Durham Bulls Athletic Park Sings Clay's Praises

Clay is usually the one doing the singing, but several members of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park were singing his praises in a WRAL interview in 2007.

Thanks go to procjoiner at The Clayboard who brought this video to my attention. This is a great video, recorded in August 2007 by WRAL.com and shows Mike Birling, General Manager, Matt DeMargel, Promotions Director, and George Habel, Vice President, where they are remembering back to 2003 with many compliments. This was when Clay made his trip home during Top 3 week on American Idol. For part of that trip, he sang the National Anthem at a Durham Bulls game and threw out the first pitch of the game.

The men compliment Clay by saying such things as:

• "it was a once in a lifetime experience"
  
• "he was a phenomenon"
  
• "he didn't have any real idea just how popular he was"
  
• "the screaming from the fans was louder than the helicopter"
  
• "he sang the National Anthem and everybody just went crazy...that was just a real special moment...it was an incredible job"

For men of this caliber in such an outstanding organization to have such admiration for Clay after all these years says a lot. Clay is an amazing person and there are so many people who know this!

Check out the video at WRAL.com. And if you really want a treat, watch the youtube video below of Clay singing the National Anthem that day at the Durham Bulls ball game. Perfection!!

Let's Take a Fun Nostalgic Journey With Clay Via YouTube Videos

I thought while things have slowed down here in Claynation, it would be fun to take some time to enjoy a variety of YouTube videos over the next week or two. It will just be a hodge podge of interviews, tour performances and banter, talk shows, and whatever else I can find! We'll post two or three in each CDD article. Hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane.

Our first YouTube video is an interview from the early days of American Idol 2 with Jimmy Carter (not former President Carter!). This interview could be found at www.askjimmycarter.com at the time Clay was interviewed.




You gotta love this next one. This is posted at YouTube by "ElvisCentral", and it is of Clay singing "Invisible" in Grand Prairie/Dallas, TX during the 2004 Independent Tour. This was my first Clay concert ever. Watch him work that stage as he dances from one end to the other throughout the whole song!




And our last one for the day, posted by chacha3078, is from Jimmy Kimmel Live. The most enthusiastic audience in the history of Jimmy's show had to have been there that day! How can we ever forget the time that Clay taught Jimmy Kimmel a lesson that Jimmy has never forgotten!! And the rest of the show is even funnier. Remember, "He hit me with his cane!!"? Or how about Clay talking about the food in Ireland that was "still walking around on the plate"!! One of the best talks show interviews with Clay ever!! Betcha you'll laugh just as hard as you did the first time you saw it!



Are you through laughing yet? Okay, I'll give you a little more time....(Jeopardy music playing in the background)...Do I have your attention now? Okay, then stay tune for 3 more video coming in the next day or two. I'll surprise you every day or two with some great memories!!

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 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).

Tidbits 4/26

• From The Clayboard, here's a neat story from Clayperfect:

  I met Jodie Messina this afternoon. at the restaurant I work at.. tour bus pulled up.. and it was her.. come to find out she tours with Steven Curtis Chapman.. and is a HUGE fan of Clay's.. what a day..we were both as fan girlly as they come she is a gospel country western singer out of Nashville.. I am afraid to post everything we discussed.. but can tell you her and her crew adore Clay Aiken.. said the first time she met him a few years ago by way of Steven.. her heart almost jumped out or her chest..asked me if I had ever met him.. replied yes.. and my heart is still not back in my chest.. the crews exploded in laughter you never know what life will bring you..I learned today that there are more Clay fan's out there than just us..she gave me a big hug at the register.. and said keep the faith God knows his chosen ones.. and soon the world will too..she made me cry.

  You just never know when you'll meet a special Clay fan.
  
  
• From Cindilu2 at The Clayboard, here is an interview with Billboard -

  Posted at FCA, via the CH
  
  May 03, 2008
  
  CHUCK TAYLOR
  
  During its six previous seasons, TV juggernaut "American Idol" has launched countless music careers-but the caveat is maintaining staying power. Season-two runner-up Clay Aiken continues to trump the odds. His third RCA album, "On My Way Here," due May 6, follows his 2003 double-platinum debut, "Measure of a Man"; 2004's platinum "Merry Christmas With Love"; and 2006 gold covers album "A Thousand Different Ways." In May, he'll wrap a five-month Broadway stint in the Tony Award-lauded musical comedy "Spamalot."
  
