There's Still Time To Send Clay's CD To The Troops in Iraq

As many of you know, Easterseal is heading up a project to send Clay's CD, "A Thousand Different ways", to the troops in Iraq. So far, Clay fans have sent over 1000 CD's to Easterseal! And the CD's are still being sent to her.

In fact, the interest in sending them is so high, the deadline date has been extended to October 10. At the Clayboard Troop CD thread (on page 46), RubyR43 says:

Yesss! for fans who haven't had a chance to donate, THERE IS STILL TIME!!...until Oct 10 to get them to easterseal !!! and TIME TO ORDER from Amazon and have them shipped directly to the distribution center!!

Just pm easterseal for her addy.....and could someone please post info needed for Amazon orders???? Thanks! This project is awesome!! and Clay's fans are so generous!

This huge donation of over a thousand cds, is IN HONOR OF CLAY's BROTHER BRETT, SERVING IN IRAQ....HIS SECOND OVERSEAS TOUR OF DUTY IN THAT COUNTRY! WE LOVE & APPRECIATE OUR TROOPS--for what they do to keep our Country safe!! Way to go CLAY NATION!!

ps....I'm assuming that we have no way of knowing how many cds were bought from Amazon and shipped directly to the distribution center---but I'll bet it matches the donations sent to easterseal!!

This is such a great project that I hope those who haven't had a chance to do this or haven't known about it will consider either sending a few to Easterseal to mail on to the troops or send them through Amazon.com.

To PM Easterseal, go to the Clayboard link above, find her post on page 46, and click on her name to pm her. She will send you her address. Also, if you want to order through amazon.com but aren't sure how to have them sent directly to the appropriate person, pm Easterseal and she can give you this information as well.

Sending CD's to the troops means great music for our hardworking troops, more sales for Clay, and a great way to honor Brett who is serving in Iraq. Remember our troops in this wonderful way.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Clay Aiken Fans #1 UNICEF Fundraising Team

Give yourself a pat on the back! According to UNICEF's Emergency Response Team, our efforts in raising thousands of dollars for Lebanese children, put us in the #1 "Team Rank" spot.

Congratulations everyone!

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Clay, Grandma & Martha To Make "hot pineapple salad"

According to Canadian TV listings, Clay will be joined by his grandma on The Martha Stewart Show this Friday.

They'll be cooking an Aiken family recipe -- "hot pineapple salad."

The listing reads: "Singer Clay Aiken makes hot pineapple salad."

OK... edit: Clay's not cooking. His grandma will appear with Martha. Should be very interesting! Here's the listing on Martha's website.

October 6, 2006
Clay Aiken

American Idol's Clay Aiken brings his grandmother to share their family recipe for Hot Pineapple Salad. Later, Clay performs live. And, today's your last day to enter Martha's Ultimate KB Home Giveaway—watch for your final clue. Plus, Martha shows you how to make a great party decoration for your Halloween bash. And, our weeklong series on Going Green wraps up with Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth producer, Laurie David, who answers audience questions about the environment.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Walmart Soundcheck Night - 1000 Different Clays on 1000 Different Televisions

Friday night around the country was Walmart Soundcheck night. The soundcheck was supposed to be played on all televisions, large, small, high definition or not, in the electronics department as well as on the monitors around the store. This was a satelite feed, so all Walmarts should have had this unless there was a problem.

A thread at The Clayboard called "Walmart Tonight" gave us a look at some of the people who were planning to attend as well as some of the stores who did and did not have the Soundcheck shown. Clay fans from Baltimore, South Jersey, and Warren, Ohio headed over to Walmart, some with plans to party with other fans. Claysangel1981 from Phila, OH figured that she'd be the only Clay fan there. WOWpoc at the Clayboard says:

I just heard from someone in Kentucky who is at her store - no Clay. Also another gal said none in her Wal-mart in New York and another in South Carolina - no Clay at their particular Wal-mart. The store claims it has no control over it. Apparently it is fed into their stores. Columbus has it and a Wal-mart in Michigan has it.

As for me, I headed over to one of the Walmarts in Sugar Land, TX to meet a friend who is as Clay crazy as I am. We were lucky enough to be greeted with big beautiful color pictures of Clay on almost every TV in the store! Now it is a totally awesome feeling to be surrounded by 20 or so videos of Clay in every size and color shade imaginable. It was like looking into a mirror which is looking into a mirror which is looking into a mirror....

My friend got there first and she found about 10 CD's there, so she fixed them so they were in the best places. Also, she said when she got there the sound was too low, so she turned the sound up on all the TV's. A little later, an employee came and turned them down. When the employee left, she turned them up again! How can you have a Clay concert with the sound turned down!! I stood there and took pictures and more pictures...I'm sure anyone who saw me thought I was out of my mind! But I didn't care! We stood there watching Clay for the whole time walking from TV to TV. I started to buy a TV to replace my dinosaur one that I have. They all looked so wonderful with Clay on them! But I didn't. Oh, we each bought another CD. We saw one person stop and watch the video, but that's all. From some of the comments on the Clayboard thread, very few people stopped to watch the video or buy CD's.

