A Message to Roger Friedman

That's right folks, he's at it again. Three days in a row, this idiot has now published "articles" blasting current American Idol contestants for having albums available for sale while they are competing on the show. I hate to say it, but at least time this time he isn't going after David Cook, but instead is attacking Carly Smithson. Not that I think ANY of them should be attacked...it's just nice to see it isn't a full-on assault of only one contestant. But apparently Roger felt that he was such a success with having David Cook's solo album Analog Heart pulled from Amazon, that the thought he'd take a stab at the next one on his list.

So in today's "article", our friend Roger blasts Carly's album released under her maiden name, Carly Hennessey. Roger, honey, have you not caught on yet that there is NO RULE whatsoever that states that contestants could not have formerly recorded albums, and could not have formerly had recording contracts? Seriously. It's getting to be a bit ridiculous.

Yes, Carly had a major record deal. She recorded a big budget album. She worked with producers that people have actually heard of. Big whoop!

And frankly, if the record company that she was signed with at the time did put as much money into it as you claim they did, and it sold as poorly as it did at the time, I can't say I blame them for attempting to reap whatever rewards they might be able to get out of having it still for sale while she is on the show. I can promise you that if you're numbers are right about all of that, Carly isn't going to be seeing one penny of the money made on sales of that album. She likely still owes them money for the cost of the production. So what does it matter if she has an album for sale at Amazon, especially one that isn't particularly doing so well? What is it hurting?

And I suppose tomorrow you will discover Brooke White's album. And the day after that, we can expect you to find Kristy Lee Cook's album, and discover that she, too, had a recording contract when she was a teenager. Then one more day will pass, and you will realize that Michael Johns has an album, and had more than one recording contract over the years.

What next? Will you then look into the fact that there were Idols on previous seasons who had also had recording contracts before their days on Idol? Because there were. And some of them had also recorded albums before they made it onto the show, and those albums were available for sale while they were on the show.

You see, Roger, the thing is...this is not against the rules of the game. And honestly, why should it be? If they had a shot at stardom, and things happened which prevented it from happening the first time, who are you to decide that they shouldn't have a second shot at it, especially if they are as good as you think Carly Smithson is? Why limit them? If they have that kind of talent, what is the problem with allowing them to obtain the exposure they need in order to make a serious go of their music careers through whatever means is available to them? Why limit AI to only those singers who have never even stepped foot into a record company's offices, let alone a recording studio? It just doesn't make sense. And frankly, it leads many people to believe that you have some sort of ulterior motive for attacking these kids. So what's the deal, Roger?

I anxiously look forward to reading tomorrow's "article"...