Deadline for Sending CD's To Our Overseas Troops is 10/20

If any of you have put off sending CD's to Easterseal from The Clayboard for her to send to our troops in Iraq, the deadline is right around the corner. Easterseal has moved the deadline back to October 20.

At this time, Easterseal has received over 1,900 CD's to be sent to our men and women overseas. Wouldn't it be great if the number reached 2,000! If you've been thinking of buying more CD's, this is a great opportunity to send some wonderful music to our troops for their enjoyment and to help Clay's sales numbers at the same time.

Head over to The Clayboard Thread about sending the CD's to the troops, go to Page 15 of the Thread, scroll down to the bottom of the page to Easterseal's post, and it will tell you what to do to mail the CD's.

Thanks to Easterseal for taking on this project!

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

Elton John Mentions Clay On QVC

Elton John mentioned Clay when appearing on the QVC shopping channel today.

The CB's starrynight4clay brings us this recap:

Elton John just finished a one hour live show on QVC, and it was amazing! I would love to see Clay do this. He performed several songs from his new CD live from the stage of his Red Piano show in Las Vegas. Also, he talked extensively about the songs on the album and how they were recorded and what the meanings are. Great show, with an extra bonus CD of live tracks.

Then...he started talking about Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word when asked about his favorite songs. He said it had a resurgence in recent years and named several people who had recorded it including the band Blue, Mary J. Blige, and EJ's duet with Ray Charles. I was holding my breath hoping for a mention....then he adds, "And Clay Aiken just recorded it for his CD."

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

Tidbits 10/14

• It's been exactly 3 years since the release of MOAM! Wow! Time flies!
  

• Debunking The Myth of Claymates- heads up on TV Guide Special.
• Clayigraphy - marking the arrival of fall with tons of ATDWs.
  

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

New Clay Mentions In Magazines

Clay is mentioned in several magazines this month. Thanks to Claymaniac News for the scans.

• W Magazine declares "spikes are out and layers are in"
• Life & Style - "Stars have roomies too!"
• OK - mention of Simon Cowell's stupidity.
  

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

Clay's Daily Double - Winner of the 2006 Clammy Awards

Clay's Daily Double has been named the BEST CLAY AIKEN WEBSITE by the 2006 Clammy Awards! Results to this year's Clammy Awards were announced earlier today. On behalf of Jan and all our friends here at CDD - a big thank you go out to YOU for making this possible!

A big round of applause for our friends at Clay Aiken The Ideal Idol who took home the People's Choice award under the websites category.

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

"Merry Christmas With Love" In Girl Scouts Fall Magazine

You know the saying that "Clay is everywhere"? Well, once again we find that to be true. Heather at The Clayboard tells us the following:

My Daughter is in Girl Scouts and she got her Fall Sale Catalogs, which include Nuts, Chocolates, Magazines, And CD's.

In the Christmas Section of the Catalog for CD's, not only does it have Clays Christmas CD MCWL but it has a picture of the CD also. Out of only 24 CD's listed in the Christmas Section of this Catalog, only 3 CD's have Pics of the Cover.

What awesome news, and yet a place we probably never thought Clay's CD would turn up.

Heather also says that the girl scouts are not actually selling the CD, but that people can order it from them and expect to receive it by the end of November. Hopefully these sales count toward Sound Scan!

The catalog has 24 Christmas CD's listed, and of these only 3 have pictures next to the listings. And guess whose CD is one of these! The three that have pictures are:

-Clay Aiken Merry Christmas With Love
-Christmas Classics
-Harry Connick, JR. Harry for the Holidays

Oh! and for those of you concerned about Clay's CD being much too close to the chocolate and nuts they are selling, those are in a separate catalog from the CD's! We can all breath a collective sigh of relief now!! :)

What a great new market for Clay's Christmas CD. If you would like to have the fall catalog sent to your house, go to the girl scout's catalog site.

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

Clay Kisses Tyra At Taping

The buzz is back on! From all the reports on the boards, we're in store for one of the best Clay TV appearances in the history of the Clay nation. Clay taped an episode of The Tyra Banks Show yesterday. No TV air date has been announced yet, but we should see this episode of the show on TV later this month, or early next month.

• Clayboard- many indepth reports for you to read.
  

Here is a fantastic (and long) recap from the CH's spotlightlover:

I thought nothing would ever top Kimmel.

I.Was.Wrong. LONG LIVE THE CLYRA!!!!!!111!!!!

Where to start. Well, Clay kissed Tyra Banks on the lips. In front of God and everybody, and me.

They were all over each other. Tyra LIKES to touch Clay. Wouldn't we all. She was our perfect surrogate, and we didn't even hate her for being beautiful and rich and touching Clay. Permaswooned says she's not sure Clay's ever cuddled with anybody that much other than Raleigh. There were laps involved as well as lips. Did I mention lips? Hers? His? Together?

Awright. Now I'll start from the beginning. This is a joint recap from Permaswooned, artquest, ncgurrl, ocregmom, calclay, polyvinyl, California Clayfan, and spot. It will no doubt be in segments because while we wrote a lot of this at the restaurant, the later stuff is in scraps because we started to get hazy. I see Nelle and others have already spilled a lot of the beans. Thank heaven for Permaswooned and her photographic memory.

First, the preamble. We waited. And waited. And waited. And pottied. And waited. Some folks were there from 10 a.m. and we didn't get into the studio until after 5 p.m. The audience wranglers were very nice and gave us granola bars and drinks so we wouldn't pass out. I heard many remarks – as at Kimmel – on the order of “Why do we do this again?” Finally they led us into the studio. We had to take a huge elevator – cattle-car-sized – up a couple of floors. As we were walking down a long hallway, the entire band walked right by us in the opposite direction. ncgurrl gave a wolf-whistle to Clarence's @#%$ as it passed.

The studio is smaller than Kimmel, only 125 in the audience. The audience warm-up guy was a very funny fellow. He explained that the delay was caused because they are not used to having LIVE singers and it took time to get the sound just right. He was very complimentary about Clay's live singing and made some remarks about lip synching. He told us his name was Dix and said that's D-I-X so don't get too excited. He did not try to lick California Clayfan.

ncgurrl got to sit in a second-row center aisle seat and she got a free Tyra t-shirt. We ran over her after the show.