Clayshines gives a good report on the Clay Board thread:

My big night out! Here in Lewiston, ID Clay was on the tvs...big ones, small ones...he was on!!! I parked myself in an aisle and watched the whole thing! I did have them turn up the sound. There was only a couple of people who stopped and watched for a bit. But, many saw him as they passed the tvs! The sales people kept walking past me...heh...I wonder if I looked a little crazy or somthing! All I did was stand there and smile....honest!

They had been selling CDs. He had 4 slots in the endcap with several in each. And, he suddenly had a few appear in the front of the alphabetical area.. Their stock was much less than last time I checked, but still enough left to sell nicely.

Then I rewarded the time spent at Walmart by taking myself to Taco Time...

For me, and I'm sure others as well, it was a wonderful time, the best I had ever had in Walmart. For 40 minutes, Walmart looked better than it has ever looked before! But then again, what else can you expect from 1000 different Clays on 1000 different TV's!


Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

TV Alert: Clay on Entertainment Tonight Weekend Edition TONIGHT

Clay will be featured tonight on Entertainment Tonight's weekend edition. The official fanclub posted this notice earlier today:

09/29/06 : CLAY AIKEN - ET THIS WEEKEND
TUNE IN THIS WEEKEND TO WATCH CLAY AIKEN ON ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT / WEEKEND SHOW IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH JANN CARL AND MORE FOOTAGE FROM CLAY'S LA VIRGIN MEGASTORE IN-STORE APPEARANCE

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Higher Revised Week 1 Sales Numbers Out

Reuters says Billboard has revised their sales numbers this week for both Clay and Justin Timberlake. Although the top 2 standings don't change (Clay's still #2 and Justin's still #1), revised figures show 211,000 copies of ATDW were sold in week 1, slightly higher than the 205,000 projected by Billboard last week.

Billboard was forced to take the unusual step last week by extrapolating their SoundScan numbers after data reporting failures at Best Buy stores across the country caused inaccurate sales numbers.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Tidbits 9/30

• ATDW ads are front and center at American Idol's official website. Clay's also on the homepage of Billboard.
• LBFCA's latest photo story hits can't be missed- "My Wish"
  
• ATDW sales mentions (even more!)
• SoundGenerator
• St. Louis Today
• Reuters wire article - same article at Washington Post
• andPop (Canada)
• LiveDaily
  
• Roanoke Times - another Clay mention in a Ruben Studdard article
• Orlando Sentinel - American Idol Rewind a chance for you to catch up on AI.
• Wow. Clay Aiken The Ideal Idol has a fantastic article from Berkley on why Clay and RCA simply don't fit each other any more:

  I have looked at the anecdotals, the rumors and both the circumstantial and observable evidence about ATDW for months now. I've heard a couple of entertainment industry whispers and I have weighed them as well. I have come to the conclusion that there is something wrong with the relationship between Clay and RCA.

• Clay Aiken The Ideal Idol also shares with us this interesting e-mail from Tony at Shipwreck Studios who did an awesome ATDW review several weeks ago. He says:

  I've read some of the other reviews out there and honestly I am not shocked at all. Most of the main stream reviewers aren't actually listening to the album or albums they're being given. It’s all about pushing a product, which to me is very sad.
  
  In the case of Clay's album I think a lot of reviewers are basing their final thoughts on Clay's past works and the fact that he was on American Idol. I wish more reviewers would actually share their own thoughts on album reviews rather then say what their bosses or companies are telling them to say.
  
  It's all about money these days and that's one of the things I hate about labels and so-called major review chains like Billboard. They're pushing the products that can garner the most cash or cause a stir. Clay to me is a very simple guy who likes simple music and can "WOW" people with his voice. He doesn't need the flashy lights & all the fixings like all these other musicians out there. I think that right there hurts him in the labels and main stream reviewers' minds because it's as if he's trying to stay true to himself rather than sell out and bow to the demand of the money people.

• Clay Dream Believers - behind the scenes at Jimmy Kimmel (nice recap)
• Clayboard- SecretlyLovesClay also has a wonderfully long recap
  
• ROTFL - Clay Aiken The Ideal Idol writer says she "survived" Clay's People magazine spread --

  It was a good thing I was sitting down when I opened my new People Magazine and I saw the centerfold. I had flipped through the magazine in line at the grocery store and didn't get to it until I hurried to the car, literally threw my bags of groceries in, and plopped myself down on the seat. This is not good for eggs, I've discovered.

• A 1 star ATDW review from Rolling Stone. Why am I not suprised?
  

• American Idol Worship (non-Clay blog): fantastic read- "Clay Aiken: Let’s Talk About the Music"
  

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Clay In New Issues of Star, OK!, Us

Pearlgjr has sent us some new information about Clay being in new issues of Star, OK and Us Weekly.

Star Magazine
The Star article is on p 24 of the Oct 9th issue...headline is Who's News, This Week. Side by side half page pictures of Oprah and Clay (he's in the black outfit from the Santa Monica photo shoot by the piano, all stubble-y and gorgeous).

Article is a re-cap of the GMA interview. Last couple of sentences: "Sticking by his privacy guns, he never gave her an answer. And Star readers agree, as 58 percent of those polled say Diane shouldn't have asked!"

OK! Magazine
The OK article is on p 34 of the October 9th issue (Jessica S on the cover) He takes up 2/3 of the page, big picture of his coming out of GMA in his casual clothes, white polo with long sleeve shirt under, big smile, inset picture of his actual GMA performance appearance in his suit smiling next to Diane.

