Tidbits 11/3

• Clay mention on Jimmy Kimmel last night - a video cap is available at SendSpace. Reports from the CB:

  I don't know if this is a new show or a rerun. The guest is on Hero's and they were talking about his fans and Jimmy mentioned Clay and Claymates.
  
  Somone from the audience yelled out and the actor who plays Silo, asked it she was part of his fan group--didn't catch their name-- and Jimmy said that's like the Claymates and Clay Aiken.
  

• Washington Post - Carrie Underwood shows impressive first week sales -

  Underwood's total also represents the second-largest week by any "American Idol" contestant, surpassed only by 613,000 sales that greeted the first album by 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken.

• BeyondChron - Clay headed to Broadway - "Clay Aiken (American Idol) is headed for Broadway in “Spamalot”. And it had to happen sooner or later…"
• Christmas tour mentions:
• Erie Times News -

  "Christmas in the Heartland": Tickets go on sale today for "American Idol" favorite Clay Aiken's holiday show -- accompanied by the Erie Philharmonic -- on Dec. 16 at Tullio Arena. Ticket prices range from $36.25 to $56.75. 10 a.m., Tullio Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 452-4857 or 456-7070, and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

• Clay - The Man has some new Clay blends, graphics up ... check out this wonderful blog regularly!
  
• Something That Really Happened - Clay wins big on "5th Grader"
• Carolina On My Mind - Clay wins a ton of money for TBAF, new fans on "5th Grader"

  "You're a quality human being and a man of character," host Jeff Foxworthy said to Clay Aiken at the close of Thursday's appearance on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"
  
  The opening act for AYSTAFG Celebrity Editions during November Sweeps Week, Clay proved he is intelligent, witty, personable, and passionately committed to the inclusion goals and programs of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which he co-founded in 2003.
  
  The $300,000 prize money will fund almost a third of TBAF's campaign for 100 "Let's All Play" camps for children with and without disabilities in 2008.

• Chexxxy's Pearls - support UNICEF using Windows Live Messenger's i'm program
  

Olympian Sasha Cohen To Skate to Clay's "Winter Wonderland" Tomorrow on NBC

Update 11/4: The cap is now up at ClackUnlimited.

====

The official fanclub says Olympic medalist U.S. figure skater Sasha Cohen will be skating to the tunes of Clay's "Winter Wonderland" on te NBC Weekend Today Show tomorrow (Saturday November 3) between 8:30 and 9 AM EDT. Check local listings.

11/02/07 : Sasha Cohen to Skate to Clay's Version of "Winter Wonderland"
By Team Clay

Don't miss Sasha Cohen, ice skating star of the upcoming Capital One Holiday Celebration on Ice, skate to Clay's version of "Winter Wonderland" tomorrow morning on the NBC Weekend Morning Show from 8:30-9am EST. Check your local listings for channels and show times.

Lots of Post "5th Grader" News - Check It All Out Here

There is so much out there about Clay appearing on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader that rather than try to have a news article on each one or put it under Tidbits, I thought it best and more organized for your reading purposes to have it in one spot. Clay was a hit last night, as you will see from reading the following items:

• MSN TV - MSN TV has the whole episode of Clay on the show on its home page. Don't know how long it will be there, so check it out quick. Still, that's great publicity for Clay and hopefully a lot of people who didn't watch it Thursday night will watch it at MSN!
• Variety.com - Though Fox was in 4th place, 5th Grader still helped pull it up from last years sweeps. And 8.5 million viewers seeing Clay is nothing to sneeze at:

  Fox was deep in fourth place on the night with a pair of celebrity editions of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" that averaged a 2.5/6 in 18-49, 8.5 million viewers overall. Despite lagging the competition, Fox was the only network to improve upon its performance of a year ago, rising 40% above opening night of the November 2006 sweep (1.5 rating in 18-49) when it finished fifth, behind the CW.

