Holiday On Ice Memories From a Fan Who Was There

I love reading the summary reports of fans who have been to concerts and TV shows to see Clay. Its the next best thing to being there myself. These memories are usually written when they are still riding high from excitement after seeing Clay. That is true of this summary written by Annie about her trip to Las Vegas to see Clay at the Holiday Celebration On Ice Show.

We had a wonderful time in Las Vegas. We walked all over the place, saw some crazy sights, ate some wonderful food, and spent time with lots of Clay fans. I was so excited about seeing the skating show - had never seen one before - and listening to and watching Clay sing Christmas songs was just fabulous. When he came out the place cheered and cheered. I heard a guy behind me somewhere say, "Sounds like the Claymates are here." And we were! I didn't know what Clay was going to sing so when I heard the first strains of DSIAFCD I just sighed. I LOVE that song! His voice was fairly raspy during it and I was really worried that the dry air and cold in the arena would affect his voice all night. It made me a little nervous for him. He went off stage after that song and I was hoping that he would have something to drink or a teaspoon of honey or something to soothe his throat. When he came out next they played the opening of All Is Well and I saw to my husband, "OMG, he's going to do AIW!!" We both think that is one of Clay's best songs and were in Waukegan last year when he missed the note and in Merrillville when he triumphantly hit it. Todd Eldridge was skating to it and I hardly saw any of his performance. I was sitting in the stands with my stomach starting to get upset - so anxious about Clay being able to sing it well. I saw the tape of it when I got home and saw Clay crossing his fingers for luck before he sang it. I didn't see that in person. My seat was more toward the center of the arena, not right next to the stage. All I could concentrate on was his voice while Todd was skating with my head kinda down just a-hoping and a-praying that all WOULD be well. Well, he sang the snot out of that song! When he hit that note at the end the whole place stood up and cheered! It was electrifying!! You could see Clay's happiness at the end of the song and he graciously pointed to Todd and Todd graciously pointed to Clay. That's another thing about the skating show which made me so happy - the interaction between Clay and the skaters. They always gave Clay his due after a song and Clay always supported them. There were hugs, handshakes, and nods between them all.

Another thing that pleased me so much was at the end when Sasha finished doing her retakes. She warmly thanked the crowd for coming, said it was one of their best, said Clay loved his fans, and that she had a wonderful time with Clay. She said he was a sweet man and this show would always be a wonderful memory for her. Aaaaaaaaaaaawww! She was one of several skaters who had to come back after the show was over and redo a section of their performance. There were a few falls and mistakes and the skaters were asked to redo their routines for about 20 seconds before and 20 seconds after their falls. The other redos were done to music other than Clay's, but Sasha's mistakes were during Clay songs - so she had to do them over with no music behind her. The announcer jokingly said something like, "We need Clay" and everyone cheered because, of course, we all need Clay! He didn't come back out though and she skated to silence - and did it wonderfully!! She is so graceful. The one jarring note of the show was the first routine that was done to a taped recording of someone else singing. After hearing Clay do the first several songs, I really didn't like it when someone else's voice was in the background. It just didn't seem right!!

Clay looked great and seemed to be in a very good mood. I will really have to watch the videos to see his expressions up close because I TRIED to be a good audience member and actually watch the skating! But it was hard!! When Sasha brought Clay the skates at the end of the show to put on, everyone cheered. And when he came out with a girl on each arm it was so cute. He skated around the rink so I got a chance to see him up close and he looked so happy. I can't wait to see this show on TV. I have no idea how often they'll focus on Clay or whether he'll redo DSIAFCD for the broadcast. Also want to see how seamlessly they put the skating edits into the program.

As usual, when I'm at a Clay event I feel rather out of body. It's so hard for me to believe I'm actually seeing Clay in person and I lose total track of time. It went by so fast!! We arrived on Sunday and it seemed like business as usual at the casino, but on Tuesday (the day of the show) there were suddenly Clay t-shirts and pins all over the place. And whenever a Clay fan saw a Clay t-shirt they felt comfortable saying hi to that person and starting a conversation. You know how that goes! Just lots of fun meeting and talking to Clay fans from all over the place!!

