Who wouldn’t want a chance to date Kelly Clarkson?

MTV is setting out to answer that question. A new show, My Own, will air every weekday at 6 p.m. EDT and PDT. The premise of the show? Helping a freaky fanatic find the [man or woman] who most closely resembles their favorite celebrity heart-throb in every conceivable way!

In the case of the August 30 episode, a fan will get to pick the girl who looks, sounds and even thinks like inaugural American Idol champ Kelly Clarkson.

With the help of two friends, one lucky fan will have the opportunity to question, examine and audition an assorted selection of wannabe pop-stars hand-picked by MTV. According to Kelly's online fan club, the fan will inspect the six pop star wannabes, searching for the one who acts, talks and generally resembles Kelly.

After a series of challenges and eliminations, three finalists will square off, performing some of Kelly's hit songs (in other words, all of Breakaway). In the end, the wannabe that best embodies the look and feel of ultimately will be the one our super-fan calls... My Own.

We're not sure about this whole idea, but MTV has proven adept at cranking out guilty pleasures and reality programs we love to hate, yet can't stop watching. And let's face it -- Kelly is pretty awesome. Sadly for fans, it looks like Yellow Card frontman Ryan Key gets to date the real thing. Lucky. At least you'll have this new show... and Kelly's new calendar.

Yesterday, we reported that Taylor Hicks (right), Bucky Covington and Elliott Yamin skipped out on their American Idol tour after-party in L.A. to hit up a more serious music scene -- and pick up some industry cred.

The trio snuck away to perform at the notorious Hollywood rock club Viper Room. According to TMZ.com, Taylor jammed with the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, along with members of his own band, playing harmonica while taking shots on stage in front of a sold-out crowd.

This crowd wasn't interested in hearing any pop covers or standards, and Taylor Hicks proved he's more than a gimmick, drawing raves from the audience. Nice!

Elliott and Bucky (below, left) also got in on the action to the delight of the packed house which included tons of screaming fans... ones slightly older than the audience at the Staples Center earlier in the night.

Bucky hung with his wife Crystal, while Yamin was joined by his model girlfriend, Jamie (below, right).

As far as Taylor, when he wasn't on stage or fending off members of his Soul Patrol, he retreated to the confines of the closed-off VIP room.

With his widely-anticipated sophomore studio CD, A Thousand Different Ways, due out next month, Clay Aiken is making the TV rounds.

AIW has received news that Clay will appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, September 15, 2006, and a week later, on September 22, he'll be appearing on the popular The View.

These appearances will come on top of the Good Morning America visit scheduled for September 19 (the same day as his album's release), and a concert/interview trip to Jimmy Kimmel Live on the 26th.

Looks like Clay's adoring fans will soon get ample chances to see their man. For the moment, you can hear new song, "Without You," by visiting Aiken's official web pages. Check it out at his official site and MySpace page!

Our friends at TMZ.com took an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the American Idols Live tour in Los Angeles Saturday. Following their great performance at the Staples Center the star of the most recent season of American Idol took the time to greet lucky fans at an after-party.

The ever-gracious Ace Young (below, left) signed autographs for the throngs of his young female fans, while their moms gawked on the side. Paris Bennett, meanwhile, may have only recently turned 18, but she handled herself like an old pro and stood on a table to handle the crush of the teenage amateur paparazzi that swarmed her. Kellie Pickler, sporting blonde extensions, proved she's just a down home gal at heart, arriving in slippers and sweatpants.

The scene stealer (and, some might say, diva) of the evening? No, it wasn't the lovely Katharine McPhee. The native of nearby Sherman Oaks, Calif., had so many family and friends visit her backstage that she wasn't able to make the party. The star of the night was none other than Chris Daughtry, who arrived with extra security. Despite being shielded by an entourage, he did mingle with fans (below, right).

Interesting, Ed Kowalczyk, the lead singer of Live, who performed with Daughtry on the American Idol finale, was part of Chris' entourage after the L.A. show. Apparently, the star went completely unnoticed by the crowd.

Taylor Hicks, Bucky Covington and Elliott Yamin did not attend the meet and greet. The trio were busy getting across town to the Johnny Depp-owned Viper Room to take the stage with the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, which features members of Hicks' band.

AIW has learned from its inside sources that there are now five confirmed Clay Aiken holiday performances on the immensely popular singer's schedule.

According to Clay's blog at his Official Fan Club, he was invited by several symphony orchestras to perform a Christmas program with them.

December 9, 2006 -- Williamsport, Pa., Community Arts Center
December 14, 2006 -- Long Island, N.Y., Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
December 15, 2006 -- West Point, N.Y., Eisenhower Hall
December 16, 2006 -- Red Bank, N.J., Count Basie Theater
December 19, 2006 -- Grand Rapids, Mich., Devos Performance Hall

We're not sure if tickets for all of these shows have gone on sale yet, but it's a pretty safe bet that they won't -- or didn't -- last long. We saw what happened in the case of the December 9 show, the first one announced. When small venues and Clay Nation combine, the typical result seems to be crashed ticket systems and packed houses!

Several news sources report that Clay will be performing live on Good Morning America at 8:00 am on September 19. That's the same day his much-anticipated new album, A Thousand Different Ways, is scheduled to be released!

We've also learned that Clay will be given interview time during his forthcoming appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, in addition to the mini-concert held on the outdoor stage.

