Kimberle
WL Vet
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
- Messages
- 11,771
by James Shepherd (2005/05/20)
I may be one of very few people who have read Corey Clark's exposé ebook: The Sex, Lies and Paulatics of One of America's Idols. Considering the fact that very few Internet journalists who have written about the Corey Clark/Paula Abdul scandal seem to know much about his book, I believe that I am fairly safe in my assumption that very few have read it.
If they had read it, they would be writing about how the allegations of Clark having sex with Ms Abdul is simply a very small part of his exposé. In essence, Corey is going after the American Idol producers in his book. Ironically, it was the producers of ABC, another television network, who decided to emphasize the more sensational part of his exposé and thus get everything way off track. Since then, it has been a steady stream of television shows that seem to want to only reveal the "juicy" stuff. Maybe this is simply the very nature of the television medium itself. I don't really know, but when the Free Mantle producers try to sabotage the career of an artist with a lot of potential, I think that this is a far juicer story.
Corey does not paint himself as some sort of hero-martyr in his book. He simply tells it like he saw it, and he reveals his own warts as well. For me, this lends a lot of credibility to the story he tells.
The Paula Abdul Bit
One of the major arguments brought up to debunk the Corey/Paula affair is that the security at the mansion would not have allowed the freedom of movement for the affair to have happened. However, given the timeline in Corey's book, Corey was living in LA by himself from the beginning of January 2003 having been given the responsibility of keeping tabs on a family home. This was almost two full months before Corey was cloistered away in hotels or at the mansion. And, it is brought out in the book that once he was forced to live in a hotel or at the mansion, his meetings with Paula were severely limited, much to the chagrin of himself and Paula. But although there were limits, please note that the Idols were not prisoners. The security put into force was to keep the media out. Corey had to concoct stories when he wanted to get back INTO the mansion or hotel. Apparently leaving was relatively easy.
Several contestants from AI2 have put their 2 cents in to the Corey/Paula story, but we have not heard from Ruben Studdard and Rickey Smith yet and these were Corey's room mates at the mansion. I wonder why?
Paul Abdul has accused Corey Clark of character assassination, and yet, she has not launched a law suit. Rather, she has embarked on a publicity campaign to make light of the allegations. This is about the only recourse open to her if the allegations are really true, and she seems to be doing a very good job of it so far. If these allegations were completely false, surely by now she would have launched a suit of defamation of character against Corey Clark and ABC. She hasn't. Is there a need to wonder why?
The Real Paula Abdul Issue
The ABC Primetime show tried to bring out some of the real issues. Corey Clark alleges that Paul Abdul gave him special coaching and tutoring on how to do well in the competition. This was something else that the others in the group of 32, the semi-finalists, did not receive. Actually, I take that back - allegedly, Paula also paid for singing lessons of another semi-finalist. But that is just another of many revelations from Corey's book. Just read the book if you want more details. Believe me, Corey gives names, times and events, and enough to go on for anyone seriously interested in exploring these matters more.
According to Corey, Paula was trying to help him from being misused by the AI producers. As a case in point: remember the scene of Corey falling from the mechanical bull, supposedly having a wild drunken night? Well, the camera was there, taking it all in and according to Clark, this evening of "debauchery" was all paid for by one of the producers. In fact, the producer encouraged this night on the town outing. It was all a setup to add drama to the show. Corey was to be depicted as the "bad boy" of the contestants, and this became part of the script.
I don't doubt for a minute that Paula's motives were good ones in the beginning, but it would seem that her actions simply got out of hand. If she brought Corey to court over his allegations, I believe that way too many things would be revealed that have been kept under wraps. When people are brought to the witness stand under oath, this would take priority over the confidentiality agreement that the contestants signed; and the ones who really don't want this to go to court are the producers of AI because then THEY become part of the scandal.
