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Friday, November 19, 2004
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
McDonalds is Sponsoring Clay's Joyful Noise Tour!
GOING ONCE... GOING TWICE... GOING TO MEET MULTI-PLATINUM SUPERSTAR CLAY AIKEN COURTESY OF McDONALD’S® CORPORATION
"Aiken" for Clay? Winning eBay Bidder on Exclusive Clay Aiken Handprints Will Receive Framed Piece in Person During Aiken's Holiday Concert Tour Sponsored by McDonald's. Clay's handprints have generated so much buzz and funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities® that McDonald's Corporation is announcing today that the winning bidder of the Clay Aiken handprints will be awarded the signed cement handprints from Aiken personally at one of his holiday concert tour stops this year. Aiken's Holiday Concert Tour, sponsored by McDonald's, kicks off November 21 and goes through December 23, 2004. The winning bidder will be contacted after the auction to make sure all their information is verified.
Clay Talks About his book on the Today Show
The many chapters of Clay Aiken's life
02:14 PM EST on Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Watch this story
Clay Aiken has come a long way since his days on 'American Idol.' His debut album "Measure of a Man" went double platinum and a new holiday CD "Merry Christmas With Love" just hit store shelves on Tuesday. Now Aiken can add author to his list of his accomplishments with his new book "Learning to Sing." Aiken turns 26 on Nov. 30.
Fighting a cold, Aiken appeared on NBC's Today show to talk with Katie Couric:
Why do you think this was the right time to tell your story?
I don't know that I would call it an autobiography. It was more of an opportunity for me to tell different stories that happened to different people I met, different experiences I had in my life and just talk about what I learned from it. The "Idol" experience itself is such a big lesson. It taught me a lot about myself, a lot about what I’m doing. But there’s so many other things that have happened that it took sitting back and looking at what I’ve gone through to kind of know how I became who I cam today.
What did the whole "American Idol" experience teach you, other than it’s fun to be famous?
It didn't even teach me that! Sometimes it teaching you that it's not so fun. You know it taught me a lot about believing in myself and having a lot of confidence in who I am and what I believe I'm good at. There are a lot of other things that happened before that that I didn’t realize taught me that I’m good at certain things. So it was an opportunity to look at being picked on in middle school and how that helped me identify myself and what it took to be proud of who I am.
In the book you write, "I was dubbed a loser throughout most of my childhood. As a kid I was an insult magnet, a nerd who loved his grandparents, who wore the wrong clothes, who liked the wrong things, who had goofy hair and glasses, who didn’t smoke or drink. It made for a very lonely childhood."
I think it's about accepting who you are. It's not about whether you wear the right clothes. I mean, there are plenty of people who do wear what's considered cool and buy the most expensive things and they’re not happy with themselves. I think it's about knowing who you are and believing in yourself no matter what you wear, what you look like, how you do your hair, or even if you do it on your own.
How did these things that you experienced in your childhood scar you? Clearly it must have been tough and it must have had some type kind of lasting impact for you.
I think that a lot of the bad stuff – my mom always said it's not worth going through anything if you're not going to learn something from it – and I've always come from family where we were told to laugh things off. We always laughed things off. We're not confrontational; we don't really let things get to us. That's one of the things I've always been taught.
Is that good or bad?
I don't know that it's necessarily great, but it hasn't proven to be bad for me. As I sat down and wrote about things like my biological father, my estranged relationship with him and the death of my sister and my relationship with my stepfather, it was very therapeutic to actually have to think about what I learned from each experience. My relationship with my stepfather was kind of strained throughout my teenage years and it took his illness for me to really see him in a more human light. I think one of the things that made his death so difficult is that sting of regret that I never actually formed a better relationship with him. It was actually very draining to go actually go through some of that stuff. So I think that holding some of my feelings about that in and not expressing it beforehand made me regret the fact I didn’t have a relationship with him more.
I know that you were a special ed teacher before this whole crazy ride began. You've said once this is all over you're going to go back to Raleigh. Do you really think that's possible to go back? Can you go home again?
It's tough to even go back now. I don't know if I'll be able to be a teacher necessarily. I don't think I'd garner much respect as a teacher right now, but part of what I want to do with the foundation that I helped set up is maybe be able to teach on a larger scale. I kind of still see myself as a teacher. I see this as an opportunity to do the same thing. I don't know if this book will change anyone's life, it will probably give them something to rest their coffee on.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Clay's CD and Book Go on Sale Today!
News 14 Carolina
Clay Aiken's Christmas CD goes on sale11/15/2004 8:47 AMBy: News 14 Carolina Staff
Attention Claymates - Clay Aiken's Christmas CD, "Merry Christmas with Love", goes on sale at midnight Monday.
Aiken's memoir, entitled "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life" will also go on sale Tuesday.
