Video: Clay on VH1's "I Love The Millennium"

A few days ago, we told you about Clay being on VH1's new series, "I Love The Millennium: 2003". Here's the cap from the show, which aired on VH1 on June 24.

Clay Confirmed for CNN/UNICEF TV Special

An unofficial CNN blog, called All Things CNN, is confirming that Clay will be part of CNN and UNICEF's TV special The Survival Project: One Child at a Time, anchored by CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

The show airs on the US and International CNN networks on July 6 at 8 PM EDT, with repeats at 11 PM EDT and 2 AM EDT (July 7).

CNN to Focus Spotlight on Saving World’s Children with Global Broadcast
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Anchors July 6 Special with UNICEF Ambassador Lucy Liu, Musician Joel Madden

CNN will focus a lens on the world’s children in harm’s way and examines child survival issues in-depth during its global broadcast, The Survival Project: One Child at a Time. Anchored by CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the special will focus on healthcare, education, water sanitation and protection from violence for children. UNICEF ambassador Lucy Liu and Good Charlotte musician Joel Madden join Gupta as panelists for the program and speak about their experiences with UNICEF. Following recent crises in Myanmar and China, CNN viewers moved by the devastating stories and images are looking for ways to help. In May, the month of the devastating natural disasters in both nations, the “Impact Your World” special section on CNN.com more than doubled the previous month’s page view numbers for users looking for information on how to help. Shot in high-definition television before an audience at the Alliance Theater inside Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, The Survival Project: One Child at a Time will premiere on Sunday, July 6, at 8 p.m. and will replay at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. All times Eastern. The broadcast will be simulcast on CNN and CNN International.

Clay Aiken, Dayle Haddon, Joel Madden, Ne-Yo, Nicole Ritchie, Al Roker, Marcus Samuelsson and Amare Stoudemire appear in special video diaries of their volunteer experiences and encourage viewers to help children around the world.

For the first time since the United Nations began tracking child mortality, the number of children who die each year before their fifth birthday has dropped below 10 million. Bringing the stories of these children to CNN viewers from four continents, Gupta and international correspondents Wilf Dinnick, Jill Dougherty and Dan Rivers will brief viewers on the challenges that remain to save more lives through the innovative works of organizations such as UNICEF. The United Nations Children’s Fund operates in more than 150 countries in an effort to reduce the child mortality rate everywhere.

Gupta will report on the 1,500 children who live with HIV/AIDS in Peru, as well as those orphaned by the disease. From Laos, Rivers will report on the impact of the second largest worldwide killer of children under age five – a lack of clean drinking water. Dougherty will report from Baghdad on children who have been displaced due to war and conflict. Dinnick will report from Ethiopia on how vaccinations and nutritional supplements are saving the lives of children and pregnant women.

4 Years Ago Today: Clay Teaches Kimmel A "Lesson"

Who could possibly forget ...

June 28, 2004

Clay Aiken on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Tidbits 6/28

AmericanIdol.com - Clay on this week's Idol poll - "Which former Idol would you like to see as a guest on the Summer Idols Tour?"

• Washington Post - mention of Learning to Sing:

  And, in an effort to bolster the company's bottom line, I acquired and edited an inspirational autobiography by the pop singer Clay Aiken, written and published in about four months

• San Francisco Chronicle - fans thank SF Chronicle for Clay Aiken interview (from May) -

  Thanks for the Clay Aiken interview. I thought Aidin Vaziri asked pertinent questions and Clay answered in total honesty. He is confident in himself, yet not cocky or puffed up. That and his charismatic character, not to mention that spectacular voice, comedy and yet untapped talents, draw many fans to him. A great role model. We don't need all the violence, sex and racism we hear and see in so many of the pop stars in the forefront that many young people are fed on. Clay is a breath of fresh air and just what middle America needs.

• Marhaven - taking a listen to OMWH through YouTube montages
• There Was A Man - Clay appeals for help in Somalia
• Clay - The Man - "Revisiting" Clay's journey
• Carolina On My Mind, The ConCLAYve, Chexxxy's Pearls - Clay calling attention to Somalia

All Songs From "On My Way" Here in AOL's Top 20 Most Played Songs

AOL's Top 20 Most Played Songs is a list that is constantly changing. A song can drop from #7 to #10 in a matter of minutes. But two things are for certain:

1. On My Way Here has stayed #1 for a long long time, not dropping at any time in the last 2-3 weeks.

2. Today, Friday, June 27, all 12 songs from OMWH are in the Top 20 of AOL's Most Played Songs. Now, that is quite an achievement.

