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 goal to raise $100,000 to help the children in Mexico has been reached! Not only that, but as of this writing, the donations have gone 9% above the goal, and UNICEF has $109,190 to help rebuild the lives of the children and their families in Mexico. Once again, Clay fans have come through and helped Clay make a difference!
Thanks to everyone who reached deep into their pockets to give.
Once again we are saying goodbye to another year. 2007 was a mighty fine year for Clay and his fans. Start with a pound of Gala bidding, add two Kimmel shows, toss in a Vancouver performance, and blend with two tours. Then simmer with a pinch of a Neil Sedaka tribute and bring to a boil with a large dose of UNICEF travel. Finally marinate with $300,000 won on 5th grader and cool with an excellent ice skating celebration and you have a recipe for success.
And, yes, successful 2007 was. Does that year have you hungry for more? Does your temperature rise when you think of the possibilities in 2008? Well, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s look back at “The Tastes of 2007 – An End of Year Celebration Dinner” with monumental Clay proportions!
MENU
APPETIZERS:
Kimmel Hearts – Heart-Shaped Candy good enough to have its own song. Eat these sweet tidbits and you will definitely have a song in your heart!
Mike & Juliet Layered Dip – Layer a little talking with the hosts, a hot red Claymobile, a Clay trivia game, and some karaoke and dancing with Juliet. Serve with an audience of excitable fans.
Toasted Tribute Tray – This appetizer has 50 years of great items. Cheesy Fondue Dip MC’ing by David Foster, Classy Oysters Rockefeller, complete with songs by Neil Sedaka, and last but not least, a solitaire party cheese ball made more tasty by that Solitaire singing man, Clay.
ENTREES:
Christmas In The Heartland Holiday Dinner – This appeals to those 
who like a variety in their meal. Enjoy and zing and a little pizzazz with such meaty tunes as Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day with its long lasting flavorful glory note, sit back and take in the haunting lyrics and smooth aroma of Mary Did You Know, and experience a mixture of the gently stirred and yet powerfully succulent All Is Well. Something to satisfy everyone’s liking.
Soft Rock and A Hard Place Smorgasbord – 
A buffet style table holds a variety of hot and cold dishes to tickle your taste buds. A thousand different dishes that will fill your stomach and your heart with love and have you coming back for seconds. Maybe "Rock" Cornish hen or "Soft" Shelled Crabs. A sprinkling of snarky humor makes some of these entrees not only delicious but also delightfully fun to eat! Consider trying Sloppie Joes or Really Cheesy Macaroni.
UNICEF Entrees With a Foreign Flair – Clay traveled high and low to help the children. .jpg)
While in Afghanistan, he taught Afghan children and gave a vaccine to a baby. Possibly he tasted this savory tidbits from our menu:
He shared a smile and a warm embrace with many children there. Some of the foods from our menu that Clay might have eaten are: 
Our desserts in this category are cold and frozen. They send chills down your spine, just like Clay singing All Is Well. Try our icy cold desserts like Cranberry Ice, Frozen Custard, or Hot Fudge Ice Cream Sundaes, which mixes the hotness of our gorgeous singer with the cold chills that run down your back as you listen to that luscious voice.
your mouth as he put the ring in his!! 
Clay Nation News sent a newsletter out today updating us on the status of Spamalot.
We hope everyone respects Clay's wish for NO CAMERAS of ANY KIND at the Spamalot performances. He notes that it is illegal and punishable by fine and imprisonment to photograph or video tape any New York theater show.
The Shubert Theater handed out great promotional flyers for Clay's Spamalot appearance at the concerts. The Sunday, December 9th, New York Times also featured a quarter page color ad in announcing "What a difference a Clay makes" and showing a photoshopped Clay in Sir Robin's costume.
Clay indicated in an interview that he starts his rehearsals on January 8th. He has been fitted for his costume and he has his British accent down. January 18th is just around the corner!
Please Note: Clay has strongly requested that fans absolutely do NOT bring cameras to Spamalot or attempt to record the show in any way. It is illegal to tape a Broadway performance and is also very disruptive to the actors on stage and other audience members. The law states that filming inside New York City theaters is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Copyright infringement claims can bring heftier financial penalties.
