‘Idol’ special offered a lot of nothing

The most stunning revelations from “Fallen Idol,” ABC News’ “explosive special event” about “American Idol 2” finalist’s Corey Clark’s alleged affair with judge Paula Abdul, were mere afterthoughts mentioned during the show. Randy Jackson was a member of Journey! He wore tight leather pants! Corey’s mother thought Paula was 38 years old in 2003! Corey’s forthcoming album includes a song called “Paula-tics”!

Because the juiciest revelations from Clark's story have been reported over the past few weeks, the details weren’t surprising, and these odd pieces of information stood out as something new.

The other surprising part of the program was how oddly insignificant this rather significant information seemed coming from Clark, an unlikely spokesperson for anything. If anything, Primetime Live's special might have the opposite of its intended effect, hurting Clark's credibility and strengthening Abdul's.

In short, Clark claimed that, starting in December of 2003, he began a relationship with Abdul that started when someone slipped him a note with her phone number. Eventually, their interaction became sexual; along the way, he says she coached him, helping with everything from song selection to his wardrobe. Clark says Abdul was “letting me know all the ins and outs: what to do, what not to do, who to talk to, who not to talk to.” The group of “American Idol 2” semi-finalists that Primetime Live cobbled together said this was abnormal behavior, since they interacted with the judges only on the set.

The best was saved until last, when we heard a voice mail message that Clark says Abdul left for him just a few weeks ago. A voice that sounded very much like Abdul tells him to “say absolutely nothing.”

On the surface, all of this seems damning, as preferential treatment might have created an uneven field for the contestants.

Can Abdul really help anyone?
Reality television programs may capture viewers’ attention like fictional programming does, but those shows with contest elements still have to abide by rules. Primetime Live’s John Quiñones noted “that with their reactions, the judges can carry a lot of weight with the voting audience.”

That may be true, but let’s consider the judge in question. For the past four seasons, Paula Abdul’s reactions have been nearly identical for everyone: relentless, empty praise that tends to ignore the actual strengths and weaknesses of each performance.

Abdul doesn’t act like a judge; she acts like a grandparent. And if her comments have an effect on any members of the voting audience, those people should have their phones taken away from them immediately.

It’s a stretch, at best, that any of this had any concrete effect. Even Clark admitted that Abdul didn’t try to rig the contest. He said that she helped him (“of course, of course”), but “not as far as making it through, but, you know, as far as helping me, and, uh, you know, like, wardrobe, so I looked the part, you know, and, uh, song choices, you know what I’m saying.”

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