ldyjocelyn

Here ya go!

You'll have to provide your own whipped cream though...sorry.

Pre-concert dinner at my house! Hubby is burning burgers, corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes from the garden, and fresh peaches with a little sugar and a mound of whipped cream on top for dessert! Oh, and booze. Wine for me.

Anyone want to join me?!?!?!?

anyone?

Thank you PuddinsJoy. That was beautiful. Love this line in particular....

The man can be a miracle and he can be a mess - but he can also be magic - pure magic.

And I'm throwin' it back too.

AM I GOING TO HAVE TO TURN THIS MESSAGE BOARD AROUND?!?!?!?!!

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

From the Palm Beach Post reviewer's blog:

Clay Aiken: the aftermath!

"So you're going to be Clayverted!"

More than one Claymate, or hopelessly devoted fan of singer, humanitarian, near-American Idol and cultural phenomenon, decried that by the time Clay's show at the Kravis Center was over, I would be one of them, ready to don the T-shirts, join the Internet groups and plan my vacations around Mr. Aiken's concert schedule.

So now? I'd gladly see him again, because he was great. Do I see me wearing a Clay T-shirt or traveling to see him or joining a huge network of Clay fans...Uh...don't kill me, but not really. I'm a fan now, but not one approaching the heights of what I've seen in my week of Claymate exposure. But I get it now, now that I've seen Clay Aiken and found him wonderful.

So I can admit this without the Claymates coming to kill me: With every fiber of my being, before the show, I'd really wished I was at the Chris Isaak show in Boca.

And this is not because I don't like Clay, but because Chris Isaak is, lock, stock and sparkly pantsuit, pretty much to me what Clay is to the Claymates. I've seen him maybe 6 times, in different states, to which I have driven and changed work schedules to go to. I have shook his hand and shouted my name at him while he Sharpied his name on my shirt or my hat or my ticket. I have squealed in an undignified manner and not even cared how undignified I looked, because Chris Isaak just has it like that.

So I get it, Claymates. I get it. And I am admitting now, after talking to you and seeing how hysterical and talented and kinda cute Clay is, that I understand a little bit better. And after meeting Katie, Helene, Debi and Carolyn, our featured Claymates on the Palm Beach Post.com site and their friends, I get that their devotion now transcends the love of the music or the smile of a cute boy. They have met lifelong friends, seen cities they'd never have been to otherwise, and found new charities to volunteer for, new causes to embrace. I met a woman who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, who came out to the show because Clay and his fans seem to give her strength. She's in a wheelchair but she's not down. And that's not keeping her from her Clay.

If one guy can inspire all that, then by all means, I'm a fan. Thanks, y'all.

P.S. Next time you get a chance to see Chris Isaak, you really ought to if Clay's not in town. He's a different kind of hot. And his suits are shiny.

Posted by Leslie Streeter at 1:48 PM

Quick question: is it "Jaime" or "Jamie" who is his cousin and stylist?

Tampa pictures via Tasapio :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Entire album is here.

Pretties from last night via scrpkym (BLESS YOU!!!!):

Palm Beach Post

Aiken More than Singer He's a Showman

Aiken more than singer he's a showman

By LESLIE GRAY STREETER

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Sunday, August 19, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH — Clay Aiken, whether or not you are a fan of his, is pretty much considered a good singer by most people who have ears.

You also may be aware that he has a gigantic following of fans, mostly female, who might best be described as enthusiastic. But until you have seen Clay Aiken, who has described himself as Opie-like, shake his slack-clad hips and belt out Naughty By Nature's extracurricular cheating classic OPP ... well, you just don't know anything about Clay Aiken.

Admittedly most of the crowd at the Kravis Center on Saturday already knew more about him, as many of them are Claymates, the American Idol runner-up's devoted fan base and staunch defenders against criticism of his aforementioned Opieness. But even the uninitiated would have to be blind not to see that Aiken - who has an amazing range and was vocally flawless - is that rare celebrity who is both a singer and a performer, equally, even though, as he pointed out, "I am not cool."

But here are three things that Clay Aiken is:

• Clay Aiken is a funny guy. Whether leading the crowd through a medley of television theme songs, including Diff'rent Strokes and Growing Pains, or mocking his uncoolness with OPP or SexyBack (yeah, you read that right), the boy's got a comedian's timing and deft touch with a zinger.

• Clay Aiken is really talented. He is not just a whiz at the questionably sappy original songs like Into These Arms. Aiken breathed new life into I Wanna Know What Love Is, a song that hasn't been fresh since 1984, and made the theme to Perfect Strangers, which was never really all that fresh, revelatory.

• Clay Aiken is kinda sorta sexy. I'll let you chew on that.

