AD: Good Morning America 12/9

Clay Visiting Boston School Today

As announced by UNICEF back in September, Clay will be visiting the Learning Project Elementary School in Boston today. The school raised the most funds for this year's 2005 UNICEF Trick or Treat campaign, which Clay spearheaded as its designated spokesman.

From Boston.com:

''American Idol" star Clay Aiken, who serves as an ambassador for the relief agency UNICEF, will be visiting kids at the Learning Project Elementary School in the Back Bay today to congratulate them for raising a whole lot of dough for the 2005 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program. (Aiken's the national spokesman for the program.) How much you want to bet that a bunch of Clay Maniacs -- as Aiken's fans call themselves -- will show up?

Shine Featured on Korean TV Show

Shine, off Measure Of A Man was featured on a South Korean TV Show, reports Bloomingclay. Video is up at Vivavoce and YouSendIt.

It's a new TV show called 'Rainbow Romance' which started recently in Korea.Though I don't watch the show,many teenagers seem to watch the show.

Anyway,one of members of our club told us that she watched the show and heard Clay's music as background music! So we searched,downloaded 40 minute long video clip and extracted about 20 second clips(ain't that pitiful? )


It is really a short clip and the story is not relevant to the song at all(it was just used as background music),but it is still cool so I upload it.

ET Newslink Features JNT

As expected, Clay appeared on last night's Entertainment Tonight. The Clay segment, taped last Friday in New York, was only about 30 seconds long and appeared with the show's daily 'Newslink' section. Video is up at the usual places, including Vivavoce and MOAF's media gallery.

Transcript by CDD
Do not post anywhere without giving credit to cdd.blogspot.com and clayisouridol.

Entertainment Tonight Transcript Dec. 5

[Clay Aiken sings Sleigh Ride]

Mark Stenis (ET): What's the yuletide without Clay Aiken? The crooner took us backstage on his new tour where Santa-Clay shared some of his favourite holiday memories.

Clay: And the very first present I ever gave my mother after I got off of Idol was to pay her house off for her. Then I bought my brother a car. I don't know how to top that now. Every year, it feels like if I give her a shirt it'll be bad.

--END-- 0:25

Clay Gives Us His Grown Up Christmas List @ GMA

Good Morning America (GMA) taped Clay singing My Grown Up Christmas List and Mary Did You Know yesterday morning in their New York Time Square studios. According to reports, Clay did 2 'subtle' renditions of My Grown Up Christmas List. It was the first time Clay performed that song in public. Both, or one of these performances will be aired on Clay's scheduled appearance on the show on Friday. There is rumor that ABC is saving one of the performances for a special Christmas day, or pre-Christmas edition of GMA. Fan video (taped by bigapple from outside -- GMA didn't let anyone into the studios) is now up at ATCA.

From the CB's HopelessDevoted:

I just got off the phone with nky4clay, solitaire234 and hippoGA. They ran into a group of women from Virginia in the airport who happened to be at GMA this morning. After the show, the producer came out and asked the audience to stick around for a performance by Clay. They have pictures on their camera that they are supposedly going to E mail to the girls. Said he was wearing jeans, sweater and a grey blazer. Said that the girls, Andy and Daniel were there. He sang MDYK...and now get this...they claim he sang "My Grown Up Christmas List"!!!! nky4clay and the girls kept repeating are you sure that was the song he sang and they insisted yes! They said he sang it alone, without the girls as back up and that they were told it would air Christmas day.

Some other tidbits they told them were that the director told them "you can clap if you like" after the song and Clay said "even if you don't like it you can clap"....and then when they stopped clapping after the song he said "who told you to stop" (sounds like our snarky Clay)

I'm alittle disappointed for those who could have gone and didn't know about this but it would make sense for him to tape it today since he was already in the city.