Here is the ranking of the 12 songs from his CD:

1. On My Way Here
2. Ashes
4. Grace of God
5. Everything I Don't Need
7. As Long As We're Here
9. Falling
13. Weight of the World
15. Where I Draw The Line
17. Lover All Alone
18. Something About Us
19. Sacrificial Love
20. The Real Me

These songs are being listened to, it appears, by not just Clay fans but others who are liking what they hear. Let's help keep them in these top numbers on AOL.

Tidbits 6/27

• TampaBay.com - This story, A Clean Start For Violinist Stewart Kitts, by John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic, is about an exceptional concertmaster violinist who lost everything to a crack cocaine habit. He is recovering from this habit, and the story says,

  He played in the pit for a Camelot tour. He was concertmaster for The Nutcracker at Ruth Eckerd Hall. He played for Smokey Robinson, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Clay Aiken, Mannheim Steamroller and Bernadette Peters.

• newsjournal-online - The article, about weekend best bets says:

  Bandshell Live!, a Friday summer concert series, will feature the Beu Sisters in concert at the outdoor venue at 8 p.m. today.....They also opened a 2004 tour by "American Idol" stars Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken.

• WLKY.com - An article entitled 'American idol Comes to Louisville' says, "Thousands of Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken wannabes will descend on the River City when Fox's "American Idol" hosts auditions in Louisville next month."
• Phoenix New Times Music - American idol: Entertainment or Evil? by Serene Dominic has this to say about Clay and his fans:

  The "in your face" shelf life of most Idol grads is two years after the show. That's all we tolerated of Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, Mario Vazquez, and Katherine McPhee even without the ability to vote them off with anything but our indifference....The big exceptions have been Clay Aiken, whose Claymates still won't listen to reason after five years...

  I'll quote the lyrics from Clay's song "Ashes" in response to the statement, "Claymates still won't listen to reason...":

  Looking back I can see
  How the voice of reason
  Kept reminding me
  I was never good enough somehow
  Try and remind me now

Clay's Trip to Somolia Making The Online Media Rounds

As we knew would happen, Clay's trip to Somolia with UNICEF is now being reported in quite a few online media sites. Here is a listing of some of those sites for those of you who would like to see them:

• Thaindian News
• Calgary Herald
• Contact Music
• EOnline
• Malaysia News
• ConnieTalk
  

UNICEF Mentions Clay's Trip to Somolia

UNICEF has announced in the Field Notes section of their website that Clay has been in Somolia. They tell us:

You may have heard, UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken was in Somalia, meeting lots of children and learning about the catastrophic conditions under which they struggle to survive every day.

Once Clay is back in the U.S., he'll be blogging right here about his experience, so please stay tuned. In the meantime, click here to learn more about UNICEF in Somalia. Or, to support our work to help save and protect the lives of children in this war-torn country, click here.

Tags:Clay Aiken field visit Somalia
Posted by Frank Susa, UNICEF USA on June 26, 2008 9:55 AM Permalink

Last time Clay was out of the country with UNICEF, he blogged several times at the Field Notes section. We'll make certain to post here at CDD when he blogs about his trip to Somolia.

UNICEF Article Tells About Children Like Those Clay Went to Help

If you go to UNICEF's website and put in "Somalia" or "Somaliland", quite a few articles come up from the past few years. I have a feeling a new one is about to be added as well.

One article that I came across at UNICEF's Somalia site tells about the children of Somalia, "one of the harshest places on the planet", and what they face in their often short lifetime. These are the children that Clay shared a week or so with, who he encouraged and no doubt brought a smile to their faces. A part of this article is quoted below, but you might want to read the rest, as well as some of the many informative articles UNICEF has available:

Somalia – one of the harshest places on the planet, an extreme environment that presents huge challenges to its people just in terms of simple survival. The combination of a hostile, predominantly arid environment, difficult terrain with settlements scattered over vast distances, the legacy of a nomadic way of life and a civil conflict that has shattered social structures and exacerbated poverty add up to mean that a Somali child’s chances of surviving to adulthood are among the lowest of children anywhere in the world. Add to this the fact that the odds of the child’s mother dying during pregnancy or in childbirth are also extremely high. These high death rates stem from the interaction of a number of causes set within a complex socio-political context , but are largely attributable to disease, dehydration, malnutrition, lack of safe water, and poor sanitation.

