Tidbits 1/3

• Broadway.com - Ruben Studdard to tour with Frenchie Davis, fellow AI2 competitor -

  The Alabama-born Studdard defeated Clay Aiken (coming soon to Broadway in Spamalot) in the second season of American Idol and has recorded five albums. Studdard is scheduled to perform concerts in support of his most recent recording before taking the stage in Ain't Misbehavin' in the fall.

• USA Today Idol Chatter ... new CD sales data:

  Clay (Christmas album): 3,000 (8,000; 1.4 million total)
  
  Clay (Thousand): 400 (800; 522,000 total)
  
  Clay (All Is Well EP): 200 (400; 52,000 total)
  

• 2007 in Review: ClaySpots has a great summary of events in the Clay nation in 2007 -

  Hey Clay,
  
  Here we are once again, your internet fans, taking a look back at 2007 and seeing what you, and we, were up to. We did a lot this year!
  
  You ended 2006 with a wonderful Christmas Tour that featured your marvelous voice and some off-the-cuff banter that had us rolling in the aisles. You showed us that you were a funny, bawdy man with a devilish sense of humor and we ate it up. But, as you know, after the tour was over, we wondered….when will we see you again? Actually we always wonder when we’ll see you again, but that’s pretty usual for us.
  

• The ConCLAYve takes a look back at 2007 -

  Another year flew by – and we’ve all had such fun contributing our different voices on ConCLAYve. Now at the start of 2008, we are once again sharing our thoughts and wishes. Please share yours. We love reading your comments.

• Something That Really Happened - final tally for UNICEF fundraiser out -

  Congratulations to all the generous contributors who helped UNICEF reach their goal of $100,000 by December 31 to help the children of Mexico. The final tally is $109,800 - exceeding the goal by 110%!

• Taking A Moment's Jemock pokes fun at "Meet and Eats" ...

  Lot #001: Dinner with Clay Aiken
  Dinner for two with Clay Aiken and guest(s) in New York City plus a sightseeing carriage ride. This will have to be on a Monday night. Schedules must be flexible!
  Minimum Bid: $5,000
  
  Ooooh. I like Lot #001 a LOT.
  
  But here's why I wouldn't win. Apart from not having any money, I mean:

MCWL, AIW Sales Stats From USA Today Idol Chatter

New sales numbers were made available for Merry Christmas with Love and All Is Well today by USA Today's Idol Chatter blog. Pretty impressive numbers given how little promotion either these discs are having:

Clay continues to rack up those Christmas sales: 8,000 this week for his Merry Christmas With Love album, which still sits at a rounded 1.3 million total; and another 1,000 for the All Is Well EP, bringing its total to 51,000. Meanwhile, A Thousand Different Ways sold 300, same as last week, for a 520,000 total.

"All Is Well" Enters iTunes Charts

"All Is Well", Clay 2006 Christmas EP which was released to iTunes this week is a smash hit to users of Apple's popular online music store.

Currently, the disc is the #4 on the "Top Pop Albums" chart and #38 in the overall "Top Albums" list.

Don't foget ... If you purchase the EP through the iTunes link at GoodSearch's GoodShop, GoodSearch and Apple will donate 3.75% to the Bubel Aiken Foundation.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Go to GoodSearch's GoodShop.
2. At the top of the page, where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR?, type in "Bubel Aiken Foundation" and click Verify.
   
3. The page will update itself to confirm your support for the BAF.
4. Scroll down and click the icon.
5. The iTunes store will launch. If you do not have iTunes, you can download it for free at Apple.com. All purchases made on this iTunes session will qualify for the 3.75% donation to the Bubel Aiken Foundation. Happy shopping!

Clay Asks Us To Buy "All Is Well"

Clay blogged today asking us to purchase a copy of "All Is Well" on Apple's iTunes store. With news that the Bubel Aiken Foundation can benefit off these purchases, your $4 could not be better spent... click here to find out how to buy AIW from iTunes with part of the profit going to the Bubel Aiken Foundation.

Buy "All Is Well" from iTunes via GoodShop to Raise Money for TBAF

Here's another one of the multitude of ways you can make a positive contribution to the Bubel Aiken Foundation.

RCA released Clay's 2006 Christmas EP, "All Is Well", to Apple's iTunes store today. If you purchase the EP through the iTunes link at GoodSearch's GoodShop, GoodSearch and Apple will donate 3.75% to the Bubel Aiken Foundation.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Go to GoodSearch's GoodShop.
2. At the top of the page, where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR?, type in "Bubel Aiken Foundation" and click Verify.
   
