Fox Bares Its Teeth in Defense of 'Idol'

Fox and the "American Idol" machine switched into high gear yesterday, protecting the network's most important franchise, "American Idol," from claims of backstage shenanigans.

So far:

· The attorney for "Idol" judge Paula Abdul has fired off a letter to ABC News saying stern legal things re its upcoming "Primetime Live" report "Fallen Idol."

· Abdul put out a statement trying to discredit former contestant Corey Clark, who has claimed he had sex with her while he was still on the show and that she coached him and promised to launch his career.

· Fox cable cousin Fox News Channel yesterday ran a report claiming the reality series producers were "taking it in stride." The report included one executive producer dismissing all claims of manipulation on the show. The same report ran a few hours later during the late newscast on Fox-owned Channel 5 in Washington.

· Abdul's "Idol" colleagues visited various celebrity suck-up shows to come to her defense.

"Paula Abdul will not dignify the false statements made by Corey Clark with a response," her rep said in a statement to "Access Hollywood."

"He is communicating lies about Paula Abdul in order to generate interest in a book deal."

Clark has been shopping around a tell-all book proposal, in the course of which he has claimed he had an affair with Abdul while a contestant on the second edition of the show, according to a report that surfaced first in the tabloid the Globe. He claims she coached him as to what to sing, wear, etc., and promised to launch his career whether he won or not.

Clark is the guy who was axed early in the competition after word got out that he'd been arrested for allegedly assaulting his teenage sister and resisting arrest.

In the report that aired yesterday on FNC, "Idol" executive producer Ken Warwick dismissed the notion that anything untoward was going on at the show.

"We've had accusations thrown at us since Day One -- everything from being racist to being fattist to . . . having the phone lines fixed," Warwick said on "Fox Report With Shepard Smith."