Clay Generating Buzz in South Korea

Clay was the #1 searched term at Naver yesterday, the most popular website in Korea - the equivalent of Google in North America, we're told.

The CB's Bloomingclay explains Clay's sudden jump in popularity:

I didn't know why because there was not anything happened today so I thought it was very unusual,but I found out the reason.
They featured someone's blog in their main page and the blogger was Clay fan.The blog was about how he transformed from a university student to star and why the blogger likes him(his charity works,his voice,etc,etc,etc)

Bloomingclay said a bunch of popular newspapers in Korea picked up the story:

• Game Chosun
• ISplus
• MK.co.kr
• Hankyung
  

The translated version of the stories were posted by Bloomingclay as well:

Who is Clay Aiken?

Clay Aiken,Idol singer who is very popular in the US was the most searched in the website and became the hot topic among internet users.

It seemed that Clay Aiken was introduced through a blog in internet portal website and internet users kept searching about him thinking 'Who is Clay Aiken?'

Clay Aiken is the singer with beautiful appealing voice and was the runner-up in season 2 American Idol. At that time he was not that noticeable because of his skinny appearance but now he is one of the most successful singer from that show.Especially he was chosen for 'the most sexiest male singer' in the US.

Angelic Clay Aiken,Unicef Goodwill Ambassador

Clay Aiken who is the hot topic among internet users also has the big heart.Aiken is well-known for his major in special education in North Carolina University and his helping people with disabilities

His story of auditioning for AI was also special.He taught a kid with disabilities and his mother made him audition for the show.As a result,he became the runner-up of season2 American Idol with his great singing.　

However,Aiken kept his modesty even after his success of debut album. Unlike other stars who become arrogant after getting famous, he said "I want to use my fame as a tool to raise awareness about children with disabilities." and many people were moved by his attitude.In addition,he actively participated in voluntary works so that gave him the nickname 'Angel'

Now Aiken is works at President Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities in the Bush administration.President Bush appointed him as one of 12 members of the committee.

He also works as Unicef Goodwill Ambassador so he visited Indonesia after tsunami and Uganda.In addition,He runs his own foundation, Bubel/Aiken Foundation for children with disabilities.

World Blog Day: Our Favorite Blogs

I woke up this morning and through ClayKat's blog "Let's blog about Clay today, World Blog Day" found out that yesterday was World Blog Day! Did you even know such as day existed?

Well... better late than never, we're taking up ClayKat's challenge:

BlogDay posting instructions:

1. Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting
2. Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending them as part of BlogDay 2007
3. Write a short description of the Blogs and place a link to the recommended Blogs
4. Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st) and
5. Add the BlogDay tag using this link: http://technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2007 and a link to the BlogDay web site at http://www.blogday.org

CDD is thrilled that ClayKat chose us as her #1 blog:

1. Clay's Daily Double (my favourite)

My #1 source of information, links, clack and everything else on Clay - I highly recommend it. Sometimes I think the gals at CDD know what Clay's up to before he does himself! Last year, Clay's Daily Double was named the Best Clay Aiken Website 2006 by the Clammy Awards, a well-deserved recognition.

So, here's my top 5 blogs, a few of them Clay related a few of them not...

1. Carolina On My Mind
2. ClayKat
3. Excuse Me While I Take A Moment
4. Engadget ... not Clay... but a very cool blog about technology and gadgets
   
5. Download Squad ... also not Clay... but essential reading for computer geeks like myself ;)
   

Tidbits 9/1

• Clay is featured in a new UNICEF mailing, according to the CB's tiggy52winkle:

  Just got a new UNICEF donation request mailing and on the back of the world map who pops out at me but Ambassador Aiken! His picture is under a section titled, "Saving the World's Children is the Foundation of Our Mission." At the bottom of the short piece is the picture of Clay sitting in a classroom looking intently at whoever is speaking. Great photo, not a new one. To the right of the photo is this quote,

  Everyone deserves the best start in life, which is what UNICEF is working to provide the world's most vulnerable children.
  
