To see the full calendar, go to CDD's page at Google Calendar:
A full list of upcoming events is also available at the CDD Claytracker.
Note: CDD does not necessarily endorse or subscribe to the editorial opinions of these websites/blogs.
On behalf of everyone at CDD, I'd like to wish you and yours a truly Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thank you for making 2006 such a breakthrough year for CDD. We received over 350,000 visitors this year, with a record high of 2182 visitors on September 11, 2006. Thank YOU!
We look forward to another exciting year 'with' Clay!
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Clay's DOOL appearance (coming up on Tuesday on NBC) is mentioned in this week's New York Post "TV Vue" insert. Thanks to the CB's NYMom4Clay for the scan.
The real spirit of this season is giving. It doesn’t matter what you give…..but the giving of your time is the most valuable gift of all. Spend time with those you love. I know, you’re busy. We all are. Make the time. There’s only so much of it allotted to each of us….and since we can’t know how much time that is, use it wisely. Spend your time on things that are worthwhile. And in the end….only people are really worth our time….not things. And spend time on yourself, too. There aren’t any roses out there to smell in December, and I don’t recommend smelling poinsettias…..but you get the idea. You are worthwhile, too. Take care of yourself. Someone is counting on you to be there for them.
Listen to some music and enjoy the eye candy.
Another tour has come and gone! Clay's 2006 Symphonic Christmas tour will come to a close tonight in Greensboro, NC.
In case you've missed any of the tour highlights, we have recaps, photos and much, much more compiled at our Christmas tour blog:
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Sheryl: Based on record sales, you’re the most successful runner-up in American Idol history – what’s the reason behind your success?Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Clay: Wow, I have no idea! (Pauses) Really, honestly, I don’t know. I guess it’s just the timing of things. When Kelly Clarkson (Winner of American Idol, Season 1) and I released our albums, it was the ‘pop era’, if you could call it that. We were able to give fans what they wanted. Now, the music in the market is mostly urban, so that’s why Fantasia (Winner of American Idol, Season 3) is releasing urban albums. Besides good timing, I really don’t know why, I just thank God for all of it!
Sheryl: You’ve been under the constant scrutiny of the media and the public lately. How do you cope with paparazzi and gossip tabloids?
Clay: Well, it just gets easier over time. When what’s printed becomes more outlandish and far-fetched, it’s easier to pay no attention to them. After you’re more familiar with tabloids and the industry, you start to realize how ridiculous these rumours and statements are. You have to thicken your skin, and learn to laugh at it. Just let it pass!
Sheryl: Share with us some of your most memorable experiences from high school.
Clay: (Excitedly) Oh, it’s definitely when I’m performing on stage! I’ve always sung in musicals and in choirs during my elementary and middle school years. But when I got to high school, I was cut from my senior musical! It got me really depressed, but I’m more than okay now! (Laughs gleefully) Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team, but look now, he’s the Michael Jordan! (More laughter) I’m not saying I’m Michael, but you know, it works out eventually!
Sheryl: What’s your most embarrassing high school memory?
Clay: (Playful sigh) I’ve had so many embarrassing moments that there isn’t really one that stands out! Oh, when I was twelve, I was not popular at all. In fact, I was kind of a dork. When I was going to school, the cool thing to do was sit at the back of the bus. I was the kid who always sat right in front, and because I lived further away from school, my stop would be one of the lasts. So as more and more kids got off the bus, I’d slowly try to sneak closer to the back of the bus. It didn’t work, I got beat up by the cooler kids for moving too far back! Not cool at all.
Sheryl: Did you have a nickname back in high school?
Clay: Hmm… No, not really. There wasn’t a nickname that stuck. I think that’s a good thing!
Sheryl: Besides appearances, how have you changed since high school?
Clay: Well, I’m definitely ore confident than I was then. (Jokingly) I’ve got a few more friends now! I had friends who were older than I was, and they’d tell me that once you got out of high school, no one really cares how popular you were. I didn’t believe them until I graduated and went out into the ‘real world’. They were right, the superficial things like whether you were popular or cool in school don’t really matter! So now I’m a lot more comfortable with myself, and I know there are more important things that matter.
Sheryl: You have a bachelor’s degree in Special Education. Is this what you’ve always wanted to study?