The Corey Clark response to Paula's publicity campaign through Saturday Night Live were the taunts that he has even more explicit evidence of their affair. He also announced that official or governmental organizations are welcome to view the evidence. These are not the retorts of someone who is providing false information, but rather, it appears to me that he and his legal counsel are actually encouraging a civil suit to be taken against him just so it would all come out into the open.
The "Known" Liar?
I am going to cut down the details of these allegations of Corey Clark's, but they have to do with the events that surrounded his expulsion from American Idol 2. The AI producers claim that Corey Clark is a "known" liar. Is he?
It is true that Corey Clark failed to mention the misdemeanor he was charged with in Topeka Kansas in October 2002. And, according to Corey, in November of 2002, all charges were dropped against him and that they were never even filed. Then, lo and behold, after some Fox agents talked with the District Attorney's office after November, the State decided to open the case again with an obstruction of justice charge. It is this area that Corey Clark welcomes investigation, because on the surface, this looks really suspicious on the part of the AI producers and their relationship with the District Attorney's office of Topeka.
The Unknown Hero?
Corey takes credit in his ebook for convincing the other AI2 contestants to use a lawyer working in their interests rather than ones that the AI producers wanted them to use when it was time to sign the final contract for the Top 12 contestants. Corey alleges that Paula recommended a good lawyer that would represent their interests, and that all of those contestants from AI2 that were able to participate on the tour benefited financially through the work of this lawyer. Unfortunately, Corey Clark did not receive any of these benefits since he was not allowed to go on the tour after the competition ended since he had been disqualified by the producers.
Corey Clark also claims that he helped the other contestants by advising them not to argue over anything in front of the cameras or to disclose any kind of personal information to any of the AI staff that could be used against them later on through whatever twisting the producers could come up with. Corey had learned early enough how the producers worked through manipulation to create an "interesting" show through manufactured drama. Needless to say, some of the contestants like Kimberly Caldwell and Julia DeMato knew how such artificial dramas were created.
Every contestant, quite early on, had to sign a release form with this provision in it: "Your appearance, depiction, and/or portrayal in the Contest may be disparaging, defamatory, embarrassing or of an otherwise unfavorable nature which may expose you to public ridicule, humiliation or condemnation." In other words, all the contestants at any stage were fair game for the AI producers to manipulate, and even to the extent of being kicked off the program with trumped up reasons for shock value to the viewers.
In essence, Corey Clark worked against the system and was not at all cooperative with the AI producers. He thwarted their plans and was difficult to work with. And, this is exactly what the AI producers have been telling Corey's music industry contacts for the past two years. By their doing so, Corey alleges that they have been sabotaging his music career. He wants them to stop doing this. Apparently, one record label dropped out of a deal with Corey (a contract worth $600,000) after the AI producers offered their opinion on him - so the manipulation goes on. Clark wants it to stop. Even though he might not be a hero in the minds of many people, I don't think he wants to be a martyr either.
The Peyton Place of 2003
American Idol 2 contained contestants with so much talent, but it was a competition that was plagued with scandals. There is no need to go through them one by one because this has been done so many times before by other writers. However, the real action was happening behind the scenes of the television program. I somehow wish that Corey is revealing the whole iceberg rather than the tip, but I'm afraid it may be just the tip. Let us see what is contained in his revelations.
First we have the Corey/Paula affair, and then we have Corey's claim that the son of the one of the top producers of AI, Simon Lythgoe who was also a producer, was more than just a friend to Kimberley Locke. Ms. Locke does not deny the affair, but she does claim that it occurred after the competition was over. Then we have Corey and Trenyce having a fling, and, we also have Corey and an assistant producer of AI having a one night stand.
As you can see, Corey is not painting the best picture of himself in these events, but still, he is revealing that the AI producers were doing far more than just producing a television show. They were involved with the contestants in ways that seem, at least to me, to have been unethical and inappropriate. But what do I know? I have never been to Hollywood and such events may be quite in line with Hollywood standards and morality.
These allegations by Corey Clark in his book are quite shocking and scandalous, and he could be sued by some of these people for defamation of character. But they won't do this, just like Paula Abdul won't sue Corey. You simply do not sue someone when the allegations are true. Maybe people do learn from history - thinking Oscar Wilde here.
