Clay in Sony BMG 2005 Catelogue

From the CB's dardar:

Page 3

Quote:American Idol ~ Stars Are Born

Over the course of four seasons, AI has blossomed into a true pop culture phenomenon. From Clay Aiken's powerful balladry to....



Photo + CD cover of MOAM (along w/pix of Carrie, Kelly & Fantasia) -

Quote:An easygoing charmer from the AI finalist.

(goes on to list some selections, ordering info, etc.)

Page 7

NEW listing for MCWL -

Quote:Clay's warm voice chases the winter chill away on....

(as above)

Page 8

AI - The Great Holiday Classics

(as above)

Jacob Lutrell Quits Tour

Clay's long time back up singer, Jacob Lutrell has quit the Joyful Noise Tour and is not returning to any future Clay Aiken tours, according to his blog. It was reported that Mr. Lutrell actually made the exit during the intermission at last night's concert in Council Bluffs, IA. Jacob's solo, Emmanuel will now be covered by Clay, as he did last night in Council Bluffs (video/audio now available at ATCA and other clack sites) Jacob writes:

i know alot of you have questions... some of you have no idea whats going on. all i can say is, i will not be on jnt2 or any other clay tour. however, my shows are still taking place. its time to find out who is a fan and who is just kidding....love you all.

From toni7babe:

Checking in from the hotel in KC quickly. I walked over to the venue about 2 hours ago to see how far of a walk it was from the hotel--it was only a few blocks and as I was walking I ran into Jerome coming out of the back of the theatre. I chatted with him on the street for a few minutes-some small talk and I then said So is Jacob ok?? His response was "all is good in the hood." He sorta looked away from me as he said that and I could tell he was not comfortable so I did not pursue asking any other questions. I have no idea really what that is suppose to mean but thought I would post it.

Buses and rigs were there and I also saw Gregory what a cutie he is with his Mom and Andy and Felix. Clay was at a hotel resting they said:)

In Clay's blog today, Clay said he had a "heavy heart" and was "confused" over Jacob's sudden departure, but at the same time wished Jacob well. Clay said the split was because of a "personal issue" and that he "is loved and will be missed".

New Interview with Lincoln Journal Star

New interview covering a very broad range of topics.

Aiken to bring 'Joyful Noise' to Mid-America Center
By JOEL GEHRINGER / Lincoln Journal Star

Last year, pop idol Clay Aiken's holiday album, "Merry Christmas with Love," dominated the Christmas music charts and helped the "American Idol" alumnus launch his "Joyful Noise" tour.
Aiken (Courtesy photo)

This holiday season, Aiken will be telling his own Christmas stories on the "Joyful Noise 2005" tour, which features a tale Aiken penned himself. The tour stops at Council Bluffs' Mid-America Center on Friday at 8 p.m.

With a little help from readers on the Ground Zero blog, we asked Aiken about his new tour, his Bono-rific charity work and his opinion on celebrity wrestling matches.

GZ: Clay, you're currently on the second annual "Joyful Noise" tour. What's up with the running plot line?

CA: Well, we decided to change it up this year. We wanted to make it a little more of an event than a concert. So we pulled out the theatrical stops.

GZ: We've seen rock operas before, but this is kind of a holiday pop opera …

CA: (laughs) Maybe. I don't necessarily play a speaking role. We have an older woman who … well, the story is she needs some help for Christmas. She has a boy that comes to her house, gets her to talk about her Christmas memories. The music that we sing as the story goes on kind of acts as the soundtrack to the show.

GZ: You're also using local actors in these shows. What roles do they play in the tour? Any major parts?

CA: The woman who plays the old woman is actually my high school music teacher. The younger boy is also from North Carolina (Aiken's home state), and they're with me permanently.

We do use local characters for other smaller roles we need. It's kind of an opportunity for local people for easier roles, and it keeps the show fresh for us as well.

GZ: You recently did a stint on the TV comedy "Scrubs." Any chance you'll expand your acting chops and make full-length feature films?

CA: Oh, wow. I don't know. Everything that's happened has been kind of being open to possibilities. That opportunity hasn't opened itself yet, but it's something I'd like to do. We'll have to see.

GZ: You're an ambassador for UNICEF and you've worked to bring relief to children in the Southeast Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. In a way, you're kind of a new Bono. Do you think you can out-Bono Bono and convince more entertainers to use their powers for good?

CA: Oh, wow, I'd never compare myself to Bono. In the performing scale he's definitely better than I am and the philanthropy scale he's definitely better than I am, but I appreciate the compliment.

There are definitely celebrities out there who know the power of their position. But it's hard to get people to become active. For me, it was something from the beginning I've always wanted to do. Unfortunately, I'm not in the place to make anyone else do anything.

GZ: You've been on both "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Dr. Phil." In your opinion, who would win a steel cage match between those two hosts?

CA: (laughs, then gets very serious) I think more than likely Oprah would win, because Oprah pays Dr. Phil's salary.

GZ: You don't think Dr. Phil could psych her out?

CA: Nah, I think he's a very respectful guy and I don't think he'd hit a woman.

GZ: Clay, I'm your typical nerdy guy looking to make it in this large, lonely world. Any advice on how I can jump-start my career as an international pop sensation?

CA: Actually, no.

GZ: None at all?

CA: No, I don't even know how I did it. I only did it because I was in the right place at the right time. I think the most important thing for anybody is you can't be someone you're not. People who are tuned to themselves have better luck.

My only advice would be set lofty and achievable goals for yourself and then work for them, but do it as your own person.

GZ: Clay, I'll give you the last word. Give me one profound statement you've been wanting to get off your chest.

CA: I will say this: I've been to Nebraska more times than I ever thought I would.

We were in Nebraska recently for Oprah's show. We stopped to get shots of the Capitol building and that, and I don't know how they found out but there were fans there.

Of course, I'm surprised anyone's interested at all, but even in Nebraska it was amazing to me how many showed up. It's one of the more supportive states. I'm excited to be going in that direction again, and I'm very appreciative.

Reach Joel Gehringer at 473-7254 or jgehringer@journalstar.com.

If you go

What: Clay Aiken's "Joyful Noise Tour 2005"

Where: Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Admission: Reserved tickets start at $37.50 at ticketmaster.com or the Mid-America Center, (712) 323-0536

AD: Special Ad Release - Cincinnati, OH

This is a special ad release -- I made this ad for the SW Ohio Clay Fanclub.

ABC WTVD-TV Mentions Clay During Friday's 6 PM News

From the CB:

I figured this would've already been reported since I'm not at home but there was a mention tonight at 6:15. They went into commercial showing Clay in all white from AI2 tour and said something about "Democrat". When they came back they said that the NC Republican party is auctioning off two (I think it was just 2) JNT05 tix for the Raleigh show. They showed the site briefly and I think the bids were up to $120 but don't hold me to it. I was trying to shush my friends so I could concentrate. :laugh They ended by saying "and Clay's a registered democrat!) :laugh Sorry I wasn't home to cap this but I'm a WRAL gal anyway so I probably would've missed it. It's pretty cool that the party knows what to do to raise $$$.