Headline is "Clay says "Butt out!"

Story:
On Sept 21, pop star Clay Aiken appeared on Good Morning america to promote his new album, A Thousand Different Ways, but when host Diane Sawyer began probing into his sexuality, the American Idol season two runner-up deemed the questioning rude and said the speculation upsets his mother and causes him to lose sleep.

"I feel it's invasive," Clay explained. "What I do in my private life is nobody's business."

Though reports have surfaces in recent months that the North Carolina native is gay, Clay has kept quiet on the subject. In fact, the 27-year-old doesn't get all the curiousity.

"It's one thing to try to be open and talk to people and try to share as much as I can...but at some point, it becomes really rude."

As reports of his homosexuality have increased, Clay's Baptist faith has grown stronger, "Are there tolerant Baptist? Absolutely. Are there intolerant Baptists? Oh yes, I'm sure there are." He said the Jesus who he believes in loves all faiths, races and sexual orientations.

Clay added that thismom told him there are only two people he has to answer to: "God and yourself--and that's it."

The article has a poll too,

OK! asked 100 Clay Aiken fans in NYC:
"Does Clay's sexual preference matter to you?

17% Yes
83% No

Us Weekly
There's also a small picture in this week's US magazine asking if Diane had the right to ask; their readers responded resoundingly Yes...oh well.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Time Running Out To Vote For CDD @ 2006 Clammys

Voting for the 2006 Clammy Awards will be winding down soon and we're all hoping you'll vote for us - Clay's Daily Double - in the "Best Website" category before the polls close. Go to this link to get started.

You can vote as many times as you'd like.
Thank you for your continued support! We appreciate it!

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Lycos: Web Users "Aiken" For Clay

Some great news from Lycos this week. They released this press release today with some fantastic numbers for Clay Aiken related web searches:

WEB USERS “AIKEN” FOR CLAY

Former “American Idol” Runner-up Comes in First Online,
More Popular than Britney, Shakira & Christina Aguilera on This Week’s Music List

The Lycos 50 top Music Searches for Week Ending Sept. 23, 2006
WALTHAM, Mass.—Sept. 28, 2006—Lycos, Inc. an entertainment destination for creators and consumers of quality content, today announced the following information from The Lycos 50™, the 50 most popular Internet search results for the week ending Sept. 23, 2006. For a complete list of The Lycos 50™ and for in-depth text of The Lycos 50 Daily Report, go to Lycos.com.

The Lycos 50™ Top 10 Music Searches for the Week Ending Sept. 23, 2006:
1) Clay Aiken
2) Britney Spears
3) Shakira
4) Jessica Simpson
5) Jennifer Lopez
6) Beyonce
7) Nelly
8) Christina Aguilera
9) Tupac
10) Chris Brown

Notes of Interest:
Since mid-June, search interest in Clay Aiken has jumped 315 percent, pulling away from web music icons Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, making him the most-searched term on this week’s Lycos 50 music list. Aiken generates 84 percent more search interest than Spears, 352 percent more than Aguilera, and is 214 percent more popular online than Shakira. Aiken has been ubiquitous in the news this week. His third album, “A Thousand Different Ways” debuted at number two on the Billboard chart, and is projected to soon surpass Justin Timberlake’s album, making Aiken’s album number one in the U.S.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

ATDW To Stay In Top 10 Next Week

Hits Daily Double has new sales predictions for Clay. "Last week’s chart-topper, Jive/ZLG’s Justin Timberlake, is now headed for between 135-145k, followed by Columbia’s John Mayer (90-100k), RCA’s Clay Aiken (80-85k)," HDD notes in an article published today.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Tidbits 9/29

The Martha Stewart Website is now listing Clay's October 6 appearance on The Martha Stewart Show (syndicated).

• Billboard's Fred Bronson says Clay proves American Idols have staying power --

  One question I'm asked all the time is if I think the contestants on "American Idol" have staying power. In the past, I've had to say that time will tell… but time keeps passing and, three years after he was named runner-up to Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken debuts at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 with his third CD, "A Thousand Different Ways" (RCA). All three of Aiken's albums have entered the chart in the top five. "Measure of a Man" debuted at No. 1 the week of Nov. 1, 2003. The holiday-themed "Merry Christmas With Love" bowed at No. 4 the week of Dec. 4, 2004. And now "A Thousand Different Ways" has opened at No. 2.

• The press photo websites have some cute new shots from Tuesday LA Virgin Megastore M&G:

• Getty
• WireImages
• NewsCom
  Username: NCFOTONA
  Password: Guest
  
• Some more ATDW sales mentions:
• CNN -- "Former "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken's covers set, "A Thousand Different Ways" (RCA), rolled in at No. 2 with 205,000 units."
• Foxes On Idol - "We all expected Clay’s album to debut high on the charts, and he did not disappoint."
• Voice of America - "Clay is arguably one of the most successful American Idol contestants, but his overnight success led to physical problems, including panic attacks."
• The Insider
• Toronto Sun - Canadian sales #
• HipHopNRap
  
• St. Paul Pioneer Press- a week after Clay called St. Paul, MN his favourite city (other than Raleigh), the St. Paul newspaper is returning the sentiment to Clay. Clay's mentioned in this article about the problems of online concert ticketing (ie. Ticketmaster):

  If a return to physical lines becomes the norm, will kids raised to think that everything is a click away show the same determination to see Clay Aiken as some once did to see Van Halen?

