Salt Lake City's FM100 Features Clay on Webpage

Salt Lake City's FM100, which has adopted a 100% Christmas playlist for December, prominently features Clay on it's homepage!

Clay Appears on CBS Early Show

Clay appeared this morning on CBS's Early Show. He sang Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and a part of Mary Did You Know. Clay also appeared outside with supermodel Giesel Bundchen to take part in CBS' toy drive. At the end of the show the anchors gushed over Clay's voice and Clay gave a shout out to his 'mama'. Video is now up at ATCA (look in the Videos>JNT>TV Promotions area), pax-et-animo's VIVAVOICE site (if you have access to that site) and also at CBSNews.com. CBS has also posted fantastic photos shot by a CBS News photographer. To access the CBS photos, click on this link and enter the event code "637A".

From the CB:

Clay comes up around 8:00 a.m with the weather man. Then they came back in the middle of the commercial break at around 8:30 a.m and they showed him in the middle of singing "Mary Did You Know" (it was a teaser to say he will be performing during a later segment). Then around 8:43 a.m Renee did an interview of Clay, then he sang HYAMLC. After he sang HYAMLC they went to commercial break.Then after about 2 minutes, they came back and talked to Clay briefly. He was still sitting on the stool he sang on. And Clay gave a shout out to his Mama. Then the show signed off.

Recap from NYC from the CB's Claykitten:

Hey Guys just got back from The Early Show....

I'm still thawing out, it's cold!!!! Hmm..I wish I could sing "Baby it's cold outside" with Clay. LOL Anyway I got a few pics I'm gonna upload them in few mins.

Ok here is my recap:
I got there a bit late but I got there just in time. I think everyone that was there, was there for Clay. It was a good crowd. They handed out posters and markers to make signs but I didn't get one cause I got there late. From there we waited a while and then this lady (I guess director) told us what we had to do when Dave Price the weatherman came out.
After that a bunch of people came and got together near the table with the toys. That's when Clay and Giselle came out from the studio and started talking to Dave Price. Clay was so close, I don't think I've ever seen him so close. He looked so cute , even though he was cold . They stood there for a while preparing for the shot and then this lady came up to Clay (I think she was the one from that picture someone took of Clay with this lady a while back also from the Early show, when he was arriving or something.) Anyway she came up to him and he started whispering something into her ear, actually in both ears, I guess she couldn't hear him or something.

Then after that they went on the air and they finished and then when he was going back into the studio, he went over to some of the fans and gave them his hand. Too bad I didn't go to that side.

Well after that, they told us that he might be back again but like always he didn't. So we all decide to stay and wait to see if he came out to his limo or something. So we waited and waited and waited and froze LOL and waited once more and we even got to see how they opened up in FAO Shwartz (it was cool) So like I said we waited and then some of the bandmates came out, and right behind them came Angela and Quiana (Too bad my camera stopped working, I could've taken a picture with Angela), she stopped to talk to us. She told us that Clay was still inside doing some interviews or something. So we waited a while more, but nothing. Someone came out and told us that Clay had left in van in the garage inside and wasn't going to come . So we all left and that was it.

Hope you like my recap

Recap of the show from CDD Clay News Weekly subscriber Romy:

Recap of Clay's Appearance on the Early Show

Clay Aiken was introduced by Early Show Host Renee on Monday,
December 5, 2005. They chatted a bit about his tour which he said was
almost half over. She mentioned that it has been two and a half years
since AI and during that time he has toured six times. They spoke of
his "Insider" work that he called "very tough." She told him that she
and her husband drove through some snow last night with his Christmas
CD playing. He laughed and said, "Good taste."
Sitting comfortable on a high stool in front of a Christmas
decorated room with a snowy scene window, Clay wore a maroon sweater
over a purple and lilac striped shirt and jeans. It looked like he had
a light stubble on his chin. He told Renee the story of the concert
and how he was a "control freak", so he finally took over the part of
the "sort of guardian angel." He also referred to himself as "the
sound track of the story."
With accompaniment of Andy on guitar, William Joseph on piano and a
bass player, he sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." He sang
softly and gently, along with his signature high notes. Andy had a
small solo during the song with Clay turning around to look at the
musicians. Later at the end of the program, Clay spoke of Christmas
being unusual this year because brother Brett was bringing home some
Marines who were unable to go to their own homes. He had also invited
some of the cast to his home.

