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

Clay's Chicken Soup Story Mentioned at American Idol Online

Most of us have heard about the new Chicken Soup For The American Idol Soul. But, and maybe I'm just behind the times here, did you know that Clay wrote a story for the book? AmericanIdol.com, in an article dated November 5 by Marnie, tells us about Clay's story concerning a woman who was inspired by the Invisible video. Clay also talked about this in his book, Learning To Sing, Hearing the Music in Your Life. According to Clay,

"I've always tried to remember that people are looking at what I say and do to find out what's valuable and important to me, and I've always tried to set the right example. But that day I realized that I can't know all the ways my actions may impact someone. I couldn't have imagined that video would have affected anyone in any kind of positive way, but, lo and behold, it had."

You can buy Chicken Soup For The American Idol Soul at your local bookstore or at www.amazon.com. And if you buy it at amazon.com, be sure to read the customer reviews. Everyone who left a review loved the book, even those who were skeptical. Sounds like a great item to include on your Christmas list to Santa!

Excerpt From "Learning To Sing" on Dr. Phil's Website

An excerpt from Clay's book, "Learning To Sing, Hearing The Music In Your Life", is on Dr. Phil's website. The excerpt, which is from Chapter 5, Find Your Voice, in the book, is in the "Dr. Phil's Advise" section of the website and then in the "Parenting" information of this section.

Before the excerpt from the book, Dr. Phil says,

Clay Aiken got picked on and bullied as a kid, but found his gift, embraced it and changed the experience of his life. He shares his story on the show, and in his book, Learning to Sing.

A portion of Chapter 5, which is quoted on the website is as follows:

Those boys learned pretty quickly that I wasn't going to fight back and I wasn't going to tattle on them. The nicer I was, the bigger the target on my forehead. The high road left me defenseless. And the mockery only got worse.
"Retard."
"Fag."
"Wimp."
"Dork."
"Four eyes."
"Loser."
I got it all. But the thing is, the more I took it, the less I cared. Being harassed became a part of my day, and I accepted it.

I know it sounds sad now, looking back, but at the time I wasn't analyzing it. I was just living my life. I think the bullying helped me figure out at an early age that stuff is going to happen to you that you wish wouldn't. People are going to treat you badly, and ultimately that is out of your control.

"Just let it roll off," my mom would say. And I did. Because even as a kid, I knew the other option wasn't for me. I was not going to hurt somebody else.

Clay was on Dr. Phil's show in April 2005 on a segment which talked about "Bullying".

Tidbits 5/2

• The CB's ncsupack88 says she heard a radio ad promoting Clay's August 10 Cary, NC concert today on WRAL-FM in Raleigh:

  Just heard that sweet sounding voice and the lady advertising "An Evening with Clay Aiken and the NC Symphony". Started out with him singing INvisible and then went into WY, then WISYS and advertised the album ATDW with ATD playing in background. Ended it with MOAM playing. Really good ad IMHO. I hadn't read about any other ads but I'm sure this could be in the wrong place so mods do your thing if this is wrong.

• AOL Television-American Idol on Fox - "Top 10 Reasons Why Idol Season Six Sucks...

  Reason Number 10 - The Current Crop Can't Compete: Bo and Carrie. Clay and Ruben. Just saying the names makes us feel nostalgic. They manged to win us over with their compelling background stories and personal growth during the competition.

  Click on Clay's Name to go to Clay's AOL Artist page.
• Publishers Weekly - Clay's "Learning To Sing" was one of the bestselling books of fall 2004. - "Learning to Sing. Clay Aiken. Random House (253,540)"
• Steel Kaleidoscopes on why they think American Idol has "jumped the shark" -

  Season 1 was unique, a brand new show with compelling content that introduced America to Kelly Clarkson. Season 2 gave us the Clay Aiken-Ruben Studdard competition (which Aiken should have won). Blake Lewis is no Chris Daughtry. Or Clay Aiken. Or Bo Bice for that matter. The male talent in Season 6 is the weakest in six seasons.