  -Clay Aiken, Singer and UNICEF Ambassador
  

• Christmas tour mentions -
• Central Jersey Home News Tribune -

  Clay Aiken Christmas with Chelsea Symphony Orchestra, Dec. 6, State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. $65-$100. More information is available by calling (732) 246-7469 or by visiting www.statetheatrenj.org. Tickets are on sale through the box office

• Canada.com/Edmonton Journal - Rosie O'Donnell gets her own TV show on E! -

  Rosie O'Donnell lands her very own, expanded, two-hour edition of E! True Hollywood Story. That hardly seems long enough, though. There's the Kelly Ripa/Clay Aiken controversy to cover and that thing with Donald Trump. Doesn't that warrant an entire season? (E!)

• Nothing here yet
  

Canadian Idol Kalan Porter Releases Sophomore Album

Before you read further, let me tell you that this post isn't Clay related. So if you're only looking for "Clay-formation", you can go ahead and scroll past this post.

Canadian Idol 2 (2004) winner Kalan Porter released his new album Wake Up Living in Canada last week, following up on his double platinum seller 219 Days which came out around the same time as Clay's "Merry Christmas with Love" way back in 2004. That disc spawned several top 40 hits for Kalan in Canada and earned him nods from the MuchMusic video awards and the Junos.

The new album is best described as being intimate; after all, Kalan recorded most of it after taking a break from his hectic musical career to stay close to his family when they found out Kalan's mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

And here's a selection from the album... this video Kalan recorded for the song "Hurry" has got to be the funniest and most creative music video I have ever seen... take a look:

... and if you're looking for something more serious in nature, here's a clip of Kalan singing "True Colours" with CI2 runner up Theresa Sokyrka. Aside from Clay's performances on AI2, this is my all-time favourite Idol performance:



Claynadians ... if you haven't picked up the disc yet, go get one this weekend and show your support for the Canadian music industry, which, in recent years has been overcome with a huge American talent invasion.

As for our American visitors, you can buy the disc off of Amazon.com for a pretty steep price of $30.98... or you can contact one of the Canadian Kalan fans on the Clayboard to purchase a copy for you and ship it to you at cost. However, there has been rumors that Sony BMG is planning to release this disc in the U.S. sometime in September... but that hasn't been confirmed.

Tidbits 8/31

• Ashbury Park Press - AI/Elliott Yamin article ...

  Yamin, who has been touring in support of his self-titled debut CD, hopes to follow in the footsteps of Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, La Toya London, Kellie Pickler and Bo Bice, who all have parlayed finishes in at least the top six into successful record deals.

• Variety - September sees big album releases... ATDW flopped? For a covers album with little promotion... 500k is a great achievement, if you ask me:

  September 2006 saw a mix of Grammy contenders and discs by name acts with the potential to sell well through the holiday season. Three September releases performed extraordinarily -- Beyonce's "B'Day," Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" and Fergie's "Dutchess" -- while a pair notably flopped: Janet Jackson "20 Y.O." and Clay Aiken's "Thousand Different Ways."
  

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Northwest Herald -

  One of “American Idol’s” most beloved contestants, Clay Aiken will perform a Christmas concert on Nov. 29 with a full orchestra, playing up his close rapport with the fans he lovingly calls “claymates.”

• Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com - "Clay Aiken Christmas Show, with Wichita Symphony Orchestra musicians, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26. Tickets $30, $35, $40, on sale Thu."
• Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader mentions:
• 411mania -

  Fox announced plans for a celebrity version of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader for November Sweeps. Attempting to raise money for their favorite charities will be Regis Philbin, Billy Bush, Tony Hawk, Miss America Lauren Nelson, and American Idol alums Clay Aiken and Kelly Pickler.

