TV Guide Scans

Scans from the new issue of TV Guide, with a cover story on Clay has been made available. Images courtesy the CB's starrynight4clay:

Clay Comments on New Album

Clay commented on the new album during an interview with the TV Guide Channel, corresponding with next week's TV Guide, featuring Clay on the covers.. The interview is available HERE, as are caps and the 2 TV Guide covers! He also noted: ""I hope I'm in the position someday to love somebody so much that I can write a love song."...aww... Clay!

From the CB's MarLovesClay:
"Album within the next year". Those were his words in the TV Guide interview, and he reaffirmed that they just started in the studio.

I think we all believe that he's done a lot of work on it already, in probably listening, trying them out, etc. But whether or not he's done any work on it, it seems that he is clearly sending the message that it may still be awhile. The next year....that could really mean spring 2006 then? Perhaps he is doing these two tours to hold us over?

I also thought it was interesting that he specifically said they are not looking to get this song on this radio station, this TV show, or this movie, but they want to find stuff that sounds like "me".

While I would love his album to come out sooner rather than later, I find myself really excited about the fact that he really is doing what he said he would - he is taking his time with it, and making sure it's the best for him. And that has to be a win win. Because the very best of Clay Aiken has worked pretty darn well before.

I find that I have butterflies in my stomach about it, and hopefully if it turns out the way he'd like it to (and somehow I have no doubt it will), then I wonder if they will call it by this wonderful title: Clay Aiken.

TV Guide Covers/Caps from TV Guide Channel

Here are the 2 TV Guides that will be onsale soon! Although the covers differ, both editions will have the same content inside.



As posted yesterday, the TV Guide channel showed footage from the cover photoshoot in addition to an interesting interview with Clay. The video is now available from AllThingsClayAiken. Here are some caps (many thanks to various CB members!):

TV Guide Channel Reveals 2 TV Guide Covers!

Clay was just on the TV Guide Channel's 411. From the CB:
I was watching the tv guide station and heard his name. I turned around so fast, I think I got whip lash! LOL He was talking about the tv guide shoot and the tour!! They showed the covers, too!

One of the covers is black and white and he's wearing a tux with the tie undone and the top button unbuttoned. And he's holding a microphone on a stand (just for you, Walla). The other cover is in color, a closer shot, and he's wearing a dark blue shirt. Yes, hair is different - not so spiked and shorter.

Stay tuned to CDD/CNS for the latest on TV Guide.
This post was originally posted at 9:10 PM, July 15, 2005.

Repeats will occur 7/16 and 7/17. Check local listings at www.tvguide.com.

Fanclub Updated with Vacation Photos

The Official Clay Aiken Fanclub has been updated with photos from Clay's vacation and Clay's weekly journal.

Pittsburgh Interview on Monday

Clay will talk to WLTJ FM 92.9 Pittsburgh on Monday July 18. This station does not stream, therefore is only available to Pittsburgh area Claymates.

Tips for Good Morning America Concert-Goers

If you plan on going to see Clay in New York's Bryant Park on July 29, you need to read this article, which has great information about the venue.

Album already mostly finished?

A number of CB members have noticed that Clay 'slipped' about the sophomore album in yesterday's Toledo interview (available in the Tour News/Media section of our site).

From the CB:
Did anyone hear the slip in the interview where he was talking about his upcoming album producer James Foster Levy? He said "she's amazing, she's so great at what she does - and we really had a great time putting this (corrects himself) umm STARTING TO WORK ON puttin this together....THAT ALBUM IS SOOOOO DONE!!!!(even though in the interview he says they JUST GOT in the studio THIS PAST WEEK - and has been a short amouht of time (?)- he really STRESSES THAT POINT, HUH??YEAH RIGHT, CLAY!!!! Tell me....was i just hearing things - or am i making up things cause it's what i want to believe???????

Cute IBM Mention

From Clayversity:
A little not-just-us story. Mr. RunningFree who works for IBM, was speaking to his coworker preparing a presentation about frequency of searches at IBM for various products. "You’d be surprised" he told Mr. RF "how often we get searches on terms completely unrelated to IBM. Like Clay Aiken, for example."

AD: Jukebox Tour (July 14, 2005)

Mp3 of Clay's Interview with Toledo Radio Station

A MP3 of today's interview with 101.5 The River is now available.
Many thanks to GBB, who capped this.
CDD Media Services: DOWNLOAD NOW (left click)

Clay in the studio

In today's interview with 101.5 The River Toledo, Clay says he has already been in the studio working on the sophomore album. The producer is JAMES FOSTER LEVI, sister of David Foster, who has worked with Josh Groban and Michael Bublé.