• TIME on the success of AI alums - "even Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, more than 4 million."

• Carolina On My Mind - mama Faye dances her way to the top. You can vote for Faye and her partner Dick by making a donation to the North American Andy Transplant Foundation here.

Clay Interview With Topeka Capital-Journal - August 19, 2004

At this slow time of clack, I am including some old articles/interviews/etc. from my collection of "clack gone-by". I came across this great interview that Clay had with Jan Biles of the Topeka Capital-Journal on August 19, 2004, published on September 1, 2004. Now admit it, we all love a good Clay interview. The only thing better than reading an interview is being able to hear that sweet southern voice and those giggles that are sprinkled throughout one. Well, we can't give you the actual voice, but here, for your reading pleasure is this interview from 2-1/2 years ago!

CJOnline.com / Topeka Capital-Journal
Published Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Aiken goes one-on-one
By Jan Biles
The Capital-Journal

Here is a transcript of the interview done with singer Clay Aiken before his
concert Aug. 19 in Buffalo, N.Y.:
Aiken: Hello?
C-J: Hey, Clay, how ya doing?
Aiken: Is this Jan?
C-J: It is.
Aiken: How are ya?
C-J: I'm OK. How are you?
Aiken: Pretty good.
C-J: Where are you calling from today?
Aiken: Ohhhh, Buffalo, N.Y.
C-J: Buffalo, OK. Well, I want to ask you about the tour, and the book, and the new CD, and all of this sort of stuff.
Aiken: OK.
C-J: Now, the tour's about halfway through, right?
Aiken: Right, I think we're right at the halfway mark.
C-J: How would you size it up so far? What's been the biggest challenge for you?
Aiken: I think there's a lot of pressure that goes with being on your own, to some extent. ... On the two other tours -- I had a whole bunch of other people with me on the "Idol" tour obviously. Then with Kelly, it was just she and I, so if something went wrong, I could always blame it on her. (Laughs.) Being on your own, all the pressure's on you, right? So if I mess up, it's all my fault. There's a lot of pressure to make sure everything's (going right).
[kcp: The interview continues below this inset MORE ON AIKEN]

MORE ON AIKEN
Singer Clay Aiken has been a busy man. Here are some of the projects he's been working on:
• "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life," an inspirational memoir to be released this fall by Random House
• An untitled classic Christmas compact disc, to be released this fall
• "Aladdin" DVD, on which he sings "Proud of Your Boy," a song not included in the original movie, to be released this fall
• "Stories for Heroes: Arthur Celebrity Audiobook," a compilation of Arthur stories read by Aiken, Kevin Bacon, Kelly Ripa, Ziggy Marley and other celebrities to benefit charities, available at www.amazon.com • 50-stop solo tour that continues through October
Here are some of his achievements:
• "Measure of a Man," his debut album released in October, has sold nearly 3 million copies
• "This Is the Night/Bridge over Troubled Waters," his debut single, has sold more than 950,000 copies
• "The Way/Solitaire," his second single, has sold about 300,000 copies
• Won the Billboard Award for best-selling single in 2003
• Won the American Music Award for Fan's Choice in 2003