• Univ. of Georgia's Red and Black student newspaper calls ATDW boring, but does say some nice things -

  But another original track on the new album, “A Thousand Days,” is more fitting of Aiken, complete with his powerful voice and catchy lyrics.
  
  Aiken doesn’t do a bad job at covering the songs — although he doesn’t really give them a twist of his own style — and even the few original tunes are enjoyable to most of Aiken’s fans.

• Roanoke Times - mentions Clay in this article about an upcoming Ruben concert
• StarPulse- mentions the GMA/People mag interview buzz surrounding Clay.
• Miami Herald - ATDW review... negative.
• Entertainment World- Claymate Diane Austin's ATDW review
  
• Rochester Democrat & Chronicle article about musician Teddy Geiger who opened for Clay several years ago -

  In a Q&A, Geiger confesses that in high school he was terrified of girls, guys, everyone. And he likes dresses. "Any kind, as long as a girl's wearing it." Thanks for clearing that up, Teddy. Clay Aiken needs to do the same. Left unanswered are the Internet rumors that Geiger's been dating a member of the St. John Fisher College women's basketball team.

• NJ Daily Record - Kathy Griffin says her Clay jokes aren't personal attacks -- "When I talk about Clay Aiken in my act, it makes him cooler. Instead of going off and having a hissy he can laugh at himself which makes him more of a real person with a sense of humor."
• Charlotte Observer - Charlotte Symphony looking to attract crowds with Clay Aiken - "The orchestra's attempts to lure newcomers have included tributes to rock bands and -- coming up -- a holiday concert with that nice Clay Aiken."
• Reality TV Magazine article about Suzie McNeil - "McNeil appears singing duets on Clay Aiken's new album, A Thousand Different Ways, on the cover of Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is"
• Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune - Nick Lachey "came across like a studly Clay Aiken with machismo."
• Clay is #18 on the Lycos50 this week. Their article has a good chunk about Clay-

  Clay Aiken triumphs as Lycos's number one music search for the week of September 23, edging out popular mainstays such as Britney Spears, Shakira, and Jessica Simpson. Aiken has been ubiquitous in the news this week. His third album, "A Thousand Different Ways," debuted at number two on the Billboard chart, and is projected to surpass Justin Timberlake's album as #1 in the U.S.

• The Toronto Star published a half-decent ATDW review yesterday. Here's a scan courtesy the CB's powerhouse. -- "Oddly, one of the best songs on the album isn't actually on it. "Lover All Alone," a spare, bittersweet tune co-written by Aiken, delivers a dash of real emotion largely missing from most of the other tracks, but it's only available as an iTunes bonus."
  

• ConCLAYve- blogging in your adulthood is becoming more popular.
• There Was A Man- ATDW, tabloid speculation and the truth.
• Taking A Moment - Clay Aiken and "big scary spiders"
• Singer At Heart (non-Clay blog)- comparing Josh Groban against Clay. "Off his release A Thousand Different Ways out last week, Clay proves with this song that he still very much is pop's most lavish and exuberant performer. Well..it's a tie!! Josh & Clay both soar. However, as their voices continue to evolve a winner may soon emerge. Stay tuned."
  

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

New Tour Date Added!

Another Christmas tour date has been announced by the official fanclub:

12/01/06 Waukegan, IL, US Genesee Theater

We'll inform you when we get more information. This is all we have for now.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

CDD NewsAlert: Slimon's Brain Is Smaller Than A Fruit Fly

... where do I begin. Is this even worth posting? Simon Cowell has responded to Clay's panic attacks. Is it just me or is he just plain STUPID?

Oh give me a break. Let me have a choice, I'm going to work in a coal mine for 14 hours a day or I'm going to be a runner-up on 'American Idol.' Give me a break, idiot.

They're not working for a living, they're becoming famous ... no one's put a gun to their head ... Clay, whatever he may have said, would not swap what he's got now for what he had three years ago.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

TV Appearances and Wal-Mart Soundcheck Reminder

There's been several mentions of Clay on the infotainment shows yesterday.

• Some cool behind-the-scenes footage of Clay at Monday's LA M&G was shown on Entertainment Tonight last night. Clay seemed like he was being mobbed as he crossed the street with ET cameras following suit. Poor thing. LOL.
• Another cute mention of Clay on E! News' Daily 10 yesterday. The host made a comment about having a "Clay Aiken tattoo."
  

And a reminder that Wal-Mart's Soundcheck Clay Show will be broadcasting tomorrow night at 7 PM local time at all Wal-Mart stores in the US. Be sure to head to your local Wal-Mart's Electronics Department at that time to see a 40 minute chain-wide Clay show!

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Tidbits 9/28

• Clay's now charting on Billboard.com. The above is a screenshot of the new Billboard 200. Clay came in at #2. Here are some other charts Clay's charting on:
• #3 on Digital Sales (iTunes, etc.)
  
• #1 on physical internet sales (Amazon, etc.)
• A few ATDW sales mentions.
  