A young girl behind me gave a Clay pin to the warm-up guy and he felt obligated to put it on and talk about it. Shortly after that, one of the cameramen ran over to the same girl and asked if she had any more. She gave him two pins and HE put them on!

Audience: we think no more than half the audience was hard-core Clay fans. There were a lot of PYTs who were Tyra fans sitting in the front rows and well-scattered throughout the audience. There were a few young guys with their girls.

The songs came first. The band came out and were introduced one at a time. The piano guy's name is either Doug or Don or Dan, we can't seem to agree on what was said. OK, CCF insists it's Don. Whatever. They pumped us up and explained that Clay would first sing 1000 Days and then a Christmas song. @#%$? polyvinyl saw them hammering and sawing on a piece of the Christmas set backstage only minutes before the show started.

Clay was introduced to the expected shrieking. I think we impressed them with our craz-er, enthusiasm. Tyra come up in the second row of the audience and sat two seats away from me and CCF to do Clay's introduction into the camera. She may have sat there for the song, we're not sure as we were watching you-know-who.

Clay marched up to the microphone, very focused, to sing 1000 Days. He was wearing a charcoal suit, a charcoal pin-striped shirt, and a charcoal tie, and the usual black boots. The hair was different - very long in back, very puffed up, almost a pompadour, brushed back on both sides away from his face, with a side part. The forehead was making a comeback. The hair looked a little big for his face for me, but most liked it. 1000 Days was one of those "workin' it in a small space" performances, very much played to the camera. ncgurrl says he sang it directly to her. artquest and thought it was a bit phoned-in, and I thought he was trying a bit too hard like he does when he's not really feeling a song, but naturally we were loudly overruled. It certainly wasn't BAD, but I think it was just difficult for him to come out there cold and start with that song.

artquest was watching the camera monitor right in front of her, and watching Clay, and she could see that Clay always instinctively knew which camera was about to come on. They were pumping a bit of smoke onto the set for his song which made it a little hard to see, very soft-focused with a lot of light reflection. Clay left the stage almost immediately after the song, so he could change clothes and they could change the set.

They took down several chandeliers on the set and put up a kind of picket-fence thing with white lights in the background, probably what polyvinyl saw them building earlier. When they were done, Clay came out to sing again. I saw on the teleprompter that he was going to sing Mary Did You Know. Tyra once again introduced him while sitting in the audience. The hair had changed a bit, there were now some feathered bangs partly over his eyes but not the heavy bangs we saw at Kimmel. He was wearing a dark-brown jacket with a pinstripe, looked like either corduroy or velour, the same shirt, a brown silky tie, and jeans. He sat on a stool to sing the song. The Random Lyric Generator kicked in immediately, he sang the "kissed the face of God' lyric twice but never flinched. I could hear his actual acoustic voice over the sound system, he was only about 15 feet away. The song was lovely, and we cheered in places - both in response to Clay, of course, AND responding to the stage manager who was whooping us up. Clay left the set, they started to move some things, and then Clay came back. They were going to do it again. We cheered!

At this point Clay started to relax a bit and look at the audience. Dix the warmup guy had made some warbling noises like he was going to sing, and Clay said he should. Dix seemed surprised that Clay talked to him, so he walked over and shook Clay's hand. Clay said "you're very entertaining". Dix remarked to the audience that he was going to put his hand up for sale on eBay. We cheered!

Before the second take of MDYK, the stage manager explained that they wanted a "clean" take without any audience noise, so we were not to applaud. Clay made face of astonishment and flung his arms wide, like "WHAT?!? No applause?!?!". We laughed, and then obeyed and were silent. They started the music. Clay sang, "Mary did you know, that your baby boy ----uh buh buh" and stopped. The audience laughed. Clay said to the stage manager, "It's YOUR fault, because they didn't applaud!" Sooooo - he got to start AGAIN! We cheered!

The third take was perfect. @#%$. As Clay left the stage again to change, I saw him say "thank you" to the stage manager.

They had to take down the Christmas set and all the band instruments, and set up couches for the interview. They told us that to find out when the show would air, go to tyrashow.com and search for Clay Aiken. The band got a big round of applause.

Next, they would film the opening of the show. Tyra sashayed in on her "runway" and the audience was instructed to go crazy. Tyra narrated a short video of Clay's journey on American Idol and afterward. She introduced Clay, and HE sashayed in down the runway, walking like a male model displaying his jacket. Tyra looked surprised but caught on quickly. They hugged and went over to the couch, and Clay's foot immediately went under his butt. Yes, he sat on his foot for the entire show.

We had been told there would be two interview segments. Tyra settled onto her spot on the couch and launched into naming the Claymates, the Claynadians, the Claysians, and then announced that she was proud to be a Clayfrican American. Clay looked puzzled and laughed. She said it again, and he still didn't get it, so she explained - "You know, like African-American?" and Clay said, "OOOOOOOHHHHH!", laughed, and reached out and touched her. There was a LOT of touching. Did I mention that?

Tyra asked about his allergies and he mentioned tree nuts. She asked specifically if that included pecans, which she loves, and he said yes it does. Clay said that he swells up (uh - taking a moment here) if he just touches someone who has handled nuts (um, taking another moment here). He talked about being on a plane and refusing a bowl of mixed nuts, then later the flight attendant put her hand on his while taking a picture and his hand swelled up with a big welt. Clay said, "But we cleared your set of all nuts today", and she said, yes, she went looking for some but there weren't any there. Clay said, "But the good part is, I'm going to LIVE."

Then he listed his other allergies - mushrooms, mint, shellfish, coffee, and chocolate. Tyra asked him if he has the same swelling-up reaction when he touches chocolate. He said, "No". She said, "Good", and proceeded to take his hand and rub it all over her face with a big grin. She said, "I'm glad you're not too sensitive to a little chocolate." He was liking it. We were DYING. He scooted closer to her and they practically -- well, there was more touching. They kind of snuggled up together on the couch. We cheered!

Since Tyra was now thoroughly warmed up, she started to talk about "there's this thing you do with your eyes to the camera", and Clay laughed and said, "I've heard that", and that people are always telling him to open his eyes when he sings. CCF sat on me so I wouldn't jump up and yell, "It's an Eye%$#$! An Eye%$#$!"