• Country Hound - "GACTV.com reports that Kellie’s fellow American Idol alum Clay Aiken, talk-show host Regis Philbin, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, Miss America Lauren Nelson and Billie Bush of Access Hollywood will also participate."

• Nothing here today
  

BuzzSugar's 5th Grader Poll - Vote for Clay!

Hey, you might've noticed it's been a little slow on news recently. Well, why not waste use some of your extra time by voting for Clay on this poll at BuzzSugar which asks:

Which of These Celebrities is Smarter than a Fifth Grader?

I'll admit, when Kellie Pickler was "what's a ballsy"-ing her way through season five of "American Idol," I did occasionally question her intelligence. But is she smarter than a fifth grader? I guess we'll soon find out. Pickler is among the celebrities who will guest-star on "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader" during November sweeps. Also going to the head of the class: Clay Aiken, Regis Philbin, Billy Bush, Tony Hawk, and Miss America (Lauren Nelson). They're playing for charity, so I imagine that they'll all be doing their best, and not intentionally mispronouncing words to seem cuter (ahem, Pickler). But which of them — if any — do you think has the greatest chance of taking home the $1 million top prize?

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE AWAY... CLICK HERE

Magical Holiday Tour 2007: Ticket Sales In Brief

A few Christmas tour news items we're passing along to you. Don't forget, the CDD Magical Holiday Tour blog has been set up and will continuously be updated with the latest tour news, just like we've done for the past few months with the recently ended Summer tour.

• The Mohegan Sun concert in Uncasville, CT on December 9 has been confirmed by the New York Daily News -

  FEAT OF CLAY
  
  Been wondering what Clay Aiken has been up to? Well, the "American Idol" puppy has signed to do a Christmas show at the Mohegan Sun Dec. 9. (Okay, so he likes to start celebrating early.)

• The Official Fanclub says fanclub presales for the Nov. 26 Wichita, KS concert begin on Tuesday September 4 at 8:30 AM CDT. They had a typo with the date in this note posted on their homepage... the correct date is Tuesday Sept. 4, not the 5th. We're told this venue is a fantastic one for a Christmas concert because of the fact it's a church and the fact they have huge jumbotrons:

  08/31/07 : NEW CLAY AIKEN PRE-SALE BEGINS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th!
  By Team Clay
  
  A new pre-sale for Clay's "Christmas in the Heartland" tour begins this coming Tuesday, September 4th. Pre-sale passwords, links and detailed information will be posted on the TOURS page of the ClayOnline.com website prior to pre-sale start times. You will need to login using your Clay Online fan club account to see the pre-sale link and password.
  
  Clay Aiken Pre-Sale beginning Tuesday, September 4th:
  
  November 26 -- Wichita, KS -- Central Christian Church -- Pre-Sale Begins 8:30 a.m. CDT

Vote For Clay's Version of "Mack The Knife"

Do you all remember what an absolutely awesome job Clay did of singing Mack The Knife on American Idol? I mean, he blasted that song through the roof!! That has always been one of my favorites of Clay's from American Idol.

You can head over to the website, IdolStalker.com, and vote for Clay's version of Mack The Knife over versions sung by Blake Lewis from last season's American Idol and Brian Melo of Canadian Idol. The YouTube video of each version is at the website for you to listen to before you vote.

As of the writing of this article, Clay is in the lead with 230 votes, followed by Blake's 30 and Brian's 20.

Head over there and give Clay a few more votes!

Tidbits 8/30

A new photo of Clay and the gang at the Cary, NC tour shop earlier this month. This was taken by the symphony's stage manager. Click to enlarge.

• Lake County News Sun - naughty Clay writes manager's phone # on Genesse Theatre's wall of fame ... Clay will return to the Waukegan, IL venue for his 2007 Christmas tour -

  Naughty by Nature: Clay Aiken, who was born on Nov. 30 and appeared at the Genesee last Dec. 1, wrote "Thanx Genesee Theatre for a marvelous holiday (and birthday)." He also wrote his manager's name and phone number with the phrase "for a good time call," but the joke was later painted over.

