Tidbits 1/16

Clay gives some "Idol" advice to American Idol 7 contestants in a new AP interview available at Yahoo News.

2 DAYS TO SPAMALOT!

• Full Spamalot rundown for Jan. 16 -
  
• New York Daily News -

  Pop singer, how-to author and controversial Kelly Ripa mouth muffler, Clay Aiken now goes by another title - Broadway hatchling. He debuts Friday night as Sir Robin in "Monty Python's Spamalot."
  
  Then again, this picture of Aiken in costume as the Round Table Knight in the merry musical spoof of the Aurthurian legend is bound to bring a more dubious nickname ... Chicken choker. David Hyde Pierce, who originated the role, was snapped simply holding a feathered bird.

• Page Six -

  Clay Aiken will be hitting the Broadway stage for the first time on January 18 when he begins his stint playing Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot. While Clay admitted to Newsweek that he wasn’t all that familiar with the show prior to signing on: "I thought Monty Python was a person until three months ago," he’s had a big change of heart since beginning rehearsals.

• Just Jared -

  Here is your first look at Clay Aiken as Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot, thanks to PageSix.com.
  
  “Clay is amazing, beyond that glorious voice,” said director Mike Nichols. “Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character. People are going to be surprised by his wide-ranging talent, since the first impression is of great country charm and a singer to remember. This guy is not only a star; he is a lot more. We’re lucky to get him for Spamalot!”
  
  Clay hits the Broadway stage for the first time this Friday, Jan. 18. Do you have your tickets yet??
  

• Lycos press release - search activity for "Clay Aiken" is up this week as Spamalot rolls around -

  The Lycos 50(TM: 99.26, -1.19, -1.18%) Top 10 Search Terms for the Week Ending Jan. 12, 2008:
  6) Clay Aiken

• Raleigh Independent Weekly reviews Quiana Parler in Dreamgirls -

  A great part of this performance's appeal lies in its casting. In her first stage role, Quiana Parler, a former American Idol contestant and backup singer to Raleigh's Clay Aiken, plays Effie White, the somewhat temperamental, powerhouse lead vocalist of the Dreams, a Supremes-like trio. Parler packs a whopping punch: Her rich, thunderous vocals are both smooth and strong, and ultimately soul-stirring. (There must be something about the song "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," for Effie was played on the big screen by another American Idol contestant, Jennifer Hudson.)

• A USA Today reader (and Claymate, by the looks of it) responded to a USA Today article that quotes Variety magazine editor Phil Gallo who criticized Clay as being too "quirky" -

  I was disappointed with USA TODAY's recent review of the newest season of American Idol (" 'American Idol' tries to get its groove back in upcoming seventh season," Cover story, News, Friday).
  
  USA TODAY quoted a ridiculous comment by Phil Gallo, music editor of Variety, who thinks singers like Clay Aiken are quirky. "Quirky" would hardly describe the magnificent talent of Aiken, who has impressive vocal range, style, personality and stage presence.
  
  It was runner-up Aiken who carried that second season of Idol and gave it huge ratings. People were amazed by Aiken's growth as a singer as the season went on. In my mind, Aiken is the standard by which all the rest are judged.
  

• IGN Music has an "American Idol Celebration" ... more or less links to the Idols' pages at IGN Music
  

• American Idol 7 kicks off -
  
• Hartford Courant -

  Clay Aiken
  
  Season 2’s second-place finisher, Aiken became a media sensation with his debut album, “Measure of a Man.” It opened at No. 1 after selling 613,000 copies, a number that hasn’t been topped by Underwood, Clarkson or Taylor Hicks. It went on to sell 2.8 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
  
  But Aiken has yet to release a proper second album. His 2004 “Merry Christmas With Love” put up solid numbers, having sold 1.4 million copies to date, but a 2006 album of covers, “A Thousand Different Ways,” received a much more indifferent reception. It opened high, selling more than 200,000 copies in the first week, but it stalled immediately. To date it has sold just 522,000 copies.
  
  Aiken will appear on Broadway in “Monty Python’s Spamalot.” Over the last few months, he has hinted at a new album.
  

• E! Online is in need of a fact checker ... Clay and Ruben were season TWO -

  Hence, the much-anticipated Ruben Studdard-Clay Aiken showdown begat then-record numbers for season three

• New York Post -

  In its six seasons, Idol has made stars/award winners out of Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry and others. Who'll it be this year? Or is who doesn't win the bigger appeal?

• Lo Hudson Journal News -

  Turns out, the meanest “Idol”-related content I faced yesterday was posted by fundamentalist Claymates who didn’t like where Clay Aiken was ranked on my list of the Top 20 “American Idol” Contestants of All Time. The irony is I like Clay Aiken, but while some of his fans agreed with my analysis, posted kind words or respectfully disagreed, others were a little… um… never mind. Let’s just say I fear for my safety.

• Trans World News -

  Of course there were some nice voices and over the coming weeks a few of those singers may develop into something more but weeding through the awful singers has become too much to watch. Would anybody actually expose themselves to what took place during the Philly auditions to find the next Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks, Justin Guarini. Probably not.

• AOL TV Squad -

  DAY ONE
  I guess the Idol juggernaut still has some life in it, as Ryan told us this is the biggest crowd ever, but didn't give us a number. Maybe he was afraid of getting it wrong after what happened when he tried to tell us exactly how close the vote was between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken way back in Season Two.
  

• Something That Really Happened calls the AmericanIdol.com "great" with "interesting stuff"
• The ConCLAYve - 2008 shaping up to be a busy year in the Clay nation ... "Clay Aiken: Spamalot, Charity & CD - Oh My!"
• Taking A Moment - how to deal with rude interviewers...

  “Do you watch "Idol"?”
  
  Clay’s answer:
  
  “I haven't watched since season four. I compare it to high-school football--if it weren't for high school we wouldn't be successful, but I don't need to keep going to the football games.”
  
  OMG. OMG!!! Say it AINT SO!!! Clay, Clay, Clay. *tsk tsk tsk* What in the world am I going to do with you? You OBVIOUSLY haven't spent much time in Texas, have ya? And you obviously haven't spent any time at a Texas high school football game. Have you even WATCHED a SINGLE episode of "Friday Night Lights"????