A reallly really long article to read if you are inteterested
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: American Idol (FOX): A reallly really long article to read if you are inteterested

Maris

Friday, May 16, 2003 - 05:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Idol Showdown

Idol Showdown


Makeovers! Private jets! Oprah! American Idol's Fab Final Trio — Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke and Ruben Studdard — savored their high-wire act. So what if they weren't getting any sleep?




The American Idols have exactly two minutes to spare, and they have Oprah Winfrey to blame. A special L.A.-based taping of the talk show diva's chatfest ran long, and now Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke and Ruben Studdard — the three AI finalists as of press time — are rushing to catch a private plane to shuttle them to their respective hometowns. Trouble is, the Van Nuys airport has a 10 p.m. curfew, and the clock is ticking. "It was a comedy show," Aiken recalls. "I was in my pajamas because I'd hoped to sleep. We had 10 minutes to pack and get to the airport. Then we went to the wrong hangar, and Ruben had to use the bathroom, so we were falling behind. Then we were all in line putting everything into the plane." Takeoff time: 9:58 p.m. Says Aiken: "We just made it."
Welcome to the frenzied last leg of the American Idol marathon, a test of physical stamina, vocal prowess and on-the-go styling skills. Pajamas are unnecessary; bedhead, unavoidable. While Aiken managed to catch just an hour of sleep on the flight, Locke was so rushed that she didn't even have time for serious grooming. "Girl, this is last night's hair!" she confided to a pal in her hometown of Gallatin, Tenn., the next day. "I didn't even comb it."

Hard to fault her. As AI rockets toward its May 21 finale on FOX, the Final Three have been swept into a world of sudden fame and so-so fortune — the big bucks don't come until later, if at all — that includes live TV performances before some 20 million viewers, Hollywood premieres, personal bodyguards and face time with big-name celebs. ("I was seriously nervous to be around Oprah," says the usually unflappable Studdard.)
Now that the competition is down to the nitty-gritty, the contestants "are getting less and less time to themselves," says AI stylist Miles Siggins. And when they do get a break — "maybe a half day off a week," says Locke — it's rarely private time. "We're never unaccompanied," says Locke. "I could've never imagined it'd be like this. It's like, 'Careful what you wish for.' It's been extreme highs and lows. Nothing in between."
The most extreme low, of course, is the one that comes every Wednesday night, when a fellow finalist gets the boot. "It's very difficult," says Aiken. "After you've been with people a long time, it's hard to see them go."

Thanks to the Claymates — the members of his official fan club — Aiken has lasted longer than most. Like Locke and Studdard, Aiken experienced his supporters' fervor firsthand on a recent AI-orchestrated visit to his hometown. During his 34-hour trip to Raleigh, N.C., the former special-ed major at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte hobnobbed with North Carolina's Gov. Michael Easley, visited the local YMCA branch, where he once worked as a counselor, and spent time with his mom, Faye Parker, 57. "I'm signing autographs, 'Clay's mom,' " says Parker. "It's crazy!"

Crazier still was the frenzy surrounding Studdard's visit to Birmingham, Ala. How crazy? Well, consider the case of Pam Segars-Morris, 54, founder of Realtors for Ruben (seriously). "There's no initiation fee," she says. "You just have to give your solemn promise to vote until the phone lines are closed, the whole two hours." (In various weeks, she has voted 529 times, 523 times and 490 times.)


That sort of enthusiasm "is cool, man," says Ruben, a.k.a. Christopher Ruben Studdard (his family calls him Chris). The onetime music-ed major at Alabama A&M University "has been preparing for stardom for years," says pal Johnathan Effinger. "It's not an arrogant kind of thing. It was more like packing for a trip."
If Locke didn't exactly have her bags packed, she was always studying the map. "She was Miss Personality Plus," says her former junior-high teacher Connie Porter. Although she had planned to start at Nashville School of Law, when AI came along, it was goodbye, books. "When you're a small-town girl trying to make your dream come true, an all-expense-paid trip to L.A. is a dream," says Locke. "Had nothing else happened, that was great."

As the show reaches its end, the Final Three are now thinking ahead to life post-Idol. "I want to go on vacation — maybe Hawaii," says Locke. As for Aiken, "I'll go up to the mountains without anyone around me." Studdard, meanwhile, plans to buy a house in Birmingham, where fans are already dreading a long, Idol-less summer. Says Celeste Whitt, who works at the Nail Co., a Birmingham-area salon where employees average 380 votes per week: "I don't know what we are going to do when this is over!"

Wcv63

Friday, May 16, 2003 - 07:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks for the article Maris.

Iscreamer1

Friday, May 16, 2003 - 09:55 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Good article, thanks but how do they manage to get so many calls through?

Maris

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
CNN link

'Idol' ready to select its new star
Series concludes with episodes on three straight days
Monday, May 19, 2003 Posted: 1:19 PM EDT (1719 GMT)


(CNN) -- Used to be an idol was forever.

Elvis Presley remains a model for millions more than 25 years after his death. Frank Sinatra is still the template for a solo singer.

And even Bobby Sherman and Fabian probably have a few fans out there.

But when it comes to Fox's "American Idol," which concludes this week with telecasts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, only the newest heartthrob will do.

Kelly Clarkson, even with your No. 1 record, you're so 2002.

