‘American Idol’ contest,
gossip heat up

Rooting for Savol
Some viewers, however, revel in the show’s imperfections.

The Web site votefortheworst.com encourages viewers to do exactly as its name says and has attracted more than 370,000 visitors so far.

“It’s fun to make fun of the people who take it so seriously,” said site founder Dave Della Terza, 22, of Los Angeles.

Last year, the site stumped for Sinatra-style crooner John Stevens.

This year, Scott Savol is the pick.

Credit lack of charisma and the kind of arrogance that should belong only to a genuine superstar, not a guy who’s hit enough off-key notes to draw judge Simon Cowell’s wrath.

Savol’s background is another a factor, said Della Terza: He was arrested in 2001 on a felony domestic violence charge after a confrontation with his fiancee, ultimately pleading to misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

“How do you promote the guy who threw a phone at his child’s mother?” said Della Terza, savoring the plight of 19 Entertainment, which oversees recording and other deals for “American Idol” stars.

(FremantleMedia is co-producer and co-licensor with 19 Entertainment for the entire format.)

Viewer Janina Perez doesn’t appreciate the Web site gag. She swore off watching after handsome, talented Anwar Robinson was voted off and Savol — “the guy seems rude,” she grouses — survived. But she tuned in again, only to see sexy, talented Constantine Maroulis dumped and Savol, inexplicably, hang on.

Perez reluctantly admits she can’t help herself: “Now I want to watch just to see what happens to him.”

DeGarmo is glad her season “went over with less craziness.” The 17-year-old from Snellville, Ga., offers her wisdom on the pop culture gossip mill grinding on “American Idol”:

“It’s just like high school: drama appears out of nowhere whether it’s true or not. The more I’m in the business I’m like, ’Wow, I thought I was graduating to get out of this,’ but I’m graduating to get back into it.

“It keeps things interesting, let’s put it that way.”

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