd who are summarily overweight, unattractive and so miserably lonely that they try to live out their fantasies by worshipping a glorified karaoke contest. No wonder this country is in such shoddy shape.
_________________________________________________________
rose, what you've described as a "glorified karaoke contest" has spawned 2 Grammys, a CMT of the Year award, and a Broadway star. Not too shabby. I don't think anyone "worships" AI....it's just entertainment. I don't think this country being "in shoddy shape" has anything to do with these kids singing every week. You're being a bit over-dramatic. Your snotty description of who watches AI is indic

wenatchi 12:33:16 PM Apr 29 2008

Carly's song choice was awful - not because it was from Superstar - but because she didn't have to vocal range to sing the chorus.

She was shouting, had to sing the harmony part and let the back up singers sing the melody part that should have been hers.

This performance was more than a little pitchy, it was downright awful.

Carly thought she could psycholgize the audience with a bouncy, upbeat attitude after she ruined a song. She couldn't. The public has a better sense of music than that. She ran off and got that stupid t-shirt, which Simon obviously knew was going to happen and fed her a line. It didn't work.

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