Clay Takes in Jazz Concert

According to a LiveJournal post by nespresco, Clay was spotted last night attending a Chris Botti jazz show at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC, near Raleigh.

From nespresco's LiveJournal:

so I saw Clay Aiken tonight. in sort of a strange setting. he was sitting 3 rows in front of me at this jazz concert that i went to with my mom. it was a small area.. the Carolina Theatre. I would barely have even noticed him if it weren't for his crazy hair and the person every now and then asking for his autograph after the show. then i snuck out and followed him out the door and watched him put on his nice little down jacket, pull up the hat and run out the door with his 2 friends.
Clay Aiken actually listens to good music, what a surprise. maybe one day he'll mention Chris Botti as some of his inspiration. silly celebrity

Raleigh Little Theatre Magazine Mentions Clay

Clay's former music teacher Allison Lawrence, who just finished touring with Clay as the lead character in the tour's storyline is featured in this month's issue of the Raleigh Little Theatre's Fanfare magazine.

You can download this magazine free of charge at the theatre's website.

American Idol 2 To Return in Syndication?

There is speculation that the FOX Reality TV Channel will be syndicating Clay's season 2 of American Idol. Today, FOX and Tribune Entertainment reached an agreement to syndicate the fourth season of Idol starting this fall.

'American Idol' repeats to air in weekly syndication beginning this fall
UPI News Service, 01/06/2006

Tribune Entertainment has snatched up the syndication rights to Fox TV's hit talent competition, "American Idol," it was announced Friday.

Tribune Entertainment is expected to offer the show free of charge in exchange for seven minutes of advertising during each hourlong episode, Variety said. The package will be offered to broadcasters during the National Association of TV Program Executives convention later this month in Las Vegas.

Cable's Fox Reality Channel is kicking off a rerun marathon of all 43 episodes of "Idol's" fourth season Saturday as a lead-in to the Jan. 17 premiere of Season 5 on Fox.

Spoof Clay Scrapbook

Salamander posted this hilarious Lego scrapbook of Clay's life. This is not new, but we found it on Clayaikentheidealidol.com and thought it was worth a look.

Click here for part 1
Click here for part 2

Clay Mentions 1/7

2006 predictions -- useless, negative article.

Looks like it's going to be a long, long year

I've always proven a better procrastinator than a prognosticator.

While I sometimes envision the future, by the time I get around to doing anything about it it's already history. Still, I find myself looking ahead, trying to forecast what's coming down the road without it running over me.

I predict we haven't heard the last of Clay Aiken. Unfortunately.

BeaversOnIdol.com article about AI.

American Idol: Going for the Gold
by Cindy Wagner (2006/01/06)

American Idol's season-two silver medallist, Clay Aiken, enjoys a similar position, with legions of admirers who looked beyond the gold to find a brilliant treasure. And many other precious gems have been discovered while American Idol was panning for gold; we see them, even if the producers do not.

So during this next competition, let's dip into the river of talent - but not just to look for gold. We may not find another Clay, but there is plenty of silver and bronze, pearls and rubies, corals and opals, emeralds and sapphires and diamonds waiting to be discovered before American Idol throws them out of the dish.

'Welcome Home' From Raleigh Fans

This scan, from the Dec. 22, 2005 Raleigh News & Observer, was posted by the CB's strollynn63 today. The Raleigh area fans had taken out an advertisement to welcome Clay home for his Dec. 22 concert at the RBC Center.

Clay Mention on Nick TV's "Drake And Josh"

Clay was mentioned on today's Drake And Josh, a youth show, which airs on Nickelodeon TV.

From the CB:

Josh, one of the main characters on the show got his "G.O." (the equivalent of an IPOD) mixed up with another person's. When he tried to upload some music to it he said, "This is right...Where's my Clay Aiken playlist?" Pretty funny mention...and caught me completely by surprise. My 7 year old daughter just opened her mouth and gasped. She was so excited to hear his name mentioned...and so was I. Thought you'd like to know too!

CDD's Review of "The Invisible Revolution"

CDD's roving reporter Romy wrote this editorial review of the recently released "The Invisible Revolution: Clay Aiken and the fans who made him a star" by Terry Piper.

CLAY'S DAILY DOUBLE REVIEW -- "The Invisible Revolution: Clay Aiken and the fans who made him a star"
Book by Terry Piper, Ph.D.
Review by CDD's Romy

This book is not a biography, though it tells you a lot about Clay
Aiken.

This book is not a guidebook, though it can be used as one by fans of other singers or musicians

This book is not an expose, though you will learn much about the activities of the television show, American Idol, and the music business in general.

This book is not a novel, though Dickens, a few centuries ago, could have written "Clay Expectations."

This book is not a textbook, though aspiring writers and students of English can use this book to learn how to write clearly, smoothly and with excellent sentence structure and transitions.

OK, what is it? It is a non-fiction book about a man, Clay Aiken. Dr. Piper writes of his life, his beautiful clear tenor voice, his pleasant looks and charming personality. He is a young man, a teacher of special education, who lives in an time altered by forces of popular culture. The atmosphere of the new century also changed following the tragedy of 9-11.

Dr. Piper reveals the purpose and machinations of American Idol, the TV show on which Clay performed during its second season. Following his first appearance, a dauntless group of fans, the Clay Nation, worked very hard to vote him into top place. This having failed, they concentrated on furthering his musical career and insuring his success. Dr. Piper speaks of the music business in general and the way its statistics are manipulated.

Using research into original sources, the archives of the various web sites dedicated to Clay, Dr. Piper pays much attention to Clay's fans, commonly called Claymates, Claydawgs, Claymaniacs, etc. Their strategy and use of the internet to promote Aiken's career created the Invisible Revolution that made an American Idol runner-up into a major star.

Finally, there is the question of Aiken's music longevity. Will he continue singing the music that has made him popular? Will he branch out into other kinds of music. Will the Clay Nation follow him regardless of any decision he makes?

The book contains many fine black and white pictures of Clay and members of his crew. It also includes funny and touching letters, poems and parodies written by his fans. This is a book to read, re-read and enjoy.

Buy it now...
The Invisible Revolution: Clay Aiken and the fans who made him a star
by Terry Piper, Ph.D.
Cambridge, Cambridge Books, 2005
Amazon price: $18.99

Because of the unauthorized nature of this book, Clay's Daily Double does not endorse this work of non-fiction in any way, shape or form. This review is solely for informational purposes.

IdolOnFox.com: Who is your favourite runner-up?

American Idol's official website, IdolOnFox.com is asking users who their favourite Idol runner-up is. Clay currently holds a commanding lead over Bo Bice, but nevertheless, be sure to cast your vote for Clay. Click here to go to IdolOnFox.com.

Clay Mentions 1/6

Clay mention -- article about upcoming CD releases.

Lean months in music world
Mike Bell
Calgary Sun
January 6, 2006

"There's a headline for your article," said a record company publicist earlier this week, "Music industry gives up."

Well, we hope anyway, because while many of the labels' new release schedules contain some big names in that month (March), most of the discs aren't yet titled, which could make them even more tentative than most.

Still, should all go according to plan, March 7 will deliver new ones from Van Morrison, 3LW, Keshia Chante, Evanescence, Chingy, The Vines and lil' Idol moppet Kalan Porter.

And if you're good, maybe May and June will bring studio recordings from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Too Short, Velvet Revolver, Tool, Alan Jackson, Clay Aiken, Billy Talent, Christina Aguilera, Eamon, Kenny Chesney, Chantal Kreviazuk and Justin Timberlake.

ASCAP article about Desmond Child who co-wrote Invisible and other songs off MOAM.

Desmond Child

In January of 2000, Child combined his hitmaking skills and experience with those of Winston Simone and David Simoné as the three song men formed Deston Songs. While still in its infancy, the publishing company started notching up hits, including the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out" and the above-mentioned "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely." Since those auspicious beginnings, Deston has gone on to score smashes with artists as varied as 50 Cent, Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Clay Aiken (whose recording of "This Is the Night" was the biggest single of 2003) and Diana DeGarmo (whose "Dreams" was the second biggest single of 2004).