• Clack Unlimited - 5th Grader videos are available at Clack Unlimited, including a two part video of the whole show! This show is definitely one that needs to be saved!
• Amazon.com - According to reports, A Thousand Different Ways rose from the 4000's to a rank of 1646 after Clay's appearance. Merry Christmas With Love also rose from the 5000's and is now at 4402. Possibly this is due to Clay's appearance on the show. Makes sense to me!
• The Clayboard - Thanks to Gerwhisp from The Clayboard, you can find some outstanding pictures of Clay starting on page 4 of the AYSTAFG thread. Here are my favorites, but be sure and check the rest of them out:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Bubel Aiken Foundation - Those of you who made pledges to send money for every question that Clay answered correctly but have not sent it in yet, now is the time to do that! Clay answered 9 questions correctly, so multiply your pledge amount by $9. So far BAF has received $48,573.88 out of $87,274.30 that was originally pledged. You can make your donations online at The Bubel Aiken Foundation Donation Page 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 to include the name of your Beta Alpha Chapter so that they will receive credit for your donation. If everyone sends in their pledged donations, that is almost an additional nine camps for this summer!

Clay Speaks At Yale University

Clay spoke to a group of Connecticut teachers at Yale University recently, reports from the boards and from the local FOX News affiliate (the clip is up at ClackUnlimited and on FOX 61's website).

From CH:

Clay was talking to Connecticut teachers about geography and how kids don't know enough about it. He wore Fifth Grader jacket, blue shirt and glasses. He did his own hair. *g* There were only about 30 people in the audience. The keynote was the Ambassador of Indonesia. They mentioned that Clay was a teacher and his UNICEF ambassadorship. He joked about Fifth Grader. It was a nice piece.

From the CB's claytonlady:

OH MY WORD -- it was totally totally great. I have to play the tape to get everything; because it was really long. I couldn't believe it. It was so respectful of him. He was speaking to Connecticut teachers and teaching them about geography. The news anchor was so respectful, mentioned Clay being on Fifth Grader - mentioned UNICEF. Clay said he gets more joy out of helping children than being a superstar. I wish I knew how to cap. He was wearing his rimless glasses. I have to play it again to remember everything. He showed a map of Central Asia and the teachers were supposed to know the countries. He was teaching the teachers. I mean I just can't believe how respectful the whole thing was. Clay is finally getting RESPECT

---

Update 11/3: photos added. SecretlyLovesClay's cap of the local FOX News report is up at ClackUnlimited.

Tidbits 11/2

• AOL TV - Top 5 TV moments includes Clay's huge win on "5th Grader". There is a poll at this website that will let you pick the top TV moment from yesterday. Clay is currently leading the poll with a huge landslide.
  

  Clay Wins Big
  'Smarter Than a 5th Grader'
  (FOX Thu., 8PM)
  
  He did it for the kids. Clay Aiken wins 300,000 dollars from 'Smarter' for his children's charity.

• TV Squad also had a "5th Grader" mention yesterday - "FOX has a new, two-hour Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader at 8, with Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken."
• Rickey.org - Clay Aiken may not be smarter than a 5th grader, but he "did win a lot of money for his charity. Plus, Clay is so entertaining!" -

  Clay Aiken — Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
  
  Sadly, no. But Clay Aiken did win a lot of money for his charity. Plus, Clay is so entertaining! What a comedian.
  
  If you think about it, whatever Clay Aiken won was his appearance fee. Now that was impressive for an hour’s work.
  
  Clay Aiken on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Celebrity Edition.
  

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Northwest Herald
• The Maine Campus ... random mention in article about SAW 4:

  For years, horror fans lacked a decent series to sink their teeth into that hadn't already been around for at least a quarter of a century. "Friday the 13th", "Halloween," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" were the horror franchises of our parents. Yes, some half-wit will decide to chime in and bust out the "Scream" card, but those people are too busy following Clay Aiken on tour to have time to argue anyway. Then along came "Saw" to slap us all in the noggin, and horror fans rejoiced.

• Southern Girl - 5th Grader ...