Clay: Not always. I was always planning to study music! But when I came out of high school, I spent two years working with kids before going to college and discovered my passion for it. I worked with kids who had autism, and I just kind of fell into it. I still have a huge dream for it! (Clay Aiken is on the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities)
Sheryl: What are some New Year’s resolutions that you have for 2007?
Clay: Oh, I’m a ‘never-make-resolutions’ kind of person. I mean, if there’s something you want to change about yourself, you should just change it now! Why wait until next year? I’m a ‘right-now-resolution’ kind of man. (An amused laugh fills the line)
Sheryl: What can fans (aka Claymates) expect from your latest album, A Thousand Different Ways?
Clay: We had a mandate to do an album of the greatest love songs: it’s a test and a challenge in a way! I want to change them in my own way, you know? Deliver it with a spin to make something that’s true to the song and true to me – a sound different enough to be current and original, yet still genuine.
Sheryl: You’ve toured the United States and Canada on various occasions to promote your albums. When can we expect you in Asia?
Clay: (Energetically) I’d love to come to Singapore! I’ve been to Kuala Lumpur, but that’s as close you guys as I’ve been. We’ve actually be considering it in the last year, it’s been a topic that’s ‘floated’ within conversations. But no promises just yet though!
Days star Stephen Nichols has posted some backstage shots of Clay on his personal website. Clay guest stars on NBC's Days of our Lives on Tuesday.
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Our friends over at American Idol Worship are complimenting Clay left and right in their fantastic new write up on Clay's current Christmas tour:
"Clay is in a league of his own with Christmas carols, and this tour proves as much. His range has grown each year of his career, and the finale, “All Is Well” is a how-to primer on soft, low notes sung with passion up to the soaring, glory notes well above a tenor’s range."Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
"In each city, while Clay might have crossed his fingers and planted his feet for luck in hitting that final note, the audience shot to its feet and screamed in appreciation as he hit it. Even more impressive is that for the last week, Clay has been suffering from a debilitating inner ear infection that has given him vertigo and dizziness.He was forced to sing an entire concert from a seated position on a stool, gripping it with both hands to keep his balance. Most entertainers would have canceled, but Clay wanted the show to continue even though he had to be helped on and off the stage by an assistant."
It is also important to note that during each concert, Clay stresses the need to reach out to others. He spends a few minutes talking about his work with UNICEF and the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, and encourages people to reach out and contribute any way they can to whatever organization they choose to support. He then launches into “Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day,” the last song of his set before the “All Is Well” encore.
We're pround to unveil our brand new 2007 CDD Clay Aiken Calendar!
Many thanks to riversend22, ooc4clay and mad4clay for letting us use their beautiful concert photographs.
Most of the stations that go holiday this time of year tend to have adult contemporary formats, playing established artists to a sonically conservative, older audience, says Geoff Mayfield, director of charts at Billboard magazine. This is why songs from quirky albums such as Twisted Sister's Twisted Christmas will rarely hit the airwaves, but new songs and especially updated covers by familiar artists such as Wynona, James Taylor and Clay Aiken will get added.
124-119 Clay (19,000; 460,000 total): There probably were inflated expectations with Clay, thanks to his formidable track record. He's seeing only a modest holiday-season boost (he's up about 4,000 this week), but it would be hard to detect much evidence of a label marketing push on the record. This subject has been exhaustively discussed in comments; fans just to have hope for a different sort of record next time, and definitely a different level of support.
You can go to NBC.com right now to see a clip of Clay hosting a short segment promoting NBC's Daytime lineup for next week.
Don't forget, Clay appears on Days of our Lives on Tuesday.
Switching gears, Clay also left a short holiday message for fans on the official fanclub. Fanclub members, once logged in, can find this audio message under Media > Audio.
In the greeting, Clay wishes all of us "the very best this holiday season" and advises us to "devote" time to the ones we love. Awwwww......
Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
You can now download Clay's "Silver Bells" duet with Meghan Mullally on SendSpace thanks to the Clayboard's gerwhisp. The taped performance aired on today's Meghan Mullally Show.
The Phoenixville News praised Clay for his humanitarian efforts in an article posted online today:
Clay Aiken,the popular young singer who was runner-up on American Idol several years ago, has become a true advocate for the disabiled, especially handicapped kids. He has a foundation which helps the disabled, has been named to the President's Board on Disabled Issues, and was once on the road to becoming a special education teacher before fame and a singing career came his way.Well said.