Now, nearly 20 years after beginning his long-term relationship with the number one in that New Jersey basement, Child remains as in-demand as ever; the latest clients of this perennially hot property include LeAnn Rimes, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Jesse McCartney, Hilary Duff, Joss Stone and his old pals Bon Jovi. His singular achievements as a songwriter, producer and music publisher make Desmond Child one of the most inventive and successful hitmakers in pop history.

American Idol article mention.

'Idol' season four: Country vs. rock 'n' roll
MSNBC

Many of the other finalists haven't had time to record and produce a record, particularly since they were touring as a group last summer. Since the show, though, many have made various media appearances, and a few have continued to nurture their Clay-like followings.

Still, it was Carrie Underwood, the winner of "American Idol 4," who sold more copies of the single in its first week. She was only the third artist in the chart's history to debut at number one -- and other two, Clay Aiken and Fantasia, were "Idol' runners-up and winners respectively. Unlike those two, however, Carrie took home the prize after never ending up in the bottom three, so she was never threatened with elimination. Her fans have kept her successful; last fall, her first album, "Some Hearts," debuted at number two, with more copies sold than either Fantasia or Kelly Clarkson sold in their first weeks. Carrie's album went platinum a month later, and by mid-December, had sold almost 1.5 million copies. Also in December, she won three Billboard music awards.

Paula Abdul Tells People "I Get Chills When Clay Sings"

Paula Abdul said something nice about Clay (long overdue ;)) in January 16th's People Magazine.

From the CB:

There is a nice Clay mention in the upcoming People Mag 1/16/06

There's a Q&A with Paula about Season 5. Among the questions was this one:

Q: Are you tired of being the nice judge yet?
A: Not yet. I love my job. It amazes me that I can sit on a plane and watch seasons one to four, and I end up welling up with tears when I see Kelly [Clarkson] win or Fantasia win or Ruben [Studdard]. I get chills when I hear Clay [Aiken] sing.

Which Clay's Better? - InTouch Weekly

InTouch weekly's current issue (Jan 16) has 2 photos of Clay, asking readers which Clay is better.

Don't go out running to the newsstands though... Clay named InTouch as a 'smutty' magazine when Jay Leno pulled out a copy while appearing on Leno's show in May 2004. Personally, I think it's disgusting a magazine would dare compare publish such a thing.

From the CB:

Clay is in the January 16, 2006 (page 32) In Touch Magazine and it is really ironic that they have 2 side by side pictures saying which looks better and they have a picture from American Idol days when he was around 145 and they have a picture from GMA ...they say he looks better at the lower weight...obviously they haven't see him lately, where i think he looks too thin..

Clay is also mentioned in another part of the same issue.

From the CB's ellenpoppy:

There is a picture of him in the middle of pictures of Jennifer Aniston and Sienna Miller, under the heading "Who said it?" and the three choices of quotes are:

a. "I don't like having my picture taken."
b. "I'm not a great reader - it's hard for me to sit still that long."
c. "I, personally, can't cut someone out of my life."

The answer for Clay, of course, is number 1. The picture appears to be taken the day he was at the Kenneth Cole fashion show. It's not one of his best photos, in my opinion, only because I miss his beautiful smile. But it's a nice photo of him looking stylish, and NO, he does NOT look "thick", so they're not even backing up their own ridiculous article.

AD: Learning To Sing Paperback

Clay Mentions 1/5

Brief mention of the BAF...

Summer opportunities fair
Raleigh News & Observer

About 60 summer camps will be represented at the fair to be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Ravenscroft School off Falls of the Neuse Road in Raleigh. The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, founded by Clay Aiken, will have a booth. For more information, call 384-0031 or go to www.ravenscroft.org.

Why people go on American Idol- CBS News article.

Why People Go On 'American Idol'
Jan. 5, 2006

Not everyone has the talent of a Carrie Underwood, a Clay Aiken, or a Bo Bice. So why do people go on "American Idol," the reality TV show for the show-biz obsessed?

Article about the Toys For Tots toy drive which just ended with the help of many Clay fans.

President, First Lady pitch in to gather "Toys for Tots"
by JO2 Jake Joy
NDW Public Affairs

The president and first lady were not the first to recognize the merits of the charity and its dedicated workers. The program has received many accolades and awards from distinguished publications over the years, including "Gold Star Charity" status by Forbes, "#1 Children's Charity" by Readers Digest and Charity of the Year by the DMA Non-Profit Federation. The program has also garnered the public support of numerous celebrities. For this year's campaign, Rene Russo, Dennis Quaid, Clay Aiken and Dale Jarrett made television ads in support.

Article about a AI2 contestant who was in the same top 32 group as Clay.

From center stage to center ring
Jennifer Fuentes has been singing for years, and her latest gig is with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Fuentes' show biz background had been in pageants when she auditioned for American Idol. She was the reigning Miss Homestead when she appeared on the show, reaching the final 30 in the show's second year. She was in the same group of eight singers with eventual winner Ruben Studdard and runnerup Clay Aiken.

Dianne Austin's new Clay article

Clay Support, Clay's Support, Clay's Supports, Support for Clay...Whatever!
Dianne Austin

My goodness--is it already 2006? Where has the time gone, and how have I let this many weeks go by without writing something that is even remotely related to Clay Aiken? It's just not like me. Maybe it's because, since the review I did on his Joyful Noise 2 Tour, Clay was simply devoting his time to that endeavor and there's been nothing else to prompt any commentary on him (unless, of course one were to interview him in the flesh.) I don't download, lurk, post, or anxiously await blogs; hence, nothing to inspire me.

But then Clay mentioned an interesting idea in a recent interview. He wished someone had written a song about where he really belonged on the planet. So...I wrote a song.

Then I had the realization that 2005 was drawing to a close, and I noticed that no new Clay Calendar was on the horizon. So I wrote a piece about the waning year's calendar.

Unfortunately, neither of those will do you any good at this point, because I can't share them.

So--I was wading through the holidays, pretty clueless about Clay I must admit. Suddenly, I heard a voice beckon from my own Family Room to come take a look at this. My husband, the grand "Crossword Master" that he is, held up a section of the newspaper with a wry smile. "Check it out," he said, grinning and holding out the selection for me to share.

I grabbed it, not without a puzzled frown, and gazed down. I am not an observant person.

"Why are you handing me this?" I asked, somewhat annoyed, knowing I could be doing something infinitely more interesting for those few moments.

"Would you just look at the circled items?" he answered.

I looked again. There it was--how cute. Seventeen across--"Aiken's supports." My eyes went over to the puzzle to see the circled answer my husband had entered-- "FEETOFCLAY."

Clever. I wondered if this was the first time Clay had been the subject for a crossword puzzle question and answer. Probably not, was my guess. I was wrong--as it turned out, this could very well have been the first of its kind.

This puzzle was actually from 2004! Weird, I know. But then, so is my husband.

"What are you doing with a crossword from 2004?" I wanted to know. He shrugged and said, "I have a whole pile of 'em saved. When I run out of the new ones, I just pick from the old pile."

(Wow, big time crossword nut, I'm thinkin'.)

So, I guessed this could have been the first with Aiken's name as a clue, but it certainly couldn't have been the last. (*Note--the Crossword Master says he thinks he's seen subsequent Clay Aiken crossword clues, but in the puzzles he does, it is rare to find people's names as prompts for answers.)

It was, however, the first time I had seen the occurrence, and it was cute--especially cute considering the point of reference it ended up with--Feet of Clay!

Clay's feet happen to be great big supports. I don't know if their size has ever actually been stated in the press, but I'd guess they were somewhere in the vicinity of a size 13. I've seen 'em up close, and I stare every time. Sometimes he glares at me. I could be wrong, of course, but when he stands up on that stage, legs apart, two feet planted firmly on the ground, those babies look like they give the rest of his body ample support and a firm base. Let's just say he doesn't look like he's going to topple over or take off on some unexpected flight. He's grounded.

