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WHAT'S HOT ABOUT HALEY SCARNATO!!!
Haley and Farewell!
She clocked in, she clocked out. And after delivering a rendition of ''Turn the Beat Around'' that could barely keep up with said beat, let alone live up to the song's title, the Idol workday has finally come to an end for Haley Scarnato.
Some folks might blame the Texas-based songbird's demise on the fact that Simon pointedly commented on her rising-hemline strategy during last night's critique, but I also think that even Haley's core fans could detect her flagging enthusiasm in the face of weekly verbal assaults from the judging panel. Witness the way she responded to Ryan Seacrest's ''good luck'' wish tonight, delivering the word ''thanks'' with a disdain even more naked than her gams have been for the last few weeks of the competition.
That said, Haley played the role of the Long-Legged Engine That Could with aplomb and, whether intentional or not, humor. I had to chuckle when she defended her hotpants-and-sheer-top combo as not ''completely inappropriate,'' and that weary, post-Latin-night backstage remark of ''I guess I'm gonna go put a robe on'' made me realize that Haley was at least a teensy bit in on the joke. So while she leaves behind a trail of broken tunes — a deeply unconvincing ''Queen of the Night,'' a wheezy, lethargic ''Tell Him,'' and a ''Missing You'' marked by forgotten lyrics and self-loathing — don't cry for her. There are worse ways for a singer to make a living than playing cruise ships, hotel lobbies, and upper-middle-class weddings — and none of those gigs will be capped off by patronizing ''pretty girl'' comments from Paula Abdul.
And although Haley was not joined in the bottom three tonight by Sanjaya Malakar, I can't really argue with America's choice of Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson. The former's grinning insistence tonight that he was ''just blessed to be here'' actually had me hoping it'd be Haley who'd return to the safety of the couch, while the latter's at-risk position proves that viewers won't automatically drink down any glass of Kool-Aid that Simon puts in front of 'em. Indeed, Chris's tinny, off-key ''Smooth'' was more like a mug of stagnant pond water — so viciously wrong that I failed to notice he flubbed his lyrics for the fourth time in the last five weeks. Thanks to those of you who caught him singing, ''It's the same insane emotion that I get from you,'' when he should've been singing, ''That's the same as the emotion that I get from you.'' Thanks also to Chris (a former Hooters manager) for not turning to Haley and ordering a plate of wings and a Heineken once Ryan told him he wasn't going home this week.
LET’S TALK SINGING, NOT STRUTTING
The day after exiting American Idol, Haley Scarnato said that though she shrugged off Simon Cowell’s quips about her flech-flashing twigged her a bit. “Yeah, they hurt a little bit,” she said, wishing she had received constructive criticisms on her pipes versus her pins. “They always say, ‘This is a singing competition, yadda, yadda,” so I’m like, “Ok, this is a singing competition…”. But as all she heard about was her look, “You just brush it off and do the best you can.”
Later in the press conference call, Haley rebuffed the notion that she as overtly parlaying her sexuality, saying that with regard to her spirited take on the “Turn the Beat Around”, “The style of the song was about in-your-face rhythm. It was funky and Latin, with a sexy vibe, and that’s what I am going for. When it’s time to sing, it’s time to sing. I was enjoying my moment.”
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