You would've thought they could've found more recent footage to use though. They usually use the MAP footage since WTVD is an ABC affiliate and MAP was broadcast on ABC.

Ohio Chiropractor Works (and Food Fights) With Clay

An interesting read about a doctor who has worked with Clay.

Local chiropractor sees 'stars'
Dr. Paul Valenti offers his services at concerts

By KRISTI LOWE
Staff Writer

MATTHEW LEASURE/Tribune

COSHOCTON - Coshocton residents may be just starting to recognize him, but the celebrities love to see his face.

Chiropractor Dr. Paul D. Valenti has been in his career for 12 years, but just moved to Coshocton in April. He has an office on Chestnut Street just as you enter town.

While working in Columbus three years ago, he received a call from a friend who is a massage therapist. One of her friends from New York was starting a business of massage therapy and chiropractic care to go to venues, mostly around Ohio, and treat the visiting artists and groups. He was asked to join the team.

Celebrities can request to have them in their hotels, backstage, anywhere.

"The artists are always pretty nice," Valenti said.

One of the first concerts Valenti attended was with the group Nickelback. They have spread the word and told other artists about Valenti's work.

Over time he has worked on tours of artists such as Metallica, Aerosmith, Jay-Z, Nelly, Shania Twain, the Eagles, Foreigner, and many more.

"I grew up with the Eagles and Foreigner. I was always a fan," Valenti said.

Valenti takes his portable table and equipment to all the shows.

He also works a lot with the road crews and bus drivers. For a Destiny's Child tour, he offered service for 10 to 12 roadies.This weekend, Aerosmith is performing in Columbus, and Valenti will be backstage working.

Every year when the American Idol tour comes to Ohio, he works on them as well.

People need chiropractors from jumping around, carrying equipment or even falling off stage, Valenti said.

One of the American Idol contestants fell off the stage during a performance and wrecked his back. Valenti spent a lot of time with the contestant working out the kinks.

Valenti has also spent a lot of time with Idol Clay Aiken. Working with the stars is not always work. Once Valenti and Aiken had a food fight and wore lemon meringue for half of the night.

Most of the artists are pretty quiet and don't say much until they are on stage, Valenti said. He also added sometimes the managers are very protective.

"They stay pretty low key, no pictures or autographs," Valenti said of the tours.

Once when he was at an Usher concert a man showed up with a camera and he was gone in seconds. In other hip hop acts, such as R. Kelly, there are about a dozen huge football-like guys around him at all times.

"There's a lot of security around, sometimes there are metal detectors backstage," Valenti said.

Valenti keeps all of the passes from his concerts in a photo album so he can remember all the fun/crazy times.

"You see some strange sights," Valenti said of the Ozzfest tour.

After a Bad Company concert, he had to stay after and give treatment to the guys of the band. He got to hang out backstage with them, just as he did with Motley Crue.

"It gets pretty crazy backstage," Valenti said.

He mentioned that some of the artists can be very uptight as well.

During the Bruce Springsteen tour there could be only two people in a hallway at a time. For Springsteen to go on stage, it has to be a certain temperature or he won't perform.

"The majority are very nice to work with though," Valenti said.

Valenti charges the same rates to the stars as he does his regular customers. The only reason he would charge a little more is if he has to drive a long distance.

klowe@nncogannett.com

295-3437

Originally published November 19, 2005

Clay in Nov. 21 OK Magazine

Clay is in the current edition of OK Magazine. It features an article on Clay's 'American Idol makeover'. Click to enlarge the scan courtesy the CB's karlalovesclay.

From the CB:

"OK" magazine has a center insert about makeovers.........Jennifer Garner, Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken are the three stars I remember off the bat.

They show the early AI picture of Clay with black hair and his shell necklace and his makeover picture is the one taken at the fashion show he just attended.hmmmmmmmm:lubdub

The writeup is nice but the last line is a bit strange...it went something like...now if he can only get rid of that wierd neck thing.......what's that all about????

Anyway, I thought you'd like to know.

Clay's 'Car Wash' Dancer, Nico Martinez Wins Jeopardy

Nico Martinez, from Stratford Univesity won the 2005 Jeopardy College Championships. Martinez correctly answered the Clay Aiken answer during the quarter final rounds last week. This is probably why:

From the CB:

For those of you who have been following the story... Nico, who did the 'Car Wash' dance during JBT in Rochester Hills, MI... won the College Jeopardy! competition (that aired) last night. He talked about 'dancing with Clay Aiken' several nights ago. He was the one whose sister bribed him to go to the concert (she withheld his paycheck). I was at that concert and it was very funny---and he did a great job dancing with Quiana and Angela.

:rocker :clap for Nico !!

The championship was taped in Raleigh in September.

New Jukebox Tour Videos

SecretlyLovesClay has uploaded new videos from the Gilford, NH Meadowbrook concert. You can download it via ATCA.

The Way We Make a Difference Ticket Donation Project Receives Press

The Way We Make a Difference - the Clay organization that donates (almost 3000 to date) tickets to special Clayfans was featured in last Friday's Omaha World Herald.

Rainbow Rowell: Special Clay fans get free tickets

BY RAINBOW ROWELL
WORLD-HERALD COLUMNIST

How excited is Paula Nelson to see Clay Aiken in concert?

Clay Aiken fans Donna Viox, left, and Paula Nelson got free tickets to his Bluffs concert tonight.
Almost as excited as when she got to see Boxcar Willie.

And that's saying a lot because Boxcar Willie is Paula's all-time favorite.

He's the only other person Paula, 43, can remember seeing in concert.

Tickets to big-name shows are just too expensive for most of the developmentally disabled adults who live in Mosaic assisted-living homes. That's why it was such a big deal for the Omaha organization to receive free tickets to tonight's Clay Aiken show at the Mid-America Center.

About 10 tickets were donated by a group of Aiken's fans, inspired by the singer's work with the disabled.

It wasn't hard to find Mosaic residents who wanted to go, spokesman Brett Samson said. "We have a lot of 'American Idol' fans."

Donna Viox, 51, watched Clay sing every week when he was on "Idol" and enjoyed all of Aiken's radio singles.

She listens to the radio while she works at one of Mosaic's educational workshops.

"I'm a very nervous person," she said, taking her headphones off for our interview. "I like soft music, relaxing music."

Donna is extremely excited, and also a little nervous, about tonight's concert. She wants to buy Clay's Christmas CD, she wants to take a photo, she wants everyone else who goes to have fun . . . .

