A Year After ‘American Idol’, Antonella Barba Focuses On School

A year after her ‘American Idol’ experience, Asbury Park Press caught up with Antonella Barba, who has since returned to the Catholic University of America in Washington, where she majors in architecture. “It doesn’t feel like it has been a year,” Barba said from her home in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Barba said her original audition was “the only performance on TV I was really proud of.”

As for the racy photo scandal that made her an internet sensation, Barba said, “If I could rewind back to 2006, I would obviously do exactly everything I did. But I don’t think I would do it a second time.” Barba credit her family’s love to overcome the negative gossip she faced in wake of the images that weren’t intended for the public to see. “More than anything, I was nervous to return home. But my family and friends treated me the same and have faith in me, loving me unconditionally,” Barba said. “I can’t even believe how much grace they had and how well they handled it.”

‘Morning Joe’ Discusses Dallas ‘Idol’ Auditions

January 17, 2008 - Courtney Hazlett visited ‘Morning Joe’ on Thursday (January 17) and weighed in on the ‘American Idol’ hopefuls from Dallas and how the show’s ratings are down from last season, but still dominating the competition. Watch the segment below.

Jimmy Kimmel Jokes About ‘American Idol’ Premiere

January 16, 2008 - Jimmy Kimmel joked about the premiere of ‘American Idol’ during his monologue on Tuesday night. Kimmel joked, “‘American Idol’ is back. It’s a good thing, too. The country is running dangerously lower on Bucky Covingtons. … Traditionally, the first ‘American Idol’ episodes are filled with horrible singers, some of whom appear to be either disturbed or insane. But this year, well, they did the same thing. … There were rumors that Simon Cowell had pec implants. I don’t believe it , but I think there’s a distinct possibility that he had nipple extensions. They were poking through his shirt.”