The fandom is rather quiet this summer. Clay's taking a well-deserved break from working non-stop since about October of 2007. Clay toured with his Christmas show, he went to Mexico with UNICEF, he starred on Broadway in Monty Python's Spamalot, and he recorded and released his third pop album, 'On My Way Here'. BTW, the album is fabulous. Check it out.
So....what's a fan to do in this vast wasteland of no Clay? Well, I'm going to take a look back in time and celebrate some great Clay moments.
The first moment I'm celebrating is the impromptu performance of the song 'Listen' from Dreamgirls. Usually sung by Clay's back-up vocalist, Angela Fisher, Clay and Quiana Parler, his other back-up vocalist, jammed with this when Angela was not feeling well. This is from Sterling Heights, MI and videotaped by dlh7777.
Enjoy.
Clay Aiken
UNICEF
Monty Python's Spamalot
On My Way Here
Listen
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Clay Aiken: Maybe baby? Or tabloid invention?
Once again, Clay Aiken is in the tabloid news. This time, rumor has it, that Clay is going to be the father of a baby with his executive record producer, Jaymes Foster, sister of David Foster.
TMZ, that bastion of journalistic integrity *cough*, broke the story on Wednesday, which left the Clay Nation reeling because, honestly, of all the things that the fans might expect of Aiken, this was not one of them. As usual, the message boards were humming and buzzing for the past 48 hours. Is it true? It is a lie? Consider the source. Did the Foster camp confirm? Did the Foster camp deny? What’s going on? It’s not our business. I wanna know. What’s going on? Huh? Wha..? It’s all over the entertainment news. What? What? What? We wanna know!
Going on the assumption that it’s true, Clay’s fans, as usual, have a vast assortment of opinions on the situation. For some fans, this is a WTF? moment, for other fans, they are deliriously happy for him, yet other fans just want to know the truth, and for a very small part of the fandom, they are disappointed that Clay chose this path instead of the traditional path to fatherhood. It is my opinion that the vast majority of fans are very happy for Clay. True, the circumstances, if true, are a bit….different, but the fans remain, as always, supportive of Clay and his choices.
Let me state here that, unequivocally, ‘we’ do not have the right to any personal information from either Clay or Jaymes. What they do in their personal life is their business. Hell, we don’t even know if the rumor is true, but if it is, I feel badly that some scummy tabloid broke the news the way they did, especially if the parties involved wanted to keep their personal life private. Having something like this splashed across the entertainment news and rancid tabloids is probably not the way that most people would want to announce a happy event.
So, what now? What do Clay’s hard core fans do? Well, we don’t have a choice, really, we just have to wait. Wait to see if either the Foster or the Aiken camps confirm or deny, wait to see if Clay or Jaymes will make a public statement, wait to see what happens, wait for a Tour announcement…..oh, wait *g* that’s not part of the baby story, it’s just my wish to see Clay again in concert, where he shines.
So, this is MY grown-up Christmas wish. I wish Jaymes an easy pregnancy (if she’s pregnant) and a healthy baby. I wish Clay, if he’s the father of the maybe baby, a life filled with joy in the sharing of parenting his child. And dang it, I wish for a concert Tour announcement. Oops! There I go again!
Clay Aiken
Jaymes Foster
Tabloids
Clay Aiken Message Boards
David Foster
TMZ, that bastion of journalistic integrity *cough*, broke the story on Wednesday, which left the Clay Nation reeling because, honestly, of all the things that the fans might expect of Aiken, this was not one of them. As usual, the message boards were humming and buzzing for the past 48 hours. Is it true? It is a lie? Consider the source. Did the Foster camp confirm? Did the Foster camp deny? What’s going on? It’s not our business. I wanna know. What’s going on? Huh? Wha..? It’s all over the entertainment news. What? What? What? We wanna know!
Going on the assumption that it’s true, Clay’s fans, as usual, have a vast assortment of opinions on the situation. For some fans, this is a WTF? moment, for other fans, they are deliriously happy for him, yet other fans just want to know the truth, and for a very small part of the fandom, they are disappointed that Clay chose this path instead of the traditional path to fatherhood. It is my opinion that the vast majority of fans are very happy for Clay. True, the circumstances, if true, are a bit….different, but the fans remain, as always, supportive of Clay and his choices.
Let me state here that, unequivocally, ‘we’ do not have the right to any personal information from either Clay or Jaymes. What they do in their personal life is their business. Hell, we don’t even know if the rumor is true, but if it is, I feel badly that some scummy tabloid broke the news the way they did, especially if the parties involved wanted to keep their personal life private. Having something like this splashed across the entertainment news and rancid tabloids is probably not the way that most people would want to announce a happy event.
So, what now? What do Clay’s hard core fans do? Well, we don’t have a choice, really, we just have to wait. Wait to see if either the Foster or the Aiken camps confirm or deny, wait to see if Clay or Jaymes will make a public statement, wait to see what happens, wait for a Tour announcement…..oh, wait *g* that’s not part of the baby story, it’s just my wish to see Clay again in concert, where he shines.
So, this is MY grown-up Christmas wish. I wish Jaymes an easy pregnancy (if she’s pregnant) and a healthy baby. I wish Clay, if he’s the father of the maybe baby, a life filled with joy in the sharing of parenting his child. And dang it, I wish for a concert Tour announcement. Oops! There I go again!
Clay Aiken
Jaymes Foster
Tabloids
Clay Aiken Message Boards
David Foster
Monday, April 07, 2008
That's Clay Aiken!
AOL First Listen has Clay Aiken's new single, the title track, from his soon to be released, new album, 'On My Way Here' which drops on May 6, 2008.
It's Aiken's first CD of all original material since his debut CD, 'Measure of a Man', which sold 613,000 copies its first week, with total sold of 2.7 million. Aiken's second CD, 'Merry Christmas, with Love', was, at the time, the fastest selling Christmas CD in Soundscan history, selling 1.3 million out of the gate in just 6 weeks.
'A Thousand Different Ways, Aiken's third studio effort, was an album of love song covers 'suggested' by RCA's Clive Davis. Everyone knows when Davis 'suggests', the product usually happens. 'A Thousand Different Ways' sold over 500,000 copies. Aiken is only one of four artists whose first 3 CD's opened at number 4 or higher on the BillBoard charts. 'A Thousand Different Ways' also had Aiken's first penned tune, the exquisite 'Lover All Alone', co-written with David Foster, as a special itunes download.
Aiken then released an EP, 'All is Well', a four-track disc of Christmas music, featuring Foster's slowed-down 'My Grown-up Christmas List', and the title track, the spectacular 'All is Well'.
You can access Clay's first song from the CD here.
The song, 'On My Way Here', written by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic fame and produced by Kipper (Chris Botti, Sting), showcases a more mature Aiken, a man who has taken a hard look at how his life has unfolded in the glare of the spotlight since his stint on American Idol. It has a definite earworm and makes me anticipate the release of the album.
Currently, Aiken is starring in Monty Python's 'Spamalot' on Broadway until May 4th. On Monday, April 28th, Aiken will appear on QVC from 7:00 to 7:30 pm Eastern Time.
Check out the new song and let me know what you think.
Clay Aiken
American idol
AOL
RCA
Clive Davis
Ryan Tedder
OneRepublic
QVC
Monty Python's Spamalot
It's Aiken's first CD of all original material since his debut CD, 'Measure of a Man', which sold 613,000 copies its first week, with total sold of 2.7 million. Aiken's second CD, 'Merry Christmas, with Love', was, at the time, the fastest selling Christmas CD in Soundscan history, selling 1.3 million out of the gate in just 6 weeks.'A Thousand Different Ways, Aiken's third studio effort, was an album of love song covers 'suggested' by RCA's Clive Davis. Everyone knows when Davis 'suggests', the product usually happens. 'A Thousand Different Ways' sold over 500,000 copies. Aiken is only one of four artists whose first 3 CD's opened at number 4 or higher on the BillBoard charts. 'A Thousand Different Ways' also had Aiken's first penned tune, the exquisite 'Lover All Alone', co-written with David Foster, as a special itunes download.
Aiken then released an EP, 'All is Well', a four-track disc of Christmas music, featuring Foster's slowed-down 'My Grown-up Christmas List', and the title track, the spectacular 'All is Well'.
You can access Clay's first song from the CD here.
The song, 'On My Way Here', written by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic fame and produced by Kipper (Chris Botti, Sting), showcases a more mature Aiken, a man who has taken a hard look at how his life has unfolded in the glare of the spotlight since his stint on American Idol. It has a definite earworm and makes me anticipate the release of the album.Currently, Aiken is starring in Monty Python's 'Spamalot' on Broadway until May 4th. On Monday, April 28th, Aiken will appear on QVC from 7:00 to 7:30 pm Eastern Time.
Check out the new song and let me know what you think.
Clay Aiken
American idol
AOL
RCA
Clive Davis
Ryan Tedder
OneRepublic
QVC
Monty Python's Spamalot
Friday, February 22, 2008
Clay Aiken: Spamalot, a review
By Michael Kuchwara for the Associated Press
Clay Aiken Deftly Acts Supremely Silly
Let's clear things up right away: Clay Aiken can handle supremely silly.
That's not an inconsiderable talent when you are appearing in something as daffy as "Monty Python's Spamalot," the madcap medieval musical that has just added the "American Idol" alum to its cast.
We knew Aiken could sing. "Idol," television's favorite trial-by-fire, proved that. So it was only natural that Broadway, eager for new faces that might sell tickets, would call — just as it did for Fantasia, Frenchie Davis, Constantine Maroulis and others from "Idol."