The other thing that comes to mind when first reading the crossword clue is that it could have been referring to two very cute girls by the name of Angela Fisher and Quiana Parler. Surely they would have indeed filled the bill as an answer here too, don't you agree? Because, not only do these two support him vocally, but I know for a fact that they support him in other ways as well. I've had the great pleasure of meeting and interviewing the two of them in the past and believe me, Clay couldn't have found better backups anywhere else on earth. Indeed, next to his oversized feet, they too are great supports for the performer at this point in time.

But then, Aiken's supports could just as easily be his fans--couldn't they? Of course they could! Although we'd have to alter the term a bit and call the fan base his "support." There is a tendency to think of the fans, especially Aiken's fans, as a single entity. But who would fret over one letter; who would press the point when boiling it down to the plural vs. the singular? One of his grandest supports would definitely be that multitude of wonderful people--from every walk of life, every age group, religion, ethnicity, location, political bent and socio-economic group that continues to follow the career of this talented and alluring young man.

It is a special bunch--take my word, because I have had first hand experience with many of them. And now that some time has gone by, I hope that Clay still appreciates and holds them in high esteem. It is easy to forget to do this after being in the position he's been in for even a short period of time. But, there is evidence that he hasn't forgotten.

For example, recently, at the finale of his Joyful Noise Tour he insisted on coming through the crowd from the back of the auditorium to sing "What Are You Doing New Years?" At this time he chose various women from his audience with which to dance. He also gazed longingly into their eyes.

And why does he take it upon himself to do this kind of thing?

Because he knows what it does--what it does for them. He does it because he knows how they feel. Not that he actually knows, because he claims to have never been a huge fan of a celebrity at any time in his life. But he is a man with the kind of depth and perception that enables empathy within; giving one the ability to imagine what something is like. He can put himself into someone else's shoes. Clay has the ability for empathy, and when he employs it, he succeeds in relating to his fans completely. He can love, honor and revere them.

But I know there have been times when he's found it a bit hard to do that. And then...

The wheel moves around a little, and the arrow ends up pointing to his fans. It becomes someone else's turn to understand. It is time to empathize and imagine what it's like for him. After all, it's a give and take situation.

Remember--he's human, he's young, he's complicated and he's difficult--because of his extreme creativity as an artist. How hard must it be for one person to have to deal with a million intense (all-be-them) joyful fans?

Couldn't be easy.

My wish for the New Year--keep it all in perspective. Shoot for well-behaved, kind and considerate. Ask him to aim for understanding, respectful and gracious. Then in so doing, everyone is pleased. I also wish for him to double or triple the size of his fan base in 2006. Now wouldn't that be nice?

Next time, it'll be 21 down. And the clue will read "Aiken's greatest support--even bigger than his feet." The answer will be . . "CLAYSFANS." Or it might be "CLAYFANS", or it could even be "CLAYMATES". It should be one of those.

So here's to more crosswords, big feet, adoring fans, a brand new CD and other large strides for Mr. Clay Aiken in 2006.

It's all good--I like the phrase. Keep saying it, and it'll come true.

Photos From 2004 Recording Session

Clay, with co-producer Paul Ramone and Raleigh and the Broadway Inspirational Voices members.

These photos of Clay recording Merry Christmas With Love in 2004 with the Broadway Inspirational Voices were discovered today on the personal website of Lucia Giannetta (pictured with Clay, below), who worked with Clay at this recording session.

Download Our 2006 Clay Calendar

We are proud to present our 2006 Clay Aiken calendar for you to download, print out and proudly display in your home.

This calendar has been designed by myself (clayisouridol) for personal use only. Selling, mass producing or posting this to another website without crediting CDD and myself constitues copyright infringement.

Special thanks go out to clayglo, melika05, TorontoGirl05, ianaren and RCA Records for the permission to use these stunning photographs.

To print off, I recommend downloading IrfanView and selecting File>Print and checking the print dialogue's 'Best Fit' option.

Click to enlarge.

JNT StubHub Auctions Raise $140,000

Sales of premium tickets to the Joyful Noise Tour on ticket auctioneer StubHub.com the past 2 months have raised $141,442.88 USD for charity, including Clay's Bubel Aiken Foundation, according to reports from the Clayboard.

Clay Takes Leap for First 2006 Lycos50

Clay made a 13 point jump this first week of 2006 on the Lycos50 chart of the 50 most searched for terms on Lycos.com. Amazingly, Clay has never fallen off the list since entering during his 2003 American Idol run. This is Clay's 132nd week on the Lycos50. Also only speculative, the jump may be due to the end of the Joyful Noise Tour and people searching Lycos to catch up on news, etc, from the tour.

Clay Tells Netscape His 2006 Wish

Netscape posted this today in it's Celebrity wish article.

Celebrity Wish List
By Emily Feimster

Clay Aiken - "I never expected it [the fame] to be as big as it is, and I don't expect it to get any bigger. At this point, I'm just enjoying what I'm doing and hoping it won't stop anytime soon."

Clay Mentions 1/4

JuiceeNewsDaily's new articles about American Idol.

All About American Idol
On to Hollywood
After 8 were chosen, a wild-card round featuring singers who were previously eliminated but whom the judges felt deserved a second chance gave the audience the chance to select one additional contestant through viewer voting, while each judge selected an additional singer to advance to the finals, filling the field of 12. It is worth noting that the season 2 runner up, Clay Aiken, was the viewers' wild card choice (reportedly Aiken garnered over 8 million of the 11 million votes cast that night), having originally fallen short to eventual winner Ruben Studdard and third-place finisher Kimberley Locke in the second round of 8.

American Idol Season 2 Recap
In season two, Seacrest surfaced as the lone host, since Dunkleman reportedly hated working on the show, and the studio was dissatisfied with his performance. This time, Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner with Clay Aiken as runner-up. Out of 24 million votes cast, Studdard finished just 130,000 votes ahead of Aiken, although there remains controversy over the validity of the reported results. Despite Studdard's win, Aiken has enjoyed more widespread popularity.

American Idol mention...

LETTERS FROM A BROAD: A New Exorcise Program for 2006
PopMatters

6. Promises from American Idol that this upcoming season is going to be even more exciting than ever. Stop it. And while I'm at it, please, eradicate all "Reality TV". We've had our fun but now, even Clay Aiken's devoted fanbase knows it's not really reality, after all.

Mention in TV column.

Remote Patrol
This week's picks for can't-miss TV

Special event pick: "An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Stevie Wonder," airing Sunday at 5 p.m. on ABC.
This Wonder tribute / fundraiser for the United Negro College Fund will feature performances by Lou Rawls, Maroon 5 and India.Arie. Also, "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino will perform. [*Editor's note: At first, I had included a lame joke here about how Barrino could perform only because her mall food court gig was canceled. From my experience (cough, cough, Clay Aiken), I should have known that any half-hearted "American Idol" dig would get me in trouble.

Clay mention in CD review

Chad VanGaalen
Infiniheart (Sub Pop)

Just as Jessica Rabbit can't help that she was drawn like a vixen, Chad VanGaalen can't help that he sounds like Neil Young. I'm sure he's tried to sound like Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, or Clay Aiken, but to no avail. That arrow-sharp quiver, that angel-haired and ethereal falsetto, never sleeps - it's his fate and fortune to huff, puff, and ache like his Canadian musical kin - and that voice persists through most of the wonderful homemade tracks on Infiniheart, whether the backing sounds ring with Modest Mouse-like bucolic briskness ("Clinically Dead"), noodle and bleat with Sonic Youthful retuned, modal monkey business and glitchy-and-scratchy beats ("Kill Me in My Sleep"), or clatter like a junkyard massive of sampled dog barks, tin-can gamelan clang, and fuzzed thud ("J.C.'s Head on the Cross"). Imagine Young coming up with a suede-fringed laptop in a post-'90s Alternative Nation - like Shaky, VanGaalen is intent on putting that seraphic wheeze through its paces, finding it an infinitely flexible instrument.

Our Thoughts Are With the Sago Miners

Today, 12 miners near Sago, WV lost their lives when trapped Monday underground. On behalf of all members, employees and visitors of Clay's Daily Double, I want to send my prayers and thoughts for the families in their time of grievance.

