The Ousted Idols Have Their Say
edonline
Mar. 10, 2007 | 11:00 PM EST
The Ousted Idols Have Their Say
By Jed Dreben
(clockwise from left) Antonella Barba, Jarred Cotter, Sabrina Sloan and
Sundance Head Photo by:
On Thursday, another round of Idol hopefuls were given their walking papers.
It wasn't a huge shock that Antonella Barba, who's been scandal-plagued
since racy photos of her began circulating the Internet, was cut. But when
Sundance Head was ousted while Sanjaya Malakar advanced to the Top 12, even
Sanjaya's mouth dropped. PEOPLE chatted with the eliminated contestants
about their experience - and what's next for them.
Antonella Barba
How hard was it to deal with all the controversy that was going on around
you when you were on the show?
It was definitely difficult and it wasn't how I intended things to go, but I
tried to block it out as much as possible and stay focused on the
competition. All that other stuff was completely irrelevant to the fact that
I'm here to sing.
Visibility is important - does part of you feel that there's no such thing
as bad publicity?
Yes, it's true that my name is more well-known because of it, but I'm not
known for the things that I would like to be known for right now. I wanted
to make a name for myself in singing. The pictures that have been released
of me - the ones that actually are me - they were very personal and that is
not how I intended to portray myself. I'd rather promote myself in a more
classy way. And, again, that was private - that was not for the public eye.
Were you approached to pose in Playboy?
I heard about it but I was never approached.
Would you do it?
No. Right now I want to look at all the offers I get and sort out what's
best for me right now. I'm definitely not opposed to acting or modeling or
something. I would definitely do pop music, but I would add my style to it -
you know, a little R&B-ish pop music, maybe bluesy, jazzy.
Jarred Cotter
Why do you think you were eliminated?
I honestly think it was Simon's comments last week and the previous week,
actually. My performance did not warrant me going home. I'm still very
disappointed and shocked. I just did not expect to be going home this early.
What's next for you?
I'm going to stay in L.A. for a few more weeks and see what kind of
opportunities there are for me. 19 Management has kind of been helping me
out with some things. So I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can
come up with. I just can't go back to waiting tables, I'll tell ya that.
How would you describe your experience on Idol?
It's surreal. To know that you're singing onstage in front of 30-40 million
people, it's a dream come true. People know me in the street. So I'm really
looking forward to going to New York and seeing my friends and family and
walking through Times Square and seeing how many people notice me.
Sabrina Sloan
What was going through your mind when you got eliminated?
I really hadn't prepared myself for going home. And part of that is because
of the judges' comments. They were saying, "You will definitely be here. You
deserve to be in the Top 12," and I took it into consideration and I think
America thought I was safe and didn't need to vote (for me). I absolutely
wanted to be in that Top 12, and had already gotten ready to sing with Diana
Ross, so it's really hard.
Do you think being grouped in with the big-voiced diva-type girls that that
hurt you in terms of getting votes?
I had wanted to sing some songs that would maybe set me apart from Melinda
and Lakisha, and a lot of the songs I wanted to sing didn't happen in time.
I was hoping the song I sang (En Vogue's "Don't Let Go") would kind of set
me apart.
What's next for you?
Absolutely singing and performing. That's my passion and I'm going to keep
doing it. I started writing some music before I got here and collaborating
with some friends so I'm going to keep doing that and try to put out an
album for sure. And you know the great thing about Idol is other doors might
open because of it. I'm not opposed to going back to Broadway for sure if
it's the right role.
Sundance Head
On Ryan Seacrest's radio show you mentioned that you think another one of
the male stars thinks he has the competition in the bag.
I actually need to retract that statement. I love all the dudes on the show
and I was baited into that question and I tried to answer it in a funny way
but it spun out of control. I just want to say now that all the guys on the
show are extremely genuine guys. I have no hard feelings, even for Sanjaya
Malakar. He's young, he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his voice right
now, but that's going to come to him as he grows. He's going to be a success
in the music biz. He's full of talent - he's going to go real far.
How did you feel when you were voted off?
I was extremely disappointed, even angry. You could see when I did "Jeremy,"
when it goes into the verse, "Daddy didn't give affection and the boy was
something that mother wouldn't wear," I held my shirt. I felt like that was
my chance to speak to America. I don't know if America just considered me to
be safe, that I didn't need the votes. I thought everything was going pretty
well. In fact I was almost positive that I was going to make it to the Top
12.
What's next for you?
I'm going to go back to Texas, I'm going to get a band together, we're going
to start playing. I'm going to throw down everywhere I can do it and just be
a road warrior. Try to keep my fans happy. Put stuff on the Internet that
they can listen to and just keep on going. If anything else, this gives me
more gas in my tank and I'm ready for wheels to roll right off - I'm ready
to go!