Tyra started talking about his new look on American Idol -- we thought she meant AI5. Then they showed the Teen Wolf picture and Clay said, "Oh, no!" and put his hands over his eyes. He explained that when he found out he was going to get to go to Hollywood, he went to a salon in Charlotte and asked them to make him look like a popstar, and that was the result. Then they showed him in the lumberjack plaid shirt, and he said that was a shirt he just pulled out of his backpack. Then there was the Billboard picture with glasses. He said he wore them then because he thought he would look smarter. Tyra said "I have contacts," and Clay said, "Oh, I do too", Tyra said "Let me see" and they both leaned forward, faces about five inches apart, staring into each others eyes. She gazed into the green orbs for fully ten seconds, and survived. We cheered!

The rest of the chronology gets vague, we’re not exactly sure where the breaks were taken and what was in each segment. They just kept taping segment after segment and we got more and more incredulous. We never wanted it to end. We had hit the mother-lode of Clay interviews. More and more people from backstage came out to watch and listen as the show went on and on. The somber guy holding the cue cards laughed a lot. Two of the cameramen were grinning ear-to-ear the whole show. A blonde guy wearing a headset - possibly a producer - came over and shmoozed with Clay during breaks. They were all falling in love.

Tyra said she heard he had a deep dark secret won't share with anyone – his favorite color – and asked why. He explained that during Idol, he kept being asked all kinds of questions about himself, and at some point someone said we know everything about you except your favorite color. And Clay said he decided, you know what, I think I want to keep that one to myself. Tyra said, so only your mother knows? And Clay said no, only about three people know and they are sworn to secrecy.

“My favorite color is yellow,” said Tyra. “Well, that's a good color,” said Clay. She tried to narrow it down: “Is it in a box of crayons?” “It's in the big one with 164 colors.” “Ewww, it’s not burnt umber, is it?” “Tyra, you’re not getting a scoop today.” “I’m going to have to find out.” “Well, if you do, then I’ll just change it.” All this was insufferably cute. They were flirting like crazy.

They talked about his house in Raleigh, and she asked him how big it was. Clay said, it’s big enough to hold me and some friends. She said, 5000 feet? He said, it’s big enough to hold me and some friends. She said, 10,000 feet? Bigger? He said, whose house is bigger than 10,000 feet? Tyra mentioned Kimora Lee, who has a 50,000 sq foot house, and Clay said, “That’s the size of the entire CBS studios!”

She asked about his mother doing the decorating, and what his sense of style was, and he said, basically my taste is Faye Parker. He said he liked contemporary styles, no antiques or granny furniture, but not too architectural and stark, not like the bridge of the starship enterprise. Tyra said, “You'd like my house. It’s like that,” and Clay said, “So I’m invited?” and turned to the audience and gave a thumbs-up “yessssss!” sign with a big grin.

*pant, pant*

Probably after the allergies stuff, Tyra asked what kind of food he likes. He said anything as long as it’s fried and fattening. I think he said he liked comfort foods. Tyra named a couple of foods – then she said “Mac ‘n cheese?” And he squealed a kind of “WOO-oooo” over that one. They had a discussion about the differences between collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens, and which ones were tangier. Tyra told him he should come to her house for dinner and she’d do some southern cooking for him. They were both looking pretty ready to eat at that point. Ahem.

She mentioned that his birthday was coming up and what did he plan to do. He told her that for the first time in three years, he would have the day off for his birthday (uh, ex-cuuuuze me Clay, but you @#%$ well better be in Waukegan THE NEXT DAY TO SING) so he would probably just hang out with friends. Tyra said, “What kind of cake do you like for your birthday? Chocolate? Vanilla?” and Clay says, “Well, not CHOCOLATE!” and Tyra went “Oops!” Then she said, “well, there are a lot of different cakes, there’s carrot cake..” and Clay jumped in and said, “but that usually has NUTS in it!” and Tyra got really flustered and laughing and said, let’s just forget about the cake.

Now, a bit of a diversion. Thanks to the efforts of Clandy, CCF had been contacted by Mary, one of the two tattoo sisters. Mary was staying at a hotel in Disneyland, on vacation with her husband and three little boys. We arranged to pick her up and drive her to the show with us. While were were waiting in line, we introduced her to lots of folks and she displayed her tattoo trophy. So during a break, one of the fans mentioned Mary to the warm-up guy, and he of course had to locate her in the audience and let Clay know about it. Even though she is a bit shy and was kinda reluctant, Mary went up onstage.

Mary told us about being onstage later. While they were on stage, Clay asked her if the tattoo had healed OK. He asked where Phoebe was, and if she had come all the way from Utah just for the Tyra show. She replied, no, she was there with her husband and family, and he said Oh, you’re married? And looked at her wedding ring. He asked her if Tyra could see the tattoo, and then he pulled the shirt down to show it to her. He hugged her 3 or 4 times. They videoed a short segment introducing her, and showing the tattoo on camera, and then she went back to the audience.

Mary was great fun and we very much enjoyed having her with us. She took a couple of pictures of our group with her and her tattoo and we hope to get them in email later.

I think you’ve heard about the talk about hair extensions. Clay said that Quiana, one of his singers, wanted to know about Tyra’s hair extensions and then he said, there, did you hear her squeal backstage? Later, during a break, Quiana came out onto the set and was standing behind the couch talking to Clay. Clay turned to the audience and told the story of how Quiana had beaten him in his first AI audition, and how they really should hear her sing. She didn’t want to and started to leave. The warmup guy gave chase as she ran off the back of the set into the hall. Eventually he dragged her back out and gave her a microphone. Clay said to Tyra, “If I get her to sing, will you tell her about your hair weave?” Tyra agreed. Quiana was still being shy, so Clay said, “Get over here, woman!” and pointed to the front of the stage. Quiana then blew away the place with IWALY. The warmup guy talked about what kind of a guy Clay was, how rare it was to see a big star do something like that. (Side note: after the show, calclay talked to the warmup guy, who said Clay was the best interview they’ve ever had.)

Probably as part of the makeover talk, Tyra asked Clay when he looks in a mirror, what does he like most about his look. He was completely taken aback. He kinda babbled for a minute trying to dodge the question: “Wow – you know, I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that – I thought people had asked me everything, they always say what’s the one question nobody has asked, and that is probably it --- I don’t know how to answer that!” So then Tyra said she would tell him what she liked about his features. She said, “I love the bridge of your nose”, and we cheered. She said she liked his eyebrows. We cheered. She luuuuved his eyelashes. We went berserk. I’m not sure if it was here, but at some point Clay did one of those finger-dimples-in-the-cheeks moves, out of embarrassment. Gawd. He was A-FREAKING-DORABLE.

