Nice Article In Raleigh Telegram About Clay on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader"

If you're like me, I couldn't wait to watch Clay on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" once again. Even though its been less than a year since he was on, it was almost like watching it for the first time for me. But maybe some people watching it didn't realize that this was a repeat and that Clay was just now winning the $300,000 for The Bubel Aiken Foundation. I can understand that happeneing. And that's how it appears to be in today's article in The Raleigh Telegram. Its a really great article about Clay winning $300,000 on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader". And oh well, I'll take great articles even if they are almost a year late!!

Here is an exerpt from that article. You can click right here, The Raleigh Telegram, to go to their site and read all of this wonderful article.

Raleigh's Clay Aiken Wins Big On Game Show

By Elliott West, Raleigh Telegram 30.AUG.08
RALEIGH - Well known singer Clay Aiken of Raleigh appeared on a national game show, winning $300,000 for his charity, the Bubel-Aiken Foundation on Friday night.

The special celebrity edition of the "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" game show, hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, aired on the Fox network on Friday night, August 29th.....

.....Aiken did very well on the show and progressed easily through the topics, as he won more money for his charity to help children as he went further.

As an example of some of the questions he answered correctly, Aiken knew that Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol", that Rome is the capital of Italy, the Oriole is the state bird of Maryland, and correctly did a math question involving pies being divided into pieces.

The crowd seemed to be fully behind Aiken, as he joked with Foxworthy along the way.....

.....Foxworthy praised Aiken for his charity work at the end of the show.

"You are a quality human being and a man of character," said Foxworthy.

"I may not be smarter than a fifth grader, but I know when to take the money and run," joked Aiken.

Because of this great win by Clay, The Bubel Aiken Foundation was able to fund 30 additional camps this summer for children with and without disabilities to attend together. And that's worth a repeat performance any day!!

Tidbits 1/18

• HULIQ - "5th Grader" special celebrity episodes continue in 2007 -

  A special celebrity edition of Fox�s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is set to hit TV screens on January 17 8:00-9:00PM ET/PT. Celebrity contestants this season have included Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler (both of American Idol fame), Regis Philbin (Live with Regis and Kelly), TV personality Billy Bush, skateboarder Tony Hawk, and this week, Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson.

• About.com - article about Kimberley Locke -

  When season 2 of American Idol came to a close in 2003 most fan and media attention was focused on the top finishers Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. Despite having her first single squeeze into the pop top 50, it seemed like the contestant who finished in 3rd place, Kimberley Locke, might be destined for obscurity in the music industry.

• StarPulse quotes Clay from his Newsweek interview -

  "We have a presidential election going on, and for whatever reason this is what people are interested in? I think that is probably the saddest thing. Leave her alone, just leave her alone." American Idol star Clay Aiken blasts the media for ignoring politics and going after troubled Britney Spears.

• Page Six - crazy Idol auditions in Dallas - "Kyle Ensley is the early contestant to be this season's Clay Aiken: Randy tells this nerdy little guy that his version of Queen's "Somebody to Love," felt "glee club." Who doesn't need a little more glee in their life?"
• Houston Chronicle - another Idol article ...

  Kyle Ensley wants to become governor of Oklahoma. The producers put a campaign spin on his package. A tie, geeky glasses and shaggy hair do not a pop star make, but his voice isn't terrible. A bit vanilla, but Simon gives nerdboy a yes.
  
  Randy thinks it was "very academic." I'm not sure what that means. A few digs at Clay Aiken, and Paula say yes! America, the beautiful.

• Baltimore Sun - AI ...

  Clay Aiken
  The jug-eared North Carolina native charmed viewers with his "geek-to-chic" metamorphosis but still came in as runner-up on Season 2. He has since eclipsed Studdard in popularity - particularly with his "Claymate" fan base. His first two albums sold more than 4 million copies combined. His third release, 2006's A Thousand Different Ways, went gold. This year, the 29-year-old will move to Broadway in Monty Python's Spamalot.
  
  Fever chart position: 7

The Tastes of 2007 – A Clay Feast Fit For a King!

Once again we are saying goodbye to another year. 2007 was a mighty fine year for Clay and his fans. Start with a pound of Gala bidding, add two Kimmel shows, toss in a Vancouver performance, and blend with two tours. Then simmer with a pinch of a Neil Sedaka tribute and bring to a boil with a large dose of UNICEF travel. Finally marinate with $300,000 won on 5th grader and cool with an excellent ice skating celebration and you have a recipe for success.

And, yes, successful 2007 was. Does that year have you hungry for more? Does your temperature rise when you think of the possibilities in 2008? Well, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s look back at “The Tastes of 2007 – An End of Year Celebration Dinner” with monumental Clay proportions!