Paula says she knows she'll have fun. The show is a Christmas concert, and Paula really, really wants to hear "Little Drummer Boy." It's her all-time favorite.

Paula loves church music, country music, polka, you name it. Music, she says, really gets her going.

"Our people are very interested in music," Samson said.

Whenever possible, Samson said, Mosaic tries to get its clients out into the community, doing the things they enjoy as individuals. People who like basketball might go to a high school basketball game. Mosaic's residents go to movies, church events, small concerts . . .

"It helps our people," he said, "but it also helps society, in general."

Debbie Hoehn couldn't agree more. She represents the Way We Make a Difference, the Aiken fan group that donated the tickets. Clay studied to be a special education teacher, and his work with the disabled has inspired his fans.

"He's kind of opened up our eyes to see that people with disabilities are just left out." The fan group has donated almost 3,000 concert tickets, so far.

* * *

Like every other Clay fan I've interviewed - and I've talked to more than my fair share - Paula and Donna say the real reason they love Clay is because he's so cute. Let's not mince words, Clay is much cuter than Boxcar Willie.

They're very excited to see Aiken and all of his cuteness in person.

"I think that the way he wears his hair sometimes," Donna said, "he can be really handsome."

"He's cute," Paula giggled when I asked her what she liked best about Clay. "And he's kind of handsome. Just a little."

Check Out CDD Charts/Stats

Clayscience21 has uploaded brand new charts for your viewing pleasure.

Visit Clayscience's CDD Charts/Stats

New American Idol DVDs to Focus on Winners, Runner-Ups

As we first reported last month, 2 new DVD's, "The Best of American Idol: Seasons 1-4" ($19.98) and "The Worst of American Idol: Seasons 1-4" ($19.98) will hit stores next Tuesday. According to this article from the Washington Post, the DVD's will put heavy emphasis on the winners & runner-ups of the past four seasons. Both discs are available on Amazon and other DVD/music retailers.

High and low notes of 'Idol'
New DVD set explores popular show's first four seasons
By Curt Fields
Washington Post

Fans of TV's insanely popular "American Idol" fall into one of two camps. They watch because they enjoy rooting for the occasional discovery of genuinely talented performers, or they enjoy the train wreck of seeing people who have no business being near a microphone destroying a song and acting amazed when they're told they stink.

Whatever your motivation for watching, Tuesday's upcoming DVD releases should tide you over until the show returns in January as "The Best of American Idol: Seasons 1-4" ($19.98), "The Worst of American Idol: Seasons 1-4" ($19.98) and, combining the two and tossing in a bonus disc, "The Best & Worst of American Idol: Seasons 1-4" ($34.98) hit the market.

"The Best Of" disc contains some of the show's more memorable moments, including Fantasia Barrino's "Summertime," Kelly Clarkson's "Respect" and Bo Bice's a cappella "In a Dream." It focuses primarily on the top two finalists from each season, so there's lots of Clarkson (the most successful post-"Idol" performer so far), Justin Guarini, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Fantasia (she's dropped the Barrino since winning in Season 3), Diana DeGarmo, Bice and Carrie Underwood.

A few other contestants are represented. Season 1's Tamyra Gray sings "Feel the Fire" and reminds you what a joke it was that Guarini made it to the final two that year.

A collection of season recaps is a fun bit of nostalgia for fans, as is seeing the full-length auditions of the winners and runners-up and watching them evolve musically and stylistically. (Watching Aiken's look steadily transform from geek to pop singer in the photo album feature is a testament to the power of stylists everywhere.) Even the most devoted fans will learn new tidbits. For example, Underwood was flirty and animated at her audition, much more so than during the rest of the season. Who knew she had a personality?

Simon Cowell - Clay Aiken "still my favourite" from Season 2

American Idol judge Simon Cowell made these comments on Clay in today's USA Today. Abridgement appears below.

Cowell juggles many duties
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY
NEW YORK -- Simon Cowell is doubly busy these days. Fresh from judging hundreds of would-be American Idols, this week he starts seeking American Inventors for a new reality series he's producing that's due on ABC next spring.

Among previous winners, Kelly Clarkson's fame has lasted longest -- her second album, now in the top 10, exceeded sales of the first -- while the biggest disappointment, Cowell says, was Ruben Studdard, "in terms of what his potential was." But the Season 2 final between Clay Aiken and Studdard, "the little nerd who transformed himself and the polished soul singer," remains his favorite.

Signed Clay Aiken Oil Paint

A very rare oil painting of Clay, signed by the man himself is available to the highest bidder on eBay. The oil painting was donated by Clay's mother, Faye Parker, who had the painting as part of her Clay collection of many gifts she has received from fans. 100% of profits go to the Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center. Click here to see the auction.
< Click to enlarge

Clay Signs Lab Coat for Toronto Hospital Auction

Note: This article was originally published with a different title on 11/18. Updated & Retitled 11/19 with additional information.

Clay and other celebrities donated a signed lab coat to the North York General Hospital's annual Shopping For A Cause auction, reports Canadian TV station Citytv. Updated with corrected information and information on how Toronto Claymates can get their piece on this rare collectible. If you want to be there to bid, contine reading this post, or visit the hospital's website.

From the CB's pamforclay:

I have heard nothing but I want to mention another Canadian (Toronto) item that bears verification:
Hubby just saw a quick blurb on City TV this morning. North York General Hospital has this auction event called Shopping For A Cause. Guess who donated a signed Tshirt?? Clay Aiken!!!!!!!
This is awesome, this is local, this is something I am checking on right now! I'll keep you posted.

11/19 Update from pam:

Okay guys...it's a lab coat signed by 6 celebrities including Clay Aiken. Clay plus 5 others (including Josh Groban, I believe). To be certain, call 416 756 6944.
The labcoat auction is due to take place on Sunday, Nov. 20, 6:30-9:30 pm @ Bayview Shopping Village
Nishi Auban - Event Organizer, North York General Hospital
Designer Lab Coats
Shopping for A Cause: Style, Celebrities, and Holiday Spirit Unite to Support Breast Cancer Services at The 5th Annual Heart of Fashion Event takes place this Sunday at Bayview Village Shopping Centre For more information www.nygh.on.ca and 416 756 6944
Call this number for more info!
Last year's lab coats went for $70-$735. Nice to see the Clay-signed labcoat garner even more this year.
There is no online place to bid, to my knowledge, just in person at Bayview Village at the above-noted time.

Complete Info from the Toronto Sun:

Glamour, glitz and a good cause
By VENA EATON, TORONTO SUN

Holiday shoppers will do it in style at the 5th annual Heart of Fashion fundraiser.