Jaymes Foster Levy is the producer of the next album

Clay talked to a Toledo radio station earlier today.

A brief summary from the CB's Khrystah:

He's talking about all the different styles of music they are going to sing.

Says at least one song from Simon & Garfunkel (hehe)

Hoping to have stuff that MIGHT (stressed this point) be on new album ready for the tour

Jaymes Foster Levy (David Foster's Sister) IS THE PRODUCER OF THE ALBUM

Talked about Boomerang and the text messaging feature. Can send text messages backstage. Text messages on screen for the audience.

Talked about GMA!!! Said it was so much fun last year (he can't remember if it was last year or the year before!) LOL!

That's all!

Clay's episode of Scrubs is Emmy Nominated

The February 10th episode of Scrubs with Clay's guest appearance has been nominated by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Scrubs was also nominated in Comedy Series and Lead Actor In A Comedy Series.

Fanclub Updated

The fanclub has been updated with a new audio message from Clay, plus video of the special Amazon delivery.

Press Interviews coming soon?

From the CB:
In reading over at the CV this morning, angelty posted that the reporter that's written several articles for her local paper (Crawford County PA) is set to interview Clay perhaps as early as next week. Also likely starting next week, he'll be doing radio and print interviews, so hopefully there'll be lots of news links for people to search for.

Layout colour change

Due to all the feedback we have received, we have changed our layout so that it is less intense on the eyes. We hope you like this red-blue layout!

Clay delivers to Clackhouse Member

Clay has made a special Amazon.com delivery to the Clackhouse's nicegurrrrl.

Amazon has made the video of this available HERE.

nicegurrrrl's Recap:
Well, it was a beautiful day in MY neighborhood! UPS CLAY did a SPECIAL DELIVERY at my house!

I'm still a bit rattled and my daughter has a perma-grin. What an exciting experience! It's probably a good thing that my SPECIAL UPS MAN wasn't wearing the brown UPS shorts or my daughter and I would have spontaneously combusted. What can I say, but he was sweet, charming, witty, and to quote my daughter, more handsome than a man should be!

So where do I start? First off, I had ordered Clay's book and audio book on CD for a home for abused and neglected children here in my town. I loved Clay's book so much, and after reading an article about the home, I thought it would be a great book for the children there to have. I had heard rumors about the Amazon promotion, but didn't read anything on the Amazon site about Clay making any deliveries, so I figured it was just another unfounded rumor.

My daughter just graduated from college and we have been spending quite a bit of time together this summer, so since it's a lazy Monday, lunch out with a little shopping thrown in sounded like a good way to chase away a minor case of blahs. The phone rings incessantly and a bunch of small job details have to be handled, so I get a late start getting myself ready to go out. Around 2:30, as we were getting ready to leave, I hear the UPS truck arrive. It's later than usual, with the normal delivery time being closer to noon. The doorbell rings, and I put the dogs away so they stop barking. I walk to the door, and answer it.

There on my doorstep is a very cute UPS lady, and she asks if I ordered a package from Amazon recently. I said yes, and stared into some of the biggest cameras I have ever seen! She went on to say that Amazon was celebrating their tenth Anniversary with some special deliveries, and didn't I order a book and CD of Clay Aiken's book, Learning to Sing? I said yes I did, and she said, delivering your book is none other than Clay Aiken! Clay comes walking around the corner with the cutest grin, and my eyes about pop out of my head! I honestly can't tell you what I said or did next, I think I said something along the line of Oh my Gosh, I can't believe this! He handed me the package, and I got a big old Clay hug! The man has the nicest hugs! About that time my daughter comes to the door and says, what's going on? I think I just moved aside and said, look! (LOL, some of the details are kind of sketchy!) She saw Clay and was so excited! He handed her the box, then she said, "can I have a hug?" He said, "Absolutely!" And gave her the nicest hug. (later she said to me, Gosh, he is soooooo tall! LOL). Now, I'll be telling this out of sequence, because the exact way everything happened is kind of a blur! He said, of course, you have already read the book, right? And I said, yes, and I have the audio CD in my car and listen to it a lot! Then he said, it's the best book ever written, right? And I laughed and said, yes, the best book ever written! Then the production people were busy for a bit, so I leaned over to him and said, the boards are all excited about the press release today! And he said, what press release? So I briefly told him what it said about the tour, and he said, oh, yes! What are they saying? So I very briefly said how happy people were to hear a little about the tour and the artists whose songs he was covering. Then I said that we were looking forward to the tour, even though it wasn't in California *g*. He asked if we were going, and even though we are going to the last five concerts, I could only think of Boston, so that's where I told him we were going, lol. Then the production people starting filming again, and they opened the box and Clay signed the CDs and book for Rachelle. He signed a personal message to her, which was so sweet. I don't think she has put the book down yet, lol. Then they took pictures with Clay, my daughter and I, and Clay had his arms surrounding us. He was so sweet! After the pics, the production people were figuring out what they wanted us to do next, so we chatted a while about his trip in the UPS truck– he said his door wasn't closed and it was kind of scary! Then he said, but HER door was shut (referring to the UPS lady). I said everyone was going to be disappointed he wasn't wearing the little brown shorts,lol. He just laughed at that.

