Suprised Claymate Tells Radio Station What She Wanted for Christmas

Hilarious post from the Clayunwrapped.com!

From the Clayunwrapped.com:

Ummmm....thank goodness no one here can listen to my radio station! I was just currently on the radio!

DJ made the mistake of asking..."If you could choose ANYONE...dead or alive...to find wrapped up under your tree on Christmas morning, who would it be?"

I called in. Not expecting them to answer, but they did! I said...

"100%, without a doubt, I want Clay Aiken under MY tree in NOTHING but the bow!!!!"

I think I caught him off guard cause he busted out laughing.

He said "Whoa! Clay Aiken naked under your tree! Why do you want Clay under your tree?"

I asked him how much time he had.

He was cracking up. He told me to have a great holiday season and that he hoped that I got EVERYTHING I hoped for for Christmas. Including Clay in nothing but a bow.

Florida Concerts End Clay's 'Joyful' Tour

The 2nd annual Joyful Noise Tour (2005) came to an end last night in Clearwater, FL to a sold out, 5500 strong, audience at the Ruth Eckerd Hall. To celebrate the New Year, Clay performed What Are You Doing New Year's Eve off last year's Christmas album, Merry Christmas With Love. To get caught up with the tour, and to read recaps from all the JNT2005 concerts, visit our JNT2005 Blog.

Clay Mentions 12/31

Article and blog post that mentions Clay Aiken tatoos. (I hate having to agree with these articles)

Just grab change and enjoy the ride
By John Mitchell
Saturday, December 31
Wake up! New Year's is coming and it's time to change your life!

New Year's resolutions are a personal method of changing history, disposing of bad habits or decisions once and for all. However, tattoos hold the potential of not only being documentation of the very things you are trying to change, but expensive ones to wipe out. For every tattoo worth hanging onto, there probably are dozens that serve as reminders of what an idiot you used to be, and Really Bad Tattoos (see below) offers up a few reminders of those times you wish you could forget.

Of all the gross tattoos I have ever seen, the Clay Aiken one takes the cake and hints at some secrets probably better left to the bearer of the Aiken visage. At least I understand somewhat where that person is coming from, as misguided and horrible as it is. The ugly naked Indian girl straddling an ear of corn, though? Michael Jackson holding some kid on his lap? You can torture me and I have no answers.

Really Bad Tattoos
TypeBrighter Blog

I don't have any tattoos and I don't plan on getting any in the near future or at any time for that matter. I have nothing against tattoos or people that have them I just have never heard a plausible argument as to why to get one. If I really really like a piece of art I would hang it on my wall or if I had an uncontrollable desire to show the piece of art to the world I would put it on a t-shirt that way when I inevitably get sick of looking at it I can either take it off the wall or give it to a thrift store.

Anyway here are some tattoos that completely boggle my mind. I really cant fathom why anyone would get these things permanently put on their bodies.

Clay Aiken and Linkin Park 2 very different acts which actually have a lot in common. They are both popular now who knows what catalogue of music they are going to release over the next 20 years. What if they release some of the most gut retchingly horrible music that you've ever heard and you've already decided on commit them to your body for life.

More mentions about MCWL topping this year's Christian albums chart by Billboard.

'American Idol' Winners Top Year-End Religious Music Charts
Friday, Dec. 30, 2005 Posted: 7:46:56PM EST
Christian Post

Billboard's year-end charts for Christian and Gospel music saw past "American Idol" competitors on top, with 2003 "Idol" winner Ruben Studdard claiming the number one spot on the Top Gospel Albums and Top Gospel Artists charts for his critically acclaimed release I Need an Angel.

Clay Aiken, Studdard's runner up during Season Two of "Idol," took the top position on the Top Christian Albums chart for his platinum-selling holiday release Merry Christmas With Love, which was also the best selling new holiday album of 2004.

Coming in at No. 2 behind Aiken was San Diego rock band Switchfoot with their double platinum-selling 2003 release The Beautiful Letdown, which held the chart's top position for 38 weeks. Switchfoot, who took the top spot on the Top Christian Artists list, also registered at No. 7 on the Christian Albums chart with their latest release Nothing Is Sound, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 in September.

Clay Gets Giraffed At Florida Park

Taking time to have some fun before returning to Raleigh, Clay visited Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, FL today with the rest of the band. Busch offers the combo of a zoo and a theme park, billing themselves as Florida's premier 'adventure park'. As we can see from the pictures below (click to enlarge), Clay spent some, uh, time with the giraffes in their zoo and also got a chance to go on one of the roller coasters. The Joyful Noise Tour 2005 wraps up tonight in Clearwater, FL.

Clay in DirectTV's January TV Guide

From the CB's OneSingingGal:

since no one else has mentioned this....

on page 9 of the daily guide for direcTV, published monthly....in the january 2006 issue with kiefer sutherland (24) on the cover :tasty :laugh :grin

Idol Worship (one fan's perspective on the national obsession that is american idol) by ian spelling

my life has been like 'american idle' without american idol.....
......

third paragraph - so who'll be this year's flash in the pan, a la season 1 runner-up justin guarini? who'll be so goofy they wind up with a record deal, like infamous rejected contestant willian hung? who's got the genuine talent, luck and staying power of the first idol winner kelly clarkson and the show's most successful runner-up, season 2's clay aiken? (and will season 3 champ fantasia barrino and current idol carrie underwood have what it takes to run with them ? will someone be lucky at the finale, but have more mixed results when it comes to record sales, like season 2's top guy, 'velvet teddy bear' ruben studdard? and who'll bring something new to the competition, like last year's finalist, rocker bo bice?

there's a pic of clay and ruben at the finale, also pics of kelly, bo, william, fantasia, and judges, all the same size. and a big pic of carrie on the side....

maybe someone can scan the article....

Ryan Seacrest's Clay 'Love Fest' on Raleigh TV

The CB's ThuddingInRaleigh reports that the local ABC affiliate WTVD in Raleigh mentioned Clay via an interview with Ryan Seacrest earlier tonight.

Don't know if anyone else caught this on the 5:30 channel 11 news. Local Newscasters interviewed Ryan Seacrest live (Ryan in NY). They discussed the New Year's celebration tomorrow night for NY. Then the local newscaster said to Ryan, something to the effect, "Well, you know Clay Aiken is from this area?".

And immediately Ryan began a very nice commentary about Clay, saying nothing but good things about him, and commending him about how he makes it look easy when he (Clay) is up on stage. The majority of the Ryan interview turned into a Clay love fest.

Clay For Your iPod Video

The recent introduction of the iPod video has given Claymates a new way to enjoy Clay. Unfortunately, the iPod only accepts MP4 video files at the time being which are quite hard to find. The CB's Gerwhisp has converted some popular performances into MP4 format for you to download and add to your iPod video. (These files can also be played on your Windows XP/Mac computer using iTunes). Click here to see Gerwhisp's MP4 video files.

Town & Country Wedding Magazine

Clay was mentioned in an undated, special edition of Town and Country magazine, called Town & Country Wedding.

From the CB's laurasviolin:

I was waiting in the doctor's office today and was leafing through the magazines sitting on the table. I picked up a copy of Town & Country's special wedding edition (don't ask... I used to design wedding gowns, so I still peek at the magazines) ;) Anyway, there is an article about a bride & groom's wedding that I got into, and in the second to LAST paragraph (pg. 114), it turns out that SHE is a CLAYMATE! She played WYSYLM as their first dance, because she LOVES Clay Aiken!

Good girl ;) :flowers

PLUS, a good mention in a non-traditional magazine. Other brides-to-be might take the hint and pick up the album!

I've checked throught the magazine, and can find NO evidence of a date, though it must be from the recent T&C edition... I may have to check the store to see if they are selling it bundled together with the regular edition...

Friends Get Opportunity Of A Lifetime at Boston JNT

Best friends perform with Clay Aiken from 'American Idol'
Friday, December 30, 2005

Michael Hammond and Paula Markowicz have been best friends since the age of five, and their 34 year friendship has led them to share many experiences

They first performed together in the musical "Gypsy" at Holbrook Junior/Senior High School, and after graduating in 1984, they continued performing.

"Our favorite show that we played opposite each other in was 'Ragtime' at the Company Theatre. We love to perform, but it is extra special when we get to perform together," Michael said.

The biggest opportunity came when they were both asked to perform on Dec. 6 at the Orpheum Theatre with Clay Aiken from the hit "American Idol" TV show.

"We watched 'American Idol' on television, and then I was on stage with one," Michael said

"It was a bit surreal to be in Boston on the Orpheum stage in the 'falling snow' singing Christmas songs, surrounded with the familiar voices of your friends, who are each remarkably talented individually. Then let's add the audience of 2,700 looking on, and as you look across the stage, you see that you are sharing it with someone you looked forward to watching and rooted for week after week on 'American Idol.' What a kick!" Paula said.

