Tidbits 9/11

• Fredericksburg.com - Reference to Clay:

  STAFFORD POOCH IS NO. 2 BY THE NUMBERS
  
  Semi-finalist Andrew and trainer Laurie Williams came in second in the contest for "Greatest American Dog"...
  
  ...She doesn't know if she'll get any prize for being runner-up. But, with all the attention and support she's received as a result of the program, she said sometimes it works out just as well to come in second.
  
  "It's kind of a Ruben Studdard," she said, referring to the American Idol contestant. "He won, but Clay Aiken got the better recording contract."
  

• The Northerner - Even in the presidential elections Clay gets mentions:...
  
  

  It seems every year the presidential election is one step closer to being nothing more than an Olympic-sized popularity contest, with voters choosing candidates like American Idol chose its Rubin Studdard (even if everyone believes Clay Aiken should have won).

  
  
  
• USA Today - Emmys, Josh Groban will salute TV theme songs
  
  Does this sound familiar???
  
  LOS ANGELES — It's the story of a man named Groban, who is singing ).
  TV theme songs we all know. In a musical tribute, singer Josh Groban will perform bits of memorable themes at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC (Sept. 21, 8
  Wonder where they got the idea, LOL...
  
  
• From Jesben and Lilred at The Clayboard, we learn that Clay was a clue during jeorpardy:
  
  From Jesben:

  Under the heading, "Celebrities' Original Names" - they gave the original, the contestants had to identify them as they are known now.
  
  CLAYTON HOLMES GRISSOM
  
  I answered. My husband said, "Who?" The lady in the middle got it right away (she won tonight.)
  
  Along with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Tony Orlando, Roman Polanski and Tom Cruise.

  From Lilred:

  The clue read "American Idol HEARTTHROB Clayton Holmes Grissom"

  And the answer, obviously is "Clayton Holmes Aiken"!

Tidbits 8/06

• Lycos50 - Clay is #2 on Lycos top 50 for this week! that is up one from last week's #3 spot! The caption under his name says, "Continues work helping kids in Kenya and Somalia". I find it amazing and awesome that Clay even beat out the extremely popular movie, "The Dark Knight", which comes in at #5 on the list. Just another advantage of being one of King Arthur's knights! (*grin*)
• EOnline - In an article about the Top 100 turning the big 5-0, Clay is mentioned as follows:

  Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud" claims the dubious distinction of being the only No. 1 song to spend less than 10 total weeks on the Hot 100. The 2006 song debuted at No. 1, a feat accomplished by fellow American Idol stars Carrie Underwood, Fantasia and Clay Aiken and by no one else in nearly a decade.

• Clay is on the Yahoo Music Live homepage. At the top is a banner with a picture of Ruben and the caption, "In the studio-Ruben Studdard". Clay's picture is under that in the left column, and it says, "We brought Ruben into our studio, so its only fair that Clay get a shot in the Y! spotlight, right? Watch now and enjoy the rematch." A link to an exclusive interview and a performance of "Without You" is under the caption.

Tidbits 7/16

• Access Atlanta crunches American Idol winning single sales numbers -

  My numbers-obsessed friend Ken Barnes at USA Today posted the total sales of the various coronation songs here.. Given that back in 2002-03, most sales were CDs and now they are all downloads means a bit of an oranges to apples situation but Clay Aiken is at the top (and he didn’t even win!), followed by Kelly, Carrie and Ruben. Taylor is fifth but David Cook’s “This is My Time” will probably lapse it in a couple of weeks.
  

