To see the full calendar, go to CDD's page at Google Calendar:
A full list of upcoming events is also available at the CDD Claytracker.
Note: CDD does not necessarily endorse or subscribe to the editorial opinions of these websites/blogs.
The Clayboard's clayniac2 has some wonderful Christmas tour photos posted on this Clayboard thread. Here's a sneak peak... get ready to THUD!
Historically, Canada's ChartAttack magazine hasn't been exactly nice to Clay. However, Chart Attack nominated Clay this week for their Readers Choice Award.
Have your say - VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!
"Meanwhile, 249 misguided music fans propelled Clay Aiken's Thousand Different Ways to the top of the international album heap this week, where the soothing warbler's biggest competition lies in Snow Patrol."
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
It was surprising to see Clay Aiken sing a Christmas song on Live With Regis and Kelly two weeks after Kelly Ripa offended him. But it was even more surprising that the confrontation never came up.
Turns out Aiken taped the song after the episode where he put his hand over Ripa's mouth and she took it off, saying she didn't know where his hand might've been.
Christmas can be a
stressful time of year.
But Clay Aiken has figured out how to take some of the anxiety out of his third annual holiday tour. “We don’t have the dancers and actors and all that other stuff to deal with like we did last year,” says the second season “American Idol” runner-up, whose 2003 debut “Measure of the Man” holds the record for the best fi rst-week sales by one of the show’s contestants. “This year it’s strictly music.”
We have a few Clay TV mentions to tell you about:
The Insider bit today promoted during the whole show ("was there friction backstage? Did they make up?") and then at the end of the show, said how it was taped the same day as the whole hand thing (and my favorite part was that they showed Ripa hugging Clay...and this was AFTER the incident she was supposedly so mad over.) They said Clay sent her a letter a few days after, and they've patched things up, "though no Christmas gifts have been sent."
After the piece, Lara says "this breakthrough year for Clay is almost over. Now, tell us what you think Clay should do in 2007. A tour? Broadway? A movie." The Insider text message poll today is "what should Clay do in 2007." I love it.
What a treat! We got this lovely pre-concert write up delivered to our inbox this morning courtesy Google News. You can read the entire Times Herald Record article here, but here are some highlights:
Those that don't know every detail of his life, as his fans the Claymates do, might be surprised to know he's not just a second-place winner of a national TV talent show. Or maybe that guy who made headlines recently for an on-air encounter with chatty "Live With Regis and Kelly" host Kelly Ripa. How much has that "incident" affected him?... and here is a cute Q&A the Times Herald Record conducted with Clay:
"Oh, Lord, none whatsoever," Aiken says. "I've laughed at it, are you kidding me? None whatsoever. I didn't know I was that big a star."
When told about the Record's message board filling up in response to it, he replies, laughing, "Oh my gosh, people need to worry about bigger things."
The bigger things Aiken cares about come through in his charity work. This pop star uses his celebrity to help others. When his career as a special education teacher was halted after his success on "American Idol," he co-founded the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. The foundation helps open doors for developmentally disabled children, encouraging their interaction with all children. He was also recently appointed to the President's Committee for People With Intellectual Disabilities, was ambassador for UNICEF and spokesperson for Toys for Tots.
Hopefully that won't affect fans' chance to hear "that note" in "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day." On the CD, he holds a note perfectly for what seems like minutes. In actuality, it's precisely 22 seconds.
"You've been timing me?" he asks, laughing. "Twenty-two seconds. Now I'm going to have pressure to see if I can do 23."
The challenge is on, Clay.
Q: Colored or white Christmas lights?
A: White
Q: Cute or classy ornaments?
A: Classy
Q: Eggnog or cider?
A: (pause)
Q: You don’t like either?
A: Dr. Pepper
Q: Dr. Pepper?
A: (laughs)
Q: OK. Tinsel, garland or popcorn?
A: Tinsel’s like the shiny ...
Q: Yes, yes
A: Garland is ...
Q: The long shiny strings of it, the ropes of it
A: Oh ...
Q: Popcorn strings?
A: You know what my mom uses a lot on the Christmas tree? She uses baby’s breath.
Q: I do, too!
A: Yeah, baby’s breath and hay. And the first time I saw her do it, it was not hay so much as what looked like dead grass. The first time I saw her do it I was like, that’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and then she turned the lights on and it was the most gorgeous Christmas tree I’ve ever seen. So I say dead grass.
Q: Great. Star or angel?
A: Angel
Q: OK, tough one: Rudolph, Charlie Brown or the Grinch?