  Personally, I don't think your average fifth grader would have been *that* prudent and cautious, so good for Clay! ;)
  
  And because it's not completely clear from the clip... Clay got to the next to last question, thought he knew the right answer, but wasn't sure enough to risk the $300,000 dollars he'd already won, money that would help The Bubel/Aiken Foundation start 30 summer camps, so he decided to stop right there. As it turns out, he would have chosen the right answer, but I kind of loved that he was more interested in the good he KNEW he could do than in something that wasn't a sure thing.
  
  Oh yes, and he looked pretty darn good and was hilarious. :)

"5th Grader" from CDD's J4Clay

Clay's TBAF Wins Big on "5th Grader"

SPOILER WARNING ... DO NOT CONTINUE AS SPOILERS FOLLOW

Clay won big tonight on a special celebrity edition of "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader". Kicking off FOX's November sweeps season, Clay was up first in tonight's 2 hour celebrity edition of the popular quiz show.

Clay breezed through the first round of questions, and walked away with $300,000 for the Bubel Aiken Foundation. Aside from the impressive lump of cash Clay took home for the BAF's programs, the most priceless moment of the show was when they brought out Clay's 5th grade teacher, Mr. Armstrong. Clay's bewildered face said it all ... WOW!

November Sweeps Brings Out Lots of 5th Grader Articles

We've been waiting for November 1 for weeks now so we can see Clay on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. And November 1 is the beginning of sweeps for television. So the articles are coming out of the woodworks about sweeps shows, and that includes the celebrity version of "5th Grader". Here are a few of those articles, which will hopefully bring lots of viewers to the show:

• Reality TV Magazine - They call Clay a legend!!

  In a special two hour episode of Are You Smarter Than A 5th grader, not one but two reality TV legends will be making guest appearances. American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken will be playing the game, as well as America's Got Talent season one host Regis Philbin.

• Media Life - Media Life's article about the celebrity version of 5th grader starts off saying, "A supersized edition with two big-name guests". It goes on to say that 5th Grader does not have the best ratings at No. 75, but concerning the celebrity show:

  Fox likely wouldn’t draw better ratings for anything else it put in the slot, and the celebrity element, which will be repeated again the next two weeks, could give “Grader” a slight lift, especially since Aiken maintains a large fan base among “Idol” fans.

• Dallas Fort Worth Star Telegram - Article entitled 'Sweep'-ing viewers away every night says, "The November sweeps period begins tonight,..." and then lists "Stuff to Watch or Record":Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? This two-hour edition, the first in a series of celebrity episodes with stars playing for charity, features Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin. Even if neither is smarter than a fifth-grader, both are certainly richer.
• Louisville Courier Journal - Tom Dorsey, the writer of this article, is a little uninformed concerning his Clay comments, IMO. He says, concerning past sweeps vs. today's sweeps:

  Stars that were really stars, such as Frank Sinatra or Judy Garland, did specials. There were so many competing goodies it was hard to know which way to turn the TV dial.
  
  Now we get "American Idol's" Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin as special guests on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" tonight at 8 on Fox. Philbin is a great guy, but he's no Sinatra.
  
  I'm not picking on Aikin, either, but in sweeps gone by they would have had the winner of a show, not just a finalist.

  I think Mr. Dorsey needs to do his homework on the last 4 years of Clay's successful career.
• New York Daily News - According to this article, presidential candidates such as Hilary Rodham Clinton and Rudy Giliani were asked to test their smarts against the 5th graders, but they all said "No". However:

  Luckily for viewers, Hollywood celebrities aren't as cautious as White House hopefuls. So Regis Philbin, Clay Aiken, "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush, Tony Hawk, Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson and "American Idol's" Kelly Pickler are all ready to prove they know a thing or two about math and science.
  
  Philbin and Aiken get the pencil going tonight at 8, kicking off three weeks of star-studded episodes of "5th Grader" in which the celebs play for their favorite charities.

