Followers of the week’s major world news event – singer Kelly Clarkson’s failed attempt to purchase a $15,000 animatronic singing bird from a Brooklyn store – should prepare for a big update.
After a series of public statements between American Idol Chanteuse and the New York Games & Puzzles Store, a podcast has secured security camera footage showing exactly what happened during Clarkson’s visit to the store.
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podcast Pablo Torre found out The footage aired on today’s episode, which streamed live on YouTube at noon, AEST.
So what actually happens in the video? There is no audio, and timestamps show that all of this happens in less than five minutes. Clarkson enters the store, looks at several items, then points to the bird displayed on the wall and talks to a store employee about it.
He talks to her briefly but then gets distracted and talks to another customer in the small, busy store, with his back to Clarkson.
Clarkson briefly looks at a few other items before heading out.
Before leaving, she makes an angry gesture while talking to another employee of the store with whom she had not interacted before. She then walks away, as several people around her look around to see what the commotion was about.
The hosts of the podcast took a stance on the controversy, arguing that the footage refutes Clarkson’s claim that she was discriminated against because she dressed casually – and thus, presumably, she was someone who did not have the money to purchase such an expensive item.
The hosts pointed out that all the other customers in the store, and indeed the person serving them, were dressed just as casually as Clarkson, who wore a yellow T-shirt, baggy jeans and a hat, adding to the charm of the visit.
As the podcast host notes, timestamps show that Clarken’s visit to the store lasted four minutes and 50 seconds, with most of the time spent browsing by herself and not interacting with employees.
Just 15 minutes after leaving, Clarkson posted her first tweet informing her followers of her disappointment at her treatment.
Clarkson sparked controversy over the weekend by posting on social media about her experience at the store, saying she was treated rudely after refusing to buy an expensive item in the store. He also named and embarrassed the shop, independent card and puzzle retailer Art of Play, causing some backlash about a celebrity with millions of followers using his influence to attack a small business.
“Just drove to Brooklyn to check out this store, I thought it looked really cool and had a few things in mind to buy and was literally looked at as if I couldn’t buy it and told me he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman, then you all should be in Brooklyn. Must check out Art of Play, sure.”
Art of Play hit back, insisting that while she “spent five minutes” in the store, Clarkson inquired about purchasing an in-store display that is not for sale.
The singing bird, named Molly, has a permanent spot in the store, and she said they explained it was not for sale and offered to find her a comparable item.
Clarkson angrily refuted those claims in another lengthy post, taking the store to task for the “narrative” they were spreading: “So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” she said angrily, with some people on the Internet suggesting that the star – who has an estimated net worth of more than US$50 million – might want to take a deep breath and log off.
Art of Play has today reportedly released a new price tag for anyone interested in purchasing “Molly,” who is now a major player in a big celebrity news story: $15 million.