But don't go expecting a star turn. Aiken is a team player — and that's meant as a compliment. The ingratiating performer fits seamlessly into the extended high jinks of "Spamalot," which has been running at the Shubert Theatre since March 2005.
The guy gets the goofy humor that is the Python trademark and goes with the flow, most prominently when he is portraying the perpetually petrified Sir Robin. It's one of three roles he plays in the musical.
Aiken also exudes the physical buffoonery that underlines the cartoonlike nature of the characters and their quest to find the Holy Grail. He radiates a delightful benign bewilderment. What's more, for someone born and raised in North Carolina, Aiken does a credible British accent.
And the rest of the production, directed by Mike Nichols, holds up quite nicely, too. The tale, concocted by "Python" legend Eric Idle, is loosely based on the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and film buffs will recognize some of their favorite bits from the film. Idle also wrote the lyrics and shares credit with John Du Prez for the music.
If there is anything approaching show-stopper status in this "Spamalot," it's the performance by Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake. The statuesque Waddingham, who originated the role in the London production, is sensational. She's funny, sexy and blessed with one of those powerhouse voices that really shakes up the score.
But then Nichols and choreographer Casey Nicholaw have kept the musical in tiptop shape. From Jonathan Hadary's robust King Arthur to the preening Galahad of Christopher Sieber (an original New York cast member who recently returned to the show) to Rick Holmes' sexually fluid Lancelot, the cast gets a high amount of laughs from low comedy.
And then there's Tom Deckman as the hilariously fey Prince Herbert and David Hibbard as the aptly named Patsy, singing and tapping his way through the show's best known moment of musical cheer, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." This is ensemble comic lunacy at its most inspired.
But attention Aiken fans. He appears in "Monty Python's Spamalot" only through May 4.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
MICHAEL KUCHWARA has been the drama critic and drama writer for the Associated Press since 1984. Before being named to that position, he worked for the AP in Chicago as a general assignment editor and reporter and in New York on its General (now the National) Desk, the main editing desk for national news. Born in Scranton, Pa., he is a graduate of Syracuse University. Kuchwara also has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. Kuchwara is a past president of the New York Drama Critics' Circle.
Clay Aiken
Spamalot
Broadway
Monty Python
Mike Nichols
Clay Aiken Deftly Acts Supremely Silly
Let's clear things up right away: Clay Aiken can handle supremely silly.
That's not an inconsiderable talent when you are appearing in something as daffy as "Monty Python's Spamalot," the madcap medieval musical that has just added the "American Idol" alum to its cast.We knew Aiken could sing. "Idol," television's favorite trial-by-fire, proved that. So it was only natural that Broadway, eager for new faces that might sell tickets, would call — just as it did for Fantasia, Frenchie Davis, Constantine Maroulis and others from "Idol."
But don't go expecting a star turn. Aiken is a team player — and that's meant as a compliment. The ingratiating performer fits seamlessly into the extended high jinks of "Spamalot," which has been running at the Shubert Theatre since March 2005.The guy gets the goofy humor that is the Python trademark and goes with the flow, most prominently when he is portraying the perpetually petrified Sir Robin. It's one of three roles he plays in the musical.
Aiken also exudes the physical buffoonery that underlines the cartoonlike nature of the characters and their quest to find the Holy Grail. He radiates a delightful benign bewilderment. What's more, for someone born and raised in North Carolina, Aiken does a credible British accent.
And the rest of the production, directed by Mike Nichols, holds up quite nicely, too. The tale, concocted by "Python" legend Eric Idle, is loosely based on the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and film buffs will recognize some of their favorite bits from the film. Idle also wrote the lyrics and shares credit with John Du Prez for the music.
If there is anything approaching show-stopper status in this "Spamalot," it's the performance by Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake. The statuesque Waddingham, who originated the role in the London production, is sensational. She's funny, sexy and blessed with one of those powerhouse voices that really shakes up the score.
But then Nichols and choreographer Casey Nicholaw have kept the musical in tiptop shape. From Jonathan Hadary's robust King Arthur to the preening Galahad of Christopher Sieber (an original New York cast member who recently returned to the show) to Rick Holmes' sexually fluid Lancelot, the cast gets a high amount of laughs from low comedy.And then there's Tom Deckman as the hilariously fey Prince Herbert and David Hibbard as the aptly named Patsy, singing and tapping his way through the show's best known moment of musical cheer, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." This is ensemble comic lunacy at its most inspired.
But attention Aiken fans. He appears in "Monty Python's Spamalot" only through May 4.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
MICHAEL KUCHWARA has been the drama critic and drama writer for the Associated Press since 1984. Before being named to that position, he worked for the AP in Chicago as a general assignment editor and reporter and in New York on its General (now the National) Desk, the main editing desk for national news. Born in Scranton, Pa., he is a graduate of Syracuse University. Kuchwara also has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. Kuchwara is a past president of the New York Drama Critics' Circle.
Clay Aiken
Spamalot
Broadway
Monty Python
Mike Nichols
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Clay Aiken gets a little pissy
Clay Aiken gave an on-line interview to Ramin Setoodeh from Newsweek on Friday, January 11th. Here was an opportunity for a respected news magazine to do a good interview with one of the most fascinating and controversial celebrities around. Why fascinating? Because he's not a one dimensional, a one-size-fits-all, so to speak, celebrity. Why controversial? Because everything he does gets noticed and commented on. Fall asleep on a plane and get in a bro-ha-ha with an attacking passenger? Covered in over 500 newspapers, news sites, tabloid rags, and TV shows, including CNN Headline News.
So anyway, this Newsweek reporter had a chance to interview Clay and the beginning of the interview was pretty informative. We learned that Clay is very sore from his Spamalot rehearsals and why Clay decided on Broadway and Monty Python. From there, it went downhill, well, not Clay, but the questions this Newsweek 'reporter' asked.I don't know if the 'reporter' was trying to be funny or maybe trying to get a scoop or what but Lord help me, if this is the kind of interview a Newsweek 'reporter' asks, Newsweek, I'm available for a freaking job because even a neophyte could have done better than this bozo. I'm surprised Setoodeh didn't ask Aiken if he saw the card!
The first inkling I had of a fluff interview was the question, 'Did you know your socks don't match?' O-kay, Mr. Reporter. Maybe your questions will get better, at least, more intelligent. Then he asked Aiken about why he decided to do Broadway and some Spamalot-related questions. Good job, so far, only one little fart.
Maybe I shouldn't have been so optimistic because Setoodeh then asked about the 'Claymates' *yawn* and if women throw their panties on the stage when Aiken sings *BIG yawn* Really Mr. so-called Reporter, look at some interviews from the past five years to get your answers about these tired, old questions. In fact, why don't you use your Stanford and Oxford educated brain to try to think of something, oh, I don't know, maybe original? There's an idea! Try to ask original questions or at least, questions that haven't been asked multiple times.
Wait, it gets worse.
The reporter then asked about the airplane incident, yes, that same incident that got over 500 mentions in the media. Then he asked about the Kelly Ripa 'thing, if Aiken thought it was a homophobic remark. Each time, Aiken's answer was "I'm not going to discuss it" yet the reporter went on and on. What part of 'I'm not going to discuss it' don't you understand, Mr. Reporter? What part of 'intelligent interview' don't you understand? I'll quote a bit of the article here:
How did you get into a fight with that lady on a plane?
I'm not going to talk about it.
I was just curious because you've never talked about it.
I did talk about it.
What about the Kelly Ripa thing?
I'm not going to discuss it.
Did you think it was homophobic?
I'm not going to discuss it.
What do you want to talk about?
I think we're done.
Can we talk about something fun?
No, we're done. I thought NEWSWEEK would be more reputable. I'm surprised
But I think people are curious about it.
It was a year ago. This is NEWSWEEK. It's not the National Enquirer. I'd hate to have a job where I had to be rude to people.
We're just having a conversation.
Change the subject! I'd never take a job where I had to do something that I didn't want to do.
I'll change the subject. What do you do for fun?
I watch the news. I read news magazines, but I'm reconsidering that now.
Perhaps I should cut this reporter a bit of slack, after all, he's only 25, he's a baby and he's probably spent the past 10 years or so reading newspapers and magazines and looking at TV news broadcasts' that use gossip sites as 'sources'. Yes, even Newsweek used Gawker.com and referenced Perez Hilton as a 'source' for articles a time or two. This subject was written about at The ConCLAYve a few months ago. Check it out.
I'll shut up now. I just wish that respected news magazines would write with a little more respect for their readers. We're not stupid and we'd like the style and method of writing to reflect the intelligence of the readers. I just wish that reporters would do their job with integrity and to the best of their ability instead of pandering to the lowest common denominator.
Clay Aiken
Newsweek
Spamalot
Broadway
Monty Python
The ConCLAYve
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Clay Aiken: 2007 - The Year in Review
Hey Clay,
Here we are once again, your internet fans, taking a look back at 2007 and seeing what you, and we, were up to. We did a lot this year!
You ended 2006 with a wonderful Christmas Tour that featured your marvelous voice and some off-the-cuff banter that had us rolling in the aisles. You showed us that you were a funny, bawdy man with a devilish sense of humor and we ate it up. But, as you know, after the tour was over, we wondered….when will we see you again? Actually we always wonder when we’ll see you again, but that’s pretty usual for us.
