The American Idol “Scandal”: Paula Speaks!

Paula Abdul, the oft-frazzled "voice of reason" among the American Idol judges, is not having a good month. First, Paula did a little web-surfing and found that the web posters are ascribing her spastic behavior of late to drug abuse. Paula announced that she was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and took prescription drugs as part of her treatment, but she is not currently on anything, nor is she addicted to anything.

But, if you think she’s acting strangely, she has the answer for that: she is rejoicing in the relief from the grips of the rare medical disorder, "I'm dancing for joy at the fact that not even a year ago, I was in so much pain I could barely get up." And, to clarify, "I want America to know that I have never been addicted to anything."

Then came the sentenced probation for a hit and run incident in California late last year. And now, her favorite contestant, Constantine Maroulis, has been eliminated from the competition. It was as emotional as she has ever been at an elimination.

But all of those things pale to the real monster on her mind. Abdul has ended her silence regarding claims by Corey Clark that they were involved in a clandestine affair while Clark was on the show.

A spokesperson for Abdul told Access Hollywood, "Paula Abdul will not dignify the false statements made by Corey Clark with a response. Mr. Clark is an admitted liar and opportunist who engages in unlawful activities. He is communicating lies about Paula Abdul in order to generate interest in a book deal." Her attorney, Marty Singer, has sent a stern letter to ABC, promising legal action if the network airs the claims in their upcoming PrimeTime Live special.

It is interesting to note the very conservative outfit Paula was wearing, and her rather subdued demeanor on the April 26, 2005, installment of Idol. Some sharp-eyed viewers commented that Paula sprang to her feet, but Simon seemed to pull her back into her chair when Bo Bice was performing "I Don’t Want To Be."

Others have reminded RealityNewsOnline that Corey’s American Idol profile on that season’s website listed Paula as his favorite judge, because, "she and I have some type of comforting connection, I think." Hmmm.

Simon Cowell came to his colleague’s defense on Extra: "There's no underhandedness going on behind the scenes," he scoffed. "Paula, to be fair to her, will spend more time backstage with the contestants giving encouragement. But that's not a bad thing," adding, "I think (the accusations) are rubbish. I think this is a guy who's out there to publish a book."

Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest have also appeared on programs defending Abdul and American Idol. However, Randy seemed to have trouble remembering who Clark was when asked by Access Hollywood: "Is that the guy that got booted early? For alleged what, misconduct with his family?" Uh, yes, Randy. "Okay, well there you have it. The question and the answer is all together," he said. Apparently, Clark was not a member of the dawg pound.

Ryan Seacrest remembered Clark, but appeared unconcerned by his allegation or the PrimeTime Live episode, "I don’t know what is going to be on that show," Seacrest told us. "I don't know what they have found, if anything, to be honest with you."

Access Hollywood is reporting that PrimeTime Live expose’ will, in fact, include an interview with Clark, who seems to be in seclusion. Attempts to locate him have failed. Trenyce, another season two finalist, has implied in an email to her fans that she too has participated in the PrimeTime Live interview.

The hourlong PrimeTime Live report by anchor John Quinones is scheduled May 4 (10 p.m. ET). A commercial for the special promises that "American Idol is about to get rocked with a bombshell claim that is so shocking that you'll never watch American Idol the same way again."

Sting7 has been a respected published writer for many years, as a music editor, entertainment critic, columnist, and interviewer. He also has a curious love for pro-wrestling! You can email Stinger at stingseven@yahoo.com.

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