• Charlotte Observer - NC home to a diverse range of musical talents -

  From bluegrass and jazz to rock and R&B, the Carolinas are rich in musical history.
  
  John Coltrane and Nina Simone were born here. James Taylor and Alabama have musical roots here. Jodeci, Anthony Hamilton, Angie Stone and Calvin Richardson grew up here. Doc Watson and Superchunk grounded careers here. And "American Idol" alums Fantasia, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry and Kellie Pickler still call Carolina home.
  

• 5th Grader mentions -
  
• Great American Country -

  Kellie is one of several celebrity contestants scheduled to compete on Fox-TV's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" during the November sweeps period. Others set to appear include fellow "American Idol" alum Clay Aiken, talk-show host Regis Philbin, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, Miss America Lauren Nelson and Billie Bush of "Access Hollywood."

• 2007 Christmas tour mentions:
• Lake County News Sun
  

• Carolina On My Mind - "smart men turn me on" ... Clay and how he did on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" (obviously... SPOILERS!)

  Clay Aiken's episode for the Fox show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" was taped Tuesday afternoon. For those unable to attend the taping in Los Angeles, a CA message board was the place to be.
  
  Clay's winnings have long been earmarked for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation project entitled "100 Let's All Play Camps in 2008." Prior to the singer's appearance on the show, the foundation sponsored a "Fifth Grader Challenge" in which supporters pledged money for each of Clay's correct answers.

• Southern Girl - Clay playing for TBAF on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"

  Today I'm happy about something that I'm not even going to see until November. During November sweeps, FOX will air a celebrity edition of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and guess whose pretend boyfriend will be playing? ;)
  
  That's right! It's Clay Aiken and he's playing for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, the foundation he founded that, as its mission statement says:
  

  ...serves to bridge the gap that exists between young people with special needs and the world around them. We support communities with inclusive programs and together create awareness about the possibilities that inclusion can bring.
  

  One of the things TBAF does is set up camps where both children with disabilities and those without them can interact, and Clay has set a goal to raise $1,000,000 for the foundation's "Let's ALL Play" project so 100 such camps can be set up in 2008.
  

Jeff Foxworthy on Tonight Show - No Clay Mention, But...

Jeff Foxworthy was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. So I stayed up to watch and see if there would be a Clay mention. Unfortunately, Jeff didn't mention anything about Clay or the celebrity shows. He did say that the new kids on the show are real little since its the beginning of the school year, so don't you know that Clay just loved them and they adored him!

Jeff was very funny and quick-witted with his stories, and I hear that Clay outsnarked him during the taping. I'm thinking our guy can outsnark just about anyone. I'd pay a fortune to watch these two southern guys snark back and forth for an hour. My sides would be splitting and hurting so bad by the time they were through!

One of Jeff's jokes tonight: He gave us some fashion tips. He said that if your mom is still driving you to school, you ain't no gangsta, so pull your pants up!!

Another fashion tip from Jeff: If your rear end looks like two raccoons wrestling a 50 pound bag of corn (or something), say NO to spandex!!

Betcha Clay could have come up with a remark about both those jokes!!

They also showed Jeff's brand of barbeque sauce with his picture on it. I wonder if its better than Clay's North Carolina barbeque sauce. These two guys seem to have a few things in common...both from the south, both are very witty, and both love barbeque! Hmmmm, maybe Jeff and Clay would be great partners on the show Clay has always wanted to be on, "The Amazing Race"...that is if Jimmy can't do it!! Mark Burnett...see what you can arrange!

I liked Jeff Foxworthy last year on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. Somehow, after yesterday's taping, I think I'm going to love him all the more!

Bubel Aiken Foundation Launches New Video Ad

The Bubel Aiken Foundation launched a new 3 minute video today, promoting the various programs they run and sponsor. Currently, the video clip is only being used on the BAF website, www.bubelaiken.org.