Anyhoo….January 28th was the 4th anniversary of your first appearance on American Idol. You remember that little show, don’t you? Heh. We sure do. We remember when a tall, skinny, red-headed kid walked out, all arms and elbows and blew us away with that voice. Four years, Clay.…and here we still are, still blown away by the voice, but by so much more. Your voice, your sense of humor, your kindness, your sarcasm (not everyone likes the sarcasm but a lot do), your foibles, yeah, you have them, and your philanthropic work. Which leads us into your work with UNICEF. At the end of January, you teamed up with Yahoo to promote UNICEF’s life-saving work throughout the world. You did a few Public Service Announcements for UNICEF and a wonderful PSA for the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus. You were still in the news from the end of 2006, featured in the ‘Inside Edition’ segment on ‘Celebrity Feuds’, recounting your ‘feud’ with Kelly Ripa. Geesh.
Your UNICEF work continued in February with an appearance on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, to speak about the Yahoo Awareness program, asking the public how we think we can get involved and participate in what UNICEF is doing. But before you got to talk about UNICEF, Diane played your Idol audition and with the help of a split screen, we got to see your reaction to your audition. You looked like you enjoyed it as much as we did. Well, maybe not quite as much. Too bad the judges didn’t say anything mean to you in that audition because we would have loved to see you be all feisty in their faces. Oh, well. And Clay, even though Jennifer Hudson got a Golden Globe (and eventually the Oscar), don’t worry, your time will come, we’re positive of that. What was really neat at the GMA appearance was the fan videos. We got to see the interview not only from the perspective of the GMA cameras, but also from the perspective of the audience through the lenses of some of our premiere Clackgatherers. And no, you’re not fat, Clay.
On Valentine’s Day, you made your annual date with Jimmy Kimmel, singing a Valentine song to us using candy hearts for your lyrics. The intro to that was priceless. You played the ‘not knowing what Kimmel was talking about’ bit to perfection. We loved it and we loved you for doing it. Oh, and we love Kimmel as well, but we think that February 2007 shall forevermore be known as the ‘blindingly white’ month. Clay, what in the world did you do to your teeth? *dons shades* Yes, They were so white, we nearly went blind just looking at you! We do have to say that even though your teeth look great, a lot of us miss the chicklets. Yeah, we have a word for your old teeth and some of us mourn the chicklets but as long as you’re happy with the new teeth, so are we. For the most part.
You also did an interview with ‘Be seen, Be Heard’ for ABC about UNICEF, talking about what we can do for UNICEF and about the plight of the children in Uganda, all kinds of things. That’s the kind of interview we like, the ones that are meaty and have really good questions asked of you and you have really good answers for them. And that they last for thirteen minutes. Yeah, we want more of those kinds of interviews.
You appeared as a co-host of the Mike and Juliet Show, the new morning show in New York City, where you judged Juliet’s karaoke singing, then danced with her. The funniest part? When you glued a picture to Juliet’s Diane Von Furstenberg dress and your reaction: "Oh my goodness, I've ruined another talk show!" Don’t know how good the Claymobile and the trivia segment went but any time we see you on TV, it’s a good day. But you gotta learn how to drive stick, Clay! It’s fun!
February wasn’t that busy for you, Clay, at least, not that we knew. Clear Channel premiered your video for ‘A Thousand Days’ and you made a guest appearance with Steven Curtis Chapman at the Winter Jam, singing ‘The Great Adventure’. Of course we have video. Did you ever doubt that? We loved it!
March was a very quiet month for you. Little did we know that you were preparing for a trip overseas for UNICEF. On March 31st, you hosted the ‘Champions for Change’ Gala in Raleigh to raise money for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. And raise money you did! Well over $300,000 that evening. Good job, Clay. That evening you were funny, charming, hilarious, and, when the bid for the autographed lyrics of ‘Lover All Alone’ fetched $55,000, a bit pensive for just a moment. And what was that ring thing? You know, the rings that you put in your mouth? Used your tongue to play with them? With that devilish look in your eye? You so know. By the way, a lot of us really, really, really loved the beard. You wear it well, Clay, but beard, stubble, or clean-shaven, we like you just the way you are.
April came ‘in like a lion’ with your trip to Afghanistan. Once again, for safety and security reasons, we didn’t know where you were going until after the fact. Some of us guessed but mostly we were hoping for safe travels. And once in Afghanistan, you ran into Diane Sawyer! What a coincidence! GMA ran some footage of you in the schools with the children, and in your native dress with the beard, you kind of looked like Jesu….never mind *g* One of the things we’ll remember most is your enthusiasm for the hope and promise that is Afghanistan and their thirst for education.
At the end of the month you received the Children’s Advocacy Award from The National Center for Learning Disabilities. Congratulations, Clay, keep using that voice of yours. The month ended with a wonderful interview on the Leonard Lopate show and a short segment on The Today Show, discussing your trip to Afghanistan. Um, Clay, your hair was pretty darn perfect on The Today Show. Yes, we can be shallow at times. We ended the month watching your Mother win a dance competition. What a ‘perfect’ song choice.
May brought us yet another Jimmy Kimmel appearance. You made your entrance and did most of the interview……on a horse. A HORSE! What a wild and crazy guy! We saw you in a skit with Kimmel on Dancing With the Stars. Heh. You could have grown your own moustache, Clay *wink* Then you went to Vancouver to appear at a private function with David Foster, Gov Ah-nold, and the Canadian Prime Minister.
June brought us the Pineapple Salad on The Martha Stewart Show repeat. Aww, that was just as cute the second time around. Clay Aiken, cooking his Grandmother’s recipe on National TV. A lot of us made that pineapple salad and most of us liked it. So did our friends and coworkers.
July and August had the Clay Aiken Soft Rock and a Hard Place Tour, or SRAHP Tour. We got us some ballads, we got us some orchestras, we got us some schmoop, and we got us some banter, but we also got us some George Jefferson looking like this tall, skinny pasty white boy, dancing furiously around the stage. We got us some ‘Back and ‘sprung, we got a Keith version of a virgin, we got a sexy tractor and a little country stomp, we got to party all night, Yeah, Yeah, we got an achey breakey heart, and we got whips and chains, we got……..WAIT A MINUTE! Whoa! Hold on there a minute, partner. Whips? Handcuffs? At a Clay Aiken concert. Praise the Lor….I mean, wow! Whips and handcuffs and Clay Aiken in the same breath? Yes, there is a God! *clears throat* Shall we continue? After we got Clay in handcuffs, we got to Beat It. Being a Clay Aiken fan these days is a good thing, yes it is *g*
The other thing the summer tour gave us was some of the most wonderful Meet and Greet experiences ever. Clay, they were perfect. Most of the fans have been saying for years that they’d just like a chance to sit down and talk to you for a few minutes. You eliminated the ‘stand in line like a robot, hi, shake hands, sign, pose, you need to leave’ feeling and really made the M&G’s feel warm and inviting. We hope you liked them as much as we do and we hope that they continue in the same vein in the future.
Um, what’s going on in the friendly skies, Clay? Where has that foot of yours been? We can’t imagine what it was like to wake up to a woman hitting you, but that little incident made all the major news sources for the next several days. It must have pissed you off but all we could do was shake our heads at the sloppy reporting which mentioned only half the truth.
In August, after the tour was over, we didn’t have to wonder when we’d see you again because we knew that you’d be taping ‘Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader’ (AYSTAFG) and the ‘Holiday on Ice’ TV Special (HOI). Of course, the fans attended both. AYSTAFG was especially fun as we read the re-caps, got the low-down, discussed hair and clothes and shoes, and when we realized how many questions you answered and how much money you won for TBAF, we were ecstatic! Another good job, Clay. We all made our pledges.
September was sort of a vast wasteland in the fandom. Since we didn’t have much of you, we had to content ourselves with discussing you and speculating over whether or not you were going to appear in Spamalot. I don’t know where that rumor first appeared but we had fun discussing what part you’d play. In fact, we had so much fun that you posted your second post on the ofc telling us that we crack you up and you don’t know where we get our crazy speculations. You laughed at us. Pfft, Clay, you know that we know that you know that we know where you are and what you do before you know it. Well, mostly we do, although you’ve been getting pret.ty darn good at hiding things lately. Another thing we speculated about was the press release from Kim Locke’s camp about the ‘Reunited Tour’ with you, Ruben, and Kim. Some fans hated the idea and were very vocal about it, some fans liked the idea and were very vocal about it but in the end, you had to blog that it wasn’t going to happen. You’re a very diplomatic man, Mr. Aiken.
October was a Clay-filled month! You appeared at the UNICEF launch of Jenna Bush’s book, ‘Ana’s Story: A Story of Hope’, and your appearance there spawned mentions on both ‘Inside Edition’ and The Insider’. A week later, you appeared, at least vocally, as the narrator of ‘American Idol Rewind, Season 2’. Let me tell you how happy we were just to hear that sweet, southern accent every week in our homes, and the short interviews were a lot of fun. But the biggest news?? We’d get to see AI in high-definition! Five years ago, HD was just a twinkle in someone’s eye and our capping and downloading equipment wasn’t the most sophisticated so most of our AI-Season 2 downloads are pretty crappy. Now we’ll get a chance to replace them with the HD version. Squeee! Although most of us don’t like the bad auditions and we’re waiting for the Top 12 to start, we do like seeing all the finalists like Ruben and Trenyce and KLO and Carmen and Rickey, Julia and Charles, Josh and Vanessa.
Also in October you asked us to submit stories and to be a part of your Christmas Tour. So we did. You can ask us to do just about anything and we’ll do it, well, mostly. So you asked. We answered. And answered. And we wrote and wrote and wrote and you blogged about it. And blogged. And blogged. Teacher!Clay! was out in full force. Be careful what you wish for, Clay, because we’ll give it to you. In spades. In the form of stories and stories and more stories. 1,500, 1,600, 2,000, 4,000, you kept changing the amount of stories that were submitted. Your eyes must have crossed several times during your readings of our memories. At first, I think we were a bit apprehensive about how the stories would work, if they would take away from our ClayTime on stage, but you managed to fit them in beautifully. Not everyone agreed with that assessment but most of us do. Some of us would still prefer that you gave us more of you on stage instead of the fans but as usual, you’ll do it your way. Although the individual notices came a bit late, and some of the reader substitutions didn’t work out, everything seemed to work on stage in the context of the concert. We just hope that, through our stories, you got to know us a bit; that you got to know some of your fans as individuals instead of the nameless faces populating the concerts.