Former American Idol 2 Contestant: Clay Should've Won

Kimberley Caldwell, a contestant on the Clay's season of American Idol said last night live on the TV Guide channel that Clay should've won, instead of Ruben Studdard.

From the CB's OLMass:

Kimberly Caldwell (AI2) has a show about reality TV on the TV Guide Channel that she hosts with another young woman. The other day, they were talking about their favorite reality shows. They began discussing Dancing with the Stars and how Kelly Monaco won but they had a dance-off so that John O'Herley could win. Kimberly said it was like saying Clay should have won AI2 so we're going to have Ruben and Clay come back and sing again so Clay can win this time.

Some members of the Clayboard say that this was a 'joke' and that Caldwell did not actually mean that Clay should've won... anyhow.. Judge yourself.

JNT Photos on Cast Member's Website

Joyful Noise Tour 2005 cast member Brianne Hinman posted some photos from the tour onto her personal website. Check it out...
Brianne left this message on her MySpace:

thank you JNT05 fans...

It has been my pleasure being involved with JNT05. Thank you to all the fans who continue to love and support Clay. None of the amazing memories I have made these last 2 months would have been possible without you:) keep watching...the show has only started...:)

New Caregiving Article About Clay

Another caregiving article about Clay was published today by the United Press International group. A similar article, was also published by UPI last month.

Caregiving: Clay Aiken is about inclusion
By ALEX CUKAN
UPI Correspondent

When most celebrities talk about being a role model, they mean not getting arrested or driving drunk, but when Clay Aiken talks about being a role model, he demonstrates how to treat people with physical and intellectual challenges.

Aiken started a foundation, raised a lot of money for charity and became a UNICEF ambassador for education, but he also serves as unofficial caregiver spokesman and role model.

Inclusion is what Aiken is all about. Shortly after he placed second on Fox-TV's American Idol in 2003 and began his professional singing career, Aiken founded the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which supports opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to have a full range of childhood experiences their peers enjoy.

Camp Gonzo, a summer camp program that brings the YMCA experience to children with disabilities, is one such program. Aiken, who worked with autistic children as a college student, thinks children with disabilities grow and develop better when they do things with other Continue reading -- Caregiving: Clay Aiken is about inclusion

Clay Mentions 1/3

Quick reference to the Clay caregiving article this author wrote last month and the new one that came out today. This caregiving article is about Dick Clark.

Caregiving: What should Dick Clark do?
By Alex Cukan
Jan 3, 2006, 19:00 GMT

ALBANY, NY, United States (UPI) -- After writing two columns on Clay Aiken and his efforts to help remove the stigma of disabilities, I thought I'd give the topic a rest, but then Dick Clark made his comeback on New Year's Rockin' Eve and the e-mails started coming.

MTV- What's coming up in 2006... mentions Clay's sophomore album, which is slated for April/May.

2006: A Look Ahead
And that's not all. If we're lucky, Kevin Federline will have second thoughts about his debut solo release. Though we can't tell you anything about it yet, Mrs. Federline is also supposed to have a new album in 2006, and look for the second release of new songs from "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken in the summer.

Mention about Clay's hair.

Two great tastes that taste great together
Ushering in the new year

One of the things that I love about going to shows are the special guest stars. You know, when someone is called from the audience to sit in, or a musician with another gig in town stops by to play a few tunes. In the case of Blueground Undergrass, Caroline Aiken, fresh off a First Night Macon set, stopped by 550 Blues after midnight.

It turned out to be a great combination of musical talents. The Rev. Jeff acted as ringleader with his electric banjo, conducting the somewhat carnival-like songs with an amiable persona. Fiddler David was on fire the whole night, plus he had this weird doggie thing strapped to his arm. And Matthew, one of the newer additions to the group, more than kept up with the elder statesmen on electric and acoustic guitar. Even though his new haircut made him look Clay Aiken-esque (their words, not mine!)

Clay Interviewed on Detroit Radio Station This Morning

From Clayversity:

When I was driving in this morning - I got a call from my daughter. She was listening to 95.5 WKQI (Detroit) and she said that Clay Aiken called in and had a phone interview.

Said that they talked about Kelly and touring and moving, but really didn't say anything about what was up and coming (like maybe the new CD . . . .). I REALLY wish that someone capped this interview - but without warning - what the heck!

So why is Clay giving interviews on a random Tuesday morning in Detroit??

Update: This interview was not new. Clay conducted this interview while touring with Kelly in Spring 2004. The station repeated it.

Don't Save It All For Christmas Day Played on Parade Float

The Statue of Liberty float in this year's Rose Bowl parade, which aired earlier today from (rainy) California, was playing Clay's version of Don't Save It All For Christmas Day from his Christmas album, Merry Christmas With Love.

Thanks to reports on the CB for the information.

Highly Recommended: Tasapio's Pensacola Photos

The Clay nation's best photographer, Tasapio has posted her FANTASTIC photos from last month's Pensacola concert. Click here to go to her gallery.

Clay Letter In Regular UNICEF Mail-Out

Clay is in UNICEF's new mail-out to its members, subscribers and contributors. Although the letter itself does not appear to be written by Clay, our UNICEF ambassardor Clay signs to bottom of the letter on behalf of UNICEF. NOTE: It appears that UNICEF has a few versions of this letter, signed by different UNICEF ambassadors, so not every package contains Clay's signiture.

From the CB's Andecar:

Last Friday I opened a mailing from UNICEF and fortunately glanced at the letter. As I was scanning the message thanking me for contributing to the trick or treat campaign, I was very surprised to see that Clay had signed it!

It was a great way to start 2006 with a thank you letter from Clay.

Needless to say, I will be saving the letter.

Make Your Voice Heard

Calling all Claymates!

As we enter this new year, please head on over to Promosquad to vote for Clay in their poll "Big in '06" poll, asking "What new act from 2005 do you think will break out big in 2006?" Don't forget Promosquad rewards you for each response, and over time, you can collect some awesome prizes.

FOX SportsNet Mention: NBA Coach's Claymate Wife

Clay was mentioned this morning in a profile of NBA coach Paul Westphal called 'Under the Lights' that aired on the FOX SportsNet channel. Westphal's wife is an avid Clay fan and she recounted her experience last summer when she 'had to' quickly leave and go to Clay's Jukebox tour concert in Columbus, OH because she had fantastic seats. Mr Westphal notes: "One day I was in my happy home in Pacific Palisades. The next day I was at the state fair in Columbus, Ohio riding one of those hay wagons to get to the barn where Clay was performing.." FOX rolled some pictures of Clay while Westphal's son said "I wonder if she loves him [Clay] more than me."

Video is now available CDD Video-On-Demand player.

Runner-Ups Triumph

An interesting article from the Orlando Sentinel about reality TV's runner-ups and how they often find themselves more successful than the winners.

Triumph of the losers
We love winners, but sometimes a runner-up transforms defeat into fame, even fortune.
Kate Santich - Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted January 2, 2006

In fact, reality TV -- with its instant-celebrity formula -- has given renewed hope to runners-up everywhere. Ruben Studdard won American Idol's second season and went on to sell 1.8 million copies of his first album Soulful. But second-place finisher Clay Aiken has easily become the bigger name -- and success -- selling 2.7 million copies of his debut album, Measure of a Man, and headlining a national tour.

Merry Christmas With Love A Top 10 Holiday Album

USA Today and the Detroit Free Press is reporting that Merry Christmas With Love was in the top 10 bestselling Christmas albums during this holiday season.

Krall tops Christmas list

USA Today reports Diana Krall's "Christmas Songs" topped the list of best-selling holiday albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan; it beat Il Divo's "Christmas Collection." Rounding out the seasonal Top 10 are Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "The Lost Christmas Eve" and "Christmas Eve & Other Stories," Mannheim Steamroller's "Christmas Celebration," Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Charlie Brown Christmas," Trans-Siberian's "Christmas Attic," Clay Aiken's "Merry Christmas with Love," the "Now Christmas" anthology and Brian Setzer Orchestra's "Dig That Crazy Christmas

shadylil's 2005 Year-In-Review

The Clayboard's shadylil posted this fantastic recap of Clay in 2005.

