Television

LOS ANGELES – Carly Smithson might be the first American Idol contestant to be voted off the show for blasphemy.

Online chat boards devoted to American Idol have been abuzz since Ms. Smithson performed the title song from Jesus Christ Superstar –the 1970 rock opera, which many Christians consider offensive – on Tuesday's episode. Ms. Smithson received the fewest votes of the six remaining contestants following her Tuesday performance.

Her elimination was announced on Wednesday night's episode.

The week's performances were drawn from the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote Jesus Christ Superstar with Tim Rice.

FOX

Carly Smithson

Since its debut, and particularly following the release of the 1973 film version, Jesus Christ Superstar has been railed against by some Christians for its portrayal of Jesus as confused and at times unwilling to accept his role, and because it hints that he had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene.

In the title song, Judas Iscariot rebukes Jesus for poor planning in his choice of when and where to present himself on Earth and asks Jesus to contrast himself with Buddha and Muhammad.

Within hours of Ms. Smithson's performance, which was hailed by one American Idol judge as one of the best of the night, questions were being raised online about the song. On one thread on the show's official Web site, AmericanIdol.com, a viewer warned shortly after the performance that Ms. Smithson's choice of the song would put her in danger of elimination.

Diane Winston, who holds the Knight chair in media and religion at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, said that while Jesus Christ Superstar had largely faded from public discussion over the years, the musical "always had this tinge of disrepute about it because its picture of Jesus was so unsettling to many people."

Some contestants on American Idol have used the religious overtones of songs to their benefit. Several weeks ago Kristy Lee Cook, a country singer who had been on the verge of elimination, improved her standing with a performance of the song God Bless the USA.

Simon Cowell, one of the show's judges, called the effort "the most clever song choice I have heard in years."

The New York Times