Tidbits 8/13

• Florida is bracing for a quadruple dose of Clay Aiken, as the 2007 Summer tour enters its home stretch. The Sun Sentinel republished a Houston Chronicle interview from last month in advance of Clay mania in Florida -

  Bringing dorky back
  Singer Clay Aiken of American Idol fame will perform with orchestra at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tickets are $10 to $100. Call 561-832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org
  

• Nice find from the CB's ClaysMyMidlifeCrisis - a photo of Clay with venue security during his Christmas tour stop in Wilke Barres last year. It just dawned on me how long his hair was back then ... (click the photo on the right to enlarge).
  
• Short blip about Clay and California Claymates in USA Today, says the CB's claymate11. The "Clay Aiken fanclub" being referred to in the article is a group of fans who held their Pala pre-concert meet up at Tori Spelling's inn before Clay's concert at the Pala Casino Starlight on August 3 (see the invitation on the right):

  • 

  On page 2D of today's issue of USA Today there is an article on Tori Spelling's new reality TV show. In the article is this quote "What will be shown this season is Spelling becoming ordained and performing a @#%$ wedding , the arrival of the Clay Aiken Fan Club (but no appearance by Aiken)" Her show is on Oxygen and is called Tori and Dean: In Love. She plays the hostess of a B & B. Did anyone else catch this mention? What fan club is going to be featured?
  

• CBS Showbuzz - you don't have to win Idol to find success -

  Constantine Maroulis finished sixth place on Season 4 of "American Idol." To some, that might not be the greatest showing, but former Idols are proving again and again that you don't have to win to be a star.
  
  Chris Daughtry from Season 5 is enjoying immense success with his band, Jennifer Hudson from Season 3 won and Oscar for her role in "Dreamgirls" and Season 2's Clay Aiken is a household name.

• "Idol: The Musical" is calling it quits. The show has officially closed in New York -
• Playbill News -

  The Aug. 12 opening night of Idol: The Musical Ð based on the fan worship of former "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken Ð was also the show's closing night.
  
  The new musical, which began previews July 5, has closed. A press statement issued Aug. 13 reads, "Todd Ellis, the producer of Idol: The Musical, has chosen to close the show due to a lack of advance ticket sales, a lack of positive feedback from audience members and critics, and a lack of sustainable financial resources."

• Broadway World - "Idol: The Musical, which began previews on July 7th and opened August 12th at the 45th Street Theatre, has announced that it has closed due to poor ticket sales."
• NJ.com -

  Based on a concept by producer Todd Ellis, who premiered the show earlier at the Syracuse Civic Theatre he runs in upstate New York, "Idol: The Musical" regards a group of high school misfits who worship Clay Aiken, the singer of "American Idol" fame.

• Backstage.com -

  Idol: The Musical aspires to be The Full Monty for the Gen Y crowd — a look at a group of small-town misfits, who see in American Idol winner Clay Aiken a hero and role model.
  

• There Was A Man - Clay plays to 3000 strong crowd in Asheville
  

Tidbits 8/7

Some great shots from Indio over at myDesert.com...

• Asheville Citizen Times - Clay's Biltmore Estates concert a near sell out:

  “American Idol” star Clay Aiken looks like the biggest live show in Asheville this weekend – his Saturday night concert at Biltmore Estate is virutally sold out.
  
  Some 3,000 tickets were originally available for the concert on the South Terrrace lawn at Biltmore and just a few scattered seats remained Tuesday, with none expected to be available at the gate by Saturday.

• Asheville Citizen Times blog - about a confrontation at a B-52 concert this past weekend held at Biltmore Estates - "Will I go back to Biltmore to see another concert this summer? Probably not, even though I can't imagine Clay Aiken or Chris Issak fans getting that excited."
  
• Chicago Tribune slams AI4 6th placer Constantine Maroulis' album, but makes the case for why AI runner ups are important -

  Because if runner-ups like Daughtry and Clay Aiken can put out better (and better-selling records) than some of the actual "Idol" winners, that means there's room for everyone.

• Dallas Morning News - American Idol sales numbers:

  Clay Aiken, second-season runner-up:

  Measure of a Man (2003), 2.8 million

  Merry Christmas With Love (2004), 1.3 million

  A Thousand Different Ways (2006), 516,000

• Dallas/Fort Worth Star Telegraph - article about giving teenagers their own debit cards... remember the Clay Aiken MyPlash MasterCard thing?...

  Checking and savings for kids; debit card with checking; "Stash Your Cash" financial education program for middle-schoolers, featuring former American Idol stars Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken and Fantasia

• USA Today Listen Up - Jann Arden's version of "Solitaire" better than Clay's... what? "Arden’s simply, sweetly sentimental reading, from Uncover Me, serves Neil Sedaka’s chestnut far better than Clay Aiken’s overbaked version did."
  
• Delaware Online - Here's the not caring... Michael Buble "makes Clay Aiken sound like a karaoke singer at the Hi-Ho Tavern."

• There Was A Man - recaps and photos from Pala, CA show.
  