Tickets for his December 12th show at the BTi Center in Raleigh went on sale Friday morning and sold out immediately.
A second show was scheduled and those tickets sold out just as fast. This will be the only stop in the Tar Heel State for Clay's “Joyful Noise” Tour.
UNICEF Article
Press Release Source: U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Musical Artist Clay Aiken Appointed UNICEF Ambassador
Tuesday November 16, 8:26 am ET
Aiken Takes Message of 'Education for All' Center Stage
NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, multi-platinum artist Clay Aiken became a National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. A budding philanthropist and long time education advocate, Mr. Aiken will use his Ambassador status to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a primary education.
"Education is the best investment any society can make for the health and well-being of its children," said Charles J. Lyons, president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "Clay Aiken, like all of our National Ambassadors, was chosen based on his compassion and deep commitment to helping children around the world. We're very pleased to have him join the UNICEF family."
Long before his current singing career, Clay Aiken's life ambition was to work with individuals living with disabilities. Mr. Aiken intended to pursue a career in special education. Although his time and energy has turned toward the music industry, he remains passionate about assisting individuals with developmental delays, specifically children, to live full lives in the real world.
There are currently 121 million children not in school around the world. Ensuring that all children everywhere are given the opportunity for a solid education is one of UNICEF's highest priorities. Universally, education is the number one conduit for children's health, wellbeing and longevity. It also helps transform villages, communities, and nations, ultimately leading the world towards greater health, prosperity and stability.
Within the umbrella of education, UNICEF supports programs that train teachers, fortifies teaching curriculums, delivers school supplies; create emergency schools in conflict zones and emergency settings, and uses education to help prevent the global pandemic of HIV/AIDS.
"Everyone deserves the best start in life, which is what UNICEF is working to provide the world's most vulnerable children," said Aiken who is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. "Education is essential to a child's development. I hope that as an Ambassador I can encourage people to join UNICEF's mission to make education a reality for children throughout the world."
Since his ascendancy on America's Pop Charts over a year ago, Mr. Aiken has founded his own foundation, the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. It will provide grants and other one-on-one services to individuals living with disabilities so that they may participate in programs and work environments that are normally designed for persons without disabilities. The foundation will encourage and facilitate community inclusion and the empowerment of individuals with disabilities.
ABOUT UNICEF
Founded in 1946, UNICEF helps save, protect and improve the lives of children around the world through immunization, education, health care, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. For more information, please visit www.unicefusa.org or call 1-800-4UNICEF.
ABOUT THE BUBEL/AIKEN FOUNDATION
The mission of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is to provide services and financial assistance to facilitate fully the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of those without. The Foundation will create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the possibilities inclusion can bring. Through collaborations with the disability, education, entertainment, and media communities, the Foundation will recognize those whose commitment to breaking the stereotypes attendant to the developmentally disabled has broken barriers and extended the boundaries of the human experience for all.
Clay Book Signing at Virgin Megastore in Orlando - DEC 16th!
Thanks to hawaii42 from the Clayboard:
I am happy to announce that Clay Aiken will be doing a book signing at the Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney on December 16th. The "tentative" time for the signing is noon. We currently, are handing out 150 laminates to secure a place in line for the instore. We may be giving out more, but as of right now...we only have 150.
In order to get a laminate, you must purchase the "Learning to Sing" book at the Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney. Laminates are given out one per person (not per purchase) and are on a "FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE" basis. So, if one person buys 5 books, you will only get ONE laminate. Purchases can not be made over the phone...they must be done in person only.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Suprise Announcement on Larry King?
CNN Promos indicate that Clay will annouce a suprise tonight, like on LKL.
Christmas Special- Joint NBC/RCA Press Release
MULTI-PLATINUM RECORDING ARTIST CLAY AIKEN RINGS IN THE HOLIDAYS DURING HIS FIRST TELEVISION
SPECIAL ON NBC ON DECEMBER 8
BURBANK -- November 15, 2004 ? NBC will showcase multi-platinum recording artist star Clay Aiken as he sings classic Christmas carols on his first television special, "A Clay Aiken Christmas," on Wednesday, Dec. 8 (8-9 p.m. ET). The music special comes just weeks after the release of Aiken's first book and holiday album, as well as the start of his holiday concert tour.
The hour-long studio special will feature Aiken and Special Guest star Barry Manilow as well as gospel singer Yolanda Adams and NBC's "Will & Grace" star Megan Mullally.
The program will come on the heels of Aiken's first book, "Learning to Sing," and his debut holiday album "Merry Christmas with Love," scheduled to be released on November 16. Likewise, Aiken's "The Joyful Noise" concert tour begins on November 21.
Aiken's first single "This Is the Night," made history by becoming #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart as it sold 392,000, beating Elton John's 1997 record for "Candle in the Wind."