• Orlando Sentinel In their picks of "10 for your attention", the celebrity 5th Grader is included:

  Will you go for celebrities playing the game? That approach ruined Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Oh, well. The contestant list: Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken tonight, Tony Hawk on Nov. 8, Billy Bush and Kellie Pickler on Nov. 15.

• MTV -

  The new season of "American Idol" is still a few months away, but that's not stopping the juggernaut's presence on TV. Former contestants Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler will be celebrity contestants on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" on Thursday and November 15

• Springfield News Leader -

  "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" 7 p.m., Fox. The Fox people were really hoping there would be a seventh World Series game tonight. The Red Sox swept, however, so the network plugs in this expanded version. Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin play for charity.

• Fayetteville Observer -

  “Are You Smarter Than a 5th-Grader?”: This is an interesting pairing. Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin are celebrity contestants tonight, competing to win money for their favorite charities. You may recall that Aiken ruffled the feathers of Philbin’s co-host, Kelly Ripa. I’m sure Regis will put aside their differences for the sake of winning. 8 p.m. Fox

• The Futon Critic -

  WILL THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT? "AMERCIAN IDOL'S CLAY AIKEN AND TALK SHOW HOST REGIS PHILBIN TEST THEIR 5TH GRADER FACTS FOR CHARITY ON A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR "ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER?" THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, ON FOX
  
  The 5th graders extend a helping hand to AMERICAN IDOL's Clay Aiken and talk show host Regis Philbin, who will put on their thinking caps on and play for big bucks with proceeds going to their favorite charities on a special two-hour edition of ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Thursday, Nov. 1 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (AYS-205/206) (TV-PG)

• Reality TV Magazine -

  American Idol Finalist Clay Aiken On Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader
  
  In a special two hour episode of Are You Smarter Than A 5th grader, not one but two reality TV legends will be making guest appearances. American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken will be playing the game, as well as America’s Got Talent season one host Regis Philbin.

• Desert Morning News - "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (7 p.m., Ch. 13): In this two-hour episode, Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken play for charity."
• Los Angeles Times - "Regis and Clay: Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken play for charity on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" (8 p.m. Fox)."
  

Tidbits 11/1

A new billboard with Clay 's photo is gracing the Las Vegas skyline tonight, as the countdown to the taping of NBC's Holiday Celebrations on Ice hits the home stretch. The special TV Christmas special, with Clay being the exclusive music guest, will be taped at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday November 6. NBC will air the special on Christmas day.

• Access Hollywood had a 2 second blurb about Clay on "5th Grader" during today's show. Cap is available at SendSpace courtesy gerwhisp.
  
• Reality TV World - Carrie Underwood posts impressive first week sales, but fails to surpass Clay's 613K:

  Due to "Carnival Ride's" first-week success, Underwood became the first former Idol champ to post a debut sales week of more than 500,000 copies and was also the first to have his or her second album outsell their debut, according to Daily Variety. (American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, remains Idol's all-time debut week sales champ. "Measure of a Man," his 2003 debut album, sold 613,000 copies in its first week of release.)
  

• Niagara Gazette - Clay mention in Chris Daughtry article -
  

  Davis is, of course, is 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.
  

• Clay joins Spamalot:
• Broadway World -

  Break a leg to Clay Aiken as he prepares to join the Broadway company of Spamalot. Actually, I hear that putting new actors into Spamalot is quite easy. They just push them on stage and tell them to just repeat everything the audience yells out.
  

• Christmas tour mentions:
  
• Poughkeepsie Journal - They call Clay a heartthrob!! Also here is info about purchasing tickets:

  American Idol heartthrob Clay Aiken will perform at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie Dec. 8, with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.
  
  Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday and cost $56.50 for gold circle seats and $47 and $41 for reserved seats. Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center box office, 14 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie; and Ticketmaster, which can be reached at 845-454-3388 and www.ticketmaster.com.