Clay's Daily Double's Interview Transcript:
DO NOT POST ANYWHERE WITHOUT GIVING CREDIT TO CDD.BLOGSPOT.COM AND clayisouridol. THANK YOU.

CBS The Early Show Dec. 5 Transcript

CBS OUTDOOR STUDIOS
CBS: Ahh!! The holidays have come early. We have Clay Aiken and Giesel Bundchen. You never know who's going to come to our plaza for our Wishes for Kids toy drive. By the way, we're partnering with Walmart.com and the United Way and Clay Aiken and Giesel are here with gifts yourself. We are so happy. Good morning to both of you.

Giesel: Good morning!

CBS: Alright, so hold on. A lot of people may not know this Giesel, you actually have a kareoke machine - huge kareoke fan.

Giesel: Yes, I am. I don't sound as good as he does (points to Clay). Maybe I should do a song of yours.

CA: (laughs) You can come in and we'll do a duet together.

CBS: You'll like that!

Giesel: I might ruin the song.

CA: (laughs)

CBS: You will never ruin anything, anywhere, anytime.

CA: (shakes head)

Giesel: I think I might ruin the song for him.

CBS: If Clay doesn't want you singing, you can duet with me, for the rest of my life.

CA: (laughs)

CBS: What do you have here?

CA: We have trucks... assortment of trucks for younger kids. We've got a bunch of these things to give away. We'll throw them in the box.

CBS: That is great. How about it everyone? Thank you so much. It's so kind of you to be here and you've really brightened our holiday season. Clay- your music is wonderful and Giesel, you've just enlightened every month of the year.

CA: Well, thank you.

=================================
CBS INDOOR STUDIOS

Renee (CBS): Clay Aiken has been a very busy man lately -- not only is the singing superstar on a whirlwind 36 city concert tour, he also has a holiday CD called Merry Christmas With Love, and it's gone platinum. He's taking a break from his busy schedule to perform for us. He's up early this morning. Clay, good morning, good to see you.

Clay: Good morning, thanks for having us.

R: Let me set the stage... My husband and I are driving home yesterday from being out of town, snow has just dusted the area and we're playing your CD and it's fantastic.

CA: Good taste!

R: Yes, good taste, right. Right?

CA: (laughs)

R: 2 and a half years since American Idol. This is your 6th tour, is that right?

CA: Yeah, we've stayed pretty busy on the road.

R: Yeah, but this one's pretty special to you... why is that?

CA: Uh, I've just always loved the Christmas thing. We did it last year, we did it this year, and we tried to add something new -- a little theatrical stuff and it's been a lot more work.

R: But, you wrote that, right?

CA: Yeah, I'm kind of a control freak. I was going to let someone else do it, then I got overwhelmed and said "if you want something done right, do it yourself."

R: Yeah. What is it about? It's about a young boy who --

CA: It's about an older lady who has lost a Christmas spirit. It's a traditional Christmas story. She's lost her Christmas story and the neighbourhood boy comes in and kind of helps her find it, and I play, in some sense a guardian angel... kind of a soundtrack to the show.

R: I got ya. I, uh, is your choir teacher - your old choir teacher, you cast her as the lady.

CA: And I was writing it, I thought to myself, you know what, I kind of wrote it with her in mind and so we called her up and asked her if she'd be willing to do it. My high school music teacher is the lead in the show.

R: Clay, did I ready somewhere that you were not very nice to her.

CA: No (laughs)

R: And now you're trying to pay her back by giving her a role in your tour?

CA: No, she bossed me around, and now I get to boss her around.

R: Yeah, yeah, right. You having a lot of fun?

CA: You know what, we are having a wonderful time. We're just now about half way through -- a little over half way through.

R: 36 cities -- my god. Alright, so, let's see. What else has been going on in your life? You also did some stuff for The Insider.

CA: Yeah, we had a little bit of fun with that. I got an opportunity to kind of take your role for a minute and see.

R: Yeah... did you like it?

CA: It's tough! I didn't know how to --

R: Really? Is it really?

CA: It's really tough. It was really tough. It's a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I thought, you know, answering questions was hard enough -- having to think of them and ask them yourself is even harder.

