Tidbits 5/5

• Atlanta area Claymates: Clay will be on Good Day Atlanta on FOX Atlanta tomorrow morning between 7 and 9 AM as part of his "OMWH Satellite Tour" to local TV stations nationwide.
  
• Hartford Courant - AI7 heads towards an all-male finale -

  A 3-1 male advantage has happened twice previously in the show's history, most recently when Katharine McPhee stood against Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin and eventual winner Taylor Hicks. Earlier, Kimberly Locke was the last woman in a final four that also featured Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken and Josha Gracin.

• Playbill - Robert Petkoff replaces Clay at Spamalot -

  Robert Petkoff, who played Perchik in the most recent Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof, will join the Broadway cast of Monty Python's Spamalot May 6 at the Shubert Theatre.
  
  Petkoff will step into the roles of Sir Robin, Guard 1 and Brother Maynard, according to a show spokesperson. He succeeds former "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken, who played his final performance May 4.

• Chexxxy's Pearls - LALate is "elated" about OMWH

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".

Atlanta Journal Constitution Names Top 5 Concert Moments

The Atlanta Journal Constitution posted another somewhat informal concert review today, outlining the top 5 moments from Clay's recent Atlanta concert at the Chastain Amphitheatre.

Read the full story at the Atlanta Journal Constitution website:

Clay Aiken is well aware of his image: the dorky balladeer, a new-generation Barry Manilow with hordes of obsessive Claymate fans still buzzing around him four years after he came in second on "American Idol."

And he worked hard to both play up and mock that image Wednesday night at a half-full Chastain Park Amphitheatre. Here are a few of the odder moments:

1. This is not Mozart. Feeding Clay's admitted obsession with TV, he and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra ran through a medley of theme songs from sitcoms ranging from "WKRP in Cincinnati" to "What's Happening!!' "

2. Almost as good as the real thing. A woman wearing a shirt emblazoned with "Georgia Claymate" was seen kissing a life-size cardboard cutout of Clay, which got its own seat.

... continued

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Clay "highly entertaining"

Another concert, another great review. Clay returned to Atlanta last night, almost 5 years after he auditioned for American Idol in that same city, for what the Atlanta Journal Constitution is calling a "highly entertaining" concert.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution's American Idol blog has the full version of this review. They also have some great photos from last night's photo at Access Atlanta - Clay Aiken at Chastain.

Sure, the dorky season two runner up still seems to appeal to a certain type of middle-aged woman, but the man truly has incredible pipes and sounded great. Clay doesn’t take himself too seriously, joking numerous times about the heat and being quite gabby throughout the concert. “What’s with the humidity?” he said early on. “They didn’t give us fans! The only breeze are the bugs flying by our faces. One got stuck to me.” A fan handed him a freeze pop. He stuck it on his forehead, then noticed while singing “When I See You Smile” that the pop was sugar free. “You think I’m getting fat?” he cracked.

Over two-plus hours, he sang 13 songs in full (mostly covers and only one cut from his first CD) and two extensive medleys. His backup singers each got to sing a song, too.

The Claymates brought “Clay”-faced fans and one even set a life-sized cardboard version of Clay on an empty seat. After he did “Measure of a Man,” he spied a poster that said, “I gave up a car to see you.” He asked the teen-ager what the deal was and she said, yes, her mom gave her a choice: a car or tickets to Clay. “Your mom,” he joked, “gypped you!”

He then changed the lyrics to Nilsson’s “Without You” to include the line “I can’t live, if living is without a car/I can’t live/ I can’t get anywhere!”

He then set up a joke alluding to rumor’s he’s gay, a bit he’s been doing all summer. “Atlanta is the city where it all kind of started for me because I auditioned here. So this is a special night for me… I want to talk to you for just a minute about something serious. I know you’ve read this in the papers, probably seen stories in the tabloids or whatnot. Some radio shock jocks talk about it. Some of you have even thought this about me… Atlanta. I.. am… not cool.”

Once the Celine Dion cover was over, he waved and left, dispensing with the cliched encore. The lights went up at about 10:35 a.m., 25 minutes before Chastain shuts the sound off. Jill said she heard that Clay will shake hands and meet with every Claymate after the concert. We went home. Overall, he was highly entertaining, even in the muggy heat. But I’m never going to be a Claymate. Sorry.