While the production people were conversing, I saw my neighbor taking the whole thing in. Clay caught my glance and said he told my neighbor that we had won the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes, lol. My daughter said, "some people would rather win this!" He snarked, "I think I would rather win the million bucks!" I cracked up at that and said, "Now Clay, money can't buy you love!" He laughed at that. Then we posed for more pics, and they had us talk about Clay's book. So I told him that I had read it and thought it was inspirational, and the book and CD were actually going to the home for abused and neglected children in my city because I thought it would be a great inspiration to them. He seemed pleased at this, so I'm glad that made him happy. Fortunately Amazon gave us another book and CD to give to the children's home, because I don't think I could pry the signed ones out of Rachelle's hands!

More to come.....

Part Deux

I'll try to answer some questions I've read. First, I did invite them in (and the house was clean, dangit!) but the production people chose to do the whole thing outdoors. The camera man said the other videos had turned out too dark when they were filmed inside, and he wanted this one to turn out well.

Apparently this whole thing had been in the works since the day after I placed the order. Amazon chose us as the lucky recipients, and then our information and the initial plans were sent to Clay's people. After getting approval and coordinating the details with Clay and his people, they arranged the time and date. I'm not sure how I got so lucky! But I am so thankful.

There were tons of people here! There were four VIPs from UPS, four VIPs from Amazon, plus the shoot director, and Susan the UPS driver, who was a sweetie, then Nick and Mary; no Jerome. There was also a videographer, his assistant, and a photographer. I mentioned how upset I was that I didn't take any pictures, and the photographer laughed and said, "Well, I got a ‘few'!" They did promise I would get the pics she took. There was a limo parked across the street, and the driver stood outside watching the whole thing too.

During one of the breaks in filming, Clay, Rachelle and I were chatting, and he asked Rachelle if she was still in school. She said, no, actually she just graduated from college. As you can tell from the video, she is very petite, so people often mistake her for a young teen. Heee! I could see him mentally do a double-take as he said, "Oh, really!". He asked Rachelle if she had read his book, and then said, "Oh, of course you have!", which of course was true, but that was him being all cute again, lol.

Rachelle told him that she liked his shirt, and he said, (as Rachelle reminded me afterwards, while smoothing his long, supple fingers over his chest and stomach-eeep!), "Thank you! I've had this shirt a while!" Of course we recognized the shirt, although we are not like some of you who know every single time he has worn it *cough*. I just smiled and said, Oh, yes, its very nice (and truly, it does look really great in person!) I was so close to him that I could count all the threads in the embroidery, not that I would stare that hard. *g*

After some of the filming had been done, the crew went into a huddle and discussed what other things to do. They called Clay over and talked to him, and Rachelle and I wandered to the driveway. Nick and Mary came over and we all shook hands, and they chatted with us for a bit. Nick was very cute and nice. Mary is lovely, and very genuine and sweet. Both Rachelle and I commented later on how nice they both were.

Nick asked if we were going to any tours, and I said, yes, even though they were back east! Nick also asked if we were having fun, and I said yes! I said, this is like an early birthday present for Rachelle. Nick asked when her birthday was, and she said August. He then asked how old she was, and she told him she'll be 21. She had to laugh at Nick's expression, since he was obviously surprised. He asked where she went to school, and as she had told Clay, she said she already graduated. She is a radiographic technologist (x-ray technician) and got notification that she passed her state boards last week. (In fact, yesterday she got a job! Talk about a lucky week!) Nick said that he had never broken any bones, and Rachelle said, well, I can take an x-ray if you get pneumonia too! He said, Really? She said sure! She said that the lungs look cloudy if there is pneumonia, and I told them that there is an infiltrate in the lungs that causes that appearance on xray. So Mary asked if I was a nurse, and I said, yes, I was, and that I am an office manager for a physician's office. ETA: I am networked to my office computer, so I usually work out of my home. The office is less than five minutes away, so I do dress nicely at home in case I am called in for any reason.

