Bubel Aiken Foundation Announces Details For Raleigh Gala

The Bubel Aiken Foundation website has information now posted about their 2008 Gala to be held on October 18, 2008, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Below is the information as it is listed at their website:

2008 Champions of Change
October 18, 2008

It is with great pleasure that The Bubel/Aiken Foundation invites you to sponsor and attend our annual “Champions of Change” Gala.

Featuring a special performance by Clay Aiken and recognition of our Champions of Change honorees. The gala will be a celebration of the inclusion of people of ALL abilities. The evening will promote awareness of the benefits of inclusion and support The Bubel/Aiken Foundation’s programs which give children with disabilities the opportunity to experience life with their typical peers.

“We hope everyone will join us for an enjoyable evening including dinner, silent and live auctions, entertainment - all in support of inclusive opportunities for all children,” said Clay Aiken.

Event Details
Champions of Change Gala
October 18, 2008 at 5pm

Join us for a formal evening recognizing our Champions of Change honorees.

Evening Activities:
•Dinner
•VIP Reception for Designated Sponsors
•Silent and Live Auctions
•Entertainment by Clay Aiken

Raleigh Marriott City Center
501 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

http://www.marriottraleigh.com/

To receive a special rate on your accommodations, please call 1-800-228-9290 and ask for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation special rate.

Platinum Sponsor: $25,000

Secures table for ten. Includes:
•Designation as Corporate Event Host
•Premium seating
•VIP Reception with Clay Aiken
•Individual photos with Clay
•Event Host identification in all promotional and program advertising.


Gold Sponsor: $10,000

Secures table for ten. Includes:
•Reserved seating
•VIP Reception with Clay Aiken
•Group photo with Clay
•Excellent placement in all promotional and program advertising


Silver Sponsor: $5,000

Secures table for five. Includes:
•Reserved seating
•VIP Reception with Clay Aiken
•Group photo with Clay
•Ad in program with prominen placement
•Excellent placement in all promotional and program advertising.


Individual Sponsor: $250

Individual admission

* Space is limited. Early registration is encouraged.

To sponsor a table, email contactus@bubelaiken.org or call 919-882-2152.
Individual tickets will be available for purchase online. Date to be announced.

Clay Will Be Performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and Clay will be performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live Friday night, May 16. What great news! Jimmy Kimmel Live's website now lists Clay as the musical guest for Friday. Clay will also be a panel guest as well.

What we still don't know, of course, is what fun the two of them have planned for the show. Many people are as excited about that as about hearing him sing. To get ourselves even more revved up, let's walk down memory lane via pictures and remind ourselves of some of the craziness that Jimmy and/or Clay have cooked up for past shows:

Clay stole Jimmy's girlfriend in 1984


Then threw him against a wall...


...to teach him a lesson.
I think he's getting Jimmy' attention!


The fans had a little more to do with
the festivities on Valentines Day, 2005


Ah yes, Team Aiken & Bacon were "Reunited" then...


And their friendship (or is that "fanship")
grew even stronger, as Jimmy shows us


Clay shows off his tatoo to Jimmy in 2007...


And sings of sweet candy heart love
on Valentines Day 2007


Finally, Clay surprises us all with
his "horse sense".


Can't wait to see what the
two of them will be up to next!!

Tidbits 5/15

On My Way Here is #1 this week on Billboard's chart of the Top Internet Albums.

• Cute Clay mention on yesterday's NBC Today Show. The CB's claysmama writes:

  Just now on The Today Show, Kathie Lee and Hoda were talking about a New Kids On The Block concert on the show Friday and how there are fans already lined up on the sidewalk for it. Kathie Lee said that even with how much she loved the Beatles when she was young, she would never do that..................then she said, "Except maybe for Clay Aiken, I would".
  

• ABC.com confirms that Clay will perform tomorrow night on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He was initially scheduled as a panel guest only, but the musical guest canceled this week, so it looks like Clay got bumped up into the musical guest position!

