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WRAL Transcript from Oct. 18 Interview

Thank you to Claymatron18!

WRAL Transcript
*Promo of NC State Fair Commercial*
Bill: Live in the studio, Clay Aiken is in the house. Last time we spoke with Clay we had him on the phone for our marathon for St. Luke’s Children’s hospital.
Sheri: You were in Kalamazoo!
Clay Aiken: Where was I? I don’t even remember.
Sheri: You were in Kalamazoo and our big debate was whether it was central time or eastern time.
CA: I don’t even know.
SHERI: Oh it was a big debate. (Bill agrees)
CA: I don’t even pay attention to the clock. I just wake up when the phone rings and they say its time for a show.
SHERI: Well uh… and I uhh.. believe that because we saw each other at the airport last week. And uh…
CA: Was it last week? Already?
SHERI: Yes. Yes it was. Well Friday. It was Friday.
CA: Well that’s okay. I guess that’s last week.
SHERI: But the funny thing was he says “Oh you’re leaving town.” Well yeah. I’m in the airport.
CA: Well I didn’t know if you had gotten TSA. If you had any pull and you were just allowed to hang out in the airport.
SHERI: You obviously don’t listen Clay. We have no pull.
*Clay laughs*
SHERI: So Clay says, “Oh, so you’re not gonna be here for the show tomorrow?” I said, “Well Clay, tomorrow’s Saturday. Your show’s… your shows are on Monday.” And he’s like, “Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah I knew that.”
CA: I don’t even know what day it is now. The only reason I know its Monday is ‘cause you just said so.
SHERI: Is that really how you live your life?
BILL: You’ve got to be kidding me.
SHERI: Is it just a blur?
CA: When I have a day, when I have a little bit of time off I kinda get a little bit back on the calendar but I don’t, I don’t really know. When we’re on the road… Today is Raleigh. And yes, on Saturday was Charlotte. And in 3 day it will be such and such a day. So that’s really how I kinda do it.
Sheri: Really. That’s crazy.
CA: What day was it in Kalamazoo?
Bill: Do you ever… do you ever on stage try to reference the town that you’re in and mess up?
CA: Um I’ve only done that one time I think. Is that right? The first 2 tours I went on I had no trouble whatsoever, other people messed up. And then we started in North Dakota this summer and I think… I think we got to South Dakota and I said (dorky voice) North Dakota! *everyone laughs* So from then on the crew has stuck a sticker with the name of the city on it… So I’m sure there will actually be one, I’m sure there will be one tonight that says Raleigh, North Carolina incase I forget. But I think I’ll remember.
Sheri: Yeah probably.
Bill: So set this record straight on this rumor I picked up on the web. Of course there’s all kinds of rumors and stuff.
CA: They do those there? Rumors?
Bill and Sheri together: Yeah.
Sheri: Gosh darn it. How bout that? And they’re all true you know.
Bill: You’re on stage… you’re on stage and this young lady had traveled numerous places to audition with Jerome and she finally got on stage. And you… she came out and she just blew you away. And you were stammerin’ and stutterin’. Turns out she had worked in Sunday school and is a teacher of young kids like you do. See you’re lookin at me like you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about.
CA: Well we actually-
Bill: Wasn’t it like in Pennsylvania or something?
CA: We have somebody sing on the show every night. Typically they’re very good.
Bill: Well the reports were that this one was like a special one. Has there been a special one?
CA: We had a very nice looking young lady in Illinois.
Bill: Okay there it is. Springfield, Illinois.
CA: Springfield, Illinois is that what it is? But umm yeah she was…
*everybody laughs*
Bill: Well that ends that rumor.
CA: This is great.
Sheri: Well she was a um… she was beauty queen.
CA: Thank God this is radio and not on tv. *laughing*
Bill: Yeah radio doesn’t go that far.
*Clay laughing*
Bill: *whispers* I don’t remember her name.
*Clay mutters something and laughs loudly*
Bill: Cause I came in and I said, “I think this is it. I think Clay has met this woman-“
CA: Well I did for a second think so but you know.
*Bill laughs loudly*
CA: *whispering* What was her name? Was it Sarah? No.
Sheri: Something like that. Well let’s go with that.
CA: It was a beautiful name what ever it was.
Sheri: Well she was… she was a beauty contestant type person-
CA: No, no, no. We had one of those. Oh yeah. She was um… She was in um.
Sheri: Oh we had one of those.
CA: *laughing* She was actually in a…in…Well they’re a breed to themselves to be honest with you. Miss America 2 years… and they’re all just quite interesting.
*laughter* Um… she um… Well I’m just runnin a… digging a hole today.
Sheri: Oh trust me we do it every day.
CA: *laughing* She was in umm Springfield, Massachusetts. We had a young lady who had come from Springfield, Massachusetts and she had done a bunch of uh… she had auditioned a few times for Jerome and had not made it up. But she actually was like a Miss Ohio or something.
Bill: No, no, no. Miss Licking (??) County.
CA: It’s Licking County, Ohio. Is that what it was?
Bill: Yup.
CA: I remember her.
Sheri: Is it Monday?
CA: Yup its Raleigh.
Sheri: *laughing* Oh right. It’s Raleigh. Wow. Okay. So anyway, no chemistry there. That’s what we’re getting.
CA: She’s married!
Bill (with Sheri laughing hysterically behind him): Oh really, cause that’s not what the web said.
CA: She had a ring on.
Sheri: He noticed that. So that was good.
Bill: He noticed that. So how long did it take you notice that?
CA: Well she came… Well pretty quickly. Cause you know, you have to know how to behave. Usually we ask the age… well we had a girl up in Charlotte the other night and I misbehaved a little bit more than I should have.
Bill: Oh Clay.
CA: Well it wasn’t bad but it was a little bit less appropriate than it should have been. We have one… we always have some one come up and dance. And uh... and We have a lady named Ethel whose come to a number of shows. And you know if you’re there this afternoon you’ll see if she’s there. She’s quite energetic to say the very least, she just gets into it. And so um… we brought her up on stage for the dance in Charlotte and I just had to stop the show because I was laughin at her. WITH HER. With her. With her.
Sheri: Of course.
CA: And um… she uh… she was um… so when the girl came up to sing, she happened to be from the same town Ethel was from. And I started commenting about it.
Sheri: Ethel?
CA: Ethel. Her name is Ethel. But she’s from Detroit. Which you would think she’s from Georgia or North Carolina but no. Ethel’s from Detroit. And so umm… we noticed uh and we were talking about Ethel and I started dancing on this girl, this girl who was singin. Poor innocent young lady who’s come here to sing a song and I started getting on her dancing. And it was very… um... I think it embarrassed everybody who was involved.
Sheri: Well what possessed you to do such-
CA: I don’t… I just was moved by the spirit or something. Who knows? But…
Sheri: Oh my gosh. Cause you’re angelic aren’t you?
CA: Always. *laughing* Always.
Sheri: That’s what we hear.
Bill: Now at the fair today at 3 and 7:30 I read an article in the News and Observer last week that you’re not a big fair rider. Fair rider.
CA: Well I didn’t used to be. When I was a kid I used to… oh I was terrified of everything. We’d go see the pigs and the hogs and the chickens and all that stuff. And I didn’t… I was afraid of the rides. If my mom could get me on the little tea cups or whatever but I was really… but now I’m all about it. This summer we did… uh… we went… Through the tour we did a lot of fairs. And I got to be quite the dare devil. I was doing the little… you know the 150 foot free fall drop. I was kinda proud of myself.
Sheri: The tilt-o-whirl. Oh I love the tilt-o-whirl.
CA: Now that will make you throw up.
Sheri: Oh! It’s the best and they’ve got one at the fair now that’s like the tilt-o-whirl but the bottom comes up so you are perpendicular to the ground and still spinning. Awesome.
Bill: Cintrivical force.
CA: Perpendicular… cintriv.. hold on. It’s been a while since I’ve been in school. Perpendicular that’s not… parallel then perpendicular. Gotcha. WOO!
Sheri: Parallel would be too much.
Bill: And something new to the state fair this year, maybe you’ve tried it at other state fairs but it’s new to the North Carolina state fair… Is deep fried banana pudding.
CA: Oh really?
Bill: Yeah.
Sheri: Puddin.
Bill: You like banana pudding?
CA: I do like banana pudding.
Bill: Nanna pudding.
CA: Its got Nilla Wafers in it.
Bill: You gotta have Nilla Wafers.
CA: But they um… fry everything. We were… *Bill laughing* You don’t like Nilla Wafers?
Sheri: No. I don’t like… You… you know what…I… I say this and then I get 6,000 emails. I know it’s sacrilegious, but no.
Bill: Wait a minute Sheri. Don’t answer that.
Sheri: Rotten bananas…
Bill: We ask the questions. Clay doesn’t ask the questions.
Sheri: Rotten bananas and Nilla Wafers as the crust just don’t do it for me.
CA: They’re not rotten bananas. They’re just…
Sheri: Ripe. Just over ripe.
CA: Over ripe that’s right.
Sheri: But anyway you know you deep fry it. Slap some mayonnaise on it I may try it.
CA: If you fry… EW! Slap some mayonnaise on it?
Bill: Exactly. Slap some mayonnaise on it…
CA: I like mayonnaise but on banana pudding?
Sheri: Put it on anything. Bark and I will eat it.