• Mullet Wrapper - Taylor Hicks follows idol footsteps to Broadway - "Fantasia Barrino starred in The Color Purple, while Clay Aiken nabbed a recent role in Spamalot."
• The Liberty Papers on why American Idol democracy doesn't exactly work -

  How have the results turned out? Well, not so stellar. Of all the American Idol alumni who are releasing records, the top two sellers are Idol winners, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. The next two highest on the list, Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry, are non-winners. Being from different seasons than the above two, one can’t claim that they were “overshadowed” by the winner’s success. Following these two, in 5th and 6th place, are season 2 and 3 winners, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia. Given the length of time between their seasons and now, one can be sure that their album sales won’t climb much in the future– unlike Daughtry above them, who is still on an upward path in his career. In the case of Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, Aiken– who finished runner-up to Studdard– has sold over 2 million more albums and his follow-up albums have peaked far higher on the charts than Studdard’s non-debut albums.
  

• Washington Post -

  Washington Post music critic J. Freedom du Lac is online every Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET to talk about the latest on the music scene: alternative, country, alt-country, pop, hyphy, harp-rock, reggae, reggaeton, R and B and whatever it is that Clay Aiken does.
  

• Clay's appeal for Somalia:
  • Something That Really Happened -

    Clay Aiken has been blogging about his recent trip to Somalia. So far, he has posted two blogs. The situation is dire. My heart goes out to the children. Here are some excerpts from the blogs, but be sure to click on the links for the blogs to read the rest of what he has to say as well as to see more pictures:

  • FlippinBirds
  • The ConCLAYve -

    UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken is continuing his work to promote support for the children of Somalia, following his recent trip to the northwestern region of Somaliland.
    
    In a blog entitled Somalia: Keep spreading the word, Aiken thanks donors for raising $50,000 for Somalia's children in the last six days, and challenges UNICEF supporters to take action in advocating for children.

  • There Was A Man -

    In light of Clay Aiken's recent trip to Somaliland on behalf of UNICEF, I would like to feature a 2005 documentary of Somaliland produced by BBC journalist Simon Reeve. Somaliland is a breakaway state that no one in the world recognizes as a legitimate land.

    
    

Tidbits 7/5

• Clay visits Somalia....
  • United Press International -

    NAIROBI, Kenya, July 4 (UPI) -- Pop star and UNICEF ambassador Clay Aiken, who just spent five days Somalia, is calling on the world to do what it can to help the African nation's children.
    
    "Unfortunately this is a region that's better known for conflict, insecurity, drought and floods," Aiken, who has been a UNICEF ambassador for four years, said in a statement Thursday. "It's truly remarkable that UNICEF is still able to make a difference in the health, education and overall well-being of Somali children."

• United Press International - Idols still enjoying success past their 15 minutes -

  The Chronicle said also noted that while former "Idol" contestants Chris Daughtry and Clay Aiken remain the most successful finalists to date, other finalists from the series are taking part in an "Idols" tour taking part this summer.

• National Post - American and Canadian Idol... is it better to lose?

  Take the advice of AI second season winner, Ruben Studdard (himself overshadowed by his runner-up, Clay Aiken) who warned original Canadian Idol winner Ryan Malcolm to “read the fine print” on his contract.

• Charlotte Observer - former Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), who passed away, mentions Clay in his 2004 memoirs...

  On Edwards’ 2004 vice presidential run
  
  “It’s always nice to see a North Carolinian in the national spotlight - like Clay Aiken and Fantasia Barrino but watching a nice man with so little experience or familiarity with national and international issues struck me as `overreaching.’.”
  

• ABC News - battle of hot dogs ... Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hotdog-Eating Contest in Coney Island ...

  In one of the most exciting finishes in hot dog eating competition history, defending champion Joey Chestnut today defeated six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi in overtime to keep the Mustard Belt, $20,000 and the world's fastest hot dog eater title.
  
  Both eaters downed 59 hot dogs in the regular 10-minute competition at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hotdog-Eating Contest in Coney Island, forcing a speed-eating, five-dog overtime. There Chestnut, known to some as the "Clay Aiken of Bacon," proved to be the speedier of the two.
  

• OK! Magazine - stars on how the celebrate and celebrated the 4th of July - "Clay Aiken tells me, “I grew up going to the fireworks.”"
• San Francisco Chronicle - AI ...