MENU


APPETIZERS:

Kimmel Hearts – Heart-Shaped Candy good enough to have its own song. Eat these sweet tidbits and you will definitely have a song in your heart!

Mike & Juliet Layered Dip – Layer a little talking with the hosts, a hot red Claymobile, a Clay trivia game, and some karaoke and dancing with Juliet. Serve with an audience of excitable fans.


Toasted Tribute Tray – This appetizer has 50 years of great items. Cheesy Fondue Dip MC’ing by David Foster, Classy Oysters Rockefeller, complete with songs by Neil Sedaka, and last but not least, a solitaire party cheese ball made more tasty by that Solitaire singing man, Clay.


ENTREES:

Christmas In The Heartland Holiday Dinner – This appeals to those who like a variety in their meal. Enjoy and zing and a little pizzazz with such meaty tunes as Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day with its long lasting flavorful glory note, sit back and take in the haunting lyrics and smooth aroma of Mary Did You Know, and experience a mixture of the gently stirred and yet powerfully succulent All Is Well. Something to satisfy everyone’s liking.

Soft Rock and A Hard Place Smorgasbord – A buffet style table holds a variety of hot and cold dishes to tickle your taste buds. A thousand different dishes that will fill your stomach and your heart with love and have you coming back for seconds. Maybe "Rock" Cornish hen or "Soft" Shelled Crabs. A sprinkling of snarky humor makes some of these entrees not only delicious but also delightfully fun to eat! Consider trying Sloppie Joes or Really Cheesy Macaroni.

UNICEF Entrees With a Foreign Flair – Clay traveled high and low to help the children. While in Afghanistan, he taught Afghan children and gave a vaccine to a baby. Possibly he tasted this savory tidbits from our menu:

• Samboosak (Afghan meat pies) or Mourgh (Afghan Chicken).

While in Mexico, Clay visited the sites of the earlier flooding, including the area of Tabasco and visited schools that had been damaged by the flooding. He shared a smile and a warm embrace with many children there. Some of the foods from our menu that Clay might have eaten are:

• Chiles en Nogada (Stuffed Poblano Chilies), Huachinango Entomatado (Snapper in Tomato Sauce), or Flautas Jaliscienses (Jalisco-Style Flautas).

Possibly Clay ate one or more of these meals while spreading the message of love while in Afghanistan and Mexico.


Desserts:

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? – We've got desserts that not only satisfy your taste buds but also give your brains something to feast on.

• What country is German Chocolate Cake from? How about Brazil Nut Cookies?
• Maybe you would like to try a piece of apple pi…and while you are enjoying those juicy apples in the pie, can you tell us what the mathematical constant, “pi” represents?
• Can you tell me what the adjective is in these delectable desserts: Spicy Carrot Cake, Tart Lemon Cake Roll, Jumbo Molasses Cookies?

If you can answer these questions, maybe you can earn $300,000 like Clay earned for The Bubel Aiken Foundation. If not, you can still enjoy your dessert while knowing you are NOT smarter than a 5th grader.

Holiday Celebrations On Ice – Our desserts in this category are cold and frozen. They send chills down your spine, just like Clay singing All Is Well. Try our icy cold desserts like Cranberry Ice, Frozen Custard, or Hot Fudge Ice Cream Sundaes, which mixes the hotness of our gorgeous singer with the cold chills that run down your back as you listen to that luscious voice.

BAF Gala Goodies Galore –

• How about some tea cookies in the shape of Clay’s auctioned ring…put them in your mouth as he put the ring in his!!
• Maybe some Gingerbread Cookies dressed in an icing shirt like the one Clay cuddled up with to bring in more donations!
• Or maybe have a piece of Southern Peanut Butter Pie, full of southern charm that Clay overflowed with as he flirted with the bidders.
• And finally some Mixed Nut Cookies, for that nutty snarky guy whose humor never seems to end!

Now these are some desserts that you can really sink your teeth into!

And if you can’t find anything you like on the 2007 menu, eat a little bit of spam to tide you over until 2008. Believe me, you will be able to eat spam a lot next year as well.

Are you full yet? You’re not? Well, just sit back and wait until the next menu is available in 2008. It will be a brand new menu of savory, flavorful morsels even better than in 2007! And you’ll never find yourself full enough with the treats that Clay has to offer us!!

Anyone want seconds?

"Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" Bubel Aiken Foundation Pledges - Have You Sent Yours In Yet?

