ldyjocelyn

Am I gonna have to break up a TOA fight?

I'll just sit over in the corner with EIH. *g*

Sayin' "hey" to Linda Loveland.

Talking about those that have good voices when asked in interviews, and then takes it to Q&A.

"I use them....um, I allow them to entertain me....I allow them to sing a musical interlude on stage to entertain me." (Did I get that right?)

Q now with WTLGD.

If he does San Francisco, I'm SOOOOOOOOO there.

Yeah! We have great reporting skills!

Really getting Quiana to starting singing that "hit" note during the All in the Family song. And she's doing it....more than once, no less.

Teasing Angela -- we were in California last week. Cheers. Wait a minute....we are in North Carolina now. MORE CHEERS My state can beat your state up!

"my hair looks like they just dumped water on me." It sounds like Angela said "they like it though."

"peanut butter crackers." CHEERS!

"Root canals." Kinda sorta cheers. Hee.

Talking about Ruben sweating. I knew this was coming. Ruben in the AI Christmas special, "should have been in the cold air...."

couchie are you thinking of JP or PH? I think it may be the latter, and wasn't the former the one who was supposedly there?

What of ours got quoted?

Talk about totally giving up on the planned banter....it sounds like he's giddy to be home. Even with the heat. And his blindingly white legs.

CG supposedly people heard ATD in the soundcheck this afternoon. I know, not your favorite, but heh....

That 5th row scum better meet up with Brett and his friends. *crosses fingers*

I can't wait to hear this banter for real....

The Community Theater at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts

Presale through the fanclub is Tuesday, August 14, 9:00 a.m. EDT.

Tickets on sale to members/subscribers is Monday, August 13; general sales are August 15.

Also, according to the fan club email that alerted this to me, the tour will be "Christmas in the Heartland."

Heh. I'm not sure I'd call NJ "heartland."

The Community Theater at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts

Presale through the fanclub is Tuesday, August 14, 9:00 a.m. EDT.

Tickets on sale to members/subscribers is Monday, August 13; general sales are August 15.

Also, according to the fan club email that alerted to me, the tour will be "Christmas in the Heartland."

More information about Clay's show

Clay Aiken CHRISTMAS

WITH THE CHELSEA SYMPHONY

Thursday, December 13, 2007

$55-95

As the runner-up to Fox TV's second American Idol: The Search for a Superstar competition, vocalist Clay Aiken wowed television audiences in 2003 with his Southern charm, sweet demeanor, and bright, glorious voice, and became a pop star. Originally, Aiken planned to try out for the reality TV series The American Race, but went ahead and auditioned for the talent contest to please an encouraging friend. Out of 7,000 hopefuls, the Charlotte, NC, native won the hearts of the judges as well as millions of fans across the globe.

Aiken studied special education instead and had dreams of attending William & Mary for a master's degree in administration. Before he could further his education, Aiken ended up wooing 21 million television viewers each week from February to May with his sensational singing voice. His rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" sewed him a spot among America's hearts. Although he finished second to Ruben Studdard, Aiken's loss was not taken lightly. He landed a deal with RCA through Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited within weeks of the show's finale.

That same month, Aiken's debut single, "This Is the Night," made history by going number one on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. It sold more than 392,000 copies during its first week, beating Elton John's record for "Candle in the Wind 1997." In October 2003, Aiken issued his studio full-length, The Measure of a Man. Once again, the little guy with the big voice made a big splash. The Measure of a Man sold 613,000 copies and went to number one on Billboard's Top 200 during its first week of release. His first holiday effort, Merry Christmas with Love, followed in November 2004. The album debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums chart, giving Merry Christmas with Love the biggest debut week sales figures for a Christmas album in SoundScan history. Aiken released A Thousand Different Ways in September 2006.

http://www.clayaiken.com/

Online tickets

Seating charts

Venue capacity is 1270.

Taking his shoes off?

And I think Quiana was begging him to put them back on. I think.

WISYS. Hard to hear this anymore without thinking of Flat!Clay!

georgia!!!!!

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

They get really silly at the end of this. I love it!

Of course it's Q -- in the Carolina's. Of course. Duh.

Asking the audience to blow on him to get rid of the mosquitos and to cool him down.

"I've got so much Off on me!"

"I just know it's hot as....." and then Poppa finished it off for him!

Having family in the front row is depressing because they never stand up!

The longsleeved shirt was for the M&G.

The CH cellcert is incredibly clear too. And I LURVE EIH!!!!

IWKWLI....who will be the female voice tonight?

[/jk]

:F_05BL17blowkiss: CG!

Evidently, the Hampton Inn near the concert tonight has been overrun by Clay fans and the motel is all about Clay! The staff is making all the fans feel welcome...

Look at this banner at the registration desk!

The Clampton Inn!

That's great! Love the spirit of that place!

EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Ansa is back!!

:00000441: :00000441: :00000441:

M&G report from shewren:

Clay wore a long-sleeved shirt under a polo shirt.

Good-ness. He's the only guy I know that would be COLD on a day like today. (Well, except for my dad, who wore undershirts year round....)

One of the M&Ger's didn't like having her picture taken, so she and Clay turned their backs to the camera. Hee.

That's cool. I'd actually love to see that M&G picture. His back is soooooooooo nice.

From muskifest:

He CMSU and makes me schmoopie.

laughn...

And as much as I would LOVE to suggest her whole post as a thread title, I think this one makes a damn good suggestion....

He CMSU and makes me schmoopie.

*off to nominate*

The Asheville Mountain Xpress

Forming Clay into Rock

Forming Clay into rock

by Alli Marshall in Vol. 14 / Iss. 02 on 08/08/2007

After 2003 American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (backed by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, no less), the Web site Syracuse.com dubbed the pop singer “the beloved singing teddy bear placed near a young girl’s flouncy canopied bed.”

From Idol to icon: Although American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken may lack the artistic credibility that comes with a long career of paying dues, his devoted fans — the “Claymates”— don’t seem to mind.

Aiken, as his devoted fans (known as “Claymates") can attest, is often given short shrift, celebrity-wise: Benign-geek status was not exactly the reputation favored by rock gods like Jim Morrison or Robert Plant. But the N.C. native (whose pre-Idol aspiration was to become a school principal and someday raise a family) is probably better suited to tender ballads and sports jackets than primal screams and leather chaps.

Following in the footsteps of good-guy crooners like Wayne Newton, Mel Tormé, Burt Bacharach and Engelbert Humperdinck, Aiken has carved out his own corner. That is, if playing widely accessible “concert the whole family will enjoy”—as one fan dubbed them—can be considered a niche market.

The entertainer’s most unique quality, ironically, may be his bid for across-the-board acceptability. Sneer if you must, but when the Top-40 charts are clogged with angsty Avril Lavigne and Amy Lee numbers, a reprise of the feel-good Laverne & Shirley theme song kind of hits the spot.

Getting Clay

Part of what differentiates Aiken from his fellow touring Idols is that, at each stop, he teams up with the symphony of that particular city.

“It’s rare and exciting for us to be able to do something like this,” enthuses Asheville Symphony Artistic Administrator Sally Keeney.

Whereas a typical symphony concert involves 85 to 90 musicians on stage, the group backing Aiken’s Biltmore Estate Summer Evening Concert Series appearance numbers 42. “It’s a more pops-y size,” Keeney explains. “It will give a nice, rich sound with all those strings.”

What will Aiken be performing to the orchestral wall of sound? Don’t expect an aria from The Marriage of Figaro. The pop star’s fans are treated to a program of Aiken’s hits along with medleys of easily recognizable tunes from radio and television. At the Syracuse show, Aiken and his musicians ran through such unlikely selections as “Like a Virgin,” “(Party Like It’s) 1999” and “Beat It.” At another concert, he led a singalong to “The Way You Make Me Feel.” (Lyric sheets were circulated through the audience beforehand.)

But fans are quick to argue that sound bites of the Welcome Back, Kotter intro don’t equate to Clay-lite.

“He sings ["Baby Got Back” and “Sexy Back"] to make fun of how commercialized and soulless most of the songs that get radio play today are,” fan “Natalie” commented on the Xpress blogsite, responding to an open call to defend Aiken’s talents.

In fact, symphony Executive Director Steve Hageman feels that Aiken’s appearance “increases our credibility.”

Apparently, a Michael Jackson cover doesn’t spell flippancy as much as tasteful and talented sardonicism.

“Clay Aiken and his managers are very good musicians,” Hageman continues. “They have to be, at that level.”

In this case, the Biltmore Estate contracted with the local symphony as support for Aiken’s performance, a reversal of a more common arrangement where the orchestras hire the vocalists. (The Asheville Symphony was working with a group of orchestras to book The Moody Blues on a yearlong tour, an effort that eventually fell flat.)

“There were a heck of a lot of symphony people having their socks knocked off after watching Clay’s performances,” blogger “Kayla,” who’s attended four out of nine shows on the Aiken tour, told Xpress.

“It is [RCA chairman] Clive Davis who put him in the ‘Manilow’ box,” she charges. “But believe me, Clay Aiken is so much more than that.”

It could be argued that Barry Manilow himself, with his countless hit singles, multiplatinum albums and worldwide record sales numbering more than 75 million, is something more than a tawdry troubadour. Aiken actually might be lucky to follow in the footsteps of the man who wrote, you know, the songs.

But Aiken, seemingly uncomfortable with accepting overnight stardom outright, is going beyond introducing Claymates to civic orchestras. Pre-Idol, the Raleigh native was a special-ed teacher, and he continues that particular line of work through the Bubel/Aiken Foundation charity he co-founded.

