Antonella Barba Biography (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Antonella Lynette Barba (born February 8, 1987) is an American singer who placed fifteenth on the sixth season of American Idol. She was eliminated before the top 12 were chosen. However Barba and fellow contestant Sanjaya Malakar achieved cult status, the two achieved worldwide popularity on the internet and gossip magazines.

Barba was born in California to parents Vincenzo and Valerie, and raised in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. She went to high school at Red Bank Catholic High School in nearby Red Bank, New Jersey. Barba is currently in the class of 2008 at The Catholic University of America, and studying architecture. She has three younger siblings (one brother and two sisters).

American Idol

Antonella Barba was first seen on television at the New York auditions of idol in a January 2007 episode. She auditioned with her friend Amanda Collucio, after Collucio sang her rendition of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" Barba took center stage and belted out a smooth performance of Deniece Williams' "Free." Paula dubbed Antonella "fantastic" and Simon advised her "when someone is down on the floor kick them". Nevertheless, the judges praised her performance and liked it better than her friend's who had claimed she had vocal lessons, eventually both received golden ticket passes to Hollywood. Barba made it into the top 24 but her friend was cut before the top 40.

Controversy

Barba received notoriety beyond the show when a series of racy photographs surfaced on the Internet prior to the final twelve contestants being chosen. She was quoted as saying that they "were photos of my personal life that got exploited without my consent." These pictures have received mainstream attention including a February 27, 2007 featured article in USA Today, a full segment on the February 26, 2007 edition of FOX News' The O'Reilly Factor, and also on multiple episodes of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, both of which showed images of the Vote for the Worst pages featuring the images. Photos of Barba posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. also surfaced. Barba's friend Amanda Coluccio has stated that the "really bad" (i.e., sexually explicit) photos were fakes. Following Barba's being voted off of the show, she has allegedly received offers from a number of adult entertainment outfits, including Girls Gone Wild and Playboy. She claims to have never been contacted by Playboy but made it clear that she would not pose for the magazine. Barba explains, "The pictures that actually are of me are very personal. That is not how I intended to portray myself nor do I intend to portray myself in the future. That was personal, private and not for the public." Barba is currently contemplating the future of her career and said she would be willing to consider modeling or acting jobs. "I want to strike while the iron's hot," Barba said.

American Idol performances

Week #	Song Choice	Original Artist	Result
Original Audition	Free	Deniece Williams	Safe
Top 24	I Don't Want to Miss a Thing	Aerosmith	Safe
Top 20	Because You Loved Me	Celine Dion	Safe
Top 16	Put Your Records On	Corinne Bailey Rae	Eliminated

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