  Friday May 16th
  Ryan Seacrest
  TV/radio host Ryan Seacrest, musician Clay Aiken (he will be a panel guest as well as perform)

• Just Jared has some candid photos of Clay talking and walking on his iPhone...

  American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken chats on his Apple iPhone as he strolls along Montana Ave in Brentwood, Los Angeles on Wednesday.
  
  Clay looked summery in his linen blazer and leather sandals as he went to have lunch with friends at Louise’s.
  
  His latest album, On My Way Here debuted this week at #4 with 94,071 units sold this week. Clay’s previous album, A Thousand Different Ways, started at No. 2 in 2006, with the much larger sales of 211,000.

  
  
• Clay's interview yesterday on FOX Los Angeles' Good Day LA is up at MyFOX LA. It's a great interview ... Clay talks about the album and American Idol. You can also download the cap at ClackUnlimited.
  
  
  
• The Rachael Ray Show ran a short promo for Clay's appearance on the show tomorrow. Download the cap at ClackUnlimited.

Might Clay Be Performing On Jimmy Kimmel Live After All?

Two more days until we get to see our beloved Clay and Jimmy united again on The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show. No telling what shennanigans they'll come up with to entertain us. But Clay has not been scheduled to sing on the show. Hmmm, or has that changed?

The following, which was posted at The Aiken Breakin' Broads site brought over from Clayversity, just may say otherwise:

Kitty4Clay is reporting at the CV:

It looks like Clay may be performing on Kimmel after all! My friend had Kate Nash tickets for the inside mini concert, and this morning she got an email saying that her tickets have been cancelled as Kate Nash has been cancelled. Her name is no longer on the Kimmel website! SOOOOOOOOOO.... who else do you think will be performing, hmmm... I wonder... Even though we didn't get inside tickets originally, we have found people who had extra due to cancellations, so we get to be in the audience.

From Quiana's myspace:

May 15 2008 12:00P
Check me out with Clay Aiken on Jimmy Kimmel

I especially love Quina's post that she will be at Kimmel along with Clay. And Jimmy Kimmel Live's Online site shows Friday as the ONLY day that does not mention a musical guest. It just says, "TV/radio host Ryan Seacrest, musician Clay Aiken".

Only 2 days till we find out! Let the speculating begin!!

Jan

Tidbits 5/14

• Los Angeles Times - AI article ...

  David Archuleta: In February, I predicted The Chosen One would finish in second place, citing his “strong appeal to 'Idol'’s most powerful voting block” (tween girls), while warning that his youthful persona might turn off everyone outside that demographic group. It seemed to me that, raised on "Idol," studying the works of Kelly Clarkson, Jason Guarini and Clay Aiken from his infancy, The Chosen One was the fulfillment of "Idol" Prophecies, the messiah of the unswerving voice forged to lead the show from its wayward, clumsy youth into a realm of perfection and vocal gymnastics at heights never before seen in the annals of competitive singing.
  

• TheDay.com - Idol ... David Archuleta -

  Round 2. David A. is wearing some sort of Roman t-shirt and plaid pants. He has chosen for himself With You by Chris Brown. This is what happens when they take his father out of the equation. The minute he sings “My boo” I start to laugh and then I can’t stop. His dancing is reminiscent of Clay Aiken on Neil Sedaka night. The performance would’ve been less uncomfortable if Little David had chosen an R. Kelly song.
  

• Jazz.com ... random mention: "By all means, let's enjoy and encourage jazz's latest developments. But enough already with the hype. Leave that to the pros who shill for Clay Aiken and Miley Cyrus. There really is gold in them thar hills."

• Yahoo debuts new video for "On My Way Here":
• Something That Really Happened
• Hobbies
  

First Week Sales: 94,071

Clay's "On My Way Here" debuts on the Billboard 200 this week at #4, moving 94,071 copies in the first week. This is Clay's 4th top 5 opening on the Billboard chart, a rare feat for any artist.