Being in a court room under oath is the last place the producers of AI want to be because other things could be brought up - perhaps other things about the show and the integrity or lack thereof of the vote gathering and counting. For you see, the producers had all of the contestants sign a confidentiality agreement, and part of the agreement states the following:
"Any and all information disclosed to or obtained by you concerning or relating to the Program, the contestants, the events contained in the Program, the outcome of the Program and/or contest, Producer, Network and the terms and conditions of this agreement shall be strictly confidential."
American Idol is not a singing contest. It is a television program, and this was impressed upon the contestants by the producers quite early on in the "competition." Therefore, keeping the illusion of AI being a true singing competition to the public, rather than being really a television program manipulated through controlled scandal releases and shocking contestant eliminations or close calls, should not ever be revealed because this would destroy the illusion and people just might stop voting. And, if Corey is really just revealing the tip of the iceberg as far as AI sex scandals involving judges, contestants, and producers and whomever else, and if the public gets to see the whole iceberg, well, wouldn't that be just... scandalous!
The Man and His Music
Corey Clark has said that his music can not be easily pinned down. From some of the cuts I have heard of his recent music, it seems that it would fall into the R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop realm. Generally speaking, the R&B/Hip-Hop genre is not to my personal taste although some forms of R&B, like Tamyra Gray's masterpiece, "The Dreamer," I simply love.
But Corey's assessment of his own music is right on target. It is hard to pin down, and upon listening to samples of it, I will definitely purchase his debut album when it come out next month. The melodies are catchy, the arrangements are excellent, and the lyrics are clever. And, he will have collaboration with such notable artists like the Black Eyed Peas and this provides a very attractive package, at least for me.
Not only is Clark's music attractive to my tastes, but it's his voice that I find particularly appealing. There is a unique edge to it, and in my opinion, his rendition of Open Arms from the American Idol Season 2 collection CD is the highlight of this album. In fact, if he could ever get his version of Open Arms out as a single, and with appropriate label support, I think it would be a smash hit on in the pop-AC market radio stations.
Cad or Whistleblower?
If the issue is only the Paula Abdul affair, and if it did or did not happen, then Corey Clark comes out to be a cad. However, this Paula Abdul business is not really the issue.
What Corey Clark has done in his revelations is to expose American Idol, the television program, for what it really is, and by doing so, he is getting this 900-pound gorilla off his back. The music industry is a huge one, but the major players in it are becoming fewer by the year. If you want your new CD to be distributed into retail, you have about three major players in distribution that handle almost 80% of the distribution and Simon Fuller, the brains behind 19E and Idol, has links to at least two of these three. Since Corey Clark is revealing the truth about the behind the scenes activity of American Idol, the major players can now be well informed and take whatever complaints Fuller and the boys have to say with a grain of salt.
Yes, it is true that Corey was a trouble-maker, and yes, it is true that Corey was difficult to deal with on American Idol. However, now the real reasons are revealed as to why he was so difficult - he helped the other contestants to work out a more equitable contract deal with AI in their favour; he warned the other contestants about the producer inspired manipulations that made good TV drama but made the contestants look bad; and he avoided further personal manipulation by the producers.
Mr. Clark was not new to the music industry even prior to his getting through the initial auditions on American Idol. He was music industry savvy long before he took the AI leap given his upbringing by his family who were opening acts for some rather big stars. He also has some very excellent contacts and advisers from the recording industry. What he has done through his revelations is ensure that the truth is now known, at least for anyone who would take the time to do some, even cursory, investigation.