We are ever so close to hitting the $100,000 target in Clay and UNICEF's fundraising drive for the children of Mexico. As of 3:55 PM EST, the total amount raised stood at $97,295! Way to go, everyone! Only a little bit more to go!
Last chance to donate ... click here for more information
Update 9:25 PM EST: congrats everyone! We've done it! Fundraising currently stands at 106%!
Smiles were once again seen on the faces of little ones living in Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico this holiday season, thanks to the combined efforts of UNICEF and platinum-selling perfomer Clay Aiken. Taking the trek with his mother and younger brother, the singer cherished his role as a south of the border Santa, delivering gifts to over 300 children in the flood-ravaged area. A UNICEF ambassador since 2004, his journey marked the fourth time that the American Idol runner up has traveled on behalf of the charitable organization, having ventured to Banda Ache, Uganda and Afghanistan in previous years.
Broadway is being "American Idol"-ized as Fantasia performs in "The Color Purple" and Clay Aiken prepares for his appearance in "Spamalot." And then there was the three-month, NBC-televised audition process known as "Grease: You're the One That I Want," which delivered the lead casting for the current Broadway revival of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's faux-'50s musical.
Scandalous bad girls (i.e. Paris, Lindsay, Nicole) will be replaced by Hollywood bad boys. Zac Efron, the Jonas Brothers, Pete Wentz will all follow the king of all bad boys: Clay Aiken.
She will perform with Quiana Parler, a Charleston, S.C., native who has toured with Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson as a background vocalist and was featured in the Clay Aiken Christmas Show.
One day not long ago, I was doing some tidying up in one of my main backup auxiliary Clay shrines and decided to re-organize things. I have some pretty good stuff, if I do say so myself. But I had reservations on whether any of it was archived properly or protected to the fullest extent possible, or displayed to the best advantage. As a result of several days’ work and loss of many brain cells, I’d like to offer some practical tips on maintaining your clack collection.
The Raleigh Chronicle always comes through for Clay and this is certainly no exception. They ran a great story, titled "Clay Aiken Visits Mexico Over Holidays", about Clay's current visit to Mexico on behalf of UNICEF:
The Raleigh Chronicle 30.DEC.07
CHIAPAS, MEXICO — Raleigh native and recording star Clay Aiken spent the holidays as a UNICEF ambassador visiting children in Mexico that were affected by recent floods.
UNICEF says Aiken is traveling in the region with his mother and younger brother who is a Marine on leave from Iraq.
During his trip, the Aiken said in his blog that the airlines were delayed and also lost his family's luggage, but that after visiting with the people in Mexico, his problems with the trip felt insignificant.
"They have lost so much (much more than a few suitcases) but they have an unbelievable spirit and contagious joy," said Aiken in a post from the field. "This is the holiday season and the spirit of family and giving is alive and well here."
The event where Aiken was present was also attended by Isabel Aguilera de Sabines, the First Lady of the State of Chiapas and was held in the city of Ostuacán where 19 deaths were recently reported after a series of mudslides swept over the mountain community of Juan de Grijalva.
"They rolled out the red carpet for us and we celebrated the holiday together singing Jingle Bells and other holiday songs and even taking a whack at a piñata (and, believe it or not, I didn’t hit anyone!)" said Aiken in his blog. "As upbeat and positive as the people are they still need our help -- there is much to do to reconstruct their village and get their lives back to normal."
It's our belated Christmas present to you! CDD's 2008 Clay Aiken Calendar is now ready for download!
As we mentioned in our exclusive preview last night, we'd like to thank Hanapepe/En Avant Photography, starfishy2000 and Linda Learn who provided their gorgeous photos for use in this calendar.
If you are printing it, a good way to make sure the calendar prints correctly would be to copy the files into a Word processing document.
Clay has posted his 3rd UNICEF FieldNotes from Mexico:
Clay Aiken visits schoolchildren in MexicoAnd with two more days left, fundraising for Clay and UNICEF's $100,000 appeal for Mexico is up to $73,000 - 73% of the goal!
