ldyjocelyn

Intermission report from Pink Armchair via cellcert: Before the introduction of the knights, before All for One, Sir Robin was introduced, but the crowd was so loud, he left the stage again, and then came back on. Then, Tom as the historian was kinda like "why am I introducing this guy? You know who he is!" During Idol of my Age -- he held his long yodel note, Rick didn't pull him back, and left him to hold the note forever! Hee. Crowd is wild. Totally a Clay crowd. Jerome brought Reed in. [editors note: COOL!!!!!!!]

CG just texted me a few minutes ago and said that both Reed and Nick are there. CG thought Reed looked "very cute!"

Thread title poll at the top of the page. I hope the NYC FCA contingency will get to vote!

Blogs Over Baghdad This is a correction of Lotus' link...

Love reading your niece's report tribeca! STAGE DOOR TONIGHT!!! Woohoo!!! Maybe a lucky FCAer will get something good!

From the CH:

More from this afternoon's show... From Zippy888 at the CB: From copingincalif at CV:

Via the CH, today's matinee: Heh. Clay gave Jenny the Italian Salute. I think I love him all the more. aikim, I like that list. Even without the religious overtones, I think there is much to get from it. Life is too short. CG, have fun at Grease! Ace is certainly fine too, and I don't blame you for drooling wanting to see him.

*throws snotty Kleenex at bottlecap* liney, your list was divine...thanks for the compliment too. couchie, to you as well, although I sure don't feel like I have to do very much around here... Thanks for all the recaps and photos. This weekend is rather bittersweet for me. While I'm thrilled for the best that is yet to come [tm Jaymes, sorta], I'm truly going to miss knowing that Clay is in NYC, preparing for that next show of Spamalot. Broadway has been good for him, IMO, and I think he's truly gotten a new perspective on what being a performer is. Yes, I do miss hearing the voice, especially in a concert setting. But, to me, that's NEVER been all there is about him. That "came for the voice, stayed for the man" has always been very true for me. I'm glad my E-ticket for the roller coaster ride known as being a Clay Aiken fan is still valid.

bottlecap, when you pass from this earth...could I have the password to your photobucket account? *g* I decided that staying home is a good thing. I feel lousy, and want to just cut my nose off! Plus have someone suck out the crap from my sinuses.

Shoot, had too many images in the first post. Hopefully, this will finish it out and won't add to the last post...

Morning all. A massive head cold has decended on me, and I'm debating whether to make the 3 hour trip to visit my 86 year old mother in the nursing home. I'm thinking I shouldn't; it's not nice to spread germs like that to people whose immune systems are already compromised. tribeca, you and your niece have fun this afternoon, and good luck with the SD! muski -- wow. What travels. I'm glad you made it though. From getclayaiken. Several never pictures, discovered by a myspace image search. (Why didn't I think of that?) The one with the girls backstage is from backstage at Spamalot (it says so on her myspace page). These are new to me (or at least forgotten)...