A: Oh, the Rudolf claymation thing is so much, it’s so good, it’s a Christmas tradition, you know what I’m talking about?
Q: Yes, yes, of course. That’s one of your traditions?
A: Well, I mean, I remember watching it.
Q: Turkey or ham?
A: Turkey
Q: Real tree or fake?
A: Fake. So the dogs don’t eat it.
Q: Yes, although my cats eat my fake one. Which I shouldn’t have said (I’m panicking now) ’cause I know you don’t ... (Clay has an immense fear of cats).
A: Oh my God ...
Q: I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, but I love dogs, I have a dog, too. OK. In a fight, who would win: Santa Claus or Hanukkah Harry?
A: Who is Hanukkah Harry?
Clay gave it his all last night in Greenvale, NY, despite being sick from a cold.
Get well soon, Clay!
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
If Kelly Ripa would have been bothered by anyone else, then why didn’t she say anything when Simon Cowell put his hand over her mouth when he co-hosted? Also, Kelly has done this to Regis many times. Maybe it was not as she intended but it was taken that way by me and I am straight. I like Kelly, I like Rosie and I like Clay. Too much has been made out of this and it’s time to end. Kelly has never liked Clay. She was a Ruben fan. And whether Clay is gay or not doesn’t matter anyway. It wouldn’t change his singing. Kelly should show mutual respect to her co-hosts. She always tries to monopolize the conversation. Clay was only trying to be funny. He sent her flowers, apologized and she apologized for any drama she caused. Let it be.
Music stores stock Christmas albums from a variety of styles and performers. The range is wide, from the Beach Boys and Elvis to Bluegrass mandolinist David Grisman, from Clay Aiken to Mannheim Steamroller, Chris Issak, the Barenaked Ladies, Jessica Simpson, LeAnn Rimes and Jethro Tull. The list is nearly endless.
Making no reference to last month's firestorm, Regis Philbin introduced Clay as he gave his taped performance of "Mary, Did You Know" on this morning's Live with Regis & Kelly. Last month, co-host Kelly Ripa and Clay caused controversy when Ripa accused Clay of inappropriately putting his hand over her mouth. We learned yesterday that the two did speak on the phone to "patch things up."
You can find the video cap of this at ClackUnlimited.com.
The Insider will be doing a so-called "follow-up" story to this tonight:
Have tensions between KELLY RIPA and crooner CLAY AIKEN finally been resolved?Entertainment Tonight will also air a story on this (not that there's anything new!) on their show tonight. You can read their new Kelly/Clay article at ETOnline.com.
This morning, the "American Idol" heartthrob appears on Kelly's show for the first time since their public disagreement -- will they forgive and forget?
Clay's appearance only included a song -- no interview. And "The Insider" has learned that the performance was taped in November, the same day and the hand-over-mouth incident.
The talk show host and the crooner made headlines in November when Clay sat in for REGIS PHILBIN as Kelly's co-host on "Live" -- and raised eyebrows when he playfully put his hand over her mouth during an interview with "Dancing with the Stars" winners EMMITT SMITH and CHERYL BURKE.
With 10 out of the 18 tour dates completely sold out, the Hartford Symphony's director Edward Cumming is calling Clay's Hartford, CT Christmas show a success. He made these comments in a Hartford Courant mini-review of the concert:
Between holiday songs, Aiken, in a blue suit and really big shoes, joked with the audience, including a third-row fan who brought binoculars sporting a Christmas motif, and made fun of himself by bringing up several times the whole "hand-over-the-mouth" controversy that occurred when he was a guest host on the "Live With Regis and Kelly" morning show a few weeks ago.Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
"Just call me Mr. Controversy," he said jokingly. "I'm a scandalous person." Performing with the Hartford Symphony, Aiken's performance marked the first time the convention center has been used for a concert.
"When you do something the first time you don't know what to expect," said symphony music director Edward Cumming. "But sometimes doing something new works out well. We think this did."
We're very excited to confirm that 10 out of 18 Christmas shows are now near sold out or completely SOLD OUT. Wow! This is a tremendous achievement for Clay!
