Do racy internet photos of Antonella Barba (some real, some fake) tarnish the squeaky-clean family-friendly image of both the Idol contestant and the Idol franchise? Idol's producers obviously don't think so. They've decided to stand by Antonella. But four years ago, they weren't so supportive. They dismissed finalist Frenchie Davis when she told them about racy internet photos she had taken.To many, the dismissal of Frenchie, but not Antonella, represents a double standard. And this Tuesday, March 6, civil rights activist Najee Ali is holding an anti-Idol rally to bring attention to this "racial bias" as he calls it. Ali said, "they can't have a rule for white contestants and have a different rule for black contestants."
Actress Whoopi Goldberg will hit the morning radio airwaves starting on July 31 with her new syndicated radio show called "Wake Up with Whoopi." You know, until I heard about this radio show the phrase "Wake up with whoopi" held entirely different connotations for me. Goldberg points out there aren't a lot of women hosting their own radio shows, and she hopes to give listeners something different. She's quoted as saying, "I haven't heard someone quite like me in the morning." Well, yeah, that is true, but isn't that actually a good thing? Aren't most people who listen to lame morning DJs usually thinking to themselves, "Well, at least it isn't Whoopi Goldberg?" Her new show will air on terrestrial radio only, there are no plans for her to take it to satellite radio.
Whoopi Goldberg's new series about an all-girl soccer team in New York City will
premiere this Sunday on Nickelodeon at 7 p.m. Goldberg developed Just for Kicks as a way of exploring the
double standard that surrounds girls in sports, and to show how these young ladies can participate in rough
sports and still be "girls" without having labels applied to them like "butch" and
"tomboy" (though in my experience it's always the "tomboys" who wind up as total hotties when they
get older). If nothing else, I admire the spirit of the show, and its message of female empowerment. The first episode
will focus on a team of cheerleaders, one of which tries to convince her friends that soccer is a cool sport. You know,
if they really wanted to cover everything they'd have a bunch of boys join the cheerleading squad, too. I'm just
saying.
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