*Clay laughing*
Bill: Man. That is sick. Absolutely sick.
Sheri: Okay… so. Do you have a girlfriend?
CA: Not right now. My dog is unfortunately the only female in my life.
Bill: Oh yeah. How is Raleigh doing?
CA: She’s doing well. She’s umm... at my mom’s house this week.
Bill: Alright.
Sheri: Now would you ever date a fan? Or would that like… be too weird. I mean if someone… I guess you wouldn’t want to date someone who wasn’t a fan cause that would mean they didn’t like you and that wouldn’t be good. But!
CA: *laughing* Once you’ve got the question ready you let me know.
Bill: There you go Clay. *rings bell* That’s the secret to this whole thing.
Sheri: See I was out of town. I didn’t rehearse.
Bill: And she hasn’t rehearsed the words to Invisible this time either.
Sheri: No.
Bill: She don’t know it. She still doesn’t know the words.
CA: Still doesn’t know the words… Um your question.
Sheri: Girlfriend
CA: Do you want me to just answer what I think you were going to ask me?
Sheri: Yes please.
CA: Umm. You know that’s been one of the complicated… one of the complicated things is trying to find somebody who wants to be with you or be your friend or in any relationship with you for who you are and not for what you are you know what I mean?
Sheri: Oh yeah. Cause I get that all the time.
CA: And so uh… Cause I’m sure you get that a lot. And so uh… *laughing* goodness. So you know I mean just anybody. The thing is I don’t know if I’ll end up with someone I knew before this all happened… who still treats me like a…
Bill: Regular person.
CA: The nerd that I am…So you know uh… it’s kind of… when people are…
Sheri: Aww.
CA: It’s not really that sad. It’s true. It’s okay.
Sheri: It is sad.
CA: It’s not sad.
Sheri: Well it’s not sad anymore but…you know. It sounds like it was sad.
CA: At a point it probably was.
Sheri: Do you think that um…you’re a nerd?
CA: I have no problem with that. Yeah… I think so. Why not? You can read the book. It’s much, much more… there’s this positive spin-
Sheri: That’s right you have a book!
Bill: Tell us about the book and tell us about your uh… Christmas CD.
CA: The book talks about me bein a nerd.
Bill: Real quickly I just adjusted the web cam and Clay is now on our web cam on Mix online WRAL FM.com WRALFM.com. Click on web cam… and there will Clay be.
Sheri: So what is the name of your book again?
CA: It’s called ‘Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life”.
Sheri: Did you bring any with you?
CA: I did not. They’re not quite… they’re not quite finished. They’re being bound and printed.
Sheri: Huh. Okay.
CA: Sorry.
Sheri: Well next time you’re organized you let us know.
Bill: Oh here we go. *laughter*
CA: I’ll print them a little faster.
Sheri: Speaking of rehearsal… But seriously that’s gotta be a really hard thing for you… not only girlfriends but just friends in general.
CA: Yeah I’m tryin to learn… I mean I’ve been extremely fortunate Nick who is… umm… was one of my best friends back there. *laughter* Are you okay? Did I embarrass you?
Sheri: He’s good.
CA: He don’t want to say anything. He’ll crack on me cause I’m sure he will… is out on the road with me now. We’ve got a really great group of people who work with us… Uh… at this point. But you know it’s kind of hard finding in LA people who are interested in being genuine. Not that there aren’t genuine people in LA but you know most people go out there to be actors and models and singers and whatnot and so… you know a lot of times they seem to be very interested in you because ‘oh there’s an in’.
Sheri: Yeah because of your celebrity.
CA: Uh huh, yeah we were at a restaurant… I’m not supposed to tell this story I don’t think but I’m gonna.
Bill: But we love those!
CA: Mary is sittin there ‘don’t tell it, don’t tell it’-
Sheri: Oh definitely tell it now.
CA: ‘Don’t tell it because it makes you sound bad.’ I don’t… I don’t… let’s just be honest. Be real.
Bill: Be real man. Be real.
CA: So um we were at a restaurant in uh… LA. I had gone out to uh look at the houses, had just bought a house and my mom was out in town with us. And so we went back to uh… we went to a little Italian restaurant and we were sittin there… and uh… I think we had just ordered our food and some waitress just marches right up and adamantly says, ‘I’m gonna sing for you. I’m gonna sing. Oh I mean can I sing for you?’ She did that. She corrected herself. She had demanded she was going to sing then she said, ‘Can I sing for you?’ And I was like “ooookay” I mean I was a little… a little nervous and then she said, ‘My boss told me that if I sang for you, if I did this, that I was gonna get fired.’ But she said, ‘I don’t’ care. I’ll just quit. Cause I’m gonna sing.’ And I went, ‘Well, well I don’t know that... I don’t know… I don’t want you to lose your job. I don’t want you to quit for me. She said, ‘I know you have connections. And so’ and I said, ‘Goodness I can barely connect myself. I don’t know… I can’t do anything at all. But I’m happy to hear you sing if you want to but I really don’t think it’s worth losin your job over. And her boss came over and tried to uh… tried to talk her out of it and tried to very politely tell her not to. And she just argued with him right at the table. She was just very, very adamant. A lot like you. *laughs* Kidding, kidding.
Sheri: ‘Oh I’m kidding’ you say that.
CA: I did say that.
Sheri: No you’re not.
CA: She was just very adamant that she was going to sing and I said, ‘You know if that’s really what you want to do but I… I really don’t want you to get in trouble so why don’t you do it afterwards? Why don’t we do it after I’m done eating and leaving. And so she said, ‘that’s what I was gonna do.’ She turned and yelled at her boss ‘that’s what I was gonna do. I was gonna wait. They aren’t even eating yet. They don’t’ even have their salads.
Sheri: Oh my gosh.
CA: So she did not sing for me there. She was apparently going to wait till after I was done but I think her boss had other plans.
Sheri: Yeah. So did you sneak out…
CA: No we were actually looking forward… I was gonna… you know at that point it became kind of interesting.
Sheri: Well the thing is um… You do have connections. But it’s not like you’re a producer or … you’re the performer!
CA: I don’t know who my connections are. I have connections to me but I can’t do anything at all so…
Sheri: People think that we have connections too like in radio. And it’s like no… Unless you want my job…*laughter* I mean that’s it. That’s the only connection I have.
Bill: Clay we don’t’ want to miss the chance… tell us about your Holiday CD. When is it coming out? What’s it called and all that.
CA: You know it’s as yet untitled. Umm… we’re thinking of a few names.
Bill: Christmas stuff with Clay.
Sheri: We, we… liked Clay’s Christmas. Thought that was really clever.
CA: Well…
Sheri: That’s what we came up with as a morning show.
CA: Man that’s a lot of brain power workin in here.
Sheri: We’re thinkers.
Bill: Yep.
CA: The uh… we have a few titles we’re that we’re working on. Cause I’m not completely sure whether or not… Well you know what? Let’s just do it right here. Should we… tell people… see… why don’t we do an online poll?
Sheri: There you go!
Bill: Oooh! Do you want to do that?
CA: Now I can’t gurantee that’s what it will be what it is.
Sheri: Of course not.
CA: Cause Clive Davis has his… has to put his stamp of approval on it.
Sheri: That’s right. Okay so what are they?
CA: He has to put his stamp on it. But I have a song on there that I really like called Merry Christmas with Love so that’s a possibility. And then there’s uh… there’s um… what are the other ones again that we’re thinking of?
Sheri: Clay’s Christmas.
CA: Joyful Noise.
Sheri: Okay.
CA: Joyful nose is one.
Sheri: I wrote down Clay’s Christmas.
CA: We’ll put it on there… um…Good News is the other one. And um..
Sheri: Good News?
CA: Yeah… Good News and then Clay’s Christmas is the other option.
Sheri: I wouldn’t go with Good News.
CA: You would not go with… What? You don’t think Jesus’ birth is good news?
Sheri: It’s just not-
CA: Oh! Send the letters to Sheri.
Sheri: I didn’t find it Holiday enough.
Bill: I like Joyful Noise.
Sheri: I do too. It didn’t sound holiday. I thought of the N&O.
CA: Good News? You thought of the n and o?
Sheri: The News and Observer.
CA: Oh okay.
Sheri: But it didn’t sound holiday to me.
CA: But you put it in stars and underlines… Oh… she’s crossed that one out. We should put that on there and then…
Sheri: I’ll put it on there…
CA: And then we should put Clay’s Christmas on there as well and see where it goes from there.
Sheri: Cause we put a lot of thought into that one Clay.
CA: Okay. *laughs*
Sheri: Pretty proud of it. Alright so we’ll do that. Get that up there.
Bill: Clay… do you have a headache now?
CA: I have a little bit of one…*Bill laughing*
Sheri: That was like a look inside the brain.
CA: Well that was my favorite.
Sheri: The look inside my brain. *Clay laughing*
Bill: Chris Lief is here and they have to make an announcement for the drawing.
CA: I win a car? *everyone bursts into laughter*
Bill: Come on over Chris and tell us what’s going on and I think you’ve got the winners name and we’ll go ahead and announce that while Clay is here.
Sheri: And Chris go ahead and tell us what ah… You have the name?
Bill: You’ve got it right here?
Sheri: Okay.
Bill: Watch me work.
Sheri: But this is from… ah… people that entered for the last couple weeks at your dealerships right?