Thanks to the CB's Joy2talk2U for this list:
Friday, Dec 1............Genesee Theatre, Waukegan IL - 8pm CST
Saturday, Dec 2........Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville IN - 8pm CST
Monday, Dec 4..........Turning Stone Casino, Verona NY - 8pm EST SOLD OUT
Tuesday, Dec 5.........Bergen PAC, Englewood, NJ - 8pm EST
Wednesday, Dec 6.....Lyric Opera House, Baltimore MD - 8pm EST
Thursday, Dec 7........Scope Arena, Norfolk VA - 8pm EST
Saturday, Dec 9........Comm. Arts Center, Williamsport PA - 7:30pm EST SOLD OUT
Sunday, Dec 10.........FM Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre PA - 7pm EST SOLD OUT
Monday, Dec 11........State Theatre, Easton PA - 8pm EST SOLD OUT
Tuesday, Dec 12.......Connecticut Conv. Ctr., Hartford CT - 8pm EST SOLD OUT
Thursday, Dec 14......Tilles Center, Greenvale NY - 8pm EST
Friday, Dec 15..........Eisenhower Hall Theatre, West Point NY - 8pm EST
Saturday, Dec 16......Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank NJ - 8pm EST SOLD OUT
Monday, Dec 18........Orchestra Hall @the Max Fish, Detroit MI - 8pm EST SOLD OUT
Tuesday, Dec 19.......DeVos Hall, Grand Rapids MI - 7:30pm EST SOLD OUT
Thursday, Dec 21......Moran Theatre, Jacksonville, FL - 7:30pm EST
Friday, Dec 22..........Blumenthal PAC, Charlotte NC - 8pm EST SOLD OUT
Saturday, Dec 23......War Memorial Auditorium, Greensboro NC - 7:30pm EST SOLD OUT
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Clay's interview with KJOY-FM in Long Island is now available for download at KJOY's website.
Clay will be performing tonight at the Tilles Center in Greenvale, NY.
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
The CB's DogGoneGirl shared this cute story today on the Clayboard:
My daughter (Mom4Clay22) was on her way to school this morning and was listening to 97.1FM a local radio station here in Columbus. The DJs were yakking (mostly over the top of each other as they usually do on morning shows) and finally one DJ said to the other..."Don't make me Clay Aiken you!"Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
She said it was said in a very nice way and everyone laughed.
I think Clay is on his way to becoming a verb.
"I had no idea I was that famous," says a still-baffled Aiken, speaking by phone from the bunk of his tour bus somewhere in Connecticut early Tuesday morning. "We're talking the first story on 'Entertainment Tonight' three nights in a row. I'm like, 'Damn! I've made it now.'"
Aiken says the entire issue caught him off-guard. He left Ripa's show and heard nothing about it all weekend, he says. "Then Monday it turned into this huge thing," he recalls. "She called me Wednesday afternoon to kind of apologize for all the drama, and that it blew up so much. I think it surprised both of us, really."
CLAY Aiken is returning to "Live! With Regis & Kelly" tomorrow - but only on tape.
The former "American Idol" star will be making his first appearance since upsetting co-host Kelly Ripa earlier this month by covering her mouth with his hand.
Aiken taped a singing performance that same day two weeks ago when he was sitting in for Regis Philbin.
Since the controversy, Ripa and Aiken have reportedly talked by phone and patched things up.
It is not known whether she'll bring the incident up again tomorrow, a show official said.
Studdard's post 'Idol' fame has been somewhat diminished by the fact that he has been considerably overshadowed by the runner-up Clay Aiken. Despite not winning the formal contest, Aiken has gone on to be the most successful artist associated with the second season of 'American Idol.'
Sales of A Thousand Different Ways went up last week, selling 15,000 copies (up from 10,000 copies the previous week).
A Thousand Different Ways is #119 on this week's Billboard 200 and MCWL is #25 on the Billboard holiday charts! Woohoo!
Update: a few of you commented about the total sales for ATDW. Total sales, from Sept. 19, 2006 to last week were 441,039.
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Have you been longing for a Clay Aiken 2007 calendar? Well, the PAHERS 2007 Clay Calendar is now ready for you to use to put together a calendar for yourself or to give as gifts! The is the second annual calendar that they have created, according to Clay The Ambassador of Love at The Clayboard. Click on The Clayboard link here and scroll down on page 1 until you get to the pictures for the cover and all 12 months. Then just click each picture to enlarge, right click and save as, and stock up on ink so you can print it out. All instructions are in the first post at the calendar thread.
Thanks to all the Clay fans who made pictures for the calendar. You are all so talented! This will look great hanging in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and offices all over the country!
---
clayis' note: On a related note- CDD will be releasing its 2007 Calendar later this month. Our popular 2006 Calendar, which can be seen (and downloaded, if you're a bit nostalgic today) here.