But despite his wealth and popularity, his devotion to the disabled has only increased. For instance, Clay recently did a holiday concert in Easton, Pa. While there, he visited a third-grade class that included disabled students, and even provided limo rides to and from school for the kids.
Good to see someone so young and popular hasn't forgotten his roots, morals and what is truly important in life.
Make sure you make a stop at LauraQ's Smugmug photo gallery for some fantastic shots from last week's Grand Rapids, MI concert. Whew! HAWT!
Entertainment Tonight is listing Clay as 2006's #2 newsmaker on their annual Year In Review:
From TOMKAT and CLAYNATION to the birth of BRANGELINA's baby SHILOH -- 2006 has been an unprecedented year for star news, nuptials and scandals!VH1 also mentioned Clay's much talked "American Idol 5" makeover and the Clay/Kelly Ripa ordeal on their show - "Best Year Ever"
So who was off the celebrity charts for our online voters? You wrote in by the thousands -- now, here are the results for the top stars and stories of the year!
TOP STARS
2. CLAY AIKEN: Claymates by the droves wrote in to pledge their support for the singer, who they say is a simply amazing performer, humanitarian and all-around good guy.
TOP STORIES OF 2006
8. The Clay Aiken and KELLY RIPA "hand flap" incident on "Live with Regis and Kelly."
Clay will sing a duet of "Silver Bells" with Meghan Mullally on her show tomorrow. Make sure you check your local listings.
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Clay's new interview with Singapore's LIME Magazine has been posted to the Clayboard by mu99le. Click on the thumbnail above to read the full article.
For those of you in Singapore, you can read this article in the January 2007 issue of LIME.
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It's official, "A Thousand Days" will be the new single from ATDW! The song will go for adds on Adult Contemporary stations on January 15. The CH's ArtyAna found the above ad from a music industry magazine.
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Clay was mentioned in the latest issue of the official UNICEF e-Newsletter sent out today to UNICEF supporters. It reads:
THE GIFT OF LIGHTTechnorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, ATDW, All Is Well, Merry Christmas With Love, Invisible
Gracing the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York City, the UNICEF Snowflake is an illuminated crystal ornament that serves as a beacon of hope and a dazzling reminder of UNICEF's commitment to the world's children. This year, Ambassador Clay Aiken lit the Snowflake on November 18.
USA Today has posted one and a half minute preview of Clay's upcoming Days of our Lives appearance. You can watch it at their website.
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Walters publicly acted as a peacemaker in November after O'Donnell accused Ripa of homophobia for a remark she made about Clay Aiken. Walters noted the next day that O'Donnell and Ripa had talked "and all is well with the world."
While results may vary from one "Idol" to another, the most astonishing fall may belong to Clay Aiken. In 2003, his debut "Measure of a Man" sold 613,000 copies in its first week; his second non-holiday disc, "A Thousand Different Ways," has yet to top 500,000 in the 2½ months it has been up for sale.
If you're unfamiliar with the milquetoast vocal stylings of Clay Aiken, then I envy the sound-proofed cave you've been living in for the past three years. Even those über-hip underground music aficionados who successfully manage to immerse themselves in artists who are destined for a career in lawn care cannot have entirely avoided the crooning of the UNCC and American Idol alum. If you have dodged Aiken's rise to fame then count your blessings or the cash in your wallet -- Aiken performs with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for a Christmas Concert on Dec. 22nd at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.
Criticism of Aiken is nothing new. In fact, it seems part and parcel of success that comes as part of being associated with American Idol. Had Aiken merely relied on his boyish charm and Eisenhower-era musical aesthetics to propel him to the top of the charts, he might still be the curiously androgynous Special Education teacher in Charlotte or Raleigh that he set out to be.
Worst song: "SexyBack," Justin Timberlake, Jive: Not because it's a bad song. No, sir. In fact, I dance to this delicious track at church every Sunday. What bothers me about this song is that JTim is taking credit for something he didn't do. Anybody with an IQ over 40 knows Clay Aiken brought "Sexy Back" like three years ago.
Attention all Claynadians! Entertainment Tonight Canada will go behind the scenes with Clay at Days of our Lives on tomorrow (December 21) night's show.
ET Canada airs at 7:30 PM in most regions on Global.
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