• Akron Beacon Journal -

  Also on the holiday concert trail is Clay Aiken, whose 2004 holiday album was given the more creative title Merry Christmas With Love. The American Idol runner-up (as he apparently will be forever known, even as we collectively forget the guy to whom he lost) will be playing at Cleveland's Playhouse Square on Dec. 17, backed by a 45-piece orchestra.

• Citizen's Voice
  
• FemmeFan.com - fiddler shared the stage with Clay -

  Fiddle player Jennifer Spingola has been trained in classical music on both violin and piano. She tours with Dee Snider of Twister Sister fame on his Van Helsing's Curse production. She has shared the stage with legendary guitarist Steve Vai and former American Idols Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson.

• Southern Girl - Clay on "5th Grader"
  

Great Clay Mention in Toni Tenille's Blog

Most of you know that Toni Tenille, who is half of The Captain and Tenille, was at the tribute for Neil Sedaka this past weekend. They sang Love Will Keep Us Together, a big hit of theirs from the 70's. In Toni's blog, called "Toni's Take" , which is an awesome blog by the way, she has some really great comments to say about Clay. Here's what she had to say:

Now.... for all of you “Claymates” out there who might happen to read this..... I never saw Clay Aiken backstage. He wasn’t there for the finale, THAT’S WHEN THE MUSIC TAKES ME, and he didn’t attend the afterparty. In fact, I never saw him at all!!! He drifted in and out of the proceedings like a ghost... almost like he was “beamed” in and out of the theatre. Becky and I sneaked out into the stage right balcony to hear him sing SOLITAIRE, and he sang the heck out of it! And I got such a kick out of the screams of excitement when he appeared on stage, and when he held that four-measure, fortissimo note (“Sol-i-TAIRE!!!!!”) in the middle of the song..... the audience went bananas just like all the young girls who screamed for Sinatra and the Beatles! His fans, who appear to be mostly female, absolutely adore him. What a phenomenon. I’m so out of it, I had no idea how huge he is.

Toni linked Clay's name to the "Wikipedia" article about him, and she linked the sentence about his "four-measure, fortissimo note" to a YouTube video of him singing Solitaire. The same has been done in the above paragraph, so you can take those links to read about Clay in Wikipedia and listen once again to Solitaire from the tribute.

Be sure to take the link to her blog and read more of what she has to say. About Neil Sedaka she said:

I was so happy to see Neil again. He was bouncing around the studio like a man half his age... or LESS! Neil is all about the music... it is the true love of his life and his reason for being. The minute he starts to play the piano or sing, he lights up like a Christmas tree! And his voice is as sweet and true as it ever was.

It is so nice to see someone who is such a great talent and has been around for so long to say such nice things as "what a phenomenon" and "he sang the heck out of it" about Clay. Toni definitely knows a great singer when she hears him!

Raleigh's Fox 50 Opens Up The Clay Files, Including Back Stage "5th Grader" Interview

Raleigh's Fox 50 has a great article, a backstage interview about Clay's appearance on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, and some other past and present videos of Clay. Yes, they have opened up "The Clay Files" to celebrate his appearance on 5th Grader!!

Fox 50's article has this to say about "The Clay Files":

And that' s why in celebration of his appearance on ARE YOU SMARTER ON A 5th GRADER---Thursday night at 8 on FOX 50---we are opening up THE CLAY FILES....Check out a couple of memorable video moments from Clay's visit home during American Idol: taking a shot at being a weatherman during a visit to our morning news, and his performance of the national anthem at the Bulls game.

Also:

Check out a couple of sneak peeks of Clay on the show and the EXCLUSIVE backstage interview with Clay!

The interview is awesome, with Clay giving us some tidbits of information about his appearance. There are two other videos which are on the 5th Grader website, so most of you have probably already seen them. Still, check them out again. And, of course, you will see them when you watch the whole show tonight, November 1, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. Central Standard Time) on Fox.

TV ALERT - "5th Grader", Access Hollywood Tomorrow!

Is Clay smarter than a 5th grader? Find out tomorrow night in Clay and Regis Philbin's 2 hour celebrity edition of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader airing at 8 PM on FOX and Global TV Canada.

