Archive through May 21, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: American Idol (FOX): Miscellaneous Gossip (ARCHIVE): Archive through May 21, 2003

Grooch

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 04:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Meme, can you use an antenna?

Nanarobin

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 04:59 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Not sure where to post this interesting article listing both contestants hometown paper thoughts:

2 'IDOLS,' 10 REASONS, YOU DECIDE

By Vicky Hyman, Staff Writer, triangle.com, Published: Friday, May 16, 2003

As much as we in the Triangle hang on every note that "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken of Raleigh sings, the folks of Birmingham, Ala., are waiting breathlessly to see if their homeboy, Ruben Studdard, will triumph.

So we asked the staff at Ruben's hometown paper, the Birmingham News, to give us their best shot, and we took ours. Here are the top 10 reasons that we and they have come up with to vote for our hometown idol.

The competition comes to a head Tuesday and Wednesday on Fox.

TOP 10 REASONS TO VOTE FOR CLAY

10 - Clay transformed from bespectacled geek to suburban love god in four short months. Ruben? He has only changed the color of his football jerseys.

9 - Clay handles the judges' critiques with grace and humor. Ruben looks as if he's about to be sent to his room.

8 - Clay never lets them see him sweat. Ruben could use a mop.

7 - Ruben's dimples can't compare to Clay's wiggles.

6 - According to Paula, Clay's spirit can dance.

5 - Football player vs. special education teacher. Who's the real American idol?

4 - Clay hails from a city with a little more to offer than an area code that can be attractively displayed.

3 - Americans love people who can overcome challenges. Clay has triumphed over that eye flutter.

2 - Perpetually grumpy Simon called Clay's performance of "To Love Somebody" the best of any American Idol competition.

1 - Barry White is still around. Clay is an original.

**********************************************************

TOP 10 REASONS TO VOTE FOR RUBEN

10 - Ruben doesn't need makeup.

9 - Critics say Ruben could be the next Luther Vandross. They say Clay would be perfect playing a singing fork in Broadway's "Beauty and the Beast."

8 - Since Ruben started a national fashion trend with his colorful jerseys, everybody knows that Birmingham's area code is 205. Even hard-core "Idol" watchers (outside of Raleigh) wouldn't know Clay's area code from his waist size.

7 - Onstage, Ruben oozes Southern charm and warmth. Onstage, Clay twitches and winks when he hits the high notes.

6 - Ruben's fans use several affectionate nicknames, including the Velvet Teddy Bear and the Round Mound of Sound. Clay's fans know him by, uh, Clay.

5 - Ruben thrilled fans with his version of "Sweet Home, Alabama." Clay has yet to mention his home state in song, though his voice is perfect for "Nothing could be finer than to be in ..."

4 - In a celebrity boxing match, Clay would be a mosquito on the big man's arm.

3 - How could you not vote for a guy whose favorite foods are chicken wings and fried green tomatoes?

2 - Simon has never, ever said to Ruben, "That was horrible."

1 - One word: "Grease."

Bracken

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 05:06 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Nanarobin, I'm LMAO. That was great, thanks for posting it.

Nanarobin

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 05:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
While I am a diehard Claymate...I just HAD to post both lists...both are so funny....that I could not resist.

I found in on the ClaytonAiken.com website chat page....all of a sudden this ole lady is looking everywhere for news and facts...obcession...say it with me...yes....

Chiparock

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 06:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Nana, welcome to the wonderful, wacky world of obsessive-compulsion. Now, add the American Idol section of "Sirlinksalot" to your list of Favorites so that you can read ALL the articles as soon as they're posted on the links list. Be sure to check back every half-hour or so to see if there's anything new.

[If I didn't have to work, I might REALLY get carried away with fanaticism!]

Chiparock

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 06:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
And speaking of articles, I found this one regarding Josh joining the AI2 tour. It is from the WOKR 13 TV (Rochester) website:

"Rejected American Idol star Josh Gracin has been given special leave from the US Marines so he can go on tour.

"The wannabe pop star marched back to Camp Pendleton, California, after being booted off the TV talent show earlier this month, where he will continue his duties as a supply clerk with the 1st Force Service Support Group.