  Actually, some of the also-rans are doing better than many of the winners. Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard may have just tied the knot, but Season 5's fourth-place finisher, Daughtry, was the hottest concert act of 2007, and Clay Aiken is keeping his career alive while he awaits the birth of his first child and his next hair appointment.
  

• Nothing here yet
  

Tidbits 7/3

• Zap2it.tv - misfits of sci-fi?

  Invisible, Clay Aiken: For Claude, the French Obi-Wan Kenobi to my emo Luke Skywalker. Although Obi-Wan never pushed Luke off a building to see exactly how strong the Force was within him.

• Lycos PR - Clay #2 on this week's Lycos50
• Broadway World - article about William Joseph:

  Since the release of Within, William has been in-demand for a number of high-profile musical events, including a support tour with 143 Records’ label mate Josh Groban in 2004, a two-month tour with Clay Aiken in 2005 (plus a collaboration with him on his album A Thousand Different Ways), and supporting such artists as Barbara Streisand, Natalie Cole, Kenny G., Il Divo, and Peter Cincotti at select concerts around the world.

• TV Squad -

  Haysbert was then wrestled to the ground by his handlers and is now "recuperating" at the Clay Aiken Home for Delusional Celebrities

• Blog.PinkNews.co.uk - Ruben Studdard gets married -

  Ruben, a native of Birmingham, took home the top prize on American Idol in 2003, beating out Clay Aiken for the title.

• Zap2it.tv - America's Got Talent returns -

  That song needs to BUILD. Also, they sound a little like Clay Aiken, only not good, and that is saying something. Piers hated it, David tries to be nice and Sharon compliments Flossie but says it was dated.

• Associated Content - Ruben Studdard gets married -

  The ceremony reportedly lasted for about thirty minutes, with no singing coming from the sonorous singer who won the hearts of millions of Americans to capture the second season title as American Idol over Clay Aiken. Instead, a sting ensemble provided the music while vows were exchanged and prayers said for the new couple.

• The Street - tips to getting good event tickets -

  Your wedding anniversary is coming up and your wife is dying to see Clay Aiken in Spamalot. Unfortunately, tickets are sold out on that special night.

• There Was A Man, The ConCLAYve, Something That Really Happened, Hobbies - Clay visits Somalia
• There Was A Man spotlights the montage "The Journey"
  

Tidbits 6/27

• TampaBay.com - This story, A Clean Start For Violinist Stewart Kitts, by John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic, is about an exceptional concertmaster violinist who lost everything to a crack cocaine habit. He is recovering from this habit, and the story says,

  He played in the pit for a Camelot tour. He was concertmaster for The Nutcracker at Ruth Eckerd Hall. He played for Smokey Robinson, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Clay Aiken, Mannheim Steamroller and Bernadette Peters.

• newsjournal-online - The article, about weekend best bets says:

  Bandshell Live!, a Friday summer concert series, will feature the Beu Sisters in concert at the outdoor venue at 8 p.m. today.....They also opened a 2004 tour by "American Idol" stars Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken.

• WLKY.com - An article entitled 'American idol Comes to Louisville' says, "Thousands of Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken wannabes will descend on the River City when Fox's "American Idol" hosts auditions in Louisville next month."
• Phoenix New Times Music - American idol: Entertainment or Evil? by Serene Dominic has this to say about Clay and his fans:

  The "in your face" shelf life of most Idol grads is two years after the show. That's all we tolerated of Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, Mario Vazquez, and Katherine McPhee even without the ability to vote them off with anything but our indifference....The big exceptions have been Clay Aiken, whose Claymates still won't listen to reason after five years...

  I'll quote the lyrics from Clay's song "Ashes" in response to the statement, "Claymates still won't listen to reason...":

  Looking back I can see
  How the voice of reason
  Kept reminding me
  I was never good enough somehow
  Try and remind me now

Tidbits 6/25

• AP Wire / ABC News - Ruben Studdard getting married
  
• Windy City Media Group - Kimberley Locke article ...

