‘Idol’ misfit

Was it the song or the hairdo?
Nadia Turner wasn't so lucky. What she may be wondering — and what conspiracy theorists are undoubtedly asking about — is whether her hairstyle and her Mario Vazquez comment wound up counting for more than her performance.

Turner came out in a Mohawk to sing "Time After Time," and while it wasn't as good as some of her earlier performances it was certainly among the top half. But it was curious that right after she said the hairdo was a tribute to the departed Mario Vazquez, Simon — whose day job is as a music executive for the company that produces the winner's album, and therefore can't be happy that Vazquez dropped out and may be looking for a better deal — called the performance "even worse the second time around" and predicted an early exit if there wasn't substantial improvement.

It's especially curious considering that a week ago, Simon said of Turner: "In a competition full of hamburgers, you are a steak." Has anyone ever gone from the penthouse to the outhouse quite that fast?

Ryan Seacrest commented before the loser was revealed that Turner had previously said she had no regrets about her performance. As she faced elimination, Turner said "I just did me. And that's all I can be." And really, Turner has been nothing if not eclectic, as one might expect from someone who's in a group that she describes as a "Rock Soul Christian Band" on her "Idol" biography.

It's hard to imagine Turner playing it safe the rest of the way, even if being herself nearly got her voted off the show. But she at least should probably avoid mentioning Mario Vazquez's name from here on out.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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