The only people still talking about Clay Aiken's coming out are Clay Aiken and his crazed Claymates (and now us). The singer took to his fan site to speak out about his People magazine cover and assure those crazy Bible thumpers that he's still the same ol' G.
We'll post the full diatribe after the jump, but for those of you who don't care enough to take three hours to read it, we'll sum it up for you: Clay somehow panders to his few "OMG this changes everything" fans without sounding hateful or condescending.
JOSSIP REPORTS — The story behind Clay Aiken's coming out cover for People goes something like this: Lots of magazines were in the running for the photo exclusive, but People outbid them all for a cool $500,000. That's the way MSNBC's The Scoop reported it last week, and that's the story Page Six carried this morning.
Except as our sources tell it — and these are the type of sources who were, let's say, involved in the actual transaction — OK! didn't have a shot in hell at the pictures. In fact, no tabloid did. Not Us Weekly, not Star, and certainly not In Touch or Life & Style.
Despite what OK! might have you believe, the only way Clay's coming out would be told was in the pages of People. And that's exactly how it happened. Here's why: CONTINUED »
Clay Aiken coming out of the very shallow closet for People magazine did not earn the singer the multimillions that are typical when negotiating front page deals. While magazines and glossies engage in bitter bidding wars to get a first glimpse of Brangelina's spawn (the final payout was $14.5 million), Aiken's own cover earned the singer around $500k, which is half of what even non-celeb Jamie Lynn Spears was able to negotiate for selling the first pics of her illegitimate child to OK!.
And Clay's cover had both homosexuality admission AND baby pics!
Sign of the depressing economy or gay glass ceiling? More lukewarm responses, after the jump:
CONTINUED »
"Frat brother" and "avid hunter" Clay Aiken's coming out surprised only two groups of people: His alarmingly proactive fleet of obsessive fans known as Claymates, and those who knew him best from his days of pussy prowling in his youth. CONTINUED »
"This is a gut wrenching day for The ClayNation. Somebody wake me up, I hope it's a dream."
-Users on a Clay Aiken message board, responding to the news that Aiken is a giant homo
More of the Clayziness, after the jump:
Singer, actor and new father Clay Aiken shocked the whole world today and revealed that he is, in fact, gay. We think sister blog Queerty said it best: "For all you crazed Clay-mates who were offended by all the Aiken gay speak: we told you so."
More information and Aiken's impending People cover here.
• As usual, Victoria "Posh" Beckham hasn't the faintest idea that she's being photographed.
• Britney smokes Menthols? Ew!
• Imagine writing a classic hip-hop song, then having your classic hip-hop song sampled (and effectively ruined) by the woman who destroyed the Black Eyed Peas. Our heart goes out to you, JJ Fad.
• Jennifer Lopez and her protruding unborn child perform on GMA’s Fall concert series.
• Even Clay Aiken's gay lover says the former Idol's a homo.
• Pete Doherty forsakes heroin in favor of a bucket of lard.
• Clay Aiken isn't bringing sexy back with this campy JT impression, unless of course by "sexy" you really mean "freakishly disturbing" and "awkwardly effeminate."
• For all you nonathletic types out there, here's some vintage Dave Barry. Oh, and maybe try watching SportsCenter sometime, will you? Jeez, you throw like a girl.
• Slightly-racist Glamour editor willing to tolerate black people, but only so long they promise to avoid making any icky political statements. Like having long hair.
• "Brad still loves Jen!" reports Star magazine. But it's more of an "I'll always care about you, but Angelina's way less frigid in the sack" sort of love.
• Only Hilary Duff could take her clothes off for Maxim and have the resulting photo spread be both classy and boring.
• Those frickin' Clay Aiken fans. It's like they're practically begging you to jam your foot on the accelerator and bump them from behind.
• An emaciated Courtney Love hits Rodeo Drive, flagged by her favorite mistake lovely daughter, Frances Bean.
• Carmen Electra: singlehandedly bringing "fuck-me boots" back.
• Claire Danes steals her boyfriend's pantaloons in the newest Gap ad. Kinda like how she once stole Billy Crudup!