  Kimberley Locke became a part of the national consciousness when she was a finalist on season two of TV's “American Idol,” finishing third to Clay Aiken and eventual champion Ruben Studdard.
  

• GayWired.com - Ruben Studdard getting married - "Ruben, a native of Birmingham, took home the top prize on American Idol in 2003, beating out Clay Aiken for the title"
• TransWorldNews - another article on Ruben's engagement - "Studdard won season 2 of "American Idol," defeating Clay Aiken in the finals. His first album "Soulful" (2003) sold 1.8 million copies and has released two albums since: "I Need An Angel" (2004) and "The Return" (2006)."
• TBTV - Ruben - "It is interesting to note that under Alabama law marriage licenses are only valid for 30 days. So perhaps a lovely July bride? Maybe Clay Aiken will sing? And, more importantly, will Simon insult the band as they play at the reception?"
• All Headline News -

  Studdard won the hit reality talent contest in 2003, beating out runner-up Clay Aiken to the title. He is the second "American Idol" champ following Kelly Clarkson.
  

• Lycos50 PR - Clay #2 on this week's Lycos50
• Presse Meldungen - American Idol is "more popular than ever" -

  By the time Justin was allowed to release his own album, he was competing with the releases of the Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, the season two winner and runner-up. His appearances on the newly syndicated show, American Idol Rewind, seem to be helping him gain more notice again.

• Idolator - does the New York Times have a double standard?

  Sure, we've all had a laugh when the ever-staid The New York Times has made second references to "Mr. Pop" and "Mr. Loaf" in its cultural reporting. But why, the Columbia Journalism Review wonders, are the stage names of hip-hop artists like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Diddy not given the same treatment? Instead, they frequently get their birth names swapped into stories right away—even though artists in other genres who hide behind aliases, from Alicia Keys (nee Alicia Augello-Cook) to Clay Aiken (nee Clayton Grissom), don't get the same treatment.

• SportingNews.com - random Clay mention ... "Shanahan is like a Clay Aiken autobiography -- impossible to read. "
• MasterClassLady.com features Clay's appearance on Jay Leno as "Video of the Day" -

  I just found this video this morning and it put a smile on my face. I happened to miss Clay Aiken’s appearance on Jay Leno, but, I have to say, this guy is a so funny and so talented.
  
  Check out the beautiful head voice that he uses at the beginning of his performance of his new single, “On My Way Here”. Stellar, just stellar! The whole performance was quite remarkable.
  
  

  
  

• Clay visit Somalia and appeals for help - Something That Really Happened, There Was A Man, The ConCLAYve.
• Chexxxy's Pearls - featuring "Forget I Ever Knew You" by Clay Aiken
• All That Is Clay Aiken - Clay's interview with Gather.com, from May 2008
• Clay - The Man - Clay's "entertaining smiles"

David Archuleta's 2nd Place Finish Prompts Comparisions To Clay

It should come as no surprise that with the first all male American Idol finale since Clay and Ruben, there should be comparisons between Clay and this year's 2nd place finisher, David Archuleta. I'm not talking comparisons between how they sing or their personalities. But comparisons concerning how David A did not have to win to be successful. After all, just look at Clay and his success.

Here are what some of the online news sites have to say about this:

College On The Record (Penn State) - The title of their article is, "David Archuletta: Next Clay Aiken?"

The Improper - "But Archuleta is sure to get a solid career start out of the show as well, just like Clay Aiken before him."

STLToday.com -

In this first man-to-man "American Idol" face-off since the David-and-Goliath dust-up of Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken in Season 2, the franchise is getting its best shot yet at a male superstar winner.

WashingtonPost.com (The TV Column) -

Nearly 32 million viewers watched the two-hour coronation of David Cook on "American Idol" on Wednesday -- the show's third-largest finale crowd ever.

