Tidbits 5/25

We realize that you probably can't read every one of these, so where possible, we've put quotes from the articles here. Before reading this, read our AI recap from last night.

• AP wire main post-idol story (CTV.ca): "Second-season runner-up Clay Aiken, with a slick new look, performed a "duet" on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with his alter ego, a wannabe "American Idol" contestant who evoked the originally geeky Aiken. Hicks and McPhee weren't as odd a finals pairing as second-second finalists Ruben Studdard and Aiken, but close. "
• AP idol story (wire): McPhee fans predict she'll be "the next Clay Aiken"
• Billboard mentions Clay's appearance on idol last night.
• Zap2it.tv: A comment about Taylor Hicks' fans: "But as the finals wore on, it became clear that he had a fan base as strong as any contestant this side of Ruben and the 2003 runner-up, Clay Aiken."
• Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC): "McPhee can take solace in the fact that some of the show's non-winners have also gone on to better things. Clay Aiken, the runner-up in an earlier season who returned to perform at Wednesday's finale, has released several successful albums."
• KTLA mentions Clay's return to American Idol.
• Earvolution: "they presented Clay Aiken clone Michael Standecki with a "Golden Idol" and let the kid belt out a tune with a William Hung like performance. The kid looked like he was about to pee his pants when Clay himself joined him onstage for "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" - which could be some sort of code song warning parents about certain rumored predilections."
• New York Times: Last night's Clay Aiken impersonation: "Michael Sandecki, who impersonated, horribly, a former "Idol" runner-up, Clay Aiken"
• Philly Daily News: mentions AI2 finale and Ruben's narrow win over 'geeky' Clay Aiken
• Television Week: Clay and other idols have become "household names"
• Concord Monitor mentions Clay's appearance last night.
• The Bosh declares that Clay Aiken ('s new hair-do) and Prince were last night's showstoppers -- "But the biggest show-stoppers were Clay Aiken, who debuted a new hairdo, and Prince, who performed two songs solo."
• Louisville Courier-Journal comments on Clay's new look: "Clay Aiken looks like old-school Liza"
• Springfield News Sun comments on last night's American Idol events. 'The funniest moment of the night: Clay Aiken impersonator Michael Sandecki was surprised with the actual Aiken, who joined him for "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."'
• Dallas Ft. Wth Star-Telegram mentions Clay's new look: "Then there was Clay Aiken, the most famous AI runner-up, who apparently came to the theater straight from a Mystic Tan session"
• Chicago Tribune: last night's Clay appearance with Michael Sandecki was weird -- "Clay Aiken came out to sing 'Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me' with some random nerd guy from the auditions. What? I'll ask this again, what was that? And can someone please explain to me why Clay stole the bangs that belong to Meredith on 'Grey's Anatomy'? "
• Richmond Time-Dispatch: Great comedy... Clay "shocked" Sandecki: "Also making an appearance was Clay Aiken. The show's most famous runner-up shocked an Aiken wannabe, brought back from the show's earliest auditions for the Golden Idols, an awards segment designed for comedy."
• Toronto Star... negative: "Just what Clay Aiken needs: singing an Elton John song classic while joined on stage by a hyperventilating male superfan."
• St. Petersburg Times: mentions Clay overshadowing Ruben
• Metro Toronto idol article: (needs a fact checker her) : "Last year's winner Carrie Underwood also joined in on the festivities, as did Season One runner-up Clay Aiken."
• Toledo Blade mentions Clay's appearance on idol.
• National Review of Online Blogs: Clay was SEXY! "After a two-hour finale peppered with the surreal-like Clay Aiken actually looking sexy"
• OCregister mentions Clay's appearance
• Norwhich Bulletin... same thing.
• Orlando Sentinel: "In a memorable bit, former Idol favorite Clay Aiken walked out unannounced to surprise a fan."
• Detriot Free Press: "Clay Aiken dropped in sporting a new Beatle haircut to freak out an early-round auditioner who resembled him."
• Chicago Sun Times: will McPhee eclipse Hicks? "Could she become bigger than Hicks, the way Clay Aiken eclipsed winner Ruben Studdard?"
• Arizona Republic mentions Clay's appearance
• Detriot News: "Underwood also performed later in the show, as did second-season runner-up Clay Aiken, who turned in an affected performance of Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."
• Toronto Sun: "Clay Aiken-wannabe Michael Sandecki, the William Hung of this season's Idol, performing a surprise duet with Aiken himself"
• Myrtle Beach Sun News: "Clay Aiken, the most successful Idol runner-up, also made an appearance, performing a duet with an inept Clay imitator"
• TV Squad: "My second favorite moment was Clay Aiken surprising his superdork doppelganger by taking the stage"
• Entertainment Tonight: "The season's worst auditions also gamely received special "awards" throughout the evening, including the CLAY AIKEN wannabe, who was surprised onstage by a dark-haired Clay himself, singing along with him!"
• Baltimore Sun: "Sandecki, who billed himself as the "next Clay Aiken," was offered the chance to sing Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." But the performance wasn't for laughs; instead, Aiken came onstage as Sandecki was singing and brought the crowd to its feet. Sandecki looked as if he were going to faint from excitement."
• Philidelphia Inquirer mentions Clay's appearance.
• same thing... Akon Beacon Journal
• NC The State declares: "But the show did hit one perfect note when Clay Aiken surprised an off-key Clay Aiken-wannabe on stage for a wonderfully impromptu duet"
• Miami Herald: "AI:2 runner-up Clay Aiken -- what was that on his head? -- suffered the indignity of crooning Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me with a dorky audition reject"
• ...another one from the Raleigh News & Observer.
• Rocky Mountain News: "And a nearly unrecognizable Clay Aiken, sporting new shaggy dark hair, sang with a look-alike fan rejected in the first round of auditions, much to the geeky "
• E! Online: "Season two runner-up Clay Aiken returned with an edgy new look to appear alongside an imitator"
• San Francisco Gate: "And -- the biggest shock of the season -- the reveal of the new Clay."
• Foxes On Idol: "And once I'd ascertained that the guy with the new haircut was none other than Clay Aiken, I was thrilled. He has one of the most powerful voices of any contestant on Idol ever, and this performance was no exception."
• There Was A Man blog compares similarities with Clay's new hair to Paul McCartney's Beatles hair.
• WebMetricsGuru: Clay earned new fans last night.
  
• ... we'll stop here. You get the point. There are THOUSANDS of these out there today. PHEW!

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol, Invisible