Buble Mentions Clay At Concert

Vocalist Michael Buble mentioned Clay in his PBS Special yesterday. From the CB's ncsupack88:

I just got home and was flipping channels and passed PBS (cuz I
usually don't watch) and saw this cute guy in a black suit so I came back and
realized it was Michael Buble. I had heard back in the summer that he mentioned
Clay during his show. He had apparently just finished the opening number and was
a little sweaty and somebody yelled out "I love You" and he said "I love you too
but tomorrow you'll be saying (in a fangirly high pitched voice) I love Clayyyyy
Aiken!"

Oh and now he does this little number he made up about "they
said no flash photography" and he starts talking and all these flashes goes off
and he's making fun of them and then says "look at you, you're mocking me". Then
he goes over to the band andd says 1, 2, 3, and they all turn to pose for the
cameras. I thought it was kinda funny considering what Clay and his fans have
been going through. So for those that say Clay is the only one that allows
cameras, I guess not.

Clay Mention on Pittsburgh Radio Station

From the CB's OLmass:

I got in my car this morning and turned the radio on to WWSW (3WS) just in time to hear the tail end of Clay singing. I think it was God Rest You Merry Gentlemen although I've never heard it before. As the song ends, the DJ says to his partner, "This is your Clay station," and she agreed. He then said jokingly but not in a derogatory way at all, "We're going to have a Clay weekend."
It was a very positive mention and I'm glad to finally hear it out of the mouth of a male DJ.

Edmonton Sun - Local Radio Station Plays Clay

Taking a 'Shine' to Christmas music
By MIKE JENKINSON, EDMONTON SUN

So when does it start to feel like Christmas for you? I heard some people talking recently that it wouldn't feel like Christmas until there was snow on the ground. Yeah, well, I hope those people are happy. Merry Christmas ... I'm going to the Caribbean, thanks.

Some people don't consider it to really be Christmas until the tree goes up in the living room and the Christmas lights are strung outside.

For me, though, the Christmas season kicked off in earnest last Thursday when my favourite radio station, Shine-FM, moved to its all-Christmas-music format, which will continue through the end of Christmas Day.

Yes, if you set your FM radio dial to 105.9 in Edmonton between now and present-opening time, it's nothing but classic Christmas carols, good old Christmas hymns, and contemporary Christmas music.

This year, I couldn't wait for the all-Christmas format to start. And I'm sure I'll been minorly depressed again when it's over.

But what do listeners think?

"You know what? There are always going to be a few people who will call up saying 'I can't believe you're playing Christmas music so early!' But if we didn't play it until the 15th (of December) we'd have more calls saying, 'How come you're not playing Christmas music non-stop?' " says Shine FM music director Hunt with a laugh. "But the majority of the reaction is positive."

Hunt says moving to an all-Christmas-music format for almost a month seemed like the natural thing to do for a radio station that plays only contemporary Christian music. "We like to think we have Christmas music 24/7 really," he says. "The majority of what we play is about Christ.

This Christmas season, Shine-FM has about 450 songs in rotation, which is about 160 more than last year. The station has also added a few artists that don't normally make the playlist, such as James Taylor and Clay Aiken, in addition to their regular roster of artists that ranges from Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant to Reliant K and Kutless.

But Hunt says the station is very selective when it comes to adding mainstream artists to their Christmas music roster, saying, "We make sure the song is what we consider to be a Christian Christmas song."

Needless to say, going to the all-Christmas format, even for a month, is quite the undertaking, says Hunt. "It's intense ... non-stop Christmas music," he says. I laugh, suggesting to him that might not the best way to sell listeners on the temporary format change - "intense non-stop Christmas music!" like it was some kind of monster truck show.

That said, he noted to me that there's a radio station in Detroit that's been playing nothing but Christmas music since November 1! "They're running TV spots - all Christmas, all the time," he says. "I don't think I could push myself to listen (to just Christmas music) for two straight months."

Maybe not. But I'll happily take 25 days of it on Shine-FM.

Heartwarming Story from the Road

This was posted by the CB's ButterflyShine. Have your kleenex box handy.

I was talking to Moulka, William Joseph's security guard after the concert. He had returned from putting William into a car, William has to be at 5:00 for the Early Show.