We chatted a while longer while Clay and the others were still in a huddle, but honestly, I can't remember all that was said. And although it isn't really any of my business, I have to admit that it made me very happy to see that Clay has such wonderful friends who obviously care about him a great deal.

The production team then un-huddled, and they called us over and asked if my daughter would sing with Clay, and she gave me this look like, OMG I can't believe they would ask me to do this! I have no idea why they wanted her to, but one of the production people asked me if she could sing. She has been in performance groups and sung on children's CDs, so I knew she'd do fine. She and Clay went snarking back and forth about what they should sing, then I suggested Invisible. They walked back up to the porch, and when the camera crew was ready, they started to sing; I thought it was really cute. His shirt tug was a hoot! He gave the cutest smirk after he did that. The little devil SO KNOWS! When they got to the end of the chorus, they both paused, waiting for the other to sing, "Wait, I already am!". Teacher!Clay! said, "Sing the last line!" Rachelle said, "No, you sing it!" they went back and forth a few times, lol, and then Very!Deep!Voice!Clay! sang "Wait, I already am!" while giving her his patented eye-debacle. After we picked ourselves off the ground (whew, that was so very hot!) Rachelle said, "See! It's a good thing you sang that! I couldn't have hit those notes!" he snarked back "that's okay, I can't either!" Funny, funny man! We all just cracked up.

Still more to come....

ETA: I hope I am not giving too much boring detail. I know I personally love to hear every iota of information when other people have an Encounter Of The Clay Kind, but maybe that's just me.

Part Trois

Again, I'll start by answering questions. Details about what he looked like: You saw the shirt and jeans. No, he was NOT wearing flip-flops, lol. Exactly what WAS on his feet I couldn't tell you, but I do know it wasn't flip-flops because I would have remembered seeing his toes *g*. He was clean-shaven (other than a few spots he missed, lol) and his hair was really really nice– A reddish brown with subtle highlights. I was glad to see it was growing out from the cut we saw in Uganda. I am all about the mini-mullet. He was gorgeous. I could see freckles. He has the most beautiful eyes, so sparkly and alive. He does smell nice, very clean. He seemed so happy and relaxed, and I loved how sweet he was to Rachelle. He is such a genuinely nice person.

I asked Rachelle for some more of her impressions. She again said she was surprised at how tall he was, but well-proportioned and definitely NOT a rail. She said that she really liked his freckles, and he had really nice broad shoulders. She also said he gives the best hugs.

Someone asked about what Clay and Rachelle were bantering back and forth about regarding the song. They were both trying to get the other to decide what to sing. Clay would say, You choose the song! And Rachelle said, no you choose! Then Clay said, Well you're the one that's gonna sing it! And Rachelle said, You're going to sing it too! Then Susan suggested Amazing Grace and said that she had sung on the way over. I'm not sure if she meant she sang that, or if she just sang. When I suggested Invisible, as that made sense to me that it was Clay's first single off his CD, they both agreed.

After they sang, we talked a bit more. I thanked him for coming, and said it was really special for us to have him deliver his book and CD. A gentleman, as always, he said, "Oh, no, thank YOU. This was fun for me too!"

They then had Clay move to the sidewalk and they taped an interview with him. During that time we talked to the UPS and Amazon VIPs, and learned a bit more about how the process of doing these promotions worked. That's when we learned that we had been chosen on the 7th. We also learned that Susan was from Van Nuys, and she was chosen because she had a good safety record (to which I said, well, that's a good thing!) and it was a way of recognizing her years of good service. Apparently it was a special experience for Susan too! She told us that this was the neatest thing that had happened to her. I would like to hear her story; I'm sure it would be great!

