Frenchie Davis first hit the world stage in Season 2 of “American Idol.” Since then she has starred on stage in the Broadway and touring productions of “Rent,” “Dream Girls,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (a performance that earned the singer her first Grammy nomination).

Last year, she hit the national spotlight again, joining Team Christina on NBC ’s hit show “The Voice,” and becoming one of the top four finalists. After her cover of “When Love Takes Over” landed at number three on the iTunes Dance Chart, she was ready to get started on an album—teaming with international singer/songwriter Janice Robinson to record “Love’s Got a Hold On Me,” her first single from the upcoming album, “Just Frenchie.” Hear it live when she performs the track this Saturday, October 13, at Bill’s Wilton Manors, on Wilton Drive. Mario Weir caught up with Davis for the Florida Agenda.

FA: Have you been in love?
FD: Love has been painful in the past.
These days it’s pretty wonderful. I’m in love
with a woman I think I can be with forever.

FA: Is being a prisoner to love a good
or bad thing?
FD: You have to find a balance. You want
to give your all to your partner without
losing yourself. You don’t want to wake up
one day not having a clue who you are anymore.

FA: What do you love about singing?
FD: I feel free when I sing and I love to create colors with my voice.

FA: Did you love starring on Broadway?
FD: Musical theatre was my first love, and how I first fell in love with music. The best part
was developing the discipline and endurance required to do eight shows a week. You hear
so many stories about performers suffering from exhaustion. After surviving the Broadway
schedule for five years, I believe I can survive anything.

FA: What part did hitting number three on iTunes play in releasing your own music now?
FD: It made me realize, maybe I can still do this. And maybe I can do dance music instead of
R&B. There are enough big black girls doing R&B already.

FA: Tell us about your first single, “Love’s Got a Hold On Me.”
FD: It’s a dance track written by my dear friend Janice Robinson, best known for the songs
she’s written for Deborah Cox and Ashley Tisdale. The track was produced by Magnificent, a
really talented artist from NYC. Brian Friedman, who I love for his work with Britney Spears and
“The X Factor,” co-directed and choreographed the video.

FA: What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
FD: I love to go swimming at the beach. It relaxes me, and it is awesome exercise.

FA: What’s next?
FD: In addition to my debut album, I’m putting the finishing touches on my Christmas album.

And I’m really excited to be in talks about starting my own line of plus-size bras and lingerie!

For more information, visit FrenchieDavis.org and Facebook.com/OfficialFrenchie.

You can also follow her at Twitter.com/FrenchieDavis.

And Here We Always Thought It Would Be Ken… The new Blond Diamond Barbie sports more than a sequined-and-jeweled cocktail dress and fur coat: The creation of designers David and Phillipe Blond is also sporting the naughty nickname “Drag Queen Barbie,” after Phillipe’s penchant for wearing stylish femme fashion.

Mars Needs Spears! In her music video for 2000’s “Oops!…I Did It Again,” a rubber-suit-wearing Britney Spears welcomes an astronaut to the surface of Mars, and receives a gift from the spaceman. After the real-life Mars rover Curiosity landed on the Red Planet’s surface Aug. 6, the singer asked on Twitter, So @MarsCuriosity…does Mars look the same as it did in 2000? To which the reply was given (presumably by some horny techie at NASA’s monitoring labs in Pasadena, Ca.), @britneyspears Hey Brit Brit. Mars is still looking good. Maybe someday an astronaut will bring me a gift, too. Drill bits crossed Geek “hot talk:” I’ve heard worse.

Tight Ends and Wide Receivers Top Bullies – The San Francisco 49ers have become the first NFL franchise to record a video condemning antigay bullying and violence. The minute-long commercial features players Ahmad Brooks, Ricky Jean Francois, Isaac Sopoaga, and Donte Whitner as part of the “It Gets Better” campaign, which began in 2010 in response to a string of suicides by students bullied over their sexual orientation. In the spot, Brooks informs kids, “Something you should never experience is being bullied, intimidated, or pressured into being someone or something you are not.”