The foundation also announced their book, "Our Friend Mikayla" was chosen as book of the month by Read On Wisconsin:

8/29/2007
Our Friend Mikayla picked as Featured Book

Read On Wisconsin, an online book club for students in Wisconsin, will officially begin its fourth year this September. We would like to inform you that Our Friend Mikayla by Mikayla's 3rd Grade Class has been selected to be the featured book for the month of November for the Primary age group. You can learn more about Read On Wisconsin at http://readon.wi.gov. As you will see on the web site, each of the month's featured books are displayed prominently on the home page. Older students respond to the featured books through an online weblog. Teachers discuss strategies for using the books in their classrooms on the Teacher Resource page. Each month, I travel throughout the state to discuss the books with students. Read On Wisconsin also donates books to students who need them the most. Each month, I recommend 5 books, one for each of five age groups ranging from preschool to high school. I selected all of the books for this year's list with the assistance of an advisory committee comprised of teachers, librarians and students from across Wisconsin. I look forward to featuring Our Friend Mikayla in November! Please let me know if there are ways we can work together. Thank you for your contribution to children's literature. Sincerely, Jessica Doyle First Lady of Wisconsin

Tidbits 8/29

Another new pic of Clay at Cedar Point last month...

• The CB's claysbuttercup99 has uploaded HUNDREDS of NEW photos from the Cary, NC concert... WOW. Check it out at SmugMug.
  
• Some more 5th Grader mentions ... Clay taped his appearance on the hit FOX game show yesterday and earned some big money for the Bubel Aiken Foundation:
• Mention on Cleveland's WDOK-FM, reports the CB's Vincent -

  Wasn't able to report 'til now, but about 45 minutes ago, a news flash on our local AC station (WDOK) nearly knocked me off my feet! It went something like this..." Attention Clay Aiken Fans! Clay will be a contestant on "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" on ...and gave all the pertinent date and time info! No mention about his playing for the BAF, etc.
  

• TV with meeVee -

  We'll see American Idol contestants Kellie Pickler (left) and Clay Aiken, skater Tony Hawk, Miss America Lauren Nelson, and President Bush's cousin Billy Bush, also known as "the most annoying man in show business." All of them will compete to direct a million dollars to their favorite charity, and most of them will probably reveal embarrassing gaps in their basic learning.

• BuddyTV -

  What do talk show host Regis Philbin, champion skateboarder Tony Hawk and American Idol stalwarts Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler have in common? Well, they're all going back to school on national television. When Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? returns with its Celebrity Edition, a number of famous personalities will test their brain power for the benefit of various charitable causes.
  
  Aside from Philbin, Aiken, Hawk and Pickler, the upcoming installment of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? will also feature Access Hollywood's Billy Bush and the reigning Miss America, Lauren Nelson.
  
  Clay Aiken will attempt to do his best to raise funds for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation or TBAF, of which he is a co-founder. TBAF is already set to receive a minimum of $25,000 just for Aiken's appearance but the American Idol runner-up and multi-platinum recording artist hopes to win as much for his charity as he possibly can.
  
  Jerry Aiken, Clay's uncle and executive director of TBAF, has expressed much enthusiasm over his nephew's participation in the game show.
  
  "We are excited about Clay's appearance on the show to fundraise for the Foundation.” Jerry Aiken stated. “FOX has given us a great opportunity to move closer to our goal of 100 Let's ALL Play camps in 2008. Clay's appearance will also gain exposure for our goals of full inclusion. Of course we are hoping to win the million, but Clay's being part of their hit show will be great for the Foundation either way."

• TV Blend -

  A special celebrity edition of Fox’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is set to hit TV screens during November sweeps, Zap2it.com reports. Celebrity contestants include Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler (both of American Idol fame), Regis Philbin (Live with Regis and Kelly), TV personality Billy Bush, skateboarder Tony Hawk, and Miss America Lauren Nelson.

