Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Congratulations to Arianna Afsar, a former Idol contestant who just placed in the top 10 at the Miss America pageant.

Arianna ws a contestant on Idol back in Season 8, when she made the semifinals only to have the show butcher the semifinal format.

That was the year when Idol advanced 32 contestants to the semifinals, then ousted most of them after a single 90-second performance.

Say goodbye to Kristen McNamara, Casey Carlson, Ju’Not Joyner, Ricky Braddy, Brent Keith … the list goes on. And Arianna.

You’ll never convince me that the best talent made the finals of Idol that year. Or even got a fair shake to do so.

Anyway, after being eliminated from Idol, Arianna told me she still hoped to make a name for herself as an entertainer, either singing or acting. She was heading off to the UCLA where she planned to major in musical theater. Her biggest aspiration was to land a role on a Disney show and work her way into music from there. (Here’s a link to the interview where she talks extensively about the Idol experience.)

Well, she went on to become Miss California. And she was singing again — “I Who Have Nothing” — in the talent portion of the competition.

She made the top 10, but was eliminated when the Miss America field was narrowed to five. Teresa Scanlan, Miss Nebraska, wound up winning the crown.

Below, you can watch a promo Arianna taped before the competition. Clearly, she hasn’t forgotten her days on Idol.

Best of luck, Arianna.