"The Westland, Michigan, native is now all set for a new tour of duty as well - the American Idol cast will kick off its US tour in Minnesota in July and he has been given special permission to go on the road with his fellow top-10 contestants."

Copyright World Entertainment News Network 2003

Watching2

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 10:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Chiparock,

Are you in Rochester? Just wondering if I had another "Clubhouse" buddy who lives here. I watch that news channel all the time. Last fall I got to meet another Clubhouse buddy for the Big Brother finale. She's friends with Lisa's mom, so I got to watch the show with all of them at a local restaurant and be a part of all the excitement when Lisa won. :)

Watching2

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 10:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ooooops, I just thought to read your profile AFTER I posted the above message. Well, at least we're both in the northest. :)

Nanarobin

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 11:29 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
not sure where to put this article...so here goes:


‘Idol’ Worship
By Marc Peyser and Sean M. Smith
NEWSWEEK

So who’s it going to be: Clay or Ruben?
Thirty million people can’t stand the suspense.
Inside ‘American Idol,’ TV’s most addictive show

May 26 issue — Simon Cowell never lets you see him sweat, but at the moment he’s looking a little damp. It’s Tuesday afternoon, hours before the “American Idol” semifinal, and the last rehearsal is just beginning. Paula Abdul shows up with her ubiquitous Chihuahua, Thumbelina, chats with Randy Jackson and half-listens to the performances. Finally, Cowell can’t stand it anymore. “Can I give you some advice, Paula?” he says. “You look nice. Just don’t talk.”

SIMON’S NEVER BEEN much for chitchat, but he’s particularly on edge now because of something strange occurring onstage. Kimberley Locke, who most everyone believes is a long shot to make it to the finals, is singing the pants off Ruben Studdard. Clay Aiken isn’t at his best, but Studdard is really off. His rendition of Peabo Bryson’s “If Ever I’m in Your Arms Again” is so obviously uninspired that the judges are clearly worried. They even tell him to take off his distracting hat and sing again, even though the judges almost never comment on performers before the show. “We have a problem,” Cowell is overheard carping outside the soundstage later. “I want Ruben to be in the final two, and Kimberley just had a great rehearsal.”

By the next night, Cowell has gotten his way. America has voted—or at least 19 million “Idol” worshipers have—and it gives Locke the boot. Minutes after the show, Aiken is in the famous “Red Room,” crying. He can barely speak to a reporter. “Um, let’s wait just a minute,” he says, ultimately taking a half hour to steady himself. Studdard is as close to becoming 350 pounds of emotional Jell-O as you’ll ever want to see. Locke is actually the most composed; she’s expected this all along. “The judges play to who they want to win,” she told NEWSWEEK the night before. “I believe they want Ruben. Simon says that every opportunity he gets.” And where is Simon? Sitting on a metal bench outside Stage 36, smoking a Kool menthol and doing what he does best—playing the cynic. He’s not moved at all by the hysterics inside. “If there’s tears,” he says, “it’s tears of relief.” Cowell is feeling relieved himself. While Ruben was clearly better on camera than he was during rehearsal, Kimberley still outsang him. Yet Cowell muzzled his praise for her and spared Ruben his trademark venom. “When there’s only three left, you are going to be slightly tactical,” Cowell admits. “What you’re trying to do, if you can, is to tell the audience who you want to be in the final. You’re not getting accurate judging. You’re not.”

The "American Idol" Phenomenon
And you thought this was just another TV talent show. Well, it is—except that “American Idol” is also one of those addictive, unpredictable, heartbreaking programs that come around about as often as a leap year. The secrets to its success are wonderfully simple. First, there’s the fact that the viewers vote for the winner. It’s an ingenious way to get us empathizing—make that obsessing—with these contestants to the point where we fall in love with them, spending hours phoning in or text-messaging our all-important votes. “You end up giving a damn. You feel as though you’ve enabled that person to realize their dreams,” says executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. Although the show was designed for teenagers, “Idol” tends to feature songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, because the rights are cheaper and easier to obtain. That means the show also snags a sizable number of parents. “When you talk to people with families,” says executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz, “they say this is the only show they actually watch with their kids.” Case in point: more than 600,000 people have voted via text messages, and since the average AT&T wireless owner is in his early 40s, lots of parents are clearly helping their kids vote. That’s not just happening for the American idols. Foreign versions of the show are running in 13 countries and counting. “In our finale, we’re going to include clips of the bad Polish auditions, the bad Arabic auditions, the bad Norwegian auditions. It’s going to be a riot,” says Frot-Coutaz.

