To see the full calendar, go to CDD's page at Google Calendar:
A full list of upcoming events is also available at the CDD Claytracker.
Note: CDD does not necessarily endorse or subscribe to the editorial opinions of these websites/blogs.
Thanks to PatinVa from The Clayboard!
I was just watchin Shop Til You Drop. The category was "Aiken Breakn' Heart" The contestants had to tell if the information given was about Clay Aiken or Billy Ray Cirus. I thought that was way to cool.
WESTBROOK - Iraqi children can't use crayons in school.
Advertisement
They couldn't under Saddam and they can't now. The schools don't have air conditioning and the crayons melt.
That's one thing second-grade teacher Maureen Ramistella learned when she started an Operation Iraqi Children program at her school.
"The most interesting thing was that we had to send colored pencils," said Ramistella, who teaches at Daisy Ingraham School.
Ramistella has never visited Iraq. She doesn't consider herself very political. But when she heard about Operation Iraqi Children - a nationwide drive to send pencils, paper, notebooks and other supplies to Iraq's ramshackle schools - she jumped at the chance to help.
In mid-October, Ramistella and computer teacher Kimberly Godfrey officially launched the drive at Ingraham, soliciting donations from all grade levels. As daily fighting continues in Iraq, approximately 70 school supply kits from Ingraham will join the packages flooding in.
"I don't think this really has anything to do with war," Ramistella says. "This has to do with helping kids. I don't know how conditions have changed for Iraqi schoolchildren, but I know they're not good right now, so we need to help."
Earlier this year, actor Gary Sinise and Laura Hillenbrand, the author of "Seabiscuit," founded Operation Iraqi Children to benefit schools in the war-torn country. Since then, groups as varied as Federal Express, the Atlanta Hawks and the Clay Aiken Fan Club have joined to contribute supplies. Next to the computer room at Ingraham, a bulletin board shows Iraqi students smiling as they open their first-ever school kits.
Despite the few high-profile donors, most the charity's support has come from community groups. Ramistella first heard of the program at All Saints Church in Ivoryton, where the Sunday school had started an Iraqi drive. "I thought it would be a good idea for my classroom," she says. "Then I brought it up at an advisory meeting and everyone liked it, so we decided to do it for the whole school. We always like to do things for veterans."
The veterans, in this case, are not men and women in uniform, but rather boys and girls who have spent their lives in - as the Operation Iraqi Children Web site puts it - "sweltering one-room buildings without air conditioning, fans, windows, solid floors, or even toilets." During the 12 years of international sanctions after the Gulf War, schools throughout Iraq crumbled and lost nearly all supplies. By the time of the invasion in March 2003, most schools lacked even blackboards and books.
So Ingraham, along with other participating schools across the U.S., has been busy the last two weeks gathering and packaging supplies for Iraq's tiny classrooms. Ramistella and Godfrey assigned different items to each grade level - pencils and erasers from kindergarten, composition books from third, and so on - and requested donations of $3 to $5 from all students' families.
By the time the drive ended on Oct. 25, the school had netted about $150, which will go to purchasing additional materials. Once the packages are complete, the school will ship them to the Operation Iraqi Children headquarters in Kansas City, which in turn will distribute them to troops.
In introducing the drive to their students, the teachers tried to downplay politics. "I didn't get into the war aspect at all," says Godfrey, who works with all grades in her computer classes. "I just said there are children in Iraq who aren't as lucky as we are to have school supplies, and our soldiers are there helping them." Ramistella found that she didn't need to explain the war situation at all. "It's been so long in the news now that they're used to it," she says. "I got a lot of sympathetic looks."
©Pictorial Gazette 2004
Pollstar tracks concert info! Clay came in #32 thanks to the many fans who have searched for his name!
Clay is the most searched Artist on Lycos this week, placing him at the top of the Lycos50.
Source: Lycos/Yahoo
From his blog:
DON'T BE A SUCKER
Posted 4:51 p.m. ETHey, kids! Forget waiting in line with those boring adults, now you can text-message your vote! Just pick up your cellphone and text us! For George W. Bush, text 555-8700For John Kerry, text 555-4356For Clay Aiken, text 555-9898To send a booty call to Bill O'Reilly, text "I want ur falafel lol"
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 - "Take a chance," Kelly Clarkson sings on her new hit single, "Breakaway." "Make a change and break away."
