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Clay Aiken fans
snap up extra run
of Star-Bulletin feature

THE Star-Bulletin's Feb. 25 Star Weekend insert on Clay Aiken was nearly sold out by yesterday afternoon.

Only three remaining inserts featuring the "American Idol" star were available in the paper's front office as of yesterday afternoon, according to receptionist Missy Steinhauer. The paper sold 370 extra inserts of the Aiken feature after the entire run of the Aiken edition sold out last week.

Telephone orders from all over the mainland started pouring in once Aiken fans posted links to the Star-Bulletin's Web version of the story on message boards.

Meanwhile, vigorous sales of all things Aiken, including advance coverage of his Hawaii benefit performance in Hawaii last month, continue on eBay.

So far, $36 is the top price paid on the Internet auction site for the Bulletin's Feb. 25 Aiken edition.

That is a lot of money for a newspaper back issue, when the newsstand price is 50 cents, but one copy of the Star Weekend insert sold for $90 at the benefit.

The buyer "got a bargain," because Aiken autographed it, said Michelle Waits, member of a local Aiken fan club called the Clay Hui.

Phone-y music

It is apparently not enough to have a distinctive ringtone on one's cell phone that everyone can hear and enjoy -- or be annoyed by.

Verizon Wireless customers in Hawaii now have the option of having their phone play a song their callers will hear.

The 2,400 song clips are called ringback tones and are available at ringbacktones.vzw.comringbacktones.vzw.com on the Web.

The service costs an additional 99 cents a month and song clips cost $1.99 each for a year's use.