CDD's full coverage of 5th Grader can be accessed here.

Access Hollywood will air a story about Clay tomorrow, according to TiVo listings... we guess this is something for "5th Grader"-

ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: Thursday, November 1, 2007: ACTORS Meryl Streep and Robert Redford,
SINGER Clay Aiken; MODEL Rachel Hunter

New Deadlines for Christmas Stories Contest

Due to the overwhelming response, the official fanclub has posted new deadline dates for the Official fanclub Christmas stories contest, open to all current fanclub members.

Details are available on the OFC homepage AFTER you have logged in.

Tidbits 10/31

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Don't miss Salamader's hilarious Halloween treat ... click here!

• USA Today Idol Chatter - Carrie Underwood tops chart with new album, but Clay's MOAM 1st week record stands firm -

  Full Idol sales details are coming later, as usual, but an earlier bulletin is called for to report that Carrie's Carnival Ride sold 527,000 copies to enter the Billboard album chart at No. 1, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That was nearly five times the sales of the No. 2 album, and also eclipses the first-week sales of her Some Hearts album, which sold 315,000, on its way to nearly 6 million.
  
  It's the second-biggest Idol debut ever (Clay's Measure of a Man holds the record with 613,000) and her first No. 1 on the album chart.
  

• Gearing up for November sweeps -
• Fresno Bee -

  "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" 8 p.m. today, Nov. 8 and 15, KMPH, Channel 26: Clay Aiken, Regis Philbin, Tony Hawk, Billy Bush and Kellie Pickler compete for their favorite charities.

• Palm Beach Post -

  Shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars are nothing more than big, fat popularity contests. The best contestant or star doesn't always win, but the most popular one usually does.
  
  Except if your name is Clay Aiken.

• Something That Really Happened - getting ready for "5th Grader"
• Carolina On My Mind - 5th Grader

  Clay Aiken Set for 'Fifth Grader'
  
  Even Yankee fans in the Clay Nation ranks rounded up appropriate pom-poms and cheered the Boston Red Sox to a World Series sweep so there would be no doubt that Singer Man would appear on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? on Nov 1.
  
  We could easily have backed the Colorado Rockies, who made their first appearance ever in the championship series. Coming in second is fine, as any Clay Aiken fan can tell you.
  

Tidbits 10/30

• Florida Sun Sentinel - broadcasters getting ready for November sweeps -

  Fox's major stunt is celebrity editions of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken will play along Nov. 1, Tony Hawk visits the following Thursday and continuing an American Idol theme Kellie Pickler is featured on Nov. 15 (Kellie's really cute but my money that night is on the 5th graders.)

• USA Today - coming up in November sweeps -

  November 1
  
  Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Fox, 8 ET/PT
  
  The sweeps are scheduled to kick off with a special two-hour Grader featuring special celebrity contestants Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin.
  

• Brooklyn Daily Eagle - Neil Sedaka celebrates half a century of "making America sing" -

  The event was part of a larger celebration of the musician’s half century of music making. The following Friday, Sedaka was fêted at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, where his work was performed by, among others, Natalie Cole, Connie Francis, Clay Aiken, Dion, Captain and Tennille, and Lou Christie. The performance was mounted to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

• Taking A Moment - a lot of people are having trouble submitting their Christmas stories to the official fanclub, as Clay has noted in 2 blogs... so Jemock has a few "templates" for you to use -

  My husband had a really great _____________ and I wanted to buy him a ___________ for it, but I didn’t have any _____________. So I sold my __________ which I had gotten lots of compliments on, but I really wanted my husband’s __________ to have a ____________ on it. But then, wouldn’t you know it, my husband goes and eBays his _________ to buy me a _________________ for the ____________ that I sold on the street. Go figure.
  
  I guess that goes to show you that you shouldn’t ___________ your _________ just to get a _________ for your husband’s ___________, because somebody’s bound to screw up. That was my __________ Christmas ever.

