American Idol Fodder

Is “Idol” Contestant Smithson a Ringer?

After watching this year’s Hollywood Week on “American Idol,” I was absolutely convinced this year’s talent was way better than years past. Apparently, in the case of Carly Smithson there’s a good reason why she’s so polished- she’s already recorded an album!

According to Reality Rocks, a Yahoo Music blog, Irish-born Smithson has already tried her hand at fame, and unfortunately lost. The singer recorded a pop album seven years ago for MCA Records under her maiden name Hennessy. The problem? She arrived on the music scene with a style too similar to the already waning girl-power-pop genre. MCA even pumped a quarter of a million dollars into a video for her first single “I’m Gonna Blow Your Mind,” but it never caught on.

The blogger over at Reality Rocks has a conspiracy theory that Smithson is a plant to make sure a polished singer wins the competition. What do you think? Is she there to keep people like Sanjaya from winning? And is it fair to let her compete even though she has prior experience? Post below! –Chris Sardelli