• Ohio.com -

  Are You Smarter Than a Miss America? Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, which begins its second season on Fox on Sept. 6, is planning some special November telecasts in which celebrities take the 5th-grader challenge. Prize money will go to charity.
  
  Scheduled participants include Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler, Regis Philbin, Tony Hawk, Billy Bush and Miss America Lauren Nelson.
  

• Charlotte Observer -

  You may be smarter than a fifth grader, but how about Clay Aiken or Kellie Pickler or Regis Philbin?
  
  "American Idol" finalists and N.C. natives Aiken and Pickler will lead the celebrity group, along with game show veteran Philbin. Also signed on are skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, Miss America Lauren Nelson and relative-to-the-President Billy Bush.

• Nothing here yet

Some Interesting CDD Stats

We're heading into several months of what we anticipate to be a Clay drought. So we'd like to take this opportunity to share with you some interesting stats we have collected about our visitors through Google Analytics - a popular web analytic program used widely on the internet.

To be clear, CDD does not collect personal data, such as specific IP addresses, emails, names, telephone numbers, etc. about our visitors. The data presented here is very generalized and does not identify specific users. We collect this information to help further improve design and provide content that is most relevant to our users.

• Visits per day: CDD averages about 1200-1500 visitors each day
• Top visits from the following ISPs: RoadRunner, Verizon, Comcast
• Highest # of visits by country: U.S., Canada, Japan, Singapore
• Returning visitors: 82.13% of our visitors are returning visitors
• # of visits: 19.02% of our returning visitors have visited CDD more than 200 times
• Most popular browsers:
• Internet Explorer - 81.72%
• IE6 - 50%
• IE7 - 50%
• Firefox - 12.85%
• Safari - 4.54%
• Operating Systems:
• Windows - 94.52%
• XP - 88.6%
• Vista - 7.35%
• 2000 - 2.84%
• 98 - 1.84%
  
• Mac - 5.13%
• Screen Resolutions:
• 1024x768 - 51.40%
• 800x600 - 14.06%
• 1280x800 - 11.09%
• 1280x1024 - 8.36%
• Top search keywords used to find CDD on search engines:
• clay's daily double
• clay aiken daily double
• clay aiken
• cdd.blogspot.com
• 2007 clay aiken news
• clayboard clay aiken kelly clarkson
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• Most popular stories recently:
• Faye Parker Welcomes Japanese Claymates
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• Kelly Clarkson Spotted at LA Concert
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• For Your Viewing Pleasure - My Pictures From Ashville
• Average # of page views per visit: 1.97
• Average time on site per visit: 7 minutes 48 seconds

"Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" Pledge Drive Total Up To $84,051.97

According to Aron Hall from The Buble Aiken Foundation, the pledge drive total in now up to $84,051.97, with an actual donation total of $2,575.50 received as of August 28 at 9 p.m.

"Join in the Fun and Make a Difference" it states on the BAF Pledge Drive page. So have you joined in the fun by making a pledge yet? As for me personally, I plan to add a total of $11 to my initial pledge in honor of the total number of questions that Clay could possibly answer correctly to make a million. We aren't giving out any information about what he actually made for the foundation (although I'm sure most of Claynation knows by now), but I'm so excited about him appearing today and representing BAF, that I felt I had to do something just a little bit more. Anyone else want to do the same thing?

Here is what Aron Hall says at their website about the pledge drive and how to turn in your donation:

"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" Pledge Drive
Join in the Fun and Make a Difference

Current Pledge Total: $84,051.97
Actual Donation Total: $2,575.50
Last Updated: August 28, 9 pm
Pledge Total based on maximum potential of the pledges made.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTINUE PLEDGING AND START DONATING. (See the donation information below.) Thank you for your support!

On August 28, Bubel/Aiken Foundation co-founder Clay Aiken is appearing on a taping of a celebrity edition of “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” hosted by Jeff Foxworthy on FOX. For more info on the show, click here: http://fox.com/areyousmarter/ .