• Lindsay Lohan is back off the wagon? Or is it on the wagon? Whatever, the one that means "post-rehab binge-drinking."
• Clay Aiken or hideous German tourist?
• Heather Mills calls 911 to see if they're resuscitate her dying career save her from the paparazzi.
• If this is "Fergilicious," we're gonna have to pass.
• Joe Simpson "left his BlackBerry next to his half-eaten cheeseburger" yesterday. Seriously, how hard is it to finish a cheeseburger?
• Hugh Hefner still has the magic touch…which he demonstrates by pulling out all the graphics design stops for Mariah Carey's suspiciously flattering Playboy spread.
• A week after Anne Heche dumped her hubby for co-star James Tupper, Page Six confirms that the two actors have "chemistry," and charmingly reminds us of Heche's "Ellen DeGeneres Phase."
• Jessica Biel proves she's extremely photogenic in her upcoming In Style shoot; Justin Timberlake fans announce they hate her "even more."
• Air America Radio is sold to SLG Radio LLC; Meanwhile, funnyman Al Franken announced he's quitting after hearing the phrase "face for radio" one too many times.
• Looks like Clay Aiken has been Manhunting again, despite his not being even a teensy weensiest bit homosexual.
• Lance Bass immediately updates his MySpace profile to reflect his new single status. Related; Lance Bass becomes the first human to time travel back to the 6th grade.
• OMG, OMG, Eva Longoria and fiance Tony Parker photographed grabbing a bite out to eat…TOGETHER. In actually shocking news, Longoria turns out to be "mediocre looking" without her usual 17 layers of makeup.
• If Kurt Cobain’s tortured brain could draw inspiration from Courtney Love, it’s no wonder he offed himself. [NME]
• Or it could have been shit like this that drove him to suicide. We know, it's harsh. But true. [TMZ]
• Eminem is just foolishly throwing money at lawyers and mediators to make his wife go away. Maybe he should have followed his own advice and, y’know, make her disappear. [Y!]
• Sorry, Clay Aiken, but, uh, Paxil doesn't make the gay go away. [ABC]
• Every time Aaron Carter looks at his bride-to-be, he’ll see big brother Nick smiling back at him saying: “Sloppy seconds.” [Jam!]
• If you think heroin enhances artists’ creativity, there is now an entire book which supports that theory. [NYDN]
• Please don't bother Bono with issue like sweatshop labor. He's focusing on poverty and AIDS, ok? [Jam&]
• Willie Neslon: the only musician who can beat Pete Doherty in the “arrested for drug possession,” category. [Y!]
• What constitutes "appropriate attire" in the world of Nas and Kelis? "Adidas sneakers, Kangol hats and faux gold bamboo earrings." Duh. [Page Six]
• Clay Aiken announced he'll be taking a break from touring for a while. He needs to do some Internet shopping. [Billboard]
• Maybe if Clay Aiken had never granted any interviews, people wouldn’t think he was gay. [Page Six]
• Wow. We had no idea things were this bad for Will Smith. "Just the Two of Us" was just so promising. [NYT]
• Busta Rhymes helps perpetuate just about every "Black male rapper" sterotype imaginable. (Except the Scott Poulson-Bryant is so obsessed with.) [NYDN]
• There is one person who really, really loves Paris Hilton's album. We bet you can't guess who! [AP]
• We were actually hoping for some footage of Kevin Federline backstage, begging Britney Spears for an advance on his allowance. [Hello]
• The Germans have actually decided not to spy on Madonna’s concert. That Gestapo fad is kind of over. [AP]
• This is the story of a boy with a dream. A dream, and a alcohol induced band name. [NYM]
• This is how we're supposed to spread American culture around the world? With Gene Simmons? That's it. We're done for. [Cindy Adams]
• Some lady who wrote a book about Clay Aiken is suing the "celebrity" for saying that she lied about him. Yeah, we're not really following either. [AP]
• Oh, and uh, speaking of Kiss … didn't all their fans died in a fire of irrelevancy or something? [AOL]
• This isn't so much a news piece, as much as it is undeniable proof that we're horrible people. And that Barry Manilow is really, really old. [AP]
• Jack Shafer's experiment in Digg popularity fails. Miserably. [Slate]