• Zap2it.tv
• Monsters & Critics
• Entertainment Tonight
• Celebrity Cafe
• All Headline News
• SAWF
• Undercover Australia
• Detroit News
• USA Today
• New York Times
• E! Online
• LiveDaily
• UPI wire article
  
• MTV.com article has a nice Christmas tour mention -- "Clay Aiken will team with local orchestras on a holiday tour beginning December 2 in Merrillville, Indiana. The 17-city trek will end December 23 in Greensboro, North Carolina. ..."
• StarPulse - Clay was left shocked at flattered at yesterday's LA Meet & Greet by fans who wanted his signiture permanently tattoed onto their backs -- "Clay Aiken was left stunned when two pretty devotees asked him to sign their backs so they could get his signature tattooed on them. The Utah fans, Phoebe and Mary, attended a record signing in Los Angeles earlier this week and asked the singer to sign their backs."
• Family Security Matters (huh) - "It would have been far more shocking to learn, for instance, that a shortage of Clay Aiken CDs in an Ohio Borders was the “cause celebre” for Islamic terrorists."
• The Santa Clara on society's big problem -- "I recently discovered that there are more Americans that can name each winner of American Idol than those who can name two Supreme Court Justices. Instead of our population reading about national news, it chooses to read about Clay Aiken's newest love interest."

• Nothing here yet.
  

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Sir Elton John Gives Clay Advice

These words couldn't ring any truer. The legendary Elton John has commented on the gay allegations Clay's been battling since January. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Elton John says:

He understands that Sawyer had to ask Aiken if he is gay, John says, but he's personally not interested in the answer.

"I don't even care if Clay Aiken is gay or not," John tells the show. "It's none of my business."

Read the AP wire article on this via CTV.ca.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Larry King: "Clay Aiken, one of my favorite people"

Clay returned to CNN's Larry King Live last night to talk about his life since last appearing on LKL back in 2005. Larry introduced Clay saying: "Clay Aiken is our guest. His CD is going through the roof." I particularly loved the way Larry ended the conversation: "Clay Aiken, one of my favorite people."

Here's a quick synopsis courtesy CNN's full transcript.

• On ATDW, Clay says: "It was kind of a process to get this thing together. It started out as an album that was going to be all original material and we kind of took a turn and decided to make a lot of -- do some remakes of some old love songs."
• On moving home: "There are plenty but, you know, I just kind of like the small town local, quite, know where everybody lives, know my way around town, no traffic. There's a lot of plusses to every place in the country. But, you know, home is, it's always better to be at home right?"
• On being classified a nerd: "Nerdy will work but, you know, some people kind of root for that and I think that's kind of why I ended up people want to -- people want to root for the underdog. I mean I guess that's the only explanation I can think of. I don't -- I can't -- I don't know why people like me."
• On his panic attacks: "There have been times where I thought I was going to have a heart attack because I've been so nervous and I think that what finally brought me to say something about it was the fact that I couldn't control it. And I -- I'm really actually pretty good about -- about handling myself and not being able to control it made me want to go and say "help"."
• On the gay allegations: "I've responded every way I can, you know. I said, "Listen, I'm not going to deal with this anymore now because it doesn't matter what I say. People are going to think what they want to say.""
• On talking with his brother Brett who is serving in Iraq: "Yes, we talk to him. He tries to call every week or so. And I've gotten to -- I've gotten down -- he has one of the MySpace pages so I've gotten one from the record label and I've learned how to use that and talk to him."
• On Faye: "She's -- yes -- it's been really tough. I think for her it's been extremely tough because she has, you know, in the space of essentially in the space of three years, our dad died in 2002 and then I left home in 2003 and haven't been back. And then my brother left in 2004. So in the space of three years she's really gone from a full house to an empty house. She's such a strong person. I mean, I don't know the answer to that. She's always been the person who I've learned the most about letting people -- you know, I got picked on as a kid growing up relentlessly and she was always the person who told me..."
• On "Lover All Alone": "'Lover All Alone' was actually a song that David Foster wrote the music to about six, seven months ago and he gave me the music and he said write some lyrics to this. And I have never written anything, you know, like that in my life. And so I thought to myself, we'll try it. And I finally sat down one day maybe five months later and took a crack at it and came up with this. And what ended up coming out of that was something a little more depressing than the album intended. You know, we wanted to do a love song album and "Lover All Alone" is not..."
• On why he hasn't taken legal action against the tabloids: "You know, again, probably something my mother always told me. I think this is -- we're not very litigious. My mom has always hated law suits and what not. And so that's one reason. The second one is I think a lot of people have had their moment of fame, you know, and bringing it back up and suing people while it might be personally gratifying for a minute, it's probably going to be more gratifying to some folks who just wanted to do things for attention. And I'm not really into pandering to that type of thing."
• On his faith: "After going through this whole change of life from going from small town to big city and people looking at you. I think that my faith has grown stronger just because you've got to call on... I think that certain people within any -- any denomination have -- have tough -- not standards but strict beliefs or views. And I think that it's unfair really to pigeonhole every Baptist or every Christian or every Muslim or any Jew, anybody and lump them into one category because they are a Christian or any denomination within that Christianity and say that they believe this because, you know, a certain televangelist might believe it or a certain politician."
• On the BAF's new book: "'Our Friend Mikayla' is a book written by third graders about a student in their classroom who has a disability and their experiences pretty much with having a friend with a disability and so the Bubel/Aiken Foundation works to include kids with disabilities. So this is really a very touching tribute really to kids who -- and it kind of talks about the power of having inclusive populations and people can find out about that and..."
• On fame: "I do sometimes sit at home like right before I go to bed a night and I sit in there and think, OK, I am in Los Angeles by myself. Mom's not paying for anything, you know. And if something happened today I would be able -- I would be able to go buy a plane ticket right now and go wherever I need to go. And that kind of blows me away sometimes."
  