2005: The Year in Review
Well, Happy 2006 to you, too, Clay!

Each year, your internet fans follow you around, we attend your concerts, we watch you on TV, we download your appearances, we make audio, videos and montages, we talk about you on the message boards and over our dinner tables. In other words, Clay, you're a good time. But we'd be remiss if we didn't do our year-end review of all things Clay Aiken in 2005.

The year started off with us not knowing when we'd see you again. Frankly, we were panicking. The Great Nap of '05 looked as if it might become reality. However, you managed to pop up here and there, now and again, and we got to feed our addiction.

You looked gorgeous and rested on the Rose Bowl Float on New Year's Day, not too much hair product, just Natural!Clay! at your best. Who would have thought that a disaster in Southeast Asia would have brought you, and us, to a greater understanding of the world? After the Tsunami, we saw you on an NBC Tsunami Relief Fund Drive, on Larry King Live raising awareness, doing a PSA for the Cartoon Network singing, Give a Little Bit. You were in the Downtown Raleigh Development Video. Yes, quite a few of us either got our hands on it or else we downloaded it from the internet. Hey, it's Clack! Yeah, you know our words.

In February, you got to play Kenny, a character on 'Scrubs' who talked about leaky cows, meatloaf hair, sang a new song for us, won the contest, yet eventually got fired. For one of your first acting gigs, you did good, Clay, really good. You then appeared on Kimmel, which we always appreciate because you and he work well together. You got mentions on all the major entertainment shows throughout January and February, and you capped off the winter months with a Gala Benefit in Hawaii for 'Voices for Change' and as a guest speaker at the Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities.

We didn't see much of you in March and we were missing you. A lot. But you were off saving the world, or at least bring awareness to a part of it that, for a lot of us, just wasn't in our thoughts. You went to Banda Aceh as an Ambassador for UNICEF to see first hand how our dollars were being spent in the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters the world had seen. While there, you saw sights that you probably never imagined you would see. We can't imagine how that affected you or what your feelings were while there, but we're sure that it was not an easy trip for you. Thank you for going, and for bringing back awareness on how our dollars were spent.

We didn't see a lot of you in April or May, either. You flew under our radar when you gave Congressional Testimony to increase the 'U.S. Government's voluntary contribution to UNICEF for the next fiscal year before the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs of the Committee on Appropriations in the United States House of Representatives'. Good for you, Clay. This is, what? your second visit to Capital Hill testifying before Congress? Good job, Clay, good job. You surprised some lucky fans by helping their 'Wildest Dreams' come true on Oprah and gave us a stunning rendition of I Will Carry You. You were kind of busy on April 16th, planting trees with the Best Buddy program, then as the keynote speaker at the Fearless Caregiver Conference in Fort Lauderdale, and capping the day at the Florida Voices for Change Gala Benefit.

You appeared on a segment of The Dr. Phil Show talking about bullies and you attended American Idol as an audience member.

By this time, we were really missing seeing you on a pretty much constant basis, however, the message board part of the "Official Clay Aiken Fanclub" opened and an amalgamation of your fans, from all parts of the internet started to gather there. What an interesting experience that board is. You got your angel-wingers, your smutters, the positive police, the negative nellies, the analytical, the cheerleaders, the comics and many, many, many posters in-between. We had to learn how to get along with each other. Was it instantaneous? Heck, no! In fact, we're still learning how to get along, but evidently, this is the way you want your board to be and we appreciate that. We appreciate the openness of the board, we appreciate that it doesn't have to be all sweetness and light, that we are free to have our own opinions whether or not those opinions are flattering to you. And the blogs. You remember them, the weekly blogs? Well, we didn't quite get them weekly, but we've noticed a change in how you communicate with your internet fans. It happened over the summer but we feel that you seem to be more comfortable with us now, talking to us as friends instead of this faceless, nameless mass that screams for you during your concerts.

Then we found out in May that you went to Uganda for UNICEF. Most of us can't imagine the horrors that those families are living through over there. And it's not something new, it's been happening for 18 years! You saw it up close and personal. Again, we can't imagine how that's affected you, but once again, thank you for bringing awareness of this horrific situation to those of us who were unaware.

June found you as one of the narrators on the Discovery Channel's The Greatest American and the end of the month launched the Official debut of the Fanclub. About the fanclub, Clay. Can we talk? There are several areas that need your attention, at least according to a majority of your internet fans. First, you really need a biography and discography. If someone who is unfamiliar with you clicks on the website, where can they go to learn about you? Second, you need to add some video and audio. It's been six months and we don't have any yet. We'd love to get some 'behind the scenes' video of the 2005 tours. And the contests, OK, contest, are a little, shall we say, lacking? Maybe that's a bit rough, but a lot of us think that you'd rather hear the truth from us then have things couched in flattering words. And we won't mention the shipping problems and lack of committed, caring customer service from Clique because it seems to be taken care of, kind of. Let's hope, for all our sakes, that it continues to flow smoothly. We don't want you to think that all we do is complain, we LOVE the chance to get good tickets through the pre-sales and we hope that in the future, the seats will be even better. We love the Meet & Greets, well that is, when they work. It seems like TeamClay listened when some fans spoke and since then, the M&G's seem to run much more smoothly. Thank you for that.

What's this we see that happened in July? You have a new gig as a delivery man for Amazon? No, you just surprised a lucky fan by personally delivering her purchase of 'Learning to Sing'. We should all be so lucky. Heh. You were on the cover of TV Guide and that certainly generated a lot of controversy in the fandom, especially the 'rotting insides' comment. You ended the month by appearing on GMA Summer Concert Series, debuting a wonderful new song, 'Back for More', and covering The King's 'Suspicious Minds'. That was a wonderful appearance, Clay.

OK, let's discuss 'The Nap'. While you were certainly busy doing everything, we kind of felt that we didn't see enough of you. At least, nothing substantial except for a few appearances. It seemed the rest was just a mention here, a mention there, nothing that we could sink our teeth into. Well, unbeknownst to us, you were putting together one of your most ambitious Tours ever, The Jukebox Tour. Opening day, Toms River, NJ. We had no clue what to expect except that it was going to be a 'review' of music of the decades from the 50's through the present. Honestly? A lot of us were praying that we wouldn't be in the middle of a cheese-fest.

Well, if that was cheese, then give us some crackers to go along with it! You burst that fallacy when you emerged as Fonzie with your 'pink ladies' on your arm and slammed that Jukebox into submission. From the opening notes of 'Twistin' the Night Away' to the last Jukebox slam, you had us in the palm of your hand. That 50's set and the seque into the Elvis set, set the tone for an evening of entertainment that appealed to all ages. We got rock and roll, we got ballads, we got hits, we got Pips, we got Dancing!Clay!, we got four new songs. What a wonderful, wonderful tour that was, Clay. It's almost funny that on most of your Tours, one song seems to stand out. When Doves Cry, I Survived You, Solitaire, Good News. During The Jukebox Tour, I Can't Make You Love Me was your stand-out song. As the Tour progressed, your interpretation of this song became deeper and more meaningful and we found ourselves looking forward to it each evening.

August saw you making your way across the country, well, OK, you made your way across ClayLand with no Tour stops in the west. A lot of us were very upset by the fact that we didn't get a pop concert for almost two years. That hurt, Clay. We know that you've said that you have no control over where the Tours are booked, but maybe, in the future, they can be spread across the country a little more evenly.

September was a very interesting month for us, Clay. You appeared on Larry King Live and told us how to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, you appeared in the front row of Kenneth Cole's fashion show and showed us how to dress. What did you think of those models, especially the one wearing the see-through top? Your appearance on All My Children was aired and you appeared on The Insider, covering the Emmy's. You looked great at the Emmy's and several Desparate Housewives apparently thought so, too. Joan Rivers must have been smoking something to say that you were one of the worst-dressed there. Or else she was jealous that she'd never look as good as you did that night. Some of the fans loved your Insider appearances, but a lot of us hated it. We thought it was beneath you. Just being honest, Clay. Those of us who loved it thought that maybe, down the road, there would be some kind of pay-off, or tit-for-tat. Others thought that maybe it was a big audition piece to The-Powers-That-Be to show them that you can handle hosting gigs. Heck, we knew that.