Walking into the Orpheum Theatre was amazing just knowing that my brother, who has performed all of his life, was given such a great opportunity.

The anticipation was overwhelming. As I handed the ticket to the usher and she found our seats, I saw my brother in the doorway waving. I couldn't stop smiling. I was so proud of him.

Her face described it all when Paula's daughter Deliah came running down the aisle, waving to us with a big smile. She was so excited to see her mom perform with Clay.

As I sat in the audience holding my son's hand, talking to my brother Neil, and looking at my ecstatic parents, I tried to sit still in my seat waiting for the show to start.

A young woman in front of me asked, "Are you related to someone in the show?" I answered proudly, "Yes, my brother. Michael Hammond."

Right away, the young woman started saying, "Michael is going to be directing 'Peter Pan,' my daughter is trying out on Friday, and he is also a great video photographer."

You want to talk about a proud moment: listening to someone talk so highly of your brother.

What a nice woman, but when she started to talk about her daughter, I could see something in her eye.

The woman said, "My daughter Sara is in the show also. She is 10, and she called me on the phone when she first met Clay. She said, 'I just shook Clay Aiken's hand, and I'm never washing my hand again.'"

I could see Sara's mother's eyes fill up, and I saw how proud she was of her daughter. It was such a beautiful moment.

The lights went down, and there dressed in white was Clay Aiken. The crowd cheered, but all I saw was my brother Michael smiling.

The show was amazing. Clay lit up the room with his outstanding voice, but it only got better at the end when Clay came out to talk to the audience and introduce all the people in the show.

He even joked about buying Clay Aiken merchandise in the lobby. His show has such a personal touch.

Clay let Andrew and Sara say hello, announced what their ages were, and told the audience what a great job they did.

Clay, dressed in black with a red tie, began to walk back and forth across the stage, saying how wonderful it was to work with such a great bunch of people when a woman from the audience decided to interrupt him.

"Excuse me," Clay said. "What is so important that you have to interrupt my show?"

The audience laughed, and Clay walked over to the woman and said, "Stand up. What is it you wanted to say?"

The woman stood up and couldn't say anything. I think she was in shock.

She sat down, and Clay said, "Are you sure you have nothing to say?"

She was still stunned and just said, "Ahh."

Clay asked her to stand up again, but this time he gave her a big hug.

The audience cheered and yelled "Clay."

Clay commented, "Some of the most talented people that we have in this country started out in community theatre."

After the show I was still overwhelmed with excitement, and so was my Uncle Robert and my Auntie Arlene.

In fact, my auntie couldn't wait to purchase the Clay Aiken Christmas ornament that they were selling in the lobby. She even took the time to joke with the sales clerk.

"It's just Clay's picture on this," she said. "Where is my nephew's picture? He should be on the side. Don't worry. I'm going to put a picture on myself when I get home."

We waited for my brother and Paula to come out from backstage, and when I first saw them they had an indescribable glow in their faces.

I was able to ask Michael and Paula about what were some of their favorite parts of the show and best moments.

"The best moment about singing with Clay Aiken for me was that my four-year-old nephew Jacob thought that he saw me waving to him. I couldn't see him in the crowd of 2,700 people, but I tried to wave in his direction. He didn't seem to care about seeing Clay Aiken, but truly believed that I was waving just to him," Michael smiled.

"When Clay met us and shook hands individually, he started with the kids first and when he got to the end, Clay said that he didn't remember everyone's name, but he remembered Andrew (seven years) because he complimented him. He said he liked his song ("Don't Save It All") when Clay shook his hand," Paula said.

Clay, who brought his elementary music teacher, Allison Lawrence, on tour with him to perform in his show, took great care of the cast backstage.

"Allison was reading an excerpt from Clay's book that was about her as a teacher and how Clay would fool around and got kicked out of class. Ask John about the page (101) in the book for exact verbiage," Paula said.

To end the night, we all took the train home, and the train was full of people. Everyone was reading their books and not talking until one woman noticed my Auntie Arlene's Clay Aiken ornament.

The woman said, "We just saw Clay Aiken tonight."

Now, of course, my beaming Auntie Arlene said, "My nephew was in the show. He's right there."

She pointed across the train.

One by one, you saw people closing their books, smiling, and listening about the night we had watching Michael and Paula perform with Clay Aiken.

Paula and Michael are currently preparing for upcoming roles, but were asked to perform again for Clay in New Jersey and Connecticut.

Michael is directing "Peter Pan" at Bay Colony Productions and performing in a show in Boston with Animus Ensemble called "Promises, Promises." He will be performing in "Ragtime" at the New Rep Theatre in April.

Clay Mentions 12/30

Mention about MCWL being the #1 Christian album of 2005.

Music year-end top tens
Orlanda Sentinel
Posted December 30, 2005

contemporary christian albums

1. Merry Christmas With Love Clay Aiken

I'd the rest today... not very nice. :(
??? Predictions for 2006? Negative.

An unpredictable year
Dish goes to a seance and uses her powers to envision the future

Entertainment
Little twink singer CLAY AIKEN finally cops to his proclivities and the Blade never writes about him again.

JBT Concert was the worst? Negative.

Sounds of 2005: Our critic's picks for best and worst popular music
Jeff Spevak
Staff music critic

Worst Show of the Year. Clay Aiken at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. With only two albums to his name (one a Christmas record), Aiken filled the night with medleys of songs you never thought you'd have to sit through again: "Mandy," "Let's Go to the Hop," "I Will Always Love You," "Sugar Sugar" and "Car Wash."

Mention in article about football.

Time to hand out hardware
By Greg Cote
gcote@MiamiHerald.com

Sure as the bills arrive after Christmas, the obligatory NFL awards arrive around the same time. We'll limit ours to The Big Three -- Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

Rookie: Tampa running back Carnell ''Cadillac'' Williams won the award the first few weeks of the season, lost his grip on it with some injuries and poor games and seized it again with a late run.

The Bears' Kyle Orton seemed to have a shot for a while, until the realization set in that -- with that defense -- Chicago was going to win with Clay Aiken at quarterback.

Congratulations Clay on MCWL's Great Season

Clay's 2004 Christmas disc, Merry Christmas With Love was #8 on this week's holiday charts, up from #11 last week. This is the album's highest position on this chart this year, with over 32,000 copies scanned and sold by Soundscan. Congratulations Clay! A fantastic prelude to the release of the sophomore album.

Hurry! Tickets For Last JNT Show Still Available

Clay's Daily Double has been contacted by Lex Poppens, marketing director for Ruth Eckerd Hall. She wants all Florida Claymates to know that there are still 300 tickets available for tomorrow's Joyful Noise Tour finale at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, FL. Don't miss an important event in Clay history- the last concert of JNT 2005. Get your tickets now.

Tell Clay He Is Making A Difference

Clay said in a recent interview with the St. Petersberg Times that he felt like he wasn't making a difference. Now, Claymates have organized a thread where you can post to tell Clay that he IS making a difference. Click here to leave your message (you must be a Clayboard member). All comments will be printed out and given to Clay tomorrow at the last JNT concert in Clearwater, FL.

Only 134 Votes Separated Clay and Ruben?

According to reports from the Clackhouse, E! News TV is reporting via it's scrolling ticker that only 134 votes separated Clay and Ruben in the final vote of American Idol 2. FOX previously said 134,000 votes separted Clay and Ruben after messing up the data 2 times during that season's season finale. To give you some perspective, over 24,000,000 votes were cast, so if true, this new difference of 134 votes means Clay lost the Idol crown by 0.0000058%!

More Speculation About Mar-A-Lago Appearance

Yesterday's rumor that Clay was to attend the 2006 International Red Cross gala at Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL on Jan. 28, has been squished by the Clackhouse's GBB. Clay will not be appearing nor will he be appearing at that event.

However, there is SPECULATION that Clay might be appearing at 'Able Trust', also to be held at Mar-A-Lago on March 25, 2006. The event is close to Clay's heart as it involves people with disabilities, such as autism.

The Able Trust will host the eighth annual gala at the historical Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, with 100% of the proceeds to assist with employment support for Floridians with all types of disabilities.

In September 2005, when Clay met Donald Trump at the Emmy's, Trump said on camera that he wanted to book Clay for the Mar-A-Lago resort. This was later confirmed by Clay's publist.

Claymate Leaves With "Best" Memories

From the CB's nJOYclay:
I wanted to share my 'joyful' experience when I stopped by my local Best Buy (Miami/Hollywood FL) store this evenng wearing a "CLAY" button (that I had bought a few years ago in Raleigh 3/2004)... having just attended last nite's JNT05 Hollywood Concert at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, I was a bit curious to see if I'd get any reaction..... Plus the button just said 'CLAY' in big colorful letters... :)

Not more than 2 minutes in the store-- sure enough one of the sales people stopped me and smiled and said... "Oh did you see Clay last nite? To which I joyfully said "Oh yes"... She continued by telling me that she had seen a clip of Clay's concert on TV from last nite's Hollywood FL show on the local news (that was a nice surprise to me!) and that the show looked good. I replied and said, it was a great show and we had close to 5,000 folks there... She was curious that I said 'we' -- so she asked if I worked for Clay or the venue... I laughed (since I really didn't realize how it came out)... but I added that I actually help volunteer and spread outreach for his foundation (which gave me the opportunity to do 'outreach' by telling her a little about it).... wink.