The end of October brought us all to Avery Fisher Hall for ‘Neil Sedaka’s 50th Anniversary at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center’ and your powerhouse performance. According to all who attended, you brought the house down! As usual. Another job well done, Clay! Oh, and you snuck in a press release about one Mr. Clay Aiken joining the cast of Spamalot. Hmmm, remember, you laughed at our speculation, we cracked you up. He who laughs last, laughs best, mister *g*
On the 1st of November, FOX aired your AYSTAFG episode and America saw that you won $300,000! Way to go, Clay! Way to go! You could have won even more but as a prudent man, you chose to keep the money in hand rather than bet on a chimera. We think, in the end, you made the right decision. It was a really fun appearance for all of us. That day, while we were in front of our TV sets, you were at Yale University, speaking on the importance of geography in children’s education along with the keynote speaker, the Ambassador of Indonesia. You keep good company, Clay. You are a ‘quality human being and a man of character’. And yes, we have video. Not fan video because that time you kept it quiet, but we do have the downloads of the local TV news who covered it. 
On the 6th, you taped “Capital One’s Holiday Celebration on Ice” featuring Olympic Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen, to be aired on Christmas day. We were in attendance. Lots of us were in attendance and we got, yep, you guessed it, video. It was so good to see you again and you did a really good job. We think some of the skaters had a teeny crush on you, Clay. We know ‘smitten’ when we see it.
For the next 20 days, we didn’t see you. You were probably putting in hours upon hours of rehearsal time for the upcoming tour, well, four days worth, per your blog. At least you were putting in thousands of hours blogging about how we don’t follow directions, how our stories were too long, or too short, or how we may be asked for audio submissions. But you were also blogging about how we’re helping you make new lasting Christmas memories. That’s a really nice thing to say. One thing, Clay. When you asked us to wear all black, five days before the first concert, there was a slight panic because women, you know, those wonderful creatures that are foreign to most men, women plan their outfits w-a-y in advance. Just a little reminder for the next time. What? It’ll be a cold day in hell before you ask us for stories again? Heh. Bite your tongue.
Happy birthday Clay! There were many different ideas thrown out on the ofc as to what to get you for your birthday, some a bit far-fetched, but one idea took hold and the fandom went with it. One of your fans proposed a book drive in your name to benefit the Kalamazoo Public School System. The Kalamazoo Communities in School helped to coordinate the book drive. In the end, there were 1,216 books and $685 worth of gift cards collected for your birthday. You have some of the most amazing fans on this earth.
On November 26th into December, the ‘Christmas in the Heartland’ tour rolled across, if not America, then certainly ClayLand, to the delight of those of us on the east coast and in the Midwest, but to the despair to those of us on the west coast. Some of us were disappointed that you didn’t banter, that the concerts this year were a bit more reverent than last year, but you were in great voice, Clay. Angela and Quiana sounded wonderful, and Jesse’s scores were really brilliant. This had to be the Tour of the Hair because it seems that in each city, it was a different style and a different color. Please tell Jamie that she did a really good job, especially towards the end of the tour. Also this tour was the Tour of the Glasses. Speculation on the boards is that you’re going to get Lasik so you don’t have to worry about glasses or contacts on Broadway. Come on, Clay, you can tell us. We won’t tell a soul.
Back to the tour. The readings went well, the body count wasn’t that high, and the M&G’s were the same as the summer tour. The fans that were chosen to read their stories all did a wonderful job and the stories flowed into the songs, just as you predicted. You really gave us a lot of information in the M&G’s this year, too. They were open, informal, informative, and in the case of Morristown, eye-opening. Yes, most of the fandom is talking about that M&G. We have the re-caps from the fans in attendance so we know what happened. I guess we’re just sorry that you had to deal with something so unpleasant.
We’re going to end this re-cap as we began it, with UNICEF. Once the Tour ended, you left for Mexico with your mom, Faye, and your brother, Brett, doing one of the things that you do best, inspiring people to help those in need and to donate their time and/or money for those causes that affect children the world over. Your visit received very good media coverage this trip, Clay. At the same time that you were in Mexico, UNICEF ran their ‘Help Clay raise $100,000 by December 31st’ fund-raising campaign. It was such a short time period and at an especially rough time for a lot of families, but you know what? You did it! We did it! The $100,000 mark was reached around 4:30 pm eastern time, December 31st, just in time for those of us on the boards to celebrate before leaving for our New Years festivities. The total amount is around $109,665 as we write this. We bet UNICEF just loves you to pieces. We do, too.
Usually we wonder, after the Christmas tour is over, when we will see you again. This year, we don’t have to wonder. A lot of us will be at The Shubert Theater on January 18, 2008, for your Broadway debut. We know that you’ll be wonderful in your role as Sir Robin and that the cast will love you as we do, but allow us to be just a tad nervous for you. It’s a big step you’re taking, career-wise, and we wish you all the luck in the world and we hope that you ‘break a leg’ in stage parlance. We also hope that you’ll do the stage door thingy because we’ll be out there, freezing our buns off, right there waiting.
For 2008, Clay, we wish you health and happiness, love and fulfillment, family and good friends, continued personal and career success. We wish you all that you desire for yourself, your family and friends, and the children throughout the world who need it. We wish you contentment and happiness. And we’re going to be a bit selfish and wish you a Pop CD in the first half of 2008, radio play, and a kick-ass summer tour. But most of all, we wish you love.
~Your internet friends
Clay Aiken
American idol
Martha Stewart
Tyra Banks
Jimmy Kimmel
Diane Sawyer
Neil Sedaka
UNICEF
Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader
Here we are once again, your internet fans, taking a look back at 2007 and seeing what you, and we, were up to. We did a lot this year!
You ended 2006 with a wonderful Christmas Tour that featured your marvelous voice and some off-the-cuff banter that had us rolling in the aisles. You showed us that you were a funny, bawdy man with a devilish sense of humor and we ate it up. But, as you know, after the tour was over, we wondered….when will we see you again? Actually we always wonder when we’ll see you again, but that’s pretty usual for us.
Anyhoo….January 28th was the 4th anniversary of your first appearance on American Idol. You remember that little show, don’t you? Heh. We sure do. We remember when a tall, skinny, red-headed kid walked out, all arms and elbows and blew us away with that voice. Four years, Clay.…and here we still are, still blown away by the voice, but by so much more. Your voice, your sense of humor, your kindness, your sarcasm (not everyone likes the sarcasm but a lot do), your foibles, yeah, you have them, and your philanthropic work. Which leads us into your work with UNICEF. At the end of January, you teamed up with Yahoo to promote UNICEF’s life-saving work throughout the world. You did a few Public Service Announcements for UNICEF and a wonderful PSA for the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus. You were still in the news from the end of 2006, featured in the ‘Inside Edition’ segment on ‘Celebrity Feuds’, recounting your ‘feud’ with Kelly Ripa. Geesh.
Your UNICEF work continued in February with an appearance on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer, to speak about the Yahoo Awareness program, asking the public how we think we can get involved and participate in what UNICEF is doing. But before you got to talk about UNICEF, Diane played your Idol audition and with the help of a split screen, we got to see your reaction to your audition. You looked like you enjoyed it as much as we did. Well, maybe not quite as much. Too bad the judges didn’t say anything mean to you in that audition because we would have loved to see you be all feisty in their faces. Oh, well. And Clay, even though Jennifer Hudson got a Golden Globe (and eventually the Oscar), don’t worry, your time will come, we’re positive of that. What was really neat at the GMA appearance was the fan videos. We got to see the interview not only from the perspective of the GMA cameras, but also from the perspective of the audience through the lenses of some of our premiere Clackgatherers. And no, you’re not fat, Clay.On Valentine’s Day, you made your annual date with Jimmy Kimmel, singing a Valentine song to us using candy hearts for your lyrics. The intro to that was priceless. You played the ‘not knowing what Kimmel was talking about’ bit to perfection. We loved it and we loved you for doing it. Oh, and we love Kimmel as well, but we think that February 2007 shall forevermore be known as the ‘blindingly white’ month. Clay, what in the world did you do to your teeth? *dons shades* Yes, They were so white, we nearly went blind just looking at you! We do have to say that even though your teeth look great, a lot of us miss the chicklets. Yeah, we have a word for your old teeth and some of us mourn the chicklets but as long as you’re happy with the new teeth, so are we. For the most part.
You also did an interview with ‘Be seen, Be Heard’ for ABC about UNICEF, talking about what we can do for UNICEF and about the plight of the children in Uganda, all kinds of things. That’s the kind of interview we like, the ones that are meaty and have really good questions asked of you and you have really good answers for them. And that they last for thirteen minutes. Yeah, we want more of those kinds of interviews.
You appeared as a co-host of the Mike and Juliet Show, the new morning show in New York City, where you judged Juliet’s karaoke singing, then danced with her. The funniest part? When you glued a picture to Juliet’s Diane Von Furstenberg dress and your reaction: "Oh my goodness, I've ruined another talk show!" Don’t know how good the Claymobile and the trivia segment went but any time we see you on TV, it’s a good day. But you gotta learn how to drive stick, Clay! It’s fun!