There are also a couple of articles written just this month, "Somalia participates in 'World's Biggest Lesson" by Denise Shepherd-Johnson, and "Training Boosts Girls' Confidence" by Jairus Ligoo and Kamal Nidam.

The first of these 2 articles has to do with education of children, and this is Clay's main focus when he visits countries with UNICEF.

Somali children last week took part in the ‘World’s Biggest Lesson,’ joining 7.5 million people from over 100 countries in a ‘lesson’ to ‘teach’ politicians and local leaders about the importance of giving everyone a chance to receive a quality education.

Schools, youth groups and children from the peer education ‘Child-to-Child Clubs’ in North West Somalia (the self-declared Republic of Somaliland) and North East Somalia (the semi-autonomous state of Puntland) participated in the ‘Lesson’ which was supported by UNICEF, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), international NGOs and national implementing partners, the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Somalia (FAWESOM) in Puntland and the Somaliland Student’s Assembly (SOLSA) in Somaliland. The event was the highlight of the Global Action Week for Education, 21-27 April. [The Global Action Week for Education is annual event organized by the Global Campaign for Education].....In North West Somalia (‘Somaliland’) girls from Havoyoco youth centre implored visiting local dignitaries to, “…let us all seek the light. Education is the light of the world…an educated person is like daylight, bright and friendly, whereas night is dull”

Read the rest of this article to see what good things will hopefully be taking place for the children in Somaliland, which is where Clay visited.

There is a wealth of information at UNICEF about the work in Somalia. I think you'll enjoy reading up on the situation there as it pertains to Clay's humanitarian work for UNICEF.

Somalia Trip Article in OK Magazine

We have learned today that Clay has been in Somalia on his trip with UNICEF. Another article about his trip to Somalia is now in OK Magazine. The article, entitled "Clay Aiken Calls Attention to Somalia", along with the above picture of Clay, says pretty much the same thing the Reuters article said. This may be the first of many news articles about Somalia, thus bringing the attention that Clay and UNICEF hope to bring to the war-torn country.

CDD will let you know when other articles come out about Clay's trip.

UNICEF: Clay in Somalia, Asks World "Not To Forget"

Clay is currently on an UNICEF trip to the African nation of Somalia, his latest trip abroad for the UN organization. He is using his goodwill ambassador status to once again to remind us "not to forget" about children living in poverty. Clay told OK! Magazine via Thomson Reuters:

There hasn't been much discussion of Somalia since the early 1990s in the U.S. In the lower part of the country, southern part, I feel it's a more desperate situation than any place we've ever been. In Somaliland, you really do have a sense of people who really want to help themselves, who want to do better, who want to effect change for themselves, that is very hopeful.

Reuters.com has a full wire story about Clay trip:

U.S. pop star Clay Aiken appealed on Wednesday for the world not to forget Somalia, where conflict and hunger have created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Aiken said U.S. and international interest in Somalia had been minimal since failed military intervention in the early 1990s.

"There hasn't been much discussion of Somalia since the early 1990s in the U.S.," said Aiken, a U.N. goodwill ambassador, on a visit to Somalia. "The American population kind of got a bad taste of Somalia in the early 90's and hasn't really had much interest in the country since."

Somalia has suffered relentless civil conflict since the 1991 toppling military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

[...]

Aiken, 29, who was travelling on behalf of U.N. children's agency UNICEF, was in Somaliland, a relatively peaceful northern enclave of Somalia that has declared itself independent but not been recognised internationally.

On Sunday, July 6 at 8 PM EDT, both the US and international CNN networks will air a UNICEF special titled "The Survival Project: One Child at a Time". "CNN will explore why 26,000 children die every day from preventable causes, and what UNICEF doing to save young lives."