Chris: Right. The last few weeks we’ve had people come by and register and um… It’s gone… it’s gone great. It’s amazing Clay the diversity of the fan base you have. We’ll see… little girls get out of the car.
CA: Well they can’t drive! How are they going to get a car?
Chris: No listen…
Bill: But they can pick the car!
Sheri: Some day they will drive!
Chris: Oh yeah and they come with their umm mother and their grandmother. And everybody’s just as excited when they jump out of the car. It’s amazing.
CA: Well thank you.
Chris: Very, very impressive.
CA: Well thank you. We’re very happy… we’re very proud of them ourselves. They’re very enthusiastic this morning outside.
Sheri: Yes they are. And is really truly we were just talking about it off the air. How diverse your fan base is.
CA: That was a tongue twister for you there huh?
Sheri: Well I thought diverse was nice.
Bill: Well it was only two syllables. That was the beauty of that.
Chris: When we were coming down here, and I had not been to the studio before… we were driving in and looking around and what drew our attention were the people standing outside. We said oops, that’s got to be it.
Bill: Yeah it’s got to be right here.
Sheri: I made the corner… I was out of town for the weekend and I made my way across I said “oh I guess Clay’s comin today’. I didn’t get the memo but I see the crowd so…they’re out there and they’re uh… Did… well how many people are out there?
Vana: A lot.
Chris: There were probably 30 or 40 when we first pulled up and now…
Sheri: Thousands probably.
Chris: Yeah probably now.
Bill: Well there will be at Dorton Arena for sure today. So a big boost in the fair crowd today with Clay performing two shows. 3 and 7:30. In fact speaking of the show, we’ve got some tickets to give away. I think there in the drawing from the folks that will be coming out of Chris.
Chris: That’s right. We uh…gave what 6 away last week and uh…the final winner is *announces name* of Raleigh.
*congratulations*
Sheri: Now Clay… for the um… state fair do you get a parking pass? Are you gonna have… *laughing*
CA: *laughing* Yes… well we had… well yesterday we went in to uh… we went to see Kim Locke… my roommate Kim Locke. Old roommate Kim Locke. And you know we kinda wanted to hopefully park close. And maybe sneak in a little more discreetly than we did. We walked… we drive up to the gate and 7 police officers flanking the car and start blocking people from the pedestrian traffic. So we uh… we didn’t sneak in too well.
Sheri: That happens all the time.
Bill: I couldn’t believe when Sheri said she saw you at the airport and there was nobody with you. You just came walking up. I mean you were like in communicado there.
CA: Oh yeah… every once in a while we can sneak… Nick was there with me. So uh… He’s the muscle if anybody tries to mess…
Bill: Nick’s the muscle?
CA: Oh he just said that with some type of-
Sheri: Yes he did! *Bill laughing*
CA: With some kind of surprise like what
Sheri: Sounds like something I would say.
CA: Like what… well in… compared to me.
Bill: Well no in compared to Jerome who normally follows you around.
CA: That’s true.
Bill: Jerome is a giant!
CA: *laughing* Yeah he is. Quite large.
Bill: Nick nice muscle. You got nice muscle over there. *Clay laughing*
Sheri: Muscles.
Bill: He said he’s the muscle.
Sheri: Okay.
Bill: Okay.
Sheri: Okay so today… the… the shows are sold out did you… had you heard about that. I think it was like 9 minutes and 14 minutes or something like that. You know they sold out just like that. Um in the Pringle.
CA: And there’s… too… I don’t know how many people got tickets from Raleigh because so many people came from out of state.
Sheri: Yeah.
CA: So we’re actually doing… we’re coming back… I don’t know. Can I… can I?
Bill: I’ve heard this rumor. I was going to ask you about this.
CA: Well… well… well… oh there I am on tv. WOO!
Sheri: *laughing* Oh you are! Yup we’ve got you on tv 5. We’ve got some cameras in the studio and there you are. That’s… that’s from your first your first visit.
CA: That’s from the Kelly show. I call it the Kelly show but it… it was just as much mine…
Bill: You were saying sir…
CA: Oh! Oh! See how he does that?
Sheri: I know!
CA: He just reaches around and pulls it right back.
Bill: Were you, were you going in the direction of a Christmas tour perhaps?
CA: I was going in the direction of a Christmas tour. It’s in the works now to be here in Raleigh on the… 13th of December. So we had a show…
Bill: I heard that last week.
Sheri: Oh really?
CA: I’m going to tour for the Christmas tour. And we’re planning on being in Raleigh. Umm… uh… At Mamandy.
Sheri: Oh! Nice.
Bill: Ooh… That will be a great place-
CA: On the 13th with an orchestra. And uh… it’s going to be a very classy… you know… Sunday clothes dress up type uh…
Bill: Sunday go to meetin’.
CA: That’s right… type of concert. Its gonna be uh… very nice… and um… um… we’re working on… and um… we’re going to cross our fingers… we’re working on some sort of priority for the hometown crowd as far as tickets go.
Bill: Right.
CA: So… you know… so that they can hopefully buy their tickets first.
Bill: That will be great.
CA: Um we don’t’ know if that will work and I’m probably gonna get yelled at when I leave for sayin that. Cause we can’t confirm it yet. But um we’re gonna try and do something so that people in Raleigh and the triangle can buy them… buy first. And we’d love to do another show… you know in um… Durham or Chapel Hill first we just have to find and see if there’s interest so…
Sheri: Well I’m pretty sure.
Bill: Well see…
Sheri: I’m pretty sure that there is. So um… Joyful Noise.
CA: That’s what she said. Well let me… let’s let the folks...
Sheri: Merry Christmas with Love.
CA: Look at that!
Sheri: I knew that… I knew that you would take that one.
CA: I think that’s my mom’s…
Vana: Naw… that’s too mushy.
CA: I think that’s my mom’s…
Vana: I mean I love it. *Clay laughing* But it’s a great song… It’s a wonderful song.
CA: Do you know song…?
Vana: Didn’t Sandi Patti record that?
CA: WHOA! WHOA! How did you know that? You know that she hasn’t…
Sheri: Actually I’ve sung that.
CA: Have you?
Sheri: Mmhmm.
CA: You know… I tried… I sang it in high school and… that’s the only time I’ve ever heard it.
Vana: Yeah… yeah. Okay let’s sing it together. 1… 2… 3. Go. *laughs*
CA: No… no… Vana chickened out.
Sheri: Come on Vana.
CA: You can’t find it anymore.
Vana: Wait.
CA: That CD’s out of print.
Vana: Oh really?
CA: You can’t find it anymore. So this will be the new… the new cover of it.
Vana: Oh I love it.
CA: Yeah it’s a good song.
Vana: You guys want to have lunch or…? *laughter*
CA: She’s getting jealous now so... so I have to go back.
Vana: Well how… what… how does the hook go? Merry Christmas with love. Okay 1… 2…3… we go. Merry Chri- sing it with me Clay!
CA: Oh well I-
CA and Vana singing together: Merry Christmas with Love.
*clapping*
Sheri: See?
Bill: That wasn’t bad.
Vana: That was pretty darn good.
CA: Think you can learn the words to that one?
Bill: So far she’s got them down. She wrote them down.
Sheri: Yes. Merry Christmas with Love, I’ve got that one. Invisible. Oops I already am. I got that part.
CA: Oops? I don’t know if it’s oops.
Bill: I don’t think it’s oops. I think it’s ‘Wait’. Oops… Britney Aiken.
CA: Send your letters to Sheri Logan! 101.5 PO Box…
Sheri: Oh my gosh… See now Vana you’ve sung with Clay Aiken.
Vana: I have sung with Clay. Gosh I… I’ll… I’ve… I’ll have to have an entourage to go out in public now. *Clay laughs*
CA: You can just… *every ones starts laughing*
Sheri: This is so good when it’s not tv.
Bill: If you come back in December 13th hopefully you’ll be able to rejoin us.
CA: Yes. I’d love to. Absolutely.
Sheri: Yeah. That’d be great. I know that you’re um… on the world tour now and so you’ve gotta go do your thing. But we’ll see you this afternoon.
CA: Okay. Absolutely.
Sheri: If we can find some parking.
CA: Sounds good.
Sheri: Because you know…
CA: My grandmother lives close to the uh… to the…
Sheri: Ooh! Maybe we could park in her driveway.
CA: Ooh maybe you could.
Bill: 5 bucks. 5 bucks parking.
Sheri: Cause we’ve got to park in the dirt like everybody else.
CA: You can park… you can park in Nanny’s driveway.
Sheri: Okay. Alrighty. Clay as always it’s great to see you. Can’t wait to see you-
CA: Thank you.
Sheri: Can’t wait for your shows today and this evening at the state fair and I’m sure there’s going to be just huge fair traffic out there and um… Umm We’re going to be signing autographs at the WRAL TV 5 and Mix 101.5 booth. So if you want to stop by we’ll sign a little something for ya. *laughing*
CA: Oh thank you! Oh good…
Sheri: Okay…
Bill: Oh boy!
Sheri: Kidding… Kidding.
Bill: Take that back to LA with ya…
CA: *laughing* Okay…Don’t’ forget to have people vote on the online umm…
Sheri: That’s right.
CA: WRAL FM
Sheri: That’s right…
Bill: We’ll get that posted… we’ll get that posted on
line.
Sheri: In just a couple minutes. We’ve got a little computer guy…
Bill: We’ll get the guru guy… No he’s a little computer guy…That’s great… That’s great Makin friends fast… Here we go! Clay thanks for coming down here.
CA: Thank you guys very much.
Vana: Thank you.
*Clapping*
Bill: Dorton Arena. North Carolina State fair today Clay Aiken in concert at the big Pringle Dorton Arena. 3 and 7:30. So Sheri and I will see you out there as well. Not singing.