As most of you are aware, back when we first found out that Clay was going to be on "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader", Aron Hall of The Bubel Aiken Foundation issued a challenge for everyone to pledge any amount for each question that Clay correctly answered on the show. You can read about this in an August 6 Clay's Daily Double article.

When the dust cleared, the pledge amount totalled $89,880.55. As of today, according to the Bubel Aiken Foundation website, the actual donations that have been made toward these pledges is $59,683.88. This is a difference of about $30,000.

Clay answered 9 questions correctly and received $300,000 for the Foundation's summer program. This will pay for 30 summer camps! If we can reach the almost $90,000 total of all pledges made, that will add another 9 camps to the total of 100 camps BAF is hoping to have.

Have you made your pledge donation yet? If not, BAF tells us at their website that you can do so in one of the following ways:

You can make your donations online at www.bubelaiken.org or send in a check or money order to:

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation
ATTN: Smarter Pledge
8601 Six Forks Road
Suite 400
Raleigh, NC 27615

REMEMBER: Include your Beta Alpha Chapter with your donation in order for your chapter to get the proper credit. Chapters will only receive credit when the donation is received.

Please note that donations of under $25 will need to be made by check or money order. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Let's do everything we can to help BAF reach that golden number of 100 camps!!

Get "5th Grader" on iTunes

Help send TV executives a statement!

Download Clay's episode of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader on Apple iTunes for $1.99.

FOX released the episode to iTunes over the weekend. Clay's episode is listed as episode 11 on the "5th Grader" section on iTunes.

The CH's kellykellyk gives us a little more insight on why supporting this episode on iTunes is important:

I know that everyone probably has downloaded it for the vault by now, but I would recommend that those who can afford to do so buy Clay's episode from iTunes. Ratings are supreme when it comes to TV, but online episodes/series downloads and DVD sales also send a message to studio execs about the popularity of a show or the draw of a particular star. If Clay's episode of AYSTAFG gets significantly more downloads than the average episode, that sends a positive message to TV execs and makes Clay a more attractive guest to have on a show. If his show gets fewer downloads than usual (mostly because fans already downloaded it for free from the different vaults), then that still sends a message, but it won't be a positive one.

For those interested in downloading the show from iTunes, it's under TV Shows - Fox - AYSTAFG. Clay's show is episode 11. Be careful, because since Clay and Regis were part of a 2-hour special edition, both episode 11 and episode 12 mention Clay and Regis as special guests, but Clay is episode 11 and Regis is 12. The file is 523 MB, so those on dial-up can't really download it, but I would suggest that anyone who can buy it do so.

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader - Clay's Questions and Answers

Well, with all the excitement of Clay's performance at The Holiday Celebration on Ice, Clay's appearance on Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader seems like an eternity ago. However, I couldn't help but think of him as I watched Tony Hawk on the show tonight. Tony earned $175,000 for his charity, The Tony Hawk Foundation. Not bad at all. And Clay was shown in a picture alongside Kellie Pickler, who will be on next week's show. It said something along the lines of "which idol will be better." I can't remember the exact words. Of course, we all know who will be better!! Clay couldn't have been smarter, funnier, and more entertaining. He did us all proud, and I'm still watching that show over and over again!

For those of you who do not have Clay's questions and answers from his show written down, here they are for you. I'm so proud that out of all these questions, Clay only used one cheat, and he didn't really need that one after all...he had already given the correct answer and just wanted to be sure. Way to go Clay!!

1. 1st Grade Animal Science Which of the following animals is NOT native to the African Savanna: a. Giraffe b. Lion c. Brown Bear Answer c. Brown

2. 2nd Grade English True or False? The word true is an antonym of the word false. Answer True

3. 1st Grade Spelling How many times does the letter "r" appear in the word: "error"? (Verbally given - not shown) Answer 3

4. 2nd Grade Social Studies The oriole is the official bird of which U.S. state? Answer Maryland

5. 3rd Grade Nature Fuji and Gala are both varieties of what fruit?
Answer apples

6. 4th Grade World Geography What city is the capital of Italy? a. Rome b. Milan c. Naples Answer a. Rome

7. 4th Grade World History Puerto Rico was a colony of what country
immediately before the U.S. gained possession of it in 1898? Answer Spain

8. 3rd Grade Math If Nathan has eight pies and he cuts each pie into eighths, how many pieces of pie does he have? Answer 8 x 8 = 64

9. 5th Grade Grade Literature What 19th Century British author wrote the novel "A Christmas Carol"? Answer Charles Dickens

10. 5th Grade U.S. History Published in the 1780's, the Federalist papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and what man who would later become a U.S. president? Answer James Madison

Tidbits 11/5

• The Clayboard - Nky4Clay tells us:

  I just talked to HippoGA who is at The Orleans in Las Vegas. She says be sure and pick up a copy of the Las Vegas Magazine...dated November 4th. There was one in her hotel room...so look around for it...if you are in Vegas.
  