But her managers, along with many others who have a stake in the careers of former "American Idol" stars like Ms. Clarkson, are not so sure that is a good idea. And as a flood of their albums arrive in stores for the holidays over the next few weeks, the singers are wrestling with how closely to link themselves with the show that made them famous.
Starting Nov. 16, the RCA Music Group will deliver five new CD's from former "Idol" finalists, including Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and the most recent winner, Fantasia Barrino. The glut will again pit the singers against one another, jockeying not for praise from Paula Abdul or Simon Cowell but for limited slots on radio stations and television.
Appealing directly to the show's huge audience could stoke sales during a season already thick with offerings from established stars like Eminem, U2, Gwen Stefani and Destiny's Child.
But it could also hinder the former contestants' efforts to establish themselves as recording artists with distinctive personalities and the legitimacy needed for long careers.
It is a particularly nettlesome issue for the stars of the show's first two seasons - Ms. Clarkson, Mr. Studdard and Mr. Aiken - who are releasing albums without the hype of a just-finished television victory behind them.
"We're venturing into brand-new territory here," said Tom Ennis, a senior executive at 19 Entertainment, which is the creator and a producer of "American Idol" and manages the careers of Ms. Clarkson and Ms. Barrino.
Mr. Ennis said he worries that there could be a logjam of "Idol" stars trying to land, for example, spots on the same late-night talk shows. But he insisted that the artists should still play up their ties to the show, especially if it means appearing in front of more viewers. Ms. Clarkson, Mr. Studdard and Ms. Barrino all are scheduled to appear on an "Idol" holiday special on Fox, to be broadcast on Nov. 24. But Mr. Aiken, who finished as the runner-up in the second season and whose debut album has sold more than those of Ms. Clarkson and Mr. Studdard, is not taking part. Instead, he will have his own holiday television special, Dec. 8 on NBC. Representatives for Mr. Aiken, who has broken from 19's management division, said he was interested in standing apart from the show and would not comment for this article.
"Idol" has continued to draw a large audience, with little sign of weakening. The show drew an average of 25 million viewers a week in its third season, making it the most-watched show on television.
Clive Davis, the music impresario and record executive who oversaw the new albums, said the artists could survive only if they receded from the show's glare. "We're not having an 'American Idol' marketing campaign," Mr. Davis said. He credited the show with energizing the pop field, but said, "I'm not interested in merely souvenir sales."
The release of so many albums in such a short period of time stems partly from a collision of agendas. In Ms. Clarkson's case, RCA executives are releasing her CD to try to ride the wave of holiday sales and to capitalize on the popularity of her hit "Breakaway," from the "Princess Diaries 2" soundtrack. Mr. Aiken, for his part, was pressed by the label to record a Christmas album. And more generally, RCA has made a habit of releasing albums by the most recent season's finalists at about this time, before viewers have a chance to forget them.
For many in the music business, "Idol" is the starkest example of how marketing concepts seem to have trumped art. Some analysts have said the show's appeal stems more from the drama of competition and the judges' critiques than it does from the music.
Indeed, most of the albums from past contestants stalled on the Billboard album chart, including one by the first season runner-up, Justin Guarini, whose debut sold 140,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. RCA has since dropped him.
Meanwhile, "Idol" spinoffs, including a television series for younger contestants called "American Juniors," have flopped with viewers. On the whole, however, many music executives continue to have faith in the power of television to sell music.
Sony BMG Music Entertainment, RCA's corporate parent, struck a deal with Mr. Cowell, in which the company and Mr. Cowell will jointly own his new talent-search show, "X Factor."
In their debuts, each of the best-known "Idol'' contestants outsold bigger names. Ms. Clarkson's first album has sold an estimated 2 million copies, Mr. Studdard's about 1.7 million and Mr. Aiken's about 2.6 million.
Mr. Davis estimated that the show's audience accounts for a base of only about 500,000 copies for the top contenders. Success beyond that, particularly for the artists who are releasing their sophomore CD's, hinges more on whether their music connects with a general audience.
