American Idol's Alaina Alexander With "Life Interrupted"

Sanjaya's Not Gay He Just Understands Women

As one of American Idol's most polarizing figures, fans either love or hate Sanjaya Malakar – but he says he's always been popular with women.
"I've always gotten along with girls better because I was raised by women," Malakar tells PEOPLE in its new issue.
Malakar, whose parents divorced when he was 3, says his ease with women comes from being close to his mom and his sister, Shyamali, who were his biggest influence growing up in Seattle. But getting along with girls didn't always work to his benefit.
"I got teased in school because people figured I must be gay because I understand women," the phenomenally popular American Idol castoff says. "I think that's why guys didn't like me – because I got along with girls so well. When I went up to girls they would give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek like I was their gay friend. But I was the straight guy that understood them."
As for his dating past, Malakar, who is now 17, says: "I had a girlfriend but she became clingy, and I didn't want to get into a really serious relationship because I was 16. Before his arrival on the hit FOX show, "I just wanted to date and have fun," he says.
from People Magazine

Mario Vasquez Sued For Trying To Masturbate

Former "American Idol" finalist Mario Vasquez is facing accusations that he tried to masturbate in front of a male employee in a bathroom on the set of the hit show in February 2005.
Shortly thereafter, Vasquez mysteriously dropped out of "Idol," citing personal reasons.
According to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by TMZ, Vazquez allegedly "sexually harassed" Magdaleno Olmos, assistant accountant for Fremantle Media, the company that produces American Idol.
In the lawsuit, Olmos claims "Vazquez stared lasciviously, smiled lasciviously ... and on one occasion followed him into a bathroom ... knocked on the door of the plaintiff's stall and made eye contact through the space in the stall door."
The lawsuit alleges that Vazquez "started to rub his genitals over his pants. Attempting to leave the bathroom, Olmos opened the door of the stall and saw Vazquez standing in front of him with his pants down masturbating."
According to the documents, Vazquez pushed Olmos "further into the stall and continued masturbating with one hand and trying to pull down Olmos' pants with another hand."
Olmos claims that he tried to "cover his body with his hands" but Vazquez touched his "chest and stomach underneath his shirt, and Olmos' "genitals" as Vazquez "attempted to unzip" Olmos' pants.
Vazquez then allegedly asked Olmos "if he wanted oral sex."
In the lawsuit, Olmos claims that as he "managed to get out of the stall, and attempted to leave the bathroom," Vazquez, grabbed his arm "in an effort to stop him." Vazquez continued to call Olmos to come back as Vazquez "stood in the bathroom with his pants still down."
In the suit, Olmos claims that he tried to report the incident to a superior named Eric LaPointe, who allegedly responded by telling Olmos that "he was crazy" and "repeatedly threatening to fire" him. A few months after the incident, Olmos claims he was "terminated."
In addition to suing Vazquez, Olmos has named FOX Entertainment and Fremantle Media as defendants in his lawsuit for wrongful termination.
Reps from FOX tell TMZ, "We haven't been served, but we wouldn't comment on pending litigation."
Calls to Vazquez's attorney, and reps from "American Idol" on behalf of the defendants, have not yet been returned.
from TMZ

Sex Comedy To Open Gay Film Fest

He has gone from "American Idol" to gay icon, and with a little luck, Jim Verraros will be a matinee idol.
With a boy-next-door quality, Verraros, a Crystal Lake native, was a contestant on "American Idol's" first season.
While he hasn't left music behind (his first album was released last year, and a follow-up is due in 2007), he is pursuing acting. His second film, a sex comedy called "Eating Out 2," opens the Reeling Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival tonight.
"I still keep in touch with everyone from that first season," he says. "Of course, it's getting harder and harder now that we're all doing our own thing, but there are a few people I talk to regularly, or in Kelly [Clarkson's] case, we talk through our people."
Verraros, who lives in East Dundee with his partner of several years, will attend tonight's screening and post-party, as will the film's director and co-writer, Phillip J. Bartell (an Illinois native and a graduate of Columbia College's film school).
Bartell wrote the script earlier this year with Verraros in mind. "I got to pick my favorite characters from the first film," Bartell says.
In the first film, Verraros' character Kyle helped his straight roommate pretend to be gay to get the attention of a girl. For the sequel, a series of circumstances has Kyle pretending to be straight.
Brenda Webb, founder of the Reeling Film Festival, says the film represents a new type of queer cinema.
"There is a younger generation that doesn't strictly define their culture or themselves in strict gay or straight terms," she says. "People aren't as defined by their sexuality anymore, and this film really speaks to that audience."
Being less obvious about his sexuality is something he has experience with, thanks to "American Idol." While he never hid his sexuality from the producers, he says they were less than thrilled.
"All the staff, the other contestants and the executive producers knew I was gay ... ," he says. "Were the producers threatened by it? Of course they were. With 'American Idol' being the title, the show had to be safe and with a cookie-cutter appeal. There was no place for an out gay performer."
Verraros had his first taste of homophobia growing up in conservative Crystal Lake. "Middle school was the worst three years of my life," he says, "and the torture started the minute I got on the school bus and didn't stop until I got off."
If there is a silver lining in the gay bashings he received while growing up, he says thay prepared him for his career in music and film.
"People will love you or they will hate you," he says. "You have no control over it, so the only thing you can do is be true to yourself."
from The Chicago Sun-Times

Another Gay Out Of The Closet

Former American Idol finalist RJ Helton has admitted he is gay.
Helton, 25, made the revelation Friday on Larry Flick’s “OutQ in the Morning” show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
The singer, who was in the top five of season one of American Idol, was asked why he has stopped performing Christian music since his 2004 album Real Life.
“I can have a faith but can’t be who I want to be, so a lot of it was just personal things I needed to overcome and just be proud of who I was,” Helton said.
“Just because I am gay does not mean I can’t love God.”
Helton said he wasn’t planning to open up publicly about his sexuality. “I’ve never even said that. It feels good. I’m just really comfortable with who I am now.
“I’m very proud of who I am.”
Helton is the second Idol competitor to come out of the closet. Jim Verraros, a top 10 finalist in season one, is also openly gay. Since Idol, the 23-year-old has released a dance CD and starred in the gay-themed comedy Eating Out and its sequel.
Season three runner-up Clay Aiken has also been dogged by speculation about his sexuality. He recently told ABC’s Diane Sawyer: “It's one thing to try to be open and talk to people and try to share as much as I can and, and of course I want to. But at some point it becomes just really rude, you know? I don't understand why it's any of your business.”
from The Montreal Gazette