After they had taped Clay's part, he gave us another hug and got ready to leave. As he was standing by the limo, I suddenly got an idea. I asked him if he would mind waiting just a second. He graciously said, "Of course". I had Rachelle run into the house and grab my package from the Clackhouse that I'd received just a few days before. I took out the red Clackhouse pin with his full-length silhouette and handed it to him. He smiled and said, "Oh, I've seen these". (does nothing get by this man?) I said, "This one is yours. You are now an official member of the Clackhouse". He looked the pin over for a moment, then suddenly looked up, and with his eyes all wide said, very snarky, "They took away mah key!" He said it in the same voice he had said on Kimmel, "He hit me with his cane!", very snarky and very accented. I laughed a little at how he said it, and said, "What???" He said, "Mah password to the vault doesn't work anymore! They took away mah key!". I said, "Ah, you probably missed when Eva posted that we needed to re-sign up for our keys". He said, "I don't know, but they took away mah key!" He was being so funny, he was just cracking everyone up with his facial expression and tone of voice, like he couldn't believe that the CH would dare take away his key! I said I'd make sure he got his key back, lol. He said, "Well, GOOD!" The whole thing was such a hoot!

Clay then gave us his beautiful smile, said "It was very nice to see you", then got in the limo with Mary and Nick, and the limo pulled away.

The production company then interviewed us for another five to ten minutes. We talked about our impressions of the experience and of Clay, and they asked questions about the home for abused and abandoned children that the book was to go to. After this interview, they slowly packed up their gear and left.

Today I got another package from UPS, with the book and audio CD. Clay didn't deliver it this time.

If anyone wants one of the shingles on my house that Clay leaned against, check Ebay *g*

RCA Records Sends Out Fan Club Promo E-mail

RCA sent out this e-mail last night:

Dear Clay Aiken Fan,
Join The Official Clay Aiken Fanclub now and enter to win an autographed copy of a Rolling Stone magazine with Clay on the cover!

Meet and Greet opportunities are available for all summer tour dates&mdashsign up now for your opportunity to be one of ten winners for each show chosen to meet Clay!

Purchase a Clay Aiken Fanclub 1-year membership and receive:

- Exclusive fan club edition t-shirt

- Exclusive 8x10 photo

- Welcome letter from Clay

- Access to pre-sale tickets*

- Opportunity for meet and greets**

- @clayonline.com webmail address

- Clay's weekly journal

- Audio, video & photos

- Private message boards & blogs

- Exclusive contests & prizes.

You can enjoy all of this and more for only $29.95 (+ S&H)!

Join today at http://www.clayonline.com

* All pre-sale ticket purchases available on a first come, first serve basis for select performances only. Not all show dates will be available for pre-sale. All shows are subject to cancellation or postponement without notice. Please consult with the relevant venue for seating information prior to purchase and any changes to the show schedule.

** Meet and Greets are subject to availability and tickets to show are not included in package.

*** Fan Club Exclusive Edition T-Shirt design subject to change.

Clay in J-14 "What's Hot...What's Not"

35,000 pins produced

One pins company has stated that they've produced over 35,000 Clay related pins! WOW!

MTV Reports the JBT

Cover Lover Clay Aiken Playing Favorites On Summer Tour
07.11.2005 3:00 PM EDT

Former 'Idol' runner-up hitting the road July 28 in New Jersey.
Clay Aiken (file)
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

It sounds crazy to say a singer who's only been around a few years is returning to his roots, but that's exactly the idea behind Clay Aiken's just-announced summer tour.

Aiken, who rose to fame singing songs from his favorite artists on "American Idol," is launching a covers tour featuring tunes from the '50s through the '90s.

"I made a prediction that everyone will be able to sing along to at least five songs, no matter when they grew up," Aiken said in a statement. "There will be songs my mom likes and my grandparents like, and there are a lot of people who love the music of the '70s. I like the '80s, and we're going to have a lot of fun with songs from the '90s."

The set list will range from Sam Cooke to Goo Goo Dolls covers, as well as doo-wop, Motown and Elvis Presley medleys. A few of Aiken's already popular remakes, including Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Solitaire," popularized by Neil Sedaka, will also be included.

"It's a chance for people to remember where they were when they heard certain songs," Aiken said in the statement. "This started out as a show just to have some fun with, and as I got more excited about singing these songs, it became a bigger show. ... [Although] the production will be simple because the real story is the music."

Aiken will sprinkle in a few songs from 2003's Measure of a Man and preview songs from the upcoming follow-up, which he will record this fall.

The 25-city tour, Aiken's fifth since finishing second to Ruben Studdard on "Idol," will kick off July 28 in Toms River, New Jersey, and wrap up September 1 in Atlantic City. Aiken will perform three of the songs in New York's Bryant Park on July 29 for "Good Morning America."

Concertgoers are encouraged to bring their cell phones and text-messaging devices so they can participate in concert activities, such as posting their own messages on screens in the venue.