A number of news websites are running stories about this. RCA issued a press release today, as well:

NEW YORK, May 14 /PRNewswire/ - RCA Music Group artists dominate the Billboard album chart this week with three of the country's Top Ten best-selling albums. Additionally, RCA Label Group tops the Digital Album Chart with GAVIN DEGRAW at #1, Clay Aiken's ON MY WAY HERE at #3, and Leona Lewis's SPIRIT at #4.

Clay Aiken's RCA Records/19 Recordings, ON MY WAY HERE debuts this week at #4 with 94,071 units sold this week, making this Aiken's fourth Top 5 debut. Released on May 6th, ON MY WAY HERE is Aiken's fourth album and his first album of original songs since his 2003 chart topping, double platinum debut Measure of a Man. The title track and first single from the album "On My Way Here" debuted at #1 on the AOL streaming chart week of release, rocketed to #1 on the Amazon chart the week it was made available as a pre-release, and debuted at #1 on the Amazon download chart the day it was released. Aiken appeared on Good Morning America, The View, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, AOL Sessions, Entertainment

• Variety -

  Clay Aiken’s “On My Way Here” (RCA/19 Recordings), his fourth album, sold 94,000 to open at No. 4. Aiken debuted songs on a “QVC Presents QSessions Live” event on April 28 and appeared on TV shows “Good Morning America,” “The View,” “Today” and “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” during the week of release. Appearances on “Rachael Ray,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” are scheduled for this week.

• The Week Daily -

  Diamond edged out Toby Keith, Clay Aiken, and Josh Groban for the top spot, and his record sold 146,000 copies in its first week.

• E! Online -

  It may have taken him more than four decades and 40-plus albums to get there, but Neil Diamond is finally No. 1, to the dismay of Toby Keith, Clay Aiken and Josh Groban.
  
  The season two runner-up sold 106,000 copies of On My Way Here at No. 4. While he's released two cover albums and an EP in recent years, On My Way Here is Aiken's first album of originals since 2003's Measure of a Man, which set the mark for best sales week by an Idol alum with 613,000 debut copies.

• FMQB - "Clay Aiken debuted at #4 with On My Way Here, selling 94,000"
• Reuters -

  Meanwhile, Madonna's "Hard Candy" (Warner Bros.) falls from the top slot to No. 3, moving 94,000 copies with a 66 percent slip. "American Idol" star Clay Aiken debuts at No. 4 with "On My Way Here" (RCA), with a slightly lower sales total than "Hard Candy." Aiken's last studio album, 2006's "A Thousand Different Ways," started at No. 2 with the much larger sum of 211,000.

• LiveDaily -

  The aforementioned pair of debuts push Madonna [ tickets ]'s "Hard Candy," last week's No. 1, down to No. 3, while former "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken [ tickets ] debuts at No. 4 with "On My Way Here," and Mariah Carey [ tickets ]'s "E=MC2" drops from No. 2 to No. 5.

• MTV -

  Other mad, mad business in this coming Top 200 include Clay Aiken’s On My Way Here, which bows at #4. The Claymates predictably snatched up the former Idol’s latest, placing Aiken just 100 fewer copies behind Madonna’s Hard Candy at #3 (94,000). (Um, how does Madge feel coming in just behind Clay in only her second week on the chart…?)

• Monster & Critics -

  Clay Aiken’s RCA/19 Recordings album, ‘On My Way Here’ debuts this week at #4 with 94,071 units sold this week. Released on May 6th, ‘On My Way Here’ is Aiken’s fourth album, fourth Top 5 debut, and his first album of original songs since his 2003 chart topping, double platinum debut Measure of a Man.

• Rolling Stone -

  Former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken also got a rub from his old show (and probably a Mother’s Day surge as well) as On My Way Here debuted at four

• Undercover.com.au -

  In fact, it is a brand new top 3. Toby Keith is at no. 2 with '35 Biggest Hits' and at no. 3 Clay Aiken with 'On My Way Here'.