After giving him many compliments on how great i and others think that William is and his telling us how genuinely nice William is, i asked him if he had a Clay story he could share with me.

He said that he had a wonderful story about Clay. The day before Thanksgiving Moulka's brother died. Moulka couldn't afford to fly home to Washington State. Clay found out and purchased Moulka a ticket. Moulka said that although he and Clay say hi and he tells Clay great show, he didn't think that Clay had much awareness about him and Clay proved him wrong. He said Clay is a genuinely nice guy. I asked Moulka if i could share this story and he told me i could.

I loved tonight's concert, Clay was snarky, and playful. The Aiken Random Lyric Generator was in full force and effect and Clay admitted during intros that he messed-up the lyrics to three songs. He sang some of DSIAFC looking right at me...thud...but this story, despite loving the concert to pieces, was the highlight of my evening. I hope it warms your heart as much as it did mine.

12/9 Update. William Joseph has confirmed this story with this post on his message board:

Hello my friends,

Yes the story is true. Clay did fly Maka home and has taken great care of us. It's great to work with great people!!

William Joseph

FOX "Dear Santa" Press Release

Clay appears on FOX's Christmas-reality special, Dear Santa, this Friday at 9 PM. FOX issued this press release today.

LET IT SNOW!! A BLIZZARD OF HOLIDAY TREATS HITS FOX THIS DECEMBER
Released by FOX

"All I Want for Christmas" becomes a reality on the brand-new, original special DEAR SANTA, premiering Friday, Dec. 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The unscripted holiday hour features heartwarming stories of children whose letters to Santa will be answered. The U.S. Postal Service teams up with Hilary Duff, Clay Aiken and Raven Symone to share the kids' dramatic stories and to fulfill their holiday wishes, including those of a girl who wants to make the holidays special for needy children, a young boy who dreams of a safe place to skate, a little girl who hopes her dad will come home for the holidays from his military duties abroad and a girl who wants to further her education.

Interview with Boston Globe

New interview with the Boston Globe. Cute!

A very Aiken Christmas
December 5, 2005

Clay Aiken, guardian angel? The ''American Idol" runner-up has cast himself in a Michael Landon-esque role in his holiday tour, which arrives at the Orpheum tomorrow night. In between crooning ''O Holy Night" and ''Jingle Bells," he helps a widow find some Christmas spirit in the pageant-cum-pop-concert. If Aiken was a true angel, however, he would be helping Justin Guarini. Maybe next year. This year the infamously nice Aiken was happy to phone us from Pittsburgh and chat about the current production.

Q: I was reading a little bit about the show, and it sounds a little dark. There's a widow who's depressed on Christmas, and a neglected kid who wanders in on her. Am I getting this right?

A: You're getting it right, but you're looking at it in a dark way. I would not see it as dark at all. I think it's a very classic Christmas-type tale. If you think about it, most Christmas shows start with someone who doesn't have the Christmas spirit, and then they gain it by the end of the show. Are you coming to see it?

Q: I'm not sure. I think that's the night I'm mulling cider.

A: I think you should see it, because it's not very dark at all. It starts out gloomily. Hmm. That's interesting. I'm going to have to watch it tonight and see if it looks that way.

Q: You sound like a really nice, polite guy . . .

A: [giggles]

Q: . . . I'm wondering if you've ever been tempted to call Ruben Studdard and say, ''I may have come in second place, but I'm starring in TV specials with Barry Manilow and playing stadiums, and you're playing the grand opening of the Burger King in Anaheim"?

A: Ohhhh. Wait a minute. No, no, no. I'm proud of both of us. There's no way. If I said that, you know what would happen the next week? I'd start singing at grand openings for Burger King. We've each had our own successes in different ways. I think Ruben is thrilled with what he's doing. He's working on his next album. It's interesting -- a lot of times people assume that I've done better. But he's had better radio play than I have by far. It's all a matter of perception.

