American Idol will be missing Clay

American Idol Will Be Missing Clay
by Judy Simpson (2004/10/17)

With preliminary auditions completed, the countdown is underway for the airing of the fourth season of American Idol. Given events of the current year, one can’t help but wonder what the fourth season will bring. A change in the rules, raising the age limit of contestants to 28, would seem to be a sign that the show is broadening its search to find the kind of talent they need to keep the public watching. Although the show’s promoters would have you believe otherwise, there is a large segment of the population who feel this series reached its zenith in the second season. They have a valid reason for this assertion, one with which I’m sure the AI producers may be struggling to come to terms, unless they are in denial about its potential impact. It will, indeed, be interesting to see how AI handles the loss of one of its biggest assets, now that Clay Aiken has terminated his contract with 19E. Clay took charge of his career, followed expert legal advice about protecting the rights of his name and image, and made a management change he felt to be more advantageous in helping him achieve his career goals and safeguarding his interests.

Clay’s decision must have dealt a blow to 19E, but one they should have seen coming. After proving he could soar on his own as a star attraction, it was time for Clay to leave the AI nest. AI continuing to bill him as a "runner-up" (which translates to "loser"), had become a joke. Clay spoke openly in interviews about how much he owed his start to AI; yet, he also realized that as long as he continued his association with AI that stigma would haunt him. The sooner he established himself as a professional solo act, the sooner he could own the title he had coveted; because even though AI was not at liberty to recognize his claim to the American Idol title, the public already had embraced him as one. Simply put, he could remain a loser, or leave a winner.

So, what will be the outcome of Clay leaving? Will critics be proven right after all in their prediction that success will be fleeting? Will the public’s fascination wear off as quickly as the novelty does? Will they find some new craze to replace this amateurish attempt to entertain? Does anyone think for one second I’m referring to Clay Aiken? – If so, what planet have you been on the last two years? There is no need to worry about Clay; he’ll have a flourishing career for as long as he wants one. It’s AI whose longevity I question. No, I don’t expect the show to crumble just because Clay has left the building for good, but neither can one deny this loss will impact the show and not in a good way. This isn’t another Justin Guarini scenario whereby his contract was dropped by 19E because his career wasn’t taking off as quickly as hoped, and with other money-makers in the stable and new prospects on the horizon, Justin was, well, expendable. I’m sure his fans would beg to differ, but who’s to say this worked to his detriment; he may well find better prospects under different management without competing interests.

Clay, on the other hand, proved to be a genuine, bona fide gold mine for AI. With his legions of faithful followers showing no signs of abandoning their chosen idol, AI must have felt they’d won the lottery. No other AI contestant, even the title-holders, can match his accomplishments since appearing on this show. At a time when top-name pop stars have been cutting short concert tours due to poor sales, Clay has a solid box office record, even selling out some venues in record time. Likewise, his CD’s are solid sellers and presales indicate his much-anticipated Christmas CD will be at the top of many holiday shoppers’ gift lists. His recent recording of Proud of Your Boy for Disney’s Aladdin video was praised by Disney producers, applauded by critics, and moved the song’s composer to tears by the artistry of Clay’s heartfelt rendition. Clay was given the honor of being asked to perform this song at the Hollywood premiere. And if that’s not enough, Clay has co-authored a book about his life, which has been recognized as having the potential to become a best-seller upon release in November. (Given his fan base, this is a distinct possibility.) Then there is talk of Clay having his own holiday special on network television in December. All this, accompanied by the prerequisite blitz of TV interviews and appearances to recognize his accomplishments, will be hard to ignore.

Clay’s meteoric rise to success and acceptance as a professional entertainer seems like a double-edged sword for AI. On the one hand, they could congratulate themselves, pointing to him as their success story, their star discovery and by doing so promote themselves; yet on the other hand, Clay no longer needed AI, in fact outgrew them. The third season of AI demonstrated that Clay could do more for AI than AI could do for Clay at that point. From the first auditions that season his presence was felt, his tall shadow still loomed. References to and attempts to emulate Clay were numerous. His guest appearances were much-anticipated events and ratings boosters, even though two of the AI judges exhibited poor judgment in mocking Clay during a subsequent interview. In the end, they only succeeded in looking foolish and petty. Big mistake if they ever hope to invite him back as a guest star. They portrayed Clay as having a big ego, but the only oversized egos in evidence were their own.

So, how will they avoid references or comparisons to Clay Aiken in AI4? How can they expect contestants not to look to his example for inspiration? Will Clay cease to exist in the AI universe, becoming "invisible"? (Oops! another Clay Aiken reference.) Let’s face it, even if his name is never uttered, comparisons by viewers are inevitable because he has set the bar. Of course they will utilize the three past season winners still under contract, and there are other past contestants they can call upon to appear to boost their fledgling careers (William Hung anyone?), but Clay will remain all too conspicuous by his absence. As any Clay fan will tell you, his shoes are much too big to be filled by anyone else. Of course there is one solution - all AI has to do is find another Clay Aiken – but this is reality TV and that would be pure fantasy (see dictionary, under "Fantasia"). Clay is one of a kind, the real deal, and that’s why he is a real American Idol.