R: Yeah, yeah.. OK. let's see now. You live in LA, but you're building a home in --

CA: I'm building a home in Raleigh. I kind of wanted to get back to my roots and a quieter, slower lifestyle. So I'll probably be going back and forth between LA and New York, but I want to make a base.

R: Everybody's good? Your mom's good?

CA: Everybody's good.

R: Your brother is just back from Iraq.

CA: My brother came back from Iraq. We're going to have an interesting Christmas this year. He's got some Marines who i'm sure won't be able to make it home, so they'll be at our house, cause he's close by. We've got people from the tour who'll be staying with us. It's an extended family Christmas.

R: Wow! Alright, so... Your voice is warmed up? You're ready to go?

CA: We'll see.

R: We're all here to hear you sing.

=================================

CBS: Talk about putting people in the mood. That was just flat out beautiful.

CBS2: Where are you going to spend the holidays?

CA: I'll be at home. Our tour stops in Raleigh right before Christmas.

CBS3: And you get to be with your mom. Say hi to her for us.

CA: Hi mama!

EARLY SHOW SIGN OFF

CBS News posted this article today.

Aiken In The Christmas Spirit
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2005
Clay Aiken on The Early Show Monday. (CBS/The Early Show)

(CBS) Clay Aiken's been a very busy man lately.

Not only is he in the middle of a whirlwind 36-city holiday concert tour, he's got a platinum holiday CD called "Merry Christmas With Love."

Aiken stopped by The Early Show Monday to sing a song (video) from the CD, the classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

It's his sixth tour since his second-place finish on the second season of "American Idol."

Aiken tells co-anchor Rene Syler that he's "always loved the Christmas thing. We did it last year, we did it this year, and we tried to add something new and did a little theatrical stuff."

Aiken wrote the script for the Christmas show, the first time he's written a script for any show.

"I'm kind of a control freak," he admits to Syler. "I was going to let someone else do it. Then I got overwhelmed and said, 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.'

"It's about an older lady who's kind of lost the Christmas spirit. It's a traditional story. She's lost the Christmas spirit and a neighborhood boy comes in and helps her find it. I play, in some sense, a guardian angel who's kind of a soundtrack to the show."

And he enticed his high school choir teacher to play the lead.

"She bossed me around and now I'm bossing her around," he jokes.

Aiken's brother just returned from Iraq, and Aiken plans to have him and other Marines, along with other family members and members of the tour troupe, at his Los Angeles home for the holiday. Aiken calls it an extended family Christmas.

(C) MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

New Song "Compromise"

Update 4/27/2006: CDD has re-uploaded the clip to those of you coming here for it! We've been flooded with traffic to this specific post today.

The CH's finyanga has found a new ASCAP listing for Clay! Looks like this new song, Compromise, will appear on Clay's upcoming sophomore album.

Download a snippet (normal left click please; scroll down the page) of the song from an interview with the Raleigh News & Observer, Dec. 18. Courtesy Gerwhisp/Raleigh N&O. (MP3 format)

ASCAP is listing Clay as the performer on a song called "Compromise," written by John Christopher Farren, Benjamin Glover and Matt Bronleewe.

It looks to me as though they may have put this team together at that songwriter hoedown that JFL attended. Farren is a country songwriter. Benjamin Glover is described by allmusic as a contemporary Christian singer with a funk rock edge (although he also wrote "You Were There" for Avalon) and Matt Bronleewe is a member of the CCM group Jars of Clay. Bronleewe co-wrote Kim Locke's "Wrong" which is decidedly pop rather than CCM so you decide whether that's good news (hee) or bad news. *g*

Obviously, it's tempting to extrapolate about the style and direction of the album from these credits, but that's really hard to do, and it's impossible to do well. I'm hoping that the title implies a tale of struggle, rather than a more heavy-handed CCM effort, but it's equally possible that "Compromise" fits in with the theme set by "Back for More" and is a song about how much radio play you get if you pay ClearChannel fifty cents (hee) on the dollar. What?

AD: Camden, NJ

Boston Herald Interview

Aiken making 'Joyful Noise' on holiday tour
By Sarah Rodman/ Music
Monday, December 5, 2005

Central casting could not come up with a better ambassador of holiday cheerthan Clay Aiken.

