Antonella Barba

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American Idol promotional photograph of Antonella Barba

Antonella Barba (born February 8, 1987 to parents, Vincenzo and Valerie Barba) is a former contestant on the sixth season of American Idol. A student at The Catholic University of America, she is a member of the class of 2008 and studying architecture.

Barba is from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, and went to high school at Red Bank Catholic High School in nearby Red Bank, New Jersey. She auditioned with her best friend, Amanda Coluccio, who was cut in the last round before the Final 24 were chosen.

1 Songs performed on American Idol
2 Controversy
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Songs performed on American Idol

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)
Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion)
Put Your Records On (Corinne Bailey Rae)- Eliminated March 8, 2007

[edit] 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,^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[3] Barba's friend Coluccio has stated that the "really bad" (i.e., sexually explicit) photos were fakes.^[4]. Following Barba's being voted off of the show, she has 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.^[5]