Tidbits 10/29

• Clay blogged - people can't seem to be able to follow the guidelines of the OFC Christmas In The Heartland story contest and Clay seems a little frustrated.
• MTV.ca - "In 2003...Clay Aiken topped the album chart for a second week with his debut album, Measure of a Man."
• Forbes - coming in 2nd isn't all that bad -

  Or you could just come in No. 2. Do you really remember who won American Idol 2? Neither do we, but we do remember a guy named Clay. He was the runner up to winner Ruben Studdard. Clay Aiken seamlessly shot to fame without the help of the juggernaut that is the American Idol crown.

• InStyle - Neil Sedaka:

  American Idol alum Katharine McPhee helped living legend Neil Sedaka celebrate fifty years in the music business during a tribute concert at New York City's Avery Fischer Hall. Other well-wishers who showed up to congratulate Sedaka included Clay Aiken, Natalie Cole and David Letterman's music man, Paul Schaffer.
  

• FOX News - Neil Sedaka celebrates 50 years with friends -

  Maybe the oddest part of the night, though, was an appearance by Clay Aiken. An acquired taste to say the least, Aiken enjoys a fan base that travels with him. They are called Claymates. At least 50 suburban housewife types screamed through his one song. They don’t care about the rumors, the stories, the scandals. Their scary devotion to him recalled Liberace’s huge following in the '50s and '60s, and Barry Manilow’s in the '70s and since then. Using this as a barometer, the Broadway producers of “Spamalot” are in for quite a culture shock soon.

• KDKA CBS - Neil Sedaka honored -

  Now his achievements are being honored by his fellow musicians with a tribute concert in New York, "Neil Sedaka: 50 Years of Hits." The show, featuring Clay Aiken, Connie Francis, Natalie Cole and more, benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
  

• Kansas City Star ... Spamalot - "Clay Aiken’s run as Sir Robin on Broadway’s “Spamalot” will start Jan. 18. He’s expected to be with the show through May 4."

• The ConCLAYve - Clay's Neil Sedaka Concert "Solitaire" performance felt like "the first time" -

  We'd heard Clay sing Solitaire many times since Neil Sedaka night on American Idol in 2003. He returned to Idol on the following season and sang a bit of it there. He's sung it on TV. He encored with it during his 2004 solo tour. He does a great job with it but the song itself, while well written, can get old. It's not exactly your upbeat, pepppy song with a hook and a beat you can dance to.
  
  So I went because I love the chance to see Clay live and I enjoy New York. The line up of guest acts honoring Neil Sedaka looked interesting and it turned out to be just that. Iconic acts like Connie Francis and Dion performed along with promising new acts like Renee Olsteed. But the funny thing is on the ride to NYC, we kept talking about what else we wanted Clay to sing besides Solitaire. It was like we were looking past the old, familiarity of Solitaire and hoping for something new.

• All That Is Clay Aiken - Clay's "breathtaking 'Solitaire'"...
  

Another New Solitaire Video -- With Great Close-Ups!

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be anymore videos, mp3's, or photos of Clay....SURPRISE!! Secretly Loves Clay has posted information about her video of Clay singing "Solitaire" at the Neil Sedaka Tribute at The Clayboard and has also included some beautiful closeup screen caps of Clay. This video, most of which has closeups of Clay's face, should touch every emotion that you have. Its amazing!

For those of you who would like to download this video, go to Clack Unlimited.

In addition, you can go to YouTube to watch her video and rate it there.

While you are at The Clayboard, check out Secretly Loves Clay's screencaps. Here are a few to whet your appetite. Be forewarned, they are amazingly gorgeous! And closeup!!

Help Induct Mr. Sedaka To Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Sedaka.be is running an online petition to get Neil Sedaka into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Clay's name is mentioned in the petition:

Many international artists - including several already inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - have covered his songs: Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Tony Christie, American Idol Winner Clay Aiken, Renee Olstead, Clyde McPhatter, The Carpenters, Andy Williams [...]