Heidi, getting to see Rick was an added treat. And yet...I would have also liked to have seen Tom Deckman and David Hibbard as well. I'm selfish like that. aikim, I'll fight you for that green sweater. Maybe we can share? I don't live THAT far away from you. I too love Clay's quirky clothes choices...and I wish I could afford one of those gray pouchy shirts. It looks really comfortable to me! Would anyone like a true recap from me on my trip? If so...keep reading! If not...sorry. You're going to get one anyway! My NYC and Spamalot recap… The trip did not get started on a good note. My husband and I were scheduled to leave early Saturday morning, December 27. Except, we received a phone call from United Friday night – our first flight was cancelled! They could get us on a plane from a different airport (an hour away) on Saturday evening, though. Long story short – hubby and I made it to LaGuardia Airport at 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, and to our hotel by 3:15. Very interesting riding through Times Square at that time of the morning… Fortunately, I had the foresight to give the Millennium Broadway a “heads up” and they had a room held for us, where we fell into bed. (BTW, if you can afford it, the Millennium Broadway is a great hotel, just one block off Times Square, and down the road from the Shubert. We got a decent deal via PriceLine…) Sunday was my husband’s day for sightseeing. We walked past Rockefeller Center (taking pictures of people ice skating in the 65 degree weather!) to get to The Frick Collection, along Central Park. This is a really nice small museum with varied paintings and sculptures from many time periods. We then walked across Central Park to pay homage at the Dakota, and then back to the hotel. My husband’s brother has a friend who lives in NYC, and he and his wife then took us on the subway to Chinatown for dinner. Joe’s Shanghai – the best soupy dumplings ever! Also, the only one’s I’ve ever had. Hee. We then went to the Iridium Jazz club for some live jazz. I think the room held maybe 130 people tops. Small, crowded, not smoky – and probably the best way to hear jazz. Monday was my day. I had planned to do the NBC Studio tour, only to find out that I should have purchased advance tickets. Sigh. We still went to the Top of the Rock, though – it was a beautiful clear day, and we got some great pictures. Next was Central Park and a horse carriage ride, followed by a soup lunch at Trump Towers. Back to the hotel for some rest, and then off to John’s Pizza. Yum. And then…Spamalot! The reason this trip came about, in many ways, was because I was just playing around on Telecharge in September…and a pair of tickets, D101 and D102 came up. Talked to hubby, said “one in four chance,” and he said “OK.” LOL As it happened, it was not meant to be, but those are still fantastic seats. It was definitely not a Clay Aiken crowd that night, as compared to my trip back in March. He appeared in the tower window – and no applause. I actually like it like that, as, to me, it makes it feel as if he’s part of the ensemble (IMO, as it should be). He did, however, get recognition from the “Idol of my age” line, which was cool. I think the biggest response from the crowd, though, was not for Clay, but actually for one of my favorite lines in the show: “well, that’s not something you usually say to a heavily armed Christian.” It was very interesting seeing the show with a new King and LOTL. To me – I just can’t compare one to the other. Hannah is definitely more over the top, while Merle can be more restrained. I think Merle’s performance worked better in some parts of the show (Song that Goes Like This) while Hannah’s in others (Diva’s Lament). It’s the same with the King. I personally would have liked to see the show with Jonathan Hadary and Merle as the two leads. I appreciated that Rick, as the French taunter, added the line “I throw my shoes at you!” However, his take on “I like big butts” left something to be desired…hee. As far as Clay’s performance – he’s become a seasoned pro now, and I like it. He fits seamlessly into the show. I gotta say though, that he’s developed this oral fixation. His tongue is out a LOT throughout the entire show; he chewed on the strap in the tower guard scene; and he chewed on the ribbons during the guarding Herbert scene. What’s up with that? Anyway, I love the little details that I could get from watching him up close – grabbing his foot when he was “dismounting” his horse; popping the hat out during the finale; the hip thrusts during the dancing at the end; the exaggerated looks he gives toward the audience during the beginning of “All for One.” Funny too that he held the chicken upside down that night; I don’t remember that from before. IMO, his comedic timing has been refined, and he works well within the group. He certainly flirts shamelessly during the entire show, especially during the Camelot number. I find that fun to watch. Oh, and during the curtain call – one of the female dancers came out with Clay’s top hat in her hand. Heh. Yeah, I guess you could say that I liked it. LOL. BTW, my husband said he really enjoyed it too. He wasn’t bored, which is good. He’s a Monty Python fan, so he understood much of the humor, and he enjoyed all the performances. Anyway, after the show was over, my husband and I raced out to the stage door, and managed to get a good spot directly across from the stage door itself. I gave my husband the camera and said “just shoot.” Which he did – and I would say he did pretty good. He didn’t use the flash, as both he and I think it rude to use flashbulbs in someone’s face that closely. A link to my pictures is here: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/ldyj...r%2012-29-2008/ I also got to see Rick at the SD, which was a bonus. And then, Juniors for cheesecake and coffee, back to the hotel for sleep, and then another long day of flying, including running through O’Hare Airport to make our connecting flight. I am so glad I was able to experience NYC with my husband (it was his first time there). I am also so very glad I was able to see Clay as Sir Robin one more time, and revel in the show with the entire cast. Look on the bright side, indeed.

OK, now I've seen everything. They are playing ice hockey in Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ice Hockey. Why?

CG, thanks for letting us know about couchie and muski, and I'm glad that you are at least able to add emoticons. I can check with Ansa to see if there is something else that needs to be done on our end, or maybe couchie knows when she gets back... annabear -- travel safe!!! Happy New Year Everyone! And here is your "Clay Aiken memory" for today:

Hee! Glad to see that Gibby and I think in the same alcoholic way....

CG, do you have a "Save HTML" button below the message box? With a "Cancel" button next to it? If so, try that Cancel button and see if that helps....