As they were about to go to a break, Tyra lowered her voice, put on a serious face, and got very dramatic. "When we come back, Clay will answer the one question that is on the minds of everyone." So they come back from break, and Tyra gets all mock-serious. "Clay, are you ready to answer the big question?" Clay looks verklempt. Tyra takes both his hands in hers. "This is a safe place for you. Are you ready to talk about it?" Clay looks like he's fighting back tears. So she says, "Finally - we can ask -- boxers or briefs?" And Clay says
he feels that this is the place he can finally be comfortable talking about this difficult subject. "I wear boxers." Total bedlam. Then she asked if he ever wears boxer-briefs, and he said, "I've been known to, occasionally." "What color? Black? White?" "I like to mix it up, I don't discriminate." It's really impossible to accurately convey this segment, it was so completely a tongue-in-cheek parody of the Diane Sawyer interview.

Tyra said she'd heard that he wants HER job, that he's interested in a talk show, and he said yes, and then pulled out some cards with questions that he'd brought to ask her. The cards had a logo on them similar to Tyra's, but I think it had Clay in it instead. They switched places on the couch. He sat on his foot. They took a break at this point, which may be when Quiana came out.

Clay then proceeded to interview Tyra. Most of this has been posted already - asking her about who she's dating, for how long, would she introduce the guy to her mother. Tyra kept saying, I can't believe I'm telling you all this! He asked her about her first love and she told the story of Antonio Epps in junior high who wouldn't even look at her. Then Tyra said, I wonder where he is now, and Clay said, "He's at home crying his eyes out, that's where!" and then he made a “so there” face at the camera.

He talked about the great career she's had so far and asked what else she wants to do, like perhaps movies. She said yes, she'd like to act, but also to produce movies because she's a control freak. He didn't respond in kind to that one, heh.

He said something about did she feel strange having him interview her, and she said yes, that she should be on the other side of the couch. So Clay held out his arms and said, "Well, come over here!" and she turned around and snuggled up her back to him, practically on his lap. They were doing spoons! EEEEEEEEE!

At some earlier point (I think) they talked about the CD. I must have fainted briefly because I missed the part where she asked about the love songs theme, and Clay said that "Clive Davis MANDATED a love-song covers CD". She asked him about singing styles and could he sing scat, and he said, "You mean like boppety-bip-bop-boo?" And we died. And then he did a little more.

Toward the end, Tyra asked him if he could dance, and he said "NO!" She insisted she could teach him some moves. They did a little two-step thing, then something else - the camera was in my way and I couldn't really see - and then she started doing this really sexy hip movement facing him and he tried to copy it. Then they turned their backs to us and she was really shaking her booty but Clay just dissolved in laughter.

Clay asked how they should end the show, and Tyra said it had to be something really special. I thought they were going to jump on each other right then. So Clay says, "You mean, like a kiss?" and we screamed. Tyra looked a little shocked and Clay laughed and said, "I guess that wasn't in the script!" Then then leaned forward and did a little peck on the lips and we went nuts.

I don't remember if it was before or after the kiss, but then they sang a little theme song, Clay doing one line, then Tyra a line. I don't remember the words or much else about it except that it's pure heaven when Clay sings a capella.


They hugged and then posed for a couple of still pictures, Tyra said his name again, and he was gone.

*Sigh*. That's all I can remember at this ungodly hour. Maybe a few other details will surface. I'm scared to death to think how they will possibly edit this down to one show, it was all pure gold.

A few people got Clayverted tonight, no kidding. ncgurrl remarked at dinner that she "loved how they realized what they had, and just kept rolling." I think they could have interviewed him for four more hours.

He was just amazing.

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

AmericanIdol.com Poll - "Who Was Your Favourite Runner-Up"?

Here's a poll that we should be focusing on! AmericanIdol.com, American Idol's official website, is asking you "Which runner up was your favourite?". Clay currently holds a 54% lead, but Katharine McPhee is catching up with her 22% vote share.

VOTE HERE - AMERICANIDOL.COM.

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

People Magazine Outtakes

Brace yourself for these gorgeous People magazine outtakes. THUD. Thanks to the CH's mee2u for posting these. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST THESE TO THE OFFICIAL FANCLUB MESSAGE BOARD/BLOG.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

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

Tidbits 10/13

Wow! Only when seeing this photo by the CH's fountaindawg did it strike me- Clay Aiken looks nothing like the Clay Aiken we were introduced to 3 years ago. See more Then and Now comparisons here.

• Clay's Tyra Banks Show taping will begin tonight at 7 PM EDT/4 PM PDT. Full recaps will be posted on CDD tomorrow.
  
• Cashbox Magazine- "The Clamour for Clay" --

  Clay Aiken’s Third Album makes him the 4th artist ever to have his first 3 albums debut in the Top 5 on Billboard Charts.
  
  His fan support is stronger than ever, hundreds of fans were there at Virgin Megastore in Hollywood on Sept. 26 for an in-store signing by Clay. The signing lasted an unheard of 3 hours at which point Clay had extreme writers cramp and laughingly admits to signing one CD as: “Clay Clay”
  
  A check of one music web site that allow voting for your favorite artist find him out distancing the top artists by amazing numbers. Clay Aiken currently Scores 1505 Excellent votes for “Without You”. The closest competitor is JoJo with 138 Excellent Votes for "Too Little Too Late". The rest of the ratings for The Fray, Snow Patrol, Evanescence, Elton John, Nickelback, Beyonce and Fergie fall somewhere between 20 to 64. Normally these ratings would be decent and a good gauge of a successful single but Clay can thank his super strong following of internet savy fans who aren't satified with just "decent" for their powerhouse prince. You can bet this kind of reaction is going to continue as Clay's followers keep clamoring for more and more.
  