  On the new album, his first of original material since "Measure," Aiken worked with Grammy Award-winning producer Kipper (Sting, Chris Botti). The singer talks about the road ahead and his journey to this point.
  
  You call "On My Way Here" a thematic reflection on life lessons, a sort of road map of your last five years. What do you hope listeners will take from the collection?
  
  When [executive producer] Jaymes Foster and I came across the song "On My Way Here," written by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, I really connected to it lyrically. It sums up how the experiences we go through make us who we are. As I'm knocking on the door to 30-and it's knocking hard-this decade has been about figuring out who I am. That set the tone for the album; they're all about things I've learned or universal lessons.
  
  Once we had that road map and knew what we were looking for, the songs started falling in our laps. In the past, I'd sing about dog food and sunshine, as long as it was catchy and had a great melody, so it's the first time I've paid close attention to lyrics. I'm not Alicia Keys or Norah Jones when it comes to artistic lyrics, but I like what these songs are saying-and they're still pretty.
  
  Knowing that we probably weren't going to get radio made the process even easier, so we just made an album that is me-songs written for me or whose meaning I connected with, and songs that I sing well.
  
  "The Real Me" was written by Natalie Grant, who comes from the Christian world but is popular at AC. Her songs tend to explore life's challenges and offer a positive spin.
  
  We first looked at that song as one of four originals on the last album. The thing I love so much about "The Real Me" is that when I listened to it, I thought, "It's about God." Jaymes heard a romantic song. Other people think it's about their mom. Everyone is able to take their own message. Natalie was kind enough to change a little bit of the lyric so that it fits my life even better.
  
  You've managed to achieve success, as you noted, without a lot of radio support. You have 32,000 friends on MySpace. What vehicles are you looking at to help get the word out, particularly in the digital frontier?
  
  The record label surprised me by saying they think this record is radio-friendly. Maybe that came as a result of not trying so hard, but we don't count on it. Look, some people that come from "Idol" are meant for radio-Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry. I think they'd have been successful at some point without the show. I'm a TV star. That's where I came from, so that's where I look to spread the word. I do blog in places and we've got the Web site, but a lot of the digital thing is aimed at teenagers. TV is just as big as digital, and it's always been my best vehicle.
  
  Will you tour again to support the record?
  
  I haven't had two days off since October, so I'm just not going to worry about a tour right now. This time, we're going to let things sit, see how the album does and put it together when and if it's right.
  
  "Spamalot" is pretty silly. Your public persona is not. Why did you choose to make your Broadway debut with this show? And are you funny?
  
  That's pretty much the very reason. We had offers from other shows and I'd looked at doing Broadway for years, but I wanted something totally different. I was drawn to this because it was a way to branch out. And [director] Mike Nichols-who is so talented and another reason I wanted to do "Spamalot"-made it pretty clear to me at the start: "Clay is not funny. The script is funny." So I play it pretty dry and it seems to have worked. I've had a great time and worked with a lot of really talented people, who have become my family in New York.
  
  You probably knew this was coming: Even though you're onstage at night, have you caught any of this season's "American Idol"?
  
  I watched the season with Carrie Underwood, but I haven't seen a lot of the show since. Listen, I am emphatic that I will always be appreciative of "Idol"-it gave me this opportunity, I know that-but I kind of equate it to high school. Just because I went to high school doesn't mean I still go back to watch the team's football games.

• kfoxtv.com - In an article entitled Idol Controversies, Clay is mentioned as follows:

  Season 2
  
  Some 1,100 people complain about the voting system when Clay Aiken loses to Ruben Studdard by fewer than 140,000 votes out of some 24 million votes cast.
  
  •Judge Simon Cowell alleges that Clay Aiken saw the results card backstage prior to the show, and therefore knew in advance he had not won -- host Ryan Seacrest now holds a blank card when announcing the winner.
  
  Season 5
  
  •During a stint as a co-host for "Live with Regis and Kelly," former finalist Clay Aiken upsets hostess Kelly Ripa, after putting his hand over Ripa's mouth while they interviewed "Dancing with the Stars" winners Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke.