The jolly "American Idol" runner-up is touring with his second Christmas production, Joyful Noise 2005, which comes to the Orpheum tomorrow.

In addition to singing selections from his 2004 holiday release "Merry Christmas With Love" and carols and hymns, the 27-year-old North Carolinian has penned a script to tie the songs together. Revolving around the theme of Christmas spirit, Aiken's tale is performed by a group of dancers and actor-singers, including his high school choir teacher, Allison Lawrence.

We caught up with the easygoing singer, who hopes to have a new CD in stores early next year, by phone from a Pittsburgh tour stop.

Herald: This summer you were voted the Most Loved Reality Star in a TV Guide poll. How does it compare to appearing in People's "Sexiest Men" issue in 2003?
Aiken: They both make me laugh. They're very flattering. I don't think I've been voted the "Sexiest Man Alive." I was in the book but I was on, like, page 74 so I don't think it counts.

You take criticism and jokes lobbed at you with good humor. Do the ribbings and negative reviews really not bother you?
Obviously, you sure don't love 'em if they're bad. But I've always been taught to try and find the positive in every situation. So at least people are talking instead of not saying anything at all. Obviously, if they were saying all good things I'd be much happier, but it's not going to happen. Those reviewers and those people who want to take potshots and be negative and nasty, they're wasting their time and wasting it with me. How great!

We hear you've turned into a playwright on this tour.
I turned into a control freak, let's be honest. I knew I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do a show that brought all of the elements together. I sat down and started writing an outline, and then went to see if I could get someone to help put together a script and thought, 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.'

You've brought your high school choir teacher on tour with you. So are you guys trashing hotel rooms and going to strip joints?
No. But it's so strange to me. She was the teacher that was very well loved because she was the cool teacher. I still call her Miss Lawrence every once in awhile."
But you're her boss now!
I know, isn't that weird?

Clay Aiken Struck Oil

Brief, positive mention in the Corpus Christi Caller Times' Kelly Clarkson article.

Texan tries to claim her lonestar
Fan favorite Clarkson set for American Bank Center show

By John Powell Metz Caller-Times
December 1, 2005

A former cocktail waitress, Clarkson has enjoyed a level of fame that has eluded her "Idol" contemporaries, though many of them have flourished in smaller niches. Clay Aiken struck oil among the adult-contemporary set, while Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood just debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with her country disc, "Some Hearts." Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and Josh Gracin all have garnered a few hits, too.

Claymania In New York (Post)

The New York Post published this cute article about Claymania in today's paper.

Claymania
'Idol' star's tour buoyed by old ladies
By DEBORAH STARR SEIBEL

DON'T be surprised if you see a lifesized, cardboard cutout of Clay Aiken being toted around the streets of New York this weekend. "American Idol's" most famous runner up is preparing for Sunday's third and final night of the New York leg of his "Joyful Noise" Christmas tour at the Beacon Theater. And his fans, famed for their over-the-top enthusiasm, will be ready to celebrate at the before and after-the-show parties that typically surround Aiken's touring schedule.

In Los Angeles, for example, near the start of the 35-city tour in early November, the cardboard cutout, known as "Flat Clay," stood in the corner of Hollywood's Hamburger Hamlet. As Flat Clay looked on, some four dozen women ages 18-65 enjoyed burgers and party favors that included chocolates wrapped in Aiken's picture. These fans, many of whom met over the internet, leave home -- and often, their home states -- to share All Things Clay before the concerts. Flat Clay, for example, has made appearances on the east coast, the Dakotas, even Hawaii.

"He folds up," explains Zelda Gilbert, 60, from Sherman Oaks, California, the prop's owner.

Gilbert, a psychology professor at Woodbury University in Burbank, is fairly typical of the Aiken fans who put on a show almost as entertaining as Aiken himself when he comes to town. Populating websites such as the Clay Connection, Claydream Believers, the Clack House and the Claymates, these fans could have just bought his records and called it a day. But talk to them, and you get the feeling they think they created him."I'm surprised at myself," says Bar-bara Allen, 64, an interior designer from La Jolla, Ca., "because I've never done this before and I think I'm a little past having mid-life crisis. But I was really unhappy with what I was seeing and hearing in pop culture. In my view, it was not about the music anymore. It was about how sensational they could become, how vulgar, rather than offering a God-given talent."

