Its a Boy For Clay And Jaymes

As most everyone knows by now, Parker Foster Aiken was born today, 08/08/08, at 8:08 a.m. to proud parents Clay and Jaymes. There is much excitement and conversation in Claynation as well as in the media everywhere.

We'll let Clay tell you himself via his blog at the Official Fan Club about Parker's birth:

08/08/08
Hello All...

I know it's been a while. I'm sure you know, it's been a full full summer. Sorry we haven't spoken in so long. But, I'm sure you know... I hate putting the cart before the horse. Not my way to tempt fate. But I wanted to stop by, if only for a second, so you could be the first folks I tell.... HE'S HERE!

My dear friend, Jaymes, and I are so excited to announce the birth of Parker Foster Aiken (No hyphens. One first name. One middle name. One last name.)

Parker was born at a hospital in North Carolina just this morning at 8:08 AM. Wow... 8:08 ..08/08/08

Weighed in at 6 lbs 2 oz and measured 19 inches

The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy. Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also.

The Aiken family, the Foster family, and the Parker family are all thrilled.

We'll share more at some point in the future. Love to you all!

C

Here are a few of the articles posted online today about Clay's "little man's" birth:

The Insider:

Do you think Clay will make a good daddy? Speak out below and your comments may be read on "The Insider" on TV tonight! Give us your thoughts and watch the show to see if your comments make it on-air!

People.com:

Aiken's mother, Faye, first broke the news by telling Lynda Loveland of Raleigh, N.C., TV station WRAL about the birth. According to Faye, Foster gave birth at a North Carolina hospital.

Clay's mom also said that baby Parker has "dark hair" and that Clay is "smiling from ear-to-ear" about the news.

In May, it was confirmed that Foster, 50, became pregnant via in vitro fertilization.

Though they are not romantically linked, Clay and Jaymes plan to raise the child together. The two met when Aiken competed on Idol, and Foster – who is the sister of legendary music producer David Foster – has produced several of his albums.

TV Guide:

The Season 2 American Idol runner-up and longtime friend, record producer Jaymes Foster, welcomed a son Friday morning in North Carolina, he announced on his official Web site.... The birth was first confirmed by the singer's mother, Faye, who shared the joyous news with Raleigh, N.C. TV station WRAL.

Grandma Faye revealed that her new grandson came into the world with a head of dark hair, while her son is "smiling from ear-to-ear."

Parker is the first child for Aiken and Foster, 50, who conceived via artificial insemination. The pregnancy was first reported in May by TMZ, with sources stating that the two planned on co-parenting.

"By the way she looks great, glowing and very happy," a rep for Foster said at the time. "She and Clay have been good friends for a long time."

WRAL.com:

Raleigh, N.C. — Clay Aiken became a father Friday morning with the birth of a baby boy, his mother told WRAL’s Lynda Loveland in an exclusive interview.

Aiken’s best friend, producer Jaymes Foster, gave birth at 8:08 a.m. at an undisclosed location in North Carolina.

Parker Foster Aiken weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long.

Aiken’s mother, Faye, said the baby has dark hair and that her son is smiling from ear-to-ear.

Mom, dad and baby all are doing fine.

Aiken and Foster will raise the child together. They met when Aiken appeared on American Idol. Foster has produced several of his albums.

Reporter: Lynda Loveland
Web Editor: Kelly Hinchcliffe

Washington Post has "Six Questions For ... Clay Aiken"

Washington Post's interview with Clay, dubbed "Six Questions For ... Clay Aiken" is now up online. Read the full article at the Washington Post website... link above:

Six Questions For ... Clay Aiken

He's so pretty, oh so pretty ...

The 2003 "American Idol" also-ran and author and Broadway star, etc., has a new album coming out on May 6. It's called "On My Way Here." It's also the name of Aiken's new single. The singer called during a visit to his hometown of Raleigh, N.C.

In your new single, you sing that your "address has changed almost every year." Why don't you settle down and anchor yourself somewhere? Or is that lyric just a metaphor?
I didn't write the song, so I have to interpret it metaphorically. I have moved a lot ... but it's more about changing scenery, changing things in your life and trying to grow personally and professionally.

So it's not that you keep moving because you're afraid that your loony fans might bother you at home?
(Laughs.) No, no, they found me already. They know where I live. You can't beat 'em.