He’s also a celebrity ambassador for UNICEF and has traveled in that capacity to Uganda, Indonesia and Afghanistan. The latter trip earned him more press for the beard he grew out of respect for local customs than for his charity work.

Celebrity—even that gained from an oft-panned reality series—is a bumpy road. Aiken himself admitted to Ability Magazine, “Somebody once said, ‘You asked for it.’ And I thought, ‘Did I really ask for it?’ When I auditioned for [idol], I never for a second believed that I was going ... to be in the top 15, much less the top two.”

Three albums on, Aiken’s tenuous stardom is finally looking less like a fluke and more like the real thing.

“He is the best all-around entertainer I have ever seen,” blogger “CarylAnn” (who’s seen Elton John, Billy Joel and Journey) told Xpress. “Clay has it all. The voice, the comedic timing and the way he interacts with his fans and makes fun of himself is hilarious.”

Or, as Claymate “Carol” puts it, “People are finally starting to ‘get’ Clay.”

Clay Aiken and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra play the Biltmore Estate’s Summer Evening Concert Series on Saturday, Aug. 11. 8 p.m. At press time, tickets for the show were sold out. (800) 624-1575.

Everyone in Cary tonight -- have fun. Don't forget to wang chung (and drink lots of fluids) too!

The Asheville Mountain Xpress

Forming Clay into Rock

Forming Clay into rock

by Alli Marshall in Vol. 14 / Iss. 02 on 08/08/2007

After 2003 American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (backed by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, no less), the Web site Syracuse.com dubbed the pop singer “the beloved singing teddy bear placed near a young girl’s flouncy canopied bed.”

From Idol to icon: Although American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken may lack the artistic credibility that comes with a long career of paying dues, his devoted fans — the “Claymates”— don’t seem to mind.

Aiken, as his devoted fans (known as “Claymates") can attest, is often given short shrift, celebrity-wise: Benign-geek status was not exactly the reputation favored by rock gods like Jim Morrison or Robert Plant. But the N.C. native (whose pre-Idol aspiration was to become a school principal and someday raise a family) is probably better suited to tender ballads and sports jackets than primal screams and leather chaps.

Following in the footsteps of good-guy crooners like Wayne Newton, Mel Tormé, Burt Bacharach and Engelbert Humperdinck, Aiken has carved out his own corner. That is, if playing widely accessible “concert the whole family will enjoy”—as one fan dubbed them—can be considered a niche market.

The entertainer’s most unique quality, ironically, may be his bid for across-the-board acceptability. Sneer if you must, but when the Top-40 charts are clogged with angsty Avril Lavigne and Amy Lee numbers, a reprise of the feel-good Laverne & Shirley theme song kind of hits the spot.

Getting Clay

Part of what differentiates Aiken from his fellow touring Idols is that, at each stop, he teams up with the symphony of that particular city.

“It’s rare and exciting for us to be able to do something like this,” enthuses Asheville Symphony Artistic Administrator Sally Keeney.

Whereas a typical symphony concert involves 85 to 90 musicians on stage, the group backing Aiken’s Biltmore Estate Summer Evening Concert Series appearance numbers 42. “It’s a more pops-y size,” Keeney explains. “It will give a nice, rich sound with all those strings.”

What will Aiken be performing to the orchestral wall of sound? Don’t expect an aria from The Marriage of Figaro. The pop star’s fans are treated to a program of Aiken’s hits along with medleys of easily recognizable tunes from radio and television. At the Syracuse show, Aiken and his musicians ran through such unlikely selections as “Like a Virgin,” “(Party Like It’s) 1999” and “Beat It.” At another concert, he led a singalong to “The Way You Make Me Feel.” (Lyric sheets were circulated through the audience beforehand.)

But fans are quick to argue that sound bites of the Welcome Back, Kotter intro don’t equate to Clay-lite.

“He sings ["Baby Got Back” and “Sexy Back"] to make fun of how commercialized and soulless most of the songs that get radio play today are,” fan “Natalie” commented on the Xpress blogsite, responding to an open call to defend Aiken’s talents.

In fact, symphony Executive Director Steve Hageman feels that Aiken’s appearance “increases our credibility.”

Apparently, a Michael Jackson cover doesn’t spell flippancy as much as tasteful and talented sardonicism.

“Clay Aiken and his managers are very good musicians,” Hageman continues. “They have to be, at that level.”

In this case, the Biltmore Estate contracted with the local symphony as support for Aiken’s performance, a reversal of a more common arrangement where the orchestras hire the vocalists. (The Asheville Symphony was working with a group of orchestras to book The Moody Blues on a yearlong tour, an effort that eventually fell flat.)