February wasn’t that busy for you, Clay, at least, not that we knew. Clear Channel premiered your video for ‘A Thousand Days’ and you made a guest appearance with Steven Curtis Chapman at the Winter Jam, singing ‘The Great Adventure’. Of course we have video. Did you ever doubt that? We loved it!
March was a very quiet month for you. Little did we know that you were preparing for a trip overseas for UNICEF. On March 31st, you hosted the ‘Champions for Change’ Gala in Raleigh to raise money for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. And raise money you did! Well over $300,000 that evening. Good job, Clay. That evening you were funny, charming, hilarious, and, when the bid for the autographed lyrics of ‘Lover All Alone’ fetched $55,000, a bit pensive for just a moment. And what was that ring thing? You know, the rings that you put in your mouth? Used your tongue to play with them? With that devilish look in your eye? You so know. By the way, a lot of us really, really, really loved the beard. You wear it well, Clay, but beard, stubble, or clean-shaven, we like you just the way you are.
April came ‘in like a lion’ with your trip to Afghanistan. Once again, for safety and security reasons, we didn’t know where you were going until after the fact. Some of us guessed but mostly we were hoping for safe travels. And once in Afghanistan, you ran into Diane Sawyer! What a coincidence! GMA ran some footage of you in the schools with the children, and in your native dress with the beard, you kind of looked like Jesu….never mind *g* One of the things we’ll remember most is your enthusiasm for the hope and promise that is Afghanistan and their thirst for education.
At the end of the month you received the Children’s Advocacy Award from The National Center for Learning Disabilities. Congratulations, Clay, keep using that voice of yours. The month ended with a wonderful interview on the Leonard Lopate show and a short segment on The Today Show, discussing your trip to Afghanistan. Um, Clay, your hair was pretty darn perfect on The Today Show. Yes, we can be shallow at times. We ended the month watching your Mother win a dance competition. What a ‘perfect’ song choice.
May brought us yet another Jimmy Kimmel appearance. You made your entrance and did most of the interview……on a horse. A HORSE! What a wild and crazy guy! We saw you in a skit with Kimmel on Dancing With the Stars. Heh. You could have grown your own moustache, Clay *wink* Then you went to Vancouver to appear at a private function with David Foster, Gov Ah-nold, and the Canadian Prime Minister.June brought us the Pineapple Salad on The Martha Stewart Show repeat. Aww, that was just as cute the second time around. Clay Aiken, cooking his Grandmother’s recipe on National TV. A lot of us made that pineapple salad and most of us liked it. So did our friends and coworkers.
July and August had the Clay Aiken Soft Rock and a Hard Place Tour, or SRAHP Tour. We got us some ballads, we got us some orchestras, we got us some schmoop, and we got us some banter, but we also got us some George Jefferson looking like this tall, skinny pasty white boy, dancing furiously around the stage. We got us some ‘Back and ‘sprung, we got a Keith version of a virgin, we got a sexy tractor and a little country stomp, we got to party all night, Yeah, Yeah, we got an achey breakey heart, and we got whips and chains, we got……..WAIT A MINUTE! Whoa! Hold on there a minute, partner. Whips? Handcuffs? At a Clay Aiken concert. Praise the Lor….I mean, wow! Whips and handcuffs and Clay Aiken in the same breath? Yes, there is a God! *clears throat* Shall we continue? After we got Clay in handcuffs, we got to Beat It. Being a Clay Aiken fan these days is a good thing, yes it is *g*The other thing the summer tour gave us was some of the most wonderful Meet and Greet experiences ever. Clay, they were perfect. Most of the fans have been saying for years that they’d just like a chance to sit down and talk to you for a few minutes. You eliminated the ‘stand in line like a robot, hi, shake hands, sign, pose, you need to leave’ feeling and really made the M&G’s feel warm and inviting. We hope you liked them as much as we do and we hope that they continue in the same vein in the future.
Um, what’s going on in the friendly skies, Clay? Where has that foot of yours been? We can’t imagine what it was like to wake up to a woman hitting you, but that little incident made all the major news sources for the next several days. It must have pissed you off but all we could do was shake our heads at the sloppy reporting which mentioned only half the truth.In August, after the tour was over, we didn’t have to wonder when we’d see you again because we knew that you’d be taping ‘Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader’ (AYSTAFG) and the ‘Holiday on Ice’ TV Special (HOI). Of course, the fans attended both. AYSTAFG was especially fun as we read the re-caps, got the low-down, discussed hair and clothes and shoes, and when we realized how many questions you answered and how much money you won for TBAF, we were ecstatic! Another good job, Clay. We all made our pledges.
September was sort of a vast wasteland in the fandom. Since we didn’t have much of you, we had to content ourselves with discussing you and speculating over whether or not you were going to appear in Spamalot. I don’t know where that rumor first appeared but we had fun discussing what part you’d play. In fact, we had so much fun that you posted your second post on the ofc telling us that we crack you up and you don’t know where we get our crazy speculations. You laughed at us. Pfft, Clay, you know that we know that you know that we know where you are and what you do before you know it. Well, mostly we do, although you’ve been getting pret.ty darn good at hiding things lately. Another thing we speculated about was the press release from Kim Locke’s camp about the ‘Reunited Tour’ with you, Ruben, and Kim. Some fans hated the idea and were very vocal about it, some fans liked the idea and were very vocal about it but in the end, you had to blog that it wasn’t going to happen. You’re a very diplomatic man, Mr. Aiken.
October was a Clay-filled month! You appeared at the UNICEF launch of Jenna Bush’s book, ‘Ana’s Story: A Story of Hope’, and your appearance there spawned mentions on both ‘Inside Edition’ and The Insider’. A week later, you appeared, at least vocally, as the narrator of ‘American Idol Rewind, Season 2’. Let me tell you how happy we were just to hear that sweet, southern accent every week in our homes, and the short interviews were a lot of fun. But the biggest news?? We’d get to see AI in high-definition! Five years ago, HD was just a twinkle in someone’s eye and our capping and downloading equipment wasn’t the most sophisticated so most of our AI-Season 2 downloads are pretty crappy. Now we’ll get a chance to replace them with the HD version. Squeee! Although most of us don’t like the bad auditions and we’re waiting for the Top 12 to start, we do like seeing all the finalists like Ruben and Trenyce and KLO and Carmen and Rickey, Julia and Charles, Josh and Vanessa.Also in October you asked us to submit stories and to be a part of your Christmas Tour. So we did. You can ask us to do just about anything and we’ll do it, well, mostly. So you asked. We answered. And answered. And we wrote and wrote and wrote and you blogged about it. And blogged. And blogged. Teacher!Clay! was out in full force. Be careful what you wish for, Clay, because we’ll give it to you. In spades. In the form of stories and stories and more stories. 1,500, 1,600, 2,000, 4,000, you kept changing the amount of stories that were submitted. Your eyes must have crossed several times during your readings of our memories. At first, I think we were a bit apprehensive about how the stories would work, if they would take away from our ClayTime on stage, but you managed to fit them in beautifully. Not everyone agreed with that assessment but most of us do. Some of us would still prefer that you gave us more of you on stage instead of the fans but as usual, you’ll do it your way. Although the individual notices came a bit late, and some of the reader substitutions didn’t work out, everything seemed to work on stage in the context of the concert. We just hope that, through our stories, you got to know us a bit; that you got to know some of your fans as individuals instead of the nameless faces populating the concerts.
The end of October brought us all to Avery Fisher Hall for ‘Neil Sedaka’s 50th Anniversary at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center’ and your powerhouse performance. According to all who attended, you brought the house down! As usual. Another job well done, Clay! Oh, and you snuck in a press release about one Mr. Clay Aiken joining the cast of Spamalot. Hmmm, remember, you laughed at our speculation, we cracked you up. He who laughs last, laughs best, mister *g*
On the 1st of November, FOX aired your AYSTAFG episode and America saw that you won $300,000! Way to go, Clay! Way to go! You could have won even more but as a prudent man, you chose to keep the money in hand rather than bet on a chimera. We think, in the end, you made the right decision. It was a really fun appearance for all of us. That day, while we were in front of our TV sets, you were at Yale University, speaking on the importance of geography in children’s education along with the keynote speaker, the Ambassador of Indonesia. You keep good company, Clay. You are a ‘quality human being and a man of character’. And yes, we have video. Not fan video because that time you kept it quiet, but we do have the downloads of the local TV news who covered it. 
On the 6th, you taped “Capital One’s Holiday Celebration on Ice” featuring Olympic Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen, to be aired on Christmas day. We were in attendance. Lots of us were in attendance and we got, yep, you guessed it, video. It was so good to see you again and you did a really good job. We think some of the skaters had a teeny crush on you, Clay. We know ‘smitten’ when we see it.For the next 20 days, we didn’t see you. You were probably putting in hours upon hours of rehearsal time for the upcoming tour, well, four days worth, per your blog. At least you were putting in thousands of hours blogging about how we don’t follow directions, how our stories were too long, or too short, or how we may be asked for audio submissions. But you were also blogging about how we’re helping you make new lasting Christmas memories. That’s a really nice thing to say. One thing, Clay. When you asked us to wear all black, five days before the first concert, there was a slight panic because women, you know, those wonderful creatures that are foreign to most men, women plan their outfits w-a-y in advance. Just a little reminder for the next time. What? It’ll be a cold day in hell before you ask us for stories again? Heh. Bite your tongue.
Happy birthday Clay! There were many different ideas thrown out on the ofc as to what to get you for your birthday, some a bit far-fetched, but one idea took hold and the fandom went with it. One of your fans proposed a book drive in your name to benefit the Kalamazoo Public School System. The Kalamazoo Communities in School helped to coordinate the book drive. In the end, there were 1,216 books and $685 worth of gift cards collected for your birthday. You have some of the most amazing fans on this earth.