She was very happy that Clay was in town and that he had a great turnout and that it was a great show!

PS.. I was there to buy some 40% off Holiday "Merry Christmas with Love" CDs.... Thus, a very Joyful experience all the way around at my local Best Buy Store..

Morale of the story: Wear Clay and joy is soon will follow!

May the Joy be with you! Happy New Years to all !

Fondly, Joy in Miami :wave

The Year That Was 2005...

Beckette402 wrote this nice 'recap' of the year. We thought we'd share it with you.

2005 TOP TEN RECAP....
As the year winds down, I was beckoned today to do a recap of 2005. A Top Ten list of some of the year's highlights ~ enjoy!

In no particular order:

10. The 2005 Clay calendar. Our wish finally came true. Could that man be any more photogenic and handsome? Heart be still. All year long. *THUD* <---- That word still makes me giggle. And we love his giggle, too 9. Clay's Valentine gift to us in February. He came out of hiding to share a little love on Kimmel. We sent him a bouquet of heart cookies, which sat on the couch looking almost as cute as Clay. Almost. 8. More cookies. It was quite a delightful surprise this fall when Clay again walked out on stage on Kimmel, grinning from ear to ear, holding those Bolt Babe cookies-on-sticks. You know ~ the ones with Clay's and Jimmy's names on them that coincidentally matched Clay's sweater. How freaking adorable was that!?! And let's not forget Clay on Dr. Phil and Oprah. What a surprise! Wildest dreams come true indeed. 7. We received enlightment from Clay's UNICEF trips to Banda Aceh and Uganda. We will never forget Clay's driving dance moves and joyful interactions with the young children who survived the tsunami. They taught us about resilience. And the children of the night in Uganda jolted us all into a serious reality check. We learned about being brave, and we learned that tears really can run dry. 6. Tears Run Dry. 1000 Days. Back For More. Exciting sneak peeks into what we have to look forward to on Clay's next album. Cool use of test-marketing there, Clay. And thanks for tolerating the pins. Creative Claymates in action. 5. And speaking of sneak peeks, admit it. We were all a little nosey when we took a virtual tour of Clay's LA-area home from the realtor website. The best photo? Raleigh looking inside through the patio door in the dining room. Nuff said. 4. Kenneth Cole and Clay. During the NYC fashion week show, Clay looked like he'd rather be anywhere else on the planet, but charity benefited. So did we. He looked so incredibly handsome at the Emmys! And Clay did an awesome job with his stints for The Insider. Funny. Smart. And better than a breast pump. Hmmm. 3. Great Balls of Fire! The Jukebox Tour got us all dancing and excited and hot!! What an awesome, fun, and unforgettable show that was!! It is impossible to believe any tour could better it, but we know that Clay will top it. No pressure there, darlin'. You are just that good. And always getting better. How DO you do that? I know...The Gift. 2. The Joyful Noise Tour 2005. The truly heart-warming gift from Clay in his jammies. It made us cry and touched our hearts. And Clay showed us that friends really are the family you choose for yourself. It was his show, and he blew us away with his perfect voice. Oh, and we got it. All of it. 1. Patience. Oh, that man is teaching us patience! The palpable excitement and anticipation for Clay's new album will be sooooo worth it! We want it to be right. For him. And for us. And he is gonna knock our striped socks off, dear hearts! Trust me. And we will all celebrate it together, as we celebrate him home. Another truly amazing year. Past, present, future. Let's keep enjoying the ride, together. Happy New Year. Love, Becky

Clay Mentions 12/29

Rochester Democrat & Cronicle Music Year-In Review mentions Clay's Jukebox concert at Darien Lake this summer.

After dark: Season of high and low notes
Jeff Spevak
Staff music critic

(December 29, 2005) -- Over the course of reviewing 40 concerts during 2005, I learned just one thing. Clay Aiken's fans have no sense of humor, and a lot of idle time to send nasty e-mails. Here's my Year in Reviews:

July 30, Clay Aiken at Darien Lake. "It was like the paint burning away from the sled to reveal the secret of 'Rosebud' in the final scene of Citizen Kane. Saturday night, Clay Aiken revealed his plan for complete, merciless World Domination. Call it Operation Mandy. Sometime after the too-short intermission, Aiken actually sang the drecky 1970s hit 'Mandy.' Aiken wants to be the Barry Manilow of this century."

Nice mention in Year-In-Review article from Canoe.ca/Edmonton Sun music.

Music industry events of 2005
By MIKE ROSS - Edmonton Sun

IDOLS AMONG US: There are now more Idol contestants roaming the music charts than there are slots to hold them. Bo Bice is huge, Clay Aiken persists in existing and Kelly Clarkson broke the "doomed to obscurity" curse with her second album, Breakaway. Canadian Idol second-place finisher Rex Goudie has sold more albums than the winner Melissa O'Neil. They will tour together in the new year.

The Newark Star Ledger twisted the Bo Bice article that mentions Clay (which has been appearing everywhere because it was on the Associated Press wires) to say this. Bolded parts is what the Star Ledger added.

Runner-Up runs with it
Bice, 30, finished the Fox network's fourth season of "American Idol" as the runner-up. But he's hoping that-like fellow runner-up turned genuine star Clay Aiken- he can overrcome his also-ran status with his new recording.

Clay Listens to Collective Soul

Clay made these comments to Cleveland's Plain Dealer.

Sez Who
Wednesday, December 28, 2005

"I have Collective Soul's 'Shine' on my iTunes. That's probably as hard as it gets. But the only reason I have that is because Dolly Parton covered it on her bluegrass album, and I wanted to compare the two."

"American Idol" crooner Clay Aiken, when asked whether he listens to any "hard" rock.

St. Petersburg Times Writer Respond to E-mails

The writer of Monday's article from the St. Petersburg Times responded to the flood of mostly positive comments sent to him by Claymates.

Wow. Thanks, Sharon. You made my day. I usually have horrible luck when writing about singers related to American Idol, but Clay's fans have stuffed my email inbox with the nicest letters.

And let it be known that Clay is a great, great interview--a real charming man.

I'm glad he has such loyal fans like you.

All the Best,

Sean Daly
Pop Music Critic
St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

VH1 Classic Mentions Clay

From the CB:

I was watching the 100 Best Metal Moments this morning and they were talking about Jimmy Page pairing up with David Coverdale. Well, Tawny Kitean said, "Clay Aiken would be more metal with Jimmy Page than Coverdale was." They showed about 2 secs of Invisible.
Nothing major, but just thought I'd share.

Raleigh Gets A Big Hug From Gregory

Gregory Ellis, an actor on the tour gave a big hug to Raleigh at last night's concert in Hollywood, FL.

Clay Peforming at 2006 Red Cross Ball?

The CH's Goood Baby Brush has now confirmed that Clay WILL NOT be attending this event. There is speculation however, that Clay will attend a gala to honour people with disabilities, called 'Able Trust' in March 2006 also at Mar-A-Lago.

There are unconfirmed reports that Clay will be at the International Red Cross's annual Ball to be held on Jan. 28, 2006 at Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. In September, when Clay met Donald Trump at the Emmy's, Donald said on camera that he wanted to book Clay for the Mar-A-Lago resort. This was later confirmed by Clay's publist.

Clayaikentheidealidol.com reports:

Unconfirmed: If we receive confirmation of this
it will be reported.

Clay is rumored to be performing at the International Red Cross Ball. Truly one of the last white tie and tiara balls in the world, attended by ambassadors to the United States from around the world. Chaired by Simon C. Fireman. To be held in Donald Trump’s new Grand Ballroom at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., proceeds from the event will benefit the American Red Cross Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter. Tickets are $1,000 each or $10,000 per table. For more information, please contact Ryan Cairns at 561-650-9133. The Ball will be held on January 28th 2006 at 6:30pm.

Fans Flock to See Clay

Article from FloridaToday.com about tonight's concert in Melbourne, FL.

Clay Aiken spreads 'Joy' in Brevard
Claymates flock to King Center tonight to catch holiday concert
BY BREUSE HICKMAN
FLORIDA TODAY

Christmas with Clay. North Carolina native and "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken returns to the King Center for the Performing Arts for a Christmas concert tonight. "He may not be super good-looking, but his singing makes him beautiful," fan Mary Miracle of Palm Bay said.