Corey Clark is a whistleblower, and through his rather bold revelations which reveal his own warts and obvious short-comings, I believe that some of the other AI2 contestants will come forth shortly to back up what he has said, and what he is revealing. In fact, there are rumours afoot that this is happening already. It's up to the media to step up and publish the truth. I have done my part.
http://www.beaversonidol.com/articles/coreyclarkcadorwhistleblower.html
I may be one of very few people who have read Corey Clark's exposé ebook: The Sex, Lies and Paulatics of One of America's Idols. Considering the fact that very few Internet journalists who have written about the Corey Clark/Paula Abdul scandal seem to know much about his book, I believe that I am fairly safe in my assumption that very few have read it.
If they had read it, they would be writing about how the allegations of Clark having sex with Ms Abdul is simply a very small part of his exposé. In essence, Corey is going after the American Idol producers in his book. Ironically, it was the producers of ABC, another television network, who decided to emphasize the more sensational part of his exposé and thus get everything way off track. Since then, it has been a steady stream of television shows that seem to want to only reveal the "juicy" stuff. Maybe this is simply the very nature of the television medium itself. I don't really know, but when the Free Mantle producers try to sabotage the career of an artist with a lot of potential, I think that this is a far juicer story.
Corey does not paint himself as some sort of hero-martyr in his book. He simply tells it like he saw it, and he reveals his own warts as well. For me, this lends a lot of credibility to the story he tells.
The Paula Abdul Bit
One of the major arguments brought up to debunk the Corey/Paula affair is that the security at the mansion would not have allowed the freedom of movement for the affair to have happened. However, given the timeline in Corey's book, Corey was living in LA by himself from the beginning of January 2003 having been given the responsibility of keeping tabs on a family home. This was almost two full months before Corey was cloistered away in hotels or at the mansion. And, it is brought out in the book that once he was forced to live in a hotel or at the mansion, his meetings with Paula were severely limited, much to the chagrin of himself and Paula. But although there were limits, please note that the Idols were not prisoners. The security put into force was to keep the media out. Corey had to concoct stories when he wanted to get back INTO the mansion or hotel. Apparently leaving was relatively easy.
Several contestants from AI2 have put their 2 cents in to the Corey/Paula story, but we have not heard from Ruben Studdard and Rickey Smith yet and these were Corey's room mates at the mansion. I wonder why?
Paul Abdul has accused Corey Clark of character assassination, and yet, she has not launched a law suit. Rather, she has embarked on a publicity campaign to make light of the allegations. This is about the only recourse open to her if the allegations are really true, and she seems to be doing a very good job of it so far. If these allegations were completely false, surely by now she would have launched a suit of defamation of character against Corey Clark and ABC. She hasn't. Is there a need to wonder why?
The Real Paula Abdul Issue
The ABC Primetime show tried to bring out some of the real issues. Corey Clark alleges that Paul Abdul gave him special coaching and tutoring on how to do well in the competition. This was something else that the others in the group of 32, the semi-finalists, did not receive. Actually, I take that back - allegedly, Paula also paid for singing lessons of another semi-finalist. But that is just another of many revelations from Corey's book. Just read the book if you want more details. Believe me, Corey gives names, times and events, and enough to go on for anyone seriously interested in exploring these matters more.
According to Corey, Paula was trying to help him from being misused by the AI producers. As a case in point: remember the scene of Corey falling from the mechanical bull, supposedly having a wild drunken night? Well, the camera was there, taking it all in and according to Clark, this evening of "debauchery" was all paid for by one of the producers. In fact, the producer encouraged this night on the town outing. It was all a setup to add drama to the show. Corey was to be depicted as the "bad boy" of the contestants, and this became part of the script.
I don't doubt for a minute that Paula's motives were good ones in the beginning, but it would seem that her actions simply got out of hand. If she brought Corey to court over his allegations, I believe that way too many things would be revealed that have been kept under wraps. When people are brought to the witness stand under oath, this would take priority over the confidentiality agreement that the contestants signed; and the ones who really don't want this to go to court are the producers of AI because then THEY become part of the scandal.
The Corey Clark response to Paula's publicity campaign through Saturday Night Live were the taunts that he has even more explicit evidence of their affair. He also announced that official or governmental organizations are welcome to view the evidence. These are not the retorts of someone who is providing false information, but rather, it appears to me that he and his legal counsel are actually encouraging a civil suit to be taken against him just so it would all come out into the open.
