October 6, 2006 - One Year Anniversary of Clay's Appearance on Martha Stewart's Show

*Sniff Sniff*...what's that I smell? Well, if I had the ingredients here at my house, it would be the smell of pineapple wafting through the air as the Aiken family recipe of "Hot Pineapple Salad" was cooking in my oven. I'd be cooking it in memory of Clay's one year anniversary of appearing on the Martha Stewart Show. Unfortunately, I'll just have to remember Clay, his grandmother, and Martha Stewart cooking it on her show instead.

Yes, its been one year since Clay appeared on the Martha Stewart Show, on October 6, 2006, to amaze us with both his cooking and vocal skills. If I'm not mistaken, the sale of canned pineapple tripled overnight after that appearance. In case anyone didn't get to copy the recipe down, here is the one I saved from last year.

Hot Pineapple Salad
recipe courtesy of Clay Aiken
serves 8 to 10

2 #2 cans of pineapple tidbits with juice
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons self-rising flour
2 cups grated medium-sharp cheddar cheese
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, sugar, flour and cheese. Transfer to a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
3. Top with crackers and drizzle with melted butter.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes.


This is one of Clay's favorite dishes. Even with one cup of sugar, he says its not sweet enough to be a dessert! I guess that's why they call it a salad. So, if you're ever lucky enough to have Clay over to your house, now you know what to cook for him!

After you take this dish out of the oven, you can sit and eat a bowl of it and watch Clay and his grandma prepare it on the show. Here is that video from YouTube, in Parts 1 and 2. If you haven't seen it in a while, you will love seeing it again!






Of course, after our cooking lesson, Clay did what he does especially well, and that is, of course, SING!! He looked extremely gorgeous on Martha's show and sang A Thousand Days just as well! There just is not much better than walking down memory lane with Clay as he sings from his past appearances, unless its listening to him live!

f="

Here, for your enjoyment, is Clay singing A Thousand Days on the Martha Stewart Show. I'll bet you can't watch it just once! Happy Memories!!

Remembering Good Morning America...One Year Ago Today

Its hard to believe that its been a year, but one year ago today, September 19, 2006, Clay was on Good Morning America to sing Without You and A Thousand Days. Hundreds of loyal fans showed up for the performance...thousands would love to have been there. The memory of that day lives on, not just in our minds but also on video and in photos, beautiful pictures of Clay and "sung to perfection" songs from ATDW. Thank goodness for modern technology!!

To join in these remembrances, here are some great photos from GMA, as well as YouTube videos of snarky Clay's pre-airtime antics (Clay, smile!!) and performances of Without You and A Thousand Days. You can also download A Thousand Days from Clack Unlimited. And Clay, as always, thanks for the memories!!

From YouTube - Pre-Airtime Shenanigans (By Shakinforsexyaiken)



From YouTube - Without You (By Secretly Loves Clay)



From YouTube - A Thousand Days (By Secretly Loves Clay)

Clay Adds "Right Here Waiting" to Setlist

Quick tour tidbit - Clay replaced "A Thousand Days" with "Right Here Waiting" at tonight's concert at Meadowbrook.

"A Thousand Days" in Top 100 On Yahoo Music Videos

Clay's "A Thousand Days" from his CD "A Thousand Different Ways" has made its way into the Top 100 Music Videos on Yahoo. As of today, it is at #86, but we can move it up higher by watching and listening to it more. As I'm writing this, I have already listened to it 4 times. A tough job, but someone has to do it!!

Check it out, and listen every day if you can! And while you are there, be sure to rate the video too!

"A Thousand Days" Is Featured Video on RCA

Clay's video, "A Thousand Days" is one of the featured videos at RCARecords.com.

I had not watched the video in the last few days (such a long time!) so it was great to hear it again and watch those Clay moves and those eyes he gives to the camera. Oh yes! And what a great song! Since starting this article, I've already listened to it four times! Can't get it off my mind now! Which is not such a bad thing.

Check it out again and give it a few hits. Watching it one more time (or 1000) is never too much!

Tidbits 2/16

• WSRS.com - Clay friendly ClearChannel station WSRS in MA is featuring "A Thousand Days" on their Music On Demand section. WSRS was the first station to play "Without You" on radio last September.
• Comcast - fan videos from Wednesday's Jimmy Kimmel appearance are featured exclusively at Comcast's website. Although the homepage is visible to everyone, in order to watch the videos, you must be a Comcast customer.
  