Clay Aiken
Birthday: Nov. 30, 1978 Hometown: Raleigh, N.C. Where it started: He was runner-up to 2003 "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard Education: Special education major at University of North Carolina in Charlotte Height: 6 feet, 1 inches Weight: 145 pounds CDs: "Measure of a Man" and "Merry Christmas With Love" Book: "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music In Your Life"
In concert
What: "The Joyful Noise Tour" When: 8 tonight Where: King Center in Melbourne Tickets: $55 to $62.50 Info: 242-3789

It doesn't matter how often he's asked, Clay Aiken said he still can't figure out why so many women of all ages are so crazy about him.

"I go on to some of the fan sites and I still don't have any idea why they choose me," Aiken recently said by phone. "The only thing I know how to do is to be myself and sing and play the stuff I enjoy doing."

After Ruben Studdard barely beat Aiken on "American Idol" in 2003, some critics mused Aiken could count on a short-lived... Continue reading this article in our Tours section's Joyful Noise blog.

Clay Mentions 12/28

More mentions about whether AI4 runner-up Bo Bice will be the 'next' Clay Aiken.

Idol worship is the aspiring "Idols" rocking the music charts

He may not have reached the finals of the "American Idol" but Bo Bice is still a hot man for fans who follow his talent in music and longhaired good looks even if he is less than a winner. All of 30 years, the Alabama resident Bice ended up as a runner-up in the popular show's fourth season. But all his dreams of fame and glory are not shattered at least yet.

He has set his sights on aping Clay Aiken another also-ran, who landed a handsome fortune topping the charts. The past Idol Fantasia is going strong a year after her debut album Free Yourself was released while Clay Aiken has done very well two years after his TV appearance with his album Merry Christmas With Love.

Will Bo Bice be the next Clay Aiken?
TV Squad

Bo Bice is having a busy time of it lately. His new album "The Real Thing" is being released, and the singer is said to be "very excited" about it. As you no doubt know, Bice came in second to American Idol winner Carrie Underwood (who, by the way, was just named Oklahoman of the Year), and there has been much speculation about whether Bice will pull a "Clay Aiken". Aiken, who placed second behind Ruben Studdard in Season Two of Idol, has far surpassed Studdard in album sales and fan base.

Not that Ruben was any slouch--his first album beat out Kelly Clarkson's debut, and his second album went to the top of the gospel charts--but Aiken still outsold him, and his fan club, the Claymates, are almost as obsessive as Harry Potter fans. Actually, perhaps more so -- if you really want to wear your heart on your, er, sleeve, you can actually buy a Clay Aiken thong.

Rowling to finish 'Potter' in 2006
Scoop!

Bice 'n' easy
"American Idol" runnerup Bo Bice is out doing the publicity thing for his new CD, "The Real Thing." "I'm obviously very excited about the album, to see what people think of it," the 30-year-old told The Birmingham News. "I had quite a bit of creative control, and I was extremely pleased with that. I had a lot of input." Apparently, Bice is striving for more a Clay Aiken-type success than Justin Guarini. And if you are asking, "Who the heck is Justin Guarini?" then we rest our case.

Tuning In
Washington Times

Bo's 'Real' debut
Second place isn't the worst place to be for "American Idol" contestants.
Famous "AI" runner-up Clay Aiken rode his underdog status to a hit-making career, and now singer Bo Bice is hoping to do the same.

AI4 contestant Anthony Federov was compared to Clay.

Top 10 of 2005: No. 9 - Fedorov fever
By JO CIAVAGLIA
Bucks County Courier Times

Some people sing for their supper. Anthony Fedorov sang for his survival.

For 15 weeks this spring, the amateur Bucks County nightclub singer outperformed more than 100,000 competitors, then eight fellow finalists on the wildly popular reality show "American Idol."

With his blond, boy-band good looks and signature eyeglasses that played hide-and-seek during the season, Fedorov captured hearts with a passion for love songs and a moving life story, including a doctor's prediction a childhood tracheotomy would prevent him from speaking.

During the audition process, his style drew immediate comparisons with second-season runner-up, Clay Aiken, winning him more popularity points. Fedorov, 20, climbed into the Top 4 before his record skipped.

Clay's comments in May about the 'Paulagate' scandal that rocked American Idol.

Notable quotables in the music biz
SPEAKING THEIR MIND:

"Obviously, at this point, FOX has done a full investigation of it, independently, and found out that he is full of crap."
- Clay Aiken on [AI Season 2 contestant] Corey's Clark's claims he had an affair with American Idol judge Paula Abdul

Pittsburgh Blogger make some, uh, interesting predictions. :)

2006 Predictions

9. As the last remaining item from popular culture not resurrected during the recent "retro" craze, Southern Fried Rock will once again gain popularity in 2006 when American Idol phenom Clay Aiken releases a stirring rendition of the Molly Hatchet classic "Flirtin' with Disaster."

New York Radio Station Spreads Word About BAF

The CB's Claykitten reports that New York City's 106.7 Lite FM mentioned Clay's Bubel Aiken Foundation and the foundation's Wrapping For Inclusion project.

Last night I was listening to the radio Lite FM 106.7 in NYC and I heard them talking about the Bubel/Aiken Foundation and the Wrapping for Inclusion project. I was really happy to hear about it, because I've never heard anything about Clay or the BAF on the radio. It was really came as a surprise to me :thumbup I just wanted to share with you guys.

She also says the foundation is also listed on the station's website:

Wrapping for Inclusion/Bubel Aiken Foundation
This holiday season the Bubel/Aiken Foundation is proud to sponsor a nationwide fundraiser called Wrapping For Inclusion. Volunteers will be wrapping gifts for donations at local Barnes & Noble and Borders stores in New York City, Queens, and Long Island. For more information or to volunteer for this wonderful holiday event, visit www.thebubelaikenfoundation.org.

Um....Clay On Restroom Walls?

Cute story from the CB's hanapepe:

While patrolling the campus where I work as a Security officer, I ran an errand for my daughter's roommie who forgot to water the plants in her room. When I was in the restroom filling up a jar of water, I happened to glance in one of the restroom stalls as it was COVERED in pictures. Now, these were all "Hotties" that the girls had decorated the walls with. The usual suspects were there: Orlando Bloom, etc. etc. But then, what should catch my eye but the Kenneth Cole shot of Clay when he is sitting on the stool!!! Of the roughly 20 college women on that floor, there is a secret Claymate amongst them.......and it is NOT my daughter! I of course then wanted to race home to my computer, and start downloading tons of thudalicious shots to further "decorate" that stall, but I would be so busted by my daughter as she would know where they came from. I think that I could get away with just a few here and there though....... *wink wink* (wish me luck!):innocent :laugh

NEW LAYOUT, New Features

Welcome to our brand new layout!
With our new layout we are introducing several new services. If you have any concerns about our new layout, please do not hesitate to contact us.

• CDD Video-On-Demand: The latest, best and can't-miss videos will be uploaded into our CDD Video-On-Demand player for you to stream 100% free, 24/7. Try it out today (currently in beta testing)
• CDD Clay Today Newsletter: Due to the overwhelming success of our weekly newsletter, CDD Clay News Weekly, we are launching a daily digest of the latest headlines delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning! Click here to sign up (scroll to bottom of the page).
• Infocenter: On the top-left hand side of most webpages, you will find our Infocenter, a dynamically interactive box with the latest news, headlines, concert appearances, TV alerts and other information you need to know. It will be updated constantly.
• Weekly Poll: We've brought back our poll and will change it on a weekly basis, instead of a monthly basis as we've done in the past. Find it on the right hand side of your page.
• RSS Feed: Want CDD on your homepage? Check out the RSS Feed box on the top-right hand of the page. You can add our feed onto your homepage by clicking on the appropriate button. Other websites can syndicate our news content using this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ClaysDailyDouble/clayNewsService
  

Clay Mentions 12/27

Another variation of yesterday's AP wire story about Bo Bice -- we're reposting cause we like the headline!

Bo Bice wants to be the next Clay Aiken of the Idol world (Different media outlets will use different headlines)
Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- American Idol has made Bo Bice a hot property this year, both for his music talent and for his long-haired sex appeal. Now he hopes to cash in.

Bice, 30, finished the TV show's fourth season as the runner-up, but the Alabama native hopes to follow Clay Aiken as the also-ran who actually runs away with it. He's releasing his debut disc The Real Thing.

19 Entertainment Press Release

CKX Inc., the parent company of 19 Entertainment who signs all Idol artists released this press release today. Clay was managed by 19 E in 2003 and early 2004, and is still legally bound to 19 E under his Idol recording contract.