Tidbits 11/8

• farouche's SmugMug gallery has some gorgeous photos from Holiday Celebrations on Ice.
• Actress Archives - MSNBC in negotiations with Rosie O'Donnel for new talk show - "Among other things, O’Donnell gained notoriety on the morning show for feuding with Donald Trump, criticizing Kelly Ripa over her Clay Aiken comments, arguing incessantly with right wing “Survivor” Elizabeth Hasselbeck and making fun of Chinese people."
• Harmony Central - bass players recorded with Clay Aiken -

  These precision bass grooves come from veteran bass player Daniel Pearson, who has performed and/or recorded with a long list of pros including Jennifer Lopez, Macy Gray, Jessica Simpson, Taylor Dayne, Coolio, Sheila E., Nick Lachey, Bernard Fowler, Kenny Latimore, and Clay Aiken to name a few.

• Reality TV Magazine - Tony Hawk's turn on celebrity "5th Grader" -

  Last week, Clay Aiken and Regis Philbin appeared on Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader. This week, the celebrity appearances continue. Professional skateboarding legend Tony Hawk will try to move to the head of the class.

• antiMusic - interview with Phil Ramone, co-producer of Clay's "Merry Christmas with Love" -

  After reading the book I find myself in awe of the catalog of musicians Phil has worked with. From Harry Belafonte to Elton John. Tony Bennett to Luciano Pavarotti. Rod Stewart to (kinda hate to say it) Clay Aiken and so many others its mind boggling.

• There Was A Man - Christmas starting early this year ... Clay Aiken style:

  I admit that over time, I've become a lot more Scrooge-like when it comes to the Christmas holiday season. It's so much stress, and it starts earlier every year. I'm sick of seeing Christmas decorations and items for sale in stores in August. It just makes it feel like the whole thing never goes away. I really don't want to think about the shopping for gifts that no one really needs, the baking, the decorating and the 1001 things that go into planning that one day of the year especially when my Thanksgiving turkey is still alive. *g* The only thing that seems to get me in the spirit is listening to some Christmas music from Clay Aiken AKA Mr.Christmas. If there was ever a voice to make me forget the bills that will be arriving in January, it's Clay singing "Chestnuts roasting over an open fire" or "Down on your knees". When did Christmas music get so sexy? *g* I'm just a sucker for a "Christmas Waltz" or two. Too bad my hubby doesn't dance. On November 6th, I finally got a bit of the spirit when Clay taped the NBC skating special "Holiday Celebration on Ice" which will be shown on Christmas Day. He sang eight stunning songs which wasn't really enough, but for a fan 'enough' is not in the vocabulary.

Tidbits 11/7

• Las Vegas Sun - Neil Sedaka celebrates 50 years in the music industry -

  The singer/songwriter/concert pianist was honored recently at New York's Lincoln Center with a celebration of his half-century as an entertainer. Among the performers paying tribute were Natalie Cole, Connie Francis, Clay Aiken, Dion, Captain & Tennille, Paul Shaffer and David Foster.

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Cleveland Free Times
  

• Taking A Moment - some things Jemock has learned as a Claymate -

  These are the things I learned. Share clack. Don’t postwhore. Discuss the post, not the poster. Don’t double-dip from the vault. Don't take credit for Clay pictures that aren't yours. Say you are sorry and edit accordingly. Wash your hands after reading the tabloids. Clear your cookies. Clay’s voice is good for you. Remember the ticketmaster refresh rule. Live a balanced life—step away from the computer for a while. Learn about geography and James Madison, sing along on the rare occasion that you hear Clay’s songs on the radio, photoshop some and blog and write Christmas stories and skits and dance with Clay onstage and always, always hunt for better tickets.
  

Photos, Videos from Holiday Celebrations on Ice

Photos and videos are now up for Clay's appearance last night at the Capital One Holiday Celebrations on Ice, taped for NBC in Las Vegas.