Beyond receiving the amazing exposure the show will bring, the Foundation will receive at least a $25,000 donation from the show. Anything beyond the $25,000 that Clay earns by answering "elementary" questions will also be donated to the Foundation. He will need to answer 6 questions to get beyond the minimum. 11 questions correct means the Foundation will receive a $1 MILLION check from the show.

The Foundation is asking for pledges for each correct answer Clay gives on the show. Whether it's 50 cents or 100 dollars, every amount will help us get closer to our goal of 100 Let's ALL Play camps in 2008.

If you would like to make a pledge, simply email pledge@bubelaiken.org with your pledge amount. We would like to receive all pledges by August 27. Check back here regularly to see the total climb! After the show, we will announce the number of correct answers (we're going to assume 11) and then you can make your donations online at www.bubelaiken.org or send in a check or money order to:

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation
ATTN: Smarter Pledge
8601 Six Forks Road
Suite 400
Raleigh, NC 27615

REMEMBER: Include your Beta Alpha Chapter with your donation in order for your chapter to get the proper credit. Chapters will only receive credit when the donation is received.

Please note that donations of under $25 will need to be made by check or money order. We apologize for the inconvenience.

My bolding is in the paragraph above. Be sure, as it says, to include your Beta Alpha group with your donation if you want to get credit for those donations!

So whether you decide to get your donation in now or wait until the show is aired (which will be during sweeps week in November), be sure to do whatever you can to support BAF and Clay.

Clay, we're so proud of you for raising these funds for BAF and at the same time showing us just how smart you are!

Tidbits 8/28

• Online Athens - student talks about her "rock 'n roll" summer job -

  "My rock 'n' roll job is working at Chastain Park in Atlanta," she says. "In fact, as we speak, Clay Aiken is onstage. I'm usually responsible for making sure the artists have what they need in their dressing rooms and I'll also drive them around if necessary.

• Nothing here today
  

5th Grader Taping: Clay Brings Home The Money for TBAF

As most of you are well aware now, Clay taped his appearance on the celebrity edition of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader today.

The episode is scheduled to air on FOX in November, just in time for the mid-season sweeps.

Some taping tidbits from the boards:

• Clay wore glasses New reports from people in the studio indicate Clay did not wear glasses
• his 5th grade teacher was in the audience
• The results are available on the boards... look around. They will not be posted on CDD until the show airs... but let's just say Clay took home a sizable lump of cash for the BAF!
  

5th Grader Gets Press Coverage

We have a lot of mentions of Clay's appearance on "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" which he taped today in LA. According to Zap2it.tv, Clay's celebrity appearance will air during the mid-season November sweeps period.

• Entertainment Tonight -

  Singer and former "American Idol" runner-up CLAY AIKEN has already proven he's got singing chops and now according to the Associated Press he's preparing to prove he's got the brains to go with the talent as he gets set to appear on the his FOX game show "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?"
  
  Aiken will play to win a million dollars for his foundation that runs a camp for kids with developmental disabilities. He will reportedly tape his portion today, but no air date has been announced.
  

• MovieWeb, StarPulse -
  

  With host Jeff Foxworthy in his familiar place at the head of the class, entertainer Regis Philbin (Live with Regis and Kelly) on-air personality Billy Bush (Access Hollywood), American Idol finalists Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk and Miss America Lauren Nelson will add to the schoolroom antics as they try to ace the questions and earn money for charity.

• Canoe.ca via Zap2itTV -

  You may be smarter than a 5th grader, but how about Clay Aiken or Kellie Pickler or Regis Philbin?
  
  FOX has scheduled a series of celebrity contestants to compete on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" during the November sweeps period.
  
  "American Idol" finalists Aiken and Pickler will lead the celebrity group, along with game show veteran Philbin. Also signed on are skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, Miss America Lauren Nelson and relative-to-the-President Billy Bush.

