‘American Idol’ season two booted finalist Corey Clark spoke with Steppin’ Out magazine in a Q&A, where unlike the other interviews he’s done so far, he was able to explain in detail why he felt he got screwed over by the FOX show. “I was in contract negotiations with Jive Records right before they got an e-mail from ‘American Idol’ [representatives] saying that, ‘Corey Clark is a talented guy, but we’re not working with him because he was a headache and he’s a criminal and he lied,'” Clark explained. “I subsequently lost that deal after they sent that e-mail. So after that I ended up securing a deal at Universal’s Bungalow Records with Paul Ring. He gave me a record imprint deal, which is revolutionary for a first-time artist. The deal I got allows me to control my own image and write my own music. I also get to have more control over the profits and have much more say-so in what I’m doing. Now let me explain something. ‘American Idol’ also has a record label at Universal called Nineteen Entertainment. When they heard I had a deal with Bungalow Records, they contacted Paul Ring and tried to set up a meeting to get him to renege on the deal he had with me because they didn’t want me with Universal.”

Clark also alleged that he was booted from the show because “I brought in this attorney [to review the ‘Idol’ contract] and right away the people at ‘American Idol’ realized it was [Paula Abdul’s] attorney. So they thought I was being slick. Two weeks later they manufactured the scandal about me and my sister with the police. They switched all the facts around and put their $900 million chest behind it and got a media outlet like FOX to back them.”

‘American Idol’ Losers Fatal Mistake

May 28, 2005 - Jay Leno joked during his Tonight Show monologue on Friday night, “Last night we had Carrie Underwood on this show. She was voted the newest ‘American Idol’. And a lot of people are speculating why bo didn’t win. Yeah, they think he made a fatal mistake of not snuggling with Paula after sex. … Well, that little sleazeball Corey Clark, who started this whole thing, he was upset about the spoof ‘American Idol’ did on him the other night. He was furious. In fact, he is so mad, he said, if any of those judges ever visit the McDonald’s he’s working at, he will refuse to serve them.”

Corey Clark Tells ‘American Idol’: Stop Badmouthing Me

May 27, 2005 - Over the objections of his publicist, ‘American Idol’ season two finalist Corey Clark, who’s working on a new music video, had a message for the folks at ‘Idol’, who lampooned the booted singer on Wednesday’s finale. “Stop talking about me,” Clark groused. “Stop bad mouthing me. Stop dragging my name through the mud.”

Bo Bice’s Prize

May 27, 2005 - Jay Leno joked during his Tonight Show monologue on Thursday night, “As you know, last night Carrie Underwood beat out Bo Bice to become the new ‘American Idol’. She won a recording contract and the keys to a private jet. Bo came in second. He got the keys to Paula Abdul’s house.”

Worst Group Of ‘American Idol’ Singers In History?

May 27, 2005 - Conan O’Brien joked during his Late Night monologue on Thursday night, “Well, ‘American Idol’ came to an end last night. And some critics say this was the worst group of singers in the show’s history. Yeah, and after hearing this, Paula Abdul said, ‘Not only that, they were lousy in bed.’ … This is interesting — last night’s season finale of ‘American Idol’ featured a special appearance by Kenny G. Yeah. Yeah, apparently, the idea was to make the losers feel better about themselves.”

Despite Controversy, ‘American Idol’ Ends On Top

May 26, 2005 - Paula Abdul tells ‘Extra’ nothing could overshadow the final show, not even the controversies. “Check out the ratings!” she insisted. “I’m still standing, aren’t I?” Even Judge Simon Cowell said this ‘Idol’ season was the best of all. “More than anything, I wanted a competition this year, and that’s what we got. America got it right.”

Conan O’Brien’s Message To ‘American Idol’ Champ

May 26, 2005 - Conan O’Brien joked during his Late Night monologue on Wednesday night, “Tonight was the season finale of ‘American Idol’, where the home viewers chose between Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. Now we — folks, we tape early. A couple hours early. We don’t know who won. So either way, I’d like to say, ‘Congratulations, hillbilly’.”

Popdirt Visitors Correctly Predict ‘Idol’ Victor

May 26, 2005 - Our previous poll asking who do you think will win ‘American Idol 4’ saw 52.6% select Carrie Underwood, with 47.4% selecting Bo Bice. Underwood was selected ‘Idol’ champ on Wednesday night.