• FOX News -

  Also pushing Madonna down are Mariah Carey, whose shotgun wedding certainly helped spark interest in her latest CD, perennial country music fave Toby Keith and creepy "American Idol" star Clay Aiken.
  

Run, Don't Walk To See Clay's "On My Way Here" Video at Yahoo

Put your running shoes on and head over to Yahoo Music right now!! You are gonna love what's there!

Yahoo Music has an awesome video of Clay recording On My Way Here. This is a very different video from the previous one of him recording it. Lots of old pictures of Clay thrown in as well as some more shots of him at the video session (see the picture at the beginning of this article). And of course, the same wonderful song playing in the background.

And while you're there, be sure to rate the video. Best is 5 stars. Hmmmm, let me guess what you're gonna rate it!!

Clay is #3 in Sales at Hits Daily Double

At Hits Daily Double, the final count of record sales for this past week came to an end on Wednesday, 5/13. When the dust settled, Clay had moved up from 5th position the day before to #3 with a total of 92,887. In first and second position were Neil Diamond and Toby Keith. Clay sold more for the week than Mariah Carey and Madonna.

Hits Daily Double, in an article, said:

Seven Debuts in Top 10 Include Neil, Keith, Aiken, DeGraw, Groban, Bentley, Miguel

May 13, 2008

Neil Diamond set another record in a career full of them. The superstar’s Rick Rubin-produced Home Before Dark is his first album to ever debut at #1, which it does this week with 140k in sales, many of them no doubt to mothers who grew up singing “Sweet Caroline.”

Kudos to Columbia’s team of Steve Barnett and Rubin for executing the feat after being teamed by Sony Music chief Rob Stringer in a bold move last year.

UMe/Show Dog’s Toby Keith bows at #2 with 35 Biggest Hits, one of seven newcomers to the Top 10, one ahead of RCA/RMG’s Clay Aiken, whose On My Way Here sports a #3 debut.

Though this week's count is history, we can still buy CD's to share with friends and family. Let's keep that count moving upward!

About.com Gives OMWH 4/5

About.com's pop music critic Bob Lamb is giving Clay's On My Way Here a 4 out of 5 stars, in his review of the new disc:

First, if you are a serious Clay Aiken fan, you will be very pleased with On My Way Here. The production throughout this album is wisely toned down to make plenty of room for Aiken's warm, sweet vocals. The songwriting, while not spectacular, is solid throughout. However, if polished adult contemporary is not your thing, this is a collection to pass by. Clay Aiken is a master of this style, but you won't find him much on most mainstream pop radio stations. It's a wise decision to stop chasing what's out of reach and stick to what he does best.

Read the full review at About.com.

Tidbis 5/13

• KODA 99.1 Radio - Clay will talk with Dana, one of the morning DJ's at KODA Sunny 99.1 in Houston in the wee hours of morning on Wednesday, 5/14, at 5:50 a.m. Though the interview may be over by the time you read this, check out 99.1's home page to see if the interview is available for you to listen to. You can listen to the interview on the radio station's website by clicking on at the top right of the home page where it says "Listen Live".
• ChrispyCreme at The Clayboard tells us the following:

  The local FOX TV channel in Cincinnati will do a feature on Clay on Wednesday morning. The station says it will likely be run more than once between 7A-9A. (EDT)

• from Jeanne Pierre at Clayversity:

  Anyone who lives in the Baltimore area, Channel 13 just had a promo for "Breakfast with Clay Aiken", tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at 6am during their Don and Marty news show. It's usually just a few minutes but the reporters are very respectful with their guests and it's a nice piece. No performance, conversation only.

• MSNBC - Idol 7 coming to a close -

  Best season ever? Really?
  So even though audiences still feel affection for people like Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia Barrino (and, yes, even for the much maligned and punch lined Clay Aiken and the recently dropped from his label Taylor Hicks), feeling as though they helped find these performers, they know somewhere deep down that they didn’t at all. And it’s souring them to the process.
  