• breathecast.com - In an article about Mark Lowry winning a Dove award, Clay is mentioned:

  His lyrics include the phenomenal Christmas classic, "Mary Did You Know?" - recorded by Michael English, Wynonna, Kenny Rogers, Clay Aiken, Reba McEntire, Natalie Cole, Brian Littrell, Donny Osmond and over 50 other international artists.

Tidbits 4/15

• Access Atlanta - Atlanta Journal Constitution - "Idol"'s most shocking eliminations -

  2- Clay Aiken, runner up, season two. Clay fans are still peeved about this one and his post-“Idol” sales at least gave them some solace. His success also proved that victory isn’t necessary to do well after “Idol.” Interestingly, Nigel Lythgoe, the producer, said Clay was far ahead of the others in votes throughout the season. One technical issue may have made it closer than it could have been and may have tipped the balance for Ruben: busy signals. So many fans couldn’t get through that the lines were packed with votes the entire time, thus ensuring a very very close final vote count. This was also before texting was a regular phenomenon, which might have helped Clay. I do believe Clay would have won if there had been more phone lines available. Nonetheless, Ruben was a force to be reckoned and few could deny his skills.
  

• Seattle Pi - Idol prone to misdailed votes -

  As much as it is a nuisance for small businesses and private citizens, the misdialing can also lead to incorrect results. The article cited the extremely close race between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, where the big guy won by only 130,000 votes. The next day, a phone company reported that it had errantly received 240,000 Idol calls during the voting period. Yikes, let's hope America listens to Ryan's dialing warnings so we don't have a recount debacle on our hands.

• Nothing here today
  

USA Today Mentions Clay's Single

Coming attractions: Achin' for some new Aiken? It's on the way is the great title of an article in USA Today which talks about Clay's upcoming CD and also mentions his new single. USA Today says:

"I would like to have signature songs," Clay Aiken says, "songs that are identifiable as mine as opposed to 'Clay Aiken sings such-and-such.' " That's why the American Idol Season 2 runner-up conducted an intensive search for songs he could connect with.

"I went through a bunch of songs and found On My Way Here by (OneRepublic's) Ryan Tedder, and it hit me in the gut," he says. "It became the catalyst for the whole album to be lyrically connected — most of the songs relate to lessons I've learned."

On My Way Here became both the title track and lead single for Aiken's album, due May 6 on RCA. The album, produced by Kipper, is Aiken's first collection of new material since his debut, 2003's Measure of a Man, which has sold nearly 3 million copies.

Aiken co-wrote one song on the new album, Lover All Alone. Musically, he promises the new album has "a little bit of something for everyone, from symphonic-type ballads to upbeat, edgy stuff."

Can't wait for both the CD and the single to be released and to see what Side 2 of the single will be!

Tidbits 3/18

• NYC Official City Guide:

  You might also want to make note of two newsworthy Broadway debuts: Clay Aiken, currently starting as Sir Robin in Spamalot, and Mario Lopez, who joins the cast of A Chorus Line in the role of Zach on April 15th.

• Seattlepi.com: In a blog called Ear Candy with Travis Hay is an article called "30 things you likely don't know about Ear Candy". Clay is mentioned as follows:

  15. Albums in my record collection I won't ever own up to owning: Ethel Merman's disco album, Ashleee Simpson's "Autobiography" and Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man."

• The Buffalo News Entertainment - In "Idol Thoughts: Handicapping The Finalists", Clay has a couple of mentions:

  Season One’s Kelly Clarkson and Season Four’s Carrie Underwood, arguably the best “Idol” singers so far, made it big, and the hotly contested Ruben Studdard- Clay Aiken finals raised “Idol” buzz to new heights....And also-rans have done well. Aiken plays Sir Robin in “Spamalot” on Broadway, Jennifer Hudson collected a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in “Dreamgirls,” and Chris Daughtry’s first album was the fastest-selling debut rock album ever.

Tidbits 2/19

• Broadway Bears program a huge success - Clay's Sir Robin bear was auctioned off for an unbelievable $17,000:
• Playbill -

  The Spamalot bear — signed by Clay Aiken and David Hyde Pierce — raised the most money at the annual Broadway Bears fundraiser, which was held Feb. 17 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on West 42nd Street.
  
  The Spamalot bear brought in $17,000 for the annual event, which benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway Bears XI — hosted by Bryan Batt — earned a total of $127,000 for the charitable organization.

