Getting Excited About the Tour? Maybe This Will Get You More Excited...

Only 4 more days till Clay's summer tour, Soft Rock and A Hard Place, begins! The excitement is so thick you can cut it with a knife!

But in case someone out there is having a hard time feeling the excitement yet, maybe these pictures from past tours will up your excitement level!

American Idol Tour 2003




Independent Tour 2004




NAT Solo Tour 2004




Joyful Noise Tour 2004




Jukebox Tour 2005




Joyful Noise Tour 2005




Symphony Christmas Tour 2006




Soft Rock and a Hard Place Tour 2007

Let's hope for some good clack so we can fill in the blanks for this tour!!

Now, did those pics raise your blood pressure any and get you excited about the upcoming tour?

Houston Press Podcast With Clay, Art Contest Winner Announcement In The Works

The Houston Press Newspaper has some exciting things in the works for Clay fans. You might remember CDD articles about the Houston Press from a couple of months ago concerning an "Aching For Aiken" article, a Clay fan art contest, and a concert ticket giveaway to a deserving child. Well, how do you like the sound of adding a Clay interview podcast to that list of Houston Press items?

I've been keeping in touch with Olivia from the Houston Press off and on the last couple of months. She's the one who planned the Clay art contest for people to enter and then the prize was going to be to give tickets to a deserving child to go see Clay in honor of the winner.

Recently they had a nice big ad in their paper about Clay performing with the Houston Symphony, so I emailed her and thanked her for this ad and then asked about the art contest.

She emailed me back just a few minutes later, and here is what she said in her email:

"I am talking to Clay on the phone right now!
Let me get off the phone and I'll e-mail you the info."

I emailed her back and said:

"What! You're talking to Clay! Whoa! Well, give him my number and tell him to call me!! LOL!"

Well, when she wrote back, she said that she had a 15 minute interview with Clay (and he told her he was in his pajamas! LOL! Are we surprised?!) and the interview is going to be put online as a podcast for us to listen to!!! She said that we are gonna love it too. She also knows what the surprise project he's had Jesse working on, but she wouldn't tell me. But she said that Clay is really excited about it.

The other neat thing is that she does have two concert tickets, a gift card to Outback Steakhouse, to make it be "dinner and a show.", and a Houston Press t-shirt to give to a deserving child. She said that they wanted a deserving kid to get the tickets.

I called Sunshine Kids for her and if it all works out a child from there (cancer kids) and an adult will go to Clay's concert. She told Clay about the art contest and the child going to the concert. Not sure what he said about that yet. I guess the podcast will tell us!

Speaking of the art contest, the winner should be announced on Monday. The drawing will run in the newspaper (provided they get permission from the artist) on Thursday.

We will let you know just as soon as the link to the podcast is available and the winner's name is announced. A 15 minute podcast interview with Clay...now this is something to look forward to!

Clay in June/July Nickelodeon Magazine

The CB's proud to be a claymate spotted Clay in the June/July issue of Nickelodeon Magazine, a magazine targeting children and young adults. The cover features Shrek The Third.

Tidbits 6/30

4 Days to Go!
While we probably won't see Clay chomping down on a Krispy Kreme donut this time around, the 2007 An Evening with Clay Aiken Summer Tour kicks off in less than 4 days! 4... count them with just one set of fingers!

• Men's News Daily - nice plug for the summer tour ... most importantly, this is listed at MEN'S News Daily... wow!

  This week, pop singer Clay Aiken will launch a six-week tour in Dallas, Texas. He'll perform with local symphony orchestras in each city as he supports his latest album, "A Thousand Different Ways." The 20-city tour wraps up on August 19 in Orlando, Florida.
  

• Reminding us that "Idol: The Musical" based on the obsession with Clay Aiken, opens in NYC on July 5 for a summer long stint at the 45th Street Theater:
• Raleigh Chronicle -

  A musical comedy called "Idol: The Musical" about Clay Aiken fans will start its first show next week on July 5th at the 45th Street Theatre near Times Square in New York City and will run through August 25th.

• Though this is not really Clay related - Remember the horse "Aiken for Clay" we told you about in yesterday's Tidbits post? Looks like he finished the race in third in a race in NJ, according to Standardbred Canada -

  The Ron Gurfein-trained daughter of Yankee Glide – Victory Slide led at every station through panels of :28.1, :56.2 and 1:25.1 en route to the four-length win over race favourite Classical Mary (Ron Pierce). Third went to Aiken For Clay (Brian Sears).