• Orlando Sentinel - "Fox has announced a celebrity edition of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" The players will include talk-show king Regis Philbin and two "American Idol" alumni, Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler."
• Reality TV World -

  Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler to compete on Fox's '5th Grader' game show
  
  Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler won't be able to sing their way out of this one.
  
  Fox has announced the former American Idol finalists will both compete in special celebrity Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? episodes that will air on Thursday nights during the November ratings sweeps period.
  

Thanking Clay For the Summer Tour!

Two new montages thanking Clay of the wonderful tour memories were posted by suereu and iloveclay101 to YouTube.

Enjoy!

My Tribute to The Clay Aiken Soft Rock Tour! from iloveclay101

Clay, Thanks for the Memories from suereu

Tidbits 8/27

• Washington Post - reporting old news about "Idol: The Musical" being cancelled -

  Not Aiken for Clay
  
  An "American Idol"-themed musical inspired by Clay Aiken and his army of obsessive fans has gone up in smoke just one day after it went up in lights on a Broadway marquee, reports TMZ.com

• ClayKat recounts her experiences seeing Clay live in concert -

  Summer's drawing to a close, and Clay's tour - officially called "An Evening With Clay Aiken" (but unofficially: "Between a Soft Rock and a Hard Place Tour") - ended in Orlando, Florida a week ago today. Has it really only been a week? It feels like much longer ago that I was attending online cellcerts (CELLphone conCERTS) and hearing what witty, hilarious and/or touching thing Clay was doing or saying at a particular concert.
  

Clay's Delta Boarding Pass Hits eBay - UPDATED

Clay's boarding pass he used on his way home from Orlando to Raleigh was found left on the plane by a lucky commuter. The pass is now up on the auction block over at eBay. You can clearly see "Aiken, Clay" under the Delta logo.

Several lucky and undoubtedly surprised Claymates got to fly home with Clay on this same flight, as we told you last week.

Thanks to Southern Girl for finding this.

Update 8/27 - as noted by some people who have commented on this post, the boarding pass has been removed from eBay.

Zac Efron Gets "Punk'd"; Clay's Name Mentioned

Clay's name was mentioned when Zac Efron was "punk'd" on the MTV show recently, as discovered on YouTube by the CB's proud to be a claymate:

I was on youtube looking at Zac Efron stuff with my kids and was watching a clip when Ashley Tisdale helped Zac Efron get Punk'd and they were in a clothing store and the lady says they just outfitted Clay Aiken. It's at the 1:31-1:35 mark. Even though it was a quick burb, I thought it was still great Clay was mentioned..

Tidbits 8/26

• LBFCA - Clay and his crush on "robot girl" -

  At the concert in Pala when Clay was setting up the TV medleys part of the show, he brought up a favorite show of his as a kid (and incidentally one of mine), "Small Wonder."
  
  Clay went on to say that he had a huge crush on the star of the show, Vickie, the robot girl.
  

• Toronto Star - quoting Clay's "Sexyback"/Classics medley banter -

  We don't even know what that means and it still creeps us out
  "Thank God we have [Justin Timberlake]. I'm happy to be the person who gets the old ladies covered."'
  CLAY AIKEN

• Vancouver Province - Chris Daughtry article ...

  Davis is, of course, the head of RCA Records and one of music's legendary record executives. He's had huge success in signing other Idol winners, including Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Fantasia Burrino. He certainly must have recognized that the groundswell of support for Daughtry -- and the publicity that surrounded his departure from the Idol competition -- made the singer a hot commodity.

• North County Gazette - Jordin Sparks to release debut single tomorrow -

  Earlier this month, Jordin signed to 19 Recordings/Jive Records, becoming the first “Idol” winner to join the Zomba Label Group. Past Idol winners such as Ruben Studdard and Fantasia signed with the RCA Label Groups J, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks with Arista and Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry and Clay Aiken, RCA.
  

• Carolina On My Mind - revisiting the summer tour grand finale