• About.com - lots of Clay on TV this week
  
• Foxes on Idol - AI7 top 3 offers deja vu to AI2 top 3 -

  So it’s down to the final three. Two men, one woman. Two men with extremely loyal fan bases. One woman who came on strong, late. Of the two men, one has a decidedly female demographic, the other a decidedly male demographic. The woman has undeniable talent, but it is it just too late?
  
  Sounds like we’re talking about Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and Kimberley Locke, doesn’t it?
  

• AutoBlog - Ford to "debut" its new Focus on American Idol -

  The 2009 Ford Focus Coupe will have a base MSRP of $15,920 when it goes on sale in late Summer, and you can check it out later tonight when Ford officially debuts it in a video on American Idol. We want to hear what supercar collector has to say about the new look Focus Coupe. Is it a Clay Aiken or a William Hung?
  

• NBC 11 Atlanta - Clay on Rachael Ray Show this Friday -

  Friday, May 16th"Clay Aiken"
  
  American Idol's Clay Aiken is stopping by with a preview of his new music video, and his predictions on who will take this season's title! Then, Ace of Cakes star Duff has made some cakes out of some unusual ingredients. But can he make a high end cake using Rachael's pasta dish as the main ingredient? And you'll fall in love with pasta all over again with one bite of Rachael's roasted caprese spaghetti!
  

• OMWH:
• Akron Beacon Journal republishes Newday's review of OMWH -

  Clay Aiken has always seemed like the most bewildered of the American Idol graduates — his instant fame cut with a bit of what-just-happened? caution, his music a hit-or-miss split between what he wants and what he's supposed to want.
  
  Five years later, on his second full album of originals, On My Way Here, Aiken is starting to figure it out.
  
  He is at his best when he wraps his big voice around big ballads, usually ones with big messages attached. He maximizes the drama on As Long as We're Here to poignant effect, with booming phrases that would make Celine Dion proud, followed by vulnerable questioning that emo leading men would secretly admire. He undersells Something About Us like it was a classic Johnny Mathis ballad and fills The Real Me with a quavering uncertainty that makes it work.
  

• Orlando Sentinel republishes the Denver Post review of OMWH -

  What is the measure of an artist?
  
  When it comes to Clay Aiken, you certainly can't tell from 2003's Measure of a Man, a CD released just five months after he lost to Ruben Studdard on American Idol.

• Philadelphia Daily News can't even get the title of the CD right - "Speaking of "A.I.," second-season runner-up Clay Aiken is back with "On My Way Home" (RCA, B-). The set plots the sort of earnest, polished course that this year's first- or second-place winner David Archuleta is likely to take."
  
• Idol:
• Louisville Courier Journal - Clay tunes out of "American Idol" -

  Former "Idol" finalist Clay Aiken is among the missing fans. He told the TV show "Extra" last week that he doesn't watch it anymore. Aiken is thankful it launched his career, but says it's just not the show it once was.

• USA Today Idol Chatter - a few Clay mentions in their commentary of AI7 -

  David's choice to continue working in one style might have him bumping up against the outer limits of his potential support. With everyone now doing three songs, one has to wonder if he can get away with doing three ballads this week in a Clay Aiken/R. Kelly mashup style (sorry for that visual).
  
  [...]
  
  I question if three ballads can get it done with Syesha nipping at his heels and capable of bringing excitement to the stage. Even Clay, who was probably going to the finals no matter what, gave his fans Mack the Knife in his final three week to go along with the more typical Clay fare.
  

• The Rake reviews OMWH... we respectfully disagree -

  There's something deliciously lame about Clay Aiken's new album, On My Way Here. On all his previous outputs, Aiken's milked his boyish, Pee-Wee-esque persona, happy to satisfy both the teenie-boppers and their wannabe moms. On this release, though, young Clayton is trying to mature. Sadly, it seems he's playing dress-up in his father's clothes, without realizing he's just playing.
  

