Tidbits 5/30

Lycos50 - Clay #3 this week -

David Cook, this year's winner of American Idol came in at #35 this week. "He's like my big brother," said David Archuleta, the runner up. "I have looked up to him since the beginning of this. I just feel so honored to be standing next to Cook." The "Davids" duel is the first time two male contestants have competed on American Idol since Ruben Studdard beat out Clay Aiken in the show's second season in 2003. The Idol finale was jammed packed with stars and included performances by Carrie Underwood (#39) and The Jonas Brothers (#37) at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

• Lite98 FM Richmond, VA - a new interview with Clay is up. You can hear it at the radio station's website.
  
• Broadway.com - mention in Spamalot article -

  In the categories honoring long-running shows, Spamalot came out on top, winning Favorite Long-Running Broadway Show as well as prizes for replacement stars Clay Aiken and Hannah Waddingham.

• Greensboro Rhino Times - AI -

  Both will be remembered as having been discovered by American Idol but no one will care which of them won, just as it hardly matters that Clay Aiken came in second.

• E! Online - David Cook makes big debut with debut single -

  The 236,000 copies of "The Time of My Life" sold/downloaded also give Cook the best week-after-coronation numbers since season two, when Ruben Studdard's "Flying Without Wings" missed the top spot thanks to Clay Aiken's "This Is the Night," which went on to become the top single of 2003.

• E! Online - David Cook sets music industry record by having 17 songs in Top 100 Digital Downloads -

  The tune remains entrenched at No. 1 on iTunes and has notched 236,024 downloads in its first four days, making it the best single debut of an Idol since Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard went vox a vox on the charts. All told, Cook has 17 tracks on the Top 100 Digital Songs Chart, a record for any artist.
  

• Arizona Republic interviews AI7 contestant Chikezie, who has some great stuff to say about Clay:

  Q: Of the first six years, who was your favorite Idol?
  
  A: As far as taking this show and making something of it, even when nobody else would believe that you could do it, Jennifer Hudson is an amazing example. As far as singers and enjoying performances, Clay Aiken. He's an amazing vocalist.

• Reality TV Magazine - Cook sees best Idol single debut since Clay's TITN -

  Cook's "The Time of My Life" represents the best debut numbers for an Idol artist since the show's second season when runner-up Clay Aiken's single "This Is The Night" b/w "Bridge Over Troubled Water" dropped at No. 1 on the Hot 100 after moving 393,000 copies in its initial week of release in June 2003.

• WPVI ABC - American Idol & race?

  Another white senior supervisor, apparently bitter towards the Rev. Al Sharpton and angry at Ruben Studdard for winning "American Idol" in 2003 over Clay Aiken, allegedly wrote, "Reverse discrimination and political correctness are destroying virtually every aspect of American life."

• The Star Online - MOAM "not that successful"... even though it went triple platinum -

  Clay Aiken
  On My Way Here
  Sony BMG
  
  FOR a while, it seemed as if former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken had given up on his singing career. It has been almost five years since the fledgling singer released his debut, Measure of a Man, which really wasn’t that successful (his other album, in which he sang covers of pop hits and ballads, fared better). This offering contains 12 new tracks, including Where I Draw the Line, As Long As We’re Here, Grace of God and the title track, which is also the first single from the album.

• Carolina On My Mind, Clayigraphy, All That Is Clay Aiken- Clay rocks it out on AOL Sessions
• All That Is Clay Aiken - AP on Broadway mentions Clay in weekly broadcast -

  Singer Clay Aiken, who recently appeared on Broadway in "Spamalot," has a new CD out. Aiken spoke with Jane Waldman about his latest recording, his experience working on Broadway and why he thinks that "American Idol" isn't what it used to be.