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BlogRoll & Links
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AOL Television - AOL has a list of "Who Sells Who Doesn't" for idols from the last 4 years. Clay is one of the success stories, and they say about him: "IDOL SUCCESS: Clay Aiken | Season 2, Runner-Up - Over 4 million albums sold is nothing to sneaze at." Clay, Kelly, and Carrie are the top 3 idol sellers.
Detroit Free Press - Great Clay mentions when talking about the high-performance AI "losers":
But only two of the series' five previous winners have maintained "Idol"-level performing careers (Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood), with other high achievers such as Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson outperforming those who beat them in their competitions.
and
BIGGER THAN THE WINNERS: Clay Aiken, above, finished second in "American Idol's" 2003 season to Ruben Studdard. Jennifer Hudson, center, lost in 2004. Chris Daughtry, right, was eliminated in 2006. All three have gone on to bigger careers than the winners in their "Idol" years.
And we have a slew of American Idol related mentions:
Aiken’s third album, “A Thousand Different Ways,” was released Sept. 19, 2006. Debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard chart, the album made Aiken the fourth artist ever to have his first three albums debut in the Top 5 and scan over 200,000 in the first week. A 20-date tour is planned for the summer across the U.S., which includes a stop on Aug. 11 at Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
iF Magazine comments on the AI finale... I wholeheartedly agree: "Oh yeah, Ruben Studdard, what happened to that guy? He looks good at least, but didn't Clay Aiken win that year? What no Clay Aiken? Ah shucks."
The Daily @ Washington University - article on runner-up Blake Lewis ... "Despite that, with flocks of adoring fans and new heartthrob status, Blake’s life will change regardless of whether or not he snagged the title. He will sign a recording contract anytime now, and will enjoy lucrative success…just like prior runners-up Diana DeGarmo and Clay Aiken."
E! News - ratings drop for American Idol finale ... note that they have their figures for Clay/Ruben's finale wrong ... about 38 million tuned in for that finale according to Reuters ("By comparison, the second-season "Idol" finale in May 2003, when Ruben Studdard was crowned the winner, stands as the most watched of any episode of the series, averaging 38.1 million viewers.") -
In the end, the Sparkettes couldn't touch the Soul Patrol or Clay Mates.
While the numbers easily trumped all competition for the night—second-place Lost averaged 13.7 million for its two-hour season ender—viewership was off nearly 20 percent from last year's finale, when a series-high 36.4 million viewers tuned in for Taylor Hicks' 124-minute coronation.
If the ratings hold (final numbers are expected later today), Wednesday's finale did manage to squeak by Carrie Underwood's 2005 win (30.3 million) and best Fantasia Barrino's 2004 triumph (28 million), but paled in comparison to the Ruben Studdard-Clay Aiken faceoff in 2003 (34 million).
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - "With that said, everyone knows finishing second on Idol isn't too bad of a spot to be in. For example, there's the creepy Chris Daughtry who is a recording star and didn't finish as the winner of AI. Then there are the other examples such as Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, Kathryn McPhee and Justin Guarini ... er, wait scratch that last one."
"Dreamgirls" Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson comes to mind, as does runner-up Clay Aiken, who released his third album last year and has gone platinum four times. Fourth-place Chris Daughtry hit platinum twice with his debut album, which opened at No. 2 on Billboard in November.
Blake Lewis may have lost this week, but there are definitely a few second-place finishers in the history of American Idol who have outshone the winners of their seasons, including Clay Aiken and Katherine McPhee. Lately, third, fourth, and even fifth place gets an American Idol contestant a record deal.
The Idol title offers no guarantees of greatness. Taylor Hicks, last year's winner, hasn't captured the same attention as fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry. Second-season winner Ruben Studdard hasn't generated the buzz of runner-up Clay Aiken. Victor Fantasia appeared in a weepy TV movie of her life, while also-ran Jennifer Hudson jumped to the big screen and won an Oscar for Dreamgirls.
Since he won't trash Clarkson in public, he'll just rave about Carrie Underwood (aka the un-Kelly) like she cured cancer. And can someone remind him Clay Aiken did NOT win "Idol" -- Ruben Studdard did! Poor Rube! While he pointed out everyone from Chris Daughtry to Jennifer Hudson (what no Carmen Rasmussen?!), Clive forgot to mention the Velvet Teddy Bear himself.
Davis is also apparently very pleased with last year's finalist, Chris Daughtry, who may not have made it to the winner's circle but whose album has left Taylor Hicks' in the dust this year. For that, he apparently got a pass from the finale, which included four of the five previous "Idol" winners, but not successful also-rans like Daughtry and Clay Aiken. (Ex-"Idol" Fantasia Barrino, the no-show, is currently starring in Broadway's "The Color Purple.")
Chicago Tribune - "No one except his rabid fans will accuse Blake of having the vocal chops of, say, Clay Aiken, but even this old-school rap fanatic had to admit that Blake held his own during their raucous cover of Fresh's classic hip-hop track 'The Show.'"
SF Gate - "Season Four winner Carrie Underwood's debut has sold 5.4 million copies. Clay Aiken, who finished second to Ruben Studdard in 2003, has released three discs and sold a total of 4.5 million units."
Louisville Courier - Journal - "Studdard finished 130,000 votes -- less than 1 percent of the overall total -- ahead of runner-up Clay Aiken, which prompted "Idol" fans to criticize Fox for its voting methods."
Seattle Times - "Close observers of the show know that losing can be just as lucrative as winning. Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry all went on to successes in the entertainment field after getting bumped out of the competition."
Clay Aiken, runner-up to Ruben Studdard in the second season of ``American Idol,'' has sold nearly twice as many albums as Studdard: 4.77 million to 2.44 million.
Blake Lewis, Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle, Sanjaya Malakar, Carrie Underwood, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken and other familiar "American Idol" faces have donated to a charity auction being organized by former finalist Kimberley Locke and the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation.
Arkansas Times - Clay mention in Ruben Studdard's tour info.
Detroit Free Press - Great Clay mentions when talking about the high-performance AI "losers":
BIGGER THAN THE WINNERS: Clay Aiken, above, finished second in "American Idol's" 2003 season to Ruben Studdard. Jennifer Hudson, center, lost in 2004. Chris Daughtry, right, was eliminated in 2006. All three have gone on to bigger careers than the winners in their "Idol" years.
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