BAF 2008 Champions of Change Gala Auction

The BAF 2008 Champions of Change Gala Auction is now open for bidding, so head on over to BAF to get a look at all the wonderful items being offered to everyone to bid on. Including fabulous weekend getaways, a week long vacation, wonderful jewelry, and other fantastic Clay related items. Bid and bid often, remember this is for the children, camps, and training teachers. See below for the information on the bidding details also.

These are just a few of the many items up for auction:

Bidding Information - If you wish to bid on an item, please send an email with the title "Gala Auction Bid -" and the item description to contactus@bubelaiken.org. Please submit ONE bid per email. Any bids under the minimum bids will not be counted. In the body of your email, list the item, your bid, your name, email address, and mailing address. Bidding will end at 11:59pm on Friday, October 17. Winners will be notified by Wednesday, October 22. Instructions and payment information will be given then. We will update the site regularly with the highest bid. The highest internet bid will become the minimum bid at either the silent auction and will be treated as a sealed bid at the live auction. If no one bids higher at the gala, the highest internet bidder will be awarded the prize. There will be a 2% shipping surcharge added to the item. You will have the option to purchase insurance on the shipping of the item. All items online will be available for bid at the gala. You will not receive a response to your bid entry other than the stock automated contactus response. Please check the website for bid updates. In the case of two or more people entering the same bid prior to an update, the bidder who bid first will be the one counted.

Good luck to everyone and remember what a great cause this is for, BAF.

Jaymes calls Clay "The Perfect Person"

NJ.com has reported a quote from Jaymes which I think is very sweet and true, LOL.

Clay Aiken's baby mama says he's 'the perfect person'

by Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger
Thursday September 25, 2008, 2:13 PM


Clay Aiken Jaymes Foster, Clay Aiken's best friend and baby mama, tells People that the singer is "an incredible caregiver," and "on a larger scale, he's the perfect person."

"He's been a school teacher, we have the same morals, family is very important to him and Parker means everything to us," she says.

Foster and Aiken conceived 7-week-old Parker through in vitro fertilization. Foster, who's 50 but looks years younger, says she just wasn't ready to have kids when she was younger. "I had the freedom then to travel the world and have a wonderful career. I believe at this point in my life it's the right time, and I think because it's the right time, I'll hopefully do a good job. If I don't, Clay will be all over me!"

New Message Board Opens For The Younger (in age) Clay Fans

One of the things that is immediately noticeable about Clay's fans is the range of ages. Clay's fans range in age from 8 to 80, from teenagers to baby boomers, from the young to the young at heart.

And now, especially for the older teens and 20-somethings, comes a new message board just for them called The Young Claynation. This board was started by aiken4clayinseattlewashington, and she welcomes the fans of "Young Claynation" to "come join in the fun". This includes sharing pictures, talking about Clay's TV appearances, encouraging each other to vote, talking about Spamalot, and discussing tours and music. Sounds like fun to me! Hmmm, I wonder if I can pass for 18!!

Here's the link again: The Young Claynation

Tidbits 9/22

• Clay is back at #1 on the Lycos Top 50 search list. The reason given is his return to Spamalot.
  
  The report he has been on the chart for 458 weeks but of course that
  would be incorrect since that would come to 8.8 years. Actually he
  entered the list to my understanding on May 2003 and has not been off
  the list thus far. That would actually be 278 weeks on the chart.
  
  
• Broadway.com - How did we miss this one? Dated 9/19, on Clay's opening night, this article entitled All Hail Sir Robin as Clay Aiken Returns to Spamalot! is overflowing with praise as follows:

  If you were taking a cab across 44th Street on September 19, chances are it wasn't cheap. With Daniel Radcliffe appearing down the block in previews for Equus, the sidewalks got even more crowded with fans and onlookers, thanks to Clay Aiken's splashy return to Spamalot. After leaving the show in April (and becoming a father last month), the pop phenom reassumed the role of Sir Robin and brought down the house with his seemingly effortless performance and an ace rendition of "You Won't Succeed on Broadway." Aiken's signed on through January 4, so if you missed him the first time, here's your chance to be impressed. And trust us, the guy's pretty darn amazing.

  How great is it to hear a review that says, "Trust us, the guy's pretty darn amazing"!!

Meeting New Friends, Experiencing friendship

I was reading a post by Sue4AllYouDo at the Clayboard and I thought it was such a warm and familiar story that I would share it with our subscribers just in case they had missed it.

Last minute decisions.....they sometimes end up being the best ones...like late last night when I was invited to go into the city with a Clay Fan that I have never met!!! OH, what the heck, of course......the auction will be fun and I'll get to see Clay again!!!! I pulled up a single ticket.....F106.....one of the best seats in the house because it is dead center.....my what a view!!!
I was at the 7:00 show.....I think the new King has been taking lessons from Clay on "tunic flipping". This new King is fun to watch because he flips the front of his tunic around as he joyfully dances. Verra, Verra Nice!! The new Lady of the Lake was more interesting and diva-like tonight. She is getting a bit more bold with her part and it is very good and funny. I was surrounded by NJU's and they thoroughly enjoyed the show. Clay was great and the entire audience was responsive to him at all the right times. It was a good crowd. I noticed one really cute thing that Clay did at the very end. I didn't notice the usual salute.....instead he turned his back to the audience and shook his cute butt around...I think he is enjoying himself and really getting a kick out of dancing to the "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" song!!!

I have the wedding bouquet. There were 2 couples sitting right behind me, one couple from New York and the other couple from California. We struck up a conversation right from the start. They wanted to know everything about Clay and I was happy to tell them. They laughed throughout the entire show and they could understand why Clay's fans would come to see him multiple times. When the Lady of the Lake threw the bouquet, the lady from California caught it. I congratulated her and told her the bouquet makes a wonderful souvenier of her visit to Spamalot. She insisted that I have it. She said it would mean more to me than to her and that I should keep it with all my Clay memorabilia. Not only do we get to meet up with new friends that we've only "talked" to on the internet, but we also get to share a few hours of friendship with complete strangers.....all perks of being a Clay Aiken fan!!!

The peasant was B101 again tonight. She seemed to be a fan, but she missed giving Sir Robin a handshake, and he was sooooooo disappointed!!!


Stage Door....as was mentioned earlier, Jerome said that Clay would not be coming out...he thought it wouldn't be fair to the afternoon crowd who could not have a Stage Door visit because of the Auction. We politely moaned a bit and I think Jerome realized that there were some fans there that might not get another chance to see Clay. He took a gal's book back in with him for Clay to sign. The 2 girls I came in with (Hi Gayle and Theresa!!!!) wanted to leave, but I insisted that we stay because I just had a feeling that Clay would come out.....and he did!!! He looked wonderful in his white hoody and he was very chatty. I don't know if it's his new hair color or if the lighting was just right, but his eyes were incredibly green tonight....he is a very handsome young man........sorry, we all know that don't we!!!!


So, my last minute decision was a very good one!!! Thanks to my "new" friends Gayle and Theresa for including me in on their plans!!! It was so nice to see Nancy tonight....it's been too long girl.....and Jonathan and family, too!! The auction was really fun and Clay's item went to a fan for $10,000......not sure who it was but I'm sure we will hear from her. We ate at Ellen's Stardust Diner on 51st and Broadway and what a fun place to eat!!! They have a 50's theme and singing waiters and waitresses....food was great and it was a blast!!!! What more can I say besides.....Thank You Clay.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids

There was an auction today for Broadway Cares, and as with last time, Clay had something up for auction of which there was a lot of action.

Check out the online bidding that went on until yesterday which was followed up today with the live part of the auction. Don't pay too much attention to the bid on that page, because that was surpassed at the live auction, for sure.

This is the listing:

Item Number L-33

Item Description

You and a guest will receive VIP House Seats to see the return of Clay Aiken in the Tony Award-winning musical, SPAMALOT. After the show, you’ll go backstage where he will give you a special behind-the scenes tour. You will also have the opportunity to have your photo taken with Clay and get his autograph. Go home today with a SPAMLOT poster, autographed by Clay and the cast when he was in the show earlier this year.

COURTESY OF Cheryl Jacobsen & Clay Aiken with special thanks to Allison Lee.

I started watching the auction online around 4:45pm and luckily there was a chat room as well connected to the sight, and I don't have to tell you that it was loaded with other Clay fans trying to watch the action. We all hoped that when they got to Item #33 that Clay would walk out of the stage door and the place would erupt, but instead when they announced his item, all of a sudden the auctioneer mumbled something about a special guest. The chat room was abuzz, LOL. They went on to the next item and we were sure he was going to come out. However, they went back to his item and no Clay. We found out later that Jerome had walked out of the stage door, and everyone thought that perhaps Clay was soon to follow. Well, that bad boy had positioned himself up in the window, the very same window he climbed out of on his closing night in Spamalot back in January. A fuzzy photo will appear hopefully later tonight. He was up there to watch his auction like a little school kid who was afraid to be seen just in case it didn't go to well. He should know by now that his meet and greets always go well, and this one went especially well, $10,000.

As reported on the Clayboard:

(caperkeeper @ Sep 21 2008, 05:36 PM) Attention!

butterflyshine just called me with this news: Clay was listening to his item being auctioned! Jerome was apparently outside and she thought we might see Clay but he was inside upstairs (remember the one guy looked up and said someone was 'mooning' them? at least I think that's what he said - that was probably Clay! Not mooning of course! Anyway she says she got a grainy picture of him in the window! A fan did win - butterflyshine wants to let her tell - but Jerome looked at butterflyshine and asked who? She pointed and he nodded ok.