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Clay (and Raleigh) In New Issue of J-14

J-14's latest issue is showing Clay's puppy love. There is a photo of Clay holding Raleigh in the October/November issue. Scan courtesy Aikenized.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

KTLA Interview With Clay

Clay was interviewed on this morning's KTLA Morning News. Clay was very gracious in accepting the fact ATDW made its debut at a close #2 to Justin Timberlake's new album. The CB's ninamae gives us this quick recap:

Was extremely impressed with their respect of Mr. Clay Aiken...and they were inpressed with him and his knowledge of current affairs and politics....and his music.....the Anchor that commented on his Christmas show is Carlos Amezca, the head anchor there for the news. They are always very respectful to Clay and seem to really like him....it was Mark Krisky that comment that Clay is is favorite guest, that was when he told them who the two guys were in th running for president, the news people didn't seem to know who they were, Clay piped up and said so in so is the governor of Illinois, and the other is a senator from Kentucky, I believe....blew them away that he knew and they didn't......

You can find downloads of this interview on the CB. It should also be up at ClackUnlimited soon.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Tidbits 9/27

• This is so cute! AP has released several photos from Clay's Virgin Megastore (CDD recap) and Jimmy Kimmel (CDD recap) appearances from yesterday. See them at Yahoo News, People Magazine or WireImages.
  
• Don't forget these Clay TV appearances tonight:
  
• Larry King Live, CNN | Larry King website | CNN.com article
  
• Entertainment Tonight (will show a typical day Clay has... Virgin Megastore signing) | ET Article
  
• The Insider | Insider Article
  
• TV appearance mentions - "What's on TV tonight"
• Kansas City Star
• TV Squad
• The State
• Chart Attack - Barry Manilow an older version of Clay Aiken
• WTOK article about Ruben Studdard - small Clay mention.
• Postcards from Pugbus (satire) - Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie film to include soundtrack by Clay Aiken

• Southern Girl on the Jimmy Kimmel appearance.
  

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

"A Thousand Different Ways" Debuts At #2

Claygratulations Clay on your third top 10 album! With over 205,000 copies sold in the first week, ATDW comes in at #2 this week on the Billboard 200. A RCA Records press release says:

Clay Aiken's third album, A Thousand Different Ways, sold over 205,000 copies in its first week of release, securing a No. 2 debut on the Billboard album chart. It is Clay's third consecutive debut inside the top five. Measure of a Man entered at No. 1 and Merry Christmas With Love bowed at No. 4. Clay is the 4th artist ever to have his first 3 albums debut Top 5 and scan over 200,000 in the first week.

Don't forget 2nd week sales are equally important! Be sure to stock up on ATDW as the holiday season approaches.

Up in Canada, Clay made a respectable debut at #6 fighting Canadian powerhouse artists Nelly Furtado and Diana Krall.

Mentions of this in the press:

• Playfuls.com
• FMQB
• PR-Inside
• Austin360
• Contact Music
• UPI wire article
• Reuters wire article
• MTV
• Canoe Canada
• Billboard
  

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Great Clay Appearance On Jimmy Kimmel Live

We've been looking forward to the Jimmy Kimmel Show for weeks. There's just a great vibe going between Clay and Jimmy. Clay's his "best friend", says Jimmy on tonight's show! Well, they come across as great friends on the show anyway. And tonight was no exception. What a wonderful show and Clay could not have sung "1000 Days" any better!

Jimmy came on with his opening monologue, and what an opening it was! Almost half of it was dedicated to all the "Claymates" everywhere. Jimmy may think we are a wild and crazy bunch, but he loves us! He said that no other guests have ever received such a reaction from fans and called the Claymates "hardcore fans" totaling 17 billion worldwide. I loved the part where Jimmy, decked out in his Clay t-shirt and his "My Heart is Aiken" sign, was jumping around in the line at Virgin Super Store. Clay didn't seem to be too comfortable with this fan. I loved that look on his face, like "Uh, would someone please cart this guy off!"

Jimmy's introduction of Clay was great. He mentioned Clay's new CD and held it up and said that Clay has "a large and powerful army of fanatically loyal fans"! You just gotta love Jimmy and his teasing! And speaking of fans, the fans in the audience were great. Clapping and cheering for everything said about Clay...giving him mega doses of love when he came out. Jimmy asked Clay if he thought the fans would kill for him if he asked them too. The fans all cheered, and Clay said no, but they would beat someone up for him (more cheers from the fans!).

Clay looked great in his dark jacket, shirt, tie, and blue jeans. When Jimmy asked him if he was ever scared of his fans, Clay reminded him of this one that was "in line that freaked me out"!