  On page 34 ...there is a very nice write up about the show and a pic of Clay. And here is the quote:
  
  "AIKEN HAS A UNIQUE CREDIBILITY THAT MAKES THIS HOLIDAY PERFORMANCE RING ESPECIALLY TRUE".

• Web Metrics Guru - Marshall Sponder wrote "What Drives Google HotTrends - The Missing Piece". He enjoys looking at Google and seeing what searches are hot. He says that, "...last Thursday, November 1st, it so happened that the term "federalist papers" was #3 on Google HotTrends and it peaked at about 8:30 PM EST time..." He wondered why that would be #3...what drove it up that high? Then he finally found his answer:

  The reason = Clay Aiken Was Great on “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” - turns out the question was asked to Clay Aiken while he was on the "Art you Smarter Than a 5th Grader" show and his fans and TV/Internet audience did a query on Google to find out about federalist papers since he had a lot of money riding on the answer - which I think he got correct (but I didn't watch the show).

  How funny that so many people would go check out "The Federalist Papers" after hearing a question asked to Clay!!

• Taking A Moment's Jemock digs up a cute "skit" she wrote about the Joyful Noise Tour 2004 -

  Ghost of Christmas Past (translation: This is a Re-Run)
  
  Hey, lookie what I found!
  
  I was digging around in the Underground Lair, looking for something in one of my old posts over at The Clack House, and came across this skit I wrote for the VERY FIRST JNT. It starred Clay and Nick.
  
  [Disclaimer: The following is a fictional account of an imaginary conversation that never took place. Except in my head.]
  
  Oh, one more thing. In order for this to make ANY sense at all, which of course it will, you need to know that my RL name is "Joy". As in "JOYful NOISE." Get it? JOYful. Heh. Ok, here we go--a little BLAST FROM THE PAST!!!!1!

"5th Grader" - From The Daily Top 5 To The Weekly Top 5 At AOL....Oh...And A Wink!

On Friday of last week, we told you in our CDD Tidbits section that Clay's appearance on Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader was included in America Online's TV Top 5. Not only that, but when the AOL readers were polled, they overwhelmingly chose Clay as their favorite with over 80% of the vote!!

Every week, AOL takes the winner of each day's TV Top 5 and includes them in the Weekend Top 5. As expected, Clay made it to AOL's Weekend Top 5! Now, the Weekend Top 5 is the best of the best for the week. And once again, Clay is beating the competition with over 80% of the vote!! From the comments I've read and even heard personally, not only were Clay fans thrilled with Clay's performance on the show, but non-fans were as well! Way to go Clay. Once again you've proven yourself to be a class act all the way!!!

Oh, and if anyone besides me loved it when Clay winked and pointed at Nathan at the end of the show, this one's for you:

Tidbits 11/3

• Clay mention on Jimmy Kimmel last night - a video cap is available at SendSpace. Reports from the CB:

  I don't know if this is a new show or a rerun. The guest is on Hero's and they were talking about his fans and Jimmy mentioned Clay and Claymates.
  
  Somone from the audience yelled out and the actor who plays Silo, asked it she was part of his fan group--didn't catch their name-- and Jimmy said that's like the Claymates and Clay Aiken.
  

• Washington Post - Carrie Underwood shows impressive first week sales -

  Underwood's total also represents the second-largest week by any "American Idol" contestant, surpassed only by 613,000 sales that greeted the first album by 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken.

• BeyondChron - Clay headed to Broadway - "Clay Aiken (American Idol) is headed for Broadway in “Spamalot”. And it had to happen sooner or later…"
• Christmas tour mentions:
• Erie Times News -

  "Christmas in the Heartland": Tickets go on sale today for "American Idol" favorite Clay Aiken's holiday show -- accompanied by the Erie Philharmonic -- on Dec. 16 at Tullio Arena. Ticket prices range from $36.25 to $56.75. 10 a.m., Tullio Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 452-4857 or 456-7070, and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

• Clay - The Man has some new Clay blends, graphics up ... check out this wonderful blog regularly!
  
• Something That Really Happened - Clay wins big on "5th Grader"
• Carolina On My Mind - Clay wins a ton of money for TBAF, new fans on "5th Grader"

  "You're a quality human being and a man of character," host Jeff Foxworthy said to Clay Aiken at the close of Thursday's appearance on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"
  
  The opening act for AYSTAFG Celebrity Editions during November Sweeps Week, Clay proved he is intelligent, witty, personable, and passionately committed to the inclusion goals and programs of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which he co-founded in 2003.
  