C-J: So I was wondering, you do the same material most every night -- Aiken: That's right.
C-J: So how do you keep the performances fresh for you, and the backup singers and the band?
Aiken: Well, usually I make fun on them onstage. (Laughs.) Just last night, we were driving to Toronto to see a friend of mine from "Idol" -- she was Vanessa Olivarez, from the top 12 of my season of "Idol." She's the lead in "Hairspray" in Toronto. So I thought I'd drop by and see her up there. And Quiana (Parlor), one of the singers from the show with me, we were driving up to the Canadian border, and she said: "Oh, I don't have my passport. They're not going to let me through. They're not going to let me through." And I said, "Well, you don't need a passport to get into Canada, you just have to have your ID." And so she was like, "Yeah, you do." And I said, "You'll see. You don't worry about it, you'll be fine." And she said, "What about when we go to New Mexico this summer, are we going we have to use a passport?" I said, "You've got to be kidding me. We don't need a passport there." (Laughs) So I make fun of them onstage.
We change the songs up a little bit, too. We've been on the road for a little over a month, about a month and half now. I kind of try to -- we just added a new song this week ("Chain of Fools") that Quiana and I sing on the show. ... So the show changes every night to the most part. We rarely do the same show every night simply because it, you know, keeps it fresh and new when it's something kind of different.
C-J: Well, let me ask you about the book that's coming out this fall, "Learning to Sing." You've been working with Allison Glock with that, is that right?
Aiken: Right.
C-J: Tell me about the process of writing this book. When in the heck did you find time to do it in the first place?
Aiken: Well, I kind of had the opportunity to start to work on it about a year ago. ... I kind of put it off. I didn't want to do a book about a biography or a behind-the-scenes process of "Idol." And so I wanted to make sure we had a real thing to write about, something that was worthwhile. So we started the whole process -- started working on it in April. And, yeah, there's not too much free time involved.
So I'd think about working on some stuff, and then Allison would come out. Allison came out a few times when we were on tour, and she kind of helped me piece it together. A lot of the stuff that I had was in the wrong places and didn't flow so well, kind of a bunch of crazy thoughts here and there, kind of mushed together and it didn't flow at all. So she would come out, she came out a few times, and, you know, (her) expertise in writing kind of helped me get it all in order.
C-J: OK, so she helped with organizing and ...
Aiken: Well, she helped with writing, as well.
C-J: What do you hope people take from the book, you know, after they've read it? What do you hope they learn from it?
Aiken: I kind of feel like it's an opportunity for me to share some experiences. You know, I think a lot of people have similar experiences in their life. ... There are people who are stepchildren. There are people who were picked on when they were in school. I was one of those. It's just an opportunity for me to kind of share those experiences and what I've learned.
I had a mother and a lot of other friends and family who were big on making sure I took the positive lesson from everything, whether it was good or bad. It's just a chance for me to talk about that, and if people come away from it saying, "You know what? That's the same thing I went through, and I can learn the same thing and that's a good way to look at things," then great. If they can read it and think it's funny and entertaining and like to find out a little more information about me, that's fine with me.
C-J: OK. Is this something you think you'd like to do more of in the future -- writing books?
Aiken: Writing?
C-J: Yeah.
Aiken: It's not so easy (laughs), not at all, so I don't know whether it's something in the near future, you know. Maybe in 30 years, if I do have a biography, we'll put it together, but right now I don't think so.
C-J: The Christmas CD's coming out. Describe that a little bit, and does this mean we'll see you on a lot of holiday specials this season?
Aiken: The Christmas CD, we have to finish. We have to do a few more songs on it at the end of the month. We just have to finish wrapping it up and put a lid on it. It's a very classic Christmas album. We didn't want to do anything that would be dated in a few years, like with a lot of original stuff, lots of original production. It's very classic, with orchestral arrangements ... compare it to an Andy Williams' type album that can be sold year after year, you know, and people can put it on and it feels like Christmas and feels like the holiday.