• Theater Mania -

  Forty specially-made bears, each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing the theater's most legendary characters, were auctioned. Top bids for bears were the $17,000 Spamalot bear signed by Clay Aiken and David Hyde Pierce; the $9,000 Lion King bear signed by Tom Alan Robbins; the $8,000 Cyrano bear signed by Jennifer Garner, Kevin Kline, and Daniel Sunjata; the $5,000 Little Mermaid bear signed by Sherie Rene Scott; and the $5,000 Wicked bear signed by Idina Menzel.

• MTV takes a look at six seasons of American Idol -

  Season Two: 2003
  
  WINNER: Ruben Studdard
  
  RUNNER-UP: Clay Aiken
  
  CULTURAL IMPACT/LEGACY : By casting Ruben, Clay, Kimberley and Frenchie, "AI 2" broadens America's definition of "pop-star image." Fans eat it up. However, by voting on voice over looks, the season ends up being fairly predictable, where the singer who deserves to go home each week does. The final Ruben/Clay showdown is a tight race (one that Seacrest calls a "photo finish"), and although Studdard is the victor, Aiken ultimately wipes the floor with him in record sales. The disqualified Frenchie ends up paving a path that several "Idol" contestants (including Aiken) will follow once their pop music careers stall: Broadway. Speaking of struggling singers, in 2007, Ruben wins a new title: First "Idol" to be dropped by a record label. Ouch.

• Via Brightstar of CH, posted at The Clayboard by LoveOMC -

  back from a wonderful evening at the Metropolitan Room. Sean McDaniel, and Ben Cohen performed the music from a new play called: Big Tent-the Tammy Faye story. What a fabulous evening. The playwright was there very, young and talented. They had a variety of Broadway actors perform,and they were awesome. Quiana performed the last number and was fantabulous.
  she received the nights only standing O.
  
  Clay was there, he was seated at the last moment. he looked awesome, purple v-neck, brown tie, brown shirt,hair brushed oo to side. everyone behaved. no one bothered him. I could was seated facing Clay and the stage, from where i was sitting he really seemed to enjoy the show.

  At YouTube is a video of Quianna singing "Just Move On" from the musical.

• Nothing here today
  

Wildcard Show on AI2 Rewind This Weekend

AI2 Rewind has been airing on TV for the last several weeks, and this weekend the Wildcard Show was aired. Now we all know what an important show this was for Clay. Clay was brought back as one of the wildcard contestants to be voted on by America and chosen by the judges to continue on in the Top 12.

Most everyone knows how this played out. All the wildcard contestants sang another song, were judged by the three judges, and then four were chosen to return. America voted, and......CLAY WAS CHOSEN TO RETURN!! Of course, this really shouldn't have been a surprise. Clay sang better than them...he shined singing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me". Even Simon thought he was great! I believe that if America had not voted for Clay's return, one of the judges would have chosen him. He was that good, or should I say great!!

If you didn't get to watch the show this weekend, you can download several videos from Clack Unlimited. Take the following links there, and just look for the "WC" show on that page. Right click, and you will have these videos at your beck and call!

Clack Unlimited (look for "Wildcard" or "WC" item on each page):

• Interviews/Bios/Q&As/Clay Specific
• Solo Performances
• Judge Critiques
• Post-Performance Debriefs
• Results Show Readings-Clay
  

And check out the YouTube video of Clay singing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". Check it out and give it a hit and a comment if you'd like. You'll love it! I've already listened to it several times!!

Here's the YouTube video for you to enjoy:

January 28, 2003: The Day The World Met A Superstar!

Tomorrow, January 28, marks the 5th anniversary of the TV airing of Clay's Atlanta TV audition. 3 albums, 1 New York Times bestselling book, 9 tours and 1 Broadway play later, we're still here, "always and forever".

Tidbits 1/13

• Toledo Blade on Clay's post-AI success -

  The wildly successful Clay Aiken, who ultimately finished in second place behind Ruben Studdard in Season 2, was cut early, and then brought back for the wild card round. Since his time on Idol, he has released four albums, has gone on twice as many tours, and has seen remarkable commercial success
  

• Looks like that interesting Newsweek interview is getting a lot of attention from the media:
• Anorak - "CLAY Aiken, singer, is in conversation with Newsweek magazine. Dim the lights, soften the focus and coat with syrup:"
• Akron Beacon Journal -

  Irked Aiken. Newsweek.com interviewed singer Clay Aiken about his upcoming role in Spamalot and other topics. The mag learned that Aiken hasn't watched American Idol since Season Four, that until three months ago ''I thought Monty Python was a person'' and that he's a bit careless when selecting socks in the morning.
  