The singing derby's biggest finale audience remains the more than 36 million who watched in '06, when Taylor Hicks took the "American Idol" tiara. Ironically, Hicks is widely regarded as the show's least successful winning Idolette.

Next in line is '03, when more than 34 million tuned in to see whether Clay Aiken or Ruben Studdard would become Idol 2, following Kelly Clarkson.

Roanoke.com -

Wednesday night's battle of the Davids may have been the most watched "American Idol" finale since the 2003 showdown between Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard.

I wasn't a Clay fan, but I just knew he'd be crowned the next Idol. From where I sat all season, he was indisputably the fan favorite ... wasn't he?....

....Besides, I'm already convinced that David Archuleta is going to win the crown anyway.

And then something happens. David Cook wins. And I think about all those David Archuleta fans who at this moment must be feeling blindsided the same way ClayMates felt blindsided when Ruben took the gold that night in 2003. Like Clay, Little David held the popular vote and was considered the frontrunner most of the season ... wasn't he?

Deseret News -

Like Clay Aiken, runner-up for Season 2, Archuleta is every bit as popular as the winner and has nothing to be bummed about. In fact, this could actually work toward his advantage.....He'll be in good company. The label is home to several other "Idol" contestants (Chris Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Blake Lewis, Aiken, Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood), half of which were winners, half of which were not, but all have had great success at the label.

Tidbits 5/19

• Buddy TV - may be best Idol ... lose?

  Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken has sold nearly 5 million albums with his four records, while that year's winner, Ruben Studdard, is at just under 3 million with three albums

• Akron Beacon Journal - music charts this week...

  Top 10 Albums
  1 Home Before Dark Neil Diamond Columbia/Sony Music 2 35 Biggest Hits Toby Keith Show Dog Nashville/UMe 3 Hard Candy Madonna Warner Bros. 4 On My Way Here Clay Aiken S/19/RCA/RMG 5 E=MC2 Mariah Carey Island/IDJMG 6 Spirit Leona Lewis SYCO/J/RMG 7 Gavin DeGraw Gavin DeGraw J/RMG 06291 8 Awake Live Josh Groban 143/Reprise/Warner Bros. 9 Greatest Hits: Limited Edition Tim McGraw Curb 10 Complices Luis Miguel Warner Latina

• The Improper -

  Other idols, both winners and also-rans have had varying degrees of success. Although Clay Aiken lost to Idol winner Ruben Studdard, the boyish, and some insist gay, Aiken has had success both recording and on Broadway.
  

• Star Pulse - AI should make winning matter again -

  Winning this show became less of a big deal after its second season when the producers released Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard's singles on the same day, essentially stating to America that winning the competition on the show doesn't matter at all.

• Orlando Sentinel - winning isn't everything on Idol -

  How do you like those insights? It isn't always about winning, is it? And we have the fine examples of Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry and Kellie Pickler to remind us that the "Idol" crown isn't everything.
  

• Deseret News - "And wasn't it Simon who constantly urged the public to vote for Ruben over the far more successful Clay Aiken?"
• Yahoo Finance -

  American Idol, which is wrapping up its season finale on May 22, is the most successful television show of this short century. Let that statement sink in for a moment. Yes, the show that gave us Clay Aiken and William Hung and Ryan Seacrest is the pop-cultural phenomenon of the post-9/11 world.

• Columbus Dispatch - Idol winner Taylor Hicks goes to Broadway -

  American Idol winner Taylor Hicks will make his Broadway debut June 6 as Teen Angel in the revival of Grease. Hicks follows in the footsteps of Idol contestants Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo (Hairspray), Fantasia (The Color Purple) and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer).

• There Was A Man gives us a montage of a clip from "Dancing with the Stars" set to Clay's "Sacrificial Love" ... wow!
  

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 4/22

Clay and Tyra Banks are featured in today's People Magazine StarTracks. Tyra recently visited Clay on the set of Spamalot to tape a special segment for her Tyra Banks Show. An air date has not been set yet. The same photo is also featured at JustJared.com.

