AMERICAN IDOL: Clothier Says Ruben Was Secretly Paid To Wear '205' Jerseys

Entertainment Weekly via AOL - "New Jerseys" ^ | August 6, 2003 | Gary Susman

[L.N. Smithee]

''American Idol'' winner Ruben Studdard filed a lawsuit last week against 205 Flava, makers of the jerseys he made famous during the competition, arguing that the company has profited from his image without compensating him. But the company says it secretly paid Studdard to wear the shirts, emblazoned with the area code of his native Birmingham, in possible violation of his contract with the ''Idol'' producers, which forbade him from seeking outside endorsements.

The firm's owners and lawyers held a press conference on Monday, where they displayed several checks made out to the singer's brother, Kevin Studdard, or his manager, Ron Edwards, so as not to tip off the Fox network. They said they paid Ruben $1,000 a week at first, then $1,500 after he asked for more money, for a total of $10,000 in payouts, the Birmingham News reports. He told the owners to ''keep this confidential,'' their lawyer told the News.

Michael Jaffa, vice president of business and legal affairs for American Idol Productions, told the News that ''Idol'' contestants were not allowed to contract with outside sponsors during the competition. ''It was just that we have major sponsors like Old Navy,'' he said. ''There were issues promoting a brand in competition with our sponsors.''

Studdard's lawyer, Byron Perkins, who has argued that Studdard helped boost 205 Flava's sales by $2 million, did not comment on the firm's press conference disclosures. ''The public will hear from us soon,'' he told the News.

(Posted:08/06/03)

[L.N. Smithee]

Personally, I wondered why he would wear the butt-ugly thangs if he WASN'T being paid. But after they bounced a superior singer (Frenchie Davis) for being on a porno site, I figured that the producers were watching all of the contestants really closely.

We'll see.

[Paul Atreides]

Didn't the company that made them for him used to make California King bed sheets?

[Howlin]

BUMP!

[Prince Charles]

Paging Clay Aiken...pick up the white phone...

[Paul Atreides]

He'll only pick it up if he has a spotter nearby, in case it's too heavy.

[Dutchgirl]

I understood "Frenchie" had immediatly picke dup a gig with the Broadway musical "Rent". Her five minuted of fame on Fox worked out to her benefit.

[billhilly]

Ruben's manager must be a genius. Someone in the Idol's entourage was able to calculate a two $million sales increase attributable to Ruben's touting the tents. Maybe they calculated it by the square yard.

I like Ruben, but I hate hustle.

[Paul Atreides]

I have never been able to fathom why grown people will go out and buy certain articles of clothing based solely on seeing a celebrity wear it.

[MississippiMan]

I like Ruben, but I hate hustle.

If this turns out to be true, looks to me like Ruben and Hustle are one and the same.

MM

[L.N. Smithee]

I have never been able to fathom why grown people will go out and buy certain articles of clothing based solely on seeing a celebrity wear it.

Mostly, it's not grown people who do it, it's children -- or grown people who are immature. That's why young girls are wearing jeans that make them look like plumbers with beer guts, and boys wear pants that sag so low, they have to pull their belts up to reach their back pockets.

[Lawgvr1955]

Would seem that Fox could break the contract with Ruben and get back some of its big bucks. They probably won't for the bad PR this politically incorrect move would cause. If I were Ruben's lawyer I would have tried to work up some lucrative advertising money for continuing endorsements of the brand and keep the under the table payments quiet.

[Fawnn]

I imagine the lawsuit was somehow encouraged by the show's producers (because by using Reuben's image in their ads, that company was infringing on the producer's ability to make money from Reuben), so they had Reuben get an attorney involved. It sure sounds to me like Reuben kept the earlier endorsement deal a secret; otherwise, the company wouldn't have "sprung" that news in the news conference. What remains to be seen is if Fox declares Reuben to be in breach of contract....

[Fawnn]

...or maybe Reuben just has brother problems. (Think Billy Carter, what'shisname[?] Carter.)

[Howlin]

I can't imagine they would; he is the winner. How would that make them look?

But then how does it make them look to keep somebody who disobeyed the rules while they kicked others off?

[cyborg]

She was poor and did it for college money. She regrets doing it but HEY! She's starring in Rent, and who cares about Idol? All the people that win end up being one hit losers, while all the losers get record deals and endorsements. If I was watching, I would have voted for Clay. They're BOTH the two biggest herbs, but spare me the moan. Ruben had said they gave the shirts free, so this means he lied. Now he is suing for more money? He got caught! How sad

[JustPiper]

What I don't get if he was paid why his lawsuit?

[L.N. Smithee]

All the people that win end up being one hit losers, while all the losers get record deals and endorsements.

There have only been two winners, Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard. Clarkson has a Billboard #1 single ("A Moment Like This") and a #1 multi-platinum CD (Thankful) to her credit. The week after each was released, Clay Aiken's single ("This Is The Night" b/w "Bridge Over Troubled Water") hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Studdard's single ("Flying Without Wings") was #2 right behind it.

Remember, neither Studdard nor Aiken has yet recorded an album-length CD (both are on tour with the top ten Idol contestants currently). People were calling Kelly Clarkson "one-hit wonder" in the year-long interval between "Moment" and Thankful. They aren't calling her that anymore.

Frenchie Davis was not a "loser," she was eliminated from the competition. I don't know of any "losers" that have "record deals and endorsements." Only Clarkson, Studdard, Aiken, and Justin Guarini (runner-up to Clarkson) have had recordings released thusfar. Former contestants who have found paying work since the competition include Kimberly Caldwell (54321 sports show on Fox Sports Net) and her erstwhile nemesis Julia DeMato (MeowTV on Oxygen), which are nice, but you can be sure that both would prefer a record contract.

Your statement is baseless.

[L.N. Smithee]

Would seem that Fox could break the contract with Ruben and get back some of its big bucks. They probably won't for the bad PR this politically incorrect move would cause.

Fox and the 19 Entertainment (AI producers) discovered last year that Kelly Clarkson broke the rules, too -- she failed to divulge that she had a signed contract previous to entering the competition, and had even recorded several demo tracks for independent record execs.

They didn't pull the plug on her career. They were in the midst of filming the box-office disaster From Justin to Kelly, and then her CD had to be produced. They were too invested in her already.

BTW, FWIW, Justin and Kelly have to be the most relieved people in America about the stunning failure that is Gigli. It takes the pressure off of them.

[dfwgator]

She was poor and did it for college money. She regrets doing it but HEY! She's starring in Rent, and who cares about Idol?

Quickly, name one Miss America winner. Bet you nine times out of ten the only name people will come up with is Vanessa Williams.

[L.N. Smithee]

Quickly, name one Miss America winner. Bet you nine times out of ten the only name people will come up with is Vanessa Williams.

If so, that's because she is perhaps the most talented winner in the past thirty years. There wasn't anything she got that came out of having posed nude before the competition that wasn't coming to her already.