Clay treating his band well!

From Quiana's website:

What's New
HEY EVERYBODY. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT WE HAD AN AWESOME TIME IN NC. CLAY INVITED HIS PERSONAL MASSAGE THERAPIST BY THE NAME OF MARTEETA CANNON OF "IATRIA" SPA. SHE GAVE ANGELA AND I THE BEST MASSAGE EVER. THAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRIP AND WHAT A WAY TO END THE TOUR. I ONLY WISH CLAY WOULD HAVE INTRODUCED US TO HER SOONER. I AM HIGHLY RECCOMENDING HER TO EVERYBODY WHO LIVES IN NC. CHECK HER OUT AT WWW.IATRIA.COM. I PRAY THAT EVERYONE MADE IT HOME SAFELY. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING CLAY AND HIS SOLO TOUR. TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS.

Aladdin #1 top video sales!

Thanks to admire99 from the Clayboard:


Aladdin is tops in DVD sales chart according to Billboard. I wonder how many people bought it because of Clay??

Possible New Appearances

from musictap.com

Quote:
I've had so much fun with the ladies over Clay Aiken news that I thought that I'd squeeze more attention from them by providing more depth on the upcoming Aiken holiday CD, Merry Christmas, With Love. I can't wait until news comes forth for the Aiken DVD. So, for you ClayMates:

11 popular traditional Christmas songs.

To support the CD, Clay Aiken will have a 1-hour TV special on network TV.
He will also be on The Today Show, Oprah, American Music Awards, Larry King Live, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, Late Night with David Letterman, Regis & Kelly, and The View.

Clay will release an inspirational memoir.

RCA releases on November 16.

Clay's in Paris France news!

Clay Aiken "Merry Christmas With Love" album will be released in November in The States. Clay Aiken first album "Measure Of A Man" released in October 2003 on RCA Records has featured recordings in Los Angeles, Miami, and London for sessions, working with executive producer Clive Davis, American idol creator Simon Fuller and producers and songwriters like Steve Mac, Cliff Magness, Desmond Child, Steve Morales, and Rick Nowels.

Since then, Clay Aiken has been selected "People Of The Year 2003" Rolling Stone Magazine issue, has released several singles including "Invisible".

As the runner-up to Fox TV's second American Idol: The Search for a Superstar competition, vocalist Clay Aiken wowed television audiences in 2003 with his Southern charm, sweet demeanor, and bright, glorious voice, and became a pop star. Originally, Clay Aiken planned to try out for the reality TV series "The American Race," but went ahead and auditioned for the talent contest to please an encouraging friend. Out of 7,000 hopefuls, the Charlotte, NC, native won the hearts of the judges as well as millions of fans across the globe.

Clay Aiken "Merry Christmas With Love" album (Holiday Album) will be in stores on November 16 on RCA Records.

Order Clay Aiken "Merry Christmas With Love" album

• Clay Aiken: His voice is as bland as tofu, his facial expressions are contrived and he's been billed as the next Barry Manilow. And that's a good th

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) website reports that both Atlanta shows for the Joyful Noise Tour are officially sold out!

Visit the ASO Website

Charlotte Observer article

• Clay Aiken: His voice is as bland as tofu, his facial expressions are contrived and he's been billed as the next Barry Manilow. And that's a good thing?

• "American Idol": Four seasons of television karaoke featuring a crop of wanna-be Mariah Careys and Luther Vandrosses. Their personal stories are rarely interesting and most of them couldn't sing their way into the high school choir.

New Christmas Promo Pic

Click to Enlarge:

Larry King Tonight: Clay interview!

A New interview is set for tonight. Check your local listings for air times.

Contractual issues prevented Clay to be on Aladdin CD Soundtrack

Billboard.com, October 22, CHART BEAT CHAT:

NOT SO PROUD AFTER ALL :

Fred,

I noticed that you mentioned in your column that the new "Aladdin" soundtrack contains Clay Aiken's version of "Proud of Your Boy." That is unfortunately not the case. While the DVD contains Clay's video of the song, the CD contains a demo by a different singer.

A quick listen to the sample on Amazon's Web site will clarify it, as will the comments/complaints by the many buyers who bought it thinking Clay's song was on it. In fact, looking at the list of other items customers have bought it's easy to see that it was "Idol" fans who bought the CD and I would guess now feel cheated.

Thanks,

Gabriel Duque

Dear Gabriel,

I heard from about a dozen other readers who also let me know that the Clay Aiken version of "Proud of Your Boy" does not appear on the revised CD of the soundtrack. I haven't received a copy from the Disney label yet, so I made a false (but logical) assumption. I don't know what contractual issues prevented the track from appearing on the special edition CD, but it seems senseless to have the song recorded for the film and then not be available on the album.

The "different singer" you referred to is Alan Menken, who composed the music for the film and was co-writer on "Proud of Your Boy.

Entertainment Weekly: Clay gets an "A" for Christmas Album

Clay Aiken Untitled Christmas Album Nov 16 -
Sound: Covers of Yuletide classics like "Silent Night."
Pitch: With his religious convictions, this was a natural for him says Davis, who cites Manilow and Streisand(!) as Clay's forerunners.
Buzz: Don't underestimate Claymates.
VIABILITY A

Clay Aiken Learns to 'Play Fair'

Clay Aiken Learns to 'Play Fair'
Wednesday Oct 20, 2004 6:00am EST
Clay Aiken wrapped up his solo tour this week, playing two concerts Monday to a screaming crowd at the North Carolina State Fair in his hometown of Raleigh. It's quite a new look at the fair for the "Invisible" singer, who admits that as a young boy he was too scared to get on the rides. "I was a very nervous child," he tells local paper The News & Observer. As he got to be a teen, his friends tried to persuade him to sing in the fair's karaoke booth, but he refused. "I was always so nervous. I didn't want to sing," he said. "I was always worried that someone was going to boo me." How times have changed. When tickets for his State Fair shows went on sale last month, they sold out in minutes (9 for the first show, 12 for the second, according to local CBS affiliate WRAL) – which is a good thing, since the American Idol runner-up was reportedly paid $100,000 for each show.

Clay gets trumped in Canada by Canadian Idol Kalan Porter

Canadian Idol Kalan Porter's CD Single, Awake In A Dream, has gone 8x Platinum, beating Clay's record of 6x Platinum, set in 2003 with Bridge Over Troubled Water and This Is The Night.

Clay mentioned in ABC PR about Jimmy Kimmel Live

ABC ANNOUNCES THE THIRD SEASON PICK-UP OF 'JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE,' THE POPULAR LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW, THROUGH THE 2005 SEASON
Released by ABC


ABC ANNOUNCES THE THIRD SEASON PICK-UP OF "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE," THE POPULAR LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW, THROUGH THE 2005 SEASON

The ABC Television Network announced that it has renewed the late-night talk show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live," featuring host Jimmy Kimmel, through 2005. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" has featured such high profile guests as Britney Spears, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Shaquille O'Neal, Clay Aiken, Serena Williams, Billy Bob Thornton, Angela Bassett, Josh Hartnett, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Lohan, Quentin Tarantino and Usher since its premiere on Super Bowl Sunday, January 26, 2003.

"I'm delighted that ABC has exhausted all other options and picked up mine for another year," said Kimmel. "In 2006 I'll be 38 years old, and I promised Mavis I would take her out for dinner before I turned 40."

"We're thrilled that Jimmy will continue to be a part of the ABC family," said Andrea Wong, executive vice president, Alternative Programming, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment. "We think he's a great talent who has brought us an innovative show that we know he will only make stronger and stronger."