The "Known" Liar?
I am going to cut down the details of these allegations of Corey Clark's, but they have to do with the events that surrounded his expulsion from American Idol 2. The AI producers claim that Corey Clark is a "known" liar. Is he?
It is true that Corey Clark failed to mention the misdemeanor he was charged with in Topeka Kansas in October 2002. And, according to Corey, in November of 2002, all charges were dropped against him and that they were never even filed. Then, lo and behold, after some Fox agents talked with the District Attorney's office after November, the State decided to open the case again with an obstruction of justice charge. It is this area that Corey Clark welcomes investigation, because on the surface, this looks really suspicious on the part of the AI producers and their relationship with the District Attorney's office of Topeka.
The Unknown Hero?
Corey takes credit in his ebook for convincing the other AI2 contestants to use a lawyer working in their interests rather than ones that the AI producers wanted them to use when it was time to sign the final contract for the Top 12 contestants. Corey alleges that Paula recommended a good lawyer that would represent their interests, and that all of those contestants from AI2 that were able to participate on the tour benefited financially through the work of this lawyer. Unfortunately, Corey Clark did not receive any of these benefits since he was not allowed to go on the tour after the competition ended since he had been disqualified by the producers.
Corey Clark also claims that he helped the other contestants by advising them not to argue over anything in front of the cameras or to disclose any kind of personal information to any of the AI staff that could be used against them later on through whatever twisting the producers could come up with. Corey had learned early enough how the producers worked through manipulation to create an "interesting" show through manufactured drama. Needless to say, some of the contestants like Kimberly Caldwell and Julia DeMato knew how such artificial dramas were created.
Every contestant, quite early on, had to sign a release form with this provision in it: "Your appearance, depiction, and/or portrayal in the Contest may be disparaging, defamatory, embarrassing or of an otherwise unfavorable nature which may expose you to public ridicule, humiliation or condemnation." In other words, all the contestants at any stage were fair game for the AI producers to manipulate, and even to the extent of being kicked off the program with trumped up reasons for shock value to the viewers.
In essence, Corey Clark worked against the system and was not at all cooperative with the AI producers. He thwarted their plans and was difficult to work with. And, this is exactly what the AI producers have been telling Corey's music industry contacts for the past two years. By their doing so, Corey alleges that they have been sabotaging his music career. He wants them to stop doing this. Apparently, one record label dropped out of a deal with Corey (a contract worth $600,000) after the AI producers offered their opinion on him - so the manipulation goes on. Clark wants it to stop. Even though he might not be a hero in the minds of many people, I don't think he wants to be a martyr either.
The Peyton Place of 2003
American Idol 2 contained contestants with so much talent, but it was a competition that was plagued with scandals. There is no need to go through them one by one because this has been done so many times before by other writers. However, the real action was happening behind the scenes of the television program. I somehow wish that Corey is revealing the whole iceberg rather than the tip, but I'm afraid it may be just the tip. Let us see what is contained in his revelations.
First we have the Corey/Paula affair, and then we have Corey's claim that the son of the one of the top producers of AI, Simon Lythgoe who was also a producer, was more than just a friend to Kimberley Locke. Ms. Locke does not deny the affair, but she does claim that it occurred after the competition was over. Then we have Corey and Trenyce having a fling, and, we also have Corey and an assistant producer of AI having a one night stand.
As you can see, Corey is not painting the best picture of himself in these events, but still, he is revealing that the AI producers were doing far more than just producing a television show. They were involved with the contestants in ways that seem, at least to me, to have been unethical and inappropriate. But what do I know? I have never been to Hollywood and such events may be quite in line with Hollywood standards and morality.
These allegations by Corey Clark in his book are quite shocking and scandalous, and he could be sued by some of these people for defamation of character. But they won't do this, just like Paula Abdul won't sue Corey. You simply do not sue someone when the allegations are true. Maybe people do learn from history - thinking Oscar Wilde here.