UNICEF Ambassador is visiting UNICEF projects in Mexico and blogging from the field.
"Les deseo un prosperó año nueva!"
Yesterday we spent a long, but rewarding, day visiting schools that were severely damaged by the floods. I had the opportunity to talk to many children who have been unable to attend school since the disaster struck. They are full of hope and excited to return to school soon.
We also had the unique opportunity to visit the largest shelter in Villahermosa, Tabasco. When we got there I began walking and immediately a little boy ran over to me with the biggest smile on his face. And of course I was confused that he was excited to see me since I am not well known in Mexico, but it all became clear when he pointed to my UNICEF t-shirt and gave me a hug.
Throughout my travels with UNICEF - to Indonesia, Uganda, Afghanistan and now Mexico - I have been greeted with this same warm welcome. Children everywhere know that UNICEF is there for them, to help them get the food, shelter and education they need to not only survive but to thrive.
I am so proud to be a UNICEF Ambassador and to do my part to help UNICEF as they take care of children in need around the world. And I thank you for joining me this holiday season to give to those in need.
C
P.S. Good news everyone! We have our bags - yes, even mine!
Clay Aiken
(Season 2 Runner-up)
Life After 'Idol': Co-authored the New York Times best-seller 'Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life'; starred in 'A Clay Aiken Christmas' on NBC; founded the Bubel/Aiken Foundation for disabled children; was appointed a UNICEF ambassador by President Bush.
What's Next?: After working in Mexico over the holidays with UNICEF, Aiken will be making his Broadway debut as Sir Robin in 'Monty Python's Spamalot.' His stint begins January 18 and is scheduled to continue through May 4.
But all that changed in 2003 when "American Idol" contestant Josh Gracin went head to head with Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke and eventual winner Ruben Studdard.
Also this year, he was honored at the Lincoln Center for his 50 years as an entertainer at a show that included live performances by David Foster, Connie Francis, Natalie Cole, Paul Shaffer, Clay Aiken and The Captain and Tennille, during which time Toni Tennille said, "Without Neil, there would be no Captain and Tennile."
The same could be said of a lot of singers, including Aiken, a former "American Idol" star.
Aiken performed "Solitaire," which was made into a single that sold 400,000 copies.
Aiken Fans Laud 2007 Rewind
Traditionally, retrospective look backs fill the final week of a departing calendar year, and fans have SmartyPantsSuz to thank for the annual rewind of Clay Aiken's past 12 months with her latest montage, My Favorite Things (2007).
Opening with the Valentine's Day visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live, My Favorite Things 2007 and its 12 photo grids take fans on a romp through Clay's summer and holiday tours, TV appearances, UNICEF trips, fund-raising for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, and the Holiday on Ice special.
YouTube and Sendspace video links, as well as the 12 photo grids, appear below; but, first, here are fund-raising and media updates on Clay's current UNICEF trip.
The ConCLAYve - update on Clay's trip to Mexico:FUNDRAISING UPDATE: As of 10 PM PST today, $70,000 has been raised as a result of UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken's $100,000 in 10 Days for Mexican Flood Relief Campaign. Three days remain before the December 31 deadline for the fundraiser.
Clay has spent Christmas week traveling on behalf of UNICEF in the flood-stricken regions of Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico. Also participating in this humanitarian field visit are Clay's mother Faye and his brother Brett, a Marine on leave from Iraq.
In Ostuacan, Chiapas, Clay and the Honorable Isabel Aguilera de Sabines, First Lady of the state of Chiapas, participated in games with the three hundred children in the flood shelters.
AmericanIdol.com has posted a great article about Clay's current UNICEF trip to Mexico. Clay spent Christmas and will spend New Year's in Tabasco, Mexico which was recently severely damaged by hurricanes.
