Yesterday I told you that ABC's "Primetime Live" will air a special that will "explore explosive claims" about behind-the-scenes activities on American Idol. It now appears that those claims include allegations by former Amreican IIdol contestant Corey Clark that he had an affair with Abdul.

If, like me, you had forgotten who Corey Clark is; let me remind you. Clark appeared on the second season of the show, but was kicked out of the competition when the producers discovered that he had a criminal record that he had lied to them about. Clark is now reportedly shopping a book proposal detailing the behind-the-scenes activities of American Idol, his affair with Paula Abdul and how she allegedly "offered him financial assistance for his career pursuits and pressured him to keep their romance quiet."

If, like me, you're thinking "so what." Think again.

If the alleged affair did take place, Abdul could have violated FCC rules in regard to "televised skill contests." Further, if she knew this and attempted to keep things quiet, it only gets worse.

Although Paula Abdul has denied the alegations, and her attorney is threatening to sue ABC if they go ahead with their plans to air the special, other reports indicate that American Idol producers are investigating Clark's claims.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. My guess is that ABC will air the special and that Abdul will continue to deny any wrong-doing... and that American Idol will continue without missing a beat.

Many of you, like me, have been closely following American Idol this season. And what a strange season it's been. And I'm not just referring to Paula Abdul's antics. Well things may get even stranger. On May 4th at 10PM, ABC's "Primetime Live" will air a special that they say will "explore explosive claims" about behind-the-scenes activities on American Idol.

My guess is that the "explosive claims" won't be all that "explosive" and will have more to do with voting procedures than off stage antics.

But who knows, we may find out that when Randy Jackson says, "I was really feeling ya, dog" that he means it.

Last Saturday, my son Mike, John Beatty and I, loaded up the "Jack Carter XG360" and pointed it towards Orlando. We were off to pick up John Higashi for our trip to Tim Gordon's Tampa Comic Book and Toy Show. We were hyped, because Tim's shows are always a blast, and also because Bill Black's "Nightveil: Witch War" movie was going to premiere [Big Beatty plays a bad guy in it!]

The drive to Orlando was filled with the typical nonsense that occurs whenever Big Beatty is around. Laughter and "war stories" are Beatty's strong suits. Serving as a co-pilot is not. Beatty charted us past Higashi's exit and we ended up in Downtown Disney. We sailed right by Planet Hollywood, the Virgin Mega-Store and back towards Highashi's abode. Once Higashi was on board, Beatty suggested that we go back to Downtown Disney. So we did. After Big J had done enough "window shopping" [does the word "E-Looko-Grande" mean anything?] we were off to Tampa.

Once in Tampa we checked in to the hotel that Grand Master Higashi had reserved for us. Soon enough James Howell joined the party. Luckily, Higashi had booked a suite so we had plenty of room. It's funny how when guys all get together they revert to junior high.

For dinner we headed over to Sweet Tomatoes. It never fails to amaze the crowd how much chili and rice Beatty can put away. Usually he eats the stuff along with his meal and then has more for desert. That night he had a couple of bowls, but opted for the Lava Cake with Ice Cream as his meal ender. And if that isn't scary enough, he wowed the crowd with his progress towards a "50 Egg Breakfast!"

After a short trip to Barnes and Noble where Beatty did some more window shopping [does the word "E-Looko-Grande" mean anything?] it was back to the hotel and more nonsense. Beatty and Howell provided the entertainment as they debated various issues with me jumping in from time to time to perk things up. Beatty nodded off first, and still provided laughs once his snoring kicked in. We hadn't set an alarm, but everyone woke up at around 5:30 AM when Higashi Frankenstein-walked to the restroom. He must have banged into every wall on his way in -- and on his way out he tripped and landed on James. [At least he said he tripped!]

Everyone got cleaned up and then we had a quick breakfast at a pancake house. Funny, but no one ordered pancakes as their main course. We pulled into the parking lot and, I kid you not, before everyone was out of the car, Higashi was already running to get in line for the convention!

Tim Gordon has been putting on these shows for about three years now and each one is an improvement on the last. This show had one of the biggest guests lists yet and a film room which ran films throughout the course of the show. Ethan van Sciver was there. Ethan always has a line of fans waiting and this show was no different. James Howell put in a request for a Green Lantern commission. Brandon McKeeny was set up and I spoke to him about a Stallone piece. He said that he'd like to do Rambo, so we set that up [he was going to do it after the show and I'd get it in a few weeks]. Aaron Lopresti wasn't listed as a guest, but had set up. I told Higashi and "The James" about Lopresti and both arranged for sketches -- I planned to as well before the show was over.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard, "How you doing, Craig?" I turned to see Pat Broderick [Captain Marvel, Micronauts]! Pat wasn't listed as a guest, but had decided to drive over and check out the show! We spent a few minutes catching up and then I walked Pat over to Beatty. I then made my way over to the artist's area. I spoke briefly with Johnny Atomic [wish I had more time to talk to him -- this guy is one to watch out for], Derrick Fish, Mark and Stephanie Heike, and Shannon Chenoweth.

I then headed over to the film room with Mike, Beatty, and "The James." None of us are really into "Star Wars" but we all wanted to see the fan film "Saving Star Wars." The room was packed and I think that everyone enjoyed it... especially those REALLY into the Jedi thing. "The James" liked it well enough to buy a copy and get it autographed by the director. Beatty and Howell were also both pretty infatuated by the female lead.

After a short break we came back to watch Bill Black's "Nightveil: Witch War". Bill filmed the bulk of this movie over ten years ago. Now that computer technolgy has reached the point where costs are manageable, Bill decided to finish the film and test the waters. I can truly say, that we had a blast watching it. Part of the fun was knowing the people behind and in front of the camera. Big Beatty appears as a bad guy and does a good job if it. Brad Gorby deserves special mention for his set creations, minatures, and over-the-top performance as a Wizard. If you're a fan of AC comics, or low budget films, then you may want to give this a look.

Another highlight of Tim's shows are the costume contests. This one featured many great entries. A group of four guys playing Marv, Hartigan, Dwight, and Kevin from Sin City took first place.

The show was starting to wind down. "The James" picked up his very nice Green Lantern piece from Ethan. Higashi and "The James" each picked up their pieces from Arron Lopresti. Dang! I'd never made it back to set up a piece for me! "The James" said he'd had a great time and was heading home. Higashi headed over to say good-bye to Ethan, and I took a few minutes to touch base with Tim and thank him for another great show. Then we loaded back into the "Jack Carter XG360" and headed for home.

Tim's next show is August 28. Maybe we'll see you there.