Tidbits 6/25

• AP Wire / ABC News - Ruben Studdard getting married
  
• Windy City Media Group - Kimberley Locke article ...

  Kimberley Locke became a part of the national consciousness when she was a finalist on season two of TV's “American Idol,” finishing third to Clay Aiken and eventual champion Ruben Studdard.
  

• GayWired.com - Ruben Studdard getting married - "Ruben, a native of Birmingham, took home the top prize on American Idol in 2003, beating out Clay Aiken for the title"
• TransWorldNews - another article on Ruben's engagement - "Studdard won season 2 of "American Idol," defeating Clay Aiken in the finals. His first album "Soulful" (2003) sold 1.8 million copies and has released two albums since: "I Need An Angel" (2004) and "The Return" (2006)."
• TBTV - Ruben - "It is interesting to note that under Alabama law marriage licenses are only valid for 30 days. So perhaps a lovely July bride? Maybe Clay Aiken will sing? And, more importantly, will Simon insult the band as they play at the reception?"
• All Headline News -

  Studdard won the hit reality talent contest in 2003, beating out runner-up Clay Aiken to the title. He is the second "American Idol" champ following Kelly Clarkson.
  

• Lycos50 PR - Clay #2 on this week's Lycos50
• Presse Meldungen - American Idol is "more popular than ever" -

  By the time Justin was allowed to release his own album, he was competing with the releases of the Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, the season two winner and runner-up. His appearances on the newly syndicated show, American Idol Rewind, seem to be helping him gain more notice again.

• Idolator - does the New York Times have a double standard?

  Sure, we've all had a laugh when the ever-staid The New York Times has made second references to "Mr. Pop" and "Mr. Loaf" in its cultural reporting. But why, the Columbia Journalism Review wonders, are the stage names of hip-hop artists like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Diddy not given the same treatment? Instead, they frequently get their birth names swapped into stories right away—even though artists in other genres who hide behind aliases, from Alicia Keys (nee Alicia Augello-Cook) to Clay Aiken (nee Clayton Grissom), don't get the same treatment.

• SportingNews.com - random Clay mention ... "Shanahan is like a Clay Aiken autobiography -- impossible to read. "
• MasterClassLady.com features Clay's appearance on Jay Leno as "Video of the Day" -

  I just found this video this morning and it put a smile on my face. I happened to miss Clay Aiken’s appearance on Jay Leno, but, I have to say, this guy is a so funny and so talented.
  
  Check out the beautiful head voice that he uses at the beginning of his performance of his new single, “On My Way Here”. Stellar, just stellar! The whole performance was quite remarkable.
  
  

  
  

• Clay visit Somalia and appeals for help - Something That Really Happened, There Was A Man, The ConCLAYve.
• Chexxxy's Pearls - featuring "Forget I Ever Knew You" by Clay Aiken
• All That Is Clay Aiken - Clay's interview with Gather.com, from May 2008
• Clay - The Man - Clay's "entertaining smiles"

Clay's OMWH MusicPass Hitting Stores This Week

RCA confirms via an email that the MusicPass version of On My Way Here will be hitting stores tomorrow (Tuesday). It will be slowly phased into retail outlets in June and July.

Clay Aiken's On My Way Here MusicPass Card!
The wait is finally over! The MusicPass Card you helped design will be available to purchase on June 24th! MusicPass Cards make for great gifts and collector's items and always come with a full album download and bonus content not found on the CD! Below is a list of retailers and the dates the cards will be available.

• June 24- Target, Transworld Stores and Hastings
• July 13- Best Buy
  
• July 14- Fred's

Tidbits 6/23

• Foxes on Idol - slows sales week for Idols -

  Clay Aiken’s “On My Way Here” moved up one spot to #28 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart this week. Any upward movement is a good thing, considering the song is getting no airplay.

• Malaysia's The Star -

  Daughtry’s self-titled debut album was released in November 2006 and reached the No 1 spot for two non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200. Like fellow American Idol alumni Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken, the bald-headed North Carolina-born singer has found commercial success beyond the reality show.
  

• Just Jared - unprofessional Newsweek interviewer strikes again - "Newsweek also did a (stupid) interview with Vanessa. (It’s the same interviewer who was completely unprofessional with Clay Aiken.)"