Clay Aiken Helps Out During the Holidays
December 28, 2007 - Posted by Dave
Season 2 runner-up and UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken is spending time in Mexico to help raise funds for those affected by recent flooding, the most destructive in some regions in the past 50 years. UNICEF estimates that 70% of the schools and all of the crops in the city of Tabasco, where Clay will be spending much of his time, have been damaged by the recent disaster.
Clay and his family are foregoing their own holiday vacation to spend time with affected families in hopes of spreading some holiday cheer in the affected areas. As a UNICEF Ambassador, this international trip is not Clay’s first humanitarian effort. Over the past three years, Clay has spent time in Afghanistan, Uganda, and Indonesia on behalf of the organization. With particular focus on families affected by respective situations in each country, Clay’s help and hands-on experiences within the regions has helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for humanitarian causes around the world.
[...]
Hopeful that his involvement will help raise $100,000 through UNICEF’s website before the end of 2007, Clay’s presence in Mexico is undoubtedly a bright spot in what has been a difficult time for the people of Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico.
It's long overdue, so we are thrilled to announce that our 2008 CDD Clay Aiken Calendar will be available for download VERY SOON. This calendar will be offered at both CDD and at the Clayboard, but we are giving CDD readers the first sneak peek, hot off the press Photoshop editing studio.
More information on how you can download & print this calendar will be posted in the next few days!
Special thank you to the photographers who have provided us with their masterpieces:
Clay has posted a blog from Mexico on his blog at the official fanclub. In the blog, Clay talks about his tour yesterday of Tabasco schools damaged by floods and how welcoming the children of Mexico were to him and the UNICEF team: one little boy had the "biggest smile on his face," Clay said.
We were also informed that United Airlines found Clay and everyone else's luggage, which they had apparently lost during their flight from the US to Mexico last week -- Never fly United "EVER", Clay warns.
Entertainment Tonight ran a brief, but deeply heartwarming clip of Clay spending Christmas with children in Mexico on their show last night. Clay is currently in Mexico for UNICEF, drawing attention to the October hurricanes that devastated the central American country.
Here's the cap... thanks to Chexxxy's for the heads up!
A strange Clay-related question popped up last night on Jeopardy. We're not sure whether this is a repeat or if this is a new episode. From the CB's pearlgjr:
Well, that was a surprise.
A daily double question, the eventual winner made it a true 'daily double' (and got it right)
Paraphrasing:
what 18-- Tennesse politician who ran for the presidency lost to Ruben Studdard on American Idol.
Answer: Henry Clay Aiken
SOKOLOWSKI: I’ve accumulated quite a lot of Clay Aiken pen pals, and they’re probably hoping I’ll say his was the best concert this year.
It wasn’t.
Also this year, he was honored at the Lincoln Center for his 50 years as an entertainer at a show that included live performances by David Foster, Connie Francis, Natalie Cole, Paul Shaffer, Clay Aiken and The Captain and Tennille, during which time Toni Tennille said, "Without Neil, there would be no Captain and Tennile."
FOX News 6 in Milwaukee aired a great piece about Clay's current UNICEF mission in Mexico. A cap is available at SendSpace and it should be up at ClackUnlimited soon! Update: now up on ClackUnlimited!
Thanks to the CB's Kitty4Clay and CV's Cap121 for these caps:
Two new video clips of behind-the-scenes footage from Holiday Celebration on Ice are up at YouTube. Thanks to Chexxxy's for the heads up! The clip is available for download at ClackUnlimited.
UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken celebrated Christmas at a flood shelter with the children of Ostuacan, Chiapas. In one weekend last month torrential rains in produced the worst flooding the region has seen in more than 50 years.
Her sister Courtney, 13, an eighth grader at Martin Middle School who also sang with John Lithgow at the age of 6 and who has performed as one of eight back-up singers/actors with "American Idol" star Clay Aiken, admits her tastes run more toward pop and jazz than country though she does like the Jonas Brothers, currently on tour with Mylie Cyrus. Also a straight "A" student, Courtney, who is on her student council, said she doesn't study much.