Japanese Claymates Attend West Coast Shows

A contingent of about 20 Clay fans from Japan have made the long (and costly!) journey to California where they attended Clay's concerts in San Diego, Pala and Los Angeles. The fans are now moving on to Cary and Asheville where they will watch Clay perform live in his home state.

The CH's spotlightlover, who spends hours collecting and uploading clack for fans like the Japanese Claymates who don't have easy access to Clay in person, met the group in LA and posted this recap on the Clackhouse:

As we were preparing to leave the venue, I noticed that 20 or so Japanese ladies had gathered at the front of the stage in their kimonos. They had taken the set lists from the stage and were "oohing" and "aahing" over them. I took a little footage of them and then asked if anyone spoke English. A couple of tentative nods; then the woman who was serving as translator introduced herself.

I told her I had a big souvenir of the entire concert, and there were a few gasps. We exchanged cards and I said I would be in touch. Then I talked a little more with a few of the women who spoke English. I asked if they were on the Internet. One of them replied, “Clack Unlimited?” So I told them my board name. And the eyes of these wonderful women from a far country widened with recognition because they knew who I was.

For me, meeting these women was the most magical moment of the night. No, not because they knew who I was, but because across the vast Pacific Ocean, culture differences, and a language barrier, we have all become a part of this awesome phenomenon. I had shared something with them, not even knowing it; and that made us comrades from half a world away.

I think now, for me, that’s what this is really all about. It’s no longer just about a skinny kid from North Carolina with an incredible voice who got the chance of a lifetime. It’s how his effect on us has brought us together into a big family, and every concert is like a family reunion.

More about the Japanese Claymates:

• The New Clay Aiken (Japanese Clay Aiken fans HQ)
• Carolina On My Mind - Japanese Fans Meet Another 'Star'
  

Clay Takes Summer Tour to Pala, CA

Photos

• Clayboard photo thread - Pala, CA
• GreenEyedRobin's photos at WebShots
  

Clack

• ClackUnlimited.com

FULL TOUR COVERAGE - 2007 AN EVENING WITH CLAY AIKEN TOUR BLOG

Tidbits 3/31

• The Desert Sun - tickets to Clay's Pala, CA concert are now on sale.
• Bella Online - columnist's friend is a fan of Clay Aiken ...

  And she’s not. She likes music. She has CDs. She just doesn’t spend as much time as I do in music departments and on Amazon.com. However, our friendship works well – and occasionally there is cake! We also go to concerts together. Let’s see, there’s been Clay Aiken, Blue Man Group—later this year we will see Clay Aiken again, and Genesis in September.

• About.com has a small piece about the panic attacks Clay says he used to have. About.com has a full story on Clay's story here.
  

  Clay Aiken, pop singer and former American Idol contestant, began experiencing panic attacks after the death of his stepfather. The attacks increased during Aiken's quick rise to fame, particularly when he had to make a public appearance. After trying a number of medications, Aiken has found Paxil to be helpful in managing the attacks. Read more about Clay Aiken and Panic Disorder.

• Atlanta Journal Constitution - American Idol fashion notes - "Clay Aiken's prominent ears were camouflaged with a new hairstyle by "American Idol" hairstylist Dean Banowetz, who is often credited with the singer's phoenix-like rise from the ashes of the second season."
  
• Houston Press doesn't get why Clay is having a concert at the Houston Symphony... perhaps the responses say it best: "So what if Clay Aiken does not write for the power of an orchestra? It does not stop him from sounding beautiful singing with it. Here are some videos from his last tour. Judge for yourself."
  

  Note, the Symphony was speaking about being Clay Aiken’s back-up band. Is the Symphony really trying to tell me that Clay’s the same level of musical genius as Elvis Costello? And when did Clay Aiken write specifically for the power of a full orchestra? Hell, when did Clay Aiken write specifically for the power of an acoustic guitar? And, as an attorney, I think that, if Elvis Costello were to decide to sue for defamation, the Houston Symphony would be relegated to being his backing band.

• Chexxxy's - The Clay Aiken train is coming ... Summer Tour 2007.
• GFTCSA reminds us that TODAY is the last day to donate to The Bubel Aiken Foundation via Six Degrees.
• There Was A Man - run to get those Clay Aiken iTunes podcasts... (not so) hot off the "press"!

  I can barely comprehend this, but I do believe the ClayNation is falling down on the job. We have just yesterday discovered interview podcasts that are dated...ummm...Dec 11, 2006. Now that is a little embarrassing.
  
  In part one, he discusses "Here You Come Again". Dolly Parton was a great favorite of his mom's, so he grew up with her songs. He wanted to sing on AI during country week, but Michael Orland and Debra Byrd talked him out of it because they felt it had too much of a Broadway vibe. Something Simon Cowell kept harping on with him. He tells of how the song came to be an the album, and how it got changed to more ballad-like.
  
  In part two, he discusses "Broken Wings". His mother almost entered him for Star Search when he was eleven, and he was going to sing "Broken Wings". Seventeen years later, he finally gets to record it. Clay explains how he came up with the ethereal version on his album.
  