  The $300,000 prize money will fund almost a third of TBAF's campaign for 100 "Let's All Play" camps for children with and without disabilities in 2008.

• Chexxxy's Pearls - support UNICEF using Windows Live Messenger's i'm program
  

Lots of Post "5th Grader" News - Check It All Out Here

There is so much out there about Clay appearing on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader that rather than try to have a news article on each one or put it under Tidbits, I thought it best and more organized for your reading purposes to have it in one spot. Clay was a hit last night, as you will see from reading the following items:

• MSN TV - MSN TV has the whole episode of Clay on the show on its home page. Don't know how long it will be there, so check it out quick. Still, that's great publicity for Clay and hopefully a lot of people who didn't watch it Thursday night will watch it at MSN!
• Variety.com - Though Fox was in 4th place, 5th Grader still helped pull it up from last years sweeps. And 8.5 million viewers seeing Clay is nothing to sneeze at:

  Fox was deep in fourth place on the night with a pair of celebrity editions of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" that averaged a 2.5/6 in 18-49, 8.5 million viewers overall. Despite lagging the competition, Fox was the only network to improve upon its performance of a year ago, rising 40% above opening night of the November 2006 sweep (1.5 rating in 18-49) when it finished fifth, behind the CW.

• Clack Unlimited - 5th Grader videos are available at Clack Unlimited, including a two part video of the whole show! This show is definitely one that needs to be saved!
• Amazon.com - According to reports, A Thousand Different Ways rose from the 4000's to a rank of 1646 after Clay's appearance. Merry Christmas With Love also rose from the 5000's and is now at 4402. Possibly this is due to Clay's appearance on the show. Makes sense to me!
• The Clayboard - Thanks to Gerwhisp from The Clayboard, you can find some outstanding pictures of Clay starting on page 4 of the AYSTAFG thread. Here are my favorites, but be sure and check the rest of them out:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Bubel Aiken Foundation - Those of you who made pledges to send money for every question that Clay answered correctly but have not sent it in yet, now is the time to do that! Clay answered 9 questions correctly, so multiply your pledge amount by $9. So far BAF has received $48,573.88 out of $87,274.30 that was originally pledged. You can make your donations online at The Bubel Aiken Foundation Donation Page or send in a check or money order to:
  
  The Bubel/Aiken Foundation
  ATTN: Smarter Pledge
  8601 Six Forks Road
  Suite 400
  Raleigh, NC 27615
  
  Remember to include the name of your Beta Alpha Chapter so that they will receive credit for your donation. If everyone sends in their pledged donations, that is almost an additional nine camps for this summer!

Tidbits 11/2

• AOL TV - Top 5 TV moments includes Clay's huge win on "5th Grader". There is a poll at this website that will let you pick the top TV moment from yesterday. Clay is currently leading the poll with a huge landslide.
  

  Clay Wins Big
  'Smarter Than a 5th Grader'
  (FOX Thu., 8PM)
  
  He did it for the kids. Clay Aiken wins 300,000 dollars from 'Smarter' for his children's charity.

• TV Squad also had a "5th Grader" mention yesterday - "FOX has a new, two-hour Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader at 8, with Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken."
• Rickey.org - Clay Aiken may not be smarter than a 5th grader, but he "did win a lot of money for his charity. Plus, Clay is so entertaining!" -

  Clay Aiken — Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
  
  Sadly, no. But Clay Aiken did win a lot of money for his charity. Plus, Clay is so entertaining! What a comedian.
  
  If you think about it, whatever Clay Aiken won was his appearance fee. Now that was impressive for an hour’s work.
  
  Clay Aiken on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Celebrity Edition.
  

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Northwest Herald
• The Maine Campus ... random mention in article about SAW 4:

  For years, horror fans lacked a decent series to sink their teeth into that hadn't already been around for at least a quarter of a century. "Friday the 13th", "Halloween," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" were the horror franchises of our parents. Yes, some half-wit will decide to chime in and bust out the "Scream" card, but those people are too busy following Clay Aiken on tour to have time to argue anyway. Then along came "Saw" to slap us all in the noggin, and horror fans rejoiced.

• Southern Girl - 5th Grader ...

  Personally, I don't think your average fifth grader would have been *that* prudent and cautious, so good for Clay! ;)
  
  And because it's not completely clear from the clip... Clay got to the next to last question, thought he knew the right answer, but wasn't sure enough to risk the $300,000 dollars he'd already won, money that would help The Bubel/Aiken Foundation start 30 summer camps, so he decided to stop right there. As it turns out, he would have chosen the right answer, but I kind of loved that he was more interested in the good he KNEW he could do than in something that wasn't a sure thing.
  
