Fallen 'Idol': Samantha Sidley found!

Hey, where'd she go? We loved Samantha Sidley at "American Idol" auditions, and so did the judges. She was the sweet, modest, L.A. native who sang Norah Jones while Paula and Ryan swapped jobs, remember? Well, come Top 24 week, our girl was nowhere to be seen. She'd been eliminated, without so much as a farewell montage!

I called Samantha today, hoping to straighten out the details of her tragic ouster, but Samantha seemed just as perplexed as I was. “I would like to know why they cut me out too, but I don’t know,” exclaimed Samantha. “I really don’t know.”

From what I could gather, however, Samantha wouldn’t miss her “Idol” days too much. “It was so draining,” she sighed, and also copped to feeling “different” from her fellow contestants. “They’re very enthusiastic to be on TV,” Samantha explained, and “they all listen to the same type of music.” She also said that the “fake smiles” and 15-hour days weren’t really her speed.

Still, Samantha’s “AI” experience wasn’t all bad; just a few minutes of airtime did wonders for her fan base. “I had like 800 messages in my MySpace account after,” she exclaimed.

So, is there any chance that Samantha will grace the "Idol" stage again next season? “If worse comes to worst,” she laughs. And she sounds so reticent about the whole ordeal that I asked what made her try out in the first place. “The pressure of my family,” she answered without missing a beat. And I realize that this girl doesn’t have a phony bone in her body.

So, even though you won’t see Sam rocking the Kodak any time soon, all is not lost; you can still catch her smoky vocals right here in L.A. Sidley and her band, Alex and Sam, are doing a residency Sundays at Tangier. To check out music by Alex and Sam and for a list of upcoming shows, click here. 

-- Stephanie Lysaght
(photo courtesy of Fox)

Comments

[Charles]

Samantha Sidley not being in the TOP 24 just is par for the course with a show that has lost all credibility. The current professional cast is talented, have no doubt about that, but they take away from the whole premise of the show.

[Lynn]

AI is not about true talent, it is about ratings. The contestants are dispensable.