And I was so thrilled when Jimmy brought up Clay's appointment by President Bush to the Committee For Individuals With Learning Disabilities. Since it was U.N. Day in New York when Clay was there and he was held up by the President's motorcade, Clay said that would be the first item of business he would bring up!! Not only did Jimmy bring this great honor up, but he brought up the fact that Clay's CD was possibly beating Justin's in sales. Even if Clay doesn't "pull into the lead", the fact that Jimmy brought that up was great P.R. for Clay!

A funny part of the show was when they showed two fans, Mary and Phoebe, getting Clay to sign their backs so they could get his name tatooed on their back. The look on Clay's face when they cut back to him after showing these ladies was priceless! They came up on stage and showed the tatoos to Clay and got big hugs in return. Lucky ladies! Then, Clay showed Jimmy his "tatoo" of Jimmy on his leg. Those two tease each other like they are best friends. They are great a great comedy duo!

Last but not least, Clay sang "1000 Days" and signed off the show with "Invisible". He sounded great and the huge crowd of Clay fans were loving it.

This, in my opinion, was probably the best show Clay has been on. A mention of his Presidential appointment, a mention of his CD sales as well as showing the CD several times, and lots of snarky humor. Perfection, perfection!
Thanks Jimmy...you are a loyal friend and true.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Clay Signs CD's and Thrills Fans at Virgin Records

I'm sure we could fill a month's worth of Clay's Daily Double with stories from excited fans who got to meet Clay today at Virgin Records in Los Angeles. Clay was there to sign his new CD, "A Thousand Different Ways", for the fans.

One story was posted originally at Clayversity and I found it at The Clayboard. It gives you an idea of the great rapport between Clay and his fans. Is it any wonder that Clay's fans love him so much!

Also, at this same Clayboard thread, entitled "Virgin Mega Store Report", from Page 7-15, are the most gorgeous pictures of Clay you will ever see! Taken by MEE2U2 and from Clayversity, they have requested that none of these pictures be posted at the Official Fan Club. We have included a few of these pictures in this article, and you can see all the others by going to The Clayboard.

Here is a great story about a couple of lucky fans who met Clay today, as posted by Julia from CV. Her encounter with Clay!

Julia Sep 26 2006, 07:54 PM Post #2722

Hi everyone!

I just got back from the Clay CD signing. I got there with my friend, Lynarion, at 10:30. There was already a huge line forming on the second floor of the shopping center. I'd guess we were about 400th in line, or so.

SOOOO we got in there at about 3:15 or so. Clay was being interviewed by some news station or entertainment show. It might have been E!. So we got to stare at him while he was doing that.

Anyway, soon we got up to his elevated table. Lynarion went up to him first, while I attempted to take pictures of them. She was going to get the CD signed for my sister, Emily. They had instructed us to write our names on post it notes. So she wrote, "Hi Clay, this is for Emily, but my name is Lynarion."

When she got up to the table, Clay looked at her post-it note, and said "Hi, Emily!" Then he sort of frowned and read the rest of the post-it note to himself outloud "This is for Emily, but my name is...." Then he looked up, and after a pause, said, "Lynarion?"

My friend was so shocked that he could pronounce it correctly, she sort of just grinned and said, "Yeah, that's it!"

Clay asked, "Well, then who is Emily?" Lynarion told him it was a friend back home, and he couldn't hear her so she had to repeat, "A friend at home who couldn't make it."

He didn't say anything, but just turned around and grabbed something from behind the table, which turned out to be another CD cover. He smiled, and looked at the note again and signed the booklet. He held it up in front of him and said, smiling, "Now, there's a catch. This one was for Anne, but I messed up her name, so I wrote your name on the other side. Just sew it together or something."

My friend, in her stupor, was thinking two thoughts-- "I love you Clay" and "That's ok, I'll be Anne." Instead it came out, "I love Anne, too!" I don't think he commented on that!

He signed the other Cd for my sister, Emily, and then Lynarion walked off in a daze. My turn was much faster but he still said hello to me and asked me where i was from.


We could hang around the store and stare at him while he signed other CDs. We ended up staying until he left. It wasn't that much longer, about 45 minutes. I couldn't bring myself to leave.

Isn't he the sweetest? He was only supposed to sign one but he made sure my friend got a signed booklet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

First Week Sales For Clay Make Him #1 in New CD Sales

For those of you who were watching Hits Daily Double all day long today, you know that the final total of first week sales for "A Thousand Different Ways" was 206,631. This put Clay at #2 behind Justin Timberlake for all CD's. Even better though, for new CD's, Clay was the #1 seller of the week, even beating out Elton John, who came in 17th.

Also, in the News Section at Hits Daily Double, is an article entitled "Justin Still The One". Concerning Clay's second place finish to Justin, HDD says:

Justin’s still dustin’ the opposition. The Jive/ZLG superstar logs in at #1 for the second week in a row, as FutureSex/LoveSounds tallies 231k, more than enough to relegate RCA/RMG Idol alum Clay Aiken’s A Thousand Different Ways to a #2 bow, with 207k Claymates snapping up copies of his latest.