CKX: IDOL Artists Continue to Dominate Album Charts Worldwide; Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice and Kelly Clarkson All Top 10 in U.S., Clarkson and Will Young Reach Top 15 in the U.K.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 27, 2005--As reported online last week by Hits Magazine, American Idol stars Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice and Kelly Clarkson ruled the charts with three of the top ten spots on Billboard's Top 200 album chart the week before Christmas, historically one of the best selling weeks of the year for the music industry. In addition, American Idol and Pop Idol artists, Clarkson and Will Young, also took two of the top fifteen spots in the weekly sales chart in the United Kingdom. The Idol franchise was created by 19 Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (NASDAQ:CKXE). Idol artists in the U.S. and U.K. are signed to recording agreements with 19 Recordings, also a wholly-owned subsidiary of CKX.

In addition to these achievements, American Idol 3 winner Fantasia is approaching the double platinum mark with her debut album "Free Yourself" and American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken's Christmas album, "Merry Christmas With Love" recently soared past the million unit mark. Aiken is expected to release a new album this spring.

Commenting on the successful recording careers of Idol contestants, Simon Fuller, creator and Executive Producer of American Idol said, "This success is a true testament to the power of Idol fans and people power worldwide. Carrie, Bo and Kelly are prime examples of the impact of the Idol format, having been discovered by the American public, taken from obscurity and made into true superstars. I am proud to have created a format which has captured the imagination of music fans around the world and which can launch the careers of so many talented young singers. We are looking forward very much to the start of American Idol's 5th season in January"

Pensacola Middle-Schooler Saves Clay's Show

We have some more information about the middle-schooler who replaced 11 year-old Gregory Ellis on the tour when he became sick earlier this month before the Atlanta concert. Ellis plays 'Tommy' a key role in the tour.

Local middle-schooler shares Civic Center stage with Clay Aiken
He learned his lines in six hours, overcame stage fright and saved Clay Aiken's Dec. 18 concert at the Pensacola Civic Center.

Connor Bond, a 12-year-old (his birthday is today) Brown Barge Middle School student, took on one of the leading roles in Aiken's Joyful Noise concert when a traveling cast member got sick. Aiken thanked Connor on stage, prompting a standing ovation from the audience, and gave him a T-shirt signed: "Connor, thanks for saving the show -- Clay Aiken."

"I know one thing for sure -- I'm not going to have stage fright for a long time," Connor said of the experience of performing in front of several thousand people. "Clay really helped me a lot."

Connor, whose only past experience was a role in the recent Pensacola Little Theatre production of "The King and I," plans to try out for PLT's upcoming "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

-- Kris Thoma @PensacolaNewsJournal.com

More Info On New Autism Movie

Thanks to CDD visitor, Dee for this new information about the new autism movie called 'Normal People Scare Me', a full length documentary by Taylor Cross who has autism won this year's Bubel Aiken Foundation Champion of Change Youth Recipient.Clay is mentioned in the movie, as we reported last week. A 10 minute version of the film is available for $20 by sending payment and your address to:

Joseph Travolta Entertainment Experience
18344 Oxnard Street
Tarzana, CA
91356.

William Joseph to Stay 'With' Clay

Pianist William Joseph, who has been opening for Clay on this current Joyful Noise 2005 tour will remain with Clay according to reports from the Clayboard.

We will be seeing more of him as he told fans he would be with Clay for the promotion of Clay's album.

Clay On Composer's Website

Kara Dioguardi, who co-wrote The Way features Clay on her website, www.karadioguardi.com. Dioguardi's work with Clay was mentioned in an article about her yesterday.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel Article

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel published this pre-concert article for Clay's concert in Hollywood, FL tomorrow. Click to enlarge.

Clay Turned Down Broadway Role in 2003?

From ClayDicted2Aiken:

I was speaking with my aunt on Christmas Eve about a friend of hers who's on the production team of many Broadway plays including RENT. Somehow, my aunt was talking to her about me, and Clay came up in conversation. The lady mentioned that she had gotten in touch with Clay's 'team' the DAY AFTER the American Idol finale & offered him the role of Mark in RENT on Broadway, immediately. She said it took him a few days to respond, and when he did he said the role was to 'racy' for him with too many cuss words.

I just thought I'd share this because I personally didn't know he was offered a role in RENT the play, I thought it was just the movie. This all came straight from the mouth of one of the members of the production team of RENT, so I don't know if it should be considered a rumor.

Scans From Year-End Billboard Issue

Thanks to Claikendee for these scans from Billboard magazine's Year-End Issue, dated Dec. 26. Billboard devoted a whole page to Clay because Merry Christmas With Love was 2005's bestselling Christian album. We first reported this on Dec. 17 with a follow up on Dec. 20.

Click to enlarge

MSNBC Looks Back At American Idol 2

MSNBC posted this article this morning about where the competitors from the second season of AI now are. They praise Clay saying "Ruben won, but Clay went on to massive success." The author of this article also wrote a very positive article about the Jukebox tour this past August (Audience is clay in Aiken's Hand, Aug. 9)

'Idol' season two: Where are they now?

Ruben won, but Clay went on to massive success

Ruben Studdard was named the "American Idol" of season two, but Clay Aiken has gone on to much greater fame.

COMMENTARY
By Andy Dehnart
MSNBC
Updated: 11:20 a.m. ET Dec. 26, 2005

After weeks of drama, including two people being disqualified in the middle of the competition, the second season of "American Idol" ended with even more drama. Ryan Seacrest and/or the producers might have massively screwed up by announcing different vote totals during the live finale, but ultimately, Ruben Studdard won "American Idol 2," beating the runner-up by about 130,000 votes.

Clay Aiken was the runner-up. But you'd never know he didn't win, at least based upon the two performers' album sales and, more significantly, fan base. Clay Aiken has perhaps the most obsessive and devoted fans in the entire "Idol" universe. Clay's first single went platinum and debuted at number one, and he's released two albums, including a Christmas album last year; it debuted at number four, while his debut album debuted at number one. Clay is currently on his fourth solo tour, his second this year -- and that's in addition to leading the Bubel/Aiken Foundation and serving as a UNICEF ambassador.

Ruben, the only male to ever win "American Idol," released two records following his win. They performed quite well -- he beat Kelly Clarkson's first-week sales -- but Clay's album still sold better. Ruben's second record, "I Need an Angel," was a gospel album that topped the gospel charts and went gold. Since then, he's remained relatively out of the spotlight; his Web site lists no current tours or appearances. Last spring, Ruben was in the news after he sued his manager for stealing money from him; later, his manager (who's also his godfather), countersued.

"It's not easy being Clay", Clearwater Concert Preview

The St. Petersburg Times posted this pre-concert article/interview for Clay's concerts in Clearwater, FL later this week. A mention of clack site AllThingsClayAiken.com's webmistress, Tiffany Allhouse.

It's not easy being Clay
Ask Clay Aiken a question and, chances are, he gives you a silly laugh. But behind the cackle, is there a nice guy suffering from post-Idol angst?

By SEAN DALY
Published December 27, 2005

PREVIEW: Clay Aiken performs at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. Tickets $55-$62.50. Call (727) 791-7400 or (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.

Before discussing the titillating appeal of Clay Aiken's singing voice - that varsity-sweater croon that drives millions of "Claymates" bonkers - we must first examine the pop star's tremendous laugh. For that, as you will soon see, is the key to Clay.

Photo: Clay Aiken speaks to students and teachers at the Learning Project Elementary school in Boston dec 6 this month. The singer thanked them for their tsunami relief fundraising for UNICEF.

It's a cackle really, an exhalation that starts low, brays HIGH, part Keebler Elf, part mad scientist. It's warmly flavored with his native North Carolina, but it's slightly unhinged, too, as if the former American Idol star were contemplating whether to give you a cookie or hook electrodes to your earlobes.

Calling from a tour stop in Washington, D.C., and subsequently hyping his upcoming Christmas show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater Thursday and Friday, the 27-year-old spiky-haired redhead spends a great deal of time unleashing that laugh and doing what he does best: playing the strait-laced singer with aw-shucks sex appeal.

If you want to hear the laugh, just set him up to do his shtick:

Hey, Clay, what do you have on your iPod?

"The only thing I have on my iPod right now is Monk."

Thelonious Monk?

"No, the TV show," he says, adding: "Bwoo-hoo-hoo-HEE-HA-HA!!!"

Hey, Clay, do you like any hard rock? Motley Crue maybe? Perhaps some Judas Priest?

"Bwoo-hoo-hoo-HEE-HA-HA!" he says. "I have Collective Soul's Shine on my iTunes. That's probably as hard as it gets. But the only reason I have that is because Dolly Parton covered it on her bluegrass album and I wanted to compare the two. Bwoo-hee!"

Aiken loves being able to name more Neil Sedaka songs than Nirvana hits. That's his thing: look-both-ways Middle America. He's a fine singer with an able gift for phrasing a hook, but he's about as far from edgy as Pat Boone. Aiken knows it, too. During our casual conversation, refreshingly free of vanity or guff, even he calls his nice-boy act "vanilla."

Vanilla, Clay?

Photo: "There are plenty of times when I wish I could just go out to dinner and not be stared at and pointed at and talked about," Clay Aiken says.

