Carly Smithson's "American Idol" Elimination Blamed On Song Choice

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New York Times   |  Edward Wyatt   |   April 25, 2008 08:21 AM

Read More: American Idol, Carly Smithson, Carly Smithson Jesus Christ Superstar, Jesus Chrust Superstar, Breaking Entertainment News
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Carly Smithson might be the first "American Idol" contestant to be voted off the show for blasphemy.

Online chat boards devoted to "American Idol" have been abuzz since Ms. Smithson performed the title song from "Jesus Christ Superstar" -- the 1970 rock opera, which many Christians consider offensive -- on Tuesday's episode. Ms. Smithson received the fewest votes of the six remaining contestants following her Tuesday performance. Her elimination was announced on Wednesday night's episode. The week's performances were drawn from the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote "Jesus Christ Superstar" with Tim Rice.

Since its debut, and particularly following the release of the 1973 film version, "Jesus Christ Superstar" has been railed against by some Christians for its portrayal of Jesus as confused and at times unwilling to accept his role, and because it hints that he had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene.

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- slobone See Profile I'm a Fan of slobone

Is it just me or is this a really lame season? There isn't anybody I'm that excited about, except maybe David Cook. I like Syesha -- and she keeps getting better every week -- but obviously she's headed for the bin in the near future. As for Brooke -- somebody please put her out of her misery! She only knows how to do one thing, and she can't even do that without taking a big breath every two notes...

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:47 PM on 04/27/2008
- enoughalready See Profile I'm a Fan of enoughalready

I happen to think Carly was one of the top talents in this years American Idol lineup. I knew she wouldn't make it to the finals because she has tatoo's and she showed them proudly. Her husband in the audience displaying his tatoos, even on his face. American Idol has become a popularity contest not a talent contest. Chris Daughtry's being voted off early proved that. Talent gets you into the top 10 because the judges vote on your talent - after that - it's nothing but a popularity contest. If we are to go on true talent and stage presence, David Cook should win - any bets he won't?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:19 PM on 04/27/2008
- GeoNorth See Profile I'm a Fan of GeoNorth

Once again, the religeous right has demonstrated their narrow minded bigoted attitude. Carly was dumped because she sang a 40 year old song about Jesus and, oh my God, what a sinner, she has tatoos.

This Sunday morning CBS ran a story about a soldier who is leaving our military because he is an atheist. The military has demonstrated that you must be a Christian or you are an inferior soldier. He is harrased for his beliefs. Yeah, that's American. How many Jews, or Muslims get a fair shake in the Army? Not many.

I don't know what in this song could upset these clowns. Could it be that it a rock song written by someone who doesn't belong to their fruity little club?

I do know that what upsets some Christians is any questioning of their beliefs. They take the word of clergy and refuse to think. They believe that doubts in faith are a harmful thing. Doubts are what make us humans. If we don't ask questions, we are not serving God. Did not God give you intellegence? Why then do they deny this? Someone said that religion is the opiate of the masses. Must be because so many of these people are mindless, by choice.

And the first person to say that America was founded on Christian values gets a kick in the balls. It was founded in spite of Christian values.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:53 PM on 04/27/2008
- KingGeorgetheShrub See Profile I'm a Fan of KingGeorgetheShrub

You did forget that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:36 AM on 04/28/2008
- AERO See Profile I'm a Fan of AERO

I'd blame the reason Carly got voted off is that she is really creepy.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:42 PM on 04/26/2008
- SonofKong See Profile I'm a Fan of SonofKong

Jesus is a lot like Elvis. I love the guy, but the fans really creep me out sometimes.

- MK -

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:05 AM on 04/26/2008
- totalliberal See Profile I'm a Fan of totalliberal

Jesus was tall, thin and white and could easily be seen, even in the dark by the glowing ring around his head and outstretched arms. (I always wondered how he could eat that way.) Everyone knows this. And he certainly did not sing or have fun. How dare she suggest otherwise.

Evangelical Christians are the American version of the Taliban.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:02 AM on 04/26/2008
- AERO See Profile I'm a Fan of AERO

Please don't insult the Taliban like that.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:43 PM on 04/26/2008
- ZenCrusader See Profile I'm a Fan of ZenCrusader

You make the error of stereotyping Christians. Such sweeping generalizations mean little if you fail to consider the many many exceptions to your narrow view of anyone who is a Christian.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:17 AM on 04/26/2008
- totalliberal See Profile I'm a Fan of totalliberal

I'm sorry, did you miss the part where I said "Evangelical Christians". If so, I said EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:30 PM on 04/26/2008
- piquet See Profile I'm a Fan of piquet

Even if this is mildly true...does it surprise anyone?
This country has been taken over by a Christan-Taliban style of intolerance that WILL be the downfall of everything that was great in this country.
3 words..keep your gun

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:51 AM on 04/26/2008
- Calylily See Profile I'm a Fan of Calylily

Wow, whose idea was that to write this rediculous article?