September also brought us your first Monday Night Football appearance! Hee! We loved it! That was just so cool. You and Kimmel really work well together. Um, can we talk about the Clothes Off Our Backs auction? $27,000.00? $27,000.00????? Wow, Just wow. Remember three years ago when no one was paying for your autograph? Didn't someone once buy your old car for a lot more than it was worth if you signed the dashboard? Everything just keeps getting bigger and better, doesn't it?

October did not bring us very many Clay sightings. You did a terrific interview on KTLA Morning News that we got to download, you also participated on Washington Post Live On-line chat. Well, you chatted, we listened. You encouraged us to Trick or Treat for UNICEF. You were also in rehersals for your Christmas tour. In November, Learning to Sing was released in paperback form.

November and December brought us the Joyful Noise 2005 Tour and it swept across the country, all of it, this time. You managed to throw out a few hints that it would be different this year. Too bad the theaters were still advertising it as a concert with a 30 piece orchestra, and, in some cases, not even a Christmas tour. However, as promised, you opened the Tour in Vancouver to generally good, but mixed responses from us, with some not liking the show at all, some liking the singing, but not the vignettes, and others liking every thing about it. All of us agreed that the VOX was spectacular. Some were perplexed that James Foster Levy-or-not thought she had to post an 'explanation' telling us what the show was about. The people in the theater in Vancouver got it, but some of us, watching the downloads, didn't. Maybe that's why she posted, we don't know, but the show stood on its own. There was some drama when Jacob left/was let go, but you, Quiana, Angela and the rest of the Troupe pulled through. That incident, as hard as it was for you all, gave us the poignant and beautiful Emmanuel. Gregory got sick, we heard rumors about his health, you took us to task for speculating, but we can honestly say that we were worried about a kid who stole our hearts. If that crossed a line, we apologize, but it was out of genuine concern for him. Then came Raleigh. You singing to your 'Papa' was both heart-wrenching and uplifting. You gave us the gift of Beautiful Star of Bethlehem at the same time you gifted your 'Papa' with the bluegrass that he's always wanted you to sing. There are a lot of us in this fandom who have grandparents, parents, or loved ones with Alzheimers, Clay. What you did for your 'Papa' was beautiful and his response was wonderful. We sincerely hope that he enjoyed this concert because we sure did.

You appeared on several TV shows in December, giving us Dear Santa and your two beautiful GMA performances of Mary, Did You Know and My Grown-up Christmas List. What a gift that last song was, Clay. You slowed it down and made us really feel the power of the lyrics. That's one of your greatest strengths as an artist, the way you have of connecting with the lyrics of a song and conveying the feeling and meaning of those lyrics to your audience.

In looking ahead to 2006, all we can really see is the release of your sophomore album. March, April, September, maybe never? Who the heck knows? We're not getting a lot of information out of TeamClay, at least not yet. Some of us think we'll never see another CD, but most of us are waiting patiently, knowing that it will come out, we hope, within the first six months of the year. We have no clue as to what will be on it, but most of us hope we'll get some kick-@#%$ rocking songs, some ballads, a few acoustical numbers, maybe some R&B, heck, Clay, we want it all. After all, you can sing it all and we want to hear it.

In the coming year, Clay, we wish you good health, much success, and love.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make (Lennon/McCartney)

*Please do not copy to other boards without crediting the author.

PA TV Station Uses Concert Footage

From the CB:

According to their website, WFMZ-TV Channel 2 aired a holiday montage of light displays and used Clay's rendition of Sleigh Ride from the concert there. This station serves eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey - maybe it'll repeat at 11.

This is from WFMZ's website:

Berks County's Best & Brightest Holiday Lights
Story posted on 2005-12-30 19:06:00

Finally at 5:30, our gift to you this holiday season -- a finale of Berks County's best and brightest holiday lights displays, set to the song of "Sleigh Ride" --- performed recently by Clay Aiken at the Sovereign Center.

SLEIGH RIDE:

(SORRY -- NO SCRIPT)

That was photojournalist Bill Seiders who put that piece together for us.

Allison Lawrence Gets Clay Kiss

Clay suprised Allison Lawrence Saturday at the final Clearwater, FL show by planting a kiss on her cheeks during My Grown Up Christmas List. Allison was Clay's former music teacher in high school.

Video is now up in our Video-On-Demand player.

Miss Michigan Shown Grooving With Clay

Miss Michigan 2006, Octavia Marie Reese, is shown on the CMT's Miss America pagent website dancing with Clay at the Rochester Hills, MI show this past summer. Clay appeared on the pagent, when it was airing on ABC in 2003 and 2004. Click here to see the webpage. Click on "Miss Michigan">"Photo Album" and then navigate to the 5th photo to see Clay dancing with Reese.

Clay Mention on New Oprah DVD Set

Clay is mentioned on the new 20th anniversairy Oprah DVD set.

From Sierramist@ TTC:

or so on the 6th DVD? Oprah did a "day in the life" type documentary the day Clay was a guest on that Wildest Dreams show.

He's shown walking in the building with his entourage (you can see he's holding the fisherman hat, and asking Mary if she remembered to bring something), rehearsing his song, and talking to one of the directors about his lines...

Lyrics To ATDW Songs

LYRICS TO 'A THOUSAND DIFFFERENT WAYS'
with thanks to Khrystah

ACRONYMS:
ATD--A Thousand Days
BYLM--Because You Loved Me
BW-Broken Wings
EIH--Everything I Have
EID--Everything I Do
ETYGA--Every Time You Go Away
HYCA--Here You Come Again
IWTKWLI--I Want To Know What Love Is
LNM--Lonely No More
RHW--Right Here Waiting
SSTBTHW--Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
TOA--These Open Arms
WISYS--When I See You Smile
WY--Without You

LYRICS:

A THOUSAND DAYS
Clay Aiken

Through my eyes, I have seen the world start spinning like a ball
Stars light up and then fall, for you
So then what's a man like me supposed to do?
If I gave you the moon would you notice that I'm right beside you?

Well now a thousand days, a thousand nights are not enough
'Cause I can't hold back the way I feel about my love
Won't let it go, won't let it go
And if the angels came I'd fight them back to win your soul
And when everything was said and done they'd go back home
They oughta know, they oughta know
That you're mine all mine

In my world, you're the sun that shines and lights up evening skies
Clearing up the horizon
Hold on. Come with me and I will never let you down
Oh, and in this love we'll drown, this I promise you
'Cause they can't hold us down

Well now a thousand days, a thousand nights are not enough
'Cause I can't hold back the way I feel about my love
Won't let it go, won't let it go
And if the angels came I'd fight them back to win your soul
And when everything was said and done they'd go back home
They oughta know, they oughta know
That you're mine all mine

I would do anything, just believe it
Your love means everything and I need it
Your heart won't lie, reach out for mine

Well now a thousand days, a thousand nights are not enough
'Cause I can't hold back the way I feel about my love
Won't let it go, won't let it go
'Cause you're mine, all mine
And if the angels came I'd fight them back to win your soul
And when everything was said and done they'd go back home
They oughta know, they oughta know
That you're mine all mine






BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME
Celine Dion

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through...through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

BROKEN WINGS
Mr. Mister

Baby don't understand
Why we can't just hold on
To each other's hands

This time might be the last
I fear unless I make it all too clear
I need you so

Take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
And when we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings

Baby I think tonight
We can take what was wrong
To make it right

Baby it's all I know
That you're half of the flesh
And blood makes me whole
Need you so

Take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
And when we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings
You got to learn to fly
And learn to live so free
And when we hear the voices sing

Let us in
Let us in

Baby it's all I know
That you're half of the flesh
And blood makes me whole
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah so

Take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
And when we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings
You got to learn to fly
And learn to live so free
And when we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in

EVERYTHING I DO, I DO IT FOR YOU
Bryan Adams

Look into my eyes you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do, I do it for you

Look into your heart you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am take my life
I would give it all I would sacrifice

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
Ya know it's true
Everything I do, I do it for you

There's no love like your love
And no other could give more love
There's nowhere unless you're there
All the time all the way...yeah

(listen to your heart baby)

Oh you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
Yeah I would fight for you I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you yeah I'd die for you

You know it's true
Everything I do ohhhhh I do it for you







EVERYTHING I HAVE
Clay Aiken

I feel like I never measure up to who you see
Sometimes I think I can’t give you all the love you need
You keep changing everyday
Amazing me in everyway.