Mr. Studdard, who won the second season in a close contest with Mr. Aiken, said he was not rushing to step away from the show. "I know I wouldn't be where I am without it," he said. The crowd of coming releases simply "means we get a chance to saturate the music marketplace with good wholesome music," he added.
Perhaps the biggest test of the show's continuing clout will be the sales performance of the most recent season's winner, Ms. Barrino, and runner-up, Diana DeGarmo. In keeping with an "Idol'' custom, they both released debut singles in June, but neither measured up to the previous seasons' stars, whose singles rose to No. 1 on Billboard magazine's singles chart.
Rick Krim, executive vice president of music and talent for cable channel VH1, said: "I don't think it's going to be the phenomenon of when Kelly came out or when Ruben and Clay came out at the same time. I don't quite feel it this time."
For her part, Ms. Clarkson said label executives and her handlers have spent too much energy hand-wringing over the shadow cast by the show. "Every time I go into a meeting, it's hilarious,'' she said. "They're like, 'This is what breaks you away from "American Idol." ' " First, she said, the apron strings were supposed to have been cut with the success of the debut song from her first album, then with a follow-up song and now with her current hit. "The only people thinking of it are y'all," she said she recalled telling her associates. "It doesn't matter how you got in the business. It matters how you stay."
'Idol' Winners Try Stretching Out Their Fame
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 - "Take a chance," Kelly Clarkson sings on her new hit single, "Breakaway." "Make a change and break away."
But her managers, along with many others who have a stake in the careers of former "American Idol" stars like Ms. Clarkson, are not so sure that is a good idea. And as a flood of their albums arrive in stores for the holidays over the next few weeks, the singers are wrestling with how closely to link themselves with the show that made them famous.
Starting Nov. 16, the RCA Music Group will deliver five new CD's from former "Idol" finalists, including Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and the most recent winner, Fantasia Barrino. The glut will again pit the singers against one another, jockeying not for praise from Paula Abdul or Simon Cowell but for limited slots on radio stations and television.
Appealing directly to the show's huge audience could stoke sales during a season already thick with offerings from established stars like Eminem, U2, Gwen Stefani and Destiny's Child.
But it could also hinder the former contestants' efforts to establish themselves as recording artists with distinctive personalities and the legitimacy needed for long careers.
It is a particularly nettlesome issue for the stars of the show's first two seasons - Ms. Clarkson, Mr. Studdard and Mr. Aiken - who are releasing albums without the hype of a just-finished television victory behind them.
"We're venturing into brand-new territory here," said Tom Ennis, a senior executive at 19 Entertainment, which is the creator and a producer of "American Idol" and manages the careers of Ms. Clarkson and Ms. Barrino.
Mr. Ennis said he worries that there could be a logjam of "Idol" stars trying to land, for example, spots on the same late-night talk shows. But he insisted that the artists should still play up their ties to the show, especially if it means appearing in front of more viewers. Ms. Clarkson, Mr. Studdard and Ms. Barrino all are scheduled to appear on an "Idol" holiday special on Fox, to be broadcast on Nov. 24. But Mr. Aiken, who finished as the runner-up in the second season and whose debut album has sold more than those of Ms. Clarkson and Mr. Studdard, is not taking part. Instead, he will have his own holiday television special, Dec. 8 on NBC. Representatives for Mr. Aiken, who has broken from 19's management division, said he was interested in standing apart from the show and would not comment for this article.
"Idol" has continued to draw a large audience, with little sign of weakening. The show drew an average of 25 million viewers a week in its third season, making it the most-watched show on television.
Clive Davis, the music impresario and record executive who oversaw the new albums, said the artists could survive only if they receded from the show's glare. "We're not having an 'American Idol' marketing campaign," Mr. Davis said. He credited the show with energizing the pop field, but said, "I'm not interested in merely souvenir sales."