The team was encouraged by 49er fan Sean Chapin, who collected more than 16,000 signatures on Change.org.

Say What? “I think the whole thing, memorizing lines and trying to, like, say them and still, like, do movement, all that. That was hard.” – Ryan Lochte, Olympic goldmedalist swimmer, “commenting” on his “90210” guest spot.

A “Teenage Dream,” But Not An “American Idol” Singer Katy Perry reportedly turned down a $20 million offer to join the judges panel for “American Idol” season 12. According to reports, producers offered the pop star $18 million (the same asking-price of Mariah Carey) and then sweetened the pot a few million more. Katy is reported to have passed on the offer because, well—does she really need to be doing this at this point in her phenomenal career (nine consecutive top 10 pop hit singles and counting, for starters)?It sounds like Katy is “Wide Awake”—at least when it comes to her career.

In a culture that has allowed men to run society into a state of catastrophic ruin with no real consequences, the fear of lesbians in society doesn’t shock me. It makes for a safe outlet in the “blame anyone but ourselves” game played by the alpha males in control. Lesbians have been given credit for everything from tornadoes, 9-11, canceling prom, and the decline of marriage. Seems you lasses have been quiet a busy bunch.

While some of those charges are quite extravagant in their claims, there might be an iota of truth in them. When more logical reasoning like terrorist, nature, and bigotry appear magically, as if outta thin air, that iota about two women being in love as a reason for some of these problems just seems to disappear in the thinking of most rational folk’s minds. Of course this is America, where freedom allows for rational thinking to be ignored and stupidity to get a pulpit to reach and influence millions.

Case in point, the claim that Ellen Degeneres and her “lesbian activism”  is to blame for “American Idol’s” ratings decline. Certainly a bizarre claim if there ever was one, but at least there is some thought process involved with the notion. Conservative minded folks could be inclined in switching to another channel because Ms. Degeneres espouses alternative lifestyles.

Gary McCullough, the director of Christian Newswire, explains:

“While renewal talks continue with FOX, excuses for the show’s decline have been widespread.  This season’s new judge, Ellen DeGeneres, is the recipient of a good deal of the blame for the rating drop, but not for the glaringly obvious reason: Miss DeGeneres is a lesbian activist.” – Gary McCullough www.earnedmedia.org/ccn0524.htm. 6/24/10.

Hold on one second, research needs to be conducted. Okay thirty seconds using Google and my work is done. When Ellen outed herself on her old TV show it drew some forty two million viewers, a higher number then any average viewing number for any season of “American Idol” in its eight years of broadcast. Guess “lesbian activism” was uber popular back in ’97 or something.

I’m hard pressed to swallow a pill suggesting “lesbian activism”, whatever that actually is, is really to blame for the ratings decline in a show that has been on air for nine seasons. As someone who has watched maybe five minutes of “American Idol”, but knows a thing or two about being a pubescent male, it’s easier for me to think a harder in your face styled lesbian anything might get people who generally aren’t inclined to watch musical shows to tune in. Certainly your more average male viewers might start watching.

Should “American Idol” stoop to such lowbrow tactics; no of course not; the show should be about the performers, but after you’ve shattered multiple television records where else is there to go but down in ratings. Was Ellen brought in to push some gay agenda as McCullough also suggested in the same article; the truth may never fully come out, but I seriously doubt her sexuality was a driving force in her getting the gig when she popped ratings when guesting on other shows and people tend to respond well to her positive attitude. Besides, Ellen being gay is old news and it adds nothing of value to the show.

If Ellen being gay in 2010 would be so controversial that it could cost viewers, I can’t imagine any producer worth one’s salt would give her a position on the show, let alone one so prominent. Of course because its 2010 gays being on TV shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Obviously McCullough missed some of the previous seasons of “American Idol” with Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert or any one of numerous television shows that happened over the last few decades that must have been also been promoting that gay agenda.

Now assuming McCullough isn’t really gay, would someone who’s actually gay tell me what this gay agenda is and how does being on TV promote it exactly? I’m not changing the channel if all it’s about is tolerance and acceptance.