It's a Claymation week, what with the release of A Thousand Different Ways by Chapel Hill, N.C.'s, first son, and the American Idol runner-up's exclusive confessionals with Good Morning America and People mag, not to mention his natty - crossed with - makeover.

But the message is pretty much the same from the likeable-to-loveable, genuine, earnest, heartfelt young man, except for one thing: He finally addresses questions about his sexual orientation. Well, maybe.

Yesterday on GMA, Clay told that Idol bequeathed him a horrible curse: panic attacks. "I felt like I was going to have a heart attack" entering a room full of people. He said the problem goes back to his childhood when he was brutally bullied by bullies. Today, he says the tabloids are the new bullies, what with their stupid queries about his psycho-sexual makeup.

Clay said he took the antidepressant Paxil for the panic attacks (watch out for , dude!), and it helped. Seems taking psychotropics is considered newsworthy, a big deal, a bit embarrassing.

The sexual-orientation stuff: Is Mr. Aiken gay or straight, as tabloidheads have debated? "What do you say?" to that question, Clay asked People.

"It's like when I was 8. I remember something would get broken in the house, and Mom and Dad would call me in and say, 'Did you do this?' Well, it didn't matter what I said. The only thing they would believe was yes."

Us Weekly reports that 's latest recovery from (alleged) drug addiction is due in no small part to the 43-year-old diva's sobriety mentor... the always prim, proper and nunlike chanteuse .

filed a complaint with the LAPD Tuesday accusing a photog of assaulting her and bf with a deadly weapon when the unnamed 'razzo tried to run the lovebugs down with his car. Diaz says the shutterbug hid in bushes and tried to shoot the couple as they left a friend's house. Her report says the couple proceeded to chase the 'razzo down, whereupon "the photographer... got into his car and drove toward both [of] them, causing Diaz to jump out of the car's way."

Meanwhile, in a post on its site yesterday, photog agency X17, which employs the photog, said Diaz' report is all wrong. The agency says the photog was standing on a public street when he tried to take snaps of the couple, and got into his car because he was "attempting to leave what he perceived to be a dangerous situation for him" because he was being chased by the artists. An LAPD rep says there have been no arrests, but an investigation is ongoing.

Timberlake, meanwhile, is The Man. Big time. The former -er and Mouseketeer dominates the Billboard album chart with the debut of FutureSex/LoveSounds, which moved 684,000 units this week. This is really big: Compare his numbers with the No. 2 album, 's Continuum, which sold only 300,000 copies. Taking a major hit, 's B'Day, which debuted last week at No. 1, slid to No. 3 with 162,000 copies (that's a sales decrease of 70 percent, Billboard.com says). Almost-geezers take the next three rungs: , and are at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 respectively.

Some consolation for the above-mentioned Beyoncé: The former leads all nominees for the MOBO Awards with four, including best song for "Deja Vu." Brit newbie has three nods, including best song for "Put Your Records On." Other best-song nominees were , and . The awards, which were due to take place last night in London, celebrate music of black origin.

In a brave avant-garde move worthy of a , says he cooked up a unique, artistic and spectacular sex scene in The Departed, the new picture in which he plays a crazed mobster: It features Jack, two hot women who are probably a third his age, and a phallic sex toy wielded by one of the women. "I thought it would be more frightening if my character had a sexual component," Jack said.

has been caught on video by a 'razzo from photo agency X17online.com (yes, them again) giving a homeless-styled a $100 bill as she exited a McDonald's drive-through. Bearded guy waved the bill at the camera as Paris gently laughed behind the wheel of her Range Rover. The event has made headlines across the nation.

Director , 62, famed for his rich, complex characterizations in such films as the Star Wars sextet, is giving $175 mil to his alma mater, USC (class of '66). Lucas surpassed the late , who set USC's donation record at $120 mil in '93. Paris would approve!

No doubt inspired by Ms. Hilton, yesterday announced (announced: Doesn't it say somewhere that anonymous giving has more spiritual juice?) the couple is jointly giving away $2 mil to humanitarian orgs Global Action for Children and Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

, 24, and her baaadboy rapper dude , 28, have brought their newest child, , who was born Sept. 12 via C-section, home. No word on when Brit will make her first public minor-baby-endangerment gaffe with the new arrival.

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