On the way to her house, I heard a song on the car radio that captivated me? Mary Did You Know? It was a haunting rendition of a song that has been done many times since it was written in 1984. This voice was dark and mysterious, something like Alison Moyet in her prime. I searched through different versions of the song and discovered it was actually sung by a man called Clay Aiken. What a haunting voice and a delight to listen to! He was a finalist on American Idol in 2003. As I don’t watch these TV shows, I really missed out on something there.
Two new photos of Clay in Mexico for UNICEF have popped up on a Mexican news website called Chiapas.gob.mx. The second picture, above shows Clay's mother Faye Parker in the background. The website ran an article about Clay's visit; here is a very rough English translation courtesy an online translation program:
December 24, 2007 *they Congratulate the youths that facilitated the psico-social recovery of the childrenIn addition, these two pictures (which are pretty small) were posted to the Clayboard:
OSTUACÁN, Chiapas, December 24, 2007 - Elapsed almost two months since the rains caused landslides and floods in Chiapas, the memories of those tragic moments were forgot by some moments upon celebrating Christmas.
Children and girls of Juan of the Grijalva lived together this day with the lady Isabel Aguilera de Sabines and the ambassador-fame of the UNICEF, Clay Aiken who they visited the supportive camps, where the victims after the step of the cold fronts they are found 2 and 4 in the northern part of the state.
The president of the Consultative Civic Counsel of the DIF Chiapas, Isabel Aguilera de Sabines, indicated that "Christmas is a moment of special happiness in which the families meet and they enjoy the time you join; but these families suffered a catastrophe and they have lost it all. We are doing a great effort to offer these families the necessary support in these moments and to cover their basic needs of protection, health and education." Aguilera de Sabines affirmed also that "in this occasion, the DIF and UNICEF they have been united to bring enthusiasm and to generate a Christmas environment that permit to help that these children, girls, adolescents and their families recover the normality loss".
This celebration, that permitted to carry music, dances and piñatas to hundreds of children and girls and its families harbored in the camps of Ostuacán, is part of the contribution of UNICEF and of the DIF and is framed inside the actions of answer to support the children and its families affected by the emergency.
Likewise, the Committee U.S. for UNICEF (US Fund) and the singer and "Ambassador-Fame" U.S., Clay Aiken, they visited the camp of Ostuacán in order to supporting the families affected by the floods in Chiapas.
Along with the president of the DIF Chiapas, enjoyed the gestures of happiness of the infants after breaking the piñatas and to share cake and sweet; as well as of a musical spectacle and of clowns during the day.
Clay Aiken, was a winner in 2003 of the contest "American Idol", one of the most successful programs of new talents in the United States. Since that moment, Clay obtained a great popularity as the singer. He has sold hundreds of thousands of disks, has given concerts around the world and very is known by his CD "Merry Christmas with Love" ("Merry Christmas with Love"). Clay has written a book, acted in television and in musicals of Broadway and has become a great activist by the children.
Young capacitadores in Tuxtla
Besides celebrating Christmas in the camp of Ostuacán, DIF Chiapas along with UNICEF and their Ambassador-Fame, Clay Aiken, they wanted to carry out a honorable mention to the voluntary youths that were qualified to support with the psico-social recovery of the childhood chiapaneca. For it, they organized an event in the installations of the DIF in Tuxtla in which they recognized their valuable work during the period of emergency.
Eddy Robert Pérez López, who studies in the Technological Institute of Ostuacán, was one of these volunteers that contributed in great measure to change the attitude of the childhood affected with the cave-in of the hill in the community San Juan of Grijalva, "when we decide to support us encomtramos with sad children that nothing the toward happy... now after working with UNICEF, already sonrien, they are happy and have again dreams".
This 20-year-old youth, said "I feel very either for to have supported these children... feels well the to give although be a little time to quines they need us".
Answer of UNICEF to the emergency in Chiapas
The UNICEF answer actions to the emergency are framed inside the normal cooperation that UNICEF has in Chiapas, reaffirming its commitment toward the protection of the rights of the childhood chiapaneca in situation of emergency.
In coordination with the DIF State and the SEP, UNICEF has supported the training of students and officials of government in attention psicosocial for the recovery of children in situation of emergency.