• Concert listings:
• TC Palm
• LiveNation North Carolina Myspace - Clay's August 10 Cary concert is listed at this site. Scroll down to see the listing.

• Nothing here yet
  

Clay Blogs: Looks Like He Got His iPhone!

By the looks of his VERY brief and cryptic blog tonight, our adorably cute and geeky Clay isn't leaving himself out of the Apple iPhone fever that hit its climax earlier tonight when the hot $600 music and video playing phones went on sale at Apple and AT & T stores nationwide.

Clay wasn't the only celebrity spotted hunting down an iPhone today, however. Philadelphia's mayor was spotted lining up outside Philadelphia's Apple store earlier today.

Have fun with your iPhone, Clay!

Update 6/30: Clay blogged again on Friday night... this time from his iPhone! Cool!

New Drummer Chosen For Summer Tour

Sean McDaniel will be Clay's new drummer for the An Evening with Clay Aiken Tour (above, left).

Here's a bit about Sean from Electric Kompany:

Sean McDaniel (drums) is currently the Drummer for the Grammy and Tony award winning Best Musical on Broadway, Monty Python's Spamalot . Prior to Spamalot he was a substitute drummer on Broadway's The Lion King , Wicked , Rent , Aida , Avenue Q , Thoroughly Modern Millie , Fiddle r On The Roof , Wonderful Town , Assassins , Nine , Les Miserables , and The Producers . Sean is also a successful freelance Drummer in New York City, having played with Audra McDonald, Carrie Underwood, Mario Frangoulis, Natalie Douglas, Trisha Yearwood, Karmine Alers, Andrea McCardle, and the Ed Palermo Big Band. He plays the Rock club circuit regularly with Melissa Giges, and Shanna Sharp. Sean received his Bachelor of Music degree from The University of North Texas, where he studied with Ed Soph. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from New York University in Musical Composition. His songs have been performed around NYC, and his musical Owl Creek was seen in workshops and produced by Ithaca College. Sean endorses Drum Workshop Drums, Pedals, and Hardware and Vic Firth Drumsticks

Scrapping 4 Inclusion Launches Online Store - All Proceeds Benefit TBAF

We were contacted by Laurie Weishar of Scrapping 4 Inclusion, a TBAF approved fundraiser, to help spread word about Scrapping 4 Inclusion:

---

I would like to introduce to you Scrapping 4 Inclusion and also to our addition of a Café Press Store. One more way Scrapping 4 Inclusion is helping to raise awareness and funds for TBAF!

The Scrapping 4 Inclusion program and the Café Press Store addition are both BAF approved fundraising initiatives.

Scrapping 4 Inclusion is a program where volunteers across the USA are organizing a Scrapbooking Crop to raise funds and awareness for the Foundation. These crops are a fantastic way for the scrapbookers in each community to get together, have fun, and preserve their photos while raising awareness and funds for the Foundation. If you are a scrapbooker please check out the program. If you know someone who is involved in scrapbooking I encourage you to let them know what we are doing so that they can get involved.

Introducing the Café Press Store:

Logo Products (Scrapping 4 Inclusion & TBAF logos) including T-shirts, mugs, magnets, hoodies and much more.

All proceeds go directly to The Bubel/Aiken Foundation

A banner has been designed that can be placed in message board signatures, on blogs, in email messages etc. to help promote this initiative. We are very appreciative of the fact that the Clay Aiken fans are very supportive of the Foundation so we wanted to ensure that you all knew about Scrapping 4 Inclusion and the Café Press products.

If you have read the recent letter from Jerry Aiken, Executive Direction TBAF then you know that the Foundation has set a goal of 100 camps for 2008. The challenge lies with creating awareness as much as raising funds. If you have the funds but nobody out there knows what the Foundation does or about their programs then there won’t be anyone out there implement the new programs. Creating awareness is critical and you can all help with that.

Supporting the Scrapping 4 Inclusion initiative by helping to spread the word to the scrapbookers out there will help to achieve these goals. If you aren’t a scrapbooker you can still help support the Foundation through purchasing the logo products or by simply sharing the information with your friends, family and associates.

