Controversy abounds as American Idol 2010 gets underway with the long awaited unveiling of the Top 24. Wednesday night we saw all 12 girls and all 12 guys who will sing for our votes next week.
The one missing from the affair was Christopher GoLightly. This caused a stir on the internet as bloggers and entertainment news writers raced to find out exactly what happened. At the end of the episode you see all the singers standing with Ryan Seacrest and Chris is included in the picture. (picture courtesy of Joe’s Place)
In a statement put out by FOX reps, the show claimed that Chris was ineligible to continue in the competition and was replaced by Tim Urban.
We were introduced to Chris in Los Angeles when he sang “Stand by Me” and shared his heartbreaking story. At the age of 18 months he became an orphan and grew up in the foster care system where he lived with over 25 families. Now that he is 19 and on his own, his saga continues as he is beaten down by the idol machine. “This is not fair; I don’t know what to do,” Chris told USA Today, “Everything was fine when I made the top 24.” Chris apparently gave up his apartment and sold his car when he found out he made it to the semi finals. He is now sleeping in a friend’s garage.
Apparently Chris had signed a contract to be a part of a boy band called D.R.E.A.M. 5 as he explained it to AI Now. He said the contract expired in June 2009, a month before he auditioned for Idol. He further claims he told the producers about the contract and everything was running smoothly until he received a telephone call from fremantle media telling him he had filled out his paperwork wrong and that he was still under a recording contract.
By the time he found his misplaced paperwork saying the contract had expired, AI producers had already brought back Tim Urban and the damage was done. “It hurts, man. This hurts me so bad because I sleep in a garage. I have no money. I grew up in the foster-care system all my life, being abused and everything. Music has always been my outlet. This is messed up what they’re doing,” Chris told AI Now.
The problem I have is why couldn’t they bring him in as a 13th contestant for the guys? They did it last year for Anoop. Why is there always a double standard with this show? One girl can appear topless on the internet but another one can’t. One person (Matt Lawrence) can have a criminal record but another cannot. (Danelle Hayes) Who makes these decisions? Why can Big Mike Lynche breach confidentiality agreements and get by with it while Chris GoLightly suffers at the hands of misinformation? What do you think about all the drama unfolding around this guy and do you think he deserves a spot on American Idol?