Antonella Barba News

Rumors have it that they're dating.

Moreover, search engine numbers prove that Blake Lewis and Antonella Barba are commonly searched for.

Yahoo! recently released a chart that outlined which contestants from this year's American Idol are most often looked up by Internet users. The three that have remained at the top of these rankings for a few weeks now are Blake, Antonella and Jordin Sparks.

Sparks and Melinda Doolittle, meanwhile, have gained momentum on Yahoo! more than other hopefuls over the last few weeks (as noted in the "Movers" chart below). What does this all mean?

Nothing, by itself. But it does give an indication that the final three contestants, as voted on by fans, are also being searched for quite a lot by individuals online.

There was talk that Chris Richardson was dating former contestant Alaina Alexander.

Now, here's a fresh American Idol rumor making the rounds: Is Blake Lewis going out with a certain, scantily clad singer from earlier this season?

During last week's show, featuring Bon Jovi, Antonella Barba sat in the audience. She remained quiet for most of the evening, until the end when cameras caught her and Blake making a romantic exchange. Here's what happened:

Blake blew a kiss to this lovely young lady. In return, she blew one his way, Lewis caught it and put it close to his heart.

This could mean almost anything, of course. But it's fun to speculate, isn't it? Do you think these two would make a good couple?

They are no longer part of American Idol.

But both Antonella Barba and Sundance Head has parting words on Ryan Seacrest's radio show this morning.

First, let's hear from the former, talking about the Antonella Barba pictures and all the controversy surrounding them for weeks:

"It was unnecessary, it was hard to deal with it, it was an unnecessary distraction ... trying to stay off the Internet, some nervousness ... I tried to get through it ... my family has been so supportive, they told me to stay focused and we will worry about all that later."

Barba added that she'd remain in L.A. to see what sort of offers would come her way.

Sundance, meawhile, offered insight ... and bad news. He said one of the guys remaining on the show - whose name he wouldn't mention - thinks he already has the competition in the bag. (Chris Sligh, maybe?)

Head also confessed he was shocked he was kicked off - as the pseudo-vocal stylings of Sanjaya Malakar remained in the Top 12 - saying: "I had not prepared myself for that ... I was a little angry ... at this point I'm just bitter this morning."

Head's elimination was only the first bad news he received: Right after the taping, Sundnce learned that his cousin died in a fire that night. The cousin, Burl Head, had given Sundance $1500 for his stay in Los Angeles during the competition.

It's no shock that Antonella Barba is receiving numerous offers from lewd magazines, TV shows and production companies.

We previously reported on the chance Joe Francis of Girls Gone Wild has thrown out to Barba. Now, another company is upping the ante.

SugarDVD, the largest renter of adult DVDs online, has offered the New Jersey native a whopping $500,000 (Francis offered $250,000) to become its new spokesperson.

If Barba signs, Sugar CEO "Jax" claims that her first gig would be hosting a launch party for its new video-on-demand service. Jax said he welcomed a bidding war, saying:

"You saw her photos online, she's smokin'. We will not lose because of money."

But will Antonella even be voted off American Idol tonight? Will she choose either of these career paths if she is? Stay tuned and find out!

To many, recent Antonella Barba photos already prove that this is a girl gone wild.

But the American Idol contestant now has a chance to make it official.

Joe Francis, the man behind the Girls Gone Wild empire, has already offered the singer a $250,000 contract to appear in a video as a celebrity host. Francis tells TMZ.com:

“We have reached out to Antonella Barba through her family and are trying to reach her directly in order to offer her a hosting job for one of our upcoming video projects. Just like the American Idol judges, we at Girls Gone Wild are looking for a girl next door, with sexiness, attitude, a carefree spirit and a presence that will command the attention of the Nation.”

Should Barba accept the offer?

POINT PLEASANT, New Jersey (Reuters) - She may be a brash careerist willing to use XXX-rated pictures for publicity, or just a Jersey girl trying to get ahead, but Antonella Barba is easily the most famous person from this small seashore town.

Barba, 20, a semi-finalist in the American Idol singing competition, scandalized and titillated the television show's estimated 33.5 million viewers when a series of risque photos were posted on the Internet.

Ahead of this week's broadcast of America's most popular television show, also shown in more than 100 countries, the citizens of Point Pleasant mostly say they believe Barba is the victim either of a joke gone wrong, or of jealous rivals or perhaps even a jilted ex-boyfriend.

"She was given an unfair rap," said Matt Purpuro, 47, owner of Quicky Discount Oil Change Lube and Filter in the centre of town. "I don't see anything wrong with topless on the beach."

But Purpuro said his support for Barba would evaporate if it was really her in the photo performing the sex act. Others said that while they accept it was Barba in the topless shots, they believe the raunchiest picture is a fake.

Scott Grogin, a spokesman for FOX, declined to comment on the pictures, and said Barba herself, like other contestants, would not be permitted to speak to the media until after she is eliminated or wins.

American Idol has previously disqualified singers over accusations of assault and child pornography. Barba is set to appear on the show again on Wednesday.

Across the street at Four Point Refrigeration, people were less charitable, accusing Barba of allowing the photos to be published because she wants a modelling career and cannot make the grade on her singing.

"She isn't getting anywhere on that voice," said Michele Wells, 27, a secretary at the heating and air conditioning company.

Wells's co-worker Chris Adams, 22, said, "I think she probably put those out there to get a modelling job."