Clay Returns to Atlanta - The City That Started It All

Photos

• Clayboard photo thread - Atlanta
• Atlanta Journal Constitution photos

Clack

• ClackUnlimited.com

FULL TOUR COVERAGE AT THE CDD TOUR BLOG

Tidbits 8/11

• As disappointed as the Cary fans were last night, Mary ... Clay's tour manager ... blogged on Clay's OFC blog explaining why Clay wasn't allowed to walk the bus line after the show in Cary, NC last night: "for security reasons that some of you already understand, we can't allow Clay to 'walk the line' tonight."
  
• Broadway World - "Idol: The Musical" officially opening in NYC tomorrow...

  Idol: The Musical, a satire on the worship of former "American Idol" finalist, Clay Aiken, opens Sunday, August 12 at 8:15PM off-Broadway at the 45th Street Theatre (354 West 45th St).
  

• Tour mentions:
• Naples News - "You know the name. Now hear the man. Clay Aiken. He will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall"
• Atlanta Sunday Paper -

  WED 15
  SECOND-PLACE SUCCESS: Singer CLAY AIKEN may not have taken home the title during the second season of “American Idol,” but he won the hearts of countless fans who continue to support his career in music. Aiken performs with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra tonight at 8 p.m. at Chastain Park. Tickets are $28$79. 404-249-6400. www.clayaiken.com.

• Northwest Herald - Christmas tour ... Waukegan
• NBC 17 Raleigh - fans camp out for Clay Aiken -

  "The main reason we're here is for Clay," said David Strickland, who got in line around 9AM. "It's worth the wait and the heat."
  
  Clay Aiken fans hoping to catch his show at the Koka Booth Amphitheater Friday night sweated it out through the worst of it. Most seemed prepared for the grueling wait.
  

• IGN - reviewer doesn't like Constantine Maroulis, nor Clay very much...

  Those fanatics will claim that I am being unfair to the singer because of his appearance on Idol and that I live only to bash the hit-making factory that churns out so much waste product on the musical landscape. But my defense is the positive review I gave Daughtry's debut release. Take that fact and the fact that I was unable to actually sit through even one song of Clay Aiken's debut release and you have to know that I know my Idol singers.

• There Was A Man on Clay's hometown performance of BYLM:

  Clay Aiken has been ending his summer tour with "Because You Loved Me" as a thank you to his fans for their support. A lot has happened in the fandom over the four years, but the fans that have stayed for the ride on the rollercoaster are steadfast in their admiration and appreciation of a fantastic singer and a really good man. As a response to Clay's thank you, the fans decided to wave glowsticks as an expression of their love and support. It's always a moving end to the show, but none so poignant as when he sang to his hometown crowd (along with many of his travelling fan posse) in Cary NC on August 10th.

• Carolina On My Mind - Cary, NC show a "family reunion" of sorts

Access Atlanta Catches Up with Clay

On August 15, Clay will return to the city that started it all - Atlanta, GA. Almost 5 years after his audition in front of Simon, Paula and Randy during the AI2 Atlanta auditions, Clay will perform at the Chastain Park Amphitheater backed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Access Atlanta caught up with Clay during his tour stop in San Diego on Thursday ... I LOVED reading every word of this interview; I only wished that it was a little bit longer cause this guy just "gets it"... I think you will agree. The version posted below is a abridgment... go to AccessAtlanta.com for the full interview.

Clay Aiken is a riot. There's something genuinely comedic about the singer, care-free and, well, likable.

The Season 2 "American Idol" runner-up to the Velvet Teddy Bear Ruben Studdard has sold more records than any other "American Idol" alum besides Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. And this guy's tours sell out around the country.

You dyed you hair. What's up with that?
It started on "American Idol" and they wanted to change my image. I don't even know what color it is now. We just try everything — it could be beach blond next!

Since you've found fame and fortune, what did you do with your first big check?
My first major purchase was a Volvo [laughter]. I'm such a dork! I didn't want to be too ostentatious, and I wanted something safe and reliable ... I also paid off my mom's car.

Where do you plan to hang out when you get to Atlanta.
People around me love Lenox. I love Fogo de Chao ... I always have to get back to the corner on Spring Street where I spent the night for my ["American Idol"] auditions at Merchandise Mart. So I'll try to get back over there.