• Nothing here yet
  

Tidbits 5/12

• Clay appeared briefly on "Idol Wrap" on the TV Guide channel, the CB ncsupack88 writes:

  I was just watching Idol Wrap (the one on TV Guide Channel) and in the last 10 or 15 mins they had a clip of Clay from the NYC signing. I saw this clip somewhere else earlier this week but it wasn't attributed to TV Guide. They start off showing all the fans holding up the CD and then show him signing some and then he speaks on camera and they say "Clay gave our Idol Wrap cam a special message to his loyal fans...here it is:"
  
  Clay says "those of you who sat on the street for hours and hours and hours...I think you're a little crazy but I do appreciate it and ummm we love you and we hope that umm we can ah continue to make you happy and hope to make you proud as much as we can with what we do".
  

• Variety - Clay's departure from Spamalot causes ticket sales to plummet -

  On the other hand, the departure of American Idol alum Clay Aiken from "Monty Python's Spamalot" ($519,454) caused sales for the tuner to plummet by more than $300,000, the steepest slide of the sesh.
  

• USA Today - Clay is mentioned in a memoir titled "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler...

  Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
  By Chelsea Handler
  Simon Spotlight, 264 pp., $24.95
  
  The author: Star of E! series Chelsea Lately.
  
  The book: Wacky tales that read like stand-up comedy.
  
  The tone: Outrageous, politically incorrect (mostly X-rated) stories of therapy, dating and partying.
  
  A taste: "If you're going to make up an enormous untruth, make sure you tell it to people you are not spending the rest of the school year with. I can only imagine what Clay Aiken has to deal with on a daily basis."

• St. Petersburg Times - winning isn't the biggest thing anymore on Idol -

  It's why R&B-influenced belters Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard took the top prize in Seasons 5 and 2, even though people eliminated earlier — rocker Chris Daughtry, popster Clay Aiken — were more marketable to a mass audience.

• Torontoist - American Idol down to the final 3 -

  American Idol has finally rid us of the presence of Jason "Reggae Smurf" Castro, so we can be thankful for that if nothing else. The final three are David Cook ("the rocker"), David Archuleta ("the Clay Aiken"), and Syesha Mercado ("the diva"). At this point the smart money appears to be on Archuleta, but then again, this is a show that theoretically catapulted Taylor Hicks to "stardom." (CTV, 8 p.m.)

• Cape Cod Times mentions a Dr. Phil show Clay did back in 2005 about bullying:

  ''There was this show about bullying and Clay Aiken came on and talked about how he was bullied, but that once he found singing it gave him confidence because he had something he was good at that he loved.

• Louisville Courier Journal - American Idol pop quiz -

  10. Ryan Seacrest's bitter Season 1 co-host, Brian Dunkleman, had a few incendiary things to say about "Idol" in a recent interview. What didn't he say?
  
  A. Clay Aiken actually won Season 2, but Ruben got the glory anyway.
  
  B. He was punished for being nice to contestants
  
  C. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe gets Paula soused on Goldschlager before the show. She likes the sparkles!
  
  D. Seacrest had a master plan to dump Dunkleman from the very beginning.

• Clayigraphy - Clay waves goodbye to Spamalot and begins a new chapter in his musical career with On My Way Here.
  
• Clay - The Man - "Ashes" is "falling" over Clay's new CD

  A week after the first play of ON MY WAY HERE on my stereo, I am still in awe of the beauty of Clay Aiken and his magical voice.
  
  My house plants are close to the stereo, and they have really perked up, they love Clay too! Yesterday I saw something on top of one of the speakers--it was a huge bumble bee!! It looked like it was trying to pollinate the speaker, LOL. How it got in, I have no idea, but she did get put back outside, with an apology that she'd have to listen to Clay from the balcony.
  

• Carolina On My Mind honours a very special Claymate ... her mother
• There Was A Man -

  On My Way Home was released this week. It features an eclectic mix of music from symphonic ballads, midtempo pop-rock, to a song with R&B flavor, one with a bit of country, and a beautiful, jazzy love song. I've never loved all songs on any album before, not even other Clay Aiken albums, but I truly can't pick a true favorite this time. There isn't one song I feel compelled to skip. Three that really stand out to me are "Where I Draw The Line", "Sacrificial Love", and "As Long As We're Here".