• The new MSNBC has no women in primetime, but new chief Dan Abrams won't have you claiming there's anything sexist going on. [Philadephia Inquirer]
• When he's done terrorizing the halls for 4 Times Square, Steve Florio may take up a permanent position terrorizing NYU kids. [WWD]
• Clay Aiken refuses to hide in the shadows. [MollyGood]
• In her "refresh[ing]" of Better Homes & Gardens, Gayle Butler will make articles shorter and include more photos. You know, to attract the teen readers. [Demoines Register]
• Racist memorabilia are now collectors' items, so long as the purpose is to reclaim your history. [NYT]
• Unlike the waterfront, Brooklyn's magazine scene wasn't worth investing in. [NY Sun]
Not that Rosie O'Donnell's blog is the most reputable news source – or a web destination to teach children reading and writing skills – but the possibility of Anderson Cooper and Clay Aiken sharing miso soup and unagi together drew our attention:
DAMION writes:
Did u see that Anderson Cooper and Clay Aiken and a few others had dinner @ Nobu? We were there! They had 2 other guests as well. My Q is: what do u dislike about Clay? Do u like Anderson?[responds Rosie:]
i like clay
and anderson
Who were the other two guests? Obvious possibilities: Julio Cesar Recio and Jake Shears. We hear Julio loves him some spicy tuna.
ask ro [rosie.com]
• Seriously, is there anything more depressing than rockstars who are too old to break shit? Somebody needs to tell Pete Townshend it's just time to hang 'em up. [Page Six]
• The Green Beret who says he had a one-night stand with Clay Aiken apologizes now. And he's wiping his tears with checks from the Enquirer. [MSNBC]
• And how can we forget the other "pop princess" who didn't get a weave and almost kill her baby five times? Yup, Christina Aguilera is back with a new single. [TMZ]
• To the misfortune of her former bodyguards, Britney Spears has no idea what overtime pay means. [AP]
• The Arctic Monkey's bassist leaves the band citing fatigue as one of the reasons of his departure. The guy was seen hanging around Lindsay Lohan's PR team a few days before. [NME]
Like we said yesterday, we missed American Idol Wednesday night because we were watching Lost. But, don't worry … we are back to watching the Today show where the AI coverage never ever ever stops.
And this morning, Today had former Idol contestant Michael Sendecki, the Clay Aiken (pre-black mop of hair) look-alike, on the show. Again, we didn't see the finale, so it was news to us that Sendecki was on stage, singing away, when Clay Aiken, black mop of hair and all, joined him on stage.
The kid (who donned himself with the nickname "pee boy") went nuts. After the clip, Katie Couric interviews the poor guy, responding with the bitchiest comment we've heard all week. (More or less this is how it went.)
Katie: "What was that like? You didn't know he was there, and you thought the audience was clapping for you!"
Pee Boy: "Yeah, I thought, 'wow, I'm really good!"
Katie: Laughs, shakes head.
Isn't that cute? He thought everyone was clapping for him, but they weren't! Biyatch.
Mind you, this is after about 10 minute of embarrassing footage of Katie attempting to sing for Simon Cowell, and again for Jimmy Buffet, and again other random points in history. And when it was finally over, the audience clapped with relief that the video shrine to Katie days are almost over.
The tipster from this morning's Clay Aiken item – where we learned American Idol forbade reporters from asking Aiken about his gay sex scandal during the finale – noted the grammar in the official memo to journos: "The interesting thing is that the directive says IF Clay appears, so it seems like his appearance may still be in question."
Now TMZ is reporting, in addition to the estrogen-fest about to hit the stage tonight, that Clay Aiken is scheduled to perform. So let's watch entertainment journalism at its best, where publicists are gods and reporters might as well be merely Moses delivering the sterilized gospel.
'Idol' Finale Performances Revealed [TMZ]
Earlier: 'American Idol' to Journos: When It Comes To Clay Aiken, Don't Ask, Don't Tell
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