Since I missed the very beginning of the auction, I am not positive, however I do believe Clay's item went for the highest price. Some items sold multiples, so that play actually raised more money but as an individual item Clay's was the highest. The next highest, get this was a walk on role in Wicked, meeting the cast, a signed poster, and several seats in the Orchestra section and dinner, it all went for $8500.

They had a very profitable auction today, and if Clay had just come out there and winked at the bidders, LOL, they may have raised another few thousand. Shame on you Clay, next time don't hide in the rafters...

Once Again The Stage Door is Drawing a Crowd

In the days before Clay joined Spamalot again, a few people were wondering whether or not he would come out the stage door and sign autographs like he did before. That question was answered the very first night. And not only is this tradition still intact, but the crowds are as big as ever! Take a look at some of the pictures taken at the stage door this weekend:





In addition to these great pictures, here is a YouTube video from the Stage Door.

You Tube Spamalot Stage Door - Sept. 19th, 2008 (By MegLeisey)

Pictures From Curtain Call of Clay's 2nd Successful Opening Night

Once again, Clay had a very successful opening night as Sir Robin in his second run of Spamalot. Clay, as well as his fellow cast members, were welcomed with loud and enthusiastic cheers and standing ovations by the audience of both fans and non-fans.

Broadwayworld.com had this to say about Clay:

Clay Aiken returned to the scene of his triumphant Broadway debut Friday September 19th as he reprised the role of 'Sir Robin' in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Monty Python's Spamalot. Clay's debut on Broadway earlier this year was met with wild enthusiasm from both his legion of fans and the New York press.

In addition, Broadway World posted numerous pictures of Clay and the other cast members at the curtain call. Below are a few of those pictures. Be sure and check them all out at Broadway.com.

Clay Is King on Broadway

King Clay Aiken Broadway In Detail: Fun Has Begun




Clay's return to Broadway has been met with open arms from the cast as well as the media for sure. The following is a report from Broadway.tv.com on their views. Of course I would say we all agree, LOL.

Spamalot Crowd Crowns King Clay

While he may be playing a “Sir” on Broadway in Spamalot, it is safe to say that he was King Clay Aiken at last night’s opening. Of course, Spamalot has an excellent new king in Michael Siberry, and an awesome Lady in that lake with Merle Dandridge too. The new additions to the cast of Spamalot all seemed to walk on air, and this up close look at the celebratory curtain call can’t help but put a smile on your face. American Idol star Clay Aiken is a natural on Broadway. This is the excitement that happens on those rare occasions on Broadway. At the moment, forget Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in Equus, and Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise and their entourage of Scientology protesters at All My Sons, or even forget Entourage’s Jeremy Piven in Speed-The-Plow, or Ace Young in Grease. The big story on Broadway today is Clay! He is back on Broadway, and the fun has begun.

J. Pellegrini/WireImage.com.
-Broadway Magazine, Broadway.tv

Melissa meets Clay 09-19-08

Melissa with King Clay…



You always go to the theater, or the concert hoping against all hope that you will come within just a few feet of Clay so that you can say that you had, but almost never do we feel that we will achieve what Melissa has, LOL. You go girl! She not only got within a few feet of him, she got his autograph, she got a hug, a whisper in her ear, a soft shoulder to lean on, and numerous photographs with him. Please read on as she reports it as she saw and felt it…

I am Melissa - aiken4aikenstouch - the girl in a wheelchair that Clay took a picture with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t even know what to say I can barely type LOL. This was all my dads doing he left Spamalot early and saved me a spot right at the front. Clay came out and signed my playbill and Dad asked if we could get a picture and he said we’d do something and Jerome told me to stay put (like I was going anywhere!!!!!) and when he was done Clay pulled me through the barrier hugged me and asked me "What’s your name sweetie" and I said "Melissa...O My God" LOL then he said "Let's turn around" and he knelt beside me for the picture and while we were waiting he whispered in my ear "Is dad gonna ever take the picture" LOL and then it was done let me Just say that he has very comfy shoulders to lean on *Thud* and he gives the best hugs EVER. Thank you Clay for making my dream come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Later she wrote:

YOU GUYS ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOO AMAZING I FEEL SO LOVED It is so nice to know that even if it was only for a minute Clay knew who I was and even if he doesn't remember, it is something I will NEVER FORGET!

Also check out her video remembering her time with Clay at You Tube.

Photos Galore From Opening Night!!

What's the next best thing to seeing Clay in Spamalot for yourself? Why, the answer's easy...seeing Clay via lots of clack! And do we have clack for you!!

From Getty Images, we have a sampling of pictures from the curtain call. Getty has a total of 21 images. Click on the first one at their website to enlarge it; then you can scroll through all the enlarged pictures. We have 12 here for your viewing pleasure:



From Clayboard fans who were there, we have pictures from the stage door:

From Clayshines:



From Toni7babe:



From lsdollylovesclay: