Tidbits 4/13

• New York Times - American Idol phone voting doesn't often go as smoothly as planned -

  Even with that many votes, a few thousand errant dialings could affect the results. In the 2003 finale 130,000 votes separated the winner, Ruben Studdard, from the runner-up, Clay Aiken. Days later a Midwest phone company said it had received 240,000 misdialed calls during voting.

• Southeast Missourian - AI2 alum Josh Gracin ready to release new album -

  Undoubtedly, Gracin's first CD was boosted by the power of "Idol," where he came in fourth place during the show's second season — the same season in which Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard became stars.
  

• Edmonton Sun - unfriendly skies? Reference to the July 2007 "plane incident" Clay was involved in ... while he was sleeping, as the Sun conveniently ignored:

  More recently, country singer Gretchen Wilson of Redneck Woman renown became verbally abusive with cabin staff after refusing to put her dog back in its carrier; and American Idol runnerup Clay Aiken picked a fight with a female passenger by propping his foot up on her arm rest.

• Rhode Island Catholic -

  Over the past 25 years, the Bay View Players have taken their shows to the Providence Performing Arts Center, the American School in Paris and the former Warwick Musical Theatre. The students have performed with Judy Collins and Clay Aiken and traveled to Italy in 1992 to perform in Florence and in Rome in a special performance for Pope John Paul II.

• Nothing here today