NASTY VS. NICE
There is, fortunately or unfortunately, only one Simon. When “Idol” first became a phenomenon last year, the main event was waiting for Dr. Evil to spit out some nasty put-down. He advised one woman to hire a lawyer—and sue her vocal coach. He famously told a young man, “I can honestly say you are the worst singer in America,” then topped that by telling another guy he’d bring about the end of popular music as we know it. “People tuned in to hear how he was going to destroy these innocent kids and their dreams. It was jaw-dropping,” Abdul says. Abdul quickly became Cowell’s foil as the “nice” judge, and a made-for-TV Manichaean drama was born. “We became cartoon caricatures of ourselves, and then we’d play it up,” says Abdul, whom Katie Couric parodied last week during her “Tonight Show” gig. (“You really made the song your own!” Couric said—to every single contestant.) “Simon and I would get on a plane, look at each other and say, ‘I’m not sitting next to you.’ Half of first class would be laughing. The other half would be like, ‘Oh God, they really don’t like each other!’ Pretty soon, it would be in the tabloids.”

This week the spotlight shifts to Clay and Ruben, though it’s hard to imagine the tabs gossiping much about them. In a world where people will marry strangers, eat bull testicles or maroon themselves in the Amazon just for the chance to be on TV, Aiken and Studdard are refreshingly normal. Aiken, 24, is a college student in North Carolina who teaches special-ed children. Studdard, 25, is a struggling musician from Alabama. Neither of them looks like a pop-music star. Ruben is 6 feet 4 with a 54-inch waist and even bigger dimples. Gladys Knight, who served one week as a guest judge, nicknamed him the Velvet Teddy Bear, and you can imagine hearing his warm, sultry voice oozing from your favorite smooth-jazz station. When power-crooner Clay first started on “Idol,” he had red hair and Coke-bottle glasses. After Simon warned him he’d never win looking like that, he got contacts and a spiky do. He’s still more geek than chic—he’d be perfect as the nerdy guy in “Rent.” “Ruben and Clay are not poster kids. Kelly Clarkson wasn’t, either,” says Jackson. “If the record people study the show, it’s proof America’s chosen the talent over the look. I love that.” Even better, although these idols aren’t studs, they’ve become tween heartthrobs. “Did you watch the show last night where this girl knew everything about me?” Aiken says. “It’s just odd, because I don’t understand why people like me that much.” That, too, is part of the charm of “American Idol.” Not only are the winners utterly un-MTV, they’re so innocent that they don’t quite comprehend fame, though they’re onstage grabbing at it with outstretched arms.

FANATICAL FANS
That could change now that Studdard and Aiken are competing for a $1 million recording contract. Kelly Clarkson, the first “Idol” winner, saw her debut album, “Thankful,” hit No. 1. Even Tamyra Gray, who finished fourth last year, got an acting gig on Fox’s “Boston Public.” This year’s finalists are already asteroids, if not full-blown stars. The governor of Alabama declared March 11 “Ruben Studdard Day.” (The governor of North Carolina offered to name a bridge after Aiken—if he wins.) Fans have become so obsessed with them that when Ruben almost got eliminated a few weeks ago, it stirred up an extra-large controversy. Even “Good Morning America”—on rival ABC—did a segment about whether the vote against him was racist. Studdard insists he wasn’t bothered in any way by the vote. “I wasn’t worried,” he says. “I had prepared myself for it. I made it so much further than I thought I would.” Not everyone was so low-key. “Last year when I got voted off, I read an article about a guy saying he wanted all the black people off the show. It was a little shocking,” says Tamyra. “It’s just unfortunate that people are still looking at color as a basis for whether someone’s talented.”