Aiken issued his first full-length studio album, "The Measure of a Man," in October 2003.
Barry Manilow's unparalleled career is made up of virtually every facet of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. A 2002 inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. He has received Grammy, Emmy and Tony Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award. He's just released his 43rd album -- "Scores ? Songs From Copacabana and Harmony" -- which features Manilow's personal renditions of the songs he has written for two of his major musical properties, "Copacabana and Harmony." Manilow also was named the "the showman of our generation" by Rolling Stone in 2002.
Two-time Grammy winner Yolanda Adams has long been one of gospel music's biggest stars. Adams soared to new heights with the 1999 release of her Elektra Entertainment debut "Mountain High...Valley Low." The album featured the smash hit "Open My Heart" and spent much of the year at #1 on Billboard Magazine's Gospel and Contemporary Christian Charts, eventually selling over one million copies. Her subsequent Elektra albums, "Christmas with Yolanda Adams," the live release "The Experience," and her latest, "Believe," have further strengthened her position as one of gospel's best loved and most successful artists. .
Mullally is an Emmy winner and three-time Screen Actors Guild recipient who made her Broadway debut in the 1994 revival of "Grease" with Rosie O'Donnell. She then received an Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination for her performance as "Rosemary" in the Broadway revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" opposite Matthew Broderick. Her Los Angeles stage credits include "The Berlin Circle" at the Evidence Room Theater and her performance earned her the 2000 Backstage West Garland Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play and the LA Weekly Award for Best Leading Female Performance. Mullally has also appeared in "Mayhem" at the Evidence Room, as well as a variety of other plays and musicals in both Chicago and Los Angeles.
Mullally's concert appearances include the 2003 Kennedy Center Gala with Patty Lupone and Michael Feinstein and Los Angeles' Disney Concert Hall. One of Mullally's fondest projects is her glamorous cover band, Supreme Music Program, with whom she has released two CDs, including her most recent in "Big As A Berry" on Fynsworth Alley. Supreme Music Program has essayed a successful performance art piece, "Sweetheart," and will perform this Fall with the Seattle Symphony and at the Oklahoma Civic Center before appearing next year at the Kennedy Center.
Four-time Emmy winner Louis J. Horvitz is the executive producer and director of "A Clay Aiken Christmas." Horvitz is one of Hollywood's most prolific live television event directors. Horvitz' expertise has been recognized by his peers with numerous Emmy and DGA nominations.
This past September, Horvitz earned his 10th nomination and won his fourth Emmy Award while directing the live Emmy telecast.
Additionally this year, Horvitz has helmed over 15 high-profile events including his
eighth year as the director of the Academy Awards, his 12th year as the producer/director of the Peoples Choice Awards, his 10th year as co-producer/director of the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, director for MTV'S VMAS, VH1's "Divas and
Hip Hop Honors," "Bad Boys of Comedy" (a film series for Sean "P Diddy" Combs), and more.
Horvitz, now in his eight year as executive producer and director for "An Evening of Stars," is in the final editing stages for this four-hour tribute to Quincy Jones. In addition, he is putting the finishing touches on an ultra-stylistic film "Music 101".
Upon completion of "A Clay Aiken Christmas" Horvitz will fly to Washington, D.C.,
for his 12th tour of duty as the director of the Kennedy Center Honors.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Tracy St. Pierre, NBC Entertainment Publicity, 818/840-3648, tracy.stpierre@nbc.com
Roger Widynowski, RCA Records, for Clay Aiken,
Here's more info:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8
A CLAY AIKEN CHRISTMAS -- (8?9 p.m.)
JOIN CLAY AIKEN AND GUEST STAR BARRY MANILOW, GOSPEL SINGER YOLANDA ADAMS AND MEGAN MULLALLY (WILL & GRACE) AS THEY PERFORM TRADITIONAL YULE TIDE CAROLS
HAVE YOURSELF A CLAY AIKEN CHRISTMAS -- "A Clay Aiken Christmas" will feature favorite carols performed by Clay Aiken and duets with Special Guest Star Barry Manilow and gospel singer Yolanda Adams as well as a solo by "Will & Grace" star Megan Mullally. The 1-hour special will air at 8pm on NBC, December 8.The intimate performance is set against a traditional Christmas backdrop complete with holly and snow. Four-time Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz is the executive producer and director on this project. Songs featured in the special include "Santa Clause is Coming to Town, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, "Mary, Did You Know?" and "Happy Holidays." The special will come on the heels of Aiken's first book, "Learning to Sing" and his Holiday album "Merry Christmas with Love" album both scheduled to be released on November 16. Aiken will begin his holiday tour "The Joyful Noise" on November 21.
LINK 1
LINK 2
IE will recap the AMA's. Check local listings.