  But some topics were off limits.
  
  Asked about his dispute with a woman on an airplane flight, he said, ''I'm not going to talk about it.''
  
  Asked about his set-to with Kelly Ripa, he said, ''I'm not going to discuss it.''
  
  Asked then what he wanted to talk about, he said, ''I think we're done.''
  
  It wasn't done, but it didn't get any more pleasant. Asked what he did for fun, Aiken said, ''I watch the news. I read news magazines, but I'm reconsidering that now.''
  

• 2Snaps.tv -

  During an interview with NEWSWEEK to promote his run in Broadway's Spamalot, Clay Aiken refused to answer questions about some his recent headline grabbing antics.
  
  When asked about the incident a few months back where he fought with woman on a plane, Aiken responded "I'm not going to talk about it," and the proceeded to tell the interviewer that he thought he was talking to NEWSWEEK and not the National Enquirer, further stating that he would "hate to have a job where I had to be rude to people."

• Monsters & Critics -

  Clay Aiken was interviewed by Newsweek about making his Broadway debut in Spamalot, and things went bad very fast.
  
  The interview started normal, but when the interviewer started asking about his public imbroglios, Clay channeled his old mentor, Simon Cowell.

• HollyScoop -

  Clay Aiken has changed a lot since the cute little dork with a makeover who won over our hearts during Idol. But now, he's got a lot to say if you cross him, and it ain't too nice.
  
  Clay did an interview with Newsweek, and the reporter started out by asking Clay how rehearsals were going for Spamalot. But when she started in on his personal life, Clay went all diva on her.
  

• The Huffington Post -

  Newsweek has a "web exclusive" interview with "American Idol" runner idol runner up Clay Aiken to promote his appearance in the Broadway production of "Spamalot". But some of the questions proved stunningly awkward. An excerpt:

• Lo Hudson Journal News - Ruben Studdard article -

  Representing the 205 with class, the soft-spoken Stud upset the Manilow-esque Clay Aiken in the final. Unlike the previous year, when Clarkson was pretty much expected to defeat Justin Guarini, the show had its first controversy involving the voting for the final two contestants.
  
  After Studdard barely made a blip on the music radar with “Sorry 2004,” the years that followed—from a professional standpoint—could be described as “Sorrier 2005” and “Sorriest 2006.” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Sorry.) Perhaps it was backlash from the Claymates, poor marketing or mismatched songwriting, but whatever the reason, it seemed that Studdard’s newsmaking was limited to stories involving lawsuits and lost weight.

• Charlotte Observer - American Idol looking to turn things around after poor season 6 showing -

  Last season's crop of finalists -- typified by the weak-throated but well-Mohawked Sanjaya Malakar -- were widely considered to be deficient in appeal, compared with the breakout personalities of other years like Taylor Hicks, Kellie Pickler, Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken.

• E! Online - Katharine McPhee dumped by Sony BMG -

  It's only partly surprising, since Idol number twos often do better than winners. (Hello, Clay Aiken; goodbye, Ruben Studdard.) In a way, of course, McPhee did do better than winner Taylor Hicks—he was dumped by BMG before she was.

• Cleveland Plain Dealer - American Idol's most infamous controversies -

  Season two: There are claims that millions of votes were dropped because the phone system was overloaded for the final between winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken. Studdard's margin of victory is 130,000 votes.

• Carolina On My Mind - Clay helps raise money for Inclusion, begins "Spamalot" rehearsals in New York -

  After last weekend's Golfing for Inclusion fundraiser in Palm Beach, FL, Clay Aiken headed back to New York City to rehearse for his Jan. 18 debut as Sir Robin in the Broadway show "Spamalot."
  