The show has also become late-night's premiere haven for music fans. According to RollingStone.com, "...'Jimmy Kimmel Live' has become a favorite destination for bands seeking to flog their latest wares." Popular musical acts, including 50 Cent, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, Korn, Disturbed, Polyphonic Spree, Keane, Snow Patrol, The Distillers, Simple Plan, Taking Back Sunday, The Killers and DMX, have all chosen to make their network television debut on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" is taped later in the day than other late-night shows - at 8:00 p.m., PT. This allows the show to respond to the news of the day more quickly than the competition. Kimmel applies his irreverent wit to politics, television, the media, the FCC, popular culture - everything is a target. A weekly comedy segment entitled "Unnecessary Censorship" pokes fun at the FCC's crackdown on the media by unnecessarily censoring clips from TV news, political speeches, reality TV and nature shows. Other regular comedy segments include Cousin Sal's hidden camera pranks and adorably clueless Uncle Frank's coverage of red-carpet premieres.

Kimmel will serve as host for ABC's telecast of the American Music Awards on November 14.

Jimmy Kimmel serves as executive producer, Jason Schrift as co-executive producer and Duncan Gray is the ABC executive in charge of production. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is shot live in front of a studio audience and produced by Jackhole Industries in association with Touchstone Television.

Raleigh News & Observer Clay Mention

Cuddle duds

Because every single aspect of Clay Aiken's life is profoundly important to his fans, it is my duty to report that witnesses say the American almost-an-Idol was wearing what looked like pajamas as he made his way to his bus after Monday night's State Fair concert.

Fans, discuss this among yourselves. The rest of us will continue with normal life.

Learning to Sing Ad- Oct. 22

Raleigh News & Observer Clay Article

They get their say on Clay

By BARRY SAUNDERS, Staff Writer

Forget about it. Stop asking. Tain't gonna happen.
No matter how many calls and e-mail messages I receive from people who think the State Fair got taken for a loopy ride by paying Clay Aiken $200,000 for Monday's two performances, I'm not writing about that.

After I suggested that possibility in May when the deal was made for one show for $100,000, I was assailed and called everything but a Reuben sandwich -- and a Ruben fan -- by angry Aiken fans.

Regardless of what one thinks of his music, the State Fair can't possibly make back its investment. Couldn't Tiffany Budd, the fair's promotion specialist, have said, "Yo, Clay dearie, since you're already in the neighborhood, want to hang around and do another show for, say, $50,000 and all the turkey legs you can eat?"

Clay strikes me as a sincere, courtly chap -- who could use a few pounds of turkey legs. He might've gone for such a deal, too, but those of his fans from whom I heard took pride in his exorbitant fee. You usually have to go to a bowling alley -- or show up at your first ex-wife's house at 2 a.m. -- to get called the names I was hit with after thoughtfully suggesting that maybe, just maybe, we fairgoers had overpaid for Clay.

Won't say that again. I will say, though, that the fair will have to sell a whole lot of turkey legs to offset the hole it went into to book Clay at that price.

Some people got the impression that I was an anti-Aiken, just because I said the only thing he could do worth $100,000 would be to travel the state and paint all of our houses.

A typical response of the close to 500 I received after that initial column was this one from Dave: "If the hard working people of some hillbilly county want to [urinate] away their money watching Clay, what is it to you? What else should they spend their money on?? Prisons? Welfare? Crack mothers?

"Why not have a rap group in, loot the place and shoot each other up?"

A reader from Wausau, Wis., called Clay "a man with a heart of gold and a voice of pure heaven. ... We are sick of singers spewing foul language and lewd behavior. ... You are a #$%*@!^&." Honest.

Gail F. wrote, "You have lost me as a reader unless I see some apology. ... Clay is definitely the American 'eye-doll.' "

Another self-described Claymate wrote, "Wake up and smell the coffee. He is a great singer with a great personality and an all-round nice person -- which are three things more than you have going for you."

Me? Not a great singer? She obviously has never heard my soul-stirring a cappella rendition of Chuck Berry's classic "My Ding-a-Ling."

A Claymate named Bunny wrote a very un-Bunnylike response: "Get a grip, dude, or better yet, some journalistic talent. ... My advice? Crawl back under the rock from which you come."

Connie, a fan from Raleigh, wrote that Clay "is the hottest singer since Elvis and Sinatra. I am not a person of wealth, but I have gladly paid more than my mortgage for floor tickets to see Clay in concert every chance I get. ... I just thank God that he is coming home to Raleigh."

So, now you see why I won't be writing this time about Clay not being worth $200,000. To some people, maybe he is.

Call Barry at 836-2811 or send him e-mail at barrys@newsobserver.com.

KOST LA airs Clay Ad

KOST is a LA AC Radio Station

From the CB:
Just heard commercial on KOST, L.A. radio AC station....saying tickets available for Pasadena and Orange County Performing Arts Center....and gave phone numbers for each....they played snippets of "Mary Did You Know" and one or two others....I wasn't listening too closely...cuz I was voting on Promosquad for his album title!!!....I probably missed the first third of the ad til I heard his name!!!!!!.....wow!! "THE EVENT OF THE SEASON"....

Clay has his own category on EBay

Entertainment>Music>Pop>Clay Aiken

Go to EBAY to check it out!

Congrats Clay!

No LA JNT Concert

From the CH:

For those of you who have been searching for information about the LA concert that was supposedly scheduled for Sat., Nov. 20th, I'm afraid I have bad news.

I have received information from a very excellent source that there are no plans for a Clay Aiken concert in LA on Nov. 20th. The Pasadena Concert is the only LA AREA concert being planned. Sorry.

Whether they were originally going to have one on that date and it didn't work out for some reason, we'll never know.

Of course, the Orange County Performing Arts Center concert in Costa Mesa, about an hour away from LA, is scheduled for Fri., Nov. 26th, and tickets will be on sale to the public on Oct. 24th by phone or in person from their box office. No ticketmaster.

Clay Aiken - Merry Christmas With Love is the TITLE

The title of the upcoming Christmas record is Merry Christmas With Love, RCA Records confirmed today.

Clay Aiken Big Attraction At State Fair Monday

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Clay Aiken continues to be a hot ticket-- even at the North Carolina State Fair.



Clay Aiken waves to fans at the State Fair on Sunday. The Raleigh native came out to watch buddy Kimberley Locke's concert at Dorton Arena.


When tickets went on sale online in September, the show sold out in 9 minutes. When Aiken offered to give a second performance, that show sold out in 14 minutes.

State Fair officials said they never expected the tickets to sell so quickly, but fans know you cannot underestimate Aiken's effect.

Fans gathered at Dorton Arena Sunday to catch a glimpse of the pop star.

The Raleigh native made a special appearance at his buddy Kimberly Locke's concert at Dorton Arena Sunday evening. He did not perform, but sat near the stage and enjoyed the show.

Aiken hits the same stage Monday at 3 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.

WRAL loves Clay

WRAL is a local TV/Radio Station in Raleigh

From the CB:
Woo Hoo, you absolutely have got to love Linda Loveland & WRAL! They just showed some video from last night's show (clips of Kyrie & WYSYLM), interviewed Bob & Linda, a number of other fans (including the parents of a little girl with CP who Clay's music has helped), Miss North Carolina, and just a very fun news piece!

Hope they post the video on line!



ETA: There also was a LOT of video of the crowd inside Dorton arena, including the young girl in a blue shirt sitting on her Dad's shoulders. I'm sure there were a LOT of us on TV this morning!

Clay mentioned on CTV.ca

CTV.ca is the official site of Canada's largest TV station.

American Music Awards
Presenters Set For 32nd Annual "American Music Awards"
Sun. Nov. 14 at 8pm ET - Kelly Osbourne, Clay Aiken, Sheryl Crow, Kelly Clarkson, Serena & Venus Williams, William Shatner, Macy Gray, Chingy and Jim Belushi are Among the Stars Set as Presenters for the 31st Annual "American Music Awards"

An all-star roster of presenters from the music world, Hollywood and sports will be handing out trophies on the 32nd annual "American Music Awards," airing SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET).

The initial list of presenters for this year's show includes "life as we know it's" Kelly Osbourne, Clay Aiken, Pamela Anderson, "According to Jim's" Jim Belushi, Brooks & Dunn, Chingy, Ciara, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Carmen Electra, Macy Gray, Kathy Griffin, Billy Idol, "Boston Legal's" William Shatner, Lil' Flip, Teena Marie, MercyMe, Nelly, "The Simple Life's" Nicole Richie, "Desperate Housewives'" Nicolette Sheridan, KISS' Gene Simmons, John Stamos, Switchfoot, tennis superstars Serena & Venus Williams, and Ying Yang Twins.

Performers announced for the special thus far are Kenny Chesney, Josh Groban, Toby Keith, Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, Kanye West and Usher. Additional performers and presenters will be added to the lineup and announced at a later date. Host of the show is Jimmy Kimmel.