This is not to say that the show, which featured a Michael Jackson cover and a symphony of Claymate-wielded glowsticks during Because You Loved Me, did not have its cheesy moments. Our man was sometimes basically doing the backstroke in a fondue ocean breathing through a cheese straw.

But because Aiken revels in that, he transcends even the goofy moments into genuine entertainment, like with his cover of Bad English's When I See You Smile. He is so uncool that he sort of is. And that's a talent.

Gibby, I got my google alert this morning with that review and was ready to bring it over myself. She gets it. I like that.

And EEEEEEEEEEEEEE for Merrillville being the last show of the tour!!!! My first "last" show! EEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Finally -- I'm glad Angela agrees with me that Clay has no butt. However....if someone actually SAW butt last night (of the skin variety) -- it works for me.

muski or CG -- PM me. I'm home all afternoon today.... *g*

I think I hang with a bunch of smart women here. I think my answer to the poll leans toward jmh's....but add that 10% grain of truth from Ansa. But unless I get to talk to Clay personally, I'll never know, will I?

Angela killed -- again.....

"Newly" funny? Heh. I thought they were always pretty good during the show, but I do have to admit they are adding a lot more now.

I love this whole "cool" bit. Snark, snark, snark....

Listen.

I'm tired of not being on the radio. I'm making a change. I'm going to start now. It takes a village. I'm going to need your help. I want sing songs that get on the radio. I want to sing songs like, "I like big butts."

Quick poll -- snark? or truth? Or somewhere in the middle?

I think probably somewhere in the middle, but leaning toward snark. JMO.

Crowd is going wild!!

CV reports he said his pants would not fall down.

I'm really afraid to ask about what this might mean.....

It's frustrating to be able to hear him but not be able to HEAR him, know what I mean?

I just heard him talking to a guy in the audience. "Did she drag you here?" "Oh absolutely."

WY....sigh.....

play don't worry about it -- I just needed to vent a bit. And I think that maybe the little girl in the front might prove that not all the internet fans get the front seats!

Love that about the cellists!

MOAM!!!!!

jmh, you're so right -- but this last album cycle left an awful lot of bad feelings in me. I'm gonna need a lot of therapy (hopefully from Clay and you guys here) to get me through this.

I can do this.

*ommmmmm....no one else can spoil my enjoyment of Clay......ommmmmm--no one else can spoil my enjoyment of Clay....ommmmm*

I think what concerns me about the report of an early 2008 album is that some fans will be looking at their watches, tapping their feet, on January 1, 2008, saying "OK dude, where is it?" And if it doesn't happen until April, I think some (not all, just some) will be disappointed.

But on the bright side, whether the stream comes in bad or good, there will be clack and I am loving this tour, loved it from the first day, love it still.

OMG, play, you are so right. We're drowning in clack. And this tour holds a near and dear place in my heart -- I've loved every minute of it.

Oh man, that sucks.

Q is NAILING this song tonight.

Is it just you jamar, jmh, and me this evening?

I'm not getting a half time report -- sorry guys!

Talking about "sitting backstage planning the Christmas tour. Trying to decide what songs these two women should sing."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

WTLGD.

Having Jesse play the Matlock portion of the medley again on the piano.

Introducing Jesse.

I still can't hear the banter all that well.

TOA now.

I knew MOST of them before, although I'm not sure if I could have sung the ones I knew. I sure can now. Heh.

I understand jamar, and kind of agree with you...but I do like their sound, so that makes it OK for me.

The audience is really getting into the TV medley at this point. I wonder if those who've NEVER seen this show understand how everyone else knows all these songs.

LOUD screams for the Jeffersons theme.

Dividing the audience up for the theme song sing-a-long.

Hey -- I like Dave! I think he sings weird, but I do love their music.

That's cool that your son understands you, and you him.

Talking about how cool it is to have an orchestra on stage with him, because of the great sound.

And then blah blah blah....

Watches a lot of TV. Quiana watches a lot too....

..."but you watch a lot of crap that I don't."

"I watch QUALITY TV. What's the theme song to Maury Povich?

Some of these songs should have been full out album tracks"

Facts of Life theme, and now the Brady Bunch sing-a-long.

Jesse is adding the piano to this now! Hee.

I would guess from the laughter that he did the "finger puppet" thing again.

Now on the AI audition story...."did the most embarrasing thing."

Perfect Strangers.

WISYS, and now RHW.

The music sounds great, his singing fantastic.

The banter is iffy for me, although I get certain lines.

*and watch, that WON'T be what he actually said*

I gotta tell ya, my DMB fan son is still blown away by the idea of our board cellcerts. And they've been pioneers in the whole internet fandom thingy...

I love this. And I've got to say -- how many of us knew much about technology before Clay? I know I didn't.

Nice long note during RHW!!!