Retailers at the Bayview Village Shopping Centre and BMO Financial Group are opening their doors and offering consumers a chance to shop 'til they drop on Sunday, Nov. 20, from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

The Heart of Fashion organizers hope to raise $140,000 for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer at North York General Hospital's BMO Financial Group Breast Diagnostic Centre. In the past four years, this event has raised more than $500,000 for the hospital.

Lucky shoppers will enjoy exclusive holiday discounts, cocktails, fine wines, gourmet food, entertainment and a silent auction.

The auction will feature extravagant gifts and one-of-a-kind lab coats designed by such celebrities as hockey superstar Gordie Howe, singer/songwriter Paul Anka and Apprentice hosts Donald Trump and Martha Stewart. The lab coats will be on display along with the other auction donations from more than 70 Bayview Village retailers throughout the week at the mall.

The Heart of Fashion fundraiser is at Bayview Village Shopping Centre, 2901 Bayview Ave. Willowdale (at Sheppard).

Tickets cost $60 and are available online at Nygh.on.ca, by calling 416-756-6944, or visiting the management office at the centre.
Previous story: It's payback time
Next story: The weird and the wacky

Fanclub Response to 2006 Calendar

It's now November and a 2006 Clay Aiken calendar is no where to be seen. Here is the response from Clay's official fanclub regarding a possible 2006 Calendar. Note: The 2005 Calendar was the #2 bestseller.

Thank you for contacting the Clay Aiken Store Support Team.

We currently do not carry a 2006 calendar, but we hope to offer this
item in the near future. Please stay tuned to the website for the latest
merchandise as it becomes available !

Claymates Set New Record for North County Times

The North County Times published an interview/article (Pop nerd Clay Aiken brings 'Joyful Noise' to San Diego) with/about Clay last week, and boy did they get a response!

The Clay-nation has spoken ---- and how.

Last week I wrote a music feature for Preview on "American Idol" star Clay Aiken, who performed last Friday at the San Diego Civic Theatre. In the interview, I asked Aiken to describe his rabid legion of fans, known as "Claymates," and he hypothesized that there are probably only about 5,000 of them in existence, but they're very vocal.

The article was posted to the North County Times Web site on Nov. 9, and within 48 hours, more than 150 Claymates had posted nearly 20 pages of comments on our site after reading the article. That's the largest response ever received by any article ever published in the North County Times' online edition.

Raleigh N&O Clay Mention

Clay appeared in a short article about politics in today's Raleigh News & Observer.

Idol fodder for politicians

Is nothing sacred? Now even Raleigh pop singer Clay Aiken is ammunition in the political war.

At the biannual NCGOP Hall of Fame dinner Saturday night, the state Republican Party plans to auction two tickets for an upcoming Aiken concert at the RBC Center.

North Carolina Democrats sent out a missive noting that Republicans were raising money from a singer who is registered as a Democrat.

The $125 per person dinner will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cary.

Clay The Clear Winner in CTV Sexiest Man Alive Poll

Canadian Televion's (CTV) national morning show, Canada AM conducted a e-mail poll today on who is the sexiest man alive. Thanks to campaigning on various Clayboards, it was revealed near the end of the show, 90% of voters had e-mailed in the response Clay Aiken.

11/19 Update: Video is now available on CTV's Canada AM webpage. Click on "Canada AM: Your Say for Nov. 17 2:55" on the right hand side of the page.

Recap from the CB's Cindilu2:

Canada AM, fyi, is CTV's version of GMA or Today.

I scanned the first couple pages of the street, and didn't see this, so I'll take a chance. Is it possible I am the only one who saw it?

So I'm watching Canada AM this morning (which I never, ever do - fell asleep on the couch with the TV on last night, and it was still on this morning) and what do I see? They are talking about the People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive issue, and how they conducted their own poll - and the clear winner? Mr. Clay Aiken! HA! I couldn't believe my eyes. And he won with 90% of the vote And I knew nothing about it! They showed a little clip of Invisible and an email that said, "Clay has a beautiful heart, and that is the sexiest thing to me" (paraphrased - hey I was stunned! and it was 7:00 in the morning) How cool to wake up to a random Clay sighting.

eta: there was no mocking or eye-rolling involved from any of them either, (one female, two male anchors). They seemed to find it cool. They also had emails from fans nominating the two males (sorry, like I said I never watch so I don't know their names) and they had some fun with that.

Clay on Entertainment Tonight Canada

Clay was on the Canadian Edition of Entertainment Tonight yesterday. The interview was taped while Clay was in Vancouver earlier this month as part of the Joyful Noise 2005 tour. A Video can be downloaded here.




Recap From the CB:

talking about his hood up and low nd behold a gaggle of giggling girls!!! Its hard to go somewhere unnoticed,he went to walmart last night and almost made it through without anyone noticing him and then the alarm goes off as you leave the store,like he was stealing something.He said he had to sign something,then everyone noticed him.He sad ET will say clay aiken stealing from walmart then said NOOOO!!!
He is surprised to have so many Canadian fans,and surprised he has so many Amercan fans as well!!

AD: Cincinnati, OH

Vote For Clay

USA Today asks "Which other 'American Idol' finalist would you like to see on the big screen?"

Vote here (near the middle of the page)

Clay Reflects on Stardom, Talks About JNT with St. Paul Pioneer Press

Well, bless his little aiken, breakin' heart, plus club notes
BY ROSS RAIHALA
Pioneer Press music critic

Beyond a summer tour and his round of holiday gigs -- he plays Northrop Auditorium on Monday -- Clay Aiken has largely stayed out of the public eye this year.
But don't think people have forgotten him.
"I was in Vancouver, Canada, and I went out with some friends to this community Halloween bonfire thing on a beach," said the "American Idol" star during a recent phone interview. "And lo and behold, 15 minutes after I get there, I had children coming up and taking my picture. It was very strange and kind of surreal. I mean, it was pitch black -- and I was in Canada.
"I expected it to happen after 'Idol,' and we all got very used to it. I thought the attention would (slow down), but it's fine it hasn't. I'm glad people are still interested in me."
Aiken was supposed to have a new studio disc out this year. What happened?
"We spent so little time recording the first album," Aiken said. "The song 'Invisible' actually got recorded in Minneapolis -- we kind of had to find time where we could to make the record. It was good, but it was rushed.
"So I wanted to take more time. I've listened to so many (potential songs), I want to pull the best out of a big crop and be happy with the outcome. It'll probably come out in the first part of next year, but the goal really was to take our time and do it right."
Aiken's concert Monday is based on his disc "Merry Christmas With Love." It's his second holiday-themed tour, although his inaugural trip last year didn't include a stop in the Cities.
"Everybody sings Christmas songs, so what's going to get people to come out and see me sing Christmas songs? I wanted to figure out a way to make it different and new, so I sat down in my pajamas one day and wrote a script that ties the songs together.
"I hired my old high school choir teacher and a little boy out of Raleigh to play the lead characters, and their story connects all these songs. It's not necessarily a play, and I'm not part of the action -- we're really the soundtrack to these vignettes.
"It's very heartwarming. By the end of the concert, everybody in the audience had better be crying. I wrote it, and I still get the chills."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Aiken said he'd like his holiday shows to become an annual tradition. (Christmas shows are money in the bank -- just ask Lorie Line.)
"We encourage people to dress up and wear your Sunday best," Aiken said. "The crew even dresses up. It's a great way to finish the year and say thanks to the fans for supporting us."