• ClaySpots comments on the Newsweek interview and how respected newsmagazines are becoming a breeding ground for tabloid fodder -

  Clay Aiken gave an on-line interview to Ramin Setoodeh from Newsweek on Friday, January 11th. Here was an opportunity for a respected news magazine to do a good interview with one of the most fascinating and controversial celebrities around. Why fascinating? Because he's not a one dimensional, a one-size-fits-all, so to speak, celebrity. Why controversial? Because everything he does gets noticed and commented on. Fall asleep on a plane and get in a bro-ha-ha with an attacking passenger? Covered in over 500 newspapers, news sites, tabloid rags, and TV shows, including CNN Headline News.
  
  [...]
  
  I'll shut up now. I just wish that respected news magazines would write with a little more respect for their readers. We're not stupid and we'd like the style and method of writing to reflect the intelligence of the readers. I just wish that reporters would do their job with integrity and to the best of their ability instead of pandering to the lowest common denominator

• All That Is Clay Aiken addresses another major problem in the blogosphere...

  I said that when I set up my blog about Clay Aiken, that I would only post good news about Clay. This is not one of those posts. There has been such wonderful things happening with Clay as of late that I hate to post the words I have thrown together, BUT this has been really bothering me.
  
  I have been trying to understand the thought processes of many bloggers.
  I know; pot meet kettle. I understand my own thoughts, but others is another question.
  
  My blog is a Clay Aiken blog as you can see. Daily, I Google or do a search on Lycos for anything Clay Aiken. I have noticed that there are many blogs out there with the name Clay Aiken in them. I will read the blog and it has NOTHING to do with Clay. These are just for hits. It makes their blog look like it is not worth reading if they don’t throw Clay’s name in there. Yes, I like to read his name, but I would like there to be something that will tie his name to the subject matter.
  
  Another thing I have noticed - No matter what the subject of Clay is in the blog - many CANNOT resist throwing in an innuendo or two. It can be an article of Clay being on a UNICEF trip in Mexico, his Spamalot Broadway appearance in January, or his singing on the Capitol One Holiday on Ice special. The first annual "Golfing for Inclusion" tournament was held at the Mirasol Country Club in Palm Beach, FL on January 7th 2008. It was a hit. Of course there had to be a blog or two throwing the innuendos left and right. There was no evidence that the writers of these blogs were even there!

• Chexxxy's Pearls - setting the record straight about Clay Aiken ... "Clay Aiken for Dummies" -

  Impersonating Clay Aiken online has been going on for almost 5 years. Some people first met him in chatrooms, in anonymous postings and instant messaging with faceless strangers who spoof and role play Clay Aiken online. There was and still is fan fiction and slash written about him and he has been paired with everything from Simon Cowell to Mrs Beasley and everything in between. I think the only one he hasn't had a fictional relationship with is Lassie, although I might have missed that one.

Tidbits 1/9

• Newsweek on TV based competition shows - "When Ruben Studdard trounced Clay Aiken in the season two finale, the FCC was flooded with complaints from viewers alleging the show was rigged."
• IGN -
  

  Creating an album is a compilation of all the games. If you're good dope at all of the games you'll have an album out on the streets that will earn revenue for weeks while you continue to do gigs. I'm not sure what qualifies as a hit record though. I did almost perfect on all four of the games and on one review it said my album was a hit and on another it said to only buy it if you're a fan. How disappointing. Now I know how musical geniuses like Britney Spears and Clay Aiken feel when someone writes a bad review about their music. You can also go on tours where the games are random and earn you a lot of bank.

• Middleton Journal - American Idol returns!

  Season 2: 2003
  
  We learn an Alabama area code
  
  "Velvet Teddy Bear" Ruben Studdard pushed aside runner-up Clay Aiken in the biggest cliffhanger season yet. Each week the votes were close. This was the year the voting system was questioned because of overloaded phone lines. Methods were scrutinized and some wondered if that caused Aiken's loss as champion. Still, Studdard's win saw him moving on to produce an album called "Soulful," which had pre-order sales so high it debuted as No. 2 on Billbard's Hot 100 list.
  
  Studdard often wore a jersey with the numbers 205, representing a main area code of Central Alabama. He wasn't the only memorable performer that season: we also met Kimberly Locke, Joshua Gracin and Trenyce. And who could forget Corey Clark, who was disqualified and went on to say Paula Abdul wanted him?