• antiMusic - Clay makes the rounds on late night shows to promote new album -

  f you're a bit underwhelmed by the current crop of American Idols, an old favorite is returning to your television screen and you won't have to put up with Paula to watch. Which favorite is it? It's the guy who's fans sent over dozens emails to let us know that their hero was going to be back on TV. That's right, it's Clay Aiken and he's going on a late night TV blitz to promote his new album.
  
  Claymates will make a run on record retailers on May 6th, when Aiken's new album, 'On My Way Here,' is released and the following week he'll make two late night appearances to promote it.
  
  First up, he'll head over to Burbank to appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 12th and then he'll make an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show on May 15th. We received conflicting information from the fans that wrote in about the Kimmel appearance. Some said Clay was performing and others said he wasn't. So we fired off an email to the show's publicist and she confirmed that "Clay Aiken is booked for an interview" only. The musical guest on that night will be Dierks Bentley.
  

• American Idol mentions:
• All Headline News -

  While judge Simon Cowell often chastises contestants for sounding "too Broadway," all six will have to pull out the big numbers for the Broadway themed show. Despite Cowell's remarks, many former "American Idol" contestants have gone on to have successful runs on Broadway, including Fantasia and Clay Aiken.

• Deseret News on Carmen Rasmusen's thorn with American Idol -

  Rasmusen's April 18 column gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how "Idol" works. She wrote of one experience waiting to consult the show's vocal coach while Clay Aiken was being coached.
  
  "I could hear him going over and over his song, dissecting it. Finally, after about 30 minutes, the door opened. It was my turn. I walked in and sang my song about three times before being dismissed. Hardly the personal one-on-one attention Aiken had just received."

• Courier Post Online -

  But who cares about costing an innocent bystanders hundreds of dollars? In the 2003 "American Idol" finale, 130,000 votes separated winner Ruben Studdard from the runner-up, Clay Aiken. A few days later, a phone company in the Midwest said it had received 240,000 misdialed calls during voting.

• Philadelphia Inquirer -

  It's unlikely that the producers who saw the very pretty Kelly Clarkson triumph over the even prettier Justin Guarini that first summer ever envisioned anything like the tuneful but less-photogenic showdown between Season 2 finalists Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, much less the Season 5 victory of Taylor Hicks, a twitchy, gray-haired Alabamian whose personality charmed millions but who's been eating the dust of fourth-place contestant Chris Daughtry ever since.

• The Campus Press - Idols ... where they are now: "Clay Aiken, the runner up on season two of American Idol has been singing and dancing his way on Broadway in Monty Python's Spamalot, which tells the story of King Arthur and his knights of the round table."
• antiMusic - random mention:

  You see the Ozzy track was playing on my iTunes when I clicked over to Pendulum's Myspace and one of their songs started autoplaying. It was a strange mix, but actually worked. Maybe we'll start a new online crazy with Myspace/iTunes antimash-ups? We're gonna go try Iron Maiden and Clay Aiken right now.
  

• Nothing here yet
  

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
  

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 1/5

• South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com - In an article about the 1st season runner-up, Ralph Pagano, of "Hell's Kitchen", it says:

  The chef at Mancini's on Las Olas Boulevard is used to people doing double takes when they see him. A lot of diners recognize Ralph Pagano, but some can't immediately recall from where.
  
  It could be from Hell's Kitchen. Pagano was the runner-up in the Fox series' first season. "I was the crowd favorite, the Clay Aiken of Hell's Kitchen," Pagano said. "I lost by one point. My mother says I won."

• Relish Now - In this article about upcoming television shows, American Idol is mentioned as follows:

  The biggest show on Fox returns for a new season. Will there be a new North Carolinian following in the footsteps of Clay Aiken, Fantasia Barrino, Chris Daughtry and the rest? Tune in and see.

