Ooooooh CATFIGHT YOU GUYS!!!!

After former Idol runner-up Clay Aiken made headlines by referring to Adam Lambert’s singing as “contrived,” “awful” and “slightly frightening,” Adam has a little something to say himself.

“I don’t know Clay,” he says in a new interview with E!. “I’m glad he’s getting headlines now though, because he wasn’t before. If he wants to ride my coattails about it, good for him.”

OH SLAM!

Aiken’s 2008 album, On My Way Here, sold 94,000 copies in its first week. In comparison, his 2003 album, Measure of a Man, sold 613,000 copies in its first week. Looks like he could use some publicity.

And I couldn’t agree with him more.

After criticizing Adam Lambert’s vocal stylings earlier this week as “Contrived, awful, and slightly frightening”, Aiken once more took to the member’s only section of his blog, this time to defend his claims that listening to Lambert might “make his ears bleed.” He kind of, sort of, didn’t really  apologize, opting for the “don’t really listen to anything I say” defense.

“My opinion is just that, only my opinion, but for as much as some of the blogger’s seem to dislike me and care so little about my thoughts, they sure can waste a lot of their space on what I say,” complains the performer.

“The only person I would really dream of apologizing to is Adam. And the irony is, if he’s smart he couldn’t give a crap what I think.” Aiken continued, “I do apologize to Adam for my colorful (and negative) choice of words. I hope he can forgive me. I imagine he doesn’t give a damn!”

Aiken is definitely right about one thing: no one should give a damn what he thinks. But someone must, because somebody out there is paying $30 a month to be a “member” of his site and read this drivel. I don’t understand most of humanity.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s doing this just to get some publicity. After all, it’s the first time in months that anyone has given a crap about anything Clay Aiken has had to say. And according to him, we shouldn’t have even given that crap.

Let me put on my Cosby voice for a minute: You see kids, you can’t just go burnin’ bridges and then expect to be able to walk back across ‘em later on. Pudding pops.

The Enquirer is reporting that when Clay Aiken visited the set of American Idol recently–without being invited or letting anyone know he was coming– he was given limited access, confined to break rooms and a few backstage areas, and then shuffled quickly and quietly out the door.

The purpose for his visit was supposedly because he wanted to have a talk with the contestants– Adam Lambert in particular, who is said to be his favorite– and offer them advice and mentoring from someone who has been there before… the key words in that phrase being  “has been.”

Producers and reps from “American Idol” have had a long-simmering feud with Clay because he was one of the first contestant to bolt from 19 Entertainment, the management company that oversees the recording deals, merchandising, touring, sponsorship, and movie deals for “Idol” stars.

Network execs believe that Clay encouraged Kelly Clarkson to cut her ties with the show as well.

“They’ve always held a grudge against Clay for that,” revealed the insider. “So when he showed up at the ‘Idol’ studios and asked if he could give a little pep talk to the remaining finalists, they told Clay thanks… but no thanks.

“It was made clear to him that he was not welcome.”

People are speculating that visit may not have been motivated purely out of concern for the wellbeing of the remaining contestants, but might actually have been *gasp!* a self-serving and desperate attempt at reviving his own career. The 30 year old was dropped from his record label, RCA, late last year, and like a college kid hauling his empty stomach and his dirty laundry home to mom & dad on the weekend, has no place to go except back to Idol.

See, this is the problem with handing a young person who’s never had money before a potentially lucrative career — they have no understanding of the fact that the money isn’t guaranteed to keep coming. Fremantle ought to make these kids sign an agreement saying that a portion of their earnings every year goes to paying for a financial adviser, because they don’t really seem to be champs at managing their own cash flow.

Just like Fantasia before him, Ruben Studdard is in a ton of debt, because he hasn’t been paying his taxes.

In fact, Ruben owes $254,119 in state and federal taxes, including a $60,469 lien filed by the IRS on February 4 of this year for 2007 taxes.

Why didn’t you pay your taxes like the rest of us do, Ruben???

Meanwhile, Clay Aiken’s been dropped by his record label, RCA. Clay’s 2008 album, On My Way Here, sold 159,000 copies in the United States. His 2003 debut, Measure of a Man, sold 2.78 million. BIG DROP.

I hope he’s at least been paying his taxes!!!

Clay Aiken receives his caricature at Sardi’s in NYC.

“I am not defined by my sexuality. It is, simply, a small facet of the same person I have always been. Nothing has changed.”

Clay Aiken, on his personal website, regarding his recent homo debut.

Heh.

Initially, the big celebrity news this week was Clay Aiken’s coming out story, published exclusively in People magazine.

While Aiken’s announcement was interesting in and of itself, more compelling is the backstory behind the People deal. Apparently, the economy isn’t just having an impact on Wall Street — it’s affecting the celebrity magazine world, too.

Exclusive photos of Clay and his son, Parker, went for an underwhelming amount compared to the multimillion-dollar price tag that accompanies a Jennifer Lopez or Jolie-Pitt agreement. Aiken’s deal cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 according to several sources privy to the negotiations (a rep for People said “We don’t comment on the specifics of any deals”).

The low dollar amount wasn’t necessarily due to waning interest in Aiken — one editor admitted that his magazine had been trying to get the singer to do a tell-all for a substantial sum long before the baby was in the picture. Instead, People had little competition for the photos, and in turn, no one to drive the price up.

Dude, I should have held out. I pose with my baby (Leo) and tell ya’ll about my Taylor Momsen fantasies for free on here all the time. Hey People! I’ll settle for $100K to do your cover.