American Idol musings

Susan Sarandon. Maureen Dowd. Brian Williams. One is a famous actress, another is a “witty” New York Times columnist, and last is the replacement for Tom Brokaw on the NBC Nightly News (who I might add is kicking Katie Couric’s ass in the ratings). What do these three have in common? They all attended Catholic University, my grad school alma mater. Other semi-famous alums, other than almost every other archbishop in the country (it is The Catholic University of America), include Terry McAuliffe and David Gillespie, the head of the 2004 Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee, respectively. More ancient alumni include Wally Pipp, 1912 CUA graduate and starting first baseman for the New York Yankees, until a random day in 1924 when he got sick, and was replaced in the lineup by a guy named Lou Gehrig, who would go on to play in 2130 consecutive games.

I am pretty damn proud to be an alumnus of such a celebrity making institution. And we can add one more celebrity, even if her fame will be of the fleeting 15-minute variety. Antonella Barba, a CUA student, is one of the final 16 contestants, and one of the final 8 girls, on American Idol. I never knew her personally when I was at CUA, but I remember seeing her in the dining hall. As I’ve told many people, she is…well…noticeable. And, she didn’t even stand out. There were a number of beautiful girls at Catholic University. It is a great place to go and learn.

Her time on American Idol will be coming to a close soon. Tonight, two guys and two girls will get voted off. She is definitely beautiful, but this is a singing competition. There are five girls who blow the rest of the candidates out of the water. I did not vote, but if I did, those five would have gotten my vote. Out of Antonella and the two others, I don’t know which of the three I would include to advance. But, one of the five girls with incredible voices deserves to win. The next American Idol will not be a Catholic U alum, but I can take solace that CUA is prominent on the New York Times editorial page, NBC news, and politically charged movies.