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If you think Clay Aiken transformed himself for American Idol, consider the tale of Australia's Shane Jenek. The 21-year-old Sydney resident entered Australian Idol -- the Down Under version of the show -- and failed to impress the judges enough to make the final cut. Not discouraged, Jenek bent both the rules and his gender by returning for the next day's auditions in drag. Courtney Act, already a popular performer on Australia's infamous drag circuit, not only breezed through the try-outs but became something of a media darling as she made it to the semifinals.
"The judges had absolutely no idea that Shane and Courtney were the same person," Jenek says. "The producers told them after Courtney made it on...