“There were a heck of a lot of symphony people having their socks knocked off after watching Clay’s performances,” blogger “Kayla,” who’s attended four out of nine shows on the Aiken tour, told Xpress.

“It is [RCA chairman] Clive Davis who put him in the ‘Manilow’ box,” she charges. “But believe me, Clay Aiken is so much more than that.”

It could be argued that Barry Manilow himself, with his countless hit singles, multiplatinum albums and worldwide record sales numbering more than 75 million, is something more than a tawdry troubadour. Aiken actually might be lucky to follow in the footsteps of the man who wrote, you know, the songs.

But Aiken, seemingly uncomfortable with accepting overnight stardom outright, is going beyond introducing Claymates to civic orchestras. Pre-Idol, the Raleigh native was a special-ed teacher, and he continues that particular line of work through the Bubel/Aiken Foundation charity he co-founded.

He’s also a celebrity ambassador for UNICEF and has traveled in that capacity to Uganda, Indonesia and Afghanistan. The latter trip earned him more press for the beard he grew out of respect for local customs than for his charity work.

Celebrity—even that gained from an oft-panned reality series—is a bumpy road. Aiken himself admitted to Ability Magazine, “Somebody once said, ‘You asked for it.’ And I thought, ‘Did I really ask for it?’ When I auditioned for [idol], I never for a second believed that I was going ... to be in the top 15, much less the top two.”

Three albums on, Aiken’s tenuous stardom is finally looking less like a fluke and more like the real thing.

“He is the best all-around entertainer I have ever seen,” blogger “CarylAnn” (who’s seen Elton John, Billy Joel and Journey) told Xpress. “Clay has it all. The voice, the comedic timing and the way he interacts with his fans and makes fun of himself is hilarious.”

Or, as Claymate “Carol” puts it, “People are finally starting to ‘get’ Clay.”

Clay Aiken and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra play the Biltmore Estate’s Summer Evening Concert Series on Saturday, Aug. 11. 8 p.m. At press time, tickets for the show were sold out. (800) 624-1575.

Now, I think there's a LOT to like in this article. For example, the one blogger who talks about the classics medley as picking on the radio hits of today -- that's always how I've seen this portion of the show. (I know of others, though, who see it way differently....) I also liked the Asheville symphony director with his comment about TC being good musicians. I like CarylAnn and her "Clay has it all...." Finally, this writer really found out about the rest of the stuff that Clay is so passionate about -- UNICEF, BAF.

OTOH...blogger Kayla makes my blood boil. Once again, it is stated as fact that "Clive forced him into the Manilow box." Someday I'd like to talk to Kayla and find out her source. But....this article does a pretty nice job of doing the "hey, if he has Manilow's career with all his sales and such, is that a bad thing?" Kinda turned the Manilow comparison on its ear, something that more than a few of us have said.

:F_05BL17blowkiss: Scarlett. Thanks for trying...I'll be patient.

I'm off to an all-day meeting. *sigh*

I just had to lift this from I Can Has Cheezburger?:

Ahem.

I posted a link to this yesterday. Does no one read my posts?

*sob*

OTOH...

Look at our naughty, naughty boyfriend!!

I posted a link to this picture the day before yesterday. However, I'm not complaining one BIT that it got posted. 'Cause I love that little shit.

atinal, thanks for the alert on the clack of WTLGD. I saw it -- too funny. BTW, PerusingOne PM'd me and said that Scarlett's flight got delayed, and she probably wouldn't be doing any rendering until tomorrow. Maybe.

What IS it with all the flight delays?

Glasses!Clay! Yummy. I think for me I like him with glasses because I wear glasses, have since I was a young child. I like to identify with him, what can I say?

The SCC song -- I'll be interested in hearing it, we'll have to see if it makes my political skin crawl or not.

Went out for dinner this evening, wearing my new Clay Aiken tour shirt. As my husband and I were eating, a lady came up to me and said "so, when did you see him for this tour?" EEEE! I managed to talk to her for a few minutes -- I think I'm still in shock though that someone from my little bitty town is also a Clay fan, because I can't remember what screen name she said she posted as on the OFC. I think it was iloveidol3 or ilikeidol3. Not sure. Also, she was floored when I said that I flew to see him this tour, and with my number of concerts total. Heh. As I said, I think she's online, but not very much. Darn, I should have given her the FCA page. Shoot.

Happy birthday jmhmom!

Another clack question: which Indio clip has him talking about it being so hawt, and then some guy in the audience talks about how Indians like it hot, where Clay then says "us white boys don't?" Please advise.

I'd truly love to download all the clack available, but I simply can't. No time. (Why can't I be paid to watch clack?)

:F_05BL17blowkiss: Scarlett! You're the best!

And your travelogues are almost as fun as KAndre's. I was LOL reading it.

Ah yes, the season of upgrade fever. I can feel it in the air. (And how sick was it that after reