# American Idolt **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451 "2005-05-04T22:01:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/1 "2005-05-04T22:01:58Z")
So this is the boy Paula Abdul was obsessed by? [[sub]click me![/sub];j ](http://www.detnews.com/pix/2003/04/02/d01americanidol200.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/2 "2005-05-04T22:20:15Z")
Mug shots are never flattering. It’s not like you’ve posted a snapshot that captures his life-long essence or anything. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/3 "2005-05-04T23:09:42Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Mug shots are never flattering. It’s not like you’ve posted a snapshot that captures his life-long essence or anything. You mean his hair gets like that \*WITHOUT \* any effort? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/4 "2005-05-05T04:55:41Z")
Yes, he’s definitely got that _Electrocuted Small Mammal_ look about him. I thought Paula had better taste than that. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/5 "2005-05-05T05:27:09Z")
It wasn’t his hair that made him a poor choice. Abdul was stupid on so many levels. But why she chose someone so immature that he would tell Mama and then several million people about his sex life is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/6 "2005-05-05T10:30:19Z")
Well I watched the Primetime Live special, and all I can say is, “Meh.” I don’t really give a shit. Besides, they _can’t_ fire Paula, it would seriously dent the “chemistry of the show”. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/7 "2005-05-05T10:42:50Z")
I think they could replace Paula with an audible greeting card that says, “You tried really hard. You have so much potential. I’m proud of you,” and the show’s chemistry would be the same. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/8 "2005-05-05T11:13:52Z")
Yeah, but where are you gonna find a greeting card who can handle forty darvocets? That’s _chemistry_ baby. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/9 "2005-05-05T11:53:51Z")
The thing is, when asked why he was coming forward with these allegations, he gave some jazz about having to get it off his chest. And yet, what exactly does he have on his conscience here? He’s not bringing legal action, like sexual harassment charges, which presumably means he doesn’t have anything that would stand up in court. If his claim is that whatever happened between them is the reason he got as far in the contest as he did, that’s basically admitting that he didn’t deserve to be there on talent alone. He didn’t phrase anything in the form of “This (whatever “this” is) could happen to YOU, future Idol hopefuls!” And if he just feels guilty about extramarital sex, he can go to confession. The only way I can see this being relevant is if at some future time someone was inspired to dig dirt up on **him** , not on AI. But I can’t see him ever rising to a level of fame where people would see him as anything other than a former AI contestant. Which is, really, all he has to offer. And that’s not much. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/10 "2005-05-05T12:42:03Z")
From what I saw on the Primetime Live special last night, it looks like he’s just doing it now to coincide with the release of his new cd. Publicity. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/11 "2005-05-05T12:44:41Z")
Well, that’s what I meant. There’s no other plausible reason for this, and it will very likely backfire on him. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/12 "2005-05-05T12:59:24Z")
When did **Sideshow Bob** appear on American Idol? ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/13 "2005-05-05T13:27:34Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > When did **Sideshow Bob** appear on American Idol? First season. His name was Justin Guarini. Corey Clark is Sideshow Bob’s cracked-out stepbrother. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilHamsterOnCrack)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/14 "2005-05-05T23:46:02Z")
Well it so happens that this “accuser” has an album coming out very soon (which he didn’t miss to promote in his interview). Anyone else see this connection, or am I the only one? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/15 "2005-05-06T00:30:58Z")
> [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](#): > > Well it so happens that this “accuser” has an album coming out very soon (which he didn’t miss to promote in his interview). > > Anyone else see this connection, or am I the only one? Well there’s also [this](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/05/05/entertainment/e051204D44.DTL) connection: > [@](#): > > Clark has written a book entitled “They Told Me to Tell the Truth, So … (The Sex, Lies, and Paulatics of One of America’s Idols).” It was made available online Thursday one minute after “Primetime Live” went off the air. Personally I think it’s all bullshit. Didn’t I just read somewhere that Paula Abdul was in chronic back pain when this all supposedly went down? When I was recovering from a back injury you could have paraded the 50 hottest naked women in history in front of me and all I could have mustered was “Do any of you ladies have any percoset?” ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idolt/302451/16 "2005-05-06T02:13:29Z")
They made a pretty convincing case on the show last night. If nothing else, the phone records are pretty damning. 155 minute phone call, 120 minute phone call the next day … I think she’s busted.