I encourage you to check out the program and logo products and if you able to put the banner in your signature on-line or in your blog that would be greatly appreciated. Pass the information on to all of your friends, fans and non fans. Many of them may support the foundation and there’s a chance that your non-fan friends might be scrapbookers and be interested in the products for that reason. The coding is below for both HTML (for websites) and IMG (for message boards) .

Please HELP us HELP the Foundation to HELP the children that could potentially be attending those 100 camps next year.

If you have any questions about the Scrapping 4 Inclusion program please feel free to email me at info@scrapping4inclusion.com

HTML CODE:

<br /><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/s4i"><br /><img border="0" src="http://www.scrapping4inclusion.com//Images/CafePressBanner.png" width="362" height="104" /></a><br />

IMG CODE:

[URL=http://www.cafepress.com/s4i]
[IMG]http://www.scrapping4inclusion.com//Images/CafePressBanner.png[/IMG]
[/URL]

Thank you so much for your support. Word of mouth is the best way to advertise and I am personally asking each of you to use your VOICE to help spread the word.

Laurie Weishar
Scrapping 4 Inclusion
403-226-6607
info@scrapping4inclusion.com
www.scrapping4inclusion.com

October 2006 Tyra Banks Show Appearance Repeats July 18

Clay's memorable October 2006 appearance on The Tyra Banks Show will repeat on July 18 according to VH1's RockOnTV. If you missed it the first time, here's your chance to watch Clay dance, talk about underwear and most importantly, kiss Tyra!

Of course, if you can't wait, there's a ton of Tyra stuff in our CDD archives and there are video caps at ClackUnlimited.

Tidbits 6/29

The Genesee Theater in Waukegan, IL is already promoting Clay's November 29 Christmas concert there... this was sent our to venue members by email today. Thanks to the CB's LUVclay26 for the cap.

• We have a bunch of tour mentions today... the summer tour kicks off in 5 days:
• Kane County Chronicle (Christmas tour)
  
• Northwest Herald (Christmas tour)
• Post-Tribune (Christmas tour)
• Winston-Salem Journal Relish Now urges North Carolinians to audition for American Idol 7 -

  For the second year in a row, there are no auditions in North Carolina, but there are three in the Southeast: Miami, Atlanta and Charleston, S.C. Local talent will have to make a trip to audition, and I hope that some of you give it a try: Think how boring season six was with no Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken or Fantasia Barrino representing the state.

• Columbus Dispatch - Clay article mentions "Idol: The Musical" and upcoming summer concert in Columbus -
  

  When Idol: The Musical hits the stage in New York next month, Clay Aiken won't be there.
  
  But there will be a bust of Raleigh's hometown American Idol star onstage, and someone singing Burnin' Hunk o' Clay to it.
  
  Clay Aiken will appear in person July 21 for a Picnic With the Pops concert with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra on the lawn of Chemical Abstracts Service, 2540 Olentangy River Rd. Call 614-228-8600.

• Looks like the horse "Aiken for Clay" is racing tonight at Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey... this guy has been mentioned in the press a few times in the past year... very cool name, huh?
  

• Nothing here yet.
  

Clay Blogs: Album Producer Chosen

Clay blogged minutes ago to share his excitement about the summer tour which is now just around the corner. While we can't divulge too much information, perhaps the best piece of new Clay mentioned was that he has found an award winning producer for the third album and that it will be out "one day".

If you are fanclub member, you can check out the blog here.

Magical Holiday Tour 2007: Merrillville, IN & Waukegan, IL Christmas Concert Tickets On Sale Tomorrow

Tickets to two of Clay's Magical Holiday Tour 2007 concerts will go on sale tomorrow.

For Clay's concert in Waukegan, IL's Genesse Theater on November 29, tickets ($68 - $83) go on pre-sale Friday June 29 at 11 AM EDT/10 AM CDT (local time) via Ticketmaster. Please note that this is a pre-sale exclusive to venue members and requires a password. The full public on sale is scheduled for Saturday June 30 at 11 AM EDT/10 AM CDT (local time) also via Ticketmaster.

For the Christmas concert in Merrillville, IN's Star Plaza Theater on December 22, tickets ($45 and $55) go on public pre-sale (no password required!) Friday June 29 at 1 PM EDT/12 PM CDT (local time) via Ticketmaster. The official public on sale will occur on Saturday June 30 at 1 PM EDT/12 PM CDT (local time) also via Ticketmaster.