A total of 19 publicly voted awards will be presented on this year's "American Music Awards" in eight areas of music -- Pop/Rock, Country, Soul/Rhythm & Blues, Rap/Hip-Hop, Latin Music, Adult Contemporary, Alternative Music and Contemporary Inspirational.

The special is a presentation of dick clark productions, inc., with Clark serving as executive producer. Larry Klein produces. Jeff Margolis directs. Writers are Barry Adelman and Fred Bronson. Executive in charge is Fran La Maina.

Christmas CD Tracker

From the Clayboard:

Sep 18, 2004 Amazon.com: Christmas Album first available for pre-order at midnight
Sep 18, 2004 Amazon.com: Christmas Album #1 on top sellers list
Sep 24, 2004 Amazon.CA: Available for pre-order on Amazon Canada
Sep 25, 2004 Amazon.CA: #1 on top sellers list Amazon Canada
Sep 29, 2004 Borders: Pre-order available on-line at BordersStores.com and in most local Borders stores.
Sep 29, 2004 FYE: Pre-order accepted at local FYE stores. On-line pre-order is not available yet, we are monitoring it closely.
Oct 02, 2004 Amazon.com: Price dropped to 13.99. #4 on top sellers list
Oct 13, 2004 Amazon.com: CD cover revealed. #5 on top sellers list
Oct 13, 2004 Walmart.com: Christmas Album available for pre-order at 14.88 (22% off)
Oct 14, 2004 Walmart.com: Price dropped again at Walmart.com to 13.88 (27% off)
Oct 14, 2004 GoHastings.com: Christmas Album listed, but Pre-order button is not available yet. We are monitoring it closely.
Oct 18, 2004 Target.com: Price dropped to 13.49 (29% off) This is the best price so far.
Oct 18, 2004 Target.com: #6 on Target.com top sellers list
Oct 19, 2004 TowerRecords.com: Available for pre-order at TowerRecords.com
Oct 19, 2004 Barnes&Noble.com: Available for pre-order at Barnes&Noble.com
Oct 19, 2004 BestBuy.com: Available for pre-order at BestBuy.com
Oct 19, 2004 MediaPlay.com: Available for pre-order at MediaPlay.com - Info provided by TotallyGone, Thanks!
Oct 19, 2004 SamGoody.com: Available for pre-order at SamGoody.com



As of today, Clay's Christmas Album is available at most of the major store chains that we are monitoring. We are still watching for availability at Circuit City. As soon as information is available, it will be posted in Sales and Stats Forum. If you have information about these stores, please post them in the store chain threads.

For more information regarding LTS and Christmas pre-order, please visit
Sales & Stats Hosted By SashnTash

For detailed store information, please refer to:
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
BestBuy
Books-A-MillionBorders - WaldenBooks
Circuit City
FYE
Hastings
Sam Goody - Media Play
Target
TowerRecords
Walmart

Netscape Article

Caroling with Clay
Clay plans Christmas tour with orchestra. The five-week Joyful Noise Tour will promote his upcoming holiday album and book by Gary Susman

Clay Aiken is getting ready to deck the concert halls. Billboard reports that the American Idol star is preparing a five-week tour, backed by a full orchestra, to promote his upcoming Christmas album. Dubbed the Joyful Noise Tour, the trek will begin in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 27 and take him to Sewell, N.J.; Baltimore; Lowell, Mass.; New York; Clearwater, Fla.; Melbourne, Fla.; Atlanta; and finally, Cleveland on Dec. 21. Along with the yet-untitled holiday album, Aiken also has a book coming out on Nov. 16, an inspirational tome called Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life, and a holiday TV special, airing Dec. 8 on NBC.

Clay's pals, Idol winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, and Fantasia Barrino, have a Christmas special of their own coming up on Nov. 24 on Fox. Ruben has a holiday CD of his own, called I Need an Angel, due in early November, while Kelly and Fantasia both have CDs due at the end of November.

(Posted:10/19/04)

RaleighSenior of the Clayboard Got a Chance to Talk to Faye Yesterday

This is what she had to say:

Hi all, I had a chance to talk to Clays mother yesterday. She was with Clays Grandparents.I ask Faye if Clay was getting tired? She replied that he has one more show tonight (last night) and he will be able to get some rest. We talked for a few minutes. She also told me that he is looking forward to the Christmas Events, etc.I know this is not the place to talk about the Concerts, however, I did get to talk to Jerome and had a chance to take some pictures. Said HI to Lynda Loveland from WRAL TV...Great Concert! Enjoyed talking to many of our fans on this board and many that are not. Please Bump if you like!RS

Clay shows skin

From the Raleigh Concert. Click for large version:

TITN Writer wins Award

Songwriter scoops top US award

A SONG by a writer from Cheshire has been named the most performed in America and won him a top industry award.

Chris Braide, from Warrington, wrote the lyrics to Pop Idol winner Will Young's smash hit, Anything is Possible and American Idol runner-up, Clay Aiken's This is the Night. But his award from the American Society of Composers and Publishers is for the song, Invisible, co-written with Desmond Childs for the group, Deeside.

Chris's proud dad, Ken said: "This is like an American Ivor Novello, awarded for the most performed work in America.

BBC News!

Orchestra to back Idol's Aiken
BBC News: UK Edition


Quote:American Idol singer Clay Aiken is to embark on a tour of the US with the backing of a full orchestra.

Aiken, who is the biggest-selling graduate of the reality show to date, will play several dates in December.

The orchestral tour will support the release of his second album, following his debut, Measure Of A Man, which has sold 2.6 million copies in the US.

Aiken narrowly missed out to Ruben Studdard in the final showdown of American Idol's second series.

Aiken will be playing New York's Madison Square Gardens on 9 December as part of the five-week tour.

Both the singer's second album and the Joyful Noise concerts will feature a collection of tunes for the festive season.

Memoirs

The 25-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, is also releasing his memoirs next month.

Despite losing out to arch-rival Studdard in the final of the talent show, Aiken went on to make bigger record sales.

The pair released their debut singles in the same week, and it was Aiken who reached the number one spot.

An outfit Aiken wore for an edition of American Idol is on permanent display at the history museum in his home town.

DJ thinks Clay won AI2

From iluvuclay from the Clayboard:

Found this on the IDF board

Radio DJ: That was Kalan Porter singing his brand new single, Awake In A Dream. You know, the Idol series has put out a lot of talented artists. Season 1 winner, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken who won season 2, Fantasia, and now Kalan Porter.

Yes, I know y'all may have thought he just made an honest mistake, and will correct if afterwards.. but this is what was said after the commercial break:

Radio DJ: The American Idol winner, Clay Aiken, will be releasing a Christmas CD later this year. Make sure to keep your eyes open for that.

Reuters/Billboard Article on JT

Clay Aiken Dons Santa Hat for U.S. Tour

4 minutes ago Entertainment - Reuters


By Barry A. Jeckell

NEW YORK (Billboard) - "American Idol" alumnus Clay Aiken (news), the most commercially successful graduate of the Fox talent show series, is planning to tour the United States for five weeks this holiday season backed by a full orchestra.



Aiken has already confirmed nine cities for his Joyful Noise Tour, which will support an as-yet-untitled Christmas album. The stops include a Dec. 9 show at New York's Madison Square Garden Theater and a two-night stand (Dec. 17-18) at Atlanta's Symphony Hall.


The holiday album will be Aiken's second full-length release since finishing as runner-up to Ruben Studdard (news) in the second season of "American Idol" last year. His RCA debut, "Measure of a Man," debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 in November 2003 and has sold 2.6 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.


Aiken's first book, the inspirational tome "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life," will be published Nov. 16 by Random House. It will be released in hardcover and audio versions on cassette and CD.


Reuters/Billboard

Phoenix Concert Confirmed!

TICKERMASTER confirms the Phoenix Concert!

Clay on 93.9 Raleigh this morning

They interviewed Clay and played 'Mary Did You Know'

Clay wears Canadian Olympic Team Uniform

This photo was taken this morning:

Clay was on CNN Headline News

From the CB:

Okay. Don't get too excited. HE wasn't there himself and it wasn't a video clip or anything....but at about 5 mins after the hour I happened to trip across the station and I saw a little blurb in the "scroll" mentioning Clay's "Joyful Noise" Tour.

That is the GOOD news.

BAD news is that they STILL referred to him as an AI alum.

Oh well. At least the tv media is talking about him and the tour...which is more than we can say for radio these days.

AIM News!

Get college credit for watching ''American Idol''

Now we know why performers from North Carolina, like Fantasia Barrino and Clay Aiken, do so well on American Idol: They take the show so seriously there that you can study it for credit in one of the state universities. The course, an elective in the music department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is being offered for the first time this winter, coinciding with the debut of the show's fourth season in January, according to the University Times, the UNCC student newspaper. Professor Jay Grymes tells the paper he will ''use the show as a springboard for discussions about music style, terminology, performance, and the music industry as a whole.''