TV Guide Tidbits

From the current issue of TV Guide:

Clay Aiken EXCLUSIVE!

As the pop star brings his show to Good Morning America, he dishes about looking for love, going back home and settling down for good.

NEW PR Offers Insight into JBT

A new press release has given us many new details about the upcoming tour:
-The use of SMS texting technology before, during and after the show.
-Clay will sing Elvis.
-Clay will preview upcoming album.
-The tour will include songs from the 50's up to today.

Clay Aiken - The Jukebox Summer Tour 2005
Monday July 11, 10:00 am ET
Highlights Songs From All Five Decades of the Rock Era
RCA Artist Will Also Preview Songs From His Next Album on 25-City Tour That Begins July 28, 2005 in Tom's River, NJ
Fans Can Send Text Messages to Clay Backstage Before Each Show.

LOS ANGELES, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Clay Aiken will rock the jukebox this summer as he sets out on a unique tour celebrating all five decades of the rock era, with songs your mother should know -- and your grandmother and kids, too.
The multi-platinum RCA Records recording artist will embark on the fifth tour of his career with something new. Not tied to a specific album, Aiken's latest live show will reach back to the '50s and '60s for the earliest hits of rock and roll, move into the '70s and '80s for songs from Aiken's childhood, and come all the way into the '90s and '00s for hits from modern times.

"I thought it would be cool to sing a bunch of covers, and relate to everybody," says Aiken. "There will be songs my mom likes and my grandparents like, and there are a lot of people who love the music of the '70s. I like the '80s, and we're going to have a lot of fun with songs from the '90s."

The tour will include many songs that Aiken is already associated with, including Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire." Aiken's versions of both songs charted in Billboard. There will also be a medley of Elvis Presley songs that spans the decades. Aiken will also sing the hits of everyone from Sam Cooke to Goo Goo Dolls.

This summer tour will have a unique feature, as those attending Clay's concerts will be encouraged to bring their cell phones and text messaging devices to participate in extracurricular show activities, through a program organized by Boomerang Mobile Media. Those attending will be able to send text messages to Clay backstage before each show and register to receive a post- show message from him. At many venues, attendees will be able to post their own text messages live, on screens in the venue. They will also have access to exclusive merchandise.

"This started out as a show just to have some fun with, and as I got more excited about singing these songs, it became a bigger show," explains Aiken. "It's a summer tour and the production will be simple because the real story is the music. It's a chance for people to remember where they were when they heard certain songs. I was born in 1978, but I love the music of the '50s and '60s and I know a lot of people do. We're going to have a lot of medleys in the show, including a doo-wop medley and one for all the great Motown hits. I made a prediction that everyone will be able to sing along to at least five songs, no matter when they grew up!"

The '00s section will include songs from Aiken's first album, the double-platinum "Measure of a Man," and will preview songs from his upcoming CD. Aiken is about to go into the studio to begin recording the new album.

Clay will perform three songs on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" on July 29 as part of their outdoor Summer Concerts series. He will be singing from Bryant Park.

In connection with his "Good Morning America" appearance and the launch of his summer tour, Clay will be on the cover of the July 24 issue of TV Guide.

The summer tour will be Aiken's first since his successful "Joyful Noise" tour during the Christmas season of 2004. This year's tour will start July 28 in Tom River, NJ. Aiken will play in 25 cities, 26 shows with the tour concluding on September 1, 2005 in Atlantic City, NJ. Here is a list of cities and dates:

Updated MOAM Sales Numbers

Courtesy the CH's 43dudleyvillas
Back in mid-May, after Clay's appearance on Oprah, jb1689 asked for an updated MoaM sales tally. Since MoaM hadn't re-entered the Billboard top-200, I didn't have one for her, but I said at the time that I expected to be able to get an updated tally after the end of Q2 2005, which happened last week.

Through 3 July 2005, MoaM's sales stood at 2,719,311 copies sold, an increase of 24,108 copies since the last update on 27 March. That means MoaM has been selling an average of 1,722 copies per week over the past 14 weeks. Not bad when you consider his album has been in a complete down-cycle for some time now. Sales stand to pick up when promotion does and when Clay releases a new album -

Clay to deliver to lucky Amazon.com customer soon!

Clay will be delivering to a lucky Amazon.com customer who has ordered one or more of Clay's offerings at Amazon.com within the next 7 days. Amazon.com should provide video of the delivery, done in partnership with UPS.

AD: Boston, MA (July 10, 2005)