Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Sometimes, the news out of the American Idol world is just downright strange.

Like the latest from The Associated Press on the original Idol, Kelly Clarkson.

Kelly Clarkson apparently isn’t being allowed to take a Jane Austen ring out of Britain. (AP Photo)

Now, you spend that much to buy a ring at an auction, you’d probably figure you can take it home to wear.

Not so fast, says the British government.

Apparently the ring is considered a national treasure, and the British government doesn’t want it to leave the country.

AP reports that Britain’s Culture Minister Ed Vaizey says Austen’s modest lifestyle and early death at age 41 “means that objects associated with her of any kind are extremely rare.”

So an export ban has been placed on the item until Sept. 30. And the ban can be extended until Dec. 30.

The government’s hope: That a British buyer will step forward to buy the ring from Kelly so it can stay in its home country.

As for Kelly, she’s been silent about the issue on Twitter — her normal place to vent.

But the AP story says she’s agreed to give up the ring should a British buyer step forward.

And that she might wind up making just a bit of profit. The recommended price: 152,450 pounds, which translates into about $231,000.