"I wonder what everyone would be saying if Fantasia WASN'T on AI and was discovered during the search for Effie as an "unknown"?"
Considering Clive Davis had to PAY for Fantasia to audition, I think the answer is, "Nothing," only because she never would have been able to even get her foot in the door.
When you think about it, that's probably all this is, just like the controversy over "Baby Mama" only for the song not to be released as a single, and just like the controversy over her being "illiterate" only for her to turn around two days later and say she was the victim of bad editing, when editing can't put the words, "I couldn't get a job because I couldn't read and I couldn't count money," in someone's mouth.
Clive Davis manufactures buzz about his Precious in continually futile attempts to kick Fantasia's album sales into high gear. Paying for her "Dreamgirls" audition and then spreading the news about her perpetually-"imminent" casting around is just one of those attempts.
And before one of her cult members throws her sales figures in my face, for someone with so many supposed "MEGA R&B HITZ," and getting rave reviews opening for Kanye West, her album didn't live up to the hype and is, and seems like it will stay, completely off the radar no matter HOW much money Clive throws away on her.
Too bad. That payola and spin doctor money could have been put to much better use. Like lighting it on fire or flushing it down the toilet. Or perhaps teaching Fantasia that "conversate" and "pianoist" are not real words.
Updated On: 11/2/05 at 04:10 AM