On November 26th into December, the ‘Christmas in the Heartland’ tour rolled across, if not America, then certainly ClayLand, to the delight of those of us on the east coast and in the Midwest, but to the despair to those of us on the west coast. Some of us were disappointed that you didn’t banter, that the concerts this year were a bit more reverent than last year, but you were in great voice, Clay. Angela and Quiana sounded wonderful, and Jesse’s scores were really brilliant. This had to be the Tour of the Hair because it seems that in each city, it was a different style and a different color. Please tell Jamie that she did a really good job, especially towards the end of the tour. Also this tour was the Tour of the Glasses. Speculation on the boards is that you’re going to get Lasik so you don’t have to worry about glasses or contacts on Broadway. Come on, Clay, you can tell us. We won’t tell a soul.
Back to the tour. The readings went well, the body count wasn’t that high, and the M&G’s were the same as the summer tour. The fans that were chosen to read their stories all did a wonderful job and the stories flowed into the songs, just as you predicted. You really gave us a lot of information in the M&G’s this year, too. They were open, informal, informative, and in the case of Morristown, eye-opening. Yes, most of the fandom is talking about that M&G. We have the re-caps from the fans in attendance so we know what happened. I guess we’re just sorry that you had to deal with something so unpleasant.
We’re going to end this re-cap as we began it, with UNICEF. Once the Tour ended, you left for Mexico with your mom, Faye, and your brother, Brett, doing one of the things that you do best, inspiring people to help those in need and to donate their time and/or money for those causes that affect children the world over. Your visit received very good media coverage this trip, Clay. At the same time that you were in Mexico, UNICEF ran their ‘Help Clay raise $100,000 by December 31st’ fund-raising campaign. It was such a short time period and at an especially rough time for a lot of families, but you know what? You did it! We did it! The $100,000 mark was reached around 4:30 pm eastern time, December 31st, just in time for those of us on the boards to celebrate before leaving for our New Years festivities. The total amount is around $109,665 as we write this. We bet UNICEF just loves you to pieces. We do, too.
Usually we wonder, after the Christmas tour is over, when we will see you again. This year, we don’t have to wonder. A lot of us will be at The Shubert Theater on January 18, 2008, for your Broadway debut. We know that you’ll be wonderful in your role as Sir Robin and that the cast will love you as we do, but allow us to be just a tad nervous for you. It’s a big step you’re taking, career-wise, and we wish you all the luck in the world and we hope that you ‘break a leg’ in stage parlance. We also hope that you’ll do the stage door thingy because we’ll be out there, freezing our buns off, right there waiting.For 2008, Clay, we wish you health and happiness, love and fulfillment, family and good friends, continued personal and career success. We wish you all that you desire for yourself, your family and friends, and the children throughout the world who need it. We wish you contentment and happiness. And we’re going to be a bit selfish and wish you a Pop CD in the first half of 2008, radio play, and a kick-ass summer tour. But most of all, we wish you love.
~Your internet friends
Clay Aiken
American idol
Martha Stewart
Tyra Banks
Jimmy Kimmel
Diane Sawyer
Neil Sedaka
UNICEF
Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader
Monday, December 24, 2007
Clay Aiken: Merry Christmas, with Love
It's just another Christmas Eve. Tonight I baked cookies and surfed the message boards, played some games, let the dog in and out, in and out, in and out. Tomorrow I eat dinner at my brother's house and my nephew's going to come. I haven't seen him for a year. He's in law school in Indiana. Tomorrow we'll visit my dad in the nursing home. His alzheimer's in what the doctors call 'end-stage' but he's happy and relatively healthy and sings all day long.
I don't have a big family. One brother here, one brother in Houston, dad in the nursing home, a cousin close by and another cousin in France. The holidays aren't a big deal to me, in fact, I can truthfully say that they really don't mean anything to me, just another day to get by, eat a good dinner, and get together with the few relatives in my life.
I look back at Christmases past and think of the good times we had as children. I remember the year my dad was putting toys together at 3:00 am and didn't have a tool so he threw on an old ratty coat, got in his car and drove to his store to get what he needed. The cops saw him jiggling the lock, trying to get the key in the door and almost arrested him for breaking and entering. And the year the angel hair over the fireplace caught fire. My mom yelled out 'the house is on fire' and ran out, leaving all of us to deal with it. Or the year when she persuaded my father to put up all green and blue lights around the roof of the house and once he had them up, she didn't like them so he took them all down and put up the multicolored ones.
I remember the year I had my tonsils out and the next morning waking up with a nose bleed, a serious nose bleed where the blood was pouring out of my nose. My older brother took me into the bathroom and woke my parents. I ruined the brand new carpet that year and it had to be replaced.
I remember the year that I got my first pair of skis. My first record player, my first TV. Funny, though, I never got that pony that I wanted so badly. I remember that every year we got our dad a pair of munsingwear pajamas and a tie. He had so many freaking ties!
This year, as I have the past four Christmases, I think about how my life has changed because of Clay Aiken. I remember going to my first concert in 20 years to see him, then of, course, I had to go again. And again. And again. 39 concerts later, I'm still planning on going to more. I've made so many friends and acquaintances because of Clay Aiken and this incredible fandom that has sprung up out of nowhere. I've discovered message boards and have met so many wonderful people at the concerts and pre and post-concert parties. I've seen some of my friends go to college, graduate, and get married! Others have passed away in the prime of their lives. Some live charmed lives yet others have problems that have made them stronger.
My cookies are baked, the food is in the refrigerator waiting for tomorrow, my dog is asleep at my feet. All I have left to do tonight is to roast the pine nuts and mix the home made salad dressing.
Clay is spending this Christmas holiday in Mexico, bring comfort to the flood victims and raising money for UNICEF. He's a good man with a good heart.
Clay, I'd offer you one of my chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, raspberry chocolate chip, macadamia nut cookies, but that would kill you, so *smack* hands out of the cookie jar!
Merry Christmas to my fellow Clay fans. I'll leave you with this message from Clay:
I don't have a big family. One brother here, one brother in Houston, dad in the nursing home, a cousin close by and another cousin in France. The holidays aren't a big deal to me, in fact, I can truthfully say that they really don't mean anything to me, just another day to get by, eat a good dinner, and get together with the few relatives in my life.
I look back at Christmases past and think of the good times we had as children. I remember the year my dad was putting toys together at 3:00 am and didn't have a tool so he threw on an old ratty coat, got in his car and drove to his store to get what he needed. The cops saw him jiggling the lock, trying to get the key in the door and almost arrested him for breaking and entering. And the year the angel hair over the fireplace caught fire. My mom yelled out 'the house is on fire' and ran out, leaving all of us to deal with it. Or the year when she persuaded my father to put up all green and blue lights around the roof of the house and once he had them up, she didn't like them so he took them all down and put up the multicolored ones.
I remember the year I had my tonsils out and the next morning waking up with a nose bleed, a serious nose bleed where the blood was pouring out of my nose. My older brother took me into the bathroom and woke my parents. I ruined the brand new carpet that year and it had to be replaced.
I remember the year that I got my first pair of skis. My first record player, my first TV. Funny, though, I never got that pony that I wanted so badly. I remember that every year we got our dad a pair of munsingwear pajamas and a tie. He had so many freaking ties!
This year, as I have the past four Christmases, I think about how my life has changed because of Clay Aiken. I remember going to my first concert in 20 years to see him, then of, course, I had to go again. And again. And again. 39 concerts later, I'm still planning on going to more. I've made so many friends and acquaintances because of Clay Aiken and this incredible fandom that has sprung up out of nowhere. I've discovered message boards and have met so many wonderful people at the concerts and pre and post-concert parties. I've seen some of my friends go to college, graduate, and get married! Others have passed away in the prime of their lives. Some live charmed lives yet others have problems that have made them stronger.
My cookies are baked, the food is in the refrigerator waiting for tomorrow, my dog is asleep at my feet. All I have left to do tonight is to roast the pine nuts and mix the home made salad dressing.
Clay is spending this Christmas holiday in Mexico, bring comfort to the flood victims and raising money for UNICEF. He's a good man with a good heart.
Clay, I'd offer you one of my chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, raspberry chocolate chip, macadamia nut cookies, but that would kill you, so *smack* hands out of the cookie jar!
Merry Christmas to my fellow Clay fans. I'll leave you with this message from Clay:
She leaned with her head on the window
Watching evergreen bend in the snow
Remembering Christmas the way it had been
So many seasons ago.
When children would reach for their stockings
And open the presents they found
The lights on the tree would shine bright in their eyes
Reflecting the love all around.
This year there's no one to open the gifts
No reason for trimming the tree
And just as a tear made it's way to the floor
She heard voices outside start to sing.
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas with love.
Carolers sang as she opened the door
Faces of friends in the crowd
And all of the shadows of lonely reminders
Driven away by the sound.
Now the heart that for years had been silent
Was suddenly filled with a song
As she clung to their hands like a child in the night
She found her self singing along.
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas with love
Friday, November 30, 2007
My Grown-up Birthday Wish for you, Clay
By Rockysmom............
Well, well, well Mr. Aiken. Today's your 29th birthday. I know that seems old to you, but trust me sweetie...I've got underwear older than that (I know,I know.... just a little too much info there *g*).
And once again we're blessed that you're celebrating it with us....those enthusiastic and creative females you've chosen to think of as your extended family. Hopefully sometime today you'll get a chance to blow out all those candles on a cake (free of mint, chocolate, and tree nuts, of course) and that the wish you make--and every other wish you hold in your heart--comes true.