Q: You were on the cover of a Christian magazine last year talking about being a God-fearing pop star, but I was on your website and found that you're selling Clay Aiken thongs for 10 bucks a pop. Where does that fit into being a good Christian pop star?

A: First of all, do you think that Christians don't wear underwear? Of course they do!

Q: A thong is a bit more skimpy than underwear.

A: We started that because when I was on the ''American Idol" tour we had a lot of people that for some reason wanted to throw underwear at me on stage. So we decided as a joke a few tours back to sell underwear. They sold so well that we had to keep selling them. The religious right is very vocal in their opinions, and no one seems to have a problem with it. I have a very religious family, and they're not concerned about it at all. Because you know what? People who love God wear underwear also.

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

Aiken 'Fulfilling Wishes' On CBS Early Show

Clay helped the CBS Early Show collect toys for needy children earlier this morning as he dropped by for special performances on the morning show. Recaps, pictures, video links for the Early Show can be found here.

Bundchen, Aiken Fulfill Wishes
NEW YORK, Nov. and Dec., 2005

(CBS) This season, The Early Show, Walmart.com and United Way are teaming up in a unique effort to brighten the holidays of children whose lives were impacted by three recent hurricanes, Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

The Early Show is devoting weather segments twice a day to collecting Christmas toys for those youngsters.

On Monday, Dec. 5, supermodel Gisele Bundchen and Clay Aiken took part. Both also appeared in their own segments on the show.

Bundchen donated a karaoke machine, revealing she's a big karaoke fan, though she doesn't sound as good as Aiken!

He gave an assortment of toy trucks.

Salt Lake City's FM100 Features Clay on Webpage

Salt Lake City's FM100, which has adopted a 100% Christmas playlist for December, prominently features Clay on it's homepage!

Clay Appears on CBS Early Show

Clay appeared this morning on CBS's Early Show. He sang Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and a part of Mary Did You Know. Clay also appeared outside with supermodel Giesel Bundchen to take part in CBS' toy drive. At the end of the show the anchors gushed over Clay's voice and Clay gave a shout out to his 'mama'. Video is now up at ATCA (look in the Videos>JNT>TV Promotions area), pax-et-animo's VIVAVOICE site (if you have access to that site) and also at CBSNews.com. CBS has also posted fantastic photos shot by a CBS News photographer. To access the CBS photos, click on this link and enter the event code "637A".

From the CB:

Clay comes up around 8:00 a.m with the weather man. Then they came back in the middle of the commercial break at around 8:30 a.m and they showed him in the middle of singing "Mary Did You Know" (it was a teaser to say he will be performing during a later segment). Then around 8:43 a.m Renee did an interview of Clay, then he sang HYAMLC. After he sang HYAMLC they went to commercial break.Then after about 2 minutes, they came back and talked to Clay briefly. He was still sitting on the stool he sang on. And Clay gave a shout out to his Mama. Then the show signed off.

Recap from NYC from the CB's Claykitten:

Hey Guys just got back from The Early Show....

I'm still thawing out, it's cold!!!! Hmm..I wish I could sing "Baby it's cold outside" with Clay. LOL Anyway I got a few pics I'm gonna upload them in few mins.

Ok here is my recap:
I got there a bit late but I got there just in time. I think everyone that was there, was there for Clay. It was a good crowd. They handed out posters and markers to make signs but I didn't get one cause I got there late. From there we waited a while and then this lady (I guess director) told us what we had to do when Dave Price the weatherman came out.
After that a bunch of people came and got together near the table with the toys. That's when Clay and Giselle came out from the studio and started talking to Dave Price. Clay was so close, I don't think I've ever seen him so close. He looked so cute , even though he was cold . They stood there for a while preparing for the shot and then this lady came up to Clay (I think she was the one from that picture someone took of Clay with this lady a while back also from the Early show, when he was arriving or something.) Anyway she came up to him and he started whispering something into her ear, actually in both ears, I guess she couldn't hear him or something.