To Allen and Gilbert, and many more, Aiken's talent has filled a big void, and they're determined to keep the flame alive. Says Gilbert, "It's like being a Deadhead but with clean urine samples."

Clay Mention on ABC's This Week

Clay was mentioned moments ago on ABC's This Week.

From the CB:

Did anyone just hear George Stephanopoulous a few minutes ago on ABC? He said something like "And coming up later...some words for Clay Aiken and Rosemary Clooney from Tony Bennett" - then they showed an upcoming clip from Tony Bennett saying "Years ago, before American Idol there was _____ (something about many other great singers were "American Idols.") I'm waiting now for that upcoming Tony Bennett clip.

Update:
Awww. Just saw the clip. It was about Tony Bennett receiving Kennedy Center Honor. Also his MTV "Unplugged" appearance. Said that he and Rosemary Clooney were the first American idols. Said that the young MTV audience responded positively to him because the songs were good. Said audiences want to hear quality songs and the audience is really the proof for how someone will succeed. Clay was not mentioned in this clip but the fact George S. singled out Clay in that introduction was pretty darn cool, IMO.

Clay in the same as Rosemary and Tony Bennett? I'll take that any day!!!

More Info About School Visit

More news about Clay's visit yesterday to New York Public School #3 was posted today on oanmedia.com. We reported this yesterday. Photos of the event can be found on yesterday's post.

Clay Aiken Back in School

UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken adresses students at a NYC public school

New York, December 2, 2005 -- "You can probably tell from my accent that I'm not from around here", Clay Aiken told kids at a New York City elementary school on Friday. The UNICEF Ambassador showed off a "school-in-a-box", a kit containing materials for students, screened a short video of his visit to tsunami-ravaged regions, and he explained the plight of Ugandan children forced into the military. Challenging the kids, Clay asked if anyone knew how many countries there are in the world. "Thirteen?" one guessed. Aiken said that there are more countries than that, but didn't actually know how many; he had to ask one of the teachers.

The whole visit lasted about forty minutes, and then he immediately left the Greenwich Village building, without signing autographs.

UNICEF Broadcast Mentions Clay

Click to enlarge
A special UNICEF broadcast last night on select CBS stations, called "Lighting Up For UNIFEF" briefly mentioned Clay. You can find video links on this CB thread.
From the CB:

Clay was shown for just about 15 seconds, in a montage of UNICEF ambassadors visiting different countries. They showed Clay visiting Uganda. First he is shown in looking out the window of a car at the children sleeping all over the sidewalks, while the voiceover said "In neighboring Uganda, Clay Aiken witnessed the plight of the so-called night-commuters." He then is shown walking around a room with children just sleeping in every possible corner, saying "It's a little hard to watch children have to sleep [pause and big swallow] and live in conditions like this." You could tell he was a little choked up. The entire thing lasted 15 seconds, but that is about what each ambassador got.

Fly Magazine Interview

Philly's Fly Magazine interviewed Clay recently.

CLAY AIKEN spreads the holiday cheer
The "American Idol" fave talks to Fly about the most wonderful time of the year
by Jeff Royer

When Fly Magazine tracked down "American Idol" alum Clay Aiken in late November, the spunky singer was one week into his annual Joyful Noise holiday tour.

Maybe it was all the eggnog, or maybe it was the fact that he'd been sitting on his butt all day doing interviews, but Aiken had more energy than a toddler with a sugar rush. He giggled, he bounced, he talked at about a thousand words a minute. In other words, even after selling millions of albums and becoming one of America's biggest pop stars, it appears that Clay Aiken is still the same lovable goof we first met three years ago. There's something strangely comforting about that.

Fly took the opportunity to pick the animated Aiken's brain about his holiday tour, his pet goat, and what it's like to be the world's least likely sex symbol.