  Oh yes, and he looked pretty darn good and was hilarious. :)

"5th Grader" from CDD's J4Clay

Clay's TBAF Wins Big on "5th Grader"

SPOILER WARNING ... DO NOT CONTINUE AS SPOILERS FOLLOW

Clay won big tonight on a special celebrity edition of "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader". Kicking off FOX's November sweeps season, Clay was up first in tonight's 2 hour celebrity edition of the popular quiz show.

Clay breezed through the first round of questions, and walked away with $300,000 for the Bubel Aiken Foundation. Aside from the impressive lump of cash Clay took home for the BAF's programs, the most priceless moment of the show was when they brought out Clay's 5th grade teacher, Mr. Armstrong. Clay's bewildered face said it all ... WOW!

November Sweeps Brings Out Lots of 5th Grader Articles

We've been waiting for November 1 for weeks now so we can see Clay on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. And November 1 is the beginning of sweeps for television. So the articles are coming out of the woodworks about sweeps shows, and that includes the celebrity version of "5th Grader". Here are a few of those articles, which will hopefully bring lots of viewers to the show:

• Reality TV Magazine - They call Clay a legend!!

  In a special two hour episode of Are You Smarter Than A 5th grader, not one but two reality TV legends will be making guest appearances. American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken will be playing the game, as well as America's Got Talent season one host Regis Philbin.

• Media Life - Media Life's article about the celebrity version of 5th grader starts off saying, "A supersized edition with two big-name guests". It goes on to say that 5th Grader does not have the best ratings at No. 75, but concerning the celebrity show:

  Fox likely wouldn’t draw better ratings for anything else it put in the slot, and the celebrity element, which will be repeated again the next two weeks, could give “Grader” a slight lift, especially since Aiken maintains a large fan base among “Idol” fans.

• Dallas Fort Worth Star Telegram - Article entitled 'Sweep'-ing viewers away every night says, "The November sweeps period begins tonight,..." and then lists "Stuff to Watch or Record":Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? This two-hour edition, the first in a series of celebrity episodes with stars playing for charity, features Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin. Even if neither is smarter than a fifth-grader, both are certainly richer.
• Louisville Courier Journal - Tom Dorsey, the writer of this article, is a little uninformed concerning his Clay comments, IMO. He says, concerning past sweeps vs. today's sweeps:

  Stars that were really stars, such as Frank Sinatra or Judy Garland, did specials. There were so many competing goodies it was hard to know which way to turn the TV dial.
  
  Now we get "American Idol's" Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin as special guests on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" tonight at 8 on Fox. Philbin is a great guy, but he's no Sinatra.
  
  I'm not picking on Aikin, either, but in sweeps gone by they would have had the winner of a show, not just a finalist.

  I think Mr. Dorsey needs to do his homework on the last 4 years of Clay's successful career.
• New York Daily News - According to this article, presidential candidates such as Hilary Rodham Clinton and Rudy Giliani were asked to test their smarts against the 5th graders, but they all said "No". However:

  Luckily for viewers, Hollywood celebrities aren't as cautious as White House hopefuls. So Regis Philbin, Clay Aiken, "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush, Tony Hawk, Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson and "American Idol's" Kelly Pickler are all ready to prove they know a thing or two about math and science.
  
  Philbin and Aiken get the pencil going tonight at 8, kicking off three weeks of star-studded episodes of "5th Grader" in which the celebs play for their favorite charities.

• Orlando Sentinel In their picks of "10 for your attention", the celebrity 5th Grader is included:

  Will you go for celebrities playing the game? That approach ruined Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Oh, well. The contestant list: Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken tonight, Tony Hawk on Nov. 8, Billy Bush and Kellie Pickler on Nov. 15.

• MTV -

  The new season of "American Idol" is still a few months away, but that's not stopping the juggernaut's presence on TV. Former contestants Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler will be celebrity contestants on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" on Thursday and November 15

• Springfield News Leader -

  "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" 7 p.m., Fox. The Fox people were really hoping there would be a seventh World Series game tonight. The Red Sox swept, however, so the network plugs in this expanded version. Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin play for charity.