• Clay - The Man should cure you of "Seasonal Affective Disorder" with their top notch posts
  
• Chexxxy's Pearls - Clay holds Golfing For Inclusion for TBAF in Florida -

  The first annual "Golfing for Inclusion" tournament and dinner was held at the Mirasol Country Club in Palm Beach,FL on January 7th 2008. There was plenty of food, drink,and golf lessons for beginners during the day and of course plenty of golfers teeing off and enjoying the perfect weather in good company.
  

• Idol Thoughts - best American Idol auditions -

  3. Clay Aiken
  Paula was "away" during Clay's Idol debut, and what she missed is the stuff of legends -- a ridiculously strong voice coming from a dweeby white kid. It threw the judges for a loop --Randy didn't know what to make of it, and even Simon had to acknowledge the power of this kid's voice. Amazing.

• The ConCLAYve responds to Clay being labeled as having the worst hair style of 2007 -

  Now, let's do Clay. Yeah, yeah, get in line. Get your brushes out of the gutter, I meant let's review Clay's hair. Sure, he's had a couple of not so good hair days most noted by the “Look ma, I tried to tame that cowlick by simply forcing it in the other direction” hair.
  
  And then there was the winning entry in the “cut your cousin's hair using a bowl” contest. Yes, I know this was for a gag but it sort of looked like that when he sat on a horse visiting Jimmy Kimmel.
  
  But most of the year was pretty good.
  

Tidbits 12/20

USA Today is running a poll on its Life section homepage about who your FAVORITE American Idol is. Clay and Carrie are in a virtual dead heat... so get voting, Claymates!

• Austin American-Statesman names "Invisible" #3 American Idol song -

  3.) “Invisible,” Clay Aiken. Yes, yes … Clay is scary. But the song is pure gold. There’s just no disputing that.
  

• Sturgis Journal - Clay Aiken to star in "Spamalot" - "Clay Aiken (Season 2) made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical Monte Python’s “Spamalot” before embarking on a sold-out holiday tour."
  
• Sports Features - Clay mention in write up about Holiday Celebrations on Ice:

  Christmas Day, December 25 at 3 p.m. in all time zones NBC Sports presents the Capital One Holiday Celebration on Ice from The Orleans in Las Vegas, Nev. with music provided by Clay Aiken.

• Atlanta Journal Constitution on a new American Idol game on toy store shelves -

  The "American Idol Talent Challenge"(at left) ($49.99, Tech 2 Go)
  
  Singers can duet with popular "Idols" including Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry and Clay Aiken or go it alone busting out songs like "Can't Help Falling in Love" or "Satisfaction." For kids 8 and older.

• AJC/Access Atlanta ... small AI sales report... "Clay is at 521K"
  
• Nashville City Paper - Chris Daughtry article ...

  If your measure of success is strictly numerical, then Daughtry’s done better than any other male contestant except Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, and finished just behind Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
  

• Hollywood Reporter story about Diane Warren, who worked with Clay on MOAM -

  Warren, a self-professed workaholic, had a busy year, also penning tunes and working with such acts as [...] Taylor Hicks, Meat Loaf, Clay Aiken, Aerosmith, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie J and Ashley Tisdale, among others.
  

• Toledo Blade - article about former AI2 competitor -

  Everyone knows the heroes of American Idol's second season: Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. But don't forget about Toledo's contribution to the pop culture phenomenon. Start High School graduate Candie Coleman - a feisty brunette with a big voice who was known to viewers as Candice - was one of 32 semifinalists that year.
  

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Midwest Business -

  For those of you who can’t wait for the return of “American Idol” in 2008, your Christmas blessing has arrived in the form of Clay Aiken. The cheeky pseudo-star and recent appointee to the Bush administration’s U.S. Department of Health & Human Services arrives on Saturday night in Merrillville, Ind. to perform at the Star Plaza Theater.

• Southtown Star
• Oregon Live needs to clean its ears because Clay's "O Holy Night" does most certainly not belong on the "Worst Christmas Music" list ... "Clay Aiken: A voice unraveling."
  

• The ConCLAYve - Clay to spend Christmas with UNICEF in Mexico -

  This Christmas season, UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken will not be on a skiing holiday in the French alps. He won't be relaxing around the fire at his North Carolina estate. Realizing that UNICEF never takes a vacation, he has decided to spend his Christmas with the children and families displaced by the floods. He will be traveling to Mexico this weekend, at the conclusion of his fourth Christmas concert tour.
  