• ChannelOne.com - Clay's been on this poll for a very long time... if you have time, help our Asian friends get Clay's music onto Singapore's Channel One "All Request Thursday" show.
• Access Hollywood - Clay was featured on AccessHollywood.com' daily poll yesterday in a question about our "favorite Idol non-winner". The poll ended earlier today and Clay won with a landslide 60%.
• Raleigh Chronicle - article about Clay's former Raleigh elementary school, Clay mentions.
• Some American Idol related articles:
• News 14 Carolina - no NC talent on this year's Idol...

  Fantasia Barrino of High Point won the 2004 competition, while Raleigh's Clay Aiken was the 2003 runner-up. Season four in 2005 had one North Carolina semi-finalist, Wilmington's Sarah Mather.

• Everything Alabama - interview with Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe... Lythgoe has some nice comments about Clay:

  I think this is going to be a great season where there isn't a Kellie Pickler, a Carrie Underwood, or a Clay Aiken, that you know is going to really steal everybody's votes.

• Raleigh News & Observer - North Carolina idol fans will have to settle for an "outsider" -

  It has become a February ritual for many North Carolinians -- the "American Idol" finalists are announced, and we start furiously phoning in support for Clay, Fantasia, Chris or any other Tar Heel singers who make the cut.
  
  Given North Carolina's "Idol" success, that's like the Atlantic Coast Conference getting shut out of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Raleigh homeboy Clay Aiken finished second in 2003's season two, and High Point's Fantasia Barrino won it all in 2004.Still, that's not the same as having a Clay or a Fantasia to pull for. Not that it's hurting viewership. Even with no locals, "Idol" won its Wednesday-night time slot in the Triangle with 22 percent of local viewers tuned in.
  
  Still, that's not the same as having a Clay or a Fantasia to pull for. Not that it's hurting viewership. Even with no locals, "Idol" won its Wednesday-night time slot in the Triangle with 22 percent of local viewers tuned in.

• TV Grapevine - "They are looking for another Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, etc... something that adds serious dollars to the Idol bank account."
  
• Pugbus (Satire) - some random Clay mention
• Southern Voice - Clay takes shot at tabloids with new fanclub contest.
• Detroit News - country star Kenny Chesney defends his sexuality, like Clay.

• Nothing here yet.
  

Winning Poem Picked For The Fan Club Poetry Contest

A winner has finally been announced for the Official Fan Club Poetry contest. Since the information is on the public page at the OFC, we can include the name and poem below. Congratulations to Claymaniac113078 for her prize-winning poem! Lucky lady will now receive a phone call from Clay!

02/14/07 : "A Thousand Days" Poetry Contest Winner!
By Team Clay

Congratulations to fan club member, Claymaniac113078, winner of the Clay Aiken Poetry Contest! Claymaniac113078 will receive a special phone call from Clay today, Valentine's Day!

Thank you to everyone who submitted a poem for the contest--all of the entries were very thoughtful and heartfelt as Clay had a difficult time choosing the winner!

Here is Claymaniac113078's poem:

I believe in angels
Cause I believe in you
Way down in your soul
Your light shines through

When you reach out for me
I just drown in your eyes
Like a thousand spinning lights
Seen up in the skies

You're the man that I love
All my days and my nights
You're my sun and my moon
For your love I would fight

A promise to you
Said back in the start
Your love I will hold
Right home in my heart

Cause I believe in angels
And I believe in you

Tidbits 2/12

• Los Angeles Times "The Envelope" on Carrie Underwood's big Grammy win. A commenter wrote this in response... AMEN!

  I think the Grammy's finally had to realize that the Idol is a big part of today's music business. Maybe even more so than some of the groups they promote and highlight. I just wish this would have happened sooner, however. It is a shame that Clay Aiken wasn't nominated as Best New Singer a few years ago when he first came on the scene. If anyone deserved that recognition, it was Clay. He broke records and his rise to fame was magical. Now we'll just have to wait - since Clay will indeed continue to be a force in music for many years to come.

• BuddyTV - winners of "America's Next Top Model" struggling in fashion industry... very nice Clay tidbit:
  

  Competition shows like American Idol prove that it is possible to find popular talent through the reality format. Whether or not Tyra can convincingly continue to call her show “America’s Next Top Model” without ever once producing a fashion equivalent to Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken or Carrie Underwood, remains to be seen.

• East Valley Tribune - Chris Daughtry --

  [Clive] Davis is, of course, is the head of RCA Records and one of the music industry’s legendary executives. He’s had huge success in signing other “Idol” finalists, including Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Fantasia Barrino. He recognized that the groundswell of support for Daughtry — and the publicity that surrounded his departure from the “Idol” competition — made the singer a hot commodity.

• Peter's Reviews - upcoming late night show appearances... Clay on Kimmel on Wednesday.
• Socialite's Life ... uh...