"Ha-HEE!"
- - -

In 2003, Aiken placed second to Ruben "Velvet Teddy Bear" Studdard on the sophomore season of reality TV hit American Idol. But there's no doubt as to the real winner. Along with pop starlet Kelly Clarkson - "Her last album was just killer," Aiken says of Clarkson's multiplatinum Breakaway - Aiken is the only other AI contestant who has transcended the tag of reality TV star.

Aiken's first hit, the antiseptically romantic This Is the Night, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 392,000 copies during its first week. When his first full-length album, Measure of a Man, hit stores later that year, it debuted at No. 1 with some 613,000 first-week sales. His 2004 Christmas album, Merry Christmas With Love, also set records for holiday-album sales.

That sort of success makes Aiken laugh really hard. He has to laugh at it. His groupies, the Claymates, rival only Barry Manilow's "Fanilows" in berzerko idolatry for a man with ambiguous sexuality and G-rated skills. Of course, that doesn't mean the Claymates don't have naughty motives: A fan once sent him a very curious kitchen utensil. But more on that later.

Every so often, however, the laugh disappears, and that's when you should pay attention. It's a jarring silence, to be honest, like that moment in musical chairs when someone kills the music.

"There are plenty of times when I wish I could just go out to dinner and not be stared at and pointed at and talked about," he says, suddenly serious. "I enjoy doing what I'm doing. Being able to sing every night. Being able to make a living off of that. But I do get jealous of friends of mine who are teachers nowadays and they have stories of kids that they work with. That makes me jealous 'cause I want that myself."

Then his voice loses all lightness, almost as if he were scolding himself: "You know, everybody makes a choice. You make a choice to do what you're doing . . . and you're gonna have to deal with all the good and all the bad, right?"

If Aiken does decide to leave show biz someday, it would no doubt be to follow his other dream. Before going to Hollywood, he studied special education and worked at a program devoted to autistic kids.

"I was supposed to sub for six months, but I wound up staying for two years," he says. "I literally fell in love with the kids. Each child was different, and it was a puzzle, and you really saw the benefits."

He pauses for a bit, that laugh now a million miles away. "I don't really see the benefits to anybody of what I'm doing right now," he adds. "Yeah, people like to listen but . . . I ain't changing anybody's life."

Soon enough, though, that laugh comes back. It's not so much a defense, but a signpost, letting listeners - and maybe even Aiken himself - know what's real and what's make-believe.
- - -

Hey, Clay, how scary are the Claymates?

"Oh, let's be honest: Sometimes they can be a little bit frightening. It's usually the ones that I haven't met that scare me the most. I look out into the audience, and they look like they're going to eat me alive. Bwa-hoo-HA!"

Hey, Clay, do you ever get scary fan mail?

"Not so much anymore. For a while there it was freaky. I got a turkey baster one time, and I just stopped opening the mail. Hoo-hoo-ha-hoo-hoo! I really don't even want to think about it."

It's only fair that we offer a quick defense of Aiken's core fan base. Meet Tiffany Allshouse, a 31-year-old systems engineer from Kansas City, Mo. Allshouse is the Web master behind hot Internet site All Things Clay Aiken, a smart, interactive dot-com that offers a smorgasbord of Aiken. Tiffany says her husband is very understanding about her hobby.

"So many of Clay's fans are women above 25," says Allshouse, who has met Aiken a couple of times and says he was charming. "They want to protect him. A lot of women are also very attracted to him. He's very self-effacing, and that's an attractive quality."

Hey, Clay, any chance of a new album in 2006?

"I don't know how long I'll be doing this whole thing," he says, suddenly going serious again. "I'm not trying to say I'm planning on quitting, but you know how the business works. I just want to make sure I do everything now that I've always wanted to do."

There will be a new album in the first half of 2006, but Aiken isn't sure what will be on the disc. "I don't want to fall into a formula," he says. "A lot of things are so formulaic right now."

He sighs, conflict was once again creeping into his voice: "We're still trying to figure things out."

Hey, maybe you should do the loungey-Sinatra, I offer, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, I don't know if I'm that cool, he says. "Bwoo-hoo-hoo-HEE-HA-HA!!!"
Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or 727 893-8467. His blog is at www.sptimes.com/blogs/popmusic

Clay Mentions 12/26

AI4 Runner-up Bo Bice following Clay's footsteps to success - AP wire story.. will begin popping up everywhere.

Bice out with debut album "The Real Thing"

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Bo Bice broke the rules. But under the circumstances, he believed that he had no choice.

Advance orders of "The Real Thing" have reached more than 700,000 copies already, Bice says during a phone interview. That would mean he's already got a gold record (500,000 in sales) and is well on his way to platinum.

"American Idol" has made Bice, 30, a hot property this year, both for his music talent and for his long-haired sex appeal. Although he finished the TV show's fourth season as the runner-up, this Alabama native seems poised to follow Clay Aiken as the also-ran who actually runs away with it.

Article about the 2005 Celebrity Naughty or Nice list - Clay's on the 'nice' list. Polls are still open, you can vote for Clay by clicking here. Clay currently has around 2100 votes, but is still trailing Barry Manilow.

Santa is letting the people vote for the top 10 Naughtiest and Nicest Celebrities of the year
/UCWE/ - This year, for the first time in history, instead of checking his List, Santa Claus is checking his Blog to see which celebs were naughty and nice -- as he prepares to go public with his 2nd Annual Top 10 Celebrity Naughty & Nice List on Christmas Eve.

The votes have been rolling in by the thousands since the North Polls opened just two days ago. The celebrity with the most votes by far is Barry Manilow -- whose fanilows are gung-ho-ho-ho about making sure he's at the tippy top of Santa's Nice List. At last count the Mani-lovers had cast more than 1100 votes for their favorite Mani-man.

Clay Aiken's fans have also been makin' a whole lotta noise in support of their favorite fella! This Clay-Crazy community has cast more than 540 votes to make sure he gets a prime spot on the Nice List!

And, the poll's website had this note today:

SPECIAL BULLETIN: SANTA SPEAKS!
Thank you to everyone for voting... and congratulations to all the Nice kids on the Good List this year -- especially to Barry Manilow and Clay Aiken - two "especially Elfish" elves! To those of you on the Naughty List... I suppose congratulations are not in order... But it's not such a bad thing... afterall... being on the Naughty List means there's lots of room for improvement over the year - and I know in my heart you'll all do your very best! Ummm... George... we'll talk offline about this!

AOL Homepage Features Clay

Clay's photo is shown on the AOL homepage currently under the 'Entertainment' tab. We're not sure why it is there since clicking on Clay brings us to AOL's Top 11 videos, which does not feature any Clay video.

AD: Melbourne, FL

Another Korean TV Show Uses Clay Music

Another Korean TV show used Clay's music. The CB's BloomingClay reports that the Korean TV Show To Marry A Millionaire used Clay's Mary, Did You Know. Shine was used on another Korean TV show earlier this month.

From BloomingClay:

There is a TV soap opera called 'To marry a Millionaire' which is aired at every weekend and Clay's music was used as bgm at yesterday's episode. As Christmas album was not released here,I don't know how come they could get the CD but anyway it is cool. oh,and the scene is nothing to do with the music at all.

Christmas Clay Mentions

About a composer who has worked with Clay.

Spinning all that angst into pop gold
Lindsay. Hilary. Celine. Pink. Kara DioGuardi's first-person songs pushed them all up the charts. And now it's her turn to shout.
By Chris Lee, Special to The Times

Beyond the Lohan-Simpson circuit, DioGuardi collaborates with a list of performers that reads like a Top 40 Who's Who: pop chanteuses Pink, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani; rockers Carlos Santana and the indie group Rooney; Latin pop crooners Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias; and a scattering of former "American Idol" contestants, including Bo Bice, Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson. She's written or co-written more than 60 songs released this year.

Clayboard Member Gets Christmas Suprise

The CB's Sherryjj got a big suprise last night -- she met Clay!

From Sherryjj:

I cannot believe it, but my family met and talked with Clay on Christmas Eve. A friend of my husband's is a relative of Faye's and we were invited to a family gathering. No one but my husband knew Clay would be there. He and his friend wanted to surprise me and my 12 year old daughter. I have known this family for years ( I taught one of their daughters in high school Chorus for 4 years) and never knew the connection. He also helped get us wonderful seats at the Raleigh concert. That is when I found out he was related to Clay. When we walked in the house, I saw Faye immediately. My daughter dragged me around the corner into the kitchen. She asked me if I saw who was in the den. I said yes I saw Faye. She said that wasn't who she meant. She saw Clay! I didn't believe her. She said Clay was in that room or this guy had a hologram in his house. She was so excited she said she couldn't feel her legs. LOL I was about as bad. But, of course, we had to be really cool and not fanlike. The man introduced us and Clay smiled and shook our hands. Then we moved into the living room for pictures. So I have proof. LOL I did tell Clay that we really enjoyed the concert on Thurs. nt. Brett was there, also. We all got into the pic. My 17 yr. old son and his girlfriend were with us, too. My daughter will never get to sleep tonight. She called her best friend as soon as we left. Their goal in life was to meet Clay and touch his hand. She asked me since she had met her goal, what would she do now? LOL. OK, to the serious stuff. He is extremely TALL. He was wearing a burgundy sweater with a shirt underneath. Hair was spiked. When we took the pic, he jumped up on an ottaman to be in the middle. As if he wasn't tall enough. It was a great night and my daughter has the pic to take to show at church and grandparent's tomorrow (or should I say later today?) Can you tell I am still excited, too? What a night, my daughter said she can tell her friends she spent Christmas Eve with Clay.