Being in a court room under oath is the last place the producers of AI want to be because other things could be brought up - perhaps other things about the show and the integrity or lack thereof of the vote gathering and counting. For you see, the producers had all of the contestants sign a confidentiality agreement, and part of the agreement states the following:
"Any and all information disclosed to or obtained by you concerning or relating to the Program, the contestants, the events contained in the Program, the outcome of the Program and/or contest, Producer, Network and the terms and conditions of this agreement shall be strictly confidential."
American Idol is not a singing contest. It is a television program, and this was impressed upon the contestants by the producers quite early on in the "competition." Therefore, keeping the illusion of AI being a true singing competition to the public, rather than being really a television program manipulated through controlled scandal releases and shocking contestant eliminations or close calls, should not ever be revealed because this would destroy the illusion and people just might stop voting. And, if Corey is really just revealing the tip of the iceberg as far as AI sex scandals involving judges, contestants, and producers and whomever else, and if the public gets to see the whole iceberg, well, wouldn't that be just... scandalous!
The Man and His Music
Corey Clark has said that his music can not be easily pinned down. From some of the cuts I have heard of his recent music, it seems that it would fall into the R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop realm. Generally speaking, the R&B/Hip-Hop genre is not to my personal taste although some forms of R&B, like Tamyra Gray's masterpiece, "The Dreamer," I simply love.
But Corey's assessment of his own music is right on target. It is hard to pin down, and upon listening to samples of it, I will definitely purchase his debut album when it come out next month. The melodies are catchy, the arrangements are excellent, and the lyrics are clever. And, he will have collaboration with such notable artists like the Black Eyed Peas and this provides a very attractive package, at least for me.
Not only is Clark's music attractive to my tastes, but it's his voice that I find particularly appealing. There is a unique edge to it, and in my opinion, his rendition of Open Arms from the American Idol Season 2 collection CD is the highlight of this album. In fact, if he could ever get his version of Open Arms out as a single, and with appropriate label support, I think it would be a smash hit on in the pop-AC market radio stations.
Cad or Whistleblower?
If the issue is only the Paula Abdul affair, and if it did or did not happen, then Corey Clark comes out to be a cad. However, this Paula Abdul business is not really the issue.
What Corey Clark has done in his revelations is to expose American Idol, the television program, for what it really is, and by doing so, he is getting this 900-pound gorilla off his back. The music industry is a huge one, but the major players in it are becoming fewer by the year. If you want your new CD to be distributed into retail, you have about three major players in distribution that handle almost 80% of the distribution and Simon Fuller, the brains behind 19E and Idol, has links to at least two of these three. Since Corey Clark is revealing the truth about the behind the scenes activity of American Idol, the major players can now be well informed and take whatever complaints Fuller and the boys have to say with a grain of salt.
Yes, it is true that Corey was a trouble-maker, and yes, it is true that Corey was difficult to deal with on American Idol. However, now the real reasons are revealed as to why he was so difficult - he helped the other contestants to work out a more equitable contract deal with AI in their favour; he warned the other contestants about the producer inspired manipulations that made good TV drama but made the contestants look bad; and he avoided further personal manipulation by the producers.
Mr. Clark was not new to the music industry even prior to his getting through the initial auditions on American Idol. He was music industry savvy long before he took the AI leap given his upbringing by his family who were opening acts for some rather big stars. He also has some very excellent contacts and advisers from the recording industry. What he has done through his revelations is ensure that the truth is now known, at least for anyone who would take the time to do some, even cursory, investigation.
Corey Clark is a whistleblower, and through his rather bold revelations which reveal his own warts and obvious short-comings, I believe that some of the other AI2 contestants will come forth shortly to back up what he has said, and what he is revealing. In fact, there are rumours afoot that this is happening already. It's up to the media to step up and publish the truth. I have done my part.
http://www.beaversonidol.com/articles/coreyclarkcadorwhistleblower.html