Fly Magazine: So, by this point in your career, have you gotten used to the lifestyle that comes with being a pop star?
Clay Aiken: Strangely enough, yes. It's not something I ever thought I would get used to. When I first started doing it, it was like, "Oh wow! An interview! A signing! Yay!" Now an interview or signing is like, "Oh, god ..." [laughs]

FM: [laughs] Well, let me ask you the same question you've been getting all day then: What can we expect out of the Joyful Noise Tour?
CA: We did the Joyful Noise Tour last year. We did a full-orchestra run with a 30-piece orchestra onstage and sang the songs from the Merry Christmas With Love album.
I didn't want to do the same thing that every other artist who does a Christmas tour does. During the holiday season you can pretty much pick any day in most cities and go see some artist's Christmas concert. [laughs] So I was trying to figure out a way to make it different, to maybe string all of these songs together with some type of dialogue, or figure out a way to make the stories connect. It changed from me talking to having someone else do it, to having characters do it, to having specific characters doing it. It became a storyline, really.

FM: Do you feel like you're able to wrap your head around everything that's happened to you so far?
CA: Yeah. It took a while. I don't ever want to get to a point where I can wrap my head around it all. If I ever get to that point, I think it's time to quit. Every day there is something new and different and there's something exciting.
There are plenty of times I could stop and say, "Wow, look at what I'm doing now!" I could stop right now and think, "This is completely different," even though I have done 55 interviews today. [laughs] It's still something I wasn't doing in North Carolina two years ago. I have to be thankful for it. It becomes a little more routine and you become accustomed to it, I'm sure like any job. When I was a teacher, the first time I did it was much harder than the third and fourth times. This is kind of the same way.

FM: Another thing that's changed is that you've become this full-on sex symbol for a lot of people!
CA: That part scares me! I haven't wrapped my head around that. [laughs] That just frightens me. I'm worried about America's taste! [laughs] That's probably something I'm not ever going to quite get. It's flattering, so I won't complain, but I'm baffled.

FM: In a position like yours, everybody's so interested in your personal life. Suddenly I'm reading things about you, everything from stories about your childhood petsto speculation on your sexual orientation and everything in between. Does that weird you out?
CA: It's tough. At the very beginning of the process, it's quite a shock. You don't understand why people are asking these things. I had a goat -- who cares? And I didn't tell anybody that. There are times that I look on the internet or read a message board and they'll know things about me that I didn't know. [laughs] "I never told anybody that! How did they find out?" So at first it's a shock. And then later on it's not as shocking but still upsetting. And then after a while, it's just like having a gnat in your nose. You just want to kill it. [laughs] It becomes unfortunately a negative part of what you do, and you need to kind of live with it. But if you could get up your nose and kill it, you would do it. [laughs] It's not so easy sometimes.

FM: You're almost becoming as known for your humanitarian work as you are for your music. Why is that so important to you?
CA: I kind of came into this not necessarily wanting to or knowing how to be a celebrity or whatnot. I mean, I was a teacher! And I made a promise to myself as I did it. "If I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna try to be something other than self-serving." I think that every single person who's in this industry and who's a celebrity and making money off the public -- I make my money directly from the public -- has the responsibility to pay them back in some way. I think each person in my position is a role model whether they want to be or not. Somewhere out there are kids who look up to you. And some people take that seriously, and some people don't. To me, I don't understand why people don't take it seriously.
UNICEF does amazing work. I thought I was a worldly person, and then I started working with them and realized I don't know as much of my world as I need to. And if I don't know as much about my world as I need to, then many, many, many people don't. So I'm thrilled to be in a position to be able to talk about it. And so I'm gonna.

FM: Do you think about the kind of things you still want to achieve in your career?
CA: Everything that's happened so far has been because I've kind of been available to opportunities. I don't like to set plans. It's kind of a strange thing to hear come out of a teacher's mouth, but I don't like to set goals because I think when you set specific goals you end up losing sight of other opportunities. I had the goal of wanting to be a teacher. I wanted to continue being in education for a long time. Had I made that a hard, fast goal, then I would not have had the opportunity to do this now.
We do want to have an album out in the first half of next year, and then we want to make sure we can go out on the road again at some point. But other than that, I kind of just let what happens happen. Let go and let God.

FM: So if somebody wants to put you on another TV show and make you the world's most famous dancer or something, you can do that next!
CA: [laughs] I said I'd be open to opportunities and I'll take a look at them, but just because I'm looking doesn't mean I'll do 'em!
Clay will spread the holiday cheer at the Tweeter Center, Philly, on December 11.

