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    DOS: Simon on the Antonella photos: "It's Despicable"

    Posted by Laura Saltman February 28 at 11:21 AM | Comments (9)


  • I spent last night on the red carpet at the Playboy Mansion for the party celebrating the season three premiere of the E! channel's, THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR and the series premiere of PARADISE CITY, executive produced by Ryan Seacrest. Arriving late, after coming from taping AMERICAN IDOL (and I'm guessing a quick dinner) Ryan brought along Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell and I asked them whether or not they had seen the photos of Antonella that had been leaked on the internet. At first Randy joked, " Who's Antonella?" but then Simon got very serious when I showed him several of the photos in question, "You know what, whoever sold those is despicable. I really mean that. It's despicable. That is private property. Out of order. Honestly. It's repulsive."


    As had been reported on Monday, the most graphic photos of Antonella performing oral sex were a hoax and absolutely were not her according her best friend, Amanda Coluccio. Coluccio who had auditioned with Antonella and was dropped during the Hollywood rounds admitted to the New Jersey Star Ledger that the other photos of Antonella in suggestive scantily clad poses were her.



    Dish Of Salt: Playboy Edition








    The photos were reportedly taken for a calendar she made for an ex-boyfriend, a lacrosse player at the Catholic University of America where Antonella is a student. It had been widely reported that the ex-boyfriend, who has yet to be ID'd, may be the one who released the photos. However, this morning I spoke to a close friend of Antonella's from high school and college who told me that she does not believe it was the ex-boyfriend. As for who did leak the photos she says, "I wish I knew." Everyone is still trying to figure that one out.

    When I spoke to Simon outside the party during a smoke break (him, not me) he told me he hoped the culprit would be identified soon. Randy expressed the same sentiment when I spoke to him briefly inside the party. He had not spoken to Antonella telling me they have little to no contact with the contestants other than the show tapings. I expressed my sorrow for even having to ask such questions to both Randy and Simon . Simon told me he was happy he got to address it and besides he loves the controversy, that it was good for the show and joked there were probably a lot more coming.

    Seeing how I was at the Playboy Mansion, I felt it was an appropriate venue to get Hugh Hefner's take on the matter. After showing him the photos he remarked, "She really looks sexy here." I asked if he would consider making Antonella an offer to pose for Playboy should she be voted off AMERICAN IDOL early. His answer, "Very real possibility. Yes, absolutely"

    Also at the party was season four runner up, Bo Bice, who dealt with his own Idol controversy during season four. It was revealed during Top 12 rounds he had a prior arrest record on drug possession charges. He admits to being hurt by all the negative publicity he received but says, " If you don't like the business don't do it. Stay home."

    Bo told me behind the scenes for every contestant the show can be tough, "Everyday is a battle for somebody in some way." He believes if Antonella was up front with the producers as he was she will be safe, "I think that's the most important thing, is if you're willing to learn from your mistakes."

    Bo believes anyone on the show could have fallen victim to unflattering photos being released by so-called friends, "You learn who your friends are. Your friend base becomes a lot closer so you do, you got to watch your back."

    Meanwhile, several of her former high school classmates, at Red Bank Catholic High School in New Jersey, have come out in Antonella's defense and are appalled by the negative attention this has brought to her. Eileen Gleitz, who was in choir with Antonella emailed me to say she is disappointed in how Idol has portrayed her as well as the media. She says of Antonella, "She's incredibly smart, as I had a number of honors classes with her. She was outgoing, but not one of those "popular" girls who was snobby, or, as America might think, promiscuous. She is very humble and very nice, and has a great sense of humor, especially about herself. She was by no means superficial."

    Another student, Justin, told me, "In high school Antonella was one of the nicest girls I knew. She never had bad things to say about anybody and she was always there for her friends. She was a sweet genuine Jersey girl who knows exactly what she needs out of life, and that is to become the next American Idol, not to be the next Playmate of the Year."

Comments

I agree with Simon as I often do. I hope the best for her as I feel that through the leaking of these photos she has been horribly disrespected.

Posted by: giovonti | March 1, 2007 05:59 AM

I think it's a terrible thing to do to her.What she did should of remained private.Whoever released the calender or photos is a very low down loser.What comes around goes around goes around,may he get his soon.The focus should be on her beautiful voice.Private things should remain private.

Posted by: melissa williams | March 4, 2007 01:44 PM

she needs help. she got what it takes. but these photos. wronge move. she won't like it as she gets older.i hope she gets the help she needs. simon, i agree. people who do this kind of thing. thats where the line should be drawn.

Posted by: pattie | March 6, 2007 11:53 AM

Now the real grime gets smeared as Najee Ali makes a purely selfish remark that it is immaterial that Barba didn't actually post pics of herself. What kind of justice would she like? Hmmmm maybe she should write the rules for contestants ! And lay unsubstantiated racist claims as her wishes see fit. Its bad enough anyone would try to get their 15 minutes of fame through less than legitimate means. Shame...

Posted by: E. Rice | March 7, 2007 08:29 AM

1st and foremost this girl can't even carry a tune. she needs to be taken out of the show. It sounds like she came from a catholic background and that should of been a no..no.. at the beginning. She should of known better. the pictures are not a mistake. its a choice.

Posted by: maria | March 7, 2007 11:30 AM

Uh, hello? Why does no one mention the WWII memorial pix--very real, and showing her doing a few illegal and nude things at the same time and really offending a lot of people whose families are honored there? It seems to be getting shushed by the show. Plus, the 'fake' OS photos that were being circulated are obviously fake, but there are real ones, too, that have been analyzed by CSI experts and shown to be real. Ridiculous about 'being honest with the show'--Frenchie was and that didn't help her!

Posted by: lu | March 8, 2007 05:16 AM

I think the photos were not that bad considering today's views. I have seen much worse on MTV. This girl worked very hard to get where she is at and I wish her the best. I do not believe she was one of the best singers and most likely agree on her being booted from the show, however I think she has a lot of potential and she handles herself well. It would not surprise me to see her go farther than any of the other contestants left.

Don't Be Scammed

Posted by: Dennis | March 9, 2007 06:40 AM

She has very little talent, which causes her to rely to heavily on her looks. It's unfortunate that this happened, but if she hadn't behaved in such a repulsive manner, these pictures wouldn't even exist.

Posted by: Mike | March 14, 2007 02:26 AM

ahahaha yeah if I was her ex boyfriend I'd leak those photos, too.

Posted by: lawl | March 21, 2007 03:45 PM


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