Tidbits 7/16

• Access Atlanta crunches American Idol winning single sales numbers -

  My numbers-obsessed friend Ken Barnes at USA Today posted the total sales of the various coronation songs here.. Given that back in 2002-03, most sales were CDs and now they are all downloads means a bit of an oranges to apples situation but Clay Aiken is at the top (and he didn’t even win!), followed by Kelly, Carrie and Ruben. Taylor is fifth but David Cook’s “This is My Time” will probably lapse it in a couple of weeks.
  

• Mullet Wrapper - Taylor Hicks follows idol footsteps to Broadway - "Fantasia Barrino starred in The Color Purple, while Clay Aiken nabbed a recent role in Spamalot."
• The Liberty Papers on why American Idol democracy doesn't exactly work -

  How have the results turned out? Well, not so stellar. Of all the American Idol alumni who are releasing records, the top two sellers are Idol winners, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. The next two highest on the list, Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry, are non-winners. Being from different seasons than the above two, one can’t claim that they were “overshadowed” by the winner’s success. Following these two, in 5th and 6th place, are season 2 and 3 winners, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia. Given the length of time between their seasons and now, one can be sure that their album sales won’t climb much in the future– unlike Daughtry above them, who is still on an upward path in his career. In the case of Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, Aiken– who finished runner-up to Studdard– has sold over 2 million more albums and his follow-up albums have peaked far higher on the charts than Studdard’s non-debut albums.
  

• Washington Post -

  Washington Post music critic J. Freedom du Lac is online every Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET to talk about the latest on the music scene: alternative, country, alt-country, pop, hyphy, harp-rock, reggae, reggaeton, R and B and whatever it is that Clay Aiken does.
  

• Clay's appeal for Somalia:
  • Something That Really Happened -

    Clay Aiken has been blogging about his recent trip to Somalia. So far, he has posted two blogs. The situation is dire. My heart goes out to the children. Here are some excerpts from the blogs, but be sure to click on the links for the blogs to read the rest of what he has to say as well as to see more pictures:

  • FlippinBirds
  • The ConCLAYve -

    UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken is continuing his work to promote support for the children of Somalia, following his recent trip to the northwestern region of Somaliland.
    
    In a blog entitled Somalia: Keep spreading the word, Aiken thanks donors for raising $50,000 for Somalia's children in the last six days, and challenges UNICEF supporters to take action in advocating for children.

  • There Was A Man -

    In light of Clay Aiken's recent trip to Somaliland on behalf of UNICEF, I would like to feature a 2005 documentary of Somaliland produced by BBC journalist Simon Reeve. Somaliland is a breakaway state that no one in the world recognizes as a legitimate land.