Clay A Pioneer of New Cellphone-Concert Technology

Billboard article about the cellphone-SMS @ concert technology Clay used during the Jukebox Tour.

Acts, audience connect via text messaging
Sat Dec 3, 2005 3:07 AM GMT

By Antony Bruno

SAN FRANCISCO (Billboard) - About an hour into a typical show on U2's Vertigo tour, Bono tells the crowd to hold up their mobile phones, in what has become the modern-day equivalent of flicking on a lighter. Instantly, thousands of blue-tinted screens illuminate the darkness as he marvels at the spectacle.

"Is that a 21st-century moment or what?" Bono asks.

Soon the video screen atop the stage flashes a five-digit number above the word "UNITE."

"Time to do a magic trick," he says. "These little devices -- these cell phones -- they can do all sorts of things."

Then the band launches into the song "One," and Bono encourages the audience to use their phones to send a text message (also known as an SMS) to the one.org Web site, a sort of digital petition voicing support for poverty relief in Africa. Later, during the encore, the names of all who did so are scrolled on the same screen, and each receive a message of thanks from Bono on their phones.

This is one of the most visible examples of how the mobile phone is being used as a communication tool between artist and audience, turning the concert event into a much more interactive experience.

"It's the perfect intersection of pop culture and technology," says Andy Sheldon, a senior director at Sun Microsystems who implemented the system that manages the U2 SMS campaign.

BORN AT LIVE 8

The one.org SMS initiative began at the worldwide Live 8 concerts in July, where fans at each show were asked to text their support of Live 8's anti-poverty message to the one.org petition. More than 26 million responded. (Sun also implemented that campaign.)

U2 then picked up the concept for its Vertigo tour. The U.S. leg of the trek averages about 10,000 responses per night, totalling more than 250,000 so far.

While Bono and U2 are using wireless text-messaging for altruistic purposes, other efforts are more profit-oriented.

"This year was definitely the year of mobile at concerts and live events," says Nihal Mehta, founder and CEO of Ipsh, another company facilitating interactive messaging campaigns. "This is the year that we've felt the most traction."

Ipsh powered the SMS messaging campaigns of more than two dozen events this year, including the Austin City Limits music festival in September, Lollapalooza in July and Heineken's AmsterJam in August.

Lollapalooza mastermind Perry Farrell used SMS to engage concertgoers to join in a massive scavenger hunt, awarding successful participants with tickets to an exclusive after-party.

During the AmsterJam concert, organizers used SMS messages to direct fan attention to unfolding events, such as the arrival of Snoop Dogg's helicopter. And fans were asked to text in the song they wanted to hear for the encore.

Simon Renshaw's Strategic Artist Management earlier this year tapped Boomerang Mobile Media to manage SMS campaigns at events for several of its clients, including Ghostface, Clay Aiken and Anastacia.

As at the U2 shows, fans attending these concerts were invited to text messages to a pre-set code that let them post messages to large screens near the stage, as well as compete in trivia contests for the chance to win better seats or VIP backstage passes and to buy concert merchandise.

NEW REVENUE STREAM

For artists and their management, this new capability adds yet another layer of potential revenue to the concert tour. They often charge up to $2 (1.15 punds) for fans to send their messages during the show. Fans are notified of the fee in advance and given the option to continue. Revenue is split with the company managing the service.

U2, however, charges nothing. SMS airtime charges will always apply, and vary by carrier and subscription plan.

Rather than waiting in line to buy a concert T-shirt, fans could simply text in the code for the shirt they want, with the charge billed to the mobile phone and the product delivered by mail.

Next year, expect to see acts offering fans ringtones or full-song downloads of live performances, or the ability to pre-order an album. One proposal would send fans an SMS with a digital coupon worth $2 off the cost of the artist's CD, redeemable at participating retailers.

Kevin Wall, CEO of Network Live and executive producer of the Live 8 concerts, says interactive text-messaging will soon become as commonplace at concerts as T-shirt sales.

"The location-based SMS business is at a primitive stage, but will be incorporated into shows in a lot of different ways," Wall says. "Two years from now, it'll just be a standard thing to do."

Reuters/Billboard

ET Crews Sighted At Beacon Today

Crews from Entertainment Tonight were sighted shooting at the Beacon Theatre in New York City tonight. The official fanclub just announced that Clay will appear on ET December 5.