• Foxes on Idol - ATDW sales continue to dip.
• Dallas Fort-Worth Telegram - reader response to their less than glowing review of ATDW -

  OK, here's another e-mail because you mentioned Clay. ;-) You're entitled to your opinion about his album, ... Some people just don't go for adult contemporary fare and that's OK. I happen to enjoy artists like Beck, R.E.M., Pink, U2, Eminem, the Dixie Chicks, Evancescence, Outkast, Keane, and I'm greatly looking forward to the new Who CD after all these yrs. But I also love Clay's voice, personality and heart ...
  
  And I found his new CD, though not what I was hoping for by a long shot, to be a lovely romance album. There is room in this world for love songs performed in a unique style by an amazing singer. ... But what on earth are you thinking dissing his new hairstyle???
  
  Have you even looked at him lately with an unbiased eye? The guy has NEVER looked better, more mature, confident, handsome. The hair frames his face perfectly. God, if cheap shots like yours send him back to those crappy spikes, there will be hell to pay, woman! LOL!

• Ottawa Sun - Suzie McNeil performs her duet with Clay @ Ottawa concert - "Backed by four of Toronto's top session players, she'll be singing some of the songs she performed on Rock Star, a couple of cuts from her album, and I Want To Know What Love Is, which she sang on American Idol Clay Aiken's latest album."
• The State SC - Xmas concert mentioned - concert calendar
• Cinematic Happenings Under Developement - DVD called "Blue Collar TV" includes impersonation of Clay Aiken (???)
• Reality TV News - American Idol Rewind takes you through good-old AI memories.
• ATDW mentions - Honolulu Advertiser, Orlando Sentinel
• Clay shows up in the weirdest places, including in this Trinity Western University PR about a Canadian news program called The Standard, which Clay appeared on last year.
  

• USA Today Music blogs - comments on Clay's sales, now this comment submitted to the Idol blog speaks volume of ATDW's success:

  All things considered, Clay's album is selling amazingly well. How many other pop artists have produced these numbers without benefit of a video or radio single, not to mention absolutely no pre-promotion to speak of??? Name me one, Ken, then I'll buy your disaster theory. Clay is selling on the basis of his voice & name ALONE. Despite the covers concept & despite a vast national lack of supply at retail. Any other artist in his situation would have probably fallen off the chart by now, yet there he is hanging in at the Top 20. You've also given no thought to how well he traditionally sells during the holiday shopping season where this CD & his Christmas album will most likely be promoted together.

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

Clay Featured @ Grammy.com

The Associated Press article about Clay from last month has now been posted on the Grammy Awards' website.

Aiken Album Marks New Chapter
After a year and a half away from the spotlight, Clay Aiken returns with an edgy new look, a far-from-edgy new album and a newly secure sense of self.

"I know it's a new chapter but it's kind of like a whole new book — the sequel to my life before," says a casually dressed and scruffy-faced Aiken, sitting in an office at RCA Records, his label. "It's like we're starting out on something brand new where I'm really getting to be myself."

But not everything is brand new. On his new album, A Thousand Different Ways, Aiken covers 10 classic love songs and introduces four original tracks. It was a "challenge" issued by music mogul Clive Davis, who oversaw the project — and one that Aiken says he was initially reluctant to accept.

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

Tidbits 10/12

Clay is featured in this week's TeenPeople.com Star Tracks!

• Very nice Clay mention in an ESPN article about Tiger Woods:

  Eventually, their confidence swells and they morph into someone else -- in any situation, in any room, they're usually the alpha dog, and they know it. The perfect example is Clay Aiken, the dorky crooner from "American Idol" who slowly morphed into this generation's Barry Manilow. Ever see Aiken on a talk show now? He's as smooth as Merv Griffin in his prime.

• A few mentions of Clay's Dec. 1 Waukegan, IL concert -
  
• Chicago News Sun 1st article - '"American Idol" contestant and subsequent pop star Clay Aiken has been booked to appear at the Genesee Theatre on Dec. 1, with tickets scheduled to go on sale Oct. 13.'
• Chicago News Sun 2nd article (very short)
• Hickory Record - United Way race organizer - "The great thing about this event besides the racing is that we are able to send a powerful message about inclusion and the efforts of the Bubel/Clay Aiken Foundation to help bridge the gap between people with disabilities and the world around them."
• Reality Reel has a Clay Aiken Sweepstake - your chance to win a copy of the non-commercial "Without You" CD single (sent to radio stations), a poster and a magnet. You have until November 30 to submit your ballot.
• 24 Hours - calling Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson mediocre (???)
• LBFCA- Clay Aiken & Cooking- "good looking!"
• Clay was mentioned on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night. Ruben Studdard was Kimmel's musical guest -- from the CV's Jackpot: "Jimmy introduced Ruben as the guy who beat out the skinny little redhead on American Idol. Jimmy Kimmel just had Ruben on singing a song to the guys and gals on The Biggest Loser. The singing rhyme included a line about Clay -- Aiken rhymed with Bacon. It was very funny."
  

• USA Today Idol blog - Clay has another wobbly sales week, but much better than AI4 drop out Mario Vasquez's 6,000 copies sold this week (oops.)
  

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

David Foster To Be Inducted Into Canadian Music Hall of Fame

David Foster has been given the honor of being named to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and will be inducted next year, according to an article in Chartattack.com entitled, "David Foster To Enter Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame".

In talking about the many successes of David Foster, the article mentions Clay toward the end. It says, "Foster now heads the Warner-affiliated 143 Records label, the home to top-selling pop crooners Michael Buble and Josh Groban, while continuing to write and produce for Clay Aiken, Katherine McPhee and others."

As you read the article, note all the big names that Foster has worked with over the last few decades...in the 70's, Chuck Berry, John Lennon, Diana Ross, George Harrison, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand; in the 80's, Chicago, Peter Cetera, Hall And Oates, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, and Olivia Newton-John; in the 90's, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, Brandy, Gloria Estefan, and Whitney Houston, among many other names mentioned. And of course, as we have already mentioned from the article, in this decade Clay Aiken, among others.

Congratulations to David Foster for this honor. We hope that you will be working with Clay for many years to come!

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

Clay Co-Hosting With Kelly; Dr. Phil Appearance Announced

RCA has posted some exciting new information about Clay's new TV appearances. A new appearance (date TBD) on The Dr. Phil show was also announced today! The following appearances are now listed on RCA Records' website.