Former American Idol contestant Mikalah Gordon was "in a panic" but unharmed after being robbed at gunpoint last week, her mother said.

Victoria Cavaricci said robbers accosted her 18-year-old daughter, a 2005 American Idol finalist, and a male friend early Wednesday as they walked down a sidewalk in a neighborhood about 10 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas police confirmed the robbery had occurred and said they were investigating.

"She's not physically harmed, but she's in a panic," Cavaricci said in a phone interview from her Las Vegas home, adding that the robbers took her daughter's cellphone and $5.

Gordon reached the finals of the Fox singing competition in Season Four (won by Carrie Underwood) finishing in 11th place overall. She graduated from high school in Las Vegas and now resides in Los Angeles.

Mikalah is currently recording an album that is still in the conceptual stages. She recently affirmed much of her experience with American Idol had been under a cloud of severe depression. On her official site, Mikalah has stated that she hopes to be an inspiration to young people who deal with depression and similar life issues.

Earlier this week, lawyers representing Taylor Hicks filed suit against music producer William Smith in Alabama's U.S. District Court, hoping to thwart the online sale of three songs Hicks recorded in 2001.

Smith claims that in making the songs available, he's not interested in profiting from them -- but rather wants to silence critics who've slammed Hicks' first single since he won American Idol.

"The whole thing with putting these songs out was, he was getting killed by that goofy single, and I knew he was better than that," said Smith, who owns and operates William Smith Productions in Nashville, Tenn.

"It's going to be hard to recover from the panning he's taken from that song. We're friends. I love Taylor Hicks," he continued. "I had a three-year relationship with him. That single sucks, and this was purely altruistic on my part. I wanted to show critics that were killing him that he was way more than American Idol."

Smith refers to "Do I Make You Proud," Hicks' major-label single that has received massive airplay this summer. The suit claims Smith violated copyright laws when three songs -- "Son of a Carpenter," "In Your Time," and "The Fall," which the producer said were recorded with various studio musicians -- were made available for digital download on iTunes.

The tracks were removed from the online retailer as of yesterday afternoon, in accordance with a temporary restraining order authorized by Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins.

Hicks' attorney, Michael Douglas, told MTV that the songs were recorded in 1997 and released on an album called In Your Time. Therefore, he reasoned, the tracks were copyrighted, and Smith could lay no claim to ownership of them.

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Two of American Idol's best known personalities have made the short list for the inaugural Top 49 Men of 2006 at AskMen.com. We may pretend to hate Simon Cowell, but secretly, a lot of us wish we could be in his shoes. As for the other Idol star to make the list, Clay Aiken? We know never to underestimate any measure of this man.

Out over 15,000 names submitted to the popular site by its readers, the list has been narrowed down to 100. The purpose of the poll is to find out which of these men readers consider to be the best representatives of the gender. Who among them best exemplifies what it means to be a man? Do you want Simon and or Clay to make the final cut? If so, you can vote here.

It may be the hottest TV show in the country, with tens of millions of viewers and hundreds of thousands of singles and digital downloads bought before the contestants' albums are even released, but the American Idols Live tour may be losing a bit of steam coming down the home stretch.

Maybe it's just the fickleness of SoCal -- where everyone's a star, not just homegirl Katharine McPhee -- but there are still plenty of tickets available for when the tour rolls down to Tinseltown on Saturday.

In fact, not only are they not sold out, tickets are going for below face value on Craigslist. Ticket holders are selling good floor seats at up to 40 percent below cost, with some tix going for as low as $20. That's a steal for any major artist. People in and around L.A. should take advantage of this chance while they can!

She may have come up just short on American Idol, but Katharine McPhee has led the way in terms of controversy -- much of it unjustified -- ever since she got big.

Before a recent show in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the American Idol runner-up opened up to Us Weekly about her bouts with bulimia and bronchitis, along with what's up next in her career and personal life.

On the backlash received after missing time on the current American Idols Live tour with laryngitis and bronchitis:
"People were like, 'Why did it take so long to get over being sick?' I felt like I was under attack. Here’s the thing -- vocal cords are very sensitive parts of the body that need to be taken care of... I still have to see doctors across the country to make sure my voice is healing. I could show you my throat X-rays, but I’m not going to. I live my life truthfully."

On her battle with, and recovery from bulimia:
"Everyone on tour has been very supportive of me. I didn’t put [the story] out there for sympathy. If it helps anyone, then great. Also, I remember when Kelly Clarkson spoke up and said, 'I’m not gonna bend to the pressures.' She lets her body do what it wants and she looks fabulous. You can tell she works out and takes care of herself. It’s so important to have positive, beautiful women as influences."

On rumors she’s a diva:
"I am a strong woman. But on American Idol, people were saying things like, 'Oh, she’s stuck-up.' It’s hard because no matter what I do, there will always be people who don’t like me... I would love to sit down with Julia Roberts or Oprah [Winfrey] to hear about how they deal with [the pressures of fame]."

On her boyfriend, Nick Cokas:
"We have a great time. We love to text-message when I’m on the road. And at home, we like to get dinner and see a movie. We’re like old people!"

On her future plans:
"I want to make a good album... a few months ago, I had a meeting with Steven Spielberg. I was so in awe that he had time to sit down and get to know me!"