Interview with Kansas City Star

Feats of Clay include a Christmas twist
Singer promotes a 'more adventurous' holiday show
By TIMOTHY FINN
The Kansas City Star

Like Perry Como and Andy Williams before him, pop vocalist Clay Aiken is using the Christmas season as a reason to perform his favorite holiday music. As he did last year, Aiken is exercising his jollies for "Jingle Bells" and other holiday standards in a nationwide musical revue. This year, however, he's giving the show a twist.
His Joyful Noise Tour, which stops Saturday at the Midland Theatre, isn't just a Christmas carol recital. Instead, he has written a script and hired actors and actresses to star in skits that loosely tie the songs together. Intrigued or confused? He explained the concept in a recent phone interview a few days before the tour began.

Q. What will people see when they go to this show?

A. It's different from last year's show, which didn't go to Kansas City so most people there won't know the difference, I guess. Last year we did a typical Christmas tour with a full orchestra and some singers. This year I wanted to do something different and more adventurous. So we decided to forgo the orchestra and hire a group of actors and actresses to follow a storyline that kind of brings the songs together and gives them some extra meaning.

Whose idea was this, and who wrote the script?

It was my idea. I started thinking about it after last year's tour. So early this year I sat down and wrote the scripts. Then I hired my high school chorus teacher, Alison Lawrence, to play the lead in the show.

How has it all turned out?

Great. We've been rehearsing for two weeks now. Lately we've been doing three or four full run-throughs a day, and it still gives me the chills. Toward the end there are some elements that are very moving.

How does this show fit into any long-term career plans you have? Are you positioning yourself to be something of a pop singer like Andy Williams?

I really don't want to pigeon-hole myself as any one thing. I mean, I didn't expect to be a singer; I expected to be a teacher. I didn't plan to be a performer and to do something like this for a career. It happened because I was open to it, we got lucky and we worked hard and we had success. I don't have any five- or 10-year plan because I want to be open to all possibilities. I don't want to pin myself down. It could all end in two or four or 20 years, but if it does I don't want to look back and think I should have done something but I didn't because I was so focused on something else.

You say none of this was planned or expected. How has everything that has happened over the past two years changed you?

I've matured and learned what to expect in the Hollywood climate. I knew nothing when I came out here. I've learned how to handle myself. I used to be a horrible businessman, but I've learned a lot about that, too. Mostly I've learned to stand my ground.

Without pinning yourself down, what can you tell your fans about your next studio album?

I know for certain there will be one next year. My executive producer is Jaymes Foster-Levy, who was a judge on the "Popstar" show, the precursor to "American Idol." She was the mean one (laughs), but she's been great. We've been taking our time, trying to pick the best songs. The new record won't be too far off from the first one, but on the other hand I'm not going to try to be something I'm not.

Clack from Canadian Interview Up

Clack from Monday's taped interview with Canada's OMNI-TV's The Standard is now up at pax-et-animo's website. For more information, click here.

Boy, Grandma Meet Clay In Oakland

Our affiliate, ClayReport has posted 2 articles written by Derek, and his grandmother (claydreamer) who were fortunate enough to meet Clay in Oakland! The articles also have some great photos from the M&G.

Read Derek's article
Read claydreamer's article

Negative Mention by Charleston Post and Courier

Very small mention in a football article. Not worth your click, but if you must, read it here.

Daily Breeze Fires Writer Over Interview?

The LA Daily Breeze published this 'interview' with Clay a few weeks back. If you recall, quite a few fans took offence. The CH's PermaSwooned complained to the editor and got this reply:

Dear (PermaSwooned's real name),
Thanks for expressing your views about last week's Rave column/interview with Clay Aiken. Sue Schmitt passed along your e-mail to me.
You raise some legitimate points about the approach that Corey Levitan took with the question/answer. While some readers may have found it amusing, I can see how others might be offended.
We've given Corey and other Rave reporters significant leeway in how to approach stories and interviews. Perhaps in this case the approach did not work.
For what it's worth, Corey has since left the Breeze and moved onto another newspaper.
I hope you enjoy the show at the Kodak and consider continuing to read all that we have to offer in Rave and The Daily Breeze. I'd ask you to judge us over a period of weeks or months, not on one story.
In any case, thanks for giving us your feedback. Positive or negative, it's good to hear from readers.

Regards,

Phillip Sanfield
Associate Editor
Daily Breeze

Clay Confirmed for FOX Christmas Special

We can now confirm what we reported earlier this month. Clay will be appearing on a special FOX Christmas show, Dear Santa, airing Dec. 9 at 9 PM on FOX. Each of the show's four segments will make a child's dream come true and one of the four children that will be featured is a Clay fan.

Jeopardy Contestant Danced With Clay

As we reported last week, Clay's name popped up on a special College edition of Jeopardy, taped in Raleigh in September.

Nico Martinez, of Stratford University responded to the question enthusiastically and we now we know why. (Hee Hee) This appeared in today's edition of the Stratford Daily:

Junior looks to win big in Jeopardy final
By Kelley Fong
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
last updated November 16, 2005 12:54 AM

He may not be a starter on the varsity football team, but junior Nico Martinez is in position to win a big game for Stanford this week.

On last night's episode of College Championship Jeopardy, aired on ABC, Martinez emerged victorious from his semifinal round to advance to the final round on the quiz show, which will air on Thursday and Friday nights.

One memorable moment occurred when Alex Trebek read the clue, "This American Idol singer from Raleigh lost to Reuben in 2003," and an animated Martinez answered with an enthusiastic smile -- "Who is Clay Aiken?"

Later, during the semifinal round, Martinez told the audience how his sister had taken him to a Clay Aiken concert, where he was selected to dance on stage with Clay Aiken himself.

Happy 1st Birthday Merry Christmas With Love, Learning To Sing

Clay on Canada's OMNI-TV

Clay was on The Standard, which aired on Canadian multicultural channel, OMNI Monday. Although this channel is available throughout Canada, this is a locally produced show and therefore, was only aired to the British Columbia market. Looks for video links on the Clayboard.

From the CH:

Vancouver Peeps, I saw our boyfriend on tv just now! I was watching a Full
House rerun (shut. up.) on Channel 10 (Omni), and then they started showing some
of Clay's Invizzle video! They said, "Meet the real Clay Aiken in People (?
magazine?), this Monday at 9 pm on The Standard." Maybe "People" is a segment on
the show? I imagine maybe he taped something when he was in Vancouver.