• The ConCLAYve - exploring great music with Clay and Pandora radio ... part 2
• Something That Really Happened - new Clay biography at the official fanclub
  

Carolina On My Mind Blogs About OMWH As It "Chugs Up The Charts"

If you are like me, you have been watching various music sites as the songs from On My Way Here are slowly climbing their charts. AOL songs and videos is a perfect example of this. OMWH is dominating the top songs at AOL. Like the Little Engine That Could or the tortoise who began the race slow yet still beat the hare, OMWH is doing great things right now.

Carolina On My Mind has written a blog that tells us just what OMWH is doing at some of the online sites. Read her blog below and then click on the links that lead you to those sites. And while there, give Clay's songs and videos a hit and listen to some really great music!

'Little Engine That Could'

OMWH Songs Chug Up Charts

"On My Way Here," the lead single on Clay Aiken's new CD, has aptly been dubbed "the little engine that could" by Internet fans. Slowly but surely, the song and others from On My Way Here are chugging their way through a host of music industry charts, as well as into the hearts of many new fans.

Cagney1950 of Clayversity reported 120 Mainstream AC spins for "On My Way Here" Sunday morning, a +17 over last week and .235 audience impression. The song is currently #27 on the Mainstream AC Chart "with a lovely red bullet." Saturday the song #29 on the Mainstream AC Jump chart with +13 spins.

For the week ending June 12, "Ashes" was #9 on Billboard's Top 10 Video Streams, moving up from #20 the previous week.

Clickable AOL Top 11

"OMWH" and "Ashes" are currently #1 and #3 on the AOL Top 11 Music Video Countdown AND in the "most viewed" videos listing at AOL. [NOTE: "Ashes" moved to #2 Monday morning.]

At AOL Music, "On My Way Here" continues to hold its stronghold as the #1 "most played" song in all genres. At 3 p.m. Sunday, seven other OMWH songs were listed in the top 24, including "Ashes", 3; "Everything I Don't Need," 6; "Falling," 10; "As Long as We're Here," 11; "Something About Us," 19; "Lover All Alone," 22; and "Weight of the World," 24.

This list changes constantly and currently represents 509 songs. To join other CA fans streaming, listening, and viewing at AOL and Yahoo, use these links:

* Audio song tracks: AOL Music
* Five-song video performance: AOL Sessions
* OMWH video at Yahoo Music.

Clay An "Acrobat"? New Amazon CD Listing?

Colour us clueless - We wonder if Amazon.com made a major blunder, or whether this is actually a new CD from Clay. This morning, there is a new CD listing for Clay, titled "The Acrobat". I can't imagine Clay releasing a CD called "The Acrobats" though, unless it's something related to the summer Olympics.

Clay on VH1's "I Love The New Millennium", June 24

Clay will be mentioned on VH1's series, "I Love The Millennium: 2003", airing Tuesday at noon EDT. The shows repeats at 10 PM EDT and the following Wednesday morning at 1 AM EDT.

Reality TV taught us a few things in 2003. For one, it's not necessary to actually win the show you're on to become famous. Case in point: American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken. And the Fox reality hit Joe Millionaire taught us that some women will do just about anything for the possibility of meeting a rich guy. Turned out Joe Millionaire wasn't a millionaire, he was just an average guy--the kind that would wear a trucker hat (luckily those were trendy that year).

Blender Magazine: OMWH #4 "Most Wanted Song"

"On My Way Here" is America's #4 most wanted song, according to Blender Magazine and AOL Music.

33 Most Wanted Songs in America

1. Lil Wayne, "Lollipop" (Cash Money)
2. Danity Kane, "Damaged" (Bad Boy)
3. Mariah Carey, "Bye Bye" (Island Def Jam)
4. Clay Aiken, "On My Way Here" (RCA)
5. Vanessa Hudgens, "Sneakernight" (Hollywood)
6. Madonna, "4 Minutes" (Warner Bros.)
7. Three 6 Mafia, "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)" (Columbia/Hypotize Minds)
8. Motley Crue, "Saints of Los Angeles" (Motley)
9. Chris Brown, "Take You Down" (Jive)
10. Taylor Swift, "Picture to Burn" (Big Machine)