Students will be required not only to watch the Fox show each week but also to participate in its online discussion forums. The class will meet three times a week, discussing each week's musical theme in terms of style and history on Mondays, evaluating the performances on Wednesdays, and discussing the voting results on Fridays, in terms of what the record industry and audience are looking for in an Idol. ''I'm a big fan of the show and saw a lot of teachable moments, from terms used by the judges to understanding why someone is voted off,'' Grymes said. As for whether the course could teach students how to be the next Clay or Fantasia, Grymes said, ''People going into performing arts would probably benefit from a class like this with proper instruction.'' No word on whether the students will be required to hand in term papers, or if they can just phone them in via text messaging, but we're sure Grymes is looking forward to grading essays like ''Simon Says: The Critical Hermeneutics of Simon Cowell'' and ''Deconstructing Ryan Seacrest.''

American Idol Will Be Missing Clay: Beavers On Idol

American Idol Will Be Missing Clayby Judy Simpson (2004/10/17)
With preliminary auditions completed, the countdown is underway for the airing of the fourth season of
American Idol.

Given events of the current year, one can’t help but wonder what the fourth season will bring. A change in the rules, raising the age limit of contestants to 28, would seem to be a sign that the show is broadening its search to find the kind of talent they need to keep the public watching. Although the show’s promoters would have you believe otherwise, there is a large segment of the population who feel this series reached its zenith in the second season. They have a valid reason for this assertion, one with which I’m sure the AI producers may be struggling to come to terms, unless they are in denial about its potential impact. It will, indeed, be interesting to see how AI handles the loss of one of its biggest assets, now that Clay Aiken has terminated his contract with 19E. Clay took charge of his career, followed expert legal advice about protecting the rights of his name and image, and made a management change he felt to be more advantageous in helping him achieve his career goals and safeguarding his interests.

Clay’s decision must have dealt a blow to 19E, but one they should have seen coming. After proving he could soar on his own as a star attraction, it was time for Clay to leave the AI nest. AI continuing to bill him as a "runner-up" (which translates to "loser"), had become a joke. Clay spoke openly in interviews about how much he owed his start to AI; yet, he also realized that as long as he continued his association with AI that stigma would haunt him. The sooner he established himself as a professional solo act, the sooner he could own the title he had coveted; because even though AI was not at liberty to recognize his claim to the American Idol title, the public already had embraced him as one. Simply put, he could remain a loser, or leave a winner.

So, what will be the outcome of Clay leaving? Will critics be proven right after all in their prediction that success will be fleeting? Will the public’s fascination wear off as quickly as the novelty does? Will they find some new craze to replace this amateurish attempt to entertain? Does anyone think for one second I’m referring to Clay Aiken? – If so, what planet have you been on the last two years? There is no need to worry about Clay; he’ll have a flourishing career for as long as he wants one. It’s AI whose longevity I question. No, I don’t expect the show to crumble just because Clay has left the building for good, but neither can one deny this loss will impact the show and not in a good way. This isn’t another Justin Guarini scenario whereby his contract was dropped by 19E because his career wasn’t taking off as quickly as hoped, and with other money-makers in the stable and new prospects on the horizon, Justin was, well, expendable. I’m sure his fans would beg to differ, but who’s to say this worked to his detriment; he may well find better prospects under different management without competing interests.

Clay, on the other hand, proved to be a genuine, bona fide gold mine for AI. With his legions of faithful followers showing no signs of abandoning their chosen idol, AI must have felt they’d won the lottery. No other AI contestant, even the title-holders, can match his accomplishments since appearing on this show. At a time when top-name pop stars have been cutting short concert tours due to poor sales, Clay has a solid box office record, even selling out some venues in record time. Likewise, his CD’s are solid sellers and presales indicate his much-anticipated Christmas CD will be at the top of many holiday shoppers’ gift lists. His recent recording of Proud of Your Boy for Disney’s Aladdin video was praised by Disney producers, applauded by critics, and moved the song’s composer to tears by the artistry of Clay’s heartfelt rendition. Clay was given the honor of being asked to perform this song at the Hollywood premiere. And if that’s not enough, Clay has co-authored a book about his life, which has been recognized as having the potential to become a best-seller upon release in November. (Given his fan base, this is a distinct possibility.) Then there is talk of Clay having his own holiday special on network television in December. All this, accompanied by the prerequisite blitz of TV interviews and appearances to recognize his accomplishments, will be hard to ignore.

Clay’s meteoric rise to success and acceptance as a professional entertainer seems like a double-edged sword for AI. On the one hand, they could congratulate themselves, pointing to him as their success story, their star discovery and by doing so promote themselves; yet on the other hand, Clay no longer needed AI, in fact outgrew them. The third season of AI demonstrated that Clay could do more for AI than AI could do for Clay at that point. From the first auditions that season his presence was felt, his tall shadow still loomed. References to and attempts to emulate Clay were numerous. His guest appearances were much-anticipated events and ratings boosters, even though two of the AI judges exhibited poor judgment in mocking Clay during a subsequent interview. In the end, they only succeeded in looking foolish and petty. Big mistake if they ever hope to invite him back as a guest star. They portrayed Clay as having a big ego, but the only oversized egos in evidence were their own.

So, how will they avoid references or comparisons to Clay Aiken in AI4? How can they expect contestants not to look to his example for inspiration? Will Clay cease to exist in the AI universe, becoming "invisible"? (Oops! another Clay Aiken reference.) Let’s face it, even if his name is never uttered, comparisons by viewers are inevitable because he has set the bar. Of course they will utilize the three past season winners still under contract, and there are other past contestants they can call upon to appear to boost their fledgling careers (William Hung anyone?), but Clay will remain all too conspicuous by his absence. As any Clay fan will tell you, his shoes are much too big to be filled by anyone else. Of course there is one solution - all AI has to do is find another Clay Aiken – but this is reality TV and that would be pure fantasy (see dictionary, under "Fantasia"). Clay is one of a kind, the real deal, and that’s why he is a real American Idol.

Congratulations Cirrus02, ScooterOKC

Cirrus02 hits 3000!
Our beloved mod, Scooter, hits 10,000!

CONGRATS!

Carowinds video now up at AC

Go take a look!

Important: Buying books from bookstores or a store!

From the Clayboard:

For those of you expecting the book to be on the shelves on November 16, read this:Cirrus02 works at Chapters/Indigo in Edmonton, Canada's largest and only well known chain book retailer. The release date is normally when they ship the item out of the printers, apparently, so you may not see it on the shelves for another 2-3 weeks (that's December!!! ). My recommendation is to order off Amazon or a well-known online retailer, because they will most likely have it, ready to ship on the day of release. Also, if you buy the book with the audiobook or CD, it ships free on both Amazon.com and .ca.

Clay mention in Chartbeat Bonus

From Billboard.com:

The highest new entry on the Top Soundtracks list this week is the soundtrack to another animated film, "Aladdin: Special Edition" (Walt Disney), which bows at No. 15. The revised soundtrack, featuring the added track "Proud of Your Boy" by Clay Aiken, is not a re-entry because this chart did not exist when the "Aladdin" soundtrack was originally released. "Aladdin: Special Edition" debuts at No. 30 on the Top Pop Catalog chart.

NFL Pre-show. Clay mention

From the CB's MadamePresident:

I was just watching the NFL Preshow on CBS, and their animated anchor is talking abou "blitzing" (punking) animated NFL stars.Anyway, after one of the segments he said "Who wants to see Clay Aiken on the field lip-syncing showtunes away?"Not a great Clay mention (but not a great comedic segment anyway, take not CBS NFL Today), but again...he's everywhere!

NFL Pre-show. Clay mention

From the CB's MadamePresident:

I was just watching the NFL Preshow on CBS, and their animated anchor is talking abou "blitzing" (punking) animated NFL stars.Anyway, after one of the segments he said "Who wants to see Clay Aiken on the field lip-syncing showtunes away?"Not a great Clay mention (but not a great comedic segment anyway, take not CBS NFL Today), but again...he's everywhere!

Review of LTS from Esquire Magazine

From the Nov. 2004 issue:

I feel uniquely qualified to review Clay Aiken's forthcoming autobiography, Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life. This is because I know absolutely nothing about Clay. I've never watched American Idol, I can't name one of his songs, I don't read Us Weekly, and I probably wouldn't recognize him if he were living in my basement. He is a guilty pleasure I could not feel guilty about even if I wanted to. The only thing I know about him is that he is famous and that he (supposedly) has big ears. As such, I could not wait to read about the details of his life.
If you don't want to read this book, here is the abridged story: Clay loves his mom. Clay loves God. Clay's biological father was a drunk. And -- most curiously -- Clay used to scrape the snow off the hood of his family's car, which he then mixed with milk and sugar (and ate). Clay also has some highly advanced, completely "outside the box" ideas about social mores, such as this assertion from Chapter 2: "The only reason people go to bars is to get drunk and have sex. To me, bars are what hell is like."
However, if you do want to read this book, you don't need to block off much of your day: It's 272 pages, but I finished it in less than 90 minutes. Never have I read a book with so many declarative, one-sentence paragraphs. If this whole singing thing doesn't pan out, Clay Aiken could kick some serious @#%$ as a stringer for the Associated Press.

