ABC Probes Fox's "Idol"

Over the course of her American Idol career, Paula Abdul has always been regarded as the "nice judge." Now a former Idol contestant is alleging that she was maybe just a little too nice.

In an explosive ABC News Primetime Live special Wednesday night, Corey Clark, who was kicked off the second season of Idol after an undisclosed police record came to light, spouted his claims that Abdul gave him preferential treatment behind the scenes that eventually evolved into a three-month affair.

The hourlong special, titled Fallen Idol, repeatedly showed footage of Clark serenading Abdul during a performance in 2003--a move that Clark claims inspired the soft-hearted judge to pass him her digits via a messenger shortly afterwards.

Upon receiving the numbers, Clark said he debated for hours whether or not to call Abdul, but ultimately gave into curiousity. After he called the judge, he said a car was sent for him at his Hollywood hotel and took him to Abdul's home, where he spent the night discussing strategies on how to get ahead on the show, including song choice and attire.

Over the course of special, ABC presented evidence supporting a relationship between Abdul and Clark, including receipts from pricey clothing stores that Clark would not have been able to afford and phone records showing lengthy calls placed from his parents' home to Abdul--one lasting 155 minutes. Clark also claimed that Abdul had provided him with an old cell phone of hers so that they could communicate more discreetly.

Clark stated that in order to help him make it into the final 12, Abdul guided him to choose a song that she knew would appeal to Randy Jackson--a Steve Perry song that Jackson had worked on with the former Journey singer. He also turned over a bottle of prescription cough medicine with Abdul's name on the label that he said the judge had given him to help his throat during the competition.

But according to Clark, Abdul was interested in more than just his singing abilities.

"It felt like she was hitting on me a little bit," he said, "and I liked it."

He said that one night at Abdul's home, she came up from behind him and began kissing his neck. Their affair, he alleges, began that night.

Clark claims he fell in love with the "Opposites Attract" singer nearly two decades his senior.

"Yeah, it was a relationship," he told Extra in a separate interview. "I care about her."

His parents, who also appeared on the special, said they were aware of the relationship at the time and disapproved.

Abdul has stated that she would not address Clark's "false statements" and referred to him as "an admitted liar and opportunist who engages in unlawful activities." Her lawyer, Martin Singer, also dashed off a letter last week, threatening ABC with legal action should the special proceed.

Fox and the producers of American Idol have previously claimed to be looking into Clark's claims about Abdul.

The network and producers released a statement Thursday claiming that they have asked Clark for his assistance in the investigation but that Clark has yet to respond.

"We have concerns about the motives behind last night's purported news special, as much of it was filled with rumor, speculation and assertions from a disqualified contestant who admitted during the special to telling lies. Regardless, we are absolutely committed to the fairness of this competition. We take any accusations of this nature very seriously, no matter their source, and we have already begun looking into them," the statement read.

"Despite documented procedures and multiple opportunities, as well as contractual requirements for contestants to raise any concerns, we were never notified or contacted by Mr. Clark or any other individual, nor presented any evidence concerning these claims.

"Upon recently hearing rumors of Mr. Clark's claims, we contacted him and requested that he detail his accusations to us. That has yet to happen."

Nor is it likely to happen. According to Clark, he has no interest in lending his assistance in the investigation.

"I don't have any interest in helping American Idol out whatsoever, because they haven't helped me out whatsoever," Clark said Thursday on Good Morning America. "They made it very hard for me to do what I'm doing, which is my career."

However, Clark claims he is not trying to hurt Abdul by going public with his accusations.

"I'm not attacking her at all. She just happens to be the key to getting this 900-pound gorilla off my back," he said.

"I think they should look at what I was trying to say, which was that she risked so much to help me avoid the exploitation of the machine called American Idol."

There's no doubt that the timing of Fallen Idol worked out extremely well both for ABC and for Clark, airing as it did in a sweeps period and as Clark prepares to release an album that was heavily hyped over the course of the show.

Some 13.8 million viewers tuned in for the special, leading ABC to its first ratings victory in the 10 p.m. time slot this season.

One minute after the special ended, Clark's tell-all book, They Told Me to Tell the Truth, So...(The Sex, Lies, and Paulatics of One of America's Idols) was made available over the Internet through his Website, coreyclark.com and through wraptor.com, which listed Clark as its featured artist.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's episode of American Idol, in which Scott "Scotty the Body" Savol, was sent home, drew an estimated 24.5 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research.