"Idol" Hopeful Nixed from H'wood for Pot Rap?

46. Proof American Idol has a double standard. Here is the story (at the time of the show) from the Smoking Gun about Bo Bice's multiple drug arrest:

One of the five remaining "American Idol" finalists was once arrested for felony cocaine possession, but had the charge--and a separate marijuana count--dismissed last year after completing a so-called "diversion program," The Smoking Gun has learned. Harold "Bo" Bice, 29, was busted in June 2001 by Huntsville, Alabama cops and hit with the drug count, a Class C felony, according to the below warrant. He was arrested again in July 2003 near Birmingham and charged with marijuana possession, public intoxication, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court record. He pleaded guilty to the latter two misdemeanors in December 2004. The pot charge was dismissed after Bice's successful completion of the same diversion program that covered his prior cocaine bust. In that 2001 case, a District Court preliminary hearing was set for August 29, but when a Huntsville Police Department investigator did not show, Judge Susan Moquin dismissed the Bice case, according to a court docket. But with prosecutors prepared to refile the felony count, Bice later opted to enter a drug diversion program overseen by the district attorney's office, according to Heather Douglas, spokesperson for the Madison County D.A.. Bice formally entered the diversion program in 2003 following his pot arrest, and the two separate drug possession charges were effectively merged and covered by Bice's diversion program, according to a TSG source familiar with the cases (the cocaine charge was bounced on April 28, 2004, and the pot rap was dismissed five months ago). Bice was arrested on the cocaine charge after scoring about 1/2 a gram of the drug from an acquaintance at Huntsville's Silver Dollar strip club, according to a source.

Now the aforementioned story is about the dismissal of a black kid for what appears to be pot possession and sugar put into a gas tank by a black gilr and they are dismissed...Bo is lauded? C'mon people, you have to see the double standard..even if you are a racist.

Posted at 5:24PM on Feb 7th 2007 by Rusty

47. So it's okay to be arrested for coke (Bo) but not okay to be arrested for having a little grass? WTF? It's also okay for Paula to be wasted out of her gourd every show? Shame on you AI! Hypocrites!

Posted at 4:42PM on Feb 7th 2007 by AI sucks

48. Well that's one contestant Paula can't hit the sheets with!

Posted at 4:06PM on Feb 7th 2007 by Kick paula off

49. Oooohhhh, a pot arrest! YAWNNNN!!!!

Posted at 5:41PM on Feb 7th 2007 by Jane

50. Hmmm… isn’t the issue here that Bo didn’t try to hide it and lie about it, and this guy did? I could definitely be wrong as I don’t watch the lame show.

Either way, maybe A.I. is turning a new leaf with the contestants. Perhaps, they have decided to stop allowing people with criminal backgrounds on the show. They reserve the right to do that.

I personally don't care what people do in their spare time, as long as they aren't huring others. However, A.I. is a business and I support their right to decide who they want representing them.

Anyway, that show is so freaking lame. Most of the people auditioning are uneducated losers who need to go back to school and contribute something real to our society and economy. The losers on that show are truly losers.

Posted at 4:58PM on Feb 7th 2007 by I agree with American Idol

51. Dam you can say Donald Trump a bum but at least he gave Miss USA Tara a second chance, "American Idol" doesn't give nobody second chance or someone to give them a shoot to change their lives. "American Idol" want people like Akron & this other woman(sorry can't remember her name) to stay down in the gutter while all they wanted to do is to get out. If iwere them, I would keep going with A.I.'s help. This is bullsh*t. All they need to do is to look at Jennifer Hudson. That should inspired them to keep going and show that A.I. made a mistake of not picking them. With all the stuff that going on behind the scenes with this show especially with Paula's antics, this show slowly but surely will end.

Posted at 5:18PM on Feb 7th 2007 by Dion

52. It doesn't matter if you inform the show about your arrest record before they find it. The show is "American Idol" and the judges always try to make that a point. They need to make up their minds. Bo Bice was not a good example. When he bought the cocaine he was a bartender in a strip joint. Duh..I know it isn't "Miss USA" pageant but give me a break. If he was given a chance and made it to runner up then this guy should at least have a chance to make it to Hollywood and try. He only had a misdemeaner....you can do very little to be charged with that but a felony?
Bo Bice had to tell he had that considering her pleaded guilty on some of those charges in Dec 2004. He already knew he was going to AI in Hollywood at that time. He was just doing what he could to get it cleared. He has been a bad boy since and not a very good figure for American Idol.

Posted at 5:20PM on Feb 7th 2007 by OriginalKat

53. Opps, I meant to say "Akron & Ashlyn should go on without "A.I.'s help.

Posted at 7:43PM on Feb 7th 2007 by Dion

54. Attention!!!!!! Attention!!!!!! AMERICAN IDOL IS A RACIST SHOW!!!!!!!!

Posted at 6:06PM on Feb 7th 2007 by American Idol Critic

55. LEGALIZE POT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 3:25PM on Feb 9th 2007 by yourmother

56. You are missing the point. First of all, the article did not say that Aslyn did not go to Hollywood or that she was later dismissed. It just said that she was reportedly arrested.

Second of all, we do not know exactly why Aston was uninvited to Hollywood.

Third of all, all of the contestants who were booted because of a criminal history were booted because they failed to disclose that history. When the story about Bo came out, AI said that they were aware of the history.

It is hard to claim the show is racist when one of the judges is African-American and two past winners are also African-American.

Also, there appears to have been a significant amount of African-Americans who made it to the final twelve. (I did not watch the first season or the one where Fantasia won, so I do not know the racial composition of the finalists those years.)

It might be true that the judges/show are/is anti-hip hop or rap, given that those are not categories that songs are chosen from after the initial audition rounds. Does that make the show racist, I don't think so.

Posted at 6:39PM on Feb 7th 2007 by Idol watcher

57. Maybe A.I. has decided they are done trying to work with contestants who have criminal backgrounds. They reserve the right to make changes to their standards. Hopefully, that is what they are doing.

Blaming it on race is a weak argument. The show has always had a diverse group of contestants, winners, and even the judges are too.

Posted at 8:09PM on Feb 7th 2007 by I agree with American Idol

58. I see your point, but their have been more white winners than black. I will not continue on this blogg commenting on this issue. P.S, I have a right to"MY OPINION".

Posted at 7:50PM on Feb 7th 2007 by American Idol Critic

59. Ha Ha! I go to school with that girl Ashlyn!! Go Bearkats

Posted at 10:46PM on Feb 7th 2007 by sam houston girl

60. Ya know what, American Idol invests a lot of their money turning totally unkown people in to household names. So they can make up any rules they want, If any one has a problem following them, fine they can go out and get a major recording contract on their own.

Posted at 7:17AM on Feb 9th 2007 by Jeff