The set list was:

1. Clay - Christmas Waltz - entire cast
2. Clay - DSIAFCD - Shea Lynn Bourne
3. Canned music - Jingle Bells
4. Canned Music---skated by Caryn Kadavy
5. Canned Music---skated by Steven Cousins
6. Canned Music---skated by Yuka Sato
7. Canned Music - Blue Christmas
8. Clay - All Is Well - Todd Eldridge
9. Clay - The Christmas Song - Sasha Cohen
10. Clay - Sleigh Bells - Phillipe Candoloro
Intermission
11. Clay - Merry Christmas With Love - Jenny Meno & Todd Sands
12. Canned Music
13. Canned Music - Rock Around the Christmas Tree - Surya Bonali
14. Canned Music - Carol of the Bells
15. Canned Music - O Holy Night instrumental - piano
16. Canned Music - I'm Coming Home for Christmas
17. Canned Music - skated by Phillipe Candalero
18. Canned Music - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Shea Lynn Bourne
19. Canned Music - ???
20. Clay - Winter Wonderland - Sasha Cohen
21. Clay - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - entire cast

Fan video from last night's figure skating show/concert is up at ClackUnlimited. "All Is Well" is also up at YouTube:

BREAKING: Taping for NBC Capital One Holiday Celebrations on Ice to Get Underway at 8 PM PST

The Capital One Holiday Celebrations on Ice TV special taping & figure skating show will get underway at 8 PM PST/11 PM EST tonight. NBC crews are at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas to tape the show, which will be broadcast on NBC on Christmas Day.

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Clay's setlist includes 8 songs. Based on rehearsals, a partial setlist includes:

Clay's participation/songs in the first half:

Clay & Cast: It's That Time of the Year

Clay & Shae-Lynn Bourne: DSIAFCD

Clay & Todd: AIW

Clay & Sasha: The Christmas Song

Clay & Phillipe: Sleigh Ride

There were songs in between (Bon Jovi), but only Clay's were mentioned. They were very excited.

===========

Update 7:53 PM PST - they're getting started. Looks like Jesse Vargas is there... playing the piano.

Tidbits 11/6

• Don't forget, Clay tapes "Holiday Celebrations on Ice" tonight at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
• Las Vegas Review Journal - "Clay Aiken will sing eight numbers -- and take a skating lesson from Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen, who's joined by such skaters as world medalist (and Las Vegas resident) Surya Bonaly, plus past world champs Todd Eldredge and Yuka Sato."
  
• American Idol website - a new poll asking who you'd like to see in a small venue is up. Vote for Clay!
• WNDU - Chicken Soup for the American Idol Lover's Soul launched -

  One example is of a girl who told Clay Aiken how much his "Invisible" video meant to her. Aiken was confused, because it just shows him singing in front of a cheering crowd. The girl told him she had weighed 200 pounds and she saw Aiken put his arm around an overweight girl in the video, accepting her as she was, and that changed her life.
  

• Carolina On My Mind - Clay to join world class skaters for Christmas celebration -

  World class skaters performing to eight holiday numbers sung by multi-platinum recording artist Clay Aiken promises to be spectacular and entertaining. Magical!
  

Clay Visits Grand Canyon Skywalk?

Clay might have recently paid a visit to the Grand Canyon, according to a post from Clayversity:

We took the Grand Canyon West Rim tour out of Vegas yesterday. It included going to the Skywalk. http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/ It was so exciting to walk it! There is a helicoptor service right there that you can pay to ride in. The pilot was in the gift shop talking to people. I had my fan club t-shirt on. He saw the back of my shirt and said "I flew him up from Phoenix. He's a nice guy!" I said "are you sure - Clay Aiken? He said yes and repeated "he's a nice guy!" I said "did Clay walk on the Skywalk?" The guy said yes. I was so surprised that I never asked him when this was! I'm assuming it was within the last couple days and Clay was probably on his way to Vegas. Of course, that's just a guess. I'm sure it must be true because the helicopter pilot would have no reason to bring Clay's name up if he hadn't seen my t-shirt. I wish I could have been there when Clay walked the Skywalk!!!

Tidbits 11/5

• The Clayboard - Nky4Clay tells us:

  I just talked to HippoGA who is at The Orleans in Las Vegas. She says be sure and pick up a copy of the Las Vegas Magazine...dated November 4th. There was one in her hotel room...so look around for it...if you are in Vegas.
  
  On page 34 ...there is a very nice write up about the show and a pic of Clay. And here is the quote:
  
  "AIKEN HAS A UNIQUE CREDIBILITY THAT MAKES THIS HOLIDAY PERFORMANCE RING ESPECIALLY TRUE".