And so, that's what we've done. ... I'm sure I'll be on some specials every once in awhile, at least on "Good Morning America" and that type of stuff. Other than that, I'm not really sure what's in the works. All that stuff kind of comes with when the album comes out and you see what's available.
C-J: OK. I also wanted to ask about your relationship with Disney. I know they're sponsoring the tour and you've got the "Aladdin" DVD coming out. Do you have other projects in the works with Disney?
Aiken: Right now, the biggest project we have with them is their sponsorship of, their work with the foundation. They're partnering with the foundation on some of our initiatives and helping us get the word out, helping us do quite a bit of marketing with the media, strategizing I guess, to make sure we get the information out about the Bubel Aiken Foundation and some of our stuff. They partnered with the tour -- with the foundation first actually, sorry, and then with the tour second after I sang the song on the "Aladdin" CD, or DVD, sorry. So right now, that's all that we have in the works. You know, if there's something I'd love to do at one point and if they're ever interested in wanting to see me voice some character from a movie, maybe I'd do it.
C-J: Well, speaking of movies, you know, there's some rumors out there that you've done some screentests for "Rent" and ...
Aiken: There's a lot of rumors.
C-J: Yeah.
Aiken: You are the biggest person I've spoken to in months on rumors. (Laughs.) ... I mean, I've heard the rumor, but there's no truth to it.
C-J: There's no truth to the fact that you are involved in any movies?
Aiken: Not right now.
C-J: OK, all right.
Aiken: Now, maybe in the future, I'd love to do it. Right now, I've been on tour. I've been on the road.
C-J: OK, well, let's talk about the foundation. A year now in existence, and it's done wonderfully. What would you like to see happen in the second year?
Aiken: You know ... it's really exciting to see (our) camp programs that are being successful in Kansas City, and in Charlotte and in Raleigh. And next year, we're signed up (to be in) other cities. Miami is one of them, one of the places where we could work with the foundation's summer camp program. We've had success with Youth Service America, giving out grants to individuals with disabilities who are giving their time and their effort to help to do community service projects in their communities. That's been exciting to watch. There's just been so much more success in one year than I ever thought there would be. Of course, I'd love to see that continue to grow. I'd love to see that continue and then flourish and be successful, for obvious reasons.
I think it would be wonderful -- you know, I don't know how long I'll be doing this singing thing. I'm enjoying it and would love to do it as long as people let me, but I'm not so sure that I'll be doing it for 30 years. The foundation, what I'd love to see happening, is for it to kind of spread its own wings and take on a life of its own. And, therefore, in 30 years if I'm not, (or) in two years if I'm not doing this, that it will be able to be successful.
Aiken's personal assistant interrupts, saying there's time for one more question.
C-J: OK. Well, this is a silly question, all right?
Aiken: OK.
C-J: You've said that you're ...
Aiken: You're wasting your last question on a silly question?
C-J: This is a silly question, yes.
Aiken: (Laughs.)
C-J: I won't ask about InStyle, OK?
Aiken: (Laughs.)
C-J: Here's the silly question. You've said you're, you know, a big nerd, so what's the nerdiest thing you've done lately?
Aiken: Oh, lord. The nerdiest thing done lately, what is the nerdiest thing I've done. The nerdiest thing I do traditionally is -- everyone always makes fun of me about stuff -- when we get to a city, I usually grab the magazine in the hotel room. You know, there's a visitor magazine that tells a bunch of stuff about the town?
C-J: Right.
Aiken: I always do the research on the town. I want to know when it was founded and how it got its name. I want to know all that sort of stuff (laughs), and then when we get on the bus I tell everybody. And they get tired of that. (Laughs) So we know Buffalo ...
C-J: Thank you so much, Clay.
Aiken: You're quite welcome, and thank you.