• Broadway.com - In an article about Frenchie Davis and Ruben Studdard touring with "Ain't Misbehavin", there is a Clay mention:

  The Alabama-born Studdard defeated Clay Aiken (coming soon to Broadway in Spamalot) in the second season of American Idol and has recorded five albums.

• Philadelphia Daily News - Ruben Studdard dropped by record label -

  Ruben Studdard - the guy who won "American Idol" even though if you asked most people, they'd say Clay Aiken did - was dropped by his recording company after his career got off the ground about as high as he can jump off the ground. But, according to TMZ.com, Studdard (or as they call him, "the plus-size, 29-year-old, schvitzing velvet teddybear") is slated to co-star in the 30th anniversary national touring company of "Ain't Misbehavin'."

• Lo Hud Journal News - American Idol no longer just about winning -

  Still, the viewers get the final say about who wins. Then the public decides who has a big career.
  
  Clay Aiken finished second and still put out hit records. Jennifer Hudson finished sixth and won the biggest prize of all - an Academy Award in her debut starring turn in "Dreamgirls."
  

• Yahoo.com - A Spamalot full page ad via Yahoo has a picture of Clay and says, "Clay Aiken Joins The Broadway Cast Beginning January 18".

• Nothing here today
  

Tidbits 1/3

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

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

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

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

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

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

• The ConCLAYve takes a look back at 2007 -

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

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

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

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

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

Tidbits 12/21

• Many thanks to the Poughkeepsie Journal's Sean McMann for mentioning CDD by name for our coverage of HIS fantastic coverage of Clay's Poughkeepsie Christmas concert earlier this month -

  Again, thank you to everyone who's come to the blog in the past nine months, reading everything I've posted from Barry Manilow and Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks, to "Star Wars" [...]
  
  Thanks, too, for the thoughtful comments hundreds of you have left. It's nice to know that people are actually reading — if not enjoying — the stuff I put out there, enough to share their thoughts with the rest of us. (And don't think your kind words on message boards like Taylor Is The Boogie! and Clay's Daily Double, among others, go unnoticed. Yes ... I do check! Thank you.)
  

• Reality TV World on Ruben Studdard being dropped by J Records -

  RCA chairman Clive Davis' J Records -- which signed Studdard in the same May 2003 week he barely bested Clay Aiken as Idol's second-season champ -- "quietly" dropped the "Velvet Teddy Bear" from its roster earlier this week, the New York Post reported Friday.
  
  Studdard joins Aiken as the latest former Idol finalist-turned-actor. Aiken will play the role of Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot, making his debut in the Tony Award-winning musical on January 18 at the Shubert Theatre.
  

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Southtown Star -

  Star Plaza Theatre - Interstate 65 and U.S. 30, Merrillville, Ind.; (219) 769-6600 or (773) 734-7266. Lineup is: Clay Aiken with an orchestra, Saturday; Styx, Dec. 28; Omarion, Mario and Trey Songz, Dec. 29.

• Clayigraphy celebrates the twelve days of Christmas in Clay Aiken style... this is so cute!
• Carolina On My Mind - Clay Aiken winding down his 2007 Holiday tour -

  A packed concert hall and appreciative audiences greeted Clay Aiken & Co. for back-to-back performances of the Christmas in the Heartland show in Minneapolis, MN, Wednesday and Thursday.
  
  Present both nights at Orchestra Hall was Faye Parker, Clay's mother, who reportedly was in the area not only to attend her son's 2007 holiday concert, but also to complete holiday shopping at the famous Mall of America, the nation's largest retail and entertainment complex. Jaymes Foster-Levy, the singer's executive producer, joined Ms. Parker for Thursday's performance.
  
  Remaining tour concerts -- Omaha, NE, Slosburg Hall/Orpheum Theater, Friday, 8 p.m. CST, and Merrillville, IN, Star Plaza Theatre, Saturday, 8 p.m. CST -- are being promoted in area media. Excerpts are provided here, but the entire articles can be read via the accompanying links.
  