3. The page will update itself to confirm your support for the BAF.
4. Scroll down and click the icon.
5. The iTunes store will launch. If you do not have iTunes, you can download it for free at Apple.com. All purchases made on this iTunes session will qualify for the 3.75% donation to the Bubel Aiken Foundation. Happy shopping!
   

Tidbits 12/3

Don't forget, All Is Well will hit iTunes tomorrow at midnight. This Christmas EP, released last year as a Wal-Mart exclusive, can be purchased for around $4 on iTunes for your iPod.

• South Coast Today via L.A. Times - "Winter Wonderland" is the "sound of the season" -

  New isn't always better, as proven by "Wonderland," which has been recorded by scores of artists, among them Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, the Carpenters, the Judds, Glenn Miller, Eurythmics, Clay Aiken, Jewel, Aimee Mann, Wynton Marsalis, Perry Como, Cyndi Lauper, Air Supply, Stryper, the Cocteau Twins as well as Alvin & the Chipmunks.

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Scranton Times-Tribune - "Idol Worship: Clay Aiken’s Christmas in the Heartland, 7 p.m., F.M. Kirby Center, "

• Nothing here yet
  

Tidbits 11/27

• Canada.com - Christmas in the capitol -

  At the Warner Theatre, American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken is scheduled to serenade fans in early December, followed by the Washington Ballet's own offering of the Nutcracker. (Warner Theater: 513 13th Street, N.W.; 1-202-783-4000; warnertheater.com).

• CBS Chicago - Indiana musician reunited with treasured violin, to play at upcoming Clay Aiken concert - "Orbovich will play Wednesday in South Bend for the Clay Aiken concert. He also plays with several area symphony orchestras. "
• Terra Music Brazil - this is all Portugese, but it mentions "Invisible" ... can any of our Portuguese-speaking visitors enlighten us as to what this is in English?

  A revista Blender divulgou uma lista das 50 piores músicas de todos os tempos. De Madonna a Lionel Richie, passando por Beach Boys e Celine Dion, a lista traz nomes bastante famosos do pop e do rock.
  
  11. Invisible, Clay Aiken

• Bella Online names MCWL one of the best Christmas CD's -

  Merry Christmas With Love by Clay Aiken - ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITES. A great mix of tunes – I love “Mary, Did You Know”, “Don’t Save It All for Christmas Day” and “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” *You guessed it. That Washington, DC Christmas show is Clay Aiken’s Heartland Christmas Tour.

• Greenville Sun - "Mary, Did You Know" recorded by many top artists -

  Among the songs that he performed was his famous hit, "Mary Did You Know?" It is a song that he co-wrote in 1984 with Buddy Greene.
  
  The beautiful, touching ballad has become a modern Christmas standard and has been recorded by more than 30 artists, including Michael English, Wynonna Judd, Natalie Cole, Clay Aiken, Kathy Mattea and Kenny Rogers.
  

• There Was A Man - "All Is Well" available on iTunes beginning December 4.
• Something That Really Happened - Clay kicks off Christmas tour 2007. A look back at previous tours.
  

Tidbits 11/19

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS IN THE HEARTLAND TOUR
7 DAYS
CDD's Christmas tour blog

• Idolator - blog live from the American Music Awards -

  10:25 p.m. The secret: Midway through his set, Barry Manilow is going to rip off his mask, Mission: Impossible-style, and reveal that he's Clay Aiken.

• All That Is Clay Aiken - it's almost been a full year since the "All Is Well" Christmas EP came out... check out some YouTube videos of Clay singing songs from AIW.
• Carolina On My Mind - counting down the days to the 2007 Christmas tour.
• Clay - The Man has more Clay blends, graphics up for you to enjoy... WOW, I must say they're VERY impressive!

"All Is Well" Released to iTunes December 4

Clay's Wal-Mart exclusive Christmas EP, "All Is Well", is being released to iTunes, according to an announcement on the member-only homepage over at the official fanclub.

The disc will be available on iTunes starting December 4.

Clay Ready To Return to "All Is Well" Hair Style

The CB's Okclayhoman says Clay told her during the Tulsa M&G that he might go back to the "All Is Well" cover hairstyle soon -

signed a picture of the All is Well EP cover...he looked at it and said that "we are thinking about returning to this hairstyle" of course we all loved it and told him that....so, what do you guy's think about a return to that luscious hairstyle.....I thought it was a perfect look for him......