Skip the cherade . . . their voting system doesn't work any more. Simple as that.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:35 AM on 04/26/2008
- jadez See Profile I'm a Fan of jadez

more proof that americans are the dumbest creatures on earth.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:31 PM on 04/25/2008
- totalliberal See Profile I'm a Fan of totalliberal

Next to the English, who invented the show.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:01 PM on 04/26/2008
- leftbehind2000 See Profile I'm a Fan of leftbehind2000

The fact that Americans even watch this wretched show proves they are the dumbest creatures on earth.

All this bit of, um, "news" informs us is that Ms. Carlson has no clue how to tailor her musical selections to the limited IQs of her target audience.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:28 AM on 04/26/2008
- auramac See Profile I'm a Fan of auramac

Ah, yes, the Jesus Card. Now we must decide who to diss next: her, the competition, or the show itself. Or "those Americans" or "those Christians."

I have the sneaky suspicion that Carly won't be back because she simply had less people call on her behalf than the others. No one calls to vote someone off- you vote for "your favorite."

The Red Sea did not part when Carly sang. Of the remaining candidates, the audience didn't "like her best." That's all. No conspiracy- we don't need an investigative commission to get to the bottom of this.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:28 PM on 04/25/2008
- arsphidius See Profile I'm a Fan of arsphidius

Absolutely what I was thinking, but you put it into words better than I could have.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:03 PM on 04/26/2008
- anastasiabeaverhousen See Profile I'm a Fan of anastasiabeaverhousen

WWJD. Who Would Jesus Dump off of this AWFUL show.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:26 PM on 04/25/2008
- bryand1 See Profile I'm a Fan of bryand1

American Idol viewers might be young enough and/or stupid enough not to know this ground breaking musical and its incredible score....and to blame the singer for the song. What a joke. Webber should record her just to make up for this...though it's not his fault that the viewers don't know the history of musical theater. You'd think they'd all done it in high school...but never underestimate religious ignorance and dogma in America and beyond..

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:54 PM on 04/25/2008
- arsphidius See Profile I'm a Fan of arsphidius

Public high schools are not allowed to perform anything that even hints of religion, like Jesus Christ Superstar or Godspell. My old school couldn't even perform Grease because it "portrayed teenagers in a negative light".

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:05 PM on 04/26/2008
- MNmommy See Profile I'm a Fan of MNmommy


If there is anything to this, I'm sure that ALW feels awful since he was the one who suggested the song for her.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:03 PM on 04/25/2008
- rainydaypeople See Profile I'm a Fan of rainydaypeople

Good riddance.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:10 PM on 04/25/2008
- johnwalt See Profile I'm a Fan of johnwalt

My wife thinks Carly's husband and his facial tattoos are what sank her. Combining "JCS" with a very unconventional spouse might have done her in.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:30 PM on 04/25/2008
- ZenCrusader See Profile I'm a Fan of ZenCrusader

The husband was frightening. Plus the news broke that she has already had a record contract and has already had a break & entry into show business.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:19 AM on 04/26/2008
- MissingAmerica See Profile I'm a Fan of MissingAmerica

After she sang it, I somehow knew this would happen. Andrew Lloyd Webber is probably the greatest musical genius of our day, and his music will stand the test of time. Sadly, it doesn't stand the test of the evangelicals who have taken on the task of determining morality for all of us. "Jesus Christ, Superstar" is a great musical with a deep message. Carly gave a great performance of which she can be very proud. I know this talented young woman will go onward and upward from here. This is more than I can say for the backwards thinkers who judged her talent solely on their ideological beliefs.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:38 PM on 04/25/2008
- Vurz See Profile I'm a Fan of Vurz

It's why I've never watched an episode of "American Idol"; it's not based on talent, it's whether the people in the audience think you are bland enough so they aren't 'offended' by you.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:45 PM on 04/25/2008
- vandegrasse See Profile I'm a Fan of vandegrasse

Never thought about it that way! You're right.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:14 PM on 04/25/2008
- elr50 See Profile I'm a Fan of elr50

And why do people actually GIVE A DAMN about this? You idiots need to prioritize better, educate yourself, and get a life. The American people are truly stupid.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:31 PM on 04/25/2008
- totalliberal See Profile I'm a Fan of totalliberal

Pompous fool.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:05 AM on 04/26/2008
- deedrdo See Profile I'm a Fan of deedrdo

i kinda thought one of the women would have sung 'i don't know how to love him'. i thought carly would run into trouble with this song. not so much for it's content but for the fact that, while it's an iconic song, it's not really that interesting.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:14 PM on 04/25/2008
- Hagrid See Profile I'm a Fan of Hagrid

American Idol is insipid!
It is not about the talented singer anymore.
It is teeny bopper popularity contest.