These figures are not the final figures, and those will be reported by Sound Scan more than likely by tomorrow. When the ITune numbers are added, hopefully Clay's number will go up.

All I have to say is this: "Clay...we are proud of you!!"

Here are the top 20 at Hits Daily Double:

CHART DATE: 09/25/2006
LAST UPDATE: 09/26/2006 09:51:02
NOW IN: FINAL

LW TW artist / album label power index % change
1 1 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE JIVE/ZLG 231,066 -67%
FUTURE SEX/LOVE SOUNDS
-- 2 CLAY AIKEN RCA/RMG 206,631 --
A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS
-- 3 FERGIE A&M/INTERSCOPE 158,468 --
THE DUTCHESS
-- 4 KENNY CHESNEY SBMG NASHVILLE/BNA 141,635 --
LIVE THOSE SONGS AGAIN
2 5 JOHN MAYER AWARE/COLUMBIA/CRG 141,097 -51%
CONTINUUM
-- 6 DIANA KRALL VERVE 91,649 --
FROM THIS MOMENT ON
3 7 BEYONCE COLUMBIA/CRG 86,608 -44%
B'DAY
-- 8 LUPE FIASCO ATLANTIC/ATL G 85,959 --
LUPE FIASCO'S FOOD & LIQUOR
-- 9 CHINGY CAPITOL 75,109 --
HOODSTAR
7 10 HINDER UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC 71,439 +8%
EXTREME BEHAVIOR
4 11 BOB SEGER CAPITOL 69,086 -53%
FACE THE PROMISE
5 12 BOB DYLAN COLUMBIA/CRG 62,117 -27%
MODERN TIMES
10 13 NICKELBACK ROADRUNNER/IDJMG 54,638 -2%
ALL THE RIGHT REASONS
18 14 THE FRAY EPIC 53,817 +56%
HOW TO SAVE A LIFE
-- 15 JESSE MCCARTNEY HOLLYWOOD 53,243 --
RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME
8 16 DANITY KANE BAD BOY/ATLANTIC/ATL G 49,485 -17%
DANITY KANE
-- 17 ELTON JOHN ROCKET/UNIVERSAL 47,493 --
THE CAPTAIN & THE KID
13 18 CHEETAH GIRLS 2 WALT DISNEY RECORDS 42,255 -15%
SOUNDTRACK
-- 19 NEW FOUND GLORY SURETONE/GEFFEN 40,223 --
COMING HOME
12 20 GREY'S ANATOMY VOL.2 HOLLYWOOD 39,128 -25%
SOUNDTRACK

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Photos From Clay's MTV Visit

These are new photos of Clay visiting MTV's New York Studios for his MTV interview. THUD.

Courtesy the CH's mee2u.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

KTLA Appearance Set For Tomorrow Morning

Clay has rescheduled his previously scheduled KTLA Morning Show appearance. He'll now be on KTLA's Morning Show tomorrow morning. The appearance was cancelled yesterday since Clay wasn't feeling well. We don't know whether Clay will be singing or talking (or both).

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Clay Greets LA Fans

Clay is currently at the Virgin Megastore in Los Angeles for a meet & greet. Fans have been camping outside the Hollywood & Highland Virgin Megastore since last night. News crews from KTLA and CBS2 were spotted earlier today filming the huge lineup which greeted Clay. CBS2 already ran a story about Clay on their newscast.

We're trying to find some recaps, but we have none right now, so stay tuned!

Clay will take a short trip over to Jimmy Kimmel Live's studios later tonight for his appearance on the show tonight.

Update: Clay's wearing a "charcoal suit dark shirt, hair looks great." ncsupack88 reports:

TLC4OMC reporting in!!! She's in Kimmel line but she said the Virgin line is tremendous. Somebody came out and showed her the CD and pic from camera phone. He's wearing suit coat and jeans. Not sure if he's wearing a tie or not. She's not trying for autograph b/c they have to be in line at Kimmel by 3pm

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible

Tidbits 9/26

• Don't forget Clay will be on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight! JKL airs in most markets at 12:05 AM, but be sure to check local listings! Reports from the Kimmel lineup outside his Hollywood & Highland studios in Los Angeles say Kimmel arrived sporting a Clay Aiken t-shirt. Too cute!

• Clay is on the homepage of Netscape Celebrity- the People mag interview article is included.
  
• TV columns today mentions Clay's Kimmel appearance tonight
• Kansas City Star
• Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
• Hartford Courant
• Winnipeg Sun
  
• LiveDaily article about Clay's Christmas tour.
• New York Daily News, LA Times - ATDW review (mostly negative)
• iVillage TV Cocktail mentions the Clay mention on NBC's Studio 60.
• Palm Beach Post mentions AI4 drop-out Mario Vasquez - "Vazquez was eventually contacted by Jess Rosen, the attorney who got Clay Aiken out of his contract after coming in second in 2003."
• Clay is in this week's TIME Magazine online quiz- the question is: "Clay Aiken says he takes Paxil for panic attacks that are brought on by:". I laughed out loud when I read the first choice: "Nightmares about Simon Cowell not liking him".

• Taking A Moment: Wishing Clay a speedy recovery (he's sick... he cancelled a TV appearance yesterday. Let's hope he's feeling better tonight for Kimmel).
  

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, American Idol, Without You, Invisible