Around the Web Today

A few Clay mentions around the internet today.

Bad Clay Aiken TV Specials? What are they talking about?

The Grinch Who Wrote a TV Column
Todd Hyman 12/07/2005 2:04 pm

I hate December. But not for the reasons you'd think—cold weather, the stresses of coordinating holiday gift lists, mall crowds. I have very warm blood, I don't buy gifts for anyone, and the only reason I go to the mall is for the free samples of General's Chicken at the food court.

What I really hate about December is the terrible TV. That's right, I said it: December TV sucks. Sandwiched between November sweeps and the January midseason premieres of big shows like 24 and American Idol, December TV just gets lost in a cheery holiday frenzy, churning out terrible movies like The Three Wise Guys and bad Christmas specials starring Clay Aiken. Aside from the few classic films like Scrooged and A Christmas Story that are replayed about infinity times, there's pretty much nothing worth watching if you're over the age of 8. So, to spare me the headache of having to review CBS' original movie Pope John Paul II, we're just going to pretend that December doesn't exist. At least for the purposes of this column. So pack up the tree, return all your gifts, and say all of your Happy New Years and let's skip right to a few of January's midseason replacements.

More reviews of the new AI DVD. Very good mention.

On DVD
December 07, 2005
The Best and Worst of American Idol:
Seasons 1-4
(Capital Entertainment)

The appeal of American Idol is the game. Each week, millions of people tune in, pick their favorites and vote. Once the "best" are anointed, their albums are released. A few artists are genuinely loved (Clay Aiken comes to mind), but after a couple of spins, most winners' works are pushed aside. The end result on the record store shelf never seems to hold the same amount of fascination as the struggle it took to get there.

So, while you'll occasionally remember with fondness and occasionally revisit the rise of your favorites on Disc One (the "Best of" installment of this three-disc collection), you will most likely most often return to Disc Two (the "Worst of" installment), where futility, fragility and unrealistic expectations thrive in ever-humorous aplomb.

If you're like me, you have favorites here, too. Even bigger favorites than those on Disc One, probably. (Mary Roach comes to mind.) I mean, where else can you get two and a half glorious hours of failure and ridicule? And why is it so appealing, anyway? Who knows.

Cue it up again, though, will ya…

--Bill Colrus

Concert ticket website StubHub is including Clay on all its press releases now! YAY!

StubHub and Washington Capitals Make NHL Power Play; Online Ticket Marketplace Adds to NHL Team Partner Roster

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 2005--StubHub, the leading open marketplace dedicated to tickets, today announced it has signed a sponsorship deal with the NHL's Washington Capitals. Under the terms of the agreement, StubHub is now the exclusive ticket resale marketplace of the organization and beneficiary to extensive online and offline promotional elements. The Capitals join the Dallas Stars as official NHL team ticketing partners of StubHub.

About StubHub
StubHub is the leading open marketplace dedicated to tickets. StubHub's open marketplace allows fans to buy and sell tickets to sporting, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub's goal is that fans always find a choice of select seats at fair market value, even for events that are "sold out." The company reinvented the ticket resale market and continues to lead through innovation, by connecting sellers and buyers via its FanNetwork (sm) system, the company's patent-pending, convenient, secure, and highly reliable ticket fulfillment service; StubHub supports all fan transactions with the StubHub FanProtect (sm) Guarantee. StubHub partners include sports teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, leading collegiate athletic programs including USC, Alabama and Cal, and media companies including AOL. StubHub regularly partners with leading recording artists such as Britney Spears and Clay Aiken to offer tickets to exclusive events in support of their charities. The company is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information on StubHub, visit www.stubhub.com.

More coverage of Dear Santa, which Clay is guest appearing on Friday at 9 on FOX.

Letters to Santa make holidays special
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And he writes letters.

In 1912, then Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to allow individuals or institutions to use letters addressed to Santa Claus for philanthropic purposes. This tradition is carried on today, with Post Offices across the country making "Letters to Santa" available to individuals and groups upon request.

While Santa receives most of his mail at the North Pole, AK, some are sent to Santa's helpers, charitable organizations, Postal Service employees and volunteers who help make a child's wishes come true. Interested organizations should contact their local Post Offices to receive and respond to Letters to Santa.

Some of the Santa letters will be featured during a one-hour special, "Dear Santa," airing on Friday, Dec. 9, 8:30 p.m., with special guest appearances by Clay Aiken and Raven Simone on the FOX Network.

"Dear Santa is a one-hour unscripted holiday special featuring the dramatic and heartwarming stories of children whose letters to Santa will be answered with the help of some very special guests. The U.S. Postal Service teams up with some of today's hottest stars to share some dramatic stories including a girl who wants to make the holidays special for needy children, a young boy who dreams of a safe place to skate, a little girl who hopes her dad will come home for the holidays from his military duties abroad and a girl who wants to further her education," according to www.fox.com.

Merry Christmas With Love on "Santa's Playlist"

Santa's holiday playlist
by Jennifer Lathan
UT Staff Writer

December 06, 2005

Most everyone -- from 10 to 92 -- enjoys music of the holiday season. Some lyrics fills listeners with the abounding hope and joy surrounding the upcoming season, while others are just fun to sing along with.

Each year, many artists release albums with renditions of their favorite Christmas songs. This Christmas is no exception.

Here is a guide to some of the newest Christmas albums currently available.

For some of the older favorites, there is Clay Aiken singing your favorite Christmas songs. The UNC Charlotte alumni, who stole America's hearts during his participation on American Idol, released a Christmas album titled "Merry Christmas With Love" in late 2004 and the album is quickly becoming a fan favorite.

He uses both traditional hymns and classic Christmas carols to create a diverse collection, sprinkling in some newer and sometimes less well know but still powerful songs.

As a child of the school chorus crowd, one of my favorite selections is "Merry Christmas With Love." The song tells the story of a woman who has lost her family and her Christmas spirit years before. This changes when a group of carolers come to visit her and renews the Christmas spirit in her heart.

Before Aiken recorded this song, I couldn't easily find it on any released Christmas collection. Hearing his strong voice sing these powerful words can easily bring you to tears. I was so thrilled to not only find this favorite but to also hear him powerfully belt these words.

A random mention:

THE TELEVISIONARY
Laura Kennedy
December 07, 2005

Name what these guys have in common: Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Vince Guaraldi.

Is it too obvious? They're all Christmas icons. Of course, if your holiday TV education is limited to claymation -- and I promise I'm not talking about Clay Aiken -- then you're probably only familiar with the first three characters. But Guaraldi is more important than you'd think: He wrote, arranged and performed (with the help of his trio) the backing score for my favorite Christmas special of all time, A Charlie Brown Christmas. If 40 years of adoration and TV exposure doesn't grant you some kind of icon status, I'm not sure what will.

Follow up on Clay helping out the CBS Early Show's Toy Drive on Monday.

Caroline Kennedy Fulfills Wishes

NEW YORK, Nov. and Dec., 2005

(CBS) This season, The Early Show, Walmart.com and United Way are teaming up in a unique effort to brighten the holidays of children whose lives were impacted by three recent hurricanes, Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

The Early Show is devoting weather segments twice a day to collecting Christmas toys for those youngsters.

On Monday, Dec. 5, supermodel Gisele Bundchen and Clay Aiken took part. Both also appeared in their own segments on the show.

Bundchen donated a karaoke machine, revealing she's a big karaoke fan, though she doesn't sound as good as Aiken!

He gave an assortment of toy trucks.