Oct 16 Clay Aiken - Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) re-airing

TBA Clay Aiken - Tyra Banks Show

TBA Clay Aiken - Dr. Phil

TBA Clay Aiken - The Megan Mullally Show

Nov 17 Clay Aiken - Live with Regis & Kelly: Co-hosting with Kelly and performing

Nov 21 Clay Aiken - American Music Awards: Presenter

The news section on RCA's site was also updated to include information about Clay's Yahoo! Music exclusive:

10.09.06 - Clay featured on Yahoo! Music
Click here to see some screen shots and information about Clay being featured on Yahoo! Music and Live @ Yahoo! Music.

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

TIdbits 10/11

Anyone need us to call an ambulance? THUD. Thanks to BecauseYouLive @ the CB for finding this treasure.

• Unofficial 3rd week sales for ATDW are in. HDD projects ATDW to be #20 on this week's Billboard 200, with around 37, 500 copies sold this week.
  
• Lycos 50 - Clay is #13 on this week's Lycos Top 50!! That's up 2 from last week and 172 weeks on the list!
• About.com Top 40 - Merry Christmas With Love is #4 on the Top 10 Christmas Albums list!
• David Letterman Show - There was a Clay mention in one of David Letterman's jokes a couple of nights ago. Charlotteclayfan at The Clayboard said that David said: "Seems Kim (North Korea) won't bomb the US because he doesn't want to risk hurting his favorite singer...Clay Aiken." (they show a picture of Clay at the BMAs, spiky hair, black suit, glasses) Then Dave comes on and says, "Kim likes Clay...
  "You can see this clip at: Letterman Clip.
• Chicago News - Clay coming to Illionis for Christmas concert
• New York Post- Ruben Studdard slims down - the usual Clay mentions
• PA News- Kenny Chesney follows Clay, Justin on Billboard 200.
• Philidelphia Weekly - "You’d probably be more willing to admit having either album in your CD rotation than Clay Aiken’s just-released cover schmaltzfest, wouldn’t you?"
• Salon - Diane Sawyer gets tough, this time with Mel Gibson -- "she recently made headlines with a semi-confrontational interview with Clay Aiken"
  

• Techie Diva (non-Clay) - iPod pillow's "main purpose is to hold your iPod (of course), and put you to sleep to the sweet sounds of Clay Aiken."
  

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

Want a Clay Pumpkin For Halloween?

We have Clay t-shirts, Clay keychains, Clay pins, and Clay bobbleheads. Well, how about a Clay pumpkin?!

Martigyrl at The Clayboard has started a thread with great patterns for
carving Clay's likeness into a pumpkin. A pattern with Clay's new look is also included by llbun. There are at least 7 patterns to choose from. Just click on the pattern to enlarge it and then print it out. and apparently they can be completed in an afternoon, maybe a little longer for us novices. The hardest part is not cutting the pattern, but cleaning out the pumpkin. Rubbing vaseline over the cut parts makes it last longer.

Enjoy your Clay pumpkin!!

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

Exclusive Footage From Clay at Virgin Megastore on OFC

Today is the day for great news from the OFC. For members of the Official Fan Club, on the VIDEO page of the OFC, you can watch video footage of Clay's appearance at the Virgin Megastore on 9/26. And this is only Part I. News of Part II of the video will be coming soon!

Here's the information that is on the public page of the OFC. Note also the news that the ENTIRE will soon be available!!

10/10/06 : Clay Fan Club Exclusive Media: Clay at Virgin Megastore
By Team Clay

The Clay Aiken Official Fan Club is pleased to present exclusive footage from his in-store appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Hollywood on September 26th, 2006. Check out the VIDEO page to watch Clay Aiken @ Virgin Megastore: Part I. Stay tuned to the news for the latest on the next episode, Clay Aiken @ Virgin Megastore: Part II. ENJOY!

Also, if you were at the Clay Aiken Virgin Megastore in-store event and you were able check out some of the amazing footage playing on the screens, you'll soon be able to catch the ENTIRE video right here at the Clay Aiken Official Fan Club. Stay tuned for more info coming soon!

For those of you who have not joined yet but would like to join so you can see this video and take part in all the other great benefits, go to www.clayonline.com. The home page has information for how to join.

Happy Viewing!!

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

Team Clay Tells of Several More November Clay Appearances

Get ready to be thrilled and excited! On the front public page of Clay's Official Fan Club, there is information about several more appearances on TV by Clay in November!

Here is Team Clay's announcement:

10/10/06 : More Clay on TV!
By Team Clay

Clay will be busy filming his appearance on the Tyra Banks Show this coming Friday, October 13th. Stay tuned to the news for details on when his appearance will air.

He will also be working on a taping of The Megan Mullally Show in Hollywood on November 1st. Be sure to catch it when it airs the next day, November 2nd!

Additionally, you'll be able to find Clay appearing in an upcoming episode of Days of Our Lives. Stay tuned for more info.

Last, but not least, don't miss Clay on November 21st when he'll be presenting on the American Music Awards!

As you can see, dates have only been announced for the Megan Mullally Show (11/02) and the AMA's (11/21). Also, in addition to these appearances, Clay is scheduled to be on Regis and Kelly on November 17.

Mark your calendars now. We will let you know when the dates for the other shows have been made public.

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

Clay To Be Interviewed By MediaFiends

Clay will be interviewed by internet entertainment website MediaFiends. They recently invited us to submit questions for Clay (submissions are no longer being accepted).

No word yet on when this interview will actually happen.

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

Join The BAF For Beta Alpha 2006

The Bubel Aiken Foundation announced the first annual Beta Alpha Initiative today.

Join the Voices of Beta Alpha and join the push toward full inclusion. Beta Alpha is a nationwide community project where groups come together to raise funds and build awareness for full inclusion. It is easier than you think to join the effort and make a real difference. Beta Alpha allows you to turn any event—golf tournaments, tennis matches, marathons, auctions—into one that helps support the goal of inclusion. It will also allow people to make individual donations to join the cause.

You can register your group for this worthy cause here.

For more information, head over to the Bubel Aiken Foundation's website.

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

Borders Exclusive Interview With Clay

Borders recently did an exclusive interview with Clay. The interview was posted on Borders.com today:

Reinterpreting classic songs of yesteryear is always an interesting adventure. Did you find yourself infusing the song with your own personality to give it a fresh take, taking on the character of that song from its classic sense, or doing a combination of both in the final product?