If I could be the perfect man in your eyes
I would give all I’m worth to be a part of your life
I could promise the world but it’s out of my hands
I can only give you everything I have

I never dreamed I could ever feel the way I do
I hope and pray I will always be enough for you
I can only do my best
I have to trust you with the rest

If I could be the perfect man in your eyes
I would give all I’m worth to be a part of your life
I could promise the world but it’s out of my hands
I can only give you everything I have

I promise I will hold you through the changes and fears
When life seems unclear
And when I can't be right there with you
I know there's angels by your side

If I could be the perfect man in your eyes
I would give all I’m worth to be a part of your life
I could promise the world but it’s out of my hands
I can only give you everything

If I could be the perfect man in your eyes
I would give all I’m worth to be a part of your life
I could promise the world but it’s out of my hands
I can only give you everything.....I have

EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY
Hall & Oates (also Paul Young)

Baby, if we can't solve any problems
Why do we lose so many tears?
Oh, so you go again
When the leading man appears
Always the same theme
But can't you see we've got everything going on and

Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you

Go on and go free
Maybe you're too close to me
I can feel your body move
But does it mean that much to me
I can't go on singing the same theme
'Cause you can't see we've got everything
Baby, even though you know that

Every time you go away
You take a piece of me with you
You just don't care

HERE YOU COME AGAIN
Dolly Parton

Here you come again
Just when I'm about to make it work without you
You waltz right in the door
Just like you done before
And wrap my heart 'round your little finger
Here you come again
Just when I'm about to make it work without you
You look into my eyes
And light those dreamy eyes
And pretty soon I'm wonderin'
How I came to doubt you

All you gotta do
Is smile that smile
And there go all my defenses
Just leave it up to you
And in a little while
You're messin' up my mind
An' fillin' up my senses

Here you come again
Lookin' better than a body
Has a right to
An' shakin' me up so
That all I really know
Is here you come again
An' here I go

All you gotta do
Is smile that smile
And there go all my defenses
Just leave it up to you
And in a little while
You're messin' up my mind
An' fillin' up my senses

Here you come again
Lookin' better than a body
Has a right to
An' shakin' me up so
That all I really know
Is here you come again
An' here I go

Fade:

Here I go
An' here I go
An' here I go
Here you come again
An' here I go
Here I go
An' here I go

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
Foreigner

I gotta take a little time
A little time to think things over
I better read between the lines
In case I need it when I'm older

Now this mountain I must climb
Feels like the world upon my shoulders
Through the clouds I see love shine
It keeps me warm as life grows colder

In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life

I want to know what love is
I want you to show me
I want to feel what love is
I know you can show me

I'm gonna take a little time
A little time to look around me
I've got nowhere left to hide
It looks like love has finally found me

In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life

I want to know what love is
I want you to show me
I want to feel what love is
I know you can show me
I want to know what love is
I want you to show me
(And I wanna feel)
I want to feel what love is
(And I know)
I know you can show me

Let's talk about love
I want to know what love is
The love that you feel inside
I want you to show me
And I'm feeling so much love
I want to feel what love is
No, you just can't hide
I know you can show me

I want to know what love is
(let's talk about love)
I know you can show me
I wanna feel it too
I want to feel what love is
I wanna feel it too
and I know and I know
I know you can show me
Show me love is real yeah
I want to know what love is







LONELY NO MORE
Clay Aiken (co-written by Clay Aiken)

Another dream another day
I've seen too many fade away
So if you wonder how to make it right
Give me everything, everything tonight

Cause I don't want to be lonely no more
I don't want to feel empty no more
Only you could unbreak this heartache I've carried around
Don't wanna be lonely no more, no more

Take me in, take me home
I can't stand to be alone
Help me paint the picture of my life
Don't you disappear and leave me here tonight

Cause I don't want to be lonely no more
I don't want to feel empty no more
Only you could unbreak this heartache I've carried around
Don't wanna be lonely no more, no more

Can't make no sense of life
No matter how I try
Cause something's missing in my heart...tonight

I don't want to be lonely no more
I don't want to feel empty no more
Only you could unbreak this heartache I've carried around
Don't wanna be lonely no more....no more

I don't wanna be lonely no more
I don't want to be empty no more
And only you could unbreak this heartache I've carried around
Don't wanna be lonely no more...no more....no more

RIGHT HERE WAITING UPDATED
Richard Marx

Ocean's apart
Day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice
On the line
But it doesn't stop the pain
If I see you next to never
How can we say forever?

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Oh, how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted
All the times
That I thought it would last somehow
I hear the laughter
I tasted the tears
But I can't get near you now

Oh, can't you see it baby?
You've got me going crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Oh, how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how
We can survive
This romance
But in the end if I'm with you
I'll take the chance

Oh, can't you see it baby?
You've got me going crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or, how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
I will be right here waiting for you
I will be right here waiting

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD
Elton John

What have I got to do to make you love me
What have I got to do to make you care
What do I do when lightning strikes me
And I wake to find that you're not there

What do I do to make you want me
What have I got to do to be heard
What do I say when it's all over
And sorry seems to be the hardest word

It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word

What do I do to make you love me
What have I got to do to be heard
What do I do when lightning strikes me
What have I got to do
What have I got to do
When sorry seems to be the hardest word







THESE OPEN ARMS
Bon Jovi

What if everything you always took for granted, was gone?
And everything you ever thought was right, was wrong?
And what if everyone you ever loved was torn, from the pages of your life?
Would you reach out for tomorrow, or try to turn back time?

These open arms will wait for you
These open arms can pull us through
Between what's left and left to do
These open arms
These open arms
These open arms will wait for you

Did you really love the ones you said you loved, thats right?
And did you make a difference in somebody elses life?
Tell me, is there someone you can count on when you need a friend?
Can you see I need a friend?

These open arms will wait for you
These open arms can pull us through
Between whats left and left to do
These open arms
These open arms
These open arms will wait for you

Can you live in your skin, walk in your own shoes?
You can't win, if you don't know how to lose
Crawl, fall, try, you gotta learn to fly

These open arms will wait for you
These open arms can pull us through
Between what's left and left to do
These open arms
These open arms
These open arms
These open arms
These open arms will wait for you

WHEN I SEE YOU SMILE
Bad English

Sometimes I wonder how I'd ever make it through
Through this world without having you
I just wouldn't have a clue
Cause sometimes it seems
Like this world's closing in on me
And there's no way of breaking free
And then I see you reach for me
Sometimes I wanna give up
Wanna give in
I wanna quit the fight
And then I see you baby
And everything's alright
Everything's alright

When I see you smile
I can face the world
Oh you know I can do anything
When I see you smile
I see a ray of light
Oh I see it shining right through the rain
When I see you smile
Baby when I see you smile at me
Oh yeah

Baby there's nothing in this world that could ever do
What the touch of your hand can do
It's like nothing that I ever knew
Hey
And when the rain is falling
I don't feel it
Cause you're here with me now
And one look at you baby
It's all I'll ever need
It's all I'll ever need

When I see you smile
I can face the world
Oh you know I can do anything
When I see you smile
I see a ray of light
Oh I see it shining right through the rain
When I see you smile baby
Baby when I see you smile at me

Sometimes I wanna give up
I wanna give in
I wanna quit the fight
Then one look at you baby
And everything's alright
Hey everything's alright
It's alright

When I see you smile
I can face the world
Oh you know I can do anything
Yeah
When I see you smile
I see a ray of light
Oh I see it shining right through the rain
Yeah
When I see you smile
Yeah I can face the world
Oh you know I can do anything now
When I see you smile
Oh yeah
Baby when I see you smile
Smile at me

WITHOUT YOU UPDATED
Badfinger (also Harry Nilsson)

Oh, I can't forget this evening
Or your face when you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes, it shows

Oh, I can't forget tomorrow
When I think of all my sorrow
When I had you there but then I let you go
And now it's only fair that I should let you know
What you should know

I can't live if living is without you
I can't live, can't give any more
I can't live if living is without you
I can't give, can't give any more

Oh I can't forget this evening
Or your face as you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes, it shows

I can't live oh if living is without you
I can't live, can't give anymore
I can't live if living is without you
I can't live, can't give anymore
I can't live if living is without you
Can't live, can't give anymore

Happy New Year

CDD wishes all its visitors and subscribers a happy New Year. This is going to be an exciting year, with Clay's sophomore release due out before May. Stay tuned to CDD for the latest Clay news, and much much more!