Then after that they went on the air and they finished and then when he was going back into the studio, he went over to some of the fans and gave them his hand. Too bad I didn't go to that side.

Well after that, they told us that he might be back again but like always he didn't. So we all decide to stay and wait to see if he came out to his limo or something. So we waited and waited and waited and froze LOL and waited once more and we even got to see how they opened up in FAO Shwartz (it was cool) So like I said we waited and then some of the bandmates came out, and right behind them came Angela and Quiana (Too bad my camera stopped working, I could've taken a picture with Angela), she stopped to talk to us. She told us that Clay was still inside doing some interviews or something. So we waited a while more, but nothing. Someone came out and told us that Clay had left in van in the garage inside and wasn't going to come . So we all left and that was it.

Hope you like my recap

Recap of the show from CDD Clay News Weekly subscriber Romy:

Recap of Clay's Appearance on the Early Show

Clay Aiken was introduced by Early Show Host Renee on Monday,
December 5, 2005. They chatted a bit about his tour which he said was
almost half over. She mentioned that it has been two and a half years
since AI and during that time he has toured six times. They spoke of
his "Insider" work that he called "very tough." She told him that she
and her husband drove through some snow last night with his Christmas
CD playing. He laughed and said, "Good taste."
Sitting comfortable on a high stool in front of a Christmas
decorated room with a snowy scene window, Clay wore a maroon sweater
over a purple and lilac striped shirt and jeans. It looked like he had
a light stubble on his chin. He told Renee the story of the concert
and how he was a "control freak", so he finally took over the part of
the "sort of guardian angel." He also referred to himself as "the
sound track of the story."
With accompaniment of Andy on guitar, William Joseph on piano and a
bass player, he sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." He sang
softly and gently, along with his signature high notes. Andy had a
small solo during the song with Clay turning around to look at the
musicians. Later at the end of the program, Clay spoke of Christmas
being unusual this year because brother Brett was bringing home some
Marines who were unable to go to their own homes. He had also invited
some of the cast to his home.

Clay's Daily Double's Interview Transcript:
DO NOT POST ANYWHERE WITHOUT GIVING CREDIT TO CDD.BLOGSPOT.COM AND clayisouridol. THANK YOU.

CBS The Early Show Dec. 5 Transcript

CBS OUTDOOR STUDIOS
CBS: Ahh!! The holidays have come early. We have Clay Aiken and Giesel Bundchen. You never know who's going to come to our plaza for our Wishes for Kids toy drive. By the way, we're partnering with Walmart.com and the United Way and Clay Aiken and Giesel are here with gifts yourself. We are so happy. Good morning to both of you.

Giesel: Good morning!

CBS: Alright, so hold on. A lot of people may not know this Giesel, you actually have a kareoke machine - huge kareoke fan.

Giesel: Yes, I am. I don't sound as good as he does (points to Clay). Maybe I should do a song of yours.

CA: (laughs) You can come in and we'll do a duet together.

CBS: You'll like that!

Giesel: I might ruin the song.

CA: (laughs)

CBS: You will never ruin anything, anywhere, anytime.

CA: (shakes head)

Giesel: I think I might ruin the song for him.

CBS: If Clay doesn't want you singing, you can duet with me, for the rest of my life.

CA: (laughs)

CBS: What do you have here?

CA: We have trucks... assortment of trucks for younger kids. We've got a bunch of these things to give away. We'll throw them in the box.

CBS: That is great. How about it everyone? Thank you so much. It's so kind of you to be here and you've really brightened our holiday season. Clay- your music is wonderful and Giesel, you've just enlightened every month of the year.

CA: Well, thank you.

=================================
CBS INDOOR STUDIOS

Renee (CBS): Clay Aiken has been a very busy man lately -- not only is the singing superstar on a whirlwind 36 city concert tour, he also has a holiday CD called Merry Christmas With Love, and it's gone platinum. He's taking a break from his busy schedule to perform for us. He's up early this morning. Clay, good morning, good to see you.

Clay: Good morning, thanks for having us.