• Fayetteville Observer -

  “Are You Smarter Than a 5th-Grader?”: This is an interesting pairing. Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin are celebrity contestants tonight, competing to win money for their favorite charities. You may recall that Aiken ruffled the feathers of Philbin’s co-host, Kelly Ripa. I’m sure Regis will put aside their differences for the sake of winning. 8 p.m. Fox

• The Futon Critic -

  WILL THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT? "AMERCIAN IDOL'S CLAY AIKEN AND TALK SHOW HOST REGIS PHILBIN TEST THEIR 5TH GRADER FACTS FOR CHARITY ON A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR "ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER?" THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, ON FOX
  
  The 5th graders extend a helping hand to AMERICAN IDOL's Clay Aiken and talk show host Regis Philbin, who will put on their thinking caps on and play for big bucks with proceeds going to their favorite charities on a special two-hour edition of ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? Thursday, Nov. 1 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (AYS-205/206) (TV-PG)

• Reality TV Magazine -

  American Idol Finalist Clay Aiken On Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader
  
  In a special two hour episode of Are You Smarter Than A 5th grader, not one but two reality TV legends will be making guest appearances. American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken will be playing the game, as well as America’s Got Talent season one host Regis Philbin.

• Desert Morning News - "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (7 p.m., Ch. 13): In this two-hour episode, Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken play for charity."
• Los Angeles Times - "Regis and Clay: Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken play for charity on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" (8 p.m. Fox)."
  

Tidbits 11/1

A new billboard with Clay 's photo is gracing the Las Vegas skyline tonight, as the countdown to the taping of NBC's Holiday Celebrations on Ice hits the home stretch. The special TV Christmas special, with Clay being the exclusive music guest, will be taped at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday November 6. NBC will air the special on Christmas day.

• Access Hollywood had a 2 second blurb about Clay on "5th Grader" during today's show. Cap is available at SendSpace courtesy gerwhisp.
  
• Reality TV World - Carrie Underwood posts impressive first week sales, but fails to surpass Clay's 613K:

  Due to "Carnival Ride's" first-week success, Underwood became the first former Idol champ to post a debut sales week of more than 500,000 copies and was also the first to have his or her second album outsell their debut, according to Daily Variety. (American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, remains Idol's all-time debut week sales champ. "Measure of a Man," his 2003 debut album, sold 613,000 copies in its first week of release.)
  

• Niagara Gazette - Clay mention in Chris Daughtry article -
  

  Davis is, of course, is the head of RCA Records and one of music’s legendary record executives. He’s had huge success in signing other “Idol” winners, including Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Fantasia Burrino. He certainly must have 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.
  

• Clay joins Spamalot:
• Broadway World -

  Break a leg to Clay Aiken as he prepares to join the Broadway company of Spamalot. Actually, I hear that putting new actors into Spamalot is quite easy. They just push them on stage and tell them to just repeat everything the audience yells out.
  

• Christmas tour mentions:
  
• Poughkeepsie Journal - They call Clay a heartthrob!! Also here is info about purchasing tickets:

  American Idol heartthrob Clay Aiken will perform at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie Dec. 8, with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.
  
  Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday and cost $56.50 for gold circle seats and $47 and $41 for reserved seats. Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center box office, 14 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie; and Ticketmaster, which can be reached at 845-454-3388 and www.ticketmaster.com.

• Akron Beacon Journal -

  Also on the holiday concert trail is Clay Aiken, whose 2004 holiday album was given the more creative title Merry Christmas With Love. The American Idol runner-up (as he apparently will be forever known, even as we collectively forget the guy to whom he lost) will be playing at Cleveland's Playhouse Square on Dec. 17, backed by a 45-piece orchestra.

• Citizen's Voice
  
• FemmeFan.com - fiddler shared the stage with Clay -

  Fiddle player Jennifer Spingola has been trained in classical music on both violin and piano. She tours with Dee Snider of Twister Sister fame on his Van Helsing's Curse production. She has shared the stage with legendary guitarist Steve Vai and former American Idols Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson.

• Southern Girl - Clay on "5th Grader"
  

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.

TV ALERT - "5th Grader", Access Hollywood Tomorrow!

Is Clay smarter than a 5th grader? Find out tomorrow night in Clay and Regis Philbin's 2 hour celebrity edition of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader airing at 8 PM on FOX and Global TV Canada.

CDD's full coverage of 5th Grader can be accessed here.

Access Hollywood will air a story about Clay tomorrow, according to TiVo listings... we guess this is something for "5th Grader"-

ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: Thursday, November 1, 2007: ACTORS Meryl Streep and Robert Redford,
SINGER Clay Aiken; MODEL Rachel Hunter

Tidbits 10/30

• Florida Sun Sentinel - broadcasters getting ready for November sweeps -

  Fox's major stunt is celebrity editions of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. Regis Philbin and Clay Aiken will play along Nov. 1, Tony Hawk visits the following Thursday and continuing an American Idol theme Kellie Pickler is featured on Nov. 15 (Kellie's really cute but my money that night is on the 5th graders.)

