You seem to be attacking Chris Golightly and me as well. My entries here are meant to enlighten the readers of this forum as I am a career performing arts professional of many years, a career that began at the age of nine. I speak from a position of extensive experience.

With that said, I reaffirm: it’s all about the facts. Period. I did not see Chris’ press conference although I’m sure I can find it rather easily. I only look to the paper trail. That’s all that matters. Joe has been good enough to post both an original contract and a copy of the release from Dream Project Entertainment. So this is simple: IF the documents are authenticated, then Chris IS NOT lying….about this incident anyway. So read them.

1) The original contract is dated May 30, 2009
2) The release is dated June 7, 2009
3) The audition was in July, 2009

Again, the following is true IF the documents are authentic.

1) Chris said he signed a contract about a month
before the audition. True.
2) He said he signed a fully executed release from
the same contract. True.
3) This makes the contract valid for a grand total
of eight days.

Your contention that Chris lied is totally false. Chris DID do his homework and he did everything right. Conversely, and this is important: when Lawrence Franklin called AI to say that he had a valid contract with Chris Golightly the only person lying was Lawrence Franklin. The manager lied, not Chris. Chris did not mess up. He doesn’t want anyone to fix his mistakes. He didn’t make any. He did not lie. American Idol disqualified him based on a lie, a documented lie. Lawrence Franklin is the liar here. Apparently he corrected his mistake, but nevertheless, he lied. I don’t believe for a minute that he didn’t remember signing a release. He remembers the contract, but doesn’t remember signing the release EIGHT DAYS LATER. Bull.

This means that American Idol, Patrick Lynn and Lawrence Franklin are all culpable and could easily be sued. All of them. Since AI and Simon Fuller have more money than Oprah, Chris will have to find a pro bono attorney.

As to Carly Smithson, a friend of mine pointed out my error. Carly did not have her recording contract released. The company went out of business. So she didn’t do her homework. There was no company with which to do business.

Stephanie, you said, “It’s a big bad world out there.” True. And you also say that you are finishing graduate school for which you should be congratulated. But please know that I have been working in the “big bad world” for decades and in the end it’s all about one thing. To quote Jack Webb: “The facts m’am……. just the facts.”

Thank you!

I just want the nation to know that CHRIS GOLIGHTLY isnt lying and did get the run around.

IdolStages: I don’t get it.Why would the former manager start this trouble for Chris, then find the contract release and try to make things good again?Are they two different people?

In Chris’s press conference that he insisted on having… he signed a two-year contract one MONTH before auditioning. He probably begged for a release from his contract. So it was chatter… if we define chatter by whining and complaining and lying.

Chris Golightly should just go-lightly into the background and fade away. He messed up. He messed up big time. And no one should pity him.

Maybe I didn’t word it exactly right, as I’m well aware of Carly Smithson (you know, that Irish girl with all the tattoos? [yes, I caught your condescension, unfortunately, I've been watching Idol for quite a long time]) and her pre-Idol experience. But regardless… she did her homework and did everything right and that’s why SHE made it on the show, and he didn’t.

It’s a tough world out there. And after the revelation that Chris is just lying to get sympathy and to get someone to fix his mistakes, I’ll be voting for Tim Urban regardless.

And well done on the part of the TPTB for rightfully disqualifying him. Looks like they got something right for the first time in a long time.

Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie, I’m not being facetious, but you don’t have the premise right. Chris DID NOT write on his application that he never had a contract. He wrote that he did not have a CURRENT contract. American Idol cannot disqualify anyone for having past contractual dealings of any kind. For that matter, no company or entity can do the same unless you have a “no compete” clause or “termination agreement” in that contract. I’ll give you an example:

Years ago I did a commercial for MCI (remember them?). And because of that, I was ineligible to do a commerical for Cingular, Bell South, AT & T, etc. for six months. Why? I signed a contract with a “no compete” clause forbidding me to work for any other cellular phone company.

If you will remember there was an Irish girl (with lots of tatoos) on the show a couple of seasons ago who had a recording contract with a small company at one time. She even laid some tracks for an album. It had no bearing on her eligibility whatsoever and, quite frankly is nobody’s business because the contract was terminated. Over. Done with.

You speak of the “rest of the chatter that happened after.” It isn’t chatter, it’s fact. Release dates, expiration dates have EVERYTHING to do with this. Whether you think Chris screwed up or not is your opinion to which you are absolutely entitled. I don’t think he should necessarily have given up his apartment and sold the car either. But he did. Fool hearty or courageous….you decide.

The key element remains: Even if the Phantom Manager had produced a valid contract, the Manager himself found and forwarded the release from the very same contract! Deadlines, moratoriums, clauses, addenda….that’s the stuff we don’t know. That’s what lawyers are for…..