“American Idol” fans have always had a taste for conspiracy theories. When trashy Nikki McKibbin beat out Tamyra last year, many people thought it was because her backers used computerized power-dialers to make massive numbers of phone calls. (The vote was unaffected, say the producers, though they did install a “phone cap” that keeps an individual from placing hundreds of votes during the two-hour call-in window.) The conjecture started again last week, when the three contestants each sang a song chosen at random from a bowl containing hundreds of choices. Kimberley miraculously chose “Band of Gold,” a number she’d performed on the show before. What are the chances of that? It turns out that the “random” round was much more stage-managed than it appeared. Despite all those papers in the bowls, there were only four songs per contestant, all carefully chosen to suit the singers’ vocal style and range. “There wasn’t ‘The Macarena’ in there or anything,” says Lythgoe. “It wasn’t going to be stupid.”

Despite all the insanity, Aiken and Studdard appear to have kept their egos in check and their friendship intact. They still have a prayer circle before every show, and they still goof off backstage. One day a couple of weeks back, Aiken was teasing contestant Josh Gracin. So Josh began chasing him around the theater, causing Clay to scream “Ruben! Ruben!” and then duck for cover behind the big man. And after Clay’s near-fatal flubbing of “Vincent” last week, Ruben was waiting backstage to give him a 20-second Velvet Bear hug. It helps that Studdard and Aiken are both Southern gentlemen, despite the cutthroat competition. “Sometimes I feel really bad, like I took someone else’s spot,” Aiken says. “To see my name in lights has never really been a dream of mine. I’m perfectly happy teaching. I really, honest to God, am.” Not that all the attention hasn’t turned his head. “I’ll be honest, when I got to the ‘X-Men’ premiere, and everyone’s looking at me, and when I go home and I’m on the front page of both the papers, there is a little bit of me that doesn’t want it to stop,” Aiken says. “After you’ve finally seen how cool it can be, it is kind of contagious.”

And now for the big question: who is going to win? It almost doesn’t matter. Aiken and Studdard (and Locke, too) will undoubtedly get record contracts. Even Frenchie Davis, who was kicked off the show when it was revealed she’d posed for a pornographic Web site, got a number of TV and acting gigs. “Idol” is so big that the three judges have deals to develop their own programs. Pretty-boy host Ryan Seacrest is working on a show, too, though it will naturally star himself. (Cowell, who created CBS’s upcoming reality show “Cupid,” says he’s seriously considering not returning to “Idol.” “I personally think that I have more to offer as a creator of shows than I have just being a controversial person on TV,” he says.) Some people argue that the “Idol” runner-up may actually be the lucky one. “There’s a lot of pressure that comes with being, you know, the top dog,” says Ruben. “Just ask Kelly.” And who does he think will be top dog this time around? “I don’t know, man,” he says. “Hopefully it will be me.” Clay is even more diplomatic. “I really don’t know. I could not be in better company,” he says. Simon, not surprisingly, is the only one gutsy enough to offer an opinion. “Clay by a whisker,” he says. “But I could be wrong.” You hear that, Paula?

Marej

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 05:53 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I heard this morning that the Simon Fuller on the credits is actually Simon Cowell and that no matter what the final vote by us is, Simon has the final say.

Pagal

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 06:28 am EditMoveDeleteIP
This link shows a pic of Simon Fuller - he doesn't look anything like Simon Cowell.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/top100_2002/story/0,12156,743702,00.html

Grooch

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 09:40 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Frenchy is supposed to be on the Howard Stern show tomorrow.

Prisonerno6

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 09:55 am EditMoveDeleteIP
"This link shows a pic of Simon Fuller"

Oh, now, Pagal, that's obviously a planted picture to hide the fact that the Simons are really one and the same. Actually, the person we see sitting next to Paula every week is just an actor hired to portray the character of "simon Cowell" as a front to the real power man, Simon Fuller. All those calls we make every week mean nothing, since "Simon Cowell's" lines are scripted by Simon Fuller to make it seem like he is favoring one singer over another in an attempt to influence votes.