This will be your last birthday as a "twenty-something". What changes this past decade years has wrought for you....you're no longer the young, painfully skinny, slightly geeky boy who had only flown in a plane and left his home state of North Carolina once.
You've matured into a handsome, sophisticated young man who has traveled the world, for business, for pleasure, and as an advocate for children's causes. That is one thing that hasn't changed about you as you head towards the "Big 30".... your commitment to helping others and inclusion for all. As you yourself have said...."the wrapping may have changed, but the gift is still the same". So today I'd like to humbly offer you "My Grown-Up Birthday Wish" (with apologies to David Foster):
Do you remember me?
I saw you on TV
I wrote to you of schoolgirl fantasies
Well you're all grown-up now
Your looks have changed (and how!)
You're not a child but my heart still can dream
So here's my life-long wish....my grown-up birthday list
Not for myself, but for someone I love....
No more lives torn apart
That rumors never start
And time can heal your heart
That you can always count on friends
That right will always win
And you find a love that never ends
This is my grown-up birthday wish
As children we believe
the grandest sight to see
Is something lovely tagged "From You--To Me"
But as our wisdom grows
Those packages and bows
Take second place to what's held in our hearts and souls
No more dreams torn apart
That lies and hatred never start
And time has healed your heart
That you are always surrounded by your friends
That right will always win
And you realize ...our love for you will never end.....
This is my grown-up birthday wish
Happy Birthday Clay.....Always and Forever.
Well, well, well Mr. Aiken. Today's your 29th birthday. I know that seems old to you, but trust me sweetie...I've got underwear older than that (I know,I know.... just a little too much info there *g*).
And once again we're blessed that you're celebrating it with us....those enthusiastic and creative females you've chosen to think of as your extended family. Hopefully sometime today you'll get a chance to blow out all those candles on a cake (free of mint, chocolate, and tree nuts, of course) and that the wish you make--and every other wish you hold in your heart--comes true.
This will be your last birthday as a "twenty-something". What changes this past decade years has wrought for you....you're no longer the young, painfully skinny, slightly geeky boy who had only flown in a plane and left his home state of North Carolina once.
You've matured into a handsome, sophisticated young man who has traveled the world, for business, for pleasure, and as an advocate for children's causes. That is one thing that hasn't changed about you as you head towards the "Big 30".... your commitment to helping others and inclusion for all. As you yourself have said...."the wrapping may have changed, but the gift is still the same". So today I'd like to humbly offer you "My Grown-Up Birthday Wish" (with apologies to David Foster):Do you remember me?
I saw you on TV
I wrote to you of schoolgirl fantasies
Well you're all grown-up now
Your looks have changed (and how!)
You're not a child but my heart still can dream
So here's my life-long wish....my grown-up birthday list
Not for myself, but for someone I love....
No more lives torn apart
That rumors never start
And time can heal your heart
That you can always count on friends
That right will always win
And you find a love that never ends
This is my grown-up birthday wish
As children we believe
the grandest sight to see
Is something lovely tagged "From You--To Me"
But as our wisdom grows
Those packages and bows
Take second place to what's held in our hearts and souls
No more dreams torn apart
That lies and hatred never start
And time has healed your heart
That you are always surrounded by your friends
That right will always win
And you realize ...our love for you will never end.....
This is my grown-up birthday wish
Happy Birthday Clay.....Always and Forever.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Clay Aiken's list of things to do before the Christmas Tour
By Rockysmom..........
Things to do before the CITH tour starts......
1) Right before the tour starts....blog to my cra...I mean creative fans that my hard-drive has crashed and I've lost all of their touching, heart-warming stories about love, redemption, eggnog, donkey poop, and what-not. Since there won't be time for me start over, we'll just have to do the show without their participation this year. Whew. That was a close one.
2) Have Mary smack me upside the head if I ever come up with an idea like that one again.
3) Double check to make sure Jesse and Sean have bought all the kazoos within 500 miles of Michigan so there won't be any birthday serenades. At least not on those things.
4) Make sure Jerome knows not to accept any gifts of jewelry from my fans. Especially ones engraved with sayings in foreign languages. I have enough trouble with Espanyolee, I don't have time to learn anything else. Unless it's Malaysian, I'm mucho goodo with that one.
5) Make sure he also knows not to accept any jars of formaldehyde with pickled body parts inside. Just in case somebody finally got rid of that gallbladder that's been bothering them. Nuff said.
6) Tell Momma one.more.time. that we really don't have room for that pouffy ottoman on the tour bus. Durham will just have to lift his leg against something else.
7)Speaking of Momma, make sure she changes her email address so my fans can't complain to her that I've said "crotch" or "balls" or talked about bodily functions while singing to Baby Jesus. At least Quiana shouldn't be getting any "fat letters" this time around. Speaking of which, make sure there's plenty of Breyers Peach Ice Cream on the bus.
8) Make sure Angela has plenty of Midol since I'm too busy preparing for Spamalot to have time to learn her song this tour. Same goes for Quiana.
9) Make sure the next time I call a tour "yada yada yada Heartland" that I know where the Heartland is and actually perform some shows there instead of doing them all in New Jersey.
10) Try to remember that I am not an angel and stop trying to priiiinnng things
11) Remember that those ladies at the Clack House aren't angels either, so no wearing lowrider jeans, especially ones with rivets. Thank the Lord there are no Christmas songs that include whips and chains. At least I'm hoping there's not. If there are any I'm sure that bunch will find them. HAHA.
12) Dig out that dictionary of Eye-talian musical terms and look up the ones with dirty meanings.
13) Tell Jaymes to stop talking about back-flashes. And her hot flashes too for that matter. And tell her that I have no intention of sliding down her chimney in Santa Monica. She doesn't even have a fireplace-what's up with that?
14) Practice getting my butt back up on stage after I jump into the audience.
15) Practice my video-taking technique just in case that lady with the Radio Shack in her purse is in the front row again. Then I can borrow one of her cameras and my Clack won't skip around. She might smack me if it does.
16) Speaking of getting abused....make sure all of my body parts are accounted for at all times during any flights. Don't want to have to explain things to the FBI again. Or to Momma. Whichever is worse.
17) Shave the hair off several of my appendages so my fans will be too busy speculating about that to ask me any questions about the new CD during the Meet & Greet's.
18) Make sure I have a warm coat and scarf to wear so I can walk the line as often as possible to thank my fans and show them how much I love them.
Once again, thanks to all the Clackgatherers. Without them, this fandom would be the poorer.
Things to do before the CITH tour starts......
1) Right before the tour starts....blog to my cra...I mean creative fans that my hard-drive has crashed and I've lost all of their touching, heart-warming stories about love, redemption, eggnog, donkey poop, and what-not. Since there won't be time for me start over, we'll just have to do the show without their participation this year. Whew. That was a close one.
2) Have Mary smack me upside the head if I ever come up with an idea like that one again.3) Double check to make sure Jesse and Sean have bought all the kazoos within 500 miles of Michigan so there won't be any birthday serenades. At least not on those things.
4) Make sure Jerome knows not to accept any gifts of jewelry from my fans. Especially ones engraved with sayings in foreign languages. I have enough trouble with Espanyolee, I don't have time to learn anything else. Unless it's Malaysian, I'm mucho goodo with that one.
5) Make sure he also knows not to accept any jars of formaldehyde with pickled body parts inside. Just in case somebody finally got rid of that gallbladder that's been bothering them. Nuff said.6) Tell Momma one.more.time. that we really don't have room for that pouffy ottoman on the tour bus. Durham will just have to lift his leg against something else.
7)Speaking of Momma, make sure she changes her email address so my fans can't complain to her that I've said "crotch" or "balls" or talked about bodily functions while singing to Baby Jesus. At least Quiana shouldn't be getting any "fat letters" this time around. Speaking of which, make sure there's plenty of Breyers Peach Ice Cream on the bus.8) Make sure Angela has plenty of Midol since I'm too busy preparing for Spamalot to have time to learn her song this tour. Same goes for Quiana.
9) Make sure the next time I call a tour "yada yada yada Heartland" that I know where the Heartland is and actually perform some shows there instead of doing them all in New Jersey.10) Try to remember that I am not an angel and stop trying to priiiinnng things
11) Remember that those ladies at the Clack House aren't angels either, so no wearing lowrider jeans, especially ones with rivets. Thank the Lord there are no Christmas songs that include whips and chains. At least I'm hoping there's not. If there are any I'm sure that bunch will find them. HAHA.12) Dig out that dictionary of Eye-talian musical terms and look up the ones with dirty meanings.
13) Tell Jaymes to stop talking about back-flashes. And her hot flashes too for that matter. And tell her that I have no intention of sliding down her chimney in Santa Monica. She doesn't even have a fireplace-what's up with that?
14) Practice getting my butt back up on stage after I jump into the audience.
15) Practice my video-taking technique just in case that lady with the Radio Shack in her purse is in the front row again. Then I can borrow one of her cameras and my Clack won't skip around. She might smack me if it does.16) Speaking of getting abused....make sure all of my body parts are accounted for at all times during any flights. Don't want to have to explain things to the FBI again. Or to Momma. Whichever is worse.
17) Shave the hair off several of my appendages so my fans will be too busy speculating about that to ask me any questions about the new CD during the Meet & Greet's.
18) Make sure I have a warm coat and scarf to wear so I can walk the line as often as possible to thank my fans and show them how much I love them.Once again, thanks to all the Clackgatherers. Without them, this fandom would be the poorer.