I did meet him and shake his hand. But we were very respectful of his family time. I told him we had enjoyed the concert, but that was the extent of conversation. We had no idea he was going to be there, so we were in shock more than anything else. We did not interfere with what was going on. It was his cousin's idea to take the pic. And I don't know how to put it on here. I will get my son to work on it later. Merry Christmas to all.

Christmas With Clay and Good Morning America

Clay rang in Christmas in style earlier this morning on ABC's Good Morning America backed by Andy, from Clay's band and pianist William Joseph who has been opening for Clay's concerts. Clay sang a soulful version of My Grown Up Christmas List. There was no interview. The segment was taped Dec. 5 while Clay was in New York with the Joyful Noise Tour. Clay also appeared on last Saturday's GMA, when he sang Mary Did You Know. Thanks to the CH's starhorse for these caps.

Who Will Be Kissing Clay Under the Mistletoe?

"My dog will lick my face.
That's about it."
-Clay, in response to a question
from the Louisville Courier-Journal
about who will be meeting him tonight
under the mistletoe.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year From CDD

On this Christmas eve, everyone at CDD wishes you and your loved ones a safe and 'joyful' Christmas and New Year's.

CDD will remain updated daily throughout the holiday season. CDD Clay News Weekly and the new CDD Clay Today newsletters will still be sent at their usual dates. (Clay Today has only been made available to subscribers of CDD Clay News Weekly, but it will be made public in the first week of January).

As Clay readies a new sophomore album, we hope to see you back here in 2006 for another Clay Aiken year.

PS. Don't forget Sunday's Good Morning America appearance, 8 AM in most time zones.

ET Goes Backstage At JNT

Entertainment Tonight aired a 2 minute piece about the Joyful Noise Tour last night. The footage was taken from the footage shot by ET's sister show, The Insider, on November 22 at the Chicago Theatre.

"Attention ET Shoppers: 2 more days before Christmas", Clay told ET viewers last night. He also talked about his striped socks which change daily to complement the 'boring' angel-white suit he wears during parts of the concert. Raleigh snooped around the camera a bit and Clay said that he really likes showcasing the different local actors, choirs on the tour. ET also showed some backstage footage of Clay having dinner with the cast. ET's anchor, Jane Carl noted that the album, Merry Christmas With Love, has gone platinum and is now available - sure to boost sales today.

CDD's TV Reporter Romy wrote this recap:

For those of you familiar with ET and Insider, you'll recognize the
pattern of the rapid previews of upcoming interviews and quick news
items. On December 23, 2005, most of the news on Entertainment Tonight
was about what celebrities are buying, where they were going, and what
they wanted for Christmas. After being teased several times about the
private back stage look at Clay Aiken's Christmas concert. it finally
arrived at the end of the show and lasted only a few minutes.
The show must have been filmed over several days because the
segment was interspersed with glimpses of Clay during his Joyful Noise
Tour, during rehearsals, and scenes of him backstage wearing different
clothes. Clay said, "There is an electric energy when you're on the
road during the holidays." Clay's high school choir teacher, who has
a major part in the show, spoke of having had to keep him in line in
high school and now he is directing her. Clay mentioned having local
actors and singers in each city. He said this allowed the cast to have
a little fun with new people around.
A cute scene was Clay rehearsing "Celebrate Me Home" with Angela and
they were both playfully kicking each other in the back of their legs.
Clay also revealed the only change of clothing he has on stage since he
is dressed as an angel all in white. "Angels have to have a little
style" he said, as he showed his colorful striped socks. The socks are
different every night.
Raleigh, the border terrier, was introduced as the only family member
traveling with Clay. He tried to get Raleigh to lick the camera, "you
know you want to."
When asked what Santa could bring him, Clay said, "I really don't need
anything. I'm pretty happy with what I have now." The segment ended
with the announcement that Clay's platinum selling CD, Merry Christmas
With Love, is now in the stores.

Video is now available at the Clayboard thread and will be up soon at the usual clack sites.

CDD's Renee4Clay Making A Difference

This article about CDD's Renee Fitzgerald's work with the Bubel Aiken foundation's Wrapping For Inclusion program appeared in the Arizona Republic today. Shorter versions of this article ("Gift wrappers aid disabled kids", Dec. 19) which appeared in smaller newspapers in Arizona were posted earlier this week.

Wrapped up in helping
Kristin Park
Special to The Republic
Dec. 24, 2005 12:00 AM

While the rest of us were braving the malls and checking off our gift lists, Renee Fitzgerald of Tempe spent the holiday season helping children with disabilities.

Fitzgerald, Arizona coordinator for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, and her group of 20 volunteers have been wrapping gifts and collecting donations. The foundation's mission is to provide grants and services to young people with disabilities while facilitating inclusion in the community.

"I love to support this foundation because it is opening doors for kids with disabilities and giving them a chance to experience things that were not open to them before," Fitzgerald, 53, said.

This is the second year Fitzgerald has organized a statewide holiday gift-wrapping effort for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. The foundation, based in Raleigh, N.C., was founded in 2003 by singer Clay Aiken.

Fitzgerald's volunteers are of all ages, from teens donating community-service hours to retirees. Since mid-November, they have spent four-hour shifts in front of various storefronts, armed with plenty of holiday paper and tape. Fitzgerald travels between Phoenix and Tucson, scheduling wrapping events and organizing volunteers.

"Wrapping Christmas presents with others who support this cause is very fulfilling. Besides enjoying each others' company, we feel like we are helping to make a difference," Fitzgerald said.

Recently, a group of students with mental disabilities at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe spent their lunch break wrapping their teachers' gifts for Fitzgerald's cause. In exchange for having their gifts wrapped and labeled, the teachers donated money to the foundation.

"It's a neat activity. The bonus is that they're helping others," teacher Julie Albers said.

"Seeing these kids wrapping gifts for us has been the best part," Fitzgerald said.

With nine gift-wrapping locations statewide, wrappers have raised nearly $2,000.

"This has been a really big job but very fulfilling. I may not have all my gifts wrapped for my kids or my house clean, but I have memories that will last forever," Fitzgerald said.

AD: Hollywood, FL

Clay Mention on 12/22's Conan O'Brien Late Night Show

Clay was mentioned on last night's Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

From Clayreport.com

NBC -- Late Night With Conan O'Brien
WNBC 12/23/2005 - 12:48 AM... [ laughter and applause ] [ cheers ] oh, this is great. vice president dick cheney sent me a card. it says ""from my home, to yours."" yeah, and he sent me a card, and let's take a look at it here -- [ laughter and applause ] clayclayaiken, isn't this great? why do assume it's gonna be mean? maybe it's just nice. look at this -- it says ""all i want this year is a white christmas -- and a black bodybuilder."" [ laughter and applause ] oh, and this is nice. finally, this is the last card. snoop dogg -- can you believe it? snoop dogg sent me a card. look at this, right here. isn't this nice. look at that, right there. it says ""happy hizzle days,"" right there.

Entertainment Tonight 12/23

Don't forget Clay will be appearing on Entertainment Tonight tonight. The show is syndicated, so the station varies by region. Check local listings. ETonline.com posted this, with a video. ET announced yesterday that they had a suprise from Clay on tonight's show.

Tonight on ET (includes video preview)
December 23, 2005

Clay Aiken gets in the holiday spirit!
Pop star CLAY AIKEN is getting into the holiday spirit as he wows New York with his "Joyful Noise 2005 Tour." We go backstage for his big holiday concert!

Christmas With Clay!
December 23, 2005

CLAY AIKEN is caroling for Christmas and wowing his fans on his second consecutive holiday tour, "Joyful Noise 2005." And with just two days left until the big day, the pop star gets into the holiday spirit as he dazzles New York City!

"This is a lot more difficult, a lot more complex than anything we've done before," he says of the tour. "We try to get each tour to be bigger and better than the last one and we have outdone ourselves this time."

The former "American Idol" contestant headed to the Big Apple for a three day stop on his megapopular show, which began in Vancouver on November 2. He is criss-crossing the country, hitting a total of 36 cities for 40 concerts.