"Dancing Spirit" - CorieLuvzClay's Essay Inspired By The Mike & Juliet Show

Oh, the wonderful memories we now have of Clay's co-hosting on The Mike and Juliet Show. Is there anything he can't do? The answer is, of course, "He can do anything and everything he puts his mind to, and do it amazingly." We saw that on this show. And the pictures and videos are there to remind us of it at any moment we so choose.

And, here is another fabulous essay by CorieLuvzClay, inspired by this very show. This is her way of sharing, after seeing the show, those things that came to her mind. I cried when I read it. I feel these very sentiments in my heart. Maybe you will as well.

Enjoy this beautiful essay.

Dancing Spirit

Have you ever seen a spirit?? Have you ever witnessed a dancing spirit?? Have you ever seen a soul?? Have you ever witnessed a rapturous, luminous, impassioned soul?? If you’re a Clay Aiken fan you have seen and witnessed all of this and in so many varied ways…the brilliance and the after-glow of a true and prominent star. This is the essence of the man we have loved and supported for more then four years now. This is the man whose at once angelic and most powerful voice brought us all together…and we stayed with him not only for his voice but we stayed for his heart, his intelligence, the dignity and morality with which he lives his life.

Today Clay was the Guest Host on The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet and once again he brought the “house” down. Although Clay had a cold…he came out to play and to win and he was victorious!

I’m not going to go into the show because every single solitary nuance of it hit the internet as it was airing…we are getting better and better at keeping pace with our gorgeous man…ain’t technology grand?!?!?

What I will do is reflect upon something that so often comes to mind, perhaps because it is branded to my heart. This love affair we have…Clay Aiken and his diehard fans…how we love him and have loved him from day one. I borrow from myself as I quote a few paragraphs from an essay I wrote during the clackless time after The Juke Box Tour.

With the pages of “Learning To Sing” ever reverberating within I wrote in part…

“We are so lucky, he is so very lucky, his family is luckier still; that with all the inflicted pain and agony to his soul, that with the verbal and emotional abuse Clay suffered, he also encountered a miracle. This beautiful soul, so young and impressionable had no relief from its torment. Many children who are abused at home find solace at school and in childhood friendships. Many children who are bullied, ridiculed and cast aside at school find love, understanding and warm hugs waiting for them at home…with kisses to adorn tear stained cheeks and soothe the wounded soul. Not Clay though, wherever this child turned, he was forsaken and abandoned in one way or another.
This wonderful child whose little body housed a loving heart and an amazing spirit, walked an emotional fine line to be sure and how miraculous is it for him first and foremost and for the rest of us that Clay Aiken did not fall to the dark side of life, one perhaps of drugs and alcohol to dull the pain and make it go away, but instead he listed toward the lighter side in his growing up years until he fell full force into the guiding light meant only for him.”

“That guiding light has since turned into a blazing star, and what a phenomenal, enterprising expedition he has been on. And us, what about us? We came along, we came in droves, he couldn’t keep us away, we knew immediately, we saw instantly, we fell in love unabashedly! And Clay? He knows, he sees and he feels us…he misses us…he said so…unabashedly…in a public blog…”Missing You!”

“Clay needs us, every bit as much as we need him…we are nourishment for his soul, for the scars on his heart...for all the times he was thrown away by family members who should have loved him, protected him and accepted him just for him. For the pain in his heart for every lonely hour he spent at school or after school being the "odd" man out, in his too big sweaters and his double strapping. We saw what no one else seemed to see, we loved what no one else seemed to love...we found adorable and endearing what no one else seemed to find adorable and endearing or even acceptable.”

“We loved his adorable ears, when everyone else made fun of them, we loved his freckles when he himself hated them, we loved his feet when others snickered, we loved his demeanor when others would put him a corner, we drank up his beautiful voice and called him sexy, perhaps for the very first time in his life.
We found his hand movements to be a thudding experience when the butterfly-like movements hovered and gently caressed the mic stand, we found his deep knee bends alluring when others told him to "dance a little"..we loved him and uplifted him every step of the way. We filled his soul with what he so desperately needed just as he filled ours. We filled a void in his life just as he filled the void in ours.”

“We fell in Love with each other and I believe that he will take us with him, for the rest of his life, wherever he may go because our mark on Clay is just as indelible as his mark is on us...we are branded to each others hearts for all time, because Clay and his Claymates are a once in a lifetime anomaly.”