Clarkson, you may recall, was the winner of the first "American Idol" series. She used her triumph on that show to start a professional singing career in earnest, which includes her bestselling new album, "Thankful." A movie, "From Justin to Kelly" -- also starring her co-finalist, Justin Guarini -- is due out in June.

So now "Idol" is ready to mint a new star. Last week's episode narrowed the choices down to two: Ruben Studdard, a Birmingham, Alabama, belter; and Clay Aiken, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Not without controversy
As with many second acts, the latest season of "Idol" wasn't without controversy.

In February, the show eliminated Frenchie Davis -- described by Entertainment Weekly as "the singer with the plus-size figure and an even larger talent" -- after she acknowledged she had posed for topless photographs four years ago.

At the time, some observers made note of the double standard that surrounds "Idol" and other reality shows, where some contestants are removed for violations of propriety and others are merely winked at. An "Idol" finalist from last season, Nikki McKibbin, had admitted to stripping but paid no penalty on the show.


Frenchie Davis was booted off the show in February after acknowledging topless photos, but one of last year's finalists, Nikki McKibbin, suffered no consequences for admitting she had stripped for money.
Another finalist, Corey Clark, was booted off the show in late March after charges of battery surfaced. And semifinalist Jaered Andrews was removed from the running early on when Fox learned of his arrest on assault charges.

There were also some changes among the show's regulars. Last season's co-host, Brian Dunkleman, was dismissed, and Ryan Seacrest has flown solo this season. The rumored addition of a New York DJ came and went without her ever appearing on the show. And Simon Cowell, the English judge with the cutting comments, engaged in some contract renegotiations.

The other judges remain Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.

The show has cemented its standing as one of America's favorite programs. Last season the program was a powerhouse; its last few episodes dominated the ratings. This season the show is a regular entry in the top 10. Along with "Joe Millionaire," it's helped Fox greatly improve its standing among the adults 18-49 demographic, a favorite of advertisers.

And the winner is ...
The final pairing pits two opposing styles. Aiken, 24, has been characterized as having a "Broadway-style" voice. Studdard, 25, fits in with the show's favoring of Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston belters known for their talents with melisma, the stretching of one syllable into several notes.

Because of his vocal prowess -- and also because of Aiken's stumbling vocal last week during a performance of Don McLean's "Vincent" -- Studdard has been called as the favorite.

Monday night's hourlong episode will focus on the final two. Tuesday night's program, also an hour, is listed as "Part 1" of a two-part season finale. If it resembles last season in any respect, this episode will feature the last set of performances of the finalists.

Wednesday's finale, a two-hour program, will feature more performances, clips of previous shows, and the final choice for "American Idol," voted on by viewers.

What will happen to the winner? They can probably look to Kelly Clarkson for clues -- and then the show will move on, ready to turn on the star-making machinery for its third season next fall.

Peepinagain

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 09:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I heard Nikki told them up front she worked in a topless bar but Frenchy didn't tell them the website her pics were featured on also featured children! Thats why she was booted. As well as the others, they didn't own up to their arrests beforehand, like Trenyce, she told them about her history thats why she got to stay.

Grooch

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:00 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I heard Frenchy on the Howard Stern show this morning, though i did miss the beginning of it. I love her and I wish her the best!!!!

The website did not feature children. She was upfront about everything she did. They allowed her on the show knowing what she did in the past. Then they decided to boot her. Howard said when they had Simon on the show previously, he said that Simon was against Frenchie being booted.

She also said that a few of the female contestants this year have stripped in the past also, but she wouldn't name them.

They offered her a record contract, but she refused to sign it. If they weren't going to let her compete for the title that she believed she could win, then she would rather make it on her own.

She is finishing her last year of college and she is studying for the LSATs. She wants to study entertainment law.

She sounds very happy and is not bitter at all.

Yay, Frenchie!!!!!!

Peepinagain

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Now this was told to me by a friend so I didn't hear this firsthand. He said Frency was upfront about everything but what she didn't know was the website also had kids on it. She wasn't aware of it but AI let her go because they didn't want to be connected to it in any way.

Tabbyking

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:10 am EditMoveDeleteIP
i don't think frenchy's site had children on it; i think it was later 'portrayed as' having underage (children) in the pictures. frenchy was not underage, but they dressed her as a little school girl or something to put the viewers in mind of an underage girl.
as it turned out, it probably was not a good thing to have done, posing for suggestive pics...you never know how they might be doctored or presented later.

i wish her all the luck and it seems her star is just taking off great guns!!

Peepinagain

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:14 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Tabbyking - You're right that was the details I couldn't remember.

Grooch

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:36 am EditMoveDeleteIP
She did not dress up as a little girl. She modeled lingerie. The website was later sold to another company and she had no control overthe pictures. It was not an underage site at the time that she did it. I missed part of the interview so I don't know if it ever was later an underage site like all the rumors said it was.

She told AI about it. They could have easily gone to the site at the time she told them about it and taken a look for themselves.

She says so herself that how in the world would anyone take her for being a child with the body she has.

Hobbs

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 10:44 am EditMoveDeleteIP
After last night's final, I think I am safe to say that Frenchy would have made mince meat of them. Maybe that's why they booted her off. Simon wanted Ruben all along. Yeh that's it. THEY WERE AFRAID! Very afraid. Couldn't have a blow out.

Gather 'round everyone! I think I smell another conpiracy!!!