From The Standard's Website:

This week on The Standard:

Monday, Nov. 14
Federal Politics Roundtable, superstar pop singer Clay Aiken, and commentary from Rafe Mair

Recap courtesy the CB's reneeflower:

absolutely AMAZING interview. I only taped the second half---but it was a good 20 minutes. he talked about the type of woman he would want to marry-----"Do not be a LIMP noodle." The interviewer asked thought provoking questions, and we even saw Raleigh on camera----Clay says she's getting used to cameras too!!!

His tummy apparently growled and he asked the camera man "Can you hear my stomach growl???" He was very relaxed, wearing his YALE sweattop and I think he must have been sitting in JFL's home for the interview...it started with them on a deck----overlooking ocean, similar to his description in his last blog....

He talked ALOT about Unicef, about Uganda, about what success and failure are.....failure to him would be having an album that did not represent who he is.....no matter how many sales he had---if it did not represent him, then it would be deemed a failure in his eyes.

He was very intelligent and I am certain showed a lot of Vancouver viewers that he is WAY more than a pop star.

This is a semi-religious channel....

She read his note liners from MOAM, acknowledging his thankfulness to Alpha and Omega.....it was just an incredible interview!!!

Recap from MrsMarmalade of the CH:

-Showed bits of the Invisible video.
-Mentioned MOAM double platinum.
-Talked about AI and "losing" and seeing the card.
-Talked about friendship with Ruben.
-Has now passed all expectations.
-Voice captured the hearts of his fans.
-Here in Vancouver for the Joyful Noise Tour (looks like interview is at Jaymes Foster's house).
-Wearing a navy blue hoodie with "Yale" on the front and jeans.
-Opportunities from AI to sing, travel, talk about important subjects and meet so many people he never would have otherwise met.
-Career - doesn't want to limit himself. Doesn't set 5 or 10 year goals. Wants to be open to opportunities.
-Interested in disability inclusion, Unicef, literacy, education. Lots of other causes he'd like to get involved in but he can't constantly ask people to donate money.
-Wants work to be acceptable to kids and parents.......somewhat a role model.
-Who taught this to him? Nobody in particular.....family, friends etc.
-Very lengthy conversation about Uganda and Unicef. Discussed night commuters and the LRA. Talked about how he learned that sometimes politics plays too large a part in these issues and the media in the western world don't cover these stories because they're not juicy enough so nobody knows about the plight of those in Uganda. It's been going on for 18 years.
-Use your voice to affect change.

-Raleigh was there (wow, has she ever gotten fat!) and is his girlfriend right now. She's not as high maintenance.
-MOAM-constantly surprised at the success. Same 5000 people come to concerts and buy albums. Pressure to top previous success. If only 300,000 copies of the next CD sell in the first week would that be considered a failure. For most people that would be great but comparatively who knows? Catch 22.
-Depends on how you define failure.
-If the album represents him in a good and honest way then it's successful.
-If it doesn't sell well then that's God's way of saying to do something different.
-The interviewer quoted his liner notes thanking God. He is very cognizant of who is responsible. Every day is a gift from God......provident direction.
-Type of woman he would like to develop a relationship with - some characteristics like his mom.......strong, independant, supportive. Be passionate about something and have interests. Doesn't have to be the same as his just don't be a "limp noodle."
-Fans that scream and follow him. That would be an example of a dependant relationship. Doesn't see something like that developing into a longterm situation.
-Aside to interviewer....."Do you hear my stomach growling?" Hee!
-Interviewer concluded and thanked him. Mentioned tour and that she loves his heart and he's a "good dude". They mention the most loved reality TV star thing.

Altogether it was about 10 minutes I think. I have it on tape if nobody else gets it.........

He spoke a mile a minute and went on and on and on...........

More to follow..........

Recap from the CB's psalms42:

Well, the first part of the dang show was all politics and frankly that put me to and lo and behold I awoke with Clay being interview already , so while I missed about 5 minutes of it , I will try to encapsulate in a nutshell what was said .

Clothing Attire: Clay was in a navy -hooded sweatshirt and had no rooster hair , but nice and wavy ...no spikes !
Wearing jeans , did not see his socks and of course wearing the most gorgeous smile seen a mile away !!

First Segment: Clay was talking about his UNICEF work and how passionate he was about doing something concerning all the attrocities over there. Said at one point "SEE I CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT WITHOUT GETTING ANGRY"~! Very matter-of-fact saying it is beyond what he could comprehend or fathom of the rapes of children etc. (This is the part that I missed a lot of )

Second Segment: Was on a more personal level . The woman interviewing Clay sounded VERY MUCH impressed with Clay . They first talked about his CD and she mention about him selling huge amount over 600,000 and commended him , asked if this would be hard to top.
Clay said this is what is concerning him , saying ""I MEAN HOW DO YOU TOP THAT?" He is convinced that it is the same 5,000 people buying his CD
"There will be those that say if I sell any less than the first one , it will not be as good " IT IS A CATCH 22 SITUATION !
The interviewer then asked Clay if he was afraid of 'failure' , of this being all gone tomorrow .
Clay responded by saying ...."IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU DEFINE FAILURE" "To me failure is not putting out a good product .....not doing the best that I myself can do or not staying true to myself and my values . " I want to be a good role model" and if this does not live up to that standard , then that is failure . "IF IT DOES NOT SELL WELL ....IT IS GOD TELLING ME TO GO BACK TO TEACH [/b]
He also said that no matter if the CD sells over 300,000 and he said (that's pretty good isn't it ?) they will say that is not good enough .
The woman then says that Clay is very congnicent of whom he owes his success to . Clay says ..
"RIGHT"...EVERY DAY IS A GIFT FROM GOD " IT IS UP TO YOU WHAT YOU DO WITH IT ! "AGAIN PEOPLE MAY THINK IT SHORT-SIGHTED OF ME , BUT I DONT MAKE 10 YEAR GOALS , I DON'T MAKE 5 YEAR GOALS, I WANT TO BE WHERE GOD WANTS ME TO BE "
The woman then read the notes on the MOAM and read how Clay thanks God the ALPHA and Jesus Christ the OMEGA and admired how he stands so firm on his faith and is not afraid to show it .
Clay then said how he would not be where he is today if it were not for "Provident Direction " . He is not one to say that he will be doing this/that in 5/10 years , but he has learned through the course of his life ...i.e. volunteer to take a special ed class where he meat Dianne Bubel , then when he went on American Idol .
He said he will always be open to where GOD wants him to be and he is ok with that no matter what or where it takes him.
He said he knows teachers that $$$ does not necessarily equate success cus he knows teachers that are successful and they are changing people's lives people are learning from them all the time .............(now get this folks ....) Clay then said ...."PEOPLE DON'T NECESSARILY LEARN FROM WHAT I DO, I DON'T CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES "! Clay honey,.....are you kidding me here ??? The womand then responds ....MAYBE YOU DO !!!
Clay replies rather humbly ...."MAYBE SO "