• Web Metrics Guru - Marshall Sponder wrote "What Drives Google HotTrends - The Missing Piece". He enjoys looking at Google and seeing what searches are hot. He says that, "...last Thursday, November 1st, it so happened that the term "federalist papers" was #3 on Google HotTrends and it peaked at about 8:30 PM EST time..." He wondered why that would be #3...what drove it up that high? Then he finally found his answer:

  The reason = Clay Aiken Was Great on “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” - turns out the question was asked to Clay Aiken while he was on the "Art you Smarter Than a 5th Grader" show and his fans and TV/Internet audience did a query on Google to find out about federalist papers since he had a lot of money riding on the answer - which I think he got correct (but I didn't watch the show).

  How funny that so many people would go check out "The Federalist Papers" after hearing a question asked to Clay!!

• Taking A Moment's Jemock digs up a cute "skit" she wrote about the Joyful Noise Tour 2004 -

  Ghost of Christmas Past (translation: This is a Re-Run)
  
  Hey, lookie what I found!
  
  I was digging around in the Underground Lair, looking for something in one of my old posts over at The Clack House, and came across this skit I wrote for the VERY FIRST JNT. It starred Clay and Nick.
  
  [Disclaimer: The following is a fictional account of an imaginary conversation that never took place. Except in my head.]
  
  Oh, one more thing. In order for this to make ANY sense at all, which of course it will, you need to know that my RL name is "Joy". As in "JOYful NOISE." Get it? JOYful. Heh. Ok, here we go--a little BLAST FROM THE PAST!!!!1!

Northeast PA Voices For Inclusion To Host 2nd Annual Gala to Benefit The Bubel Aiken Foundation

Below is information about the Northeast PA Voices For Inclusion 2nd Annual Gala. This event will benefit the Bubel Aiken Foundation.

Information included below is:

• The date tickets will go on sale
• Announcement For Community Based Beta Alpha Group Leaders
• Ways You Can Help Make The Gala Successful
• Wish Lists of Items to Be Donated For The Auction

************
SAVE THE DATE: April 12, 2008

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION TO FOLLOW SOON AT www.nepavfi.org

Tickets will go on sale to the public on January 6, 2008 at noon EST.
Seats are limited and we expect this event may sell out quickly,
so please plan to purchase your ticket early.

We will have a speaker from The Bubel Aiken Foundation.
We have not yet confirmed who the Foundation speaker will be, however,
more information will become available prior to the ticket sale date.
(Please note that Clay will NOT be in attendance.)

Hotel information will also be made available prior to the ticket sale date.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CURRENT COMMUNITY-BASED BETA ALPHA GROUP LEADERS:
Are you a regional Beta Alpha Leader? Have you often had questions about how your group can best serve the mission of the Foundation? Or wondered about the role the Foundation had in mind for its volunteers? Do you need help in finding ways to raise awareness in your community or information about a "Let's ALL Play" camp for your local YMCA? Have you thought about how nice it would be to sit down and talk about possible fundraisers and fundraising guidelines with a Foundation representative?

We have just such an opportunity for you. The Foundation has said yes to meeting with Beta Alpha regional group leaders, roundtable-style, for breakfast on April 13, 2008, the day after the Raise the Odds 4 Inclusion event.

If you are a regional Beta Alpha group leader interested in attending, please email Linda@nepavfi.org to express interest. There are a limited number of seats available for this meeting.

Additional information regarding, place, time and cost will be made available at a later date.

REQUEST FOR YOUR HELP:

Can you help us? Because our Beta Alpha group works only to support the Foundation and is not a non-profit entity of its own, we are not able to solicit stores for donations and/or merchandise and, therefore, have little or no access to the kind of merchandise that people may want to bid on in an auction--the hottest items that will bring in the most money. Therefore, we are appealing to you, the entire Claynation for your generous support in helping us to make this an amazingly successful evening for the Foundation.

There are two ways you can help. Please consider attending our function.
Those who attended last year's event can attest to the fact that we had a great time. And we are excited to announce that this year, a member of TBAF will be our guest speaker, so we expect tickets to sell quickly.

You can also help by donating one of the items on our wish list. Items range from about $400 to the smallest monetary donation. We understand that an individual may not be able to afford a big ticket item, but perhaps a group can get together to donate one. We already have assembled some wonderful auction items, as well as casino and raffle prizes; but we need your help to make this an even more successful evening.

Along with the efforts of the entire Claynation, we hope to help the Foundation meet their vision of 100 camps in 2008. With your continued support the Foundation will meet their goal of One Million Dollars.

WISH LIST:
If you can donate an item on our wishlist or need additional information, please contact Bonnie@nepavfi.org .