But love her or loathe her, Antonella is a big deal in Point Pleasant, an overwhelmingly white town of about 20,000 some 45 miles (72 km) south of New York City where serious crime is rare.

"Antonella, You Go Girl," says the board outside the fire house while owners of The Idle Hour bar, apparently unperturbed by the photo storm, put up a sign on Monday simply saying "Good Luck Antonella."

Outside the Super Stop & Shop supermarket, Allan Jones, 56, said Barba appeared to be doing just what some top models and actresses of the past had done to boost their careers, adding: "If she wants to do it, go ahead. It's a tough world."

Antonella Barba in Playboy? Based on the recent controvsery surrounding this American Idol singer, that wouldn't be so shocking.

Laura Saltman of Access Hollywood was at the Playboy Mansion for the party celebrating the season three premiere of the E! channel's The Girls Next Door and asked for the Playboy boss's take on the racy photographs courtesy of this New Jersey native.

"She really looks sexy here," Hugh Hefner said upon seeing the Barba photos.

Asked if he would consider making Antonella an offer to pose for Playboy should she be voted off Idol early, Hefner answered: "Very real possibility. Yes, absolutely."

Elsewhere, the contestants that ere voted out of American Idol last week were asked about the pictures, as well.

Leslie Hunt, the 24-year-old Chicago native, said: "There's certain hype that comes with her, and that's not really something I understand. It doesn't excite me that she has pictures like that. I mean, who doesn't? Whatever, get over it. But I knew getting into this that it wasn't just about singing."

Alaina Alexander bombed out with the Dixie Chicks song "Not Ready to Make Nice," but wasn't afraid of any Antonella-type pictures getting her into trouble.

"No, I wasn't worried," Alaina said in response to a question about racy photos she may have. "It's unfortunate when that happens, but you have to keep going. I didn't really pay attention to the Internet or newspaper so I could stay focused, but I overheard people talking about it. Antonella's strong and doing just fine and she'll pull through."

But what about the fellas? Are they surfing the Web, looking for Antonella Barba nude? And were the guys talking about what happened with her. AJ Tabaldo responded to the inquiries.

"There's some sleazy people out there doing sleazy things and I feel bad for her, but she's beautiful and she's going to do well. But we tried to stay away from it."

The fact that Sanjaya Malakar remains an American Idol contestant may not be the not shocking development to have come from last night's results show.

Many viewers thought that Antonella Barba would be voted off. Instead, that dishonor fell upon Leslie Hunt and Alaina Alexander.

Did Barba remain because people felt bad she had endured a difficult week? Or do fans believe this 20-year old New Jersey native is yet to show off her best vocal talents?

No one can say for sure - but here's another option: maybe people were impressed by her Jessica Simpson impression. What are we referring to? Take a look at the Antonella photo below, one far more innocent that some of the others leaked on the Internet:

Nigel Lythgoe, American Idol producer, commented on the Antonella Barba situation this week:

"Without question, any competition like this is part popularity contest," Lythgoe told Extra correspondent (and Simon Cowell girlfriend) Terri Seymour.

"It won't effect anything, Antonella is about her looks and her talent and that's the only thing that will effect her journey on American Idol," Lythgoe added in a second interview broadcast on Tuesday evening's Inside Edition.

Be careful what you wish for. So begins an article in The Newark Star-Ledger. Here's more from it:

Whatever 20-year-old singer Antonella Barba expected to gain from auditioning for the star-making machine "American Idol," it was likely fame, not infamy. But Barba - until last month a Catholic University student from Point Pleasant with a nice voice - is now at the center of a perfect storm of celebrity and technology, sexuality and morality.

Photos of Barba topless, hands covering her breasts, and on the toilet, appeared on the Internet just as she emerged as a semifinalist on television's top-rated show earlier this month. Over the weekend, racier photos materialized, including several shots of a beautiful brunette performing a sex act on a man who is not identified.

Her best friend and fellow Idol auditioner, Amanda Coluccio, said the tamer shots are of Barba, including a full-length shot of Barba naked, covered with rose petals, taken for a calendar she made for her boyfriend of several years. But the lewdest of the bunch, she is certain, are not Barba, a Red Bank Catholic High School graduate who had been studying architecture until she got her break on "Idol."

"They were meant to be seen by one person and one person only," Coluccio said at her Holmdel home. "The really bad ones aren't her. I've studied them. It's not her nose. She's never had (acrylic nail) tips in her life. She's the least slutty person I know."

American Idol producers won't make Barba, or any of the semifinalists, available for interviews until after they are ousted. But Coluccio, who speaks with Barba daily, says they believe someone from Catholic University broke into her computer and posted the pictures.

"She's been crying. She's horrified," Coluccio says. "She's most upset about what her parents think."

If it's Barba or not, the unseemly association is likely to persist, regardless of how she does in the competition, said Rich Hanley, an assistant professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., who specializes in interactive communications. Among the semifinalists, Barba's singing has drawn some of the harshest criticism from the judges, so her Idol dreams likely will die faster than her Internet celebrity.

"This is a breaking situation in terms of the digitization of fame," Hanley said. "Young people need to understand that anything they put on the Web is going to come back and haunt them some time in their career. Because it's everywhere, there's never going to be a minimal response. There's always going to be a maximum response."

As for Barba's Idol popularity, it's possible a voting bloc of hormone-addled teenage boys is asserting itself, and there is an influential Web site, www.votefortheworst.com, that encourages viewers to vote for the "most entertaining train wreck." It's backing Barba.

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