Minneapolis St. Paul Star Tribune Interview Reveals Clay's Christmas and Post-Christmas Plans

Clay will be playing two concerts in the twin cities, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, next week and the Minneapolis St. Paul Star Tribune has published a pre-concert interview for the two shows.

This is probably one of the most insightful interviews I've read recently, with Clay talking about his UNICEF trip to Mexico, his Christmas plans, how he got his new role in "Spamalot" and his close friendship with Ruben Studdard.

Clay Aiken is performing two holiday shows with the Minnesota Orchestra -- and taking his mom to the Mall of America.

Clay Aiken, the most famous "American Idol" runner-up, returns to the Twin Cities this week on his annual Christmas tour. We talked to him about his holiday plans, his Broadway debut in "Spamalot" in January and his "Idol" buddy, Ruben Studdard.

Q Minneapolis is the only city where you are doing two shows. Why are we so lucky?

A We couldn't stuff enough love into one day for Minneapolis. Hee-hee-hee. I really don't know. I don't make the tour; I go where they tell me to go. I like it up there. We're lucky enough to have a day off in Minneapolis on the 18th, and I think my mother's coming up from Raleigh [N.C.] and she's going to be at the Mall of America for the very first time.

Q What are your plans for Christmas?

A My mother and I are going to do a UNICEF trip to Mexico in the aftermath of the flood. I've done UNICEF trips to Uganda, Indonesia and Afghanistan. Possibly my brother, too. We may all spend our family holiday on a UNICEF field visit in Mexico this year. It'll be the first time that we've not done the same old thing for the holidays.

Q How did your role as Sir Robin in "Spamalot" on Broadway come about?

A They started asking me last year if I'd consider "Spamalot," and I didn't know anything about it. So I got tickets to see it in November of last year, and I thought this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. We were busy at the time so I didn't have the ability to do anything with them. So they asked again this summer, and I went and saw it again and I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen in my life. It's not traditional Broadway at all, which is why I think people enjoy it. That's why we decided to give it a shot; it's something completely different than anything that I've done or people would expect us to do. We're excited about it

Q When was the last time you talked with Ruben Studdard?

A Last week. We keep in touch quite a bit. He's one of my best friends. Just last night, he did me a favor and performed at the UNICEF Snowflake Ball fundraiser in Los Angeles. I was on tour this year and couldn't perform so I called him up and asked him if he would.

Tidbits 11/21

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

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Western Michigan University -

  American Idol and contemporary music icon Clay Aiken will visit Western Michigan University to perform holiday favorites with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, in Miller Auditorium

• SFist - Jordin Sparks... can she sell CD's?

  Jordin Sparks - Jordin Sparks: Music pleasure? No. Curiosity? Yes. We are definitely curious to see if the latest American Idol can actually sell CD's, concert tickets and continue a career after her four months of fame earlier this year. We think that another season two fiasco is upon us (meaning that the #2 will be more famous than the #1 - Clay Aiken vs. Ruben Studdard). With the recent semi-demise of Kelly Clarkson and yet another (lovely?) country album by Carrie Underwood (bleh!), we wonder about how many seasons do we have to endure of this ridiculous search for the next pop star. We are disenchanted by it all.
  

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Ruben Studdard on Clay & Kimberley Locke -

  In recent weeks, he's had a chance to relive that 2003 season of "Idol" when he and Clay Aiken ended up in the first and second slots. The syndicated "American Idol Rewind" is replaying that season, and stirring up memories of the biggest event of his life.
  
  "I see Clay a lot, I see Kim Locke a lot. Pretty much everybody," he says of that sophomore "Idol" class. "We were the best of friends then, and we're the best of friends now. You have to understand with all of us being from the South. We're pretty much all raised the same, same church-going background. It was really a family."

• Associated Press - Birthday article for Nov. 30 ... "Singer Clay Aiken is 29."

• Nothing here today