Clay will be in Raleigh to cheer on Kimberley!

Aiken Expected At Kimberly Locke's State Fair Concert Sunday

RALEIGH, N.C. -- State Fair officials say Clay Aiken will be attending Kimberly Locke's concert Sunday night at Dorton Arena.

Tickets are still available for the 7:30 p.m. show and can be purchased at the fairgrounds on the north side of Dorton Arena.

As of 12:30 p.m., there were about 2,000 tickets left.

There is no word if Aiken will join Locke on stage.

Aiken performs in two sold-out shows at the fair on Monday.

More Magic From Aladdin's Lamp

American Idol: More Magic From Aladdin's Lamp
Posted by: Idolhead Ed on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 07:38 PM PST

A Comment on Clay's New Song From Disney

I had yet to buy the new DVD version of "Aladdin" and couldn’t wait to get my Disney DVD collecting hands on it. I have them all to date. I will buy the rest when they come out. I have a copy of “Mulan” but I’m buying the new version on DVD because of the new 16X9 transfer.

"Mulan' has,...had my favorite Disney song ever on it , "0Reflection". It turns out that the new "Aladdin" DVD now has my favorite Disney song ever on it and it’s not even a part of the movie. It’s just an add on. It’s in the special features section. It’s written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin. “"t’s called "Proud of Your Boy". It’s sung by Clay Aiken. It’s incredible!
This song was left out of the movie because of a plot change. The writers decided it would be better for Aladdin not to have parents, thus the song was cut, but thankfully, not forgotten. As Alan Menkin says in his interview on “Proud of Your Boy” says, “.... good songs never get lost. They will somehow find their way to us.” Thanks to DVD, “Proud of Your Boy” found it’s way to us.

Clay absolutely shines, singing what I believe will become another Disney classic song. For the Claymaters, you’ll want to buy it to buy it for no other reason. For the Clayhaters, It might be enough to change your mind. Clay’s distinctive voice soars in this song and if you have a slacker son like me, the hope that your child could someday sing this song to you will make the tears well up inside. The song is sung from the boy’s perspective, telling his parents he’s going to do better and make them proud of him. Clay translates this song like I believe no one else possibly could. Once you hear it, it will stick in your mind forever.

When watching the video, if you have a Dolby Digital surround sound system, you must select Enhanced Home Theatre Mix. (Husbands, if your wife is a Claymate, here’s your excuse and chance to upgrade that sound system to Dolby Digital, if you haven’t already.) The home theatre mix puts you right in the middle of the orchestra with Clay in your living room. It is virtually indescribable. There is no CD that sounds this good unless it is a DTS disc. It will blow you away.

The visuals of the camera winding it’s way around Clay as he apparently is singing to record the new song, captures Clay’s sincerity. He’s by himself in the recording studio with nothing but empty orchestra chairs and Aladdin constantly playing on screen in the background. The camera pans every direction on Clay. Then, in the last break of the song, the camera rises from his feet and goes over his head revealing the marvelous 40 piece orchestra. Breathtaking!

The suggested retail of the DVD is $19.95. I’m sure you can find it even less expensive if you look long enough. What ever you pay, if you are a Clay fan, it won’t matter because you will most certainly be "Proud of Your Boy".

American Idol will be missing Clay

American Idol Will Be Missing Clay
by Judy Simpson (2004/10/17)

With preliminary auditions completed, the countdown is underway for the airing of the fourth season of American Idol. Given events of the current year, one can’t help but wonder what the fourth season will bring. A change in the rules, raising the age limit of contestants to 28, would seem to be a sign that the show is broadening its search to find the kind of talent they need to keep the public watching. Although the show’s promoters would have you believe otherwise, there is a large segment of the population who feel this series reached its zenith in the second season. They have a valid reason for this assertion, one with which I’m sure the AI producers may be struggling to come to terms, unless they are in denial about its potential impact. It will, indeed, be interesting to see how AI handles the loss of one of its biggest assets, now that Clay Aiken has terminated his contract with 19E. Clay took charge of his career, followed expert legal advice about protecting the rights of his name and image, and made a management change he felt to be more advantageous in helping him achieve his career goals and safeguarding his interests.

Clay’s decision must have dealt a blow to 19E, but one they should have seen coming. After proving he could soar on his own as a star attraction, it was time for Clay to leave the AI nest. AI continuing to bill him as a "runner-up" (which translates to "loser"), had become a joke. Clay spoke openly in interviews about how much he owed his start to AI; yet, he also realized that as long as he continued his association with AI that stigma would haunt him. The sooner he established himself as a professional solo act, the sooner he could own the title he had coveted; because even though AI was not at liberty to recognize his claim to the American Idol title, the public already had embraced him as one. Simply put, he could remain a loser, or leave a winner.

So, what will be the outcome of Clay leaving? Will critics be proven right after all in their prediction that success will be fleeting? Will the public’s fascination wear off as quickly as the novelty does? Will they find some new craze to replace this amateurish attempt to entertain? Does anyone think for one second I’m referring to Clay Aiken? – If so, what planet have you been on the last two years? There is no need to worry about Clay; he’ll have a flourishing career for as long as he wants one. It’s AI whose longevity I question. No, I don’t expect the show to crumble just because Clay has left the building for good, but neither can one deny this loss will impact the show and not in a good way. This isn’t another Justin Guarini scenario whereby his contract was dropped by 19E because his career wasn’t taking off as quickly as hoped, and with other money-makers in the stable and new prospects on the horizon, Justin was, well, expendable. I’m sure his fans would beg to differ, but who’s to say this worked to his detriment; he may well find better prospects under different management without competing interests.

Clay, on the other hand, proved to be a genuine, bona fide gold mine for AI. With his legions of faithful followers showing no signs of abandoning their chosen idol, AI must have felt they’d won the lottery. No other AI contestant, even the title-holders, can match his accomplishments since appearing on this show. At a time when top-name pop stars have been cutting short concert tours due to poor sales, Clay has a solid box office record, even selling out some venues in record time. Likewise, his CD’s are solid sellers and presales indicate his much-anticipated Christmas CD will be at the top of many holiday shoppers’ gift lists. His recent recording of Proud of Your Boy for Disney’s Aladdin video was praised by Disney producers, applauded by critics, and moved the song’s composer to tears by the artistry of Clay’s heartfelt rendition. Clay was given the honor of being asked to perform this song at the Hollywood premiere. And if that’s not enough, Clay has co-authored a book about his life, which has been recognized as having the potential to become a best-seller upon release in November. (Given his fan base, this is a distinct possibility.) Then there is talk of Clay having his own holiday special on network television in December. All this, accompanied by the prerequisite blitz of TV interviews and appearances to recognize his accomplishments, will be hard to ignore.

Clay’s meteoric rise to success and acceptance as a professional entertainer seems like a double-edged sword for AI. On the one hand, they could congratulate themselves, pointing to him as their success story, their star discovery and by doing so promote themselves; yet on the other hand, Clay no longer needed AI, in fact outgrew them. The third season of AI demonstrated that Clay could do more for AI than AI could do for Clay at that point. From the first auditions that season his presence was felt, his tall shadow still loomed. References to and attempts to emulate Clay were numerous. His guest appearances were much-anticipated events and ratings boosters, even though two of the AI judges exhibited poor judgment in mocking Clay during a subsequent interview. In the end, they only succeeded in looking foolish and petty. Big mistake if they ever hope to invite him back as a guest star. They portrayed Clay as having a big ego, but the only oversized egos in evidence were their own.

So, how will they avoid references or comparisons to Clay Aiken in AI4? How can they expect contestants not to look to his example for inspiration? Will Clay cease to exist in the AI universe, becoming "invisible"? (Oops! another Clay Aiken reference.) Let’s face it, even if his name is never uttered, comparisons by viewers are inevitable because he has set the bar. Of course they will utilize the three past season winners still under contract, and there are other past contestants they can call upon to appear to boost their fledgling careers (William Hung anyone?), but Clay will remain all too conspicuous by his absence. As any Clay fan will tell you, his shoes are much too big to be filled by anyone else. Of course there is one solution - all AI has to do is find another Clay Aiken – but this is reality TV and that would be pure fantasy (see dictionary, under "Fantasia"). Clay is one of a kind, the real deal, and that’s why he is a real American Idol.

Women over 35 wear clothes - Clay mention

Retailers, please note: Women over 35 wear clothes

By Sue Hutchison

Mercury News


Finally, the miracle has happened. After years of ignoring the plaintive cries in store dressing rooms from women over 35, clothing retailers have begun to realize that there is life after belly shirts.

Now that Britney Spears is a married lady, maybe the fashion czars have awakened to the fact that there are a lot of women out there with money to spend who are beyond their teen-vixen phase but not ready to look like Aunt Bee. After all, dressing like an adult doesn't have to mean wearing tweed ``nanny'' suits and high-button blouses. But neither does it mean looking like you have Clay Aiken posters on your bedroom wall.

Christmas CD Ad- Oct. 17