CG, you must have hit some button to get rid of your editing stuff...but darned if I know what it is! If I have time, I'll look around for you... I personally hope that Clay surprises me...with whatever he wants to surprise me with! This past year has been a wild ride, that's for sure. And I've learned after almost 6 years in this fandom (wow, 6 years) that what I hope for isn't really important for Clay. I love watching the man he's become; I love hearing him sing whatever he wants to; and I will follow him and his career for a long time to come! Or, as liney said so well... couchie, have fun! And the same for all the rest of you lucky beyotches wenches who are going to be there this weekend....

Did someone say "party at bottlecap's house?" I have a sleeping bag.... I haven't had a chance to watch it yet (watching a movie with husband first) but dreamlarge has posted her annual year-end review montage . I'm sure it will be fantastic though -- she does good work. TimeTravelerPax, I was hoping someone would remember that night with Clay. He was so cute that night. And he still is cute in 2009! Welcome back KAndre!

Welcome tribeca! I'm glad you found us, and I hope continue to post around here!

aikim, no I'm not in any of the pictures posted on the public thread here -- I kept my own picture left to the members only thread. Man, do I wish I was back in NYC to see Spamalot again. I love Sir Robin... Almost forgot...welcome tribeca!

OK, here are my SD pictures from Monday December 29. Actually, my husband took all of them -- and I think he did a pretty good job of it. There was a kid directly in front of me, and he asked Clay to autograph his hat, and then asked for a picture. I'm thinking he must have been in remission from cancer, because he was bald! Next two pictures are of that... Signing his poster by placing it on the wall... And one of Rick... Entire album is here

Hey -- I'm here! 27 degrees Farenheit is actually pretty good for this Midwesterner as well. I agree with aikim -- wimps. Besides, I know couchie can deal with it, she dealt with a lot worse last year in Merrillville... Hubby and I are home, and well rested at this point. Flying home wasn't quite as bad as getting to NYC, although we did end up waiting at Newark airport for almost 5 hours, and then, once to O'Hare, having to run to our gate to get our final connecting flight home. But we made it, and as soon as we got home, we fell into bed. I found out after the fact that I was standing next to butterflyshine at the SD Monday night, so my SD pictures will be sucky in comparison. She has a much better camera, and was able to get some fantastic closeups. However, hubby did get a few good shots, which I will work on editing later today. But I did want to get my "moment of glory" posted, and it's in the members only thread. The reason I love my husband so much (cause he took a picture of me with my boyfriend) Everyone going to NYC...travel safe. muski, good luck with your travels -- I can't imagine trying to arrive in Times Square on New Year's Eve!

*sigh* I got my picture with Clay. *sigh* OK, so I wasn't the peasant. I knew I had a one in four chance, and kept alternating between not getting my hopes up too high, and visualizing myself on the stage. Should have done the latter, eh? Anyway... The show is still outstanding, I had a great time, and it looks as if Clay is having the time of his life still as well. The main thing that I remember this time -- TONGUE!!! Good Lord, the man loves showing his tongue! (bottlecap, is there ANY way you can get to a show? *g*) And he uses it so well! LOL! annabear mentioned much of what I can remember, but I can add a few details. I loved him popping out the hat at the end -- that's a nice new addition. And then, during the curtain call, one of the dancer girls came out with the top hat in her hand! What's up with that? The other thing I can remember at the moment is during the finale, the dancing with Patsy and Bevedere. At one point, both Patsy and Bevedere held out their tambourines, and Clay hit them simultaniously. It was cute. And then -- we had the pelvic thrust that drove me insaaaaaane. Actually, two of them! He has really let loose with the dancing at the end. Other dance moves -- during the end of Find Your Grail, he was really grooving to the music, throwing in a lot of hand/arm movements. Another think I don't remember reading before -- when he "dismounts his horse," he actually grabbed his foot, and pulled his leg in this circular motion. It was...bendy. Very bendy. (Maybe he's been working with Reed? LOL!!!) As Brother Maynard, he did a very soulful Amen, that ended LOWWWWW -- and the knights could NOT sing it. Hee. Stage door -- white Canada sweatshirt, blue track pants, tennis shoes. Hubby was assigned to take pictures, and I think he got a few decent ones. I will post them (and my SD picture with Clay) when we get back. I also got my picture with Rick. He's still so great! That's all I can remember for now. I may or may not get to a formal recap, but it's time for bed. We have to be up fairly early for our flight tomorrow. I just hope our travel tomorrow is a lot less troublesome than the last time....

Off to dinner at John's Pizza -- and then Spam! Woohoo!!! I'm calling annabear after the show, may call couchie too, depending on my phone battery!