Clay Aiken: I think that reinterpretation was a really big goal of this project. It was kind of tough for me to assume that I could really do some of these songs that are so recognizable in a way that would hold up to the original. So, we made a strong effort to try to bring a new fresh take to each song. Like, trying a Celtic turn on "Everything I Do" or bringing the ethereal vibe to "Broken Wings."

You mention "Here You Come Again" as a favorite of yours from the new album, originally done by Dolly Parton. Is this your only exploration of pop-country, and how did it feel to give yourself a little country in your music with your roots in the South?

CA: I grew up on country. My mom has always listened to it. I never have found myself gravitating toward one song or the other because of the genre though. I really have always liked this song because of the melody and the great lyric. That's how I tend to pick songs. Our version of this song is quite different from Dolly's version. Hers being so peppy and upbeat; ours being so laid back and chill. I think that is really more of the reason that I love this song so much on A Thousand Different Ways. Because it is a great example of us taking a song that is so recognizable one way and breathing a whole fresh new life into it.

With your four new songs on A Thousand Different Ways are you gravitating to a particular song to showcase where you find you are headed musically beyond this album?

CA: The new songs on the album are so varied and different. They each are types of songs that I gravitate to for one reason or the other. I have really enjoyed doing this project for that reason. It has allowed us to try to create an album that has varied sounds on it, yet still has a continuity and a theme, per se. I hope that I never have to feel pigeonholed into one type of sound, and that I can always feel free to produce music that I love to sing regardless of the so-called "musical direction."

As a finalist on American Idol you represent a certain American dream to everyone reading this interview. Everyone hears about the challenges after the curtain is drawn on the season finale but never about the true triumphs. How has the challenge of simply living your life been helped and made better by this evolving sense of fame from a phenomenon such as the show?

CA: I think, as with anything you do, you become better at your "job" over time. With experience you learn how to navigate the various aspects of what you do daily. Sure, things in this "job" are much different than they would have been had I remained in the classroom teaching. But, I think I am in a place now where I have grown comfortable with my new role.

The new album represents a benchmark for you in terms of songs that you found an affinity to growing up and becoming the singer you are today. Which songs in your mind show the earliest and most recent touchstones of music that show you off to your fans as an artist? Key favorites that you remember falling in love with as a child and more recently that hit you growing up?

CA: I guess the ones that I have the closest connection to would be songs like "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)" or "Right Here Waiting." Not necessarily because I remember a particular event that is tied to them, but probably because they were first popular during a period of my life that I remember as being tougher. I think we all relate to music that helps us through rougher times in our own personal histories.

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

Tidbits 10/10

• The Official Fanclub has 1 new photo of Clay posing with the Good Morning America crew. Find it under the Media > Photos section after you have logged in.
  

• Rolling Stones 1000 Covers: A History of the Most Influential Magazine in Pop Culture - Clay's Rolling Stone Cover is in this book on page 499. By his cover, it says:

  In summer 2003, Clay Aiken won the hearts and minds of the American public with his improbable run through American Idol. Despite his second-place finish, to Ruben Studdard, Rolling Stone put Clay on the cover and was rewarded with one of its top-selling issues of 2003. Fans of Studdard weren't so happy and campaigned for their man to get a cover of his own. Three issues later, we caved in and were rewarded with one of our worst-sellers of the year.

• TV Guide - Clay will be on the TV Guide Channel on October 22. The show will be all Clay for one hour! Get ready to set those VCR's so you can add this to your video collection.
• Teen People - Clay's picture signing a girl's CD at the Virgin Mega Store is in Teen People's "Star Tracks for the Week of September 24 - September 30, 2006.
• Virgin Mega Store Pictures are at:
• Wire Images
• Getty Images
• Newscom
• The Ledger- huge fall season for music -- "new releases by Kenny Chesney, Clay Aiken, Ludacris, Evanescence and Josh Groban"
• Reading Eagle- Kathy Griffin article - short Clay mention.
• Lake County News Sun , Chicago Sun Times - mentions of Clay's upcoming IL Christmas concert -- The News Sun says: "We've heard rumors that "American Idol" also-ran and subsequent pop star Clay Aiken has been booked to appear at the Genesee Theatre on Dec. 1. It makes us heartsick, but at least we wanted you to know about it."
• Louisville Courier Journal - Rolling Stones 'stone cold' to Clay Aiken
• Chicago Sun Times - this is plain stupid, but here it is. In an article about prescription medicines, they mention the side effects often mentioned (??) on TV ads -- "he sudden ability to speak Portuguese and a strange affinity for the musical stylings of Clay Aiken."
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette- Ruben article -- "Ruben Studdard, who actually beat out Clay Aiken to win the second season of American Idol (not that it made any difference), is back with a new album and a new physique."
• Zap2it.tv - Scrubs 4 now on DVD "complete with laughtrack and annoying star cameo from Clay Aiken".
• Brand Week -watch out Clay Aiken for CD's from "Little Monster Records" -- "ROLL over Clay Aiken and tell Ashlee the news—a slew of authentic musical offerings for kids are outcooling you. Coming next: CDs from Little Monster Records, a new specialty label for hip, kid-friendly releases."
• Jam! Canoe.ca - celebs who should be "thankful" (anyone want to enlighten me on why this pathetic piece of journalism is necessary?)
• Las Vegas Review Journal - mentions the recent Clay mention on NBC's Studio 60. "I'm on hold with Clay Aiken's manager"
• Blah, blah, blah. Somebody at the Orange County Register has a problem with us Claymates, and he's choosen to vent it in this desperately long column.

• Chexxxy's - Clay's Hot Pineapple salad is "cheesy goodness"
• ConCLAYve- Charm, Clay's magic weapon -- "Clay's combination of natural charm, innate intelligence, and quick wit is a lethal combination that attracts viewers and invites them into his world."
• Southern Girl- not Clay related, but for those of you (including Clay) who follow The Amazing Race, check out this post.
• New blog- Debunking the Myth of Claymates- fixing the stereotype surrounding Claymates (recommended reading)
  

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

Great Picture of Suzie McNeil With ATDW Poster

A really great picture, brought over to The Clayboard by iluvuclay, shows Suzie McNeil, who sang a duet with Clay on "I Want To Know What Love Is", posing with an ATDW poster. Come to find out that the picture was taken at the Burbank CD Release party!