R: Let me set the stage... My husband and I are driving home yesterday from being out of town, snow has just dusted the area and we're playing your CD and it's fantastic.

CA: Good taste!

R: Yes, good taste, right. Right?

CA: (laughs)

R: 2 and a half years since American Idol. This is your 6th tour, is that right?

CA: Yeah, we've stayed pretty busy on the road.

R: Yeah, but this one's pretty special to you... why is that?

CA: Uh, I've just always loved the Christmas thing. We did it last year, we did it this year, and we tried to add something new -- a little theatrical stuff and it's been a lot more work.

R: But, you wrote that, right?

CA: Yeah, I'm kind of a control freak. I was going to let someone else do it, then I got overwhelmed and said "if you want something done right, do it yourself."

R: Yeah. What is it about? It's about a young boy who --

CA: It's about an older lady who has lost a Christmas spirit. It's a traditional Christmas story. She's lost her Christmas story and the neighbourhood boy comes in and kind of helps her find it, and I play, in some sense a guardian angel... kind of a soundtrack to the show.

R: I got ya. I, uh, is your choir teacher - your old choir teacher, you cast her as the lady.

CA: And I was writing it, I thought to myself, you know what, I kind of wrote it with her in mind and so we called her up and asked her if she'd be willing to do it. My high school music teacher is the lead in the show.

R: Clay, did I ready somewhere that you were not very nice to her.

CA: No (laughs)

R: And now you're trying to pay her back by giving her a role in your tour?

CA: No, she bossed me around, and now I get to boss her around.

R: Yeah, yeah, right. You having a lot of fun?

CA: You know what, we are having a wonderful time. We're just now about half way through -- a little over half way through.

R: 36 cities -- my god. Alright, so, let's see. What else has been going on in your life? You also did some stuff for The Insider.

CA: Yeah, we had a little bit of fun with that. I got an opportunity to kind of take your role for a minute and see.

R: Yeah... did you like it?

CA: It's tough! I didn't know how to --

R: Really? Is it really?

CA: It's really tough. It was really tough. It's a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I thought, you know, answering questions was hard enough -- having to think of them and ask them yourself is even harder.

R: Yeah, yeah.. OK. let's see now. You live in LA, but you're building a home in --

CA: I'm building a home in Raleigh. I kind of wanted to get back to my roots and a quieter, slower lifestyle. So I'll probably be going back and forth between LA and New York, but I want to make a base.

R: Everybody's good? Your mom's good?

CA: Everybody's good.

R: Your brother is just back from Iraq.

CA: My brother came back from Iraq. We're going to have an interesting Christmas this year. He's got some Marines who i'm sure won't be able to make it home, so they'll be at our house, cause he's close by. We've got people from the tour who'll be staying with us. It's an extended family Christmas.

R: Wow! Alright, so... Your voice is warmed up? You're ready to go?

CA: We'll see.

R: We're all here to hear you sing.

=================================

CBS: Talk about putting people in the mood. That was just flat out beautiful.

CBS2: Where are you going to spend the holidays?

CA: I'll be at home. Our tour stops in Raleigh right before Christmas.

CBS3: And you get to be with your mom. Say hi to her for us.

CA: Hi mama!

EARLY SHOW SIGN OFF

CBS News posted this article today.

Aiken In The Christmas Spirit
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2005
Clay Aiken on The Early Show Monday. (CBS/The Early Show)

(CBS) Clay Aiken's been a very busy man lately.

Not only is he in the middle of a whirlwind 36-city holiday concert tour, he's got a platinum holiday CD called "Merry Christmas With Love."

Aiken stopped by The Early Show Monday to sing a song (video) from the CD, the classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

It's his sixth tour since his second-place finish on the second season of "American Idol."

Aiken tells co-anchor Rene Syler that he's "always loved the Christmas thing. We did it last year, we did it this year, and we tried to add something new and did a little theatrical stuff."

Aiken wrote the script for the Christmas show, the first time he's written a script for any show.