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
The CB's LUVClay26 has posted some goodies from the Wilkes Barre, PA concert's program and a few press reviews. Cool beans!
Congratulations Clay! Lycos, in a press release issued today, revealed that Clay Aiken was their most sought for man (hee hee...) at their popular search engine, Lycos.com. The press release reads:
Clay Aiken takes over as the most-searched man of 2006, pushing the top man of 2005 Eminem to number three on this year's list. Aiken generated consistent search interest throughout the year, due in part to the release of a new album, and questions surrounding his sexuality, as well as his recent on-air run-in with Kelly Ripa while co-hosting "Regis and Kelly" last month.Once again, congrats Clay! Let's kick 2007 off with a bang - search for Clay everyday at Lycos.com and check the Lycos50 every week to see Clay's chart position.
Lycos also released the leaders in specific categories, like the most-searched man of the year, Clay Aiken, who bumped 2005’s top dude, Detroit’s own Eminem, to third place. Aiken was a big attention-getter for several reasons, including his recent celebrity “feud” with Kelly Ripa, according to Lycos.Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Christmas is a special time for most everyone. A time to be with family, enjoy its spiritual meaning, share gifts and foods of the season, and especially enjoy the wonderful holiday songs that we hear at Christmastime.
Somehow, ever since "Merry Christmas With Love" was first released and Clay's Christmas tours have come on the scene, Christmas music means even more to me and many others. To hear Clay sing "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day" or "Mary Did You Know" touches my heart in a way that no other singer ever has. You all know that feeling.
And because of our love for Clay's Christmas songs, I think you will agree it is even more meaningful to hear that Bill Lamb's Top 40 has chosen "Merry Christmas With Love" as #4 in the top 10 Christmas albums of the last 20 years. Bill says about the CD, "Former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken's warm, engaging vocal style is a perfect fit for holiday music. He has put together one of the most eagerly awaited Christmas concert tours in both 2004 and 2005." The only thing I would add to that is his Christmas tour of 2006 has also been equally eagerly awaited!
Yes, this CD will be much loved for many many years to come. Probably the next 100 years and then some! Merry Christmas with love, everybody!
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Clay performing in Hartford, CT last night. For the latest on the 2006 Christmas tour, join us atClay Aiken dropped by a gathering of students in Nazareth, Pa., to thank them for a book they wrote about a handicapped student.
Just his mere presence was enough for two girls in the front row of the chorus to fall out of their chairs.
The Express-Times reported the assembly was to thank 19 authors of the book "Our Friend Mikayla," which was written about their classmate, Mikayla Resh, when they were third-graders at Lower Nazareth Elementary School two years ago.
Resh has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.
Aiken's Bubel/Aiken Foundation published the book. Aiken asked the students if he could read the book to them, and they all chanted, "Yes."
Aiken singled out the author of the page that showed Aiken on "American Idol" and had her read that page with him. Aiken talked with the 19 authors before he left.
Since the gathering was at the local high school, Aiken even arranged for limousines to take them back to their school.
Yesterday, Clay's Daily Double reported that Clay had visited the students who wrote the book, "My Friend Mikayla" and read the book to them. In addition, Clay signed books for all these students as well as students for the whole school, sang a song to Mikayla, and arranged for limousines to take the students back to their elementary school.
This and more was written up in a wonderful Associated Press Article which has in turn now been included in online news sites around the United States. I counted over 60 sites myself. One of the great things about this is that this wonderful article talks of the things that Clay holds nearest to his heart...the inclusion of children with special needs, giving an example of inclusion in the book that was written about Mikayla and the opportunity Clay had to be with these students and sing to Mikayla. In addition, it shows the giving nature of Clay in signing books for all the students and arranging for the limousine to give the excited students a first class trip back to their school. Finally those who read these articles will get to see some of the many reasons why his fans adore him so much and why he is such a top notch classy person.
Just a few of the sites where you can find this article are listed below. Clay...thank you for all you do!!
Two girls fell out of their front row seats when "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken strode on stage at the school assembly.You don't want to miss these non-AP articles too:
Aiken, who was appearing Monday night at the State Theatre in Easton, read to the student body of more than 680 from the book, talked with the 19 authors, and posed for many photographs. To Mikayla, he sang a few lines from "When I See You Smile." Then he announced a final treat: limousines to take the students back to Lower Nazareth Elementary.
In the cars, boys popped open cans of soda and girls giggled. "Is this a dream?" said one boy, Michael Allen. "It is like the first time I'll be in a limo. It is so awesome!"