• USA Today - coming up in November sweeps -

  November 1
  
  Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Fox, 8 ET/PT
  
  The sweeps are scheduled to kick off with a special two-hour Grader featuring special celebrity contestants Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin.
  

• Brooklyn Daily Eagle - Neil Sedaka celebrates half a century of "making America sing" -

  The event was part of a larger celebration of the musician’s half century of music making. The following Friday, Sedaka was fêted at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, where his work was performed by, among others, Natalie Cole, Connie Francis, Clay Aiken, Dion, Captain and Tennille, and Lou Christie. The performance was mounted to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

• Taking A Moment - a lot of people are having trouble submitting their Christmas stories to the official fanclub, as Clay has noted in 2 blogs... so Jemock has a few "templates" for you to use -

  My husband had a really great _____________ and I wanted to buy him a ___________ for it, but I didn’t have any _____________. So I sold my __________ which I had gotten lots of compliments on, but I really wanted my husband’s __________ to have a ____________ on it. But then, wouldn’t you know it, my husband goes and eBays his _________ to buy me a _________________ for the ____________ that I sold on the street. Go figure.
  
  I guess that goes to show you that you shouldn’t ___________ your _________ just to get a _________ for your husband’s ___________, because somebody’s bound to screw up. That was my __________ Christmas ever.

Tidbits 10/28

Boston Herald's The Edge - what to watch this week -

Thursday Nov. 1

Will they be invincible? Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin compete in “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” at 8 p.m. on WFXT. If the World Series goes to Game 7, Reege and the former “American Idol” contestant will be bumped to a later date.

• WCBS New York - Neil Sedaka celebrates 50 years in music -
  

  Now his achievements are being honored by his fellow musicians with a tribute concert in New York, "Neil Sedaka: 50 Years of Hits." The show, featuring Clay Aiken, Connie Francis, Natalie Cole and more, benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

• Yahoo! Music - low CD sales in October ... except:

  ... Limp Bizkit's "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" surpassed 1 million copies in 2000, Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man" opened with 613,000 in 2003 and Faith Hill's "Cry" landed with 472,000 in 2002. But, in six of the past 10 years, this week's No. 1 album sold less than 200,000, the lightest of those sums being the 131,000 that LeAnn Rimes' "You Light Up My Life -- Inspirational Songs" moved in 1997.
  

• SaukValley.com - small things make a different for troops serving abroad -

  For those soldiers, the group collected magazines, such as National Geographic and Better Homes, floss, soap and CDs of Kathie Lee Gifford, Celine Dion, Kenny G and Clay Aiken.

• PRWeb press release for recording artist Michael Duff -

  His latest debut solo effort "Unbreakable" features such all-star guest songwriters as Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow), Reed Vertelney (Clay Aiken, Destiny's Child, Luther Vandross), Lindy Robbins (Nick Lachey, Faith Hill, Lisa Loeb), Jess Cates (Nick Lachey, Backstreet Boys), Grammy-nominated Shelly Peiken (Christina Aguilera, Meredith Brooks, Pretenders) and Grammy-nominated Jud Friedman (Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Tina Turner).

• Nashua Telegraph ... mentions the July 2007 Clay Aiken airplane "incident" -
  

  The incident came only days after former "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken fell asleep on a Continental flight, his foot landing on the armrest of the passenger in front of him. The singer claims he was awakened by a quick hit to the chest by the annoyed passenger, prompting an argument and a call to the FBI, though no charges were filed.

• Clay brings down the house with Neil Sedaka concert "Solitaire" performance -
  
• Hobbies, The True Measure of A Man -

  Neil Sedaka was honored last night, October 26, 2007, in New York City. There were many wonderful performers singing Neil's songs. One of the singers who brought the house down was Clay Aiken.

• There Was A Man -

  Clay performed at the Tribute for Neil Sedaka last night and blew the roof off of Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Here's the first video of the performance.

• ClaySpots -

  Tonight, Clay Aiken made his debut at Lincoln Center as part of 'Neil Sedaka: 50 Years of Hits. According to the reports, Clay looked fabulous, the hair was perfect, the suit was perfect, the cheekbones were perfect. David Foster accompianied Clay singing 'Solitaire' and high-fived him as he left the stage.

• Carolina On My Mind -

  According to fans, the roof of Avery Fisher Hall is now in dire need of repairs as crescendos and the climax of Clay Aiken's "Solitaire" performance virtually disengaged the ceiling at Neil Sedaka's 50th anniversary tribute Friday night.

• Celebrating Halloween with Clay - The Man and some adorably cute "Cla'lloween" graphics.