“Antonella Barba is an unbelievably sexy girl who obviously knows how to have a good time,�? said Francis. “Why are people being ridiculed and punished for being sexual? It’s ridiculous.�?

Barba became an instant sensation this season when racy photos of her appeared on the web.

The collection includes photos of her clutching her naked breasts on a beach, draped in nothing but rose petals, sitting on toilet sans panties, performing oral sex on an anonymous, closely groomed penis, and posing scantily clad on a World War II Memorial

Meanwhile, for the first time, the controversy surrounding Antonella Barba's nude pictures was hinted at on American Idol . During the American Idol top eight girls performance show, Simon Cowell touched on the controversy in his comments to Antonella. After Antonella sang “Put Your Records On,�? Cowell said “I feel for you, because you’ve taken a lot of stick in the media, I think you’ve handled yourself well throughout, and I don’t think anyone should be put in that situation, I do.�?

Cowell added , “I’m not going to patronize you here, it wasn’t your worst. We’ve heard you sound worst, but I just have a problem here which is I just wish you could sing better.�?
After Cowell's feedback, Ryan Seacrest asked Antonella Barba if she felt like she deserved a place in the final twelve, and Antonella responded “Yeah, I mean I think I know I’m surrounded by really talented people and I think that I just have a different style than them, and I’m not trying to compare myself to anybody else, and I wish the judges wouldn’t compare me to anyone else, because I try to be myself.�?