For the first time this year, the show features a series of vignettes with a running storyline that Clay wrote himself. "It's not something that I had ever tried to do before," he says. "But I sat down and wanted to make sure the show flowed together, the songs in the first half had some type of meaning and purpose."

The supporting roles are cast by locals from each city and one of the two main characters is actually one of Clay's former high school teachers! "It is risky," he says of hiring actors from community theaters. "We've been extremely lucky. We thought that this year if we tried to do something and involve the community and allow each show to have a local flavor, it makes it new for us every day, it makes it fresh."

The show features songs from his platinum-selling album Merry Christmas with Love CD as well as songs that don't appear on the CD and new arrangements for some of the singer's list of favorite songs.

So what does Clay have planned for the holiday? "As a family we all get together on Christmas day and our immediate household family gets together on Christmas Eve," he says. "And we go to my grandparents on Christmas day and that's our tradition. It's nothing out of the ordinary but it's a special time of the year because it's often times the only time of the year where the entire family gets together."

For more Christmas with Clay, watch tonight's ET!

Raleigh School Gets Clay Visit

As part of his role as a UNICEF ambassador, Clay visited a local Raleigh school yesterday, according to WRAL-TV. The tour is taking an extended hometown break in Raleigh this week. Clay also visited a school in New York, and Boston earlier this month. Clay performed to a packed RBC Center in Raleigh last night.

Clay Aiken Visits Raleigh School
POSTED: 8:04 pm EST December 22, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Some Raleigh elementary school students received an early Christmas treat on Thursday morning, when Clay Aiken paid a visit to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at Hilburn Elementary.

The students raised the most money for tsunami victims through UNICEF. They brought in more than $3,700. Clay is a UNICEF ambassador and recently toured Uganda and areas hit by the tsunami.

Copyright 2005 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CNN, Fox News Mention Clay

Clay was mentioned on yesterday (12/22)'s edition of Showbiz Tonight on the CNN Headline News Channel.

From the CB's LuvClay26:

I just happen to be watching the CNN HN Showbiz Tonight and they did a story on AI. They just showed a small clip of Clay singing MDYK in the studio.

It was basically your "is AI good for music" kind of report, but they mentioned him for better or worse. Just wanted y'all to know.

Clay also appeared in a taped holiday message on FOX News Channel this morning. The anchors commented on Clay's successful career.

From the CB's Missy222:

I heard Clay on Fox and Friends this morning! It went something like this - "Hey, I'm Clay Aiken. I want to wish you a Happy Holiday's from Fox News." Then Steve and Brian (the anchors) said that's Clay Aiken from A.I. His career has really taken off (that's close anyway). It was all short and sweet! And his little accent was sooo cute! What a nice surprise so early in the morning.

Clay Keeping His Options Open: WRAL Interview

Clay was interviewed today by Raleigh's WRAL-TV.

Video is now available in our CDD Video-On-Demand video player.

This transcript was transcribed by CDD. You may repost this, but you must give credit to www.cdd.blogspot.com.

WRAL Anchor: Clay Aiken returned home to put on a show for all his Triangle fans.

(rolls footage of Clay singing Merry Christmas With Love at Raleigh concert)

WRAL Anchor: His Joyful Noise holiday tour rocked the RBC Center. Thousands of people packed the arena to hear Raleigh's own American Idol. Before the show, our own Linda Loveland caught up with Clay.

WRAL Linda Loveland: So everyone wants to know what's the status of your move back to Raleigh and your house.

Clay Aiken: That's what I want to know too. Building a house is a lot tougher than you thought it would be. We thought it'd be done by the beginning of January, then the end of January, and now it's being pushed back into February. But it's on the way and it should be the first month or 2.

WRAL LL: Oh, that's exciting!

CA: It is, it is. And I'm thrilled about coming back. I just kind of want that calm. Driving even here today, was nice... I knew where everything was, and people drive a lot better here than they do in LA. So there's a whole sense of emotion and mood that's different.

WRAL LL: But what's the main reason you wanted to come back? What drove you from LA?

CA: Um, I'm not sure if it so much drove me from LA. LA's not necessarily a place I want to base myself. I mean it's a great place to work - I've had friends who have said it's a great place to live, but I wouldn't want to live there. But I didn't really believe them until I really lived there. And you know what, it's not a bad place to live, but if you're going to put down roots, there's no place to do that like home, you know?

WRAL LL: People can't wait for you to come home. Certainly.

CA: Ah, well... my mom, my family are thrilled about it. My mom's helping out with the house and trying to get it done as fast as she can so I can hurry up and get back.

WRAL LL: Well, you've got such a busy schedule, the tour and what not. What's up for next year?

CA: Um, well, we're working on another album, which we hope to have out by May. Um, that's the goal, but like houses, it could be September. Hopefully not. So that's the first project. And again, kind of the same old same old. I'm sure I'll do another trip with UNICEF. I really want to get back to Uganda and continue the work we were doing there. I'd like to find out more about it. And then as far as music goes, after the album, we're trying to explore different options, just to see what's available. I don't want to be doing the same thing over and over.

WRAL LL: And ideas you could give us?

CA: Um, I wish. The kind of whole thing is that I'm going to leave it open. I mean I love doing TV. I kind of enjoyed that. Whether we go with that or not, um, I don't know. Whether we try to do a different type of tour or base a show somewhere, I'm not sure either. Um, but the goal is to try to look at different options instead of doing the same things every artist does and doing something so formulae. I want to do our own thing.

WRAL LL: Kind of broaden your horizons.

CA: Well, I'll try.

WRAL Anchor: Well, Clay is now headed to Florida. He'll spend the next week performing throughout the sunshine state. And I bet his mom is going to do the interior decorating. She's very talented.

Raleigh News & Observer Post-Concert Article

The Raleigh News & Observer published this post-concert article today. Clay performed at Raleigh's RBC Center last night. The News & Observer also published an extensive pre-concert article earlier this week. Warning: This article has a slight negative slant.

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE JOYFUL NOISE TOUR 2005 AVAILABLE HERE.

Locals bask in Clay Aiken's limelight
Raleigh native and American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken performs "Sleigh Ride" before 9,000 fans at the RBC Center on Thursday evening, Dec. 22, during his Joyful Noise Tour 2005.
Orla Swift, Staff Writer

Clay Aiken's fans didn't need much prompting to believe his stage persona Thursday as a good spirit casting magical spells upon a host of fictional characters.

The Raleigh-raised pop star already had cast countless spells on audience members gathered at RBC Center for his "Joyful Noise Tour 2005."

Many boasted of having attended Aiken's concerts five times, 10 times, or, in middle school teacher Danielle Parker's case, 22 times.

And most are quick to point out that they've never been so, well, Parker doesn't like to call it "obsessive," but, OK, obsessive about a celebrity before.

"He's just so energetic," says Parker, 25, of Raleigh, who sat spitting distance from the stage for the RBC show and also drove to Charlotte to see him Wednesday.

"He engages the crowd," she says. "You feel like you're part of the show."

Aiken engaged Raleigh in more ways than one with this tour. He hired local actress Alison Lawrence, his former voice teacher, to star in the show and to coordinate community theater actors who would join them at each stop -- including several Thursday from Raleigh Little Theatre. Lawrence plays a lonely widow who has lost her passion for Christmas.

And Gregory Ellis, a sixth-grader from Magellan Charter School, played Lawrence's sidekick, a boisterous neighborhood kid who stops by to pester her and ends up lifting her spirits.

The Raleigh audience cheered wildly for the local actors, yelling out "Gregory!" and laughing hard at their kooky punch lines.

Larry Paisley, 66, of Columbus, Ohio, also got struck by Aiken's magic wand. The retiree drives around the country catching his shows -- seven so far for this tour, 12 on his "Jukebox" tour, a few more last Christmas.

"He has a great voice, and he has the highest morals of anybody I've ever thought about," says Paisley, who wore a T-shirt Thursday with a photo of him and Clay on it from a meeting in Michigan, and a cap with Clay pins.

"He does so many good things, helping children out in every way. He's just a great -- well, I think of him as a kid."

Aiken returned to his theatrical roots for this holiday show, writing a story that incorporated traditional Christmas songs and tunes from his Christmas CD. He spent little time in the spotlight, instead letting the actors and dancers perform scenes as he sang.

Parker liked the sentimental tale, though she admitted "it's kind of cheesy. But it's good cheesy, not roll-your-eyes cheesy."

Paisley Cookson didn't care for the cheese. The Raleigh 12-year-old and her mother, Shirley Register, left at intermission, bored with Aiken's show.

"When I go to a concert, I like when the singer takes time to talk to you, like, 'Hey, it's good to be back in Raleigh,' " said Cookson, who loved Aiken's past concert tours.

"It turned from a good, personal, heart-to-heart audience-to-Clay Aiken show to a boring opera play."