POVERTY FOR JUSTIN GUARINI?

 

 Justin Guarini Discusses Post-’Idol’ Struggles in Shocking Open Letter

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( I had the pleasure of meeting him in person years ago at a fireman's charity event in L.I. with many of the top figure skaters & Steve Buscemi)

 Guarini was the nicest guy! -so were Nancy Kerrigan & Johnny Weir...On the other hand, Buscemi was the unfriendliest celebrity I have ever met, next to the aloof, Kevin Bacon & the phony, Sharon Stone.

I feel bad for this guy. Somehow I never "got" him when he was on "Idol" but I always thought his popularity would be sustainable-sad...

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 "Eleven years ago, memorably curly-topped contestant Justin Guarini made it to the finale of the inaugural season "American Idol." Though he placed second, his future still seemed bright; at the time, it wasn't hard to imagine that he'd go on to have as successful a career as his worthy opponent (and From Justin to Kelly co-star), winner Kelly Clarkson. But that was not the case. His self-titled solo album for RCA Records was a flop, selling only roughly 150,000 copies; he was subsequently dropped from the label. From Justin to Kelly was a box-office bomb. Justin went on to eke out a modest career for himself in theater and TV hosting, but he fell on hard times, revealed in a surprisingly candid new blog post on his website, titled "Early Morning Madness."

The post, which was published Wednesday, detailed a brutal downward slide since his "Idol" days — including confessions that he skips meals to make sure his wife and children have enough to eat, that he envies those who "know where your next meal is coming from," and that he lives in fear of a breakdown. 

Sounds grim. However, in an odd twist, Justin abruptly took down his site Thursday and snapped via Twitter that his post was misunderstood. Saying that the media "completely missed the point of my letter," he added, "News isn't news anymore, and I'm nowhere near poverty #twistedmytruth."Um, okay. We'd say admitting that one can't afford to feed the family is about as close to poverty as anyone could get...but, this is Justin's truth, apparently. His open letter is still a must-read for any current or future "Idol" contestant who naively believes that competing on a TV talent show will lead to guaranteed fame and fortune. 

Justin today"There was a time when I would have had a car service drive me from my home to work. Now I drive myself to the station and take the train. There was a time when I wouldn't have been concerned about the amazing expense of eating at place like Green Symphony. Now, I budget," Justin writes. "I have spent days skipping meals in order to make sure I have enough. To make sure my children, and my wife have enough. There was a time when I couldn't walk the street w/o being stopped a hundred times for a photo or a press of flesh. Now one in a thousand might stop me, or notice. For the rest I might (might) trigger some dim memory, stuffed at the back of long unfired synaptic pathways overgrown with the clutter of social media..." (more on YAHOO.COM )