Ok, now the jucy suff : The woman now touches on his romantic life. Shows Raleigh climbing up on couch as the woman saying that she is the constant companion with Clay . Clay says ""THIS IS THE WOMAN IN MY LIFE"........WITH BAD BREATH TOO !!!
Clay then says something to the effect of "AND NOT SO DEMANDING EITHER"!
Interviewer asks Clay what type of woman he wants.
He responds by saying he wants someone who is "INDEPENDENT" and that a lot of Hollywood spouces are too dependent and that is not what he wants. He then goes ""YECH"
He says they have to be passionate about something and does not want no "LIMP NOODLE"

Interviewer asks how he deals with all the temptation , the fans clamering to get at him .
Clay responds ....."SEE THAT'S KINDA MORE DEPENDANT THAN I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN "
Woman then says "THAT'S NOT ATTRACTIVE TO YOU?"
Clay says: "SEE. NOW I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT , IT WOULD MAKE PEOPLE MAD "......"LET'S JUST SAY IT IS NOT A QUALITY THAT I WOULD CONSIDER IN A LIFE-LONG COMPANION "


The interviewer ended by saying
We LOVE having you here in our beautiful city , but most of all "WE LOVE YOUR HEART" ...YOU ARE A GOOD DUDE ...MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU "!

********************************
That is it in a nutshell guys and this was a very good interview and a nice long one too ! The woman interviewing Clay seemed like she truly respected Clay and enjoyed every word coming out of his mouth . Clay was so eloquant , but DANG that dude talks faster than the speed of light sometimes ya know ! He has matured so much , but is still so humble and grounded as to who he is and where he is going and he knows who is in charge of all of it ! WONDERFUL INTERVIEW !!

Clay Rises on Lycos50

Clay rose 3 spots to #37 this week on the Lycos50, a collection of the 50 most searched terms.

Please continue supporting Clay by searching Clay's name on HOB.com, Amazon.com, Lycos.com, Google, MSN, Yahoo, Pollstar etc.

Omaha World Herald Article on BAF/Other Charities

This article about Clay's Bubel Aiken Foundation appeared in today's edition of the Omaha World Hearald. The World Hearald says it will publish an interview with Clay, as well as a review of his Friday Council Bluffs, IA concert this week. Stay tuned. Click to enlarge. Scan courtesy ClayReport.

JNT Star War's Edition?

Check out this hilarious webpage of 'Joyful Noise Star Wars Edition' made by Salamander!

Rocky Mountain News Concert Interview/Preview

With Christmas show, Aiken seizes the season
Singer making most of time in spotlight

American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken ties his Christmas concerts together with a thematic thread.

Clay Aiken
Genre: Pop
ShowTime: 8 p.m. Nov. 16
Location: Lecture Hall, Colorado Convention Center
Price: $45.50 to $69.50
Ticket Info: 303-830-8497 or www.ticketmaster.comBy Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
November 15, 2005

Clay Aiken figured he could do one of two things. He could do the usual Christmas show - sing the same old songs - or he could turn it into something spectacular.
And even though the American Idol runner-up has come off two huge successes - his debut album, Measure of a Man, and last year's Merry Christmas With Love - he figured it might be now or never.

"I may not be doing this for the rest of my life," the singer says from a tour stop in Oakland. "This industry is very fickle. I make people mad when I say that. It's not that I don't have confidence in myself. I don't have confidence in the industry. I just wanna make sure I've done the things I've wanted to do that I enjoy doing."

So rather than string together a bunch of Christmas tunes, Aiken sat down and wrote a script and vignettes to tie all the songs together. He'd dabbled in that last time around, but the entire show he brings to the Convention Center Lecture Hall on Wednesday is tied together with a thematic thread.

"I wanted to make it different from other Christmas shows. People go on the road at Christmastime and do the same songs. They're probably doing Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bells and whatnot themselves," he says. His production is "not a concert necessarily that people are used to," he says. "I don't do much talking. I wouldn't say it's a play, but it's a program. The music comes every 25 or 30 seconds, but it definitely has a story line."

Like on previous tours, Aiken is trying to give fans value for their money.

"It's important to me to try to make sure things are family events as much as possible," Aiken says. "I'd like to think families could come together and enjoy this stuff together. There are people out there nowadays whose music caters to a younger set, and their tickets are $300 apiece. Exactly what 14-year-old girl can afford a $300 ticket?

"We didn't need fireworks and strobe lights and waterworks and whatnot to put on a show. Hopefully, we'd get by making a good show by singing and doing what we do well."

Aiken is at an interesting point in his career, with just one solo album and one holiday album under his belt. Both were big successes, which means he has nowhere to go but down - eventually.

"I don't know if I see myself at a crossroads creatively. Who knows if I'll ever be accepted in the mainstream? I just wanna do things that I wanna do," he says.

"With the first album coming out as it did and then the Christmas album, I'm not gonna lie - I'm nervous. We have a good group of people in position to make (the next album) good. We're working on it now. But that's a lot to live up to. The first album did far better than I thought it would, and the Christmas one did far better than I thought it would, too. If this next album comes out and sells 300,000 in its first week, is that a failure? It's pretty good, but it's only half of what the first one did."

So the answer is to try to trust his instincts.

"I don't know that I'm ever gonna be cool. I'm not necessarily trying to be. I'm trying to be me," he says.

And he appreciates what he's learning. A criticism of American Idol is that it promotes singers over musicians, producers, songwriters, etc. Aiken has renewed respect for those people.

"I have nothing but respect for producers. I could never do what producers do. And, Lord, I wish I could play an instrument besides the spoons. I can't even play a tambourine," he says.

"I'm gonna get in so much trouble here, but I'm gonna say what I think. I don't know that the majority of America buys the producer. My very uneducated self didn't buy the producer. I have a lot more respect for what producers do now, now that I listen to music in a different way."


Mark Brown is the popular music critic. Brownm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2674

Clay Mention on 11/14 Jimmy Kimmel Live

From the CB:

One of Jimmy's guests tonight was William Shatner who told a story about having/passing a kidney stone. Jimmy asked if Shatner had kept the stone, then continued on to make a joke about the stone being the ultimate Star Trek collectable and wondering how much it would be worth. Shatner then mentioned putting the stone on ebay to which Jimmy added something to the effect of, and you could have Clay Aiken sign it. Shatner then asked if Clay could write that small, and Jimmy said he thought he could. I thought it was a cute, albeit if somewhat disgusting, interlude showing once again that Jimmy knows the value of Clay Aiken connected auction items. Though I personally most certainly would not want William Shatner’s kidney stone, or even Clay’s for that matter, even if it was signed by Clay. Yuck.

