American Idol’s Corey: Too Much Ado To Bid Adieu?

“I’m just disappointed, “ Corey Clark said on Extra last week.

The ex-American Idol finalist faces misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, battery of his sister, and criminal restraint. He was due in court today, April 15, although now the latest reports indicate that he has been granted a continuance until May 7. It was supposed to be the same night he was to have been expected to sing live, if his legal woes had not surfaced. Corey has yet to give a straight answer to what he was going to do about his court date if his secret had been kept, but WIBW in Topeka, Kansas, indicates that court records show both parties were discussing non-trial resolutions.

However, Corey feels the situation could have been handled better. By Fox. “The first call I got was while I was asleep,” he says he was initially told not to worry about it. Within a few minutes he says a production assistant told him to “pack and go to the studio.” Corey was to meet with Nigel Lythgoe.

“He told me I could stay on the show, depending on how I handled the situation,” Corey said he felt like the whole thing was over with (but, what about the court appearance?). Suddenly, a couple hours after meeting with Lythgoe, he called Clark and told him that word has come down that Clark has been disqualified.

Fox released a statement saying, "Corey withheld information about a prior arrest which, had it been known, might have affected his participation in the show." In his statement on April 1st’s show night’s show (where he was rumored to have planned to perform Earth Wind and Fire’s “After The Love Is Gone”), Corey said, “If I had said something before, there’s no telling what might, or might not, have happened.” So, while Clark continues to assert his innocence, he does acknowledge that he may not have been able to participate if he’d been honest.

Lythgoe told Entertainment Tonight that Corey’s initial reaction was refusal to meet with him. “He just wanted to go home.” Once that meeting took place, Lythgoe recounts that Corey told him that his parents advised him it was not necessary to say anything about his pending court date, but did relent that he made, “a bad, bad judgment call.”

The charges stem from an October incident during which neighbors allegedly called Topeka, KS, police after hearing a girl yelling inside the Clark home. After both were questioned for about 15 minutes, separately, police had made the decision to arrest Clark, who was no longer cooperating. Police had to forcibly place Clark under arrest. He was placed in a squad car to cool off. At this point, Clark, allegedly managed to maneuver his rangy frame so that the handcuffs were in front of him. Attempts to recuff a belligerent Clark were successful only after he was threatened with a TASER shock. According to The Smoking Gun website, Clark is scheduled to appear in court today, April 15, and two of his sisters are listed on the prosecution's potential witness list.

Corey’s mother said on Extra that the situation was, “a babysit gone wrong,” and went on t to say that Corey was protecting his sister. She did not elaborate on this. Corey’s fifteen-year-old sister says that it was no more than a normal sibling fight blown out of proportion. She also said that she feels responsible for Corey’s situation.

Sting7 can be reached at stingseven@yahoo.com.

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