[...]

You've been playing Sir Robin in "Monty Python's Spamalot." How does the theater stage compare to the concert stage?
When I'm on stage in concert, it's usually my show and I can do what I want to do. I can't do that in "Spamalot." You have to stick to the script. You have to stand in the right place. But the biggest challenge for me was really having the fourth wall and not being permitted to break it down. We break it and respond to the audience and acknowledge their presence once or twice in the show, but not consistently. It's strange. When I'm in concert, I talk to the audience a lot, I make eye contact with people, and you can't do that here.

Meanwhile, Clay is defending himself from accusations from another Washington Post reporter that his busy schedule has prevented him from being active in the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, which he was appointed to in September 2006. People Magazine posted:

Work is keeping Clay Aiken busy – as he pointed out to a reporter in Washington, D.C., who asked him if he was doing enough as a member of the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.

The second-season American Idol runner-up and current Broadway headliner, 29, blamed his busy schedule when a reporter from The Washington Post confronted him. "The last time I had two days off in a row was October," said the crooner. "I was on tour throughout the country through Christmas, then I went straight to Mexico for UNICEF. [Then] I went straight to New York for Spamalot."

Tidbits 11/10

Clay is #17 today on People Magazine's Top 25 Celebrity Hot List today! His appearances on "5th Grader", "Holiday Celebrations on Ice" and upcoming role in "Spamalot" contributed to this ranking.

• ClaySpots on why Clay Aiken is the best entertainment out there-

  I mean, seriously, where else could one find so much fun and entertainment? There are message Boards, concerts, TV appearances, speeches, charities, news groups, interviews, MySpace pages, montages, YouTube videos, Clack, the list is endless. One of my favorite saying is this: You can't get better entertainment for the price of the internet!

Tidbits 2/2

There was a nice little blog posted to UNICEF's official blog about Clay's Yahoo! Answers/UNICEF question...

Clay Aiken is featured on the homepage of Yahoo.com this morning. Clay is asking, "What can we do to get more Americans committed to supporting programs that help children?"

It is not even noon yet and 2,312 Yahoo! users have already answered Clay's question! If you haven't posted an answer yet, please do. Go to Yahoo.com, search on Clay Aiken and then click the UNICEF link at the top of the search results page.

• 
• Clay mention on Feb. 1's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Does the guy to the right even remotely look like Clay? Well, according to a reporter on Leno, he does... claysthe1 recaps:

  The boy didn't look at all like Clay. Actually, the interviewer told the boy he reminded him of Clay Aiken and asked if he could sing. He said not like Clay Aiken, because he was a great singer, but he could dance better than Clay.
  
  Very cute. Everybody wants to mention Clay. LOL!

• Foxes on Idol - Billboard chart update... "Clay Aiken’s “A Thousand Days” was #30 on the Adult Contemporary chart."
• Orlando Sentinel - Hicks picking up online fans... "It's open to speculation whether Hicks' fans, who can see the current Idol winner Feb. 24 at Mardi Gras at Universal Studios, could take Clay Aiken's loyal ClayMates in a back-alley brawl. Either way, it would be a good fight."
• People Magazine - now here's an example why the media is so manipulative... this article is about Clay's GMA appearance yesterday and how he jokingly mentioned he was jealous of Jennifer Hudson's success... BUT WAIT... take a look at People's take:

  So much for one big happy Idol family! During a Good Morning America appearance Thursday to promote his work as a UNICEF ambassador, Clay Aiken forgot all about diplomacy and admitted to Diane Sawyer that, yes, he's green with envy over Jennifer Hudson's success.

• University of Chicago Maroon - "Former idles Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and the rest of the Scooby gang have garnered little claim to fame besides their dismal fan bases." ... (oh really? How about 4.5 million CDs, a TV special, a New York Times bestselling book and over $27 million in concert ticket sales?)
  

• The ConCLAYve - Kimmel and Clay... kings of cheese... cute 'skit'- "Like I keep saying, Clay...it’s sweeps. I’d have Osama bin Laden on if he could score me some big ratings."
• Carolina On My Mind - winter soup recipes and thoughts on the Clay nation this week...
• Carolina On My Mind - wisdom and laughs from emails... update on the Clay nation.