The Philadelphia Daily News says Clay was spotted at a trendy Philadelphia restaurant over the weekend:
Out and aboutTechnorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Between tour stops in Norfolk, Va., and Williamsport, Pa., singer Clay Aiken stopped at Davio's (111 S. 17th) on Friday night for a dinner party for six.
For a skinny guy, the "American Idol" runner-up sure was hungry. Aiken dined on cheesesteak spring rolls, pasta bolognese, and desserts of creme brulee and chocolate mousse cake.
The star made sure to alert the kitchen that he is allergic to nuts.
... "Don't Duet - Bad Idea Clay Aiken & 50 cent". I don't know whether we should be flattered or be upset by this notion. At least I agree with it! A Clay & 50 Cent duet? Ewww....
As I've bolded in this press release from XM, XM will be airing a special retrospective on 2006 beginning at 12:00 AM EST January 1, 2007. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch some Clay music!
XM, the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than 7 million subscribers, today announced the winners of the Second Annual XM Nation Awards. Music fans nationwide cast their votes for nominated artists and categories selected by XM's programming staff in categories ranging from "Best Comeback of the Year" to "Least Favorite Celebrity-turned-Music Act" to "Artist Most Overlooked By FM Radio." Fans were also able to write in their choice for the artist they'd most like to have their own music show on XM.Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Additionally, XM will air a four-hour XM Nation Awards special throughout New Year's Day 2007, highlighting this year's nominees and winners, along with the best musical moments of 2006. Hosted by XM on-air music programming staff, the special will debut at 12 midnight ET on January 1, 2007 on XM LIVE (XM 200), with encores airing throughout the day.
Usually CDD puts reviews and write-ups such as this one in the Charlotte Symphony Program in a listing of smaller articles called "Tidbits". However, I could not bring myself to do that with this writeup. I think when you read it you will understand why.
This writeup starts and ends talking about the values and humility of Clay. Even when talking about Clay's newest CD, "A Thousand Different Ways", it emphasizes the many different kinds of love that Clay focused on in making the CD instead of whether a particular arrangement of a song was good or not. "This album is very different than my first, "Measure of a Man", in that I had a lot more say in how I wanted things to be." The writeup goes on to say about the CD:
The new songs give Aiken the opportunity to show off his emotional growth, with each track highlighting a different facet of his personality. Covering such a varied emotional spectrum but always remaining true to the essence of who Clay Aiken is, "A Thousand Different Ways" is bound to please the millions who loved 2003's "Measure of a Man" (triple platinum and counting) and 2004's platinum "Merry Christmas With Love", the best selling holiday album of that year.The next few paragraphs talk about Clay's work with children who have autism and his foundation, The Bubel Aiken Foundation. "My music career has allowed me to to do the same thing I was doing before--work with kids with disabilities", he says, "It has given me a big stage to talk about the same things I always cared about..."
Clay Aiken brought a surprising dose of humor along with holiday song and spirit to his Christmas concert before a sold-out crowd" and " Aiken brought a refreshing contrast to a traditional holiday concert by mixing the more familiar Christmas standards, such as “Hark the Herald Angels Sing’’ and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’’ with some newer selections like “My Grown-Up Christmas List’’ and “Merry Christmas with Love,’’ which were as equally received as the more well-known tunes.
"It's a sad fact and a sad reality that there are 30 to 50 Christmas songs that research really well. We already know them," said Moore. "They don't want Clay Aiken's version of 'White Christmas.' They want Bing Crosby, for the most part."
Clay Aiken returns to Charlotte this December to celebrate the holidays with the Charlotte Symphony. The Charlotte Symphony will perform songs of the season to start the show and then Aiken will join them for a full set of holiday favorites, many of them featured on his Christmas CD, "Merry Christmas With Love."
North Carolina's own multi-platinum singer returns to the public spotlight this month with his new studio CD, "A Thousand Different Ways," to be released Sept 19th, and a long list of major television and other media appearances.
Busloads of children -- the entire elementary school in fact -- filled the auditorium, and they listened attentively as Aiken read the book that tells the story of Mikayla Resh, a girl who loves lollipops and cheerleading and American Idol..."This is a prime example of what we want to do … spreading the word of inclusion" said Aiken. The fifth graders, he said, were perfect messengers.And listen to what else Clay did for these young authors. "After the assembly, Aiken hosted a private question-and-answer session with the authors that concluded with yet another treat: The singer had arranged for the children to return to the elementary school in limousines."