"I'm kind of a control freak," he admits to Syler. "I was going to let someone else do it. Then I got overwhelmed and said, 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.'

"It's about an older lady who's kind of lost the Christmas spirit. It's a traditional story. She's lost the Christmas spirit and a neighborhood boy comes in and helps her find it. I play, in some sense, a guardian angel who's kind of a soundtrack to the show."

And he enticed his high school choir teacher to play the lead.

"She bossed me around and now I'm bossing her around," he jokes.

Aiken's brother just returned from Iraq, and Aiken plans to have him and other Marines, along with other family members and members of the tour troupe, at his Los Angeles home for the holiday. Aiken calls it an extended family Christmas.

(C) MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

New Song "Compromise"

Update 4/27/2006: CDD has re-uploaded the clip to those of you coming here for it! We've been flooded with traffic to this specific post today.

The CH's finyanga has found a new ASCAP listing for Clay! Looks like this new song, Compromise, will appear on Clay's upcoming sophomore album.

Download a snippet (normal left click please; scroll down the page) of the song from an interview with the Raleigh News & Observer, Dec. 18. Courtesy Gerwhisp/Raleigh N&O. (MP3 format)

ASCAP is listing Clay as the performer on a song called "Compromise," written by John Christopher Farren, Benjamin Glover and Matt Bronleewe.

It looks to me as though they may have put this team together at that songwriter hoedown that JFL attended. Farren is a country songwriter. Benjamin Glover is described by allmusic as a contemporary Christian singer with a funk rock edge (although he also wrote "You Were There" for Avalon) and Matt Bronleewe is a member of the CCM group Jars of Clay. Bronleewe co-wrote Kim Locke's "Wrong" which is decidedly pop rather than CCM so you decide whether that's good news (hee) or bad news. *g*

Obviously, it's tempting to extrapolate about the style and direction of the album from these credits, but that's really hard to do, and it's impossible to do well. I'm hoping that the title implies a tale of struggle, rather than a more heavy-handed CCM effort, but it's equally possible that "Compromise" fits in with the theme set by "Back for More" and is a song about how much radio play you get if you pay ClearChannel fifty cents (hee) on the dollar. What?

AD: Camden, NJ

Boston Herald Interview

Aiken making 'Joyful Noise' on holiday tour
By Sarah Rodman/ Music
Monday, December 5, 2005

Central casting could not come up with a better ambassador of holiday cheerthan Clay Aiken.

The jolly "American Idol" runner-up is touring with his second Christmas production, Joyful Noise 2005, which comes to the Orpheum tomorrow.

In addition to singing selections from his 2004 holiday release "Merry Christmas With Love" and carols and hymns, the 27-year-old North Carolinian has penned a script to tie the songs together. Revolving around the theme of Christmas spirit, Aiken's tale is performed by a group of dancers and actor-singers, including his high school choir teacher, Allison Lawrence.

We caught up with the easygoing singer, who hopes to have a new CD in stores early next year, by phone from a Pittsburgh tour stop.

Herald: This summer you were voted the Most Loved Reality Star in a TV Guide poll. How does it compare to appearing in People's "Sexiest Men" issue in 2003?
Aiken: They both make me laugh. They're very flattering. I don't think I've been voted the "Sexiest Man Alive." I was in the book but I was on, like, page 74 so I don't think it counts.

You take criticism and jokes lobbed at you with good humor. Do the ribbings and negative reviews really not bother you?
Obviously, you sure don't love 'em if they're bad. But I've always been taught to try and find the positive in every situation. So at least people are talking instead of not saying anything at all. Obviously, if they were saying all good things I'd be much happier, but it's not going to happen. Those reviewers and those people who want to take potshots and be negative and nasty, they're wasting their time and wasting it with me. How great!

We hear you've turned into a playwright on this tour.
I turned into a control freak, let's be honest. I knew I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do a show that brought all of the elements together. I sat down and started writing an outline, and then went to see if I could get someone to help put together a script and thought, 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.'