Here's a fantastic recap of the year by the CH's Calliek:

The year began with Clay beaming from his perch on the Ronald McDonald House float in the Rose Bowl Parade, but this was a far cry from the journey on which he was about to embark. Traveling to the tsunami zone in the Far East took him to a place that has always been in his heart--a place that needs to feel who he is will never be as important as what he can do. A place where his voice takes him beyond a stage, to a higher calling...to the outer banks of life in the spotlight. With his now solid celebrity, he can give more than "just a little bit." But soon he is back playing the slots, pulling the lever and watching the cherries snap into line...prime-time television calls him before four cameras to woo a whole new demographic. Wasn't he lovely? But once again, it's his Voice for Change that emerges in the Pacific Rim, speaking out so eloquently for those who cannot and for those who care for them. And again, the call of the wild world draws him away from us...to children whose eyes will always find him and tell him stories he could never know, so he can take their songs and make the world listen. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow...but someday, in his own way. In the meantime, he continues to herald the voices of change, in Florida, and talks to Dr. Phil about being bullied, about believing, about bravura. He now has an "official fan club" and a Mastercard for his foundation, has moved onto new management, is an A-list celebrity that the late-night talk shows look to for a numbers-spike and the magazines splash on their covers for a sales-hike. TV Guide is growing fond of his face, Jimmy Kimmel keeps an open space. He becomes a "special correspondent" and a Red Carpet darling, the clothes off his back fetch five-digit bids. Autumn breaks out a new jukebox hero who channels Elvis and seduces Iris...and once again, no song will ever be the same after it has exhaled from his lungs and tickled across his tongue, been tasted and savored and branded with his whole new flavor. Winter revives Joyful Noise from pages of his past and present and...if we look close enough...maybe his future. Because his future is a blinding blaze of sunlight through the windshield of a very fast, very powerful car. But it likes to turn down unmarked roads...he's a fearless driver, a curious traveler.

2005 has been a year of grinding gears for Clay. He likes to feel the buck of the engine in his drive. If he has a secret passion...I think that's it. He's a maverick spirit in the shell of a maestro. On the outside, everything must be orchestrated and controlled. Underneath, he lusts for the wild ride that teases the outer bands of the hurricane. Because he wants to lasso the power and see how far he can take it on his own terms.

My industry acquaintance who said the Jukebox Tour was a brilliant move was certainly right, on so many levels. Clay wasn't just doing covers...he was redefining sounds of the decades that most artists could never begin to replicate, let alone fire new life into them in a way that ached for the past to become present and future once again. He was showing a jaded pop promenade that he could stand alone and draw the spotlight to him while they continue to crowd in the stagnating haze of urban banality. While they danced and pranced and contorted to fit the mainstream mold, he was popping the clutch and taking off in his own direction. He threw out the maps right after MoaM. Hang on in 2006...we're probably in for a bumpy ride. But you know what? It's always going to be interesting and exciting. The wind blasting by the windows is going to blow our hair back and lift us off our seats. There will be some roadside stops that will be a little questionable, but he's got his eye on a superhighway that's still being built. He's content to let his contemporaries fly by in their sleek rides, racing to that dazzling but pitted speedway. Because the place he's headed...the place he's going...is a little off the beaten track. But the surface being poured is solid and it's never been ridden. His tires are pumped and tight, his hand is firmly on the gearshift. The engine's revving...how hard and fast and far can he go? Well, this superhighway doesn't seem to have milestones. Looks like he's going to make them as he goes.

Pretty much par for the course, isn't it? Hold on, don't let the doors spring open...then again, you might be flung into a rapturous place. That's the way it is with Clay. You don't know where you're going, you just feel it when you get there. Ready?

Wishing a you all a beautiful, joyous, healthy, loving, and prosperous 2006...with fondness and affection for the treasured friends I've met, spent time with, and shared the warmth of reunion...and the awe of the one who drew us together; special gratitude and appreciation for the diligent, dedicated, and generous Clack-gatherers, the incredibly talented photographers, wallpaper- and montage-makers, the wise and wonderful wits, the *creative and enthusiastic* skit-writers, the uplifting and the thought-provoking, the number-crunchers and data-analysts, to the tireless efforts of our admins and mods, and just all the rest of this unique fandom that is its own celebration of home and family each and every day. Clay knows he is lucky to have this most loyal following and it reflects, not only in his vocal dynamics, but also in his smiles, his smirks, his eye-twinkles, his cheek crinkles, his toe-taps, his hip swivels, his snarks and his barks...it reflects in his ability to rise above all preconceived notions and all self-levied benchmarks, to feel free to be the man he wants to be and know that he will be embraced for that, even when he doesn't necessarily please all of us all the time. It just gives him more to challenge in himself and more miles to log on his amazing journey. I'm glad we're with him.

Here's to an abundance of Good News in 2006...Happy New Year, Clackhouse! 2005 has been an incredible ride...but next year...well, next year will be...like Clay...uncategorical. We will just go with it. In joy.

Clay Mentions 1/1

Recap of 2005 concerts by the Toledo Blade.

Music of all kinds reverberated through the city
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Toledo's music scene had a little bit of everything in 2005, from cool jazz to classic rock to punk to American Idol stars.

Outdoor shows of note this year included the Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre series that featured the Moody Blues, American Idol's Clay Aiken, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Hall and Oates, although the H&O show was postponed twice due to Daryl Hall's bout with Lyme disease, finally coming together on Aug. 6. Transplanted Sylvania-area natives the Psychodots returned to the area for the first time in decades Aug. 20, playing a benefit show at Centennial Terrace for the Toledo School for the Arts.

Obviously this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. Negative & insluting.

Muscians again rally to aid needy
By Malcolm X Abram

As the baby new year that was 2005 goes gentle into that good night, it's time for the annual hand-wringing of assessing the year in music.

Oh, you want more specific predictions? OK:

Clay Aiken will release his sophomore album, only to find that a chunk of his listeners have either died of old age or turned 12 and no longer find him interesting.

A reader sent this in to correct their information given in this Dec. 18 article about Christmas albums/Clay's MCWL disc.

Letters Readers Sound Off...The number sold...
REX C. CURRY/Special Contributor
Re: "Stores with their own CDs? Sounds good to him" by Cheryl Hall, Dec. 18 Business section

I enjoyed your article on the holiday CDs being sold exclusively at RadioShack stores. I believe this concept has a great future in the music market.

I do want to correct one of your statements, however. "Last Christmas, Hallmark Cards Inc. sold 1.5 million special James Taylor CDs in its 4,000 Gold Crown stores. By comparison, the hottest holiday CD produced by a major record label last year was Clay Aiken's, which sold 753,000 copies."

Clay Aiken's Merry Christmas With Love sold more than a million copies and was No. 70 on Billboard magazine's chart of the Best-Selling Albums of 2004.

Libby Francisco, Athens, Ga.

New Clay Site Hopes To Unite Clayfans Across The World

A new website, ClayAikenFans.org opened today in hopes that it will break down barriers and allow Clay fans from across the world to get the know each other. Click here to go to the website.