Tidbits 11/17

• UNICEF is lighting up the UNICEF Snowflake today in New York City... see About.com's gallery of last year's lighting, headed by Clay.
  
• Christmas, Christmas, Christmas! The best Clay time of the year ... check out all these mentions:
• Huntington News - radio station switching to Christmas format -

  Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis will be joined by artists like the Eagles, Whitney Houston, Amy Grant, John Lennon, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Clay Aiken, and many other favorite artists of yesterday and today, Miller said.
  

• Wisconsin State Journal - mobile TV control room used to tape Clay's "Holiday Celebrations on Ice" last week -

  One of his trucks recently was in Las Vegas to record the Capital One Holiday Celebration on Ice featuring Clay Aiken. The show will air nationally on Christmas on NBC.

• Wichita Eagle - Christmas tour mention
• HitSearch - People Magazine names sexiest men ... no men from Lycos50 makes list -

  Matt Damon was named the “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine. His buddies, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, campaigned for him to earn the title for years. Other inclusions on this year’s list of sexy men include Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Adrian Grenier, and Patrick Dempsey. No boys from the Lycos 50 made it this year - sorry, Clay Aiken fans.

• E! Online - "most passionate fans" -

  Who are the most rabid, most passionate, most loyal fans in Hollywood? Is it the Trekkies? Claymates? Brangelina followers?
  —Abby, Seattle
  
  The B!tch Replies: Depends on what you mean by most rabid. If you mean cougaring around on the Internet for any scrap of information about a not-gay crooner who knows his way around a flat iron, then the Claymates have that arena bagged and tagged. And yes, I just turned cougar into a verb.

• Variety - winner of FOX's "On The Lot" inks movie deal ...

  "But I'm glad I didn't walk out of there with Clay Aiken fame. I can go to Disneyland with my family and have a somewhat normal day."

• Newsweek - this sounds too familiar -

  Last week, the "ER" star was asleep on a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles when a female passenger shook him, shouted at him, hit him and, when he went to the bathroom, swiped his seat—in first class! Is nothing sacred? Stamos didn't press charges, though the FBI did come in to investigate. They haven't seen a case this odd since Clay Aiken got into a midflight fight when he put his foot on another passenger's armrest.
  

• Nothing here yet
  

Clay's UNICEF Page Updated To Include Afghanistan Trip

We've all been to Clay's UNICEF webpage many times. The next time you head over there, you'll be able to see his new updated page. Check out the new information that has been added over the past few months:

In April 2007, Clay visited Afghanistan and launched the "$100,000 in 10 Days" campaign to support UNICEF's lifesaving programs in the country.

In early 2007, Clay participated in UNICEF UpClose, an awareness-building campaign powered by Yahoo! Answers. The UpClose program is a new forum for discussing the challenges facing the world's most vulnerable children. He asked: "UNICEF is working for the survival of children worldwide. What can we do to get more Americans committed to the cause?"

In November 2006, Clay lit the UNICEF Snowflake for the 2006 holiday season. The UNICEF Snowflake is a dazzling crystal ornament which graces the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York City during the holiday season as a beacon of hope, peace and compassion for vulnerable children around the world.

Note that this page has a link to the "$100,000 in 10 Days" campaign for Afghanistan.

You can also scroll down a little further and see the "claymate" name mentioned concerning our successful efforts in raising $70,000 for the work in Lebanon. Can we be this successful in the current challenge to raise money for the children of Afghanistan? Clay fans have always risen to the occasion.

Check out Clay's web page and maybe send him a note letting him know how proud we are of him and that he has our full support in this endeavor.

Video of The UNICEF Snowflake Lightings Now At UNICEF Website

We've already seen many wonderful pictures of Clay at the UNICEF Snowflake Lightings from last December. Now UNICEF's website has a video with just over 10 glorious seconds of Clay as he counts down to the lighting of the snowflake. Also, a picture of Clay with the 2006 Pier1/UNICEF/Weekly Reader Greeting Card Contest winners is at the same site.

It makes me proud of Clay once again to see him as Ambassador Clay Aiken for UNICEF. I know it will make each of you proud as well!

UNICEF Snowflake Lighting Videos Up @ UNICEF Website

Albeit later... as promised to us, UNICEF has put up a clip of Clay lighting the UNICEF Snowflake in New York City this past November. Although you will undoubtably have seen most of the footage courtesy our wonderful clack gatherers, give this video a few hits please!

- Watch the clip at UNICEFUSA.org