  Las Vegas is also the place where a lot of older entertainers come to die. Sort of like a celebrity retirement community where you can still perform and make heaps of money without having to tour. It's actually a pretty sweet deal for people like Celine, Elton, Manilow, and even Toni Braxton has her own residency show at the Flamingo now. I give Clay Aiken five years before he takes up residency at Mandalay Bay with his new show Cirque De Clay.

• Entertainment Weekly - Popwatch... new videos from Idols -

  Clay's video (streaming here) — which appears to have been shot on a budget even paltrier than Locke's — is essentially an in-studio performance clip. If you like your vocals bombastic, and you like your Clay making sexyface to the cameras, then this is the video for you! I, however, will not watch it again, at least not for a thousand days. I know, I'm a betch, he's an easy target. But also, it's not a good song. Sorry, Claymates.

• MSNBC - Tired of gossip, Clay turns to his fans for "Scandal" ideas...

  The “American Idol” runner-up is so miffed about what he says are fabricated tales and pics involving his sex life that he’s invited fans to do a little creative writing about him.
  
  The “Invisible” singer then invites fans to “Build-Your-Own-Scandal.” He explains: “Come up with the most outlandish story you can that places me (either alone or with others close to me) in a really juicy, tawdry, scandalous, shameful story. Then, use any photos, videos, audio clips of me that you can find along with your favorite multimedia enhancing/‘doctoring’ program (like a Photoshop or a sound/video editor) to create your ‘evidence’! Maybe you have ‘pictures’ of me being ‘abducted by oversized turnips’ or ‘video’ of me ‘dancing with a three-legged gorilla.’ Be creative!”

• Post Chronicle - More about Clay's "Build-A-Scandal" contest
• Sacromento Bee - Celebrities and their private lives (negative... this writer is a major idiot!)
  

• Nothing here today.

Clontinental? ATDW Featured Onboard Continental Airlines Flights

The CB's pearlgjr was flying home yesterday aboard a Continental Airlines Boeing 757. To her surprise, ATDW was featured on Continental's on-board entertainment system!

I was flying back to NJ from Tampa last night and the plane was a 757, outfitted like the ones used to fly to Europe....big cushy seats that recline and the legs kick out, individual video monitors...well, you get the idea.

My seat mate had his video monitor up and I asked him what was playing...he said there's like 22 movies...so I moved mine up and checked out the movies, which were great, then checked out the short films, ...and then

I checked out the music options on the personal video screen.

First screen up when I clicked on music, was the cd cover for ATDW....whoo hoo!!!

I was so tha-rilled to see 'our' man in the library as one of the primo choices...

There were about 20-25 choices for music in all, but ATDW was right at the top of the pack..

Lancaster, PA Radio Station to Play ATD Tonight

If you've just been itching to hear Clay's new single "A Thousand Days" on radio, here's your chance! 101 The Rose WZOZ-FM in Lancaster, PA played ATD two times today - once in the morning and once a few minutes ago. Due to the overwhelming response from the Clay nation, the music director at WZOZ has informed the CB's WizofOzfan that they will play ATD again tonight at 6 PM EST.

I heard from Michael C. Anthony, the Music Director for WROZ. He said Patsy, the afternoon DJ yesterday, emailed him AT HOME to tell him that they got around 30 emails about A Thousand Days yesterday!!!!! Michael is THRILLED, and told me that he will try to respond to everyone when he can. Thanks to all who streamed and/or emailed yesterday!

He played ATD during the noon hour today and announced that it was the most requested song of the day! WROZ has a very good-sized audience here in PA, but even more streaming online (thanks to you all!)

WROZ will play ATD again today (Wednesday) during the 6 pm hour (EST), so let's do it again everyone!!!! I would love to hear Patsy say something FANTASTIC about Clay when she announces his song after 6pm!

Valentine's Day Contest Announced At OFC

So before we get Clay's "make-a-scandal" contest, the fanclub is hosting their 2007 Valentine's Day contest. Here's the full scoop:

02/01/07 : NEW OFC CONTEST: “A THOUSAND DAYS” OF VALENTINES
By Team Clay

Arrows shooting in the air
Cupid, brings a love affair
to Clay Fans in the OFC
requesting your written poetry

With lyrics, love and heart's desire
found from within "A Thousand Days"
your poem shall incite and inspire
A True Love found in many ways

From quoting lines directly, please refrain
to make this poem of yours to claim
And win him over with loving prose
of thoughtful words that you enclose

Depending on the hymn you scrawl
he may choose you over all
And in February, on the fourteenth day
You may receive a lucky call from Clay

For details and Official Rules, please visit the CONTESTS section of the fan club.

This contest ends one week from today on February, 7th, so be sure to collect your thoughts, write your poems and get your entries in before it's too late!