SIGN THE PETITION

Clay To Host TBAF Golfing For Inclusion in January 2008

The Bubel Aiken Foundation's website confirms - Clay will be co-hosting the Bubel Aiken Foundation's first annual Golfing For Inclusion event to be held at Mirasol Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on January 7, 2008.

In a video posted to the BAF website, Clay says:

Please join me, John Hancock, American Portfolios Financial Services, and others for the first annual Golfing for Inclusion tournament to be held January 7, 2008 at the Mirasol Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. What a way to get 2008 started with world-class golf, fabulous prizes, post-golf celebration, silent and live auctions, spectacular entertainment, and raising funds to help children with special needs!

For more information about how you can attend this event, please consult the BAF website.

Tidbits 10/28

Boston Herald's The Edge - what to watch this week -

Thursday Nov. 1

Will they be invincible? Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin compete in “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” at 8 p.m. on WFXT. If the World Series goes to Game 7, Reege and the former “American Idol” contestant will be bumped to a later date.

• WCBS New York - Neil Sedaka celebrates 50 years in music -
  

  Now his achievements are being honored by his fellow musicians with a tribute concert in New York, "Neil Sedaka: 50 Years of Hits." The show, featuring Clay Aiken, Connie Francis, Natalie Cole and more, benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

• Yahoo! Music - low CD sales in October ... except:

  ... Limp Bizkit's "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" surpassed 1 million copies in 2000, Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man" opened with 613,000 in 2003 and Faith Hill's "Cry" landed with 472,000 in 2002. But, in six of the past 10 years, this week's No. 1 album sold less than 200,000, the lightest of those sums being the 131,000 that LeAnn Rimes' "You Light Up My Life -- Inspirational Songs" moved in 1997.
  

• SaukValley.com - small things make a different for troops serving abroad -

  For those soldiers, the group collected magazines, such as National Geographic and Better Homes, floss, soap and CDs of Kathie Lee Gifford, Celine Dion, Kenny G and Clay Aiken.

• PRWeb press release for recording artist Michael Duff -

  His latest debut solo effort "Unbreakable" features such all-star guest songwriters as Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow), Reed Vertelney (Clay Aiken, Destiny's Child, Luther Vandross), Lindy Robbins (Nick Lachey, Faith Hill, Lisa Loeb), Jess Cates (Nick Lachey, Backstreet Boys), Grammy-nominated Shelly Peiken (Christina Aguilera, Meredith Brooks, Pretenders) and Grammy-nominated Jud Friedman (Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Tina Turner).

• Nashua Telegraph ... mentions the July 2007 Clay Aiken airplane "incident" -
  

  The incident came only days after former "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken fell asleep on a Continental flight, his foot landing on the armrest of the passenger in front of him. The singer claims he was awakened by a quick hit to the chest by the annoyed passenger, prompting an argument and a call to the FBI, though no charges were filed.

• Clay brings down the house with Neil Sedaka concert "Solitaire" performance -
  
• Hobbies, The True Measure of A Man -

  Neil Sedaka was honored last night, October 26, 2007, in New York City. There were many wonderful performers singing Neil's songs. One of the singers who brought the house down was Clay Aiken.

• There Was A Man -

  Clay performed at the Tribute for Neil Sedaka last night and blew the roof off of Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Here's the first video of the performance.

• ClaySpots -

  Tonight, Clay Aiken made his debut at Lincoln Center as part of 'Neil Sedaka: 50 Years of Hits. According to the reports, Clay looked fabulous, the hair was perfect, the suit was perfect, the cheekbones were perfect. David Foster accompianied Clay singing 'Solitaire' and high-fived him as he left the stage.

• Carolina On My Mind -

  According to fans, the roof of Avery Fisher Hall is now in dire need of repairs as crescendos and the climax of Clay Aiken's "Solitaire" performance virtually disengaged the ceiling at Neil Sedaka's 50th anniversary tribute Friday night.

• Celebrating Halloween with Clay - The Man and some adorably cute "Cla'lloween" graphics.