  In part three, Clay talks about the original songs on his album and how he came to choose them. "Lonely More More" Jaymes Foster, his executive producer wanted on the album because Clay helped write it. "Eveything I Have" was a favorite of all the females in Clay's life, "A Thousand Days" was a song that considered for his original song album. "These Open Arms" is Clay's favorite perhaps due to these poignant lyrics.
  
  In part four, he talks about blending his singing career with his work with children with disabilites, and his passion for he cause of inclusion.
  
  In part five, he talks about UNICEF, how he came to be an ambassador, and his work with the organization.
  

Pala, CA Concert Tickets Now On Sale!

Tickets for Clay's August 3 concert in Pala, CA is now available through Ticketmaster. Prices range from $45 to $65 each ticket.

Tickets officially went on sale at 10 AM PDT this morning, but fanclub members might want to stay tuned to the fanclub "post-sale" which begins at 10 AM on Monday. The fanclub says better tickets have been blocked off for fanclub members and will be available during this "post-sale".

Please be advised that an exclusive fan club "post-sale" will begin at 10 a.m. PDT on Monday, March 26. This password protected "post-sale" will give fan club members access to a special allotment of the best tickets available for the Pala, Ca show.

Again, please note that other tickets for this show will be available beginning tomorrow morning, but hundreds of the best tickets are on hold specifically for the fan club members. If you're looking for the best tickets available*, we suggest you wait until Monday, March 26 to participate in the fan club "post-sale".

Houston, TX Added To Clay's Tour Schedule!

Houston Concert Announced
As a Texan, I was thrilled when I found out that Clay would be coming to Dallas/Grand Prairie for a concert during his upcoming summer tour. He hadn't been to Texas since 2004. But let me warn you, as a Texan who lives just outside of Houston, I am beside myself with excitement to be able to tell you that Clay is also coming to Houston on his tour! Per the Official Fan Club public information, Clay will be performing at Houston's beautiful Jones Hall on Friday evening, July 6, the day before his Dallas concert. Jones Hall is in downtown Houston's wonderful theater district, complete with hotels and great restaurants, including The Hardrock Cafe.


Houston Fanclub Pre-Sale Info
The official fan club also has this important information concerning ticket pre-sales:

03/22/07 : Important Info Regarding Houston, TX Ticket Sales
By Team Clay

This pre-sale will be accessible via telephone only beginning at 10 a.m. CDT on March 26th through March 27th. Fan club members will need to call the venue directly at (713) 224-7575 and mention the pre-sale password accessible prior to the pre-sale start time through the fan club on the "Tours" page of the website.

Note: Only fan club members will be able to access the pre-sale password information.

Canandaigua Concert Confirmed
Clay's Canandaigua, NY date (we've been reporting this date previously as Rochester, NY) has also been confirmed by the OFC. Clay will perform on July 19 at the Constellation Performing Arts Center. Per the Constellation's website, "CMAC is located on the campus of the Finger Lakes Community College and is home to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Since the opening of the performing arts center in 1982, virtually every performing artist on tour has enjoyed a stop in Canandaigua." Now we can add Clay to that number! No information is available yet on ticket sales.

Pala Fanclub Pre/"Post"-Sale Info
Furthermore, the official fanclub has announced more presale information for those of you looking to attend the August 3 Pala, CA concert.

03/22/07 : Important Info Regarding Pala, Ca Ticket Sales
By Team Clay

The public on-sale for Clay Aiken's performance at the Palomar Starlight Theater in Pala, Ca will, in fact, begin at 10 a.m. PDT tomorrow morning (March 23).

Please be advised that an exclusive fan club "post-sale" will begin at 10 a.m. PDT on Monday, March 26. This password protected "post-sale" will give fan club members access to a special allotment of the best tickets available for the Pala, Ca show.

Again, please note that other tickets for this show will be available beginning tomorrow morning, but hundreds of the best tickets are on hold specifically for the fan club members. If you're looking for the best tickets available*, we suggest you wait until Monday, March 26 to participate in the fan club "post-sale".

We'll keep you updated on new concerts as we get more news.

2007 Summer Tour Fanclub Presale Info Released

The official fanclub has posted information regarding fanclub presales for 3 upcoming summer concerts. No word on which other tour dates will be having a fanclub presale. There's also no news on the other 7 or 8 tour dates which were expected to be released last week. A full list of confirmed and rumored tour dates is available at the CDD Claytracker.

03/21/07 : Clay Aiken Pre-Sale Information
By Team Clay

Please note the following pre-sale information regarding tour dates listed below:

7/17/07 - Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center for the Performing Arts

A pre-sale for this tour date is confirmed. Exact pre-sale start date and time will be listed on the site as it is confirmed.

7/20/07 - Chautaqua, NY - Chautaqua Institution Amphitheater

A pre-sale for this tour date is confirmed. Exact pre-sale start date and time will be listed on the site as it is confirmed.

8/03/07 - Pala, CA - Palomar Starlight Theater

A special allotment of the best tickets available are being held specifically for fan club members. These tickets will be available via a password protected "pre-sale" - we expect to have confirmation of the pre-sale start date and time by the end of the day tomorrow. Please note that other tickets for this show may be sold in advance of the fan club sale, but be sure to keep in mind that hundreds of the best tickets are on hold specifically for the fan club members.