ELECTRONICS:
• iPhone
• iPod touch (New iPod)
• iPod classic (Video iPod)
• iPod nano
• iPod shuffle
• Claymate Camera (Canon S3 or S5)
• Digital Camera (Other)
• Digital Video Camera
• LCD 15" TV
• GPS System
• Bose Headphones
• External Hard Drive
• PSP 3
• Wii
• Nintendo DS
• Xbox 360
• DVD Player
• DVD Recorder
• High Quality Binoculars
• Printer
• Fax Machine
OTHER:
• Burberry Items (purse, wallet, sunglasses, fragrance, key chain, scarf, umbrella, etc.)
• Authentic designer sunglasses
• Authentic designer handbags
• A good piece of non-Clay jewelry (14k, Sterling, etc.)
• Airmiles
• Timeshares
• "The Office" DVD's (seasons 1 and 2)
• Designer Fragrances (Dolce and Gabana, SKY NK, Burberry, Channel, etc.)
• Visa or MasterCard Gift Cards
• Monetary donations

Again, the website is www.nepavfi.org

"5th Grader" - From The Daily Top 5 To The Weekly Top 5 At AOL....Oh...And A Wink!

On Friday of last week, we told you in our CDD Tidbits section that Clay's appearance on Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader was included in America Online's TV Top 5. Not only that, but when the AOL readers were polled, they overwhelmingly chose Clay as their favorite with over 80% of the vote!!

Every week, AOL takes the winner of each day's TV Top 5 and includes them in the Weekend Top 5. As expected, Clay made it to AOL's Weekend Top 5! Now, the Weekend Top 5 is the best of the best for the week. And once again, Clay is beating the competition with over 80% of the vote!! From the comments I've read and even heard personally, not only were Clay fans thrilled with Clay's performance on the show, but non-fans were as well! Way to go Clay. Once again you've proven yourself to be a class act all the way!!!

Oh, and if anyone besides me loved it when Clay winked and pointed at Nathan at the end of the show, this one's for you:

Tidbits 11/4

• YourErie.com - "Clay Aiken Frenzy"

  It began last night outside the Erie Civic Center.
  
  Some die hard fans proved just how much they want to see their favorite singer -- Clay Aiken.
  
  No, they're not Fanilows! ...those are the Barry Manilow fans.... but they are similar.
  
  Instead they call themselves, "The Claymates" and they couldn't wait for the windows to go up at the Erie Civic Center at 10 A.M. on Saturday Morning.
  
  They spent the cold night in the parking lot of the Civic Center with one thing on their mind - being first in line to get that front row seat for Clay's Holiday concert right here in Erie.
  
  Clay will be performing on December 16th.
  

• Wichita Eagle - upcoming events ...

  Clay Aiken Christmas Show, with Wichita Symphony Orchestra musicians, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26, Central Christian Church, 2929 N. Rock Road. Tickets $30, $35, $40, available at the church, online at www.itickets.com, or by calling 800-965-9324.

• Muzi.com, National Post - Carrie Underwood tops Billboard 200 -

  Underwood's total also represents the second-largest week by any "American Idol" contestant, surpassed only by 613,000 sales that greeted the first album by 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken. That accolade goes nicely with the distinction she recently earned when her first album, "Some Hearts," overtook Kelly Clarkson's second set for the best release-to-date total by any "Idol"-related album (5.98 million to date, compared with 5.87 million for Clarkson's 2004 set, "Breakaway").
  

• Taking A Moment - you know you're a Claymate when there are
  

  [...] only 27 more shopping days till Clay's birthday [and you are] spending a lot of money on useless crap for somebody who doesn't even know you're alive. This is my favorite time of year!

• Southern Girl - visitors comment on Clay's "5th Grader" success

  He made it almost to the end, but he wasn't 100% sure about the next answer -- he thought he had it right, but he had won $300,000 at that point and he wasn't willing to risk losing a big portion of that, which could fund 30 summer camps for kids with disabilities. So he stopped without officially answering that question. They had him give what he would have said before they revealed the answer, and...he would have been right. :)
  

Holiday Celebration On Ice - 2 Days To Go!

2 more days until Clay tapes Holiday Celebration On Ice in Las Vegas. NBC will air the event as a 2 hour Christmas special on Christmas day.

A new promo for the event has popped up on YouTube: