Tidbits 1/10

• Reality TV World - Katharine McPhee dropped by RCA Records, following Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard who were also dropped by Sony BMG recently -

  Given all the recent Idol activity, EW reported it "double-checked" and confirmed that Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken and third-season champ Fantasia Barrino's deals are still intact with an RCA Music Group representative.
  

• Glendale Star - Clay mention in sports article -

  Nevertheless, it will be nice to see rabid football fans like Clay Aiken and Amarosa from “The Apprentice” in attendance, while someone who actually writes about the local NFL team sits on his couch. Really, I’m not bitter.
  

• The State News - American Idol in need of "makeover" -

  It’s that time of year again. The new season of the hit Fox reality show “American Idol” is set to debut Jan. 15.
  
  The reality powerhouse that spawned the careers of contestants like Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood will begin its seventh season of the popular search for the next best thing in pop music.
  
  Am I the only one that’s ready for a change?
  
  It became taboo that contestants like Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry didn’t even need to win to gain fan following and record deals — while winners like Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks grappled to find that hit song. Ironically, both are no longer on J Records, the label that usually houses the new Idol winners.

• Neighborhood Star -

  In addition to his work with a host of chamber and philharmonic orchestras, Johnston has shared the stage with pop performers such as the Dixie Chicks, Manhattan Transfer, Clay Aiken and Smokey Robinson.
  

• College Times -

  "The straw that broke the camel's back was the 'String Quartet Tribute to Clay Aiken,'" Gorfain said. "That was the moment where I just said 'You know what? We don't want to be associated with this anymore.'

• 23/6 - politics article ... "Trust me. Crying is not weakness. We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world several times over. Even Clay Aiken would look tough if his finger had access to The Button."
• Florida Sun Sentinel via New York Times - reality TV show "transformations" -

  In all reality contests there will be hammy flourishes that make viewers snicker, like the pouty "model mouth" mocked by Ben Stiller in Zoolander and Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback. On the nicer side, there's always a chance for a chrysalis moment, a Clay Aiken-esque transformation.

• Nothing here today