Tidbits 6/28

6 days to go!
Houston is ready .. are you? This tour ad appeared in the Houston Press today. CDD photo courtesy our own J4Clay.

• Clay mention on Canada's CBC Newsworld last night ... he was mentioned during an interview with Neil Sedaka which aired on The Hour - a nightly news program aimed towards Canadian youth. You can watch the interview at CBC.ca (click on Neil Sedaka's section). The CB's Claysmelody reports:

  Showed clips and a bit of history..including STARS that Neil has worked with or written songs for--Clay Aiken was mentioned and was in the clip-a snip of the Invisible video.

• From The Clackhouse:

  "Jimmy Kimmel called into the Adam Carolla Show this morning to talk about the surgery. He mentioned that Clay was one of the people that sent him a gift. He called him his "good friend Clay Aiken" or maybe "dear friend". I don't remember. He was trying to make Adam Carolla feel bad for not getting him anything."

• AAA Magazine - IntoxiClayted at Clayversity wrote that in the July/August issue of the South Florida AAA "Going Places" magazine, Clay's Tampa Bay concert is listed in the "What's Happening" section as follows:

  AUGUST 17
  Clay Aiken In Concert
  Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
  As the runner-up to FOX TV's second American Idol, Clay Aiken wowed television audiences in 2003 with his Southern charm, sweet demeanor and bright, glorious voice.

• Jimmy Kimmel Mention of Clay - Annie2053 at The Clayboard says that on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night-

  Jimmy was introducing the two Idol auditon rejects from AI6, Jonathan and Kenneth. Jimmy said: 'With the possible exception of Sanjaya, and Clay Aiken, and Justin Guarinni, Jennifer Hudson, and maybe william Hung, these men are the most famous former American Idol contestants in the world.'

• PR Newswire - Lycos press release for the Lycos50 ... Clay comes in #10 this week! YEAH!
• MTV Movies Blog - random Clay/AI mention in blog about new horror movie "Saw":

  “The music is so catchy, you can’t get it out of your head,” Bousman added, promising he won’t cast any lame musical singers in his film. “These are all actors who sing, not singers who can act. There’s no Clay Aiken, and there are no ‘American Idols’ in this.”

• Frisco Enterprise - mention of Clay's Frisco, TX concert which is now 6 days away ...

  The celebration will include an FC Dallas soccer game, Clay Aiken and Philharmonic Orchestra Concert, Children's Expo, Community Stage, Taste of Frisco, Hometown Heroes Exhibit, Party in the Plaza, and, of course, fireworks.

• Black Voice News Online - "Celebrating Black Music" -

  Reginald Gaulden is the Music Minister for Second Baptist Church, Riverside, where T. Ellsworth Gantt, Pastor.
  
  His incredible musical talents and reputation have afforded him the opportunity to work with numerous renowned artists, such as Shirley Caesar, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Jones, Richard Smallwood, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and many more.
  

• Carolina On My Mind - some thoughts for the week of June 28 (not really Clay related... but some nice PAH's!)
  

The Way We Make A Difference Ticket Project

We are now only a week away from the first concert of Clay's Summer Tour. And maybe some of you are like me. I've been holding on to two extra tickets for weeks, forgetting I had them. Now its too late to sell them, and maybe its just as well. Because The Way We Make A Difference Ticket Project will be glad to take them off your hands to give to others who would like to see Clay in concert.

According to their Clayboard thread, "TWWMAD promotes inclusion by offering a chance for people with and without disabilities to share in the excitement of seeing Clay in concert." You can also find more information at TWWMAD website.

In addition to donating tickets, you can also donate money to purchase tickets through their website. Or you can contact them by emailing them at TicketDonation@thewaywemakeadifference.org.

If you have tickets for a particular concert you would like to donate, email the following people concerning donating for that show.