The release of so many albums in such a short period of time stems partly from a collision of agendas. In Ms. Clarkson's case, RCA executives are releasing her CD to try to ride the wave of holiday sales and to capitalize on the popularity of her hit "Breakaway," from the "Princess Diaries 2" soundtrack. Mr. Aiken, for his part, was pressed by the label to record a Christmas album. And more generally, RCA has made a habit of releasing albums by the most recent season's finalists at about this time, before viewers have a chance to forget them.
For many in the music business, "Idol" is the starkest example of how marketing concepts seem to have trumped art. Some analysts have said the show's appeal stems more from the drama of competition and the judges' critiques than it does from the music.
Indeed, most of the albums from past contestants stalled on the Billboard album chart, including one by the first season runner-up, Justin Guarini, whose debut sold 140,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. RCA has since dropped him.
Arts, Briefly
By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
Published: November 1, 2004
Idol' Worship
If television shows like "American Idol" define American culture as much as fast food and God-fearing politicians, then it is only fitting that the academy has taken notice. Starting in January, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte will offer a course called "Examining 'American Idol' Through Music Critique." The course consists of watching "American Idol" twice a week and deciding what factors are important in music and music performance, said Jay Grymes, the assistant professor of music at the university who created the course. The class will decide who should continue on the show, who should be voted off and who was voted off and should not have been. The students will also consider how much factors like appearance, charisma and talent count, he said. It should be noted that Clay Aiken, above right, a special-education major who graduated from the university in 2003, was an "American Idol" runner-up. FELICIA R. LEE
SCAN HERE
Iatria's hands-on growth
Spa plots expansion as workers, kids alike seek relief from stress
Kim Nilsen
RALEIGH - Iatria Day Spa is massaging its business plan to clear the way for a major expansion.
The 50-employee company wants to import spa services from its north Raleigh locations to other areas of the Triangle.
President Erika Mangrum says Iatria could spawn one to two additional locations in 2005. On Oct. 13, Mangrum's lawyers staked out the business names Iatria Downtown Raleigh and Iatria Cary.
Mangrum says the search for spa space started about six months ago but has yet to result in any leases. "We feel like we're pretty close," she says.
Iatria's flagship Creedmoor Road location sees about 150 customers a day for primping and pampering that ranges from European facials to teeth whitening to foot reflexology. The client list includes pop singer Clay Aiken, who books time on the Iatria massage table when he's in town.
Its smaller spa at the Wakefield Crossing shopping center sees about 50 people a day. A typical client spends $100, Mangrum says, but services range from less than $20 to $375.
Mangrum says the north Raleigh locations might be too far a commute for some potential clients. She says the company has scouted for sites in Durham, Chapel Hill and the Research Triangle Park area. Expansion could come with managers from inside the company taking operator/part owner roles, she says. In October, she changed the Iatria Inc. name to HFM Spa Management.
Down the road, expansion rounds might come through alliances with chiropractors or plastic surgeons wanting to offer spa services, Mangrum says. She's also open to talking with spa veterans looking for an ownership stake or people with management experience hoping to segue into a new industry.
Some industry observers say rising stress levels and a spread of more affordable day spas combined to push the business into the mainstream this year. The industry rang up $5.6 billion in sales in 2003, says Melinda Minton, an author, consultant and the executive director of The Spa Association.
Spa offerings are on the rise in North Carolina. On Nov. 5, Synergy Spa will open at the Shoppes of Glenwood Village at Glenwood Avenue and Oberlin Road.
The number of licensed massage therapists and bodyworkers has climbed 386 percent since 1999 to some 5,077, according to the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy.
Iatria's clients include teens sent by their parents to have the stress of exams melted away by a massage therapist. Iatria keeps open corporate accounts for more than a dozen large businesses that host meetings at the spa or send valued customers and employees in for pampering.
The demand for "medical spas" offering traditional and plastic surgery services has risen. North Raleigh's Blue Water Spa, the offspring of cosmetic surgeon Michael Law and his wife, spa veteran Kile Law, performed about 7,400 procedures in its first nine months in 2003.
Iatria leases space at its spas to plastic surgeon Adam Stein and in 2001 helped contractor Angela Baylis spin her chiropractic practice out as a separate business that rents space and the company name for her Iatria Health Center.
