Crazy Days and Nights

Clay Aiken article claiming he trolled for guys on manhunt.com is a Hoax

Some things to say.

#1- I actually think Perez is the best gossip person out there. With the exception of outing, which I am not a fan of, I think he is the best. He is relevant, works hard and every gossip blog wants to be him. Well, not him exactly, but you get the point. Although I like to think I do a great job on blind items, I am fully cognizant of the fact that Perez could kick my ass with his sources, should he choose to concentrate on blind items. I also do not think that Perez posted this knowing it was false. He knew it was a good story and if it was a heterosexual thing, I would have probably run with it myself.

#2- I am not a fan of Clay Aiken, nor do I dislike him. I am just kind of indifferent towards him.

#3 - I believe the webcam shots of Clay Aiken are real.

In case you have not read the story, please feel free. The summary is that Clay Aiken trolled the internet looking for a guy to hook up with. He found someone on Manhunt which is a website, well, exactly what it sounds like and they then proceeded to IM each other. To convince his hookup, that he is in fact Clay Aiken, he holds up four fingers to the camera after the guy tells him to. Got it? Good, let's move to why it is a hoax.

The manhunt screen ---

So, we are supposed to believe this is Clay Aiken. Why? Because an informant tells Perez it is? I can go on a dating site right now and set up two accounts. One will make it sound like it is Jennifer Aniston, and the other Angelina Jolie. I can then send an e-mail or two which makes it look like they want to hookup. It is ridiculous, because no one would believe it. But, would you believe it if I made one of Jake Gyllenhal and another guy? Yes, because the perception whether true or not is that Jake is gay.

Let's move to the IM chat.

First of all, Clay has changed screen names. It is not uncommon to use a different name from a dating site and also your Yahoo e-mail so we will say that could be legitimate. The only other thing that does not make any sense is that in the e-mails on the site, they determined that both were in Raleigh Durham, NC, but for some reason five minutes later on IM, they need to reiterate it. Now, the easiest way to set this part up is to have a couple of friends chat each other up and make sure they use the language that is the most damning. Short of that, one guy with two computers can do it just as easily.

Let us move to the clincher. The webcam pics.

If I am talking to Kate Hudson on a webcam, why do I need to have her hold up four fingers to prove it is her? Obviously there is someone there on the other end. How does it prove it is Kate Hudson if she holds up up four fingers?

The four fingers is the key. In my blind items, I know the answer, and the reader does not. I can then arrange the clues however I want. If this was Lindsay Lohan on webcam and she was holding up four fingers, do you think we could construct a conversation that has her buying 4 grams of coke from a guy she met online?

Although it is a good hoax, that is all it is. In fact, it is almost identical to one from last March, where Clay was online and someone had webcam photos of him. The mind wants to believe the fourth photo is Clay because the first three have you hooked. But, in the fourth, where there is skin, there is no face, only a body.

Do, I think Clay trolls online for guys? Probably not. There are other more discreet ways to meet people. Do I think Clay goes online and uses a webcam? Absolutely.

I have seen these kinds of hoaxes before. I have had clients who were allegedly photographed in all kinds of positions or had e-mails on their computer, or belonged to dating sites. The object is to embarrass or humiliate or extort or gain a settlement.