Tidbits 5/26

• Access Hollywood has some more details on Wed's Idol appearance: "The moment everyone is talking about around here is the reemergence of Clay Aiken. Folks here have dubbed his new look a cross between KD Lang and the Beatles. Inside the theater, he sounded amazing but I don't think he wasn't expecting shocked auditioner, Michael, to start trying to duet with him on the song At one point off-camera the stage manager came out and told Ryan to sit him down. That's why the chair was brought out and you see Ryan place him there."
• MSNBC details Clay wannabe Micahel Sandecki's shock when Clay walked up behind him on the Idol finale... "Clay Aiken wannabe Michael Sandecki is absolutely stunned when his hero walks behind him on stage. After the song ends and the cameras turn off, Sandecki remains in shock. He walks off the side of the stage and people sitting near the front try to shake his hand and offer their support but he'll have none of it. He keeps his hands over his open mouth, never moving his arms, literally traumatized by the recent turn of events. His emotions get the best of him and he begins gently weeping before leaving." (nice picture with the article too!)
  
• E! Online says Meatloaf (performed a duet with Katherine McPhee on Wednesday's Idol finale should be in "same boat as the Clay Aiken look-alike" because of his poor performance.
• Oregon State University, The Daily Barometer: "The highlight of the entire night was when a rejected Clay Aiken look-alike contestant was brought up on stage to sing and Aiken himself appeared, surprising everyone with his dark brown, wig-like hairdo."
• Michigan Live music tidbits: "Clay Aiken shouldn't be allowed to tour until he changes his new hairstyle."
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Even second-season runner-up Clay Aiken shows up (looking like k.d. lang). And how weird is that when a shocked Clay look-alike Michael Sandecki duets with real Clay?"
• Canada's Soul Shine mentions Clay's appearance on AI.
• Washington Post reports that AI5's finale failed to live up to AI2's finale's 38 million viewers.
• E! Online reports that the viewership in the 2nd hour of the AI5 finale actually beat the AI2 finale by about 100,000 viewers.
  
• Louisville Courier-Journal: "Clay Aiken looks like old-school Liza"
• New York Daily News: "Take past star Clay Aiken. He may seem more at home in Branson, Mo., or on a Broadway stage than in a pop arena. But he sold nearly 3 million copies of his debut CD to "Idol's" otherwise silent majority. In fact, no previous winner has sold fewer than 1.5 million copies of their debuts. The top draw, Kelly Clarkson, moved over 5 million copies of her latest."
• Dallas News: "more than 35 million viewers tuned in Wednesday to see former Idol runner-up Clay Aiken's new haircut and hear Meat Loaf murder his own song."
• The Deadbolt mentions Clay's appearance on Idol.
• Los Angeles Times: "Clay Aiken (who seems to have swiped Jennifer Love Hewitt's hair), joined [Sandecki] onstage to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Who or what could top that?"
• New York Post says Clay's surprise appearance on Idol was the best moment on TV thus far this year: "But just one more "A.I." thing: The appearance of totally unrecognizable (and good looking) Clay Aiken and the freakout of the Clay-wannabe was the best television all year."
• CBS Denver mentions Clay appearance... "One of the awards was for "best" celebrity impersonation. The winner: nerdy contestant Michael Sandeki, for his impersonation of Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken."
• iVillage's Daily Blabber has a nice recap of Clay's appearance on AI: "Clay Aiken's self-proclaimed twin who was rejected in the auditions, was asked to take the stage to accept the Impersonation Award. Michael Sandecki freaked when his idol, Clay came out to finish the song he was singing. Wow, what a transformation Clay underwent. It was almost kind of creepy the way he looked at Sandecki. Yikes! Clay and his biggest fan seriously looked like a before and after shot up there. Sandecki sung his heart out when Clay came out to sing - so much that they had to shut off his mic. In a cloud of wonderment, he didn't even realize it and continued to sing -- then Ryan finally asked the shaken kid to sit down."
• Extra: "Clay Aiken shocked the world with his new do."
• Malaysia Star Online: "Clay Aiken from Season Two. He’s all set for his third album release, after Measure of A Man and Merry Christmas With Love. His debut single famously topped the charts before winner Ruben’s. Measure of A Man has since sold three million units and he's hosted two Christmas Specials on US TV."
• TV Week mentions Clay's appearance on Idol.
• Clay fans work to save the life of 33 year old LA filmmaker. Monster & Critics.
• CT The Day: Clay picture from Wed's Idol.
• Chicago Tribune: "Clay Aiken surprised the crowd-and his unsuspecting look-alike Michael Standecki-by sneaking up on Standecki during the former reject's rendition of Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me."
• CBS News: "There're more winners than just the official one. Clay Aiken was runner-up two years ago but his record sales are twice as high as Studdard, who beat him. So what about this year's runner-up, Katharine McPhee? Industry insiders say she may be the next Clay Aiken, outshining the winner."
• ABC News: Who would win a possible American Idol: All Stars... vote for CLAY! Click on the link beside VOTE on the left column. Clay's winning this one by a large margin.
• LA Times... small mention of an AI contestant from Clay's AI season.
  
• Review Journal: Clay not happy with the fact he had to sing so long with impersonator? "And I hear Clay Aiken was not happy that he had to sing so long with Michael Sandecki, an overzealous Aiken impersonator who turned their duet into a geekfest." (CDD's note: Really? Clay looked very happy at sharing the stage with Sandecki!)
• 67% of respondents to yesterday's About.com poll said Clay's duet with Michael Sandecki was the best moment from Wednesday's Idol finale.
• Over 27,000 people have watched multiple copies of Clay's duet on YouTube.
  

Scans from the Calgary Herald (left) and Hamilton Spectator... both Canadian newspapers.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol, Invisible