Clay came out with Kathy Griffin, in a nice casual suit and rectangular shaped glasses. Kathy was wearing a wedding dress and the two played out a mini-skit about Kathy wanting to marry Clay.
Clay will perform on LKL Tonight!
From the CB:
I have some GREAT news! A friend of mine who is behind the scenes and in the know, has told me that Clay is scheduled to perform on LKL tonight, time permitting!
MCWL Promo- November 15
Less than 1 day until release!!!!
Here one more ad:
And two different colored ones:
Sunday, November 14, 2004
James McGuire
(from his About Top 40 column):
In the world of Clay Aiken, this coming week is a product launch like no other. This Tuesday, November 16, he releases his holiday CD, Merry Christmas With Love. And on the very same day, he also releases his autobiographical book, "Learning How To Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life." Yes, it's unusual for someone to put out a CD and a book on the exact same day. Funny thing is, the book is being released by Random House and the CD is being put out by RCA -- two completely different companies. Yet apparently they've synchronized their watches on this one, hoping for some media synergy. That is, they're hoping interest in the CD will fuel interest in the book, and vice versa. As far as I can remember, the book-CD same day release is a first. It'll be interesting to see how it does. Probably pretty well.
Clay doodle sold for charity for $2,200!
Trump’s pen tops Doodle Day auction
Jodean Fox of Bettendorf leaned over the table where a doodle by baseball Hall of Fame righthander and former Chicago Cub Fergie Jenkins was on display.
Picking up the pin on top of the bidding form, she looked over her shoulder, and added $5 to the $175 bid, taking it to $180.
There was just 15 minutes left in the silent auction.
“We’re trying to get this for our brother, Joe Klein, for his 50th birthday,” Fox explained, adding that she and three of her siblings were in on the deal.
“We really want that,” she added. “His wife couldn’t be here. She’s at the Iowa-Minnesota game. But she told us to bid on it.”
And $180 is not a bad price to split between four people, she said.
Joe should really appreciate their efforts, whether they got the item or not. “He’s 47 now,” Fox said. “We’re just thinking ahead.”
Fox was just one of more than 300 people who attended the biannual auction at the Bettendorf Public Library. The event, the Library Fund’s Author & Celebrity Doodle Day, benefits the library and its many programs.
Doodles are scribbled artwork, sometimes drawn aimlessly, especially when preoccupied. There were 109 signed doodles and autographed photos on which to bid, each contributed by a celebrity from music, sports or TV and the movies to authors of adult and children’s books.
Others came from people like politicians Geraldine Ferraro, radio psychiatrist Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. There was even a skyline doodle by Donald Trump that hit the $300 mark during the silent auction. Even domestic diva Martha Stewart sent a signed photo.
Vicki Brogan of Bettendorf bid on an autographed photo of former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn. “That one’s for my husband,” she said, as she upped the bid to $90.
Brogan also put a bid on a signed photo of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. “That one’s for me because I’m originally from Texas,” she added.
Bidding in the silent auction began at 6 p.m., and immediately two favorites were in contention. One was by the late master chef Julia Child, who died Aug. 13. By 7:45 p.m. the high bid on her doodle had reached $350.
The doodle drawn by singer Clay Aiken was going for $800 by 7:45 p.m.
“We had a good dozen or so calls from around the country about the Clay Aiken doodle,” said Todd Klein, executive director of the Library Foundation.
It seems word got out that Aiken had done a doodle and some advertising ended up on the pop star’s Web site, he added. “So we’ve taken a few proxy bids on it tonight.”
The top 10 doodles and photos in terms of number of bids as well as money would go from the silent auction to the open auction, Klein said.
Faye Clow, library director, said they begin contacting personalities and other people for doodles and photographs almost as soon as one auction is over with. “You can tell who are the most creative by who draws outside the square,” she said.
John Riches, a member of the library’s funding board, said that the last auction two years ago brought between $20,000 and $25,000.
Klein said this year’s goal of $27,000 easily was reached. “The Donald Trump piece went for $3,200, while the Clay Aiken piece went for $2,200,” he said.
Carmen Rasmusen to appear at SLC Concert
Courtesy Carmen's Site
November 13, 2004
Carmen will be performing live with Clay Aiken in Salt Lake City on November 29, 2004 at Abravenal Hall .
Review of Clay's book in Entertainment Weekly-Nov.19
Thanks to gailkent from the Clayboard:
I was just checking some magazines in the supermarket and picked up Entertainment Weekly the November 19th edition with Colin Farrell on the cover. On page 87 they have book review section and Clay's book is there. Its pretty positive but I didn't like the remarks the reviewer made about his mom. The reviewer states Clay mom is a source of comfort, inspiration and holy terror. From what I have seen I don't think Faye would ever be a holy terror.
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