The “EW” “Idol” Cover: Let The Conspiracy Theories Fly!

noah | April 16, 2007 6:01 am
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This week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly has a big package on American Idol, and its cover layout is causing some chatter among Idol conspiracy theorists who are getting bored by Sanjaya-stamina stories. Take this comment on the Brady Bunch-style layout from MJ’s American Idol blog:

I just realized. Conspiracy? Melinda, Blake and Jordin are all boxed in the top row. Is this the chosen top 3 or something?

Hmm! We love conspiracies, especially those put forth by outlets of huge media conglomerates. Let’s see!

If we start in the top left corner, and snake downward, the EW order goes like this: 1-Melinda 2-Blake 3-Jordan 4-Sanjaya 5-Lakisha 6-Chris 7-Haley (EW goes to press on Tuesdays, hence her presence.) 8-Phil

Which, honestly, is an order that makes perfect sense–is there anyone who thinks Melinda won’t make it to the final?–to anyone who’s been watching even one episode this season. (Inside, Blake cements his “rebel” bona fides by complaining about the curfew, a bad-boy move that will likely endear him more to text-happy young female fans than Chris.) The only exception? The Haley/Phil flip. Then again, as some of the hat-wearing dad’s fans have noted, his placement also allowed him to be covered up by the magazine’s UPC code, probably because EW‘s art department realized that his creepiness would be more detrimental to newsstand sales than Haley’s plasticine “sexiness.”

Idols In The News [mjsbigblog.com]