Clay performs "Ashes" on GMA

Clay Laughs With Jay and Jack Black, Sings On My Way Here on Tonight Show

As the beginning of this article is being written, it is still about 15 minutes until The Tonight Show comes on. The following report from The Aiken Breakin' Broads site has me even more excited to see the show:

The early reports all seem to say that Clay looked fantastic on Leno -
great clothes and great hair. His segment is the last one. He does a little bit of his Spamalot accent, jokes around with Jack Black (the other guest), and sings perfectly!!

But what can we expect? Clay always looks fantastic and jokes around (can't wait to see him joking with Jack Black!). And sing???? Well, yeah!!!

Stay tuned for more details in about an hour!!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Well, Clay appeared on The Tonight Show with at least his 5th hairstyle since he first went on 5 years ago. They laughed about this and Clay says he changes his hair about every 30 minutes. He told Jay that when it was darker it made him feel older. Jay said, "So how old are you now, about 40 or 43?"

Jack Black and Jay were both asking him questions at the same time. I get a kick out of Clay saying, "Whose doing the interview?" and look back and forth at both of them. Funny.

Clay did his British accent from Spamalot for Jay. He said he goes right into it when he arrives at the theater. I can imagine him doing that too! Then Jay asked him something about superstitutions and he told Jay about the time he said something about MacBeth when he was sitting with several of the cast, and they all gasped and said you were not suppose to say MacBeth in the theater. My teenage son who does theater at school agreed that this is true. Guess I'll make sure not to say "MacBeth" next time I'm at the movies!

Jay asked Clay if he had ever done theater before. Clay said he had been cut from the high school play his senior year but he didn't hold a grudge...even though he would like to announce that teachers address...and phone #...and name...on tv! But no grudge!! Then he gave the teacher the raspberries!! Pretty funny stuff!!

Clay and Jack Black were both funny laughing it up. I knew they would be. And they both sat with their foot under their other leg...a sign of being comfortable in their surroundings. Clay and Jack were still talking as they went to a commercial. Would love to know what they were talking about!

Clay sang On My Way Here beautifully. Quiana, Angela, and Sean were there. I guess Clay stole Sean from Broadway for a little while!



It was a great interview and a great performance. If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, be sure to run to Clack Unlimited and download the show!





Thanks to Gerwhisp from The Clayboard for the screencaps.

Clay in New InTouch and OK! Mags

We have new scans from the May 19 issue of InTouch and OK! Magazine. Thanks to the CB's claikendee for the scans!

InTouch

OK!

On My Way Here Digest - May 12, 2008

Pause & Play featured "On My Way Here" as its release of the week.

A common criticism of "American Idol" finalists is that when they get into the recording studio, their talent is overshadowed by poor material selection and overproduction. There's not a hint of that on Aiken's first album of original material since 2003. Just listen to the title track and you'll be asking too, "Why didn't he win Season 2?!" Check out: "On My Way Here," "Ashes," "Everything I Need," "Something About Us." Hear here.

• Clay's done yet another radio interview. This one is with The New 103.7 FM in Dallas. The interview is up at their website. The CB's skyedancer46 posted:

  Well I dont know if anyone else posted about it, but they talked to him about Spamalot, his hair, and of course the CD. They dont play Clay except sometimes at Christmas. I was surprised to hear them talk to him about the CD and they told Clay that his fans had been calling in and requesting his songs... He asked them if they played them and the DJ said "Anything for you Clay". Well I never heard any of the songs played at all today but I could have missed it.
  

• WRCH-FM in Connecticut also has a great Clay interview you can stream from their website.
  
• Clay will be on FOX Los Angeles' Good Day Live on Wednesday morning to promote OMWH.
• LALate has covered OMWH with great detail in the past month. Check out their website for more updates about Clay.
  