Friday, November 09, 2007
For a Good Time, call 1-800-Clay-Aiken
I mean, seriously, where else could one find so much fun and entertainment? There are message Boards, concerts, TV appearances, speeches, charities, news groups, interviews, MySpace pages, montages, YouTube videos, Clack, the list is endless. One of my favorite saying is this: You can't get better entertainment for the price of the internet!
Let's start with TV. First there was American Idol where we got to see this young man, I mean really young man, every week, singing his heart out, flat ironing his hair, trying on different outfits, making commercials for the show, talking to the Jaded Journalist and Ryan Seacrest. Did I mention singing his heart out? Clay knew how to play the game, yet he did it so wonderfully and never lost sight of who he was that he endeared himself to us.
Then came the TV appearances, the morning shows, the afternoon talk shows, the late night shows, Clay cooked for us on Martha Stewart, he mugged for us on Saturday Night Live, he flirted with Tyra Banks and we crushed on him. He helped Oprah make a wildest dream come true, he turned the tables on Jimmy Kimmel and he made Diane Sawyer swoon.
Then he went on tour. And he never stopped. The AI Tour, the Jingle Ball tour, the Independent Tour, the Not-a-Tour, the Joyful Noise Tour (JNT), the Jukebox tour, the JNT05, the JNT06, the Soft Rock and a Hard Place tour, and soon to come, the Christmas in the Heartland tour. The guy is a tireless touring machine! And why not? The man sells tickets, he puts butts in the seats, he puts on a show that rivals the old-time entertainers, the kind of show that includes singing, dancing, and comedy. He interacts with the audience with a sense of comedic timing that's instinctive. And funny. Very, very funny. And that voice. That marvelous, marvelous voice. That voice has captivated millions, turned women into goo, made men sit up and take notice; that voice is a once-in-a-lifetime voice.And the Clack. Of every single show, almost very single appearance, every single public event that Clay has done, there is Clack.
Clack, glorious Clack!
We're anxious to watch it.
Three hours a day, our favorite diet.
Videos, montages, and fabulous songs
What next is the question
Rich, wonderful Clackathons
All-night sessions!
Ahem, forgive me for I digress.....
Where were we? Ah, yes, celebrating the entertainment that is Clay Aiken.
Clay just finished appearing on 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader', taking part in a tribute to Neil Sedaka at Lincoln Center, singing Christmas songs to world-class skaters to be broadcast on Christmas Day, giving a lecture at Yale on the importance of teaching geography and he's preparing to go on his tenth tour in less than five years. In those 'less than five years' he also found time to become a UNICEF Ambassador and visit Indonesia, Uganda, and Afghanistan and to participate as an Advisor to the Bush Administration's President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Oh, and graduate from college.Like I said earlier: You can't get better entertainment for the price of the internet!
Clay Aiken
American idol
Martha Stewart
Tyra Banks
Jimmy Kimmel
Diane Sawyer
Oprah Winfrey
Neil Sedaka
Yale
UNICEF
Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader
President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Friday, October 26, 2007
Clay Aiken at Lincoln Center
Tonight, Clay Aiken made his debut at Lincoln Center as part of 'Neil Sedaka: 50 Years of Hits. According to the reports, Clay looked fabulous, the hair was perfect, the suit was perfect, the cheekbones were perfect. David Foster accompianied Clay singing 'Solitaire' and high-fived him as he left the stage.
According to Corabeth:
David said, when you write a great song you can sing it a Thousand Different Ways. He started to introduce Clay and stopped and said, "no need to go through all that -- Clay Aiken." The crowd started standing on the glory note and by the time he finished the wail at the end, the entire audience was standing.
The excitement on the message boards was contagious as poster after poster after fan expressed their excitement and glee as the reports started to trickle in.
Brightstar summed it up perfectly:
Being a Clay fan is just the most fun in the world! --listening to a muffled CV cellstream and sharing gahs and giggles and sighs and sobs with fans literally across the world, brought together by love and appreciation for an amazing man with an indescribably beautiful voice.
Thank God for modern technology because it can allow a huge group of really good people to come together, take a cyber trip to NY, and hear (in real time or just a bit later) a really good man, standing in the midst of established celebrities and superstars, blow the roof off the place.
Perfectly said, Brightstar, perfectly said.
Clay Aiken
Neil Sedaka
Lincoln Center
Monday, September 24, 2007
Clay Aiken: What's next?
Clay Aiken is at a crossroad in his career. He released a pop album in 2003, a Christmas album in 2004, and a covers album in 2006. He's toured nine times and he appears on countless TV shows. He's definitely a TV personality and as an entertainer he's garnering an excellent reputation as a live act who can sell tickets and put butts in the seat. So, what's next?Clay has told us that he's working on a new CD and he has said that they are aiming for a Spring 2008 release date. His last CD was filled with cover songs, apparently a mandate from Clive Davis. From what I understand, Clay fought hard to include four original songs on the CD and two songs available by download only, 'If You Don't Know Me By Now' and the incredibly plaintive, Aiken-penned 'Lover All Alone'.
From some of Clay's remarks in his meet & greets during this last concert tour, it will be a CD of originals and, so far, he and RCA are on the same page.
Let's take a quick look back before we anticipate the future.
2003: Clay competed on American Idol and ended up in second place when Ruben Studdard triumphed as the Season 2 winner. There has been a lot of controversy over who really won that year because the vote was so close. Ruben has a wonderful voice, but something tells me that a lot of Clay fans just couldn't get through the inadequate phone lines.
After the show, Clay took off like a "rocketship to the stars' (tm Diane Sawyer). He toured the country with the AI2 tour, cut his first CD, 'Measure of a Man', which sold 613,000 copies the first week and was certified double platinum after the first week sales. He recorded a PrimeTime Live interview with Diane Sawyer, appeared on Oprah with Ruben and Season 1's Justin Guarini, appeared on countless TV shows, was on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, won a few awards, and ended the year touring with the Jingle Ball tour of various acts.2004: In Spring, Clay embarked on his first co-head-lining tour with Kelly Clarkson which made it's way across America. Later that summer, he toured again by himself, his first solo tour, with the fan-titled 'Not-a-Tour' or NaT, due to the fact that his PR person told a few fans that it was not a tour, just a few 'spot' dates, which then escalated into a full-blown tour.
In the fall, Clay released a book that he co-wrote with Alison Glock called "Learning to Sing, Hearing the Music in Your Life" that went to Number 2 on the New York Times Bestseller list and he followed that with his first Christmas album, 'Merry Christmas, With Love", which was the best-selling Christmas album of the year. Clay toured the Christmas CD calling the tour 'The Joyful Noise Tour', or JNT04, his first Christmas tour.
2005: The beginning of 2005 saw Clay take a step back from the spotlight, perhaps recharging his batteries after the whirlwind of 2003 & 2004. Unbeknownst to the fans, he was putting together his most ambitious tour of the time, the 'Jukebox' Tour, a musical journey through six decades of pop music, from Buddy Holly to Elvis to The Beatles to disco to Prince to Heart to the Goo-Goo Dolls to his own music. It was a musical marriage of talent and entertainment that far surpassed anything he had done previously.Clay toured his second Christmas Tour at the end of the year, this time by doing a musical play filled with vignettes that told the tale of a woman whose heart was opened through the friendship of a small boy and the love of her family and friends.
2006: We were expecting Clay's sophomore CD in 2006 and we heard rumblings that it would be a cover album of the greatest love songs. The fans want to hear Clay sing every song ever recorded but mostly, we want Clay to sing his OWN songs, so some of the fans were disappointed, yet others were ecstatic after hearing the tracks. The CD, 'A Thousand Different Ways', was released on September 19th with a kick-off on GMA. Clay sold over 200,00 the first week with sales totals to date of around 512,000. The CD went gold, but many considered it a disappointment when comparing it to the sales of 'Measure of a Man'.
Clay also mounted his third Christmas tour, this time, as a guest vocalist of many symphony orchestras, where they played the first half of the concert and Clay sang the second half. He also introduced banter in-between songs. Funny banter. Side-splittingly funny banter. Who knew that Clay Aiken could add stand-up comedian to his resume? The man is quick with a quip, plays to the audience while engaging them as part of his act, and is endearingly self-ingratiating. Clay released an EP consisting of four Christmas songs, Called 'All is Well' sold exclusively at Walmart. It sold out almost immediately and the title song is a vocal tour-de-force.
2007: Clay went on his 9th tour, the 'Symphony' tour, or, the Soft Rock and a Hard Place Tour in the summer of 2007. He performed with symphonies again because he loves the sound but realized that he couldn't sing just sloooooooow songs, so he mixed it up by doing a medley of TV Theme songs in the first half that got the audience singing along and laughing out loud at his George Jefferson parody. In the 2nd half, he performed a series of songs that one would never think could be done with a symphony. Songs like Justin Timberlake's 'Sexyback', Usher's 'Yeah', and Michael Jackson's 'Beat It', among others, which got the audience on it's feet, dancing and clapping and generally having a fantastic time. Oh, and he bantered some more and had us laughing so hard that we were crying.So.........what's next for Clay Aiken? Some fans are speculating that what he does next may offer a glimpse of what we will be seeing for the next 5 years or so. What I do know is Clay Aiken is talented and versatile and quick and charming and has one of the best voices in the world. I'd love to hear him on the radio. I'd love if he wrote more songs and I can't wait to discover what next he has in store for us.
Bring it, Clay!
As usual, thanks to all the Clackgatherers. Your contribution to this fandom is immeasurable.
Clay Aiken
RCA
American Idol
Ruben Studdard
PrimeTime Live
Diane Sawyer
Rolling Stone
Measure of a Man
A Thousand Different Ways
All is Well
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