You've brought your high school choir teacher on tour with you. So are you guys trashing hotel rooms and going to strip joints?
No. But it's so strange to me. She was the teacher that was very well loved because she was the cool teacher. I still call her Miss Lawrence every once in awhile."
But you're her boss now!
I know, isn't that weird?

Clay Aiken Struck Oil

Brief, positive mention in the Corpus Christi Caller Times' Kelly Clarkson article.

Texan tries to claim her lonestar
Fan favorite Clarkson set for American Bank Center show

By John Powell Metz Caller-Times
December 1, 2005

A former cocktail waitress, Clarkson has enjoyed a level of fame that has eluded her "Idol" contemporaries, though many of them have flourished in smaller niches. Clay Aiken struck oil among the adult-contemporary set, while Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood just debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with her country disc, "Some Hearts." Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and Josh Gracin all have garnered a few hits, too.

Claymania In New York (Post)

The New York Post published this cute article about Claymania in today's paper.

Claymania
'Idol' star's tour buoyed by old ladies
By DEBORAH STARR SEIBEL

DON'T be surprised if you see a lifesized, cardboard cutout of Clay Aiken being toted around the streets of New York this weekend. "American Idol's" most famous runner up is preparing for Sunday's third and final night of the New York leg of his "Joyful Noise" Christmas tour at the Beacon Theater. And his fans, famed for their over-the-top enthusiasm, will be ready to celebrate at the before and after-the-show parties that typically surround Aiken's touring schedule.

In Los Angeles, for example, near the start of the 35-city tour in early November, the cardboard cutout, known as "Flat Clay," stood in the corner of Hollywood's Hamburger Hamlet. As Flat Clay looked on, some four dozen women ages 18-65 enjoyed burgers and party favors that included chocolates wrapped in Aiken's picture. These fans, many of whom met over the internet, leave home -- and often, their home states -- to share All Things Clay before the concerts. Flat Clay, for example, has made appearances on the east coast, the Dakotas, even Hawaii.

"He folds up," explains Zelda Gilbert, 60, from Sherman Oaks, California, the prop's owner.

Gilbert, a psychology professor at Woodbury University in Burbank, is fairly typical of the Aiken fans who put on a show almost as entertaining as Aiken himself when he comes to town. Populating websites such as the Clay Connection, Claydream Believers, the Clack House and the Claymates, these fans could have just bought his records and called it a day. But talk to them, and you get the feeling they think they created him."I'm surprised at myself," says Bar-bara Allen, 64, an interior designer from La Jolla, Ca., "because I've never done this before and I think I'm a little past having mid-life crisis. But I was really unhappy with what I was seeing and hearing in pop culture. In my view, it was not about the music anymore. It was about how sensational they could become, how vulgar, rather than offering a God-given talent."

To Allen and Gilbert, and many more, Aiken's talent has filled a big void, and they're determined to keep the flame alive. Says Gilbert, "It's like being a Deadhead but with clean urine samples."

Clay Mention on ABC's This Week

Clay was mentioned moments ago on ABC's This Week.

From the CB:

Did anyone just hear George Stephanopoulous a few minutes ago on ABC? He said something like "And coming up later...some words for Clay Aiken and Rosemary Clooney from Tony Bennett" - then they showed an upcoming clip from Tony Bennett saying "Years ago, before American Idol there was _____ (something about many other great singers were "American Idols.") I'm waiting now for that upcoming Tony Bennett clip.

Update:
Awww. Just saw the clip. It was about Tony Bennett receiving Kennedy Center Honor. Also his MTV "Unplugged" appearance. Said that he and Rosemary Clooney were the first American idols. Said that the young MTV audience responded positively to him because the songs were good. Said audiences want to hear quality songs and the audience is really the proof for how someone will succeed. Clay was not mentioned in this clip but the fact George S. singled out Clay in that introduction was pretty darn cool, IMO.

Clay in the same as Rosemary and Tony Bennett? I'll take that any day!!!