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Hey, Idol: Quit bullying kids (Clay Aiken)
Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 12/9/2004 | Monica Yant Kinney

Posted on 12/09/2004 7:28:16 AM PST by wjersey

If students earned grades from the school of hard knocks, the teenagers in Clearview Regional High's Vocal Ensemble deserve an A for stomaching the sour taste of fame.

Give the grownups around them high marks, too, for trying to protect the kids from another close encounter of the mean kind with aw-shucks American Idol star Clay Aiken.

Me, I'm not afraid of freckle face.

He has more hair than I do, but I could take him in a wrestling match.

And I have a zero-tolerance policy for Hollywood heavies pulling ego trips on teenagers and teachers.

Which is what happened last week when the Gloucester County school's vocal group got the opportunity of a lifetime to sing with Aiken at his sold-out concert in Washington Township.

By night's end, the Claymates had been bullied and berated. They were stiffed for their services.

When one grown-up dared to speak up, Aiken dressed her down.

He told her she was a disgrace.

Only it wasn't some pushy stage mom he had tossed from the performance hall. It was the 2003 New Jersey teacher of the year.

Not that she, or anybody at Clearview, wants to relive the humiliation.

They fear paybacks. Supposedly, the boy toy threatened to "make trouble" if they talked to reporters.

As one parent confided: "My son wants a future in show business. I don't want him saying anything negative about the industry."

The story of fear and loathing in the key of C begins before Thanksgiving.

That's when the Clearview singers got a last-minute invite to perform with Aiken when his "Joyful Noise Tour" stopped here last Thursday.

Not long ago, Aiken was just another geek with glasses and bad hair.

Thanks to his American Idol makeover, he's adored by teenage girls, gay men, and a group calling itself Lecherous Broads for Clay Aiken.

As I type, he's got both an inspirational memoir and CD on the charts.

"A Clay Aiken Christmas" aired on NBC last night, with Barry Manilow among the very special guests.

Tickets for his concert cost up to $127.50. At his official Web site, www.clayaiken.com, you can even buy holiday wrapping paper stamped with Clay's face for $15.

Clearview's Vocal Ensemble doesn't have a merchandising deal yet, but it does have a sterling reputation.

It has sung Mozart's Requiem at Carnegie Hall. It has performed on the Today show.

Details of the students' real-life pop opera emerged from interviews with people too scared to let me quote them - and from one teacher's account e-mailed to friends and posted at the Web site www.gawker.com.

Those in the know confirmed all the ugly details.

How Aiken went diva on them and reneged on promised face time and autographs with the students.

How he sicced security goons on a student who snapped a photo during rehearsal. How he fought with the award-winning teacher who dared to stand up for her kids.

How the pop star's people made a big show of handing over a promised $500 donation to the Vocal Ensemble - and how the envelope was empty.

And how Aiken's crew kept the students hungry for hours, only to deliver a meager supply of ice-cold chicken nuggets just before show time.

Happy Meals - for high schoolers?

What were they thinking?

I'm not surprised Aiken's reps didn't return a call for comment.

After teachers told me they couldn't talk, Clearview Superintendent Mike Toscano spoke for all of them.

Ever diplomatic, he said the brush with greatness had taught the students lessons they could never get in a classroom.

"They got a bigger picture of the music industry," Toscano said.

"They got their eyes opened. They got a taste of real-life show business maybe they didn't have before."

And if sours them on it for good?

They can thank the American Idol.


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: bitchyjournalist; gossipcolumn; homosexual; pervert
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Good show last night, but?
1 posted on 12/09/2004 7:28:16 AM PST by wjersey
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To: wjersey
1) story is very short on any actual details

2) sounds like the write has an agenda to me.

2 posted on 12/09/2004 7:31:32 AM PST by The G Man (The Red States ... the world's only hope for survival.)
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To: wjersey

What do they mean it went diva on them? That thing has always been a diva.


3 posted on 12/09/2004 7:31:41 AM PST by Bikers4Bush (Flood waters rising, heading for more conservative ground. Vote for true conservatives!)
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To: The G Man

write = writer


4 posted on 12/09/2004 7:31:51 AM PST by The G Man (The Red States ... the world's only hope for survival.)
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To: Bikers4Bush

"Diva" might actually be too masculine a term for him.


5 posted on 12/09/2004 7:33:59 AM PST by Wolfie
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To: Wolfie

Good point.


6 posted on 12/09/2004 7:34:56 AM PST by Bikers4Bush (Flood waters rising, heading for more conservative ground. Vote for true conservatives!)
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To: wjersey

Who is Clay Aiken?


7 posted on 12/09/2004 7:35:15 AM PST by Temple Owl (19064)
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To: wjersey

When have you ever heard of an entire group of people (students, parents, teachers, stage workers, etc.) who all refused to talk when someone famous acted badly? It doesn't happen. Someone always talks, especially since a story like this (if there is a story there) would sell well in tabloids. If no one is talking, they probably didn't all see what the article implies they must have seen. Maybe some of Aiken's people acted badly towards the kids, maybe he himself was a jerk, but if so, why isn't anyone talking? Seems fishy.


8 posted on 12/09/2004 7:35:35 AM PST by susiek
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To: The G Man

There's more to this story. I just can't see Clay Aiken dressing down an adult teacher.


9 posted on 12/09/2004 7:36:30 AM PST by Hildy ( The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue)
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To: wjersey
I never even heard of the guy(?) until his(?) appearance on Jay Leno a couple days ago. Geek, average voice, horrible song. ....an embarrassment.
10 posted on 12/09/2004 7:37:30 AM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: wjersey

Something happened. Everybody confirmed it. It was terrible. You don't need to know about it.


11 posted on 12/09/2004 7:38:03 AM PST by dead (To: dead - You Sir, are a du troll that needs to go back from whence you came - AxelPaulsenJr)
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To: wjersey

I read the whole thing and still have absolutely no idea what the problem is.


12 posted on 12/09/2004 7:40:09 AM PST by Darth Reagan
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To: wjersey

I'm not a Clay Aiken fan but this story stinks for some unknown reason.


13 posted on 12/09/2004 7:41:40 AM PST by RightCanuck
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To: The G Man

That's exactly what I was thinking...I highly doubt Clay Atkins is the type of guy portrayed here. I just don't buy any of it.


14 posted on 12/09/2004 7:42:37 AM PST by ladiesview61
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To: wjersey

Well, this is clear as mud.


15 posted on 12/09/2004 7:43:58 AM PST by cyncooper
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To: wjersey

If he told the NJ teacher of the year to STFU, he has increased my respect for him....


16 posted on 12/09/2004 7:44:09 AM PST by Porterville (I'm not sensitive....I'm reflective....so go blank yourself.)
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To: wjersey
Read post 21 on this thread for more info.
17 posted on 12/09/2004 7:44:10 AM PST by wjersey
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To: wjersey

I work with a woman who flies around the country for his concerts. She switched her allegiance over to him after George Harrison died. I'll have to ask, but I would never hint that someone doesn't like him.


18 posted on 12/09/2004 7:46:57 AM PST by twigs
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To: wjersey

I haven't heard anything about this yet anywhere else. If there's something to it I doubt anyone can keep the lid on. There are just too many hungry tabloid performers out there.

It remains to be seen if this is just smoke with no fire . . .


19 posted on 12/09/2004 7:47:14 AM PST by cvq3842
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To: wjersey

Why is this here?


20 posted on 12/09/2004 7:47:28 AM PST by johnny7 (“My voice is for War!” -George Armstrong Custer)
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