• For those of you who haven't ordered the QVC version of OMWH, here is your 44 second peek at the bonus song, "When I Need You":
  

As of Monday Night, Hits Daily Double Has Almost 65% of The Sales Figures In

Hits Daily Double is the place to look to when you are watching how many CD's have been sold by a particular artist. And today, HDD has been closely watched by Clay fans everywhere.

As of Monday evening at 10 p.m. EST, 64.66% of the sales totals have been turned in. Clay's CD, On My Way Home, is in 5th place with 49,792, behind Neil Diamond, Toby Keith, Leona Lewis, and Madonna. Clay is only 1487 behind Madonna and only 3452 behind Leona Lewis. He still most certainly can catch up and pass either of these two artists. Catching up with Toby Keith and Neil Diamond won't be so easy. But third place is not a bad finish.

And don't stop checking on those totals. The minute you quit watching, the totals will change, just as any football fan knows!

We'll keep watching and give you the final totals on tomorrows Clay's Daily Double.

Clay on Rachael Ray Show Next Friday

Don't forget that Clay will be on The Rachael Ray Show next Friday, May 16. The Rachael Ray Show website has a listing up for the show, including a photo of Rachael with Clay.

The big American Idol finale is Wednesday, but we've got one of your favorite idols right now! Five years after Idol, what does Clay Aiken think about the show that made him famous? Then, he calls himself the Ace of Cakes, but can pastry superstar Duff ace of one Rachael's challenges? Plus, tennis champ Venus Williams talks about the one victory that meant the most to her.

OK! Magazine: Clay Talks About His Mom

In the spirit of Mother's Day, OK! Magazine is running a story today about how stars are honoring their moms on this special day. Here's what Clay said:

“My mom always thought I’d be famous more than I did,” Clay Aiken tells me. “She was always sure that I was going to be famous and be a singer, et cetera, et cetera. I always wanted to be a teacher. She expected this of me before I did. I think she would tell you she’s not surprised, but I’m totally surprised.”

This year, Clay’s mom will be on a cruise, but he typically takes her out to dinner.

“She’s very particular about me buying her too much stuff. She doesn’t really like it too much. She’s a small-town lady.”

Jimmy Kimmel Looking to "Rekindle" with Clay

On Friday's edition of his show, Jimmy Kimmel said he was looking forward to Clay's appearance next week so they can "rekindle their love". We can't wait to see what the dynamic duo have up their sleeves this time around.

Clay appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday, May 16. The show airs early Saturday morning at 12:05 AM in most markets.

Here's a montage that looks at the past 5 years of Jimmy & Clay:

Clay in This Week's USA Weekend

There is a small blurb about Clay in today's edition of USA Weekend magazine, which comes bundled with many Sunday newspapers.

Tidbits 5/11

• The Associated Press released a new video interview with Clay. This appears to have been conducted during Clay's satellite TV tour last week.
  
  
• Clay's interview with Mo Rocca, which was posted to AOL yesterday, aired on LX.TV's program called 1stLook last night. The station is only available in the New York area.
• FOX Birmingham has their Clay interview up... watch it here.
  
  
  
• Cinematical - it would've been nice if they published this a little earlier, since Clay's run on Spamalot has wrapped up!

  (Side note: Spamalot currently has Clay Aiken playing Sir Robin, with the unfortunate byproduct that the audiences are packed with Claymates -- i.e., giddy teenage girls and sexually frustrated middle-aged women -- who scream and cheer at literally everything he does, extra-loud if it involves moving his body in any way. This would be sad if it weren't so annoying.)

• Associated Press wire - advance story about Today in history: May 21 -

  Five years ago: Christie Whitman resigned as Environmental Protection Agency administrator. The most devastating earthquake to hit Algeria in two decades killed at least 2,200 people. Ruben Studdard edged Clay Aiken to win the second "American Idol" competition on Fox.

• Clay will be appearing on Good Day Live LA "next week". GDL airs on the Los Angeles affiliate of FOX every morning from 7 to 9 AM.