“Only "we" could have a Wilkes-Barre moment…when the realization hit him that we knew the words to his song...only we could bring him so visibly to tears in Raleigh when we packed the theatre and he stood and cried. Only we...he and us could have a relationship today that allows us to let him know what we want, that let's him know how important our cameras are because he can actually see the beautiful creations from those cameras that pour out the love we have for him. Only "us" no one before and I venture to say no one that follows...this was a Phenomenon that can never be duplicated because there will never be another stardom/fandom combination like us again!”

“Our love for Clay was unconditional from the start...we fell in love with him from head to toe and from inside out! The one's who "got it" early on needed nothing more then to see his beautiful smile, hear his angelic voice and have their hearts tugged and caressed with every gift of laughter he gave to us, with every humble nod and lip bite holding back obvious joy and pleasure at hearing some very lovely things that were being said to him...Gladys Knight comes to mind as does Paula on the Wild Card show. That adorable lip bite, lowered head & crooked smile as he listened to Paula tell him he raised the bar and he's a star. Clay loved this and ate this up as he never in his life experienced such glowing remarks from the people who had mattered the most.”

“Clay does love us and I'm sure he misses us...we freed his soul and showed it how to soar, we lightened his heart with love and attention...with the desire to have him near us and to sing for us...we nourished that part of his being that was so depleted so hungering for love and acceptance...we let him know that he would no longer sit all alone and off to the side lines. We would raise his spirits and carry him as he in turn did for and to us. I have often said that this love affair of "ours", Clay and his fans, is a love affair of grand proportions. This is a first in the history of stardom and fandom for we are most right when we say that there are no celebrities today nor have there ever been to have the relationship that we have with each other. I would venture to say that the Internet does help an awful lot in these modern times to keep a star alive when out of public sight...as discussions, videos, pictures, etc. are such an amazing means to that end. BUT make no mistake that it is precisely because of Clay's sweet, funny, giving, loving and humble nature, that we are so willing to keep him alive during the down periods.”

“He loves us because he has been loved by us. He misses us because he has been missed by us. He wants us in his life, because we want him in our lives. Ours is a mutual love, a mutual respect, he is our Idol, but I think perhaps, that we are his as well! This truly is a love affair to remember and keep safely tucked away in our hearts for all time. I don't think there will ever be another "Camelot" like ours!!”

Clay looked absolutely gorgeous on The Morning Show and I know he made two more friends in Mike & Juliet. You could tell that they had a blast with our man and he impressed in every way possible within a mere sixty minutes. He was charming, witty and intelligent. Clay was serious and informed when the segment turned to the story of the hour regarding the Anna Nicole Smith storyline and he was funny and playful during the “arts & crafts” segment.

Clay is definitely on a high right now…he’s so happy he makes my soul sing. When I look at Clay I see the light of his spirit dance in his beautiful eyes. To see that beautiful bow shaped mouth crinkle up in a smile steeped in sweetness is all I need to know that he’s ok.

Our mantra is “We came for The Voice and stayed for The Man” and what a man Clay Aiken has grown into. The skinny “white boy”, with the big ears and the coke bottle glasses from North Carolina has blossomed into an absolutely handsome prince of a man. We stayed for his humility, loving heart, spirited soul and a demeanor steeped in playfulness, charm, wit and pure good natured fun and silliness all while encapsulated within a body beautiful…a temple, that we have watched grow and change in maturity and knowledge. Today, Clay is tall and slender but filled out in a solid, manly way…gone is the skinny “boy” body. His hairstyles of late frame his face in such a manner as to heighten the model-like cheekbones, enhancing long lashes and his eyes of jade…eyes that sparkle and are alive with happiness and awareness…aware of where he has come from, where he is and where he is going.

A line comes to mind from “It’s a Wonderful Life” by Jimmy Stewart….

“What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”

We lassoed the moon for you Clay, continue building your wonderful life, we will continue to love you unconditionally and unwaveringly support you…just stay true to yourself, make sure your spirit dances…keep us in your heart and you will never walk alone.

By: CorieLuvzClay

February 22, 2007