• 07/04/07 Frisco, TX, Pizza Hut Park Cindy@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/06/07 Houston, TX, Jones Hall Lenette@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/07/07 Tulsa, OK, Bradley Theater Pam@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/17/07 Philadelphia, PA, Mann Center for the Performing Arts Cindy@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/18/07 Syracuse, NY, Mulroy Civic Center at Oncenter Jeanette@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/19/07 Canandaigua, NY, Constellation Performing Arts Center Cynthia@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/20/07 Chautauqua, NY, Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
  Paula@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/21/07 Columbus, OH, Chemical Abstract Service Ruth@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/23/07 Sterling Heights, MI, Freedom Hill Amphitheater
  Susan@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/25/07 Gilford, NH, Meadowbrook Farm Claire@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 07/28/07 Newark, NJ, New Jersey Performing Arts Center
  Kat@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/02/07 San Diego, CA, Embarcadero Marina Park South
  Debbie@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/03/07 Pala, CA, Palomar Starlight Theater Lenette@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/04/07 Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre Debbie@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/10/07 Cary, NC, Koka Booth Amphitheater Kat@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/11/07 Asheville, NC, Biltmore Estates Robyn@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/12/07 Knoxville, TN, Tennessee Theater Debbie@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/15/07 Atlanta, GA, Chastain Park Amphitheater Pam@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/16/07 Fort Myers, FL, Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
  Cynthia@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/17/07 Tampa, FL, Carol Morsani Hall Cynthia@thewaywemakeadifferenc.org
• 08/18/07 West Palm Beach, FL, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
  Robyn@thewaywemakeadifference.org
• 08/19/07 Orlando, FL, Hard Rock Claire@thewaywemakeadifference.org

We all know how much we enjoy Clay's concerts. So much that seeing one just isn't enough. Why not donate extra tickets to The Way We Make A Difference so that someone who has never seen Clay in concert can have the joy of seeing Clay too!

Summer Tour Kicks Off in 1 Week

The agonizing wait is almost over, Claymates! In just over one week, Clay will be in Frisco, TX to kick off his 2007 An Evening with Clay Aiken Summer Tour. Do you have your tickets? If not, hurry because tickets are quickly selling out.

Don't forget - CDD has the summer tour covered from A to Z over at the CDD An Evening with Clay Aiken Tour blog. You can also access this blog by clicking on "2007 Tour" at the top of the page. During the tour, this blog will be updated everyday with news, recaps and clack.

Tidbits 6/27

• TC Palm - concert listing

• Nothing here today
  

Tidbits 6/26

• TV Squad - Jimmy Kimmel to return tonight after his emergency appendectomy last week:

  When I wrote about Jimmy Kimmel's emergency appendectomy last week, a large number of well-wishing comments came in from an unusual source: Clay Aiken fans. Apparently, a link to the post showed up on an Aiken fan site and Claymaniacs from all over decided to show their love for Kimmel, who apparently has gotten awfully "close" to the singer when he appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
  
  Well, the Claymaniacs and the rest of Jimmy's fans can rest easy; Kimmel is returning to his late-night talk show starting tonight, less than a week after the surgery. "I feel much better now and am delighted to announce that Brad and Angelina may choose to adopt my appendix and give it a loving home," he joked in a statement.

• SecretlyLovesClay says "Invisible" was played at Cedar Point theme park in Ohio this past weekend -

  This past weekend, I went to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH, and I was in the bathroom, and all of a sudden I heard those first few chords to Invisible! So I stopped to listen, and sure enough I was right! Now, mind you, there were A LOT of people in this bathroom, but I couldn't help but shout, "OMG, I can't believe they are playing Clay! Woohoo!!!" Then I composed myself and casually walked out of my stall. So I stayed in the bathroom for a while to listen, but had already been in there long enough, so I left, thinking it was only being played in the bathroom, but as soon as I got to the main path, sure enough I could hear that beautiful voice! It was being pumped out throughout the entire park!!! At the food stands, at the rides (except for the rides that have their own DJs like Millennium Force), but pretty much the whole entire park - and it is a HUGE park!!!!! I just walked around with a huge smile on my face. It was great!
  

• Chexxxy's Pearls on what's good and what's broken and due for fixing at the official fanclub.
• Taking A Moment - Jemock tells us "How to Write a Claymate Appendix Letter to Jimmy Kimmel" ...

  As you are no doubt aware, Jimmy Kimmel wrote a very gracious thank-you note to his "darling Claymates" in response to an apparently heartwarming outpouring of goodwill for him and his lower abdominal (or "appendixical") region. What do you suppose instigated such a response? I didn't send a letter or card, did you? But gosh, I sure wish I had now. I may be late to the bandwagon, but by golly when I finally board that sucker, I'm aiming for the driver's seat. I have majorette boots with dangly pompons and everything.