Demand at Iatria is up from a handful of clients a day in October 1999, when Mangrum left her job as a marketing executive with Bell & Howell to start her own company.
Matt Metzger posts one of his fan's Yahoo group..and he just sent an email out. Here is the part about Clay's book.
"Also, my friend Clay Aiken has a new book coming out this month.
It's called Learning to Sing...it's a memoir kind of book where he
pretty much gives you a picture of how he got to where he is and who influenced him along the way. It's actually a really vulnerable
life story and I definitely recommend it!"
From the Triangle Business Journal dated Oct. 29, 2004:
Downtown Raleigh Alliance has a high-profile pitch man for its latest promotional piece. In a video aimed at developers and companies considering downtown Raleigh, crooner Clay Aiken delivers a positive message about his hometown downtown.
Aiken recorded the message while in Raleigh for two concerts at the State Fair. The video should debut in December, just not on MTV.
Punjab.com
Penny Lane Project Raises Over $20 000 for Bubel/Aiken Foundation
Publish Date : 10/31/2004 1:11:00 PM
Source : Business News Only
punjab.com
Fans of RCA Recording Artist Clay Aiken brought spare change to over 45 pre-concert gatherings across the USA during Aiken's first solo tour as part of a grass-root fundraiser.
The Penny Lane Project encourages people of all ages and abilities to make change count for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, a foundation whose mission is to integrate individuals with disabilities into the life environment of those without. The change was collected, counted, and rolled by an extensive team of volunteers. The first campaign of the Penny Lane Project wrapped up on October 18th, 2004 in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a presentation made by Kelly Bond, the project originator, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Diane Bubel of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation. Bubel's autistic son Mike was taught by Aiken prior to Aiken's stint on American Idol. It was Bubel that encouraged Aiken to try out for the FOX Television show after hearing him sing around the house. In gratitude, Aiken co-founded the foundation with the Bubel family. Bond presented Bubel with donations totaling $20248.61 USD.
The project will continue throughout the winter as devout fans celebrate Aiken's upcoming CD ‘Merry Christmas With Love’ and his inspirational book “Learning to Sing-Hearing the Music in Your Life” both to be released on November 16th, 2004.
The tradition amongst Clay fans is to gather at these events, celebrate their love and admiration for Aiken and continue to help raise funds for his foundation.
Along with the donations, Bond presented Bubel with a solitary penny and the words: "this penny is a reminder to each one of us that the very smallest of ideas, the tiniest of dreams, and each individual is of great value to this world. How great it is when we combine our pennies…when we work together as a family…that single penny can break down doors, and can bring a child the world.”
The mission of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is to provide services and financial assistance to facilitate fully the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of those without. The Foundation will create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the possibilities inclusion can bring.
Through collaborations with the disability, education, entertainment, and media communities, the Foundation will recognize those whose commitment to breaking the stereotypes attendant to the developmentally disabled has broken barriers and extended the boundaries of the human experience for all.
From the CB:
Talking about celebrities' reactions to Ashlee Simpson--they showed 8 or 10 female celebrities and Amy Poeler mentioned each's reaction to Ashlee. She then showed Clay's photo, and she said that Clay said "OMG, I can't look!"
From the CB:
In the Nov 9th issue! Toward the back in the "Celebreties you might see" section. It's for Atlanta, GA. He's 1 of 3 listed among Julia Roberts and Elton John. I'd say they lumped him with some 'heavies' - he's one himself now!
From the CB:
In the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly (dated November 5th, and with Elton John on the cover), there's an interview of Charlene Tilton (Dallas). The last question was:
"Are you hooked on any current shows?" Her answer:
"American Idol! I vote until those phone lines close. When Clay and Ruben were up, my answering machine said, "Clay! Clay! All the way! Don't forget to vote!"
This brought a big smile on my face.
This is probably refering to the unconfirmed DVD that is supposed to come out that day. In addition, the original source, MusicTap.net has said that Sony-BMG (owns RCA)provided them the info.
From clayandwater from the Clayboard:
Family Christian Bookstore.
I saw it listed as a choice on their pre-listen station. And no I didn't listen. How cool is that?
Who's marketing idea? RCA or The Firm
Great move either way.