Clay on ET and GMA Next Week

The official fanclub have announced 2 more TV apperances in addition to the Monday morning appearance on CBS' Early Show.

• Dec. 5 - Entertainment Tonight (syndicated , backstage @ JNT NYC -- Cellcert reports confirm that ET crews were present at tonight's concert in NYC.)
• Dec. 9 - Good Morning America (ABC, performance)

From the OFC:

12/02/05 / More Clay TV Appearances!
Clay will be making special appearances on the following TV shows:

Date	Show
December 5	Entertainment Tonight
December 9	Good Morning America

Pending breaking news, it’s possible the Entertainment Tonight story could get bumped back a day to run on Decmeber 6th. Be sure to tune in and check your local listings for exact show times and channels.

AD: Boston, MA

CBS Early Show E-Mail

CBS has asked us to post this e-mail regarding Clay's appearance on the CBS Early Show Monday morning.

To Whom It May Concern:
The Early Show would like to invite Clay Aiken fans to join us on the Plaza Monday 12-5-05 in conjunction with Clay's appearance on the show. We are located at 59th and 5th in NYC, near FAO Shwartz. All interested groups would need to contact our audience coordination department to confirm their attendence and would need to arrive on the day of filming at 7:30am. We are on-air live at 8:00am and 8:30am.
Please let me know whatever you might need from us, here are some additional features we can provide.

• A chance to be on live, national television and to meet our weatherman, Dave Price
• FREE studio tour after the show
• FREE Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts
• FREE transportation on the Grayline CBS Fun Bus from Times Square (47th & Broadway) to the show
• Posterboard and markers to make signs
• A tape of the show sent to your home after you return from New York
  

Many thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Blaise Gomez
Assistant Audience Coordinator
CBS "Early Show"
W. 212-975-2890
C. 845-800-6222

Kenneth Cole's Website Features Clay

Click to enlarge

Clay's Kenneth Cole designed outfit he wore on GMA this past July is featured on the designer's website!

New York School Gets Clay Aiken Suprise

12/5: New photos -- click to enlarge

Clay and UNICEF visited New York City Public School #3 today, to the suprise of many of the students. WireImages has posted pictures onto it's website. Clay is currently making a 3 day stop at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. We'll have more info on this as it becomes available.

12/3 Update: More photos here.

Clay On Dear Santa Commercial

FOX has aired a commercial for next week's Christmas special Dear Santa, which Clay is appearing on. More info on the show can be found here. Video of the ad -- here.

From the CB:

I can't seem to find the first Dear Santa thread, but anyway...

I was just watching Trading Spouses on Fox (and of course, reading my various Clay sites at the same time) when I looked over at the TV and saw the little girl that asked to meet Clay. I recognized her right away.

Then they showed Clay speaking at the end. I can't remember exactly what he said (I was in my usual dead stare), but he looked extremely nice.

Maybe they will show it several times in the next few days.

I'm looking forward to this show.

About.com: Clay Has 4th Best Christmas Album of Last 20 Years

About.com music critic Bill Lamb says Clay's Merry Christmas With Love is one of the best Christmas album of the past 20 years! Clay beat other A-List singers such as Mariah Carey, 'NSync and Barbara Steisand. Only one non-compliation album beat Clay's disc- Celion Dion's 1998 holiday hit These Are Special Times.

Top 10 Pop Christmas Albums
Guide Picks
From Bill Lamb,
Your Guide to Top 40 / Pop.

The best in Christmas albums released over the past 20 years.

4) Clay Aiken - Merry Christmas With Love (2004)

Former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken's warm, engaging vocal style is a perfect fit for holiday music. He has put together one of the most eagerly awaited Christmas concert tours in both 2004 and 2005.

Complete list:

1) Now! That's What I Call Christmas! (2001)
2) Celine Dion - These Are Special Times (1998)
3) A Very Special Christmas (1987)
4) Clay Aiken - Merry Christmas With Love (2004)
5) Vanessa Williams - Star Bright (1996)
6) Barbra Streisand - Christmas Memories (2001)
7) Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas (1994)
8) Chris Isaak - Christmas (2004)
9) 'NSync - Home for Christmas (1998)
10) Kidz Bop Kids - Kidz Bop Christmas (2002)