Fake Harry Potter Trailer Features The Way

The CB's xxclayzpricelessxx found 2 trailers made by Harry Potter fans that have been put to Clay's single, The Way.

Check it out here.

The fourth installment of the seven part series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire hits movie theatres Friday.

CB Admins Announce End of Pins at CB

From ClayNation:

Dear Clayboard Members,

After much discussion among the moderator and administrative staff, we've come to the decision that it is best for the CB community as a whole to bring the pins activities to a close on our board, including the Street discussions of C&D letters from Clay's legal rep(s) to fans.

We've allowed discussion to take place regarding the pins and letters over the past week to allow the membership to get through this together. It's possible there have been lines crossed in terms of some members going beyond the rules of the board and being disrespectful of others. The staff cannot continuously babysit threads and members have to take their own responsibility to moderate themselves. We will be looking into the threads again and may issue warnings despite the time that has elapsed between the posts and the warnings. This has been a high-maintenance issue on the board and we hope members who have suffered from denigrating comments towards them will understand and believe that the staff has been doing its best and will continue to do so.

We ask those members who were highly involved in the pins activities to try to understand our decision to bring it to a close. We consider this decision to be following the lead of Clay's team. One thing we have learned over this past week, is that the law in this area is complex and its interpretation is best left to experts (which we are not). Any "middle ground" of allowing some pin activity would involve such interpretation and would be difficult to manage from an administrative standpoint. So we feel the best thing to do would be to close all pin activity on our board.

We ask those members who don't care for the pins to please respect those who do and have been confused and hurt by this situation. Although there very well may be individuals who took advantage of the pins activities for their own interests, there are many who just enjoyed getting to know each other through it and a community was built around it. Those who enjoyed this as a new hobby for fun should be respectfully allowed to process this together and move on from it together.

Effective Sunday, November 20th at noon ET, we'll be closing both of the pins threads on the board which have been living on the Street (the pin selling thread, formerly Pins, Pins, Pins, and the pin trading thread). We welcome the community of pin folks who have become friends to create a thread in the Calling All Clayfans forum here at the Clayboard so they can continue supporting, chatting, and getting to know one another. They are a part of our Clayboard family and we hope very much that they can create a place for themselves in the Calling All Clayfans forum.

The offering of pins in the "Need Clay Stuff or Have Extras" thread will not be allowed. The only merchandise that can be offered or asked for in that thread is OFFICIALLY LICENSED merchandise or things like magazines at face value plus reasonable shipping. Face value does not mean an inflated price paid for an item, say, through ebay. Face value is the amount the item sells for at the magazine stand, the merch stand at a concert, the CD store, etc.

Thank you for your understanding of our decision on this and for bearing with us as we've gone through trying to manage it. The moderators have truly done their best to both provide a place to discuss, process, and vent and tried to keep the bashing out. Of course, we're not perfect and can't watch every single post, but we do our best to maintain the TOU and work things out with members both within threads and off the board.

If anyone has any questions or concerns about our decision on this, please feel free to contact a CB Administrator.

Sincerely,

ClayNation, on behalf of the CB Admin/Mod Team

AD: Merry Christmas With Love

Mention in Article About Throwing A Good Kids Party

Abridgement appears below. Very nice mention about Clay and Kelly Clarkson.

Parties only kids could love
By Cynthia Billhartz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/14/2005

When Mary McHugh of Kirkwood began hosting birthday parties for her four sons, she went about it the way many parents do these days: by throwing bowling parties, miniature golf parties and take-six-kids-to-the-movies parties.

Here are a few more ideas for hosting creative and moderately priced birthday parties.

* Bring out the little Kelly Clarkson or Clay Aiken in all your guests by renting a karaoke machine and throwing an "American Idol" party. Simon Cowell would be proud.

Joyful Noise is #3 Holiday Event at AOL Tickets

Update 11/14: Clay's picture now featured on webpage!

The Joyful Noise Tour is listed as the 3rd most popular holiday concerts at AOL Ticket. Clay beat other notable names such as U2, Bon Jovi and Andrea Bocelli. The full list:

1 Jingle Ball
2 Jingle Jam
3 Clay Aiken
4 Andrea Bocelli
5 Bon Jovi
6 INXS
7 U2
8 Ashlee Simpson
9 Aerosmith
10 Kanye West

Mention in Record Online Article

Clay mention in this Lifestyle article from RecordOnline.com.

A shopper's wish list

A few weeks back I wrote about some, well, less-than-fulfilling excursions across the retail landscape. Disorganized merchandise. Bad music. Salespeople who were cranky at best, outwardly hostile at worst. Shopping, one of my all-time favorite pastimes, was becoming a chore.
Maybe it's me, but I consider myself lucky if I leave a store in basically the same mood I was in when I entered it. Leaving annoyed or frustrated is more likely. So I find myself doing more and more online shopping.

Well, I haven't received more e-mails since I sorta kinda said that Clay Aiken just sorta, maybe, perhaps could be gay. (Note to Clay Nation. I'm not saying that Clay is gay. Maybe I've implied it in the past. But I'm not saying it now. It's just that I got a lot of e-mails then, and I got a lot a couple of weeks ago, when I complained about customer service.)

Fans Sound Off On Nov. 4 Tacoma News Tribune Article

Claymates sounded off on the Tacoma News Tribune's Nov. 4 article about Clay's Nov. 6 concert in Seattle.

Clay Aiken fan finds him her cup of special tea
ANN WILLIAMS; Decatur, Texas
Published: November 13th, 2005 02:30 AM
Subject: Clay Aiken

Wait - don't delete - not hate mail. Don't get me wrong - I'm a real fan - but one of the things we love about him is that he knows who he is and learned early that he wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. And that's OK.

Another of the things is that he doesn't know how special he is.

He has God-given talent and faith and mom-instilled values. That, in today's world, is all too rare - especially in those who live under the spotlight.

I'm proud to be a Clay fan and consider us fortunate to have him as a role model. Don't even think those who don't "get" him should be slammed. (Would a prayer for enlightenment be too ugly?)

Have a little laugh and a great day.

Fan sees Clay Aiken review as self-serving, insulting
NANCY ROSEEN; Rhode Island
Published: November 13th, 2005 02:30 AM

Clay (Aiken)'s fans read all the reviews and articles such as yours (on Nov. 4), but most of us really think like Clay does.

If you choose to insult people to get attention ... go ahead.

But if I had a choice to be like someone, it would be Clay Aiken. He's a fine person, and he doesn't find pleasure or attention by hurting others.

Why would anyone? I guess it all depends on how you want people to think of you.