They should change the premis of the show and admit that it is about who is cute.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:26 PM on 04/25/2008
- BeyondGoodAndEvil2 See Profile I'm a Fan of BeyondGoodAndEvil2

Don't American Idol viewers love Jesus?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:49 AM on 04/25/2008
- mellene See Profile I'm a Fan of mellene

How ridiculous that the song would be repelled by Chrisitians. Doesn't that mean that they then hate Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer? While American Idol is a Fox product, we know that the right makes up the biggest supporters. I really am a bit amazed that they bring in religion when all along they claim it is about the singing. If that is found out to be true, I think you'll have a lot of viewers no longer believing in American Idol's trustworthiness.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:02 AM on 04/25/2008
- herronsmith See Profile I'm a Fan of herronsmith

If you had been following any of this year's "singing" it is quite evident that the right wig of FOX is ever present. There have been a number of christian-themed songs, mostly numbers sung by the entire cast of "talent". It is Murdock's way of thumbing his nose at those pesky atheists who keep advocating for the separation of church and state. This country is headed for a major meltdown, the likes of which we have never seen. I predict in another 10 years the US will be unrecognizable.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:49 PM on 04/25/2008
- kellygrrrl See Profile I'm a Fan of kellygrrrl

this is probably the best thing that could happen to Carly.
she would have a very difficult time trying to fit into the Idol Box.
she can go forward and have a music career which fits her style a little better.

I almost hope David Cook does not win
because I'd hate to see him try to fit into the Top 40 scene

Chris Daughtry has done fine
Tamyra Gray has done fine

for a lot of these artists, 3rd 4th or 5th place turns out to be a blessing

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:18 AM on 04/25/2008
- ordinaryguy See Profile I'm a Fan of ordinaryguy

actually her previous failure was because she wanted to be a rocker, and the studio wanted her to be a pop singer. no one got her as a rocker. i saw her in concert in 2001

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:30 AM on 04/25/2008
- CharlottesvilleVA See Profile I'm a Fan of CharlottesvilleVA

More likely she was voted off because she is a singing machine, technically skilled as hell but with no discernible soul in her voicing. Plus there's the whole thing about her previously having had a recording deal with Sony, who invested $2 million in promoting her without success. Not exactly the type of "unknown" American Idol's fans expect on the show. Great singer, but by no means an artist. And not only that, she muffed the lyrics in the chorus!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:12 AM on 04/25/2008
- jadez See Profile I'm a Fan of jadez

bull
this show is fixed and voting matters only to a point.
its all about marketing.
see any fat or ugly singers there?
no fat people or unattractive people in america can sing??
mean while you have jason whos singing is so bad it actually is embarrising.
yet you think he would have any trouble getting the teen girls to fork over their parents cash for his album or show ticket?

so lets not pretend the "voters" are responding critically to these people .that insults real musical talent, which this show has little of.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:49 PM on 04/25/2008
- IntrepidReader See Profile I'm a Fan of IntrepidReader

Ruben, the winner of the second season, was morbidly obese. Fantasia is, to put it kindly, "interesting looking" but hardly beautiful. She joked about her looks, pointing out that though her mouth was big, her talent was even bigger. Taylor Hicks looked like a 50 year old bank manager with a saggy body and gray hair. Jordin Sparks is pretty but definitely not a petite size zero. The argument that American Idol only allows pretty people is easily disproven simply by looking at pictures of all the different finalists. I would say the only two conventionally attractive winners have been Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, and no conventionally attractive guy has ever won. Certainly nobody could ever call Clay Aiken-- the real winner of season two in terms of sales and success--a handsome guy.

As for Carly, she had been in the bottom 3 a couple of times already and obviously hadn't built a large fan base the way some of the other contestants have. A lot of the hardcore Idol fans who vote relentlessly didn't like it that she had already loused up one chance at stardom and resented her presence on the show. I don't think it was her song choice that did her in.

PS: Having seen some of the garbage that runs on TV in Europe and Asia, I wouldn't say Americans have a lock on being fascinated with shallow shows--after all, American Idol is just our version of the British show Pop Idol.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:40 PM on 04/26/2008
- molsongrrrl See Profile I'm a Fan of molsongrrrl

[quote]And not only that, she muffed the lyrics in the chorus![/quote]

Which no one really seemed to notice ... and how is that worse than Brooke starting, stopping and starting over because she messed up the lyrics?!?

I think Carly will be much better off without winning American Idol - she really doesn't fit into that mold anyway.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:59 PM on 04/25/2008
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