In reality, Fuller decides who will go each week and just pulls the other two names out of a hat, leaving Ruben's name out every week to make sure he wasn't in the bottom three, since, you know, he is the one the producers wants to win. He realized that people were catching on to the ruse a couple of week's ago, and put Ruben in the bottom two just for misdirection; he'd already decided Trenyce was out of there.

I can prove this theory. See, if you take the name "Fuller" and the name "Cowell" and remove the letters the two names have in commons (l and e), you're left with "Fur" and "Cow." Now, what to do you get when you take the fur off of a cow skin? You get leather -- Ruben's outfit of choice when he isn't wearing his 205 jerseys (you all know the secret meaning of the 205, right? It isn't really his area code...). The one time Clay wore a bright leather jacket was during his performance of Grease, "Simon Cowell" told him his performance was horrible. That was a message from Simon Fuller to Clay to tell him that 'fur'less 'cow' hide is to be worn only by Ruben, and if he wants to make it to the top two he better watch himself. Notice he hasn't worn leather since then...

If you doubt what I'm saying, just watch the Drudge report, because everything Drudge prints is the absolute truth, that bastion of journalistic integrity.

(My tongue is going to get stuck in my cheek if I keep this up...)

Pantageas

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 01:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh no, PrisonerNo6! Not you too! Another one falls to the conspiracy theories! How can so many rational people read so many irrational things into a TALENT contest?!

It must be...some kind of...conspiracy!

Prisonerno6

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 01:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It's the subliminal messages inserted into the show via Ryan Seacrest's t-shirts. Oliver Stone is planning a movie about it.

(can anyone tell I'm bored this afternoon? I'm getting headache from trying to juggle money to send three people to two conferences..it was so much easier in the corporate world when I called the travel department and simply said, "Book it.")

Tabbyking

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 01:58 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
prisoner, maybe you could work at a police department and just say, "book 'em".

i know that your 'conspiracy' stories are to make fun of what you think (some) claymates are doing!

but, you'd best get those dialing fingers exercised. 'dueling digits' starts soon!


no, i did not say 'midgets'. i am not that small-minded. lol

Tabbyking

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 02:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
prisoner,you might want to change your lewinsky if you do work in a police department. i mean, your monniker.

are you still bored? are you still excited for tonight's show?

i have 10 people coming for 4 days in two weeks and 35-40 coming to a bbq that same weekend, and i could give a rip about housecleaning, which i should be doing right now. boring, boring, boring! plus, as soon as you get a handle on one room, the next is messed up. so you go there and turn around and the first room is a disaster again. laundry is the worst. i swear my kids send clothes back down that are folded or on hangers from when i washed them 3 days earlier.

Prisonerno6

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 02:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
"i know that your 'conspiracy' stories are to make fun of what you think (some) claymates are doing!"

Make fun of? No. Have fun with? Yes. Sorry if it was taken the wrong way. I'll go find something else with which to entertain myself...

Tabbyking

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 02:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
i meant make fun the way you did, prisoner. not in a bad way! i guess as in 'fun'. i didn't take it wrong at all! now put down that thing you found to entertain yourself with...

Prisonerno6

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 02:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Battery's dead, anyway. ;-)

Tabbyking

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 02:16 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
LOL
try the manual setting..

Prisonerno6

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 02:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm saving that finger to hit redial tonight.

(I do think we've sunk to a new low here... ;)

Tabbyking

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 02:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
luckily, tabby has to go pick up a kid from school. maybe things will be 'looking up' on here when i return! ;>)

do you know why simon's last name is cowell? so when he just uses his first initial, you get 'scowell'. which he does pretty well, by the way!

Stcollguy

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 12:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
On Amazon.com, the singles (2 songs each) for both Clay and Ruben are available to pre-order. Over the past few days, Ruben's has moved from a ranking of 200+ to 35 to now 13. During that same time, Clay's has remained at number 1 (this is the ranking of all popular music purchased on Amazon, the current listings are at ).

Stcollguy

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 01:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
...whoops. Now Ruben's up to number 8 on the Amazon best sellers list.