• The ConCLAYve - Clay & Kimmel... the skit continues -

  Kimmel: It does. Hey…are there any other fan sites where I should be posting my thank you message?
  
  Clay: Ya mean, mah fan sites?
  
  Kimmel: Hey, it looks like they’re MY fans too now. And I’m theirs. (melodramatic sigh)
  
  Clay (sardonically): Oh, a love affayre made in heaven. Well, don’t git too cocky, or Ah might hafta blog about how disgustin’ you are. Did yore maid take the week off? Coss it smells like a dumpster in here. (sniffing) Or a funeral. Or both.

Magical Holiday Tour 2007: Merrillville, IN & Waukegan, IL Announced

Wow! Looks like Team Clay is really pushing the Christmas tour this year, announcing dates even before his first 2007 tour - the Summer Tour - kicks off.

Clay will be returning to both Merrillville, IN's Star Plaza Theater and the Genesse Theater in Waukegan, IL as part of his Magical Holiday Christmas Tour. These two venues participated in Clay's previous tours including the Jukebox Tour in 2005 (Star Plaza) and last year's Christmas tour which kicked off with Clay and several thousand Claymates snowed in in Waukegan, IL.

The dates are as follows:

• November 29 - Waukegan, IL - Genesse Theatre. Tickets go on sale June 29 to venue members and to the general public on June 30 ... both via Ticketmaster. Confirmed by the Chicago Sun Times.
• December 22 - Merrillville, IN - Star Plaza Theater. No ticketing info yet.
  

All summer tour and Christmas tour dates can be found at the CDD Claytracker.

A Note of Appreciation From Jimmy Kimmel to Clay Fans

As you know, Jimmy Kimmel was admitted to the hospital recently to have his appendix removed. Clay fans, of course, were concerned, and left get well messages for Jimmy on boards all across Claynation.

Today, at the Official Fan Club, is a note of appreciation from Jimmy. You have to be a member and sign in to read the message. For those who are not members, know that Jimmy appreciates us and is feeling much better.

Thanks, Jimmy, for the sweet note, and we are very thankful that you are recovering so nicely from your surgery. Though there is less of you to love now, we will love you all the more!!

Tidbits 6/25

• Raleigh News & Observer - Now here is an interesting Clay mention, proving Clay is everywhere! In an article entitled "Check It Out: Preservative Memories", we read of a piece of pizza that was left in a closet in 1988 and found quite preserved, with no mold, in 2005 (17 years later). Clay Mention? Read on:

  Let's put that piece of pizza in perspective. Here's how far back 1988 was; it was the year that:
  * CDs outsold vinyl records for the first time. (You remember CDs, right?)
  * "Bull Durham" opened in theaters.
  * Clay Aiken was 10....

• Ticket News - Clay Aiken busy adding dates to 2007 Magical Holiday Christmas Tour...

  Clay Aiken has proven he's a popular concert artist and with the summer tour opener just 10 days away, November and December dates for the Magical Holiday Tour 2007 are already surfacing on orchestra websites.

• Austin 360 - article about Kelly Clarkson has a nice Clay mention ... Kelly's new CD, My December, drops tomorrow -

  Which she did, in spades. In fact, a mess of "Idol" veterans did. Clarkson's albums sold 11 million copies. Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood's country debut sold more than 6 million. Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken's debut sold more than 3 million. These are serious numbers in an arid pop climate. "American Idol" has become the single most important piece of pop music marketing around.
  

• Nothing here yet!
  

Tidbits 6/24

• There's a small Clay mention in a new book called 1000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die by Patricia Schultz.
  

  IOWA STATE FAIR: The author calls it “a true American classic.” For 11 days in August, more than a million people enjoy “stomach-churning rides, sugar-dusted funnel cakes and ... big-name talent like Garth Brooks and Clay Aiken.”
  

• Tour mentions:
• Seacoast Online
• Sign On San Diego - strong ticket sales spurred by Clay Aiken concert - "Fowler and Clay Aiken – “American Idol's” 2003 runner-up, who performs at the Pops Aug. 2 – are contributing to strong ticket sales at the Embarcadero."

• Carolina On My Mind - Christmas tour dates begin surfacing