According to teddyhugz11, also at The Clayboard:

She had nothing but wonderful things to say about OMC! And she kept on saying how it was great to see so many of us there in support of him, celebrating and showing the love for Clay. She said she could feel it, the love in the room, for such an amazing man and how she had never seen or experienced anything quite like it. She was very happy to be there and be apart of it with us.

Suzie signed CD's for the fans and posed for pictures and visited with them. Sally49 said, "I've been waiting to see Clay and Suzie sing their duet on TV ever since I first heard the snippets on Promosquad. I think it would bring in some fans that normally wouldn't pay attention to Clay!" Wouldn't that be great!

Suzie was on Rockstar INXS last year. You can read more about her at her website, www.suziemcneil.ca.

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

Fanclub Looking For YOUR Clay Photos

The official fanclub will open a Claymate photo gallery soon. They are inviting all fanclub members to submit their thudlicious concert and/or event photos for public display (like Invisible926's shot, seen above):

10/09/06 : Clay Aiken Fan Club Album
By Team Clay

Hey Clay Fans! We are creating an exclusive fan club album just for members so now is your chance to submit your favorite Clay Aiken photos! This is a wonderful opportunity for you to show off your photography skills from concerts, events and anything related. Join now to have your exclusive photos featured in the fan club album!

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

Korean Record Store Displays "A Thousand Different Ways"

Bloomingclay at The Clayboard has posted pictures of a display of "A Thousand Different Ways" at a big record store in Korea. Bloomingclay is from South Korea, and she had the following to say about ATDW:

It says "14 beautiful colors of love songs for all the lovers in the world"..."The best star from American Idol Clay's Aiken's new album".

"14 beautiful colors of love songs"...I love that description. A romantic way to describe Clay's beautiful songs!

Bloomingclay goes on to say:

ATDW is the 4th best selling album in pop charts WITHOUT any promotion by Sony/BMG!!! You can even listen to his CD at the record shop!!!

There is still no promotion here but considering that we had hard time even finding one or two copies of MOAM before,this is a big surprise!

How great that ATDW is being sold in other countries! You can also check out the Korean Fan Club. Although it is not written in English, except for headings, it still made me feel good to see that Clay fans in other countries are talking with each other about Clay and even leaving messages for Clay!

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

Ruben Stands Up For Clay On The Today Show

They were rivals on American Idol, but Ruben Studdard is defending his American Idol friend.

In an interview with NBC's Today Show this morning, Studdard defended Clay, saying "Clay is strong and he always, you know, comes out on top in every situation."

Here's a quick recap courtesy the official fanclub boards:

*clip of Clay and Ruben singing "Ain't no stoppin' us now on American Idol"

Ruben (talking about how the show was a lot of fun): I really got a chance to gain a lot of family members during the show. I mean, these are people--

Meredith: Like Clay Aiken?

Ruben: Yeah,that's my guy.

Meredith: He came in 2nd, runner up.

Ruben *snarky*: yeah yeah, remember that Clayton!

*Laughs*

Meredith talks with Ruben about other things and then mentions Clay again.

Meredith: Now I've gotta ask you about Clay Aiken because he is a buddy of yours--

Ruben: right

Meredith: --and he has been under the microscope recently; everybody asking him questions about his personal life, his sexual orientation--do you think that's proper for people to do that? And does he talk to you about it? How is he doing?

Ruben: Well, we don't really talk about those things, ya know, and people--we've been under the microscope ever since we've been on television so it's nothing new for any of us. I just think it becomes a little intrusive when, you know, when people start, you know, start delving so deeply into our personal lives, and--but Clay is strong and he always, you know, comes out on top in every situation.

(Meredith ends the interview with Ruben)

On a related note, Ruben has lost almost 100 pounds during the past year. Several news reports mentions Clay: CBS ShowBuzz, Access Hollywood.

Ruben's new album, The Return, hits store shelves on October 26.

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

Tidbits 10/9

"Harry Nilsson, "Without You": Dig Clay Aiken's cover of a Badfinger oldie? Let a sorely missed talent show you how it's really done."
- Cleveland Plant Dealer

Clay is featured today in AOL Games' Goldrush.

• The Clayboard, from clayaikenrulez - From Southern Belle at Clayversity: Clay was mentioned on the Insider when they showed a clip of Ruben's performance on The Today Show. They talked about Ruben's Today Show comments, and then Pat O'Brien said, "Clay is on a roll and has sold almost 300,000 copies of his A Thousand Different Ways." Great mention!
• SFist: hair, hair, hair... "How come nobody thought of the obvious Clay Aiken 'do?"
• Orlando Sentinel - Clay's 2005 Scrubs appearance was "lame" -- "The show started its downhill slide the moment Clay Aiken showed up in the lame imitation TV sitcom episode, number 17, 'My Four Camera Comedy.'"
• Why does MSNBC pay this woman to write pure crap? Read this about ATDW if you must.
• MSN TV - TV Gimmicks - American Idol - "It's musical Darwinism out there, and "American Idol" is happy to destroy a few hundred dreams in order to find the next Clay Aiken."
• The Art of Getting By - Barry Manilow the "seventies answer to Clay Aiken"
  
• Quick note about our poll and infocenter - they'll be updated soon. We're still dealing with some server problems at our host, so we can't access the files we need to access.
• YouTube- For the fans of FOX's House - someone has uploaded a House montage to the tunes of Clay's "Broken Wings"
  
• Clay was mentioned on Family Feud today. The CB's Harcourt says: "The contestants were asked to name a celebrity who helps people, and the young lady (20 something, according to my mom) said, 'My idol Clay Aiken.'"
  

• Carolina On My Mind- some random thoughts to start off the week. Don't miss these gorgeous blends, including the one seen on the right by A Beautiful Mind.
  

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

Lyrics To All 14 Songs From ATDW

For younger Clay fans, we are including the lyrics to all the songs on A Thousand Different Ways. Thanks to Clay Aiken The Ideal Idol for including these on their site. I know that the lyrics have also been listed on the Clayboard. But in case you have missed them at these locations, here they are for your eyes to take in.

(clayis' edit: I've moved all the lyrics to a seperate page because it's making our homepage incredibly long)

» ATDW Lyrics - Click Here To See Lyrics In Their Entirety.

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