Unseen AI2 Hollywood Performace Airs on AI Rewind

Unseen footage of Clay's American Idol 2 Hollywood round performances aired today on American Idol Rewind. Download links:

• ClackUnlimited - Clay performs "Superstar" - AI2 Hollywood round
• ClackUnlimited - Clay performs "Unchained Melody" - AI2 Hollywood round

Join the American Idol Rewind discussion at The Clayboard.

Raleigh's Fox 50 Opens Up The Clay Files, Including Back Stage "5th Grader" Interview

Raleigh's Fox 50 has a great article, a backstage interview about Clay's appearance on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, and some other past and present videos of Clay. Yes, they have opened up "The Clay Files" to celebrate his appearance on 5th Grader!!

Fox 50's article has this to say about "The Clay Files":

And that' s why in celebration of his appearance on ARE YOU SMARTER ON A 5th GRADER---Thursday night at 8 on FOX 50---we are opening up THE CLAY FILES....Check out a couple of memorable video moments from Clay's visit home during American Idol: taking a shot at being a weatherman during a visit to our morning news, and his performance of the national anthem at the Bulls game.

Also:

Check out a couple of sneak peeks of Clay on the show and the EXCLUSIVE backstage interview with Clay!

The interview is awesome, with Clay giving us some tidbits of information about his appearance. There are two other videos which are on the 5th Grader website, so most of you have probably already seen them. Still, check them out again. And, of course, you will see them when you watch the whole show tonight, November 1, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. Central Standard Time) on Fox.

Clay and AI2 Rewind -- Looking at Pictures From Four Years Ago - 3rd In Series

The next AI2 Rewind show will go to Austin to audition people to be on American Idol. Surely the great state of Texas has a lot of talent just waiting to be discovered! In fact, this is where Kimberly Caldwell will get her gold ticket to Hollywood. I am thankful that Kim made the finals, because if not, I may never have watched American Idol and been introduced to Clay. Only because I found out a local girl was in the final did I even want to watch the show! Thank you Kim!!

It'll be another great show, another great walk down Memory Lane, and another fantastic narrative by Clay. Here, to remind you of Clay's time on AI2, are a few more pictures for you to enjoy:

Clay and AI2 Rewind -- Looking at Pictures From Four Years Ago - 3rd In Series

This week on AI2 Rewind we will FINALLY get to see Clay's tryout. Now, to someone like me who did not get to see it during the original AI2, this is big! Of course, I've seen it played time and time again, but seeing it within the whole Atlanta tryout show will make it seem more real to me. I'm excited, as I know most of you are.

We've been looking at "behind the scenes" pictures of Clay during American Idol 2. We don't get to see these very often. We usually see the photos of him singing on stage. So instead I thought it would be fun to go behind the scenes with Clay during these first few AI2 Rewind shows. Here are the next few pictures for your enjoyment:


Simon and Randy said he had a great voice...but he didn't look like a pop star. He proved them wrong on that second point!!


Clay is excited because...he's going to Hollywood!!


Now what was that you were saying, Simon, about him not looking like a pop star?

Clay and AI2 Rewind -- Looking at Pictures From Four Years Ago - 2nd In Series

On Saturday, October 6, the second show from American Idol 2 Rewind will be shown. This show will be the Miami/Detroit auditions. And, of course, Clay will be narrating the show once again.

The thing about not watching American Idol until halfway into the second season was this...I really hadn't a clue what all went into choosing these singers who performed before the judges or why they were even singing before the judges. I didn't know that thousands of people where auditioned in cities all around the United States. When I first watched it, I couldn't for the life of me figure out why these kids would want to stand in front of these three judges, whoever they were, and be cut down and told how horrible they were. And, of all things, why was Olivia Newton John, who was a big time singer when I was a teenager, why was she on this crazy show that I couldn't figure out? I missed all of this, so watching these auditions from the second season has been a lot of fun for me. Seeing the different singers who were in the top 12 audition for the first time has been an eye opener. And having Clay narrate it and give his thoughts has made it even better!

In this series, CDD is including "behind the scenes" pictures of Clay from Season 2. We've all seen the ones of him singing, but not everyone has seen some of these other pictures. Hope you enjoy.


Clay and Quiana - a friendship that has grown closer through the years.


Clay is happy with his American Idol experience!


We like your ears just fine, Clay.


Clay was wearing those t-shirts even way back then!