Clay Aiken rips ‘Idol’ and ‘contrived’ Adam

LOS ANGELES - “American Idol” alum Clay Aiken is apparently no fan of this season’s runner-up, Adam Lambert, or the current state of the FOX reality competition.

The singer slammed “Idol” and the rocker on the subscription-only message board of his Web site on Thursday.

According to Gawker, who posted a screen shot of Aiken’s blog post — which he charges fans $29.95 annually to access — the singer said he’s happy about how the competition ended.

“Now that it’s all over, and for the record ... I couldn’t be happier about the way AI ended this year. I only turn the show on once a season, and only to see what the set looks like each year,” Aiken wrote. “This year, I happened to turn it during the minute that Adam Lambert was singing ‘Ring of Fire’ and, at that moment, thought my ears would bleed. Contrived, awful, and slightly frightening!”

Aiken goes on to admit that he’d only seen one of Lambert’s performances and none of eventual winner Kris Allen.

“I wasn’t really a fan and found myself surprised whenever folks told me that they liked him. Granted, I never saw another performance (and many folks who I trust said that he was great) but I can’t imagine I would have enjoyed it. Just not my cup of tea at all,” he continued in his blog post. “I never saw Kris sing on the show, but whether he was good or not is really relative. It’s usually a matter of taste, right? But Idol is not always a matter of musical taste only. It’s about the person you like. From what little I saw, Kris seemed likable. (That’s not to say that Adam isn’t just as likable as anyone ... maybe more so ... I don’t know).”

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Aiken goes on to slam the “Idol” judges for labeling Lambert as the frontrunner, writing, “Not even having watched the show, I can tell you that I was WELL aware of the bias from the judges as to who should win. In my opinion, that is awfully unattractive. I don’t think I am alone.”

The “Measure Of A Man” singer then explained how he believes the show has changed since he stood in the season two finals with Ruben Studdard.

“The show was different then, and folks made it in seasons 1-3 because they were ‘real’ people who happened to sing/entertain well. But, somewhere along the way, AI stopped being about real people,” Aiken wrote.

Aiken also explained why he thinks Allen beat Lambert for the title.

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“Those votes for Kris were also votes to return the show to its roots of finding ‘real’ contestants with undiscovered talent and giving them the chance to grow and shine. They were votes that said ‘we’re tired of seeing contestants who already seem to know it all,’” he wrote. “Will American Idol choose to listen to the resounding and clarion call that those voters gave them? ... ‘Enough with the pretention(sic). More Rubens, more Clays, more Fantasias and Tamyras and Kellys please.’ My faith has always been in the voters. I think they have gotten it right every year (mine included). It’s now up to American Idol to decide if it will finally REALLY listen to the folks that keep it on the air.”

Aiken’s blasting of “Idol” and Lambert comes after a Chicago Sun-Times report that he reached out to Lambert earlier this month about collaborating on a future project. Aiken reportedly showed up unannounced on the “Idol” set and was given the cold shoulder by the staff of the FOX reality competition. An “Idol” staff member told the Sun-Times that the show is not happy with Aiken for leaving 19 Entertainment, the show’s management company.

“To say the least, it was tense around here when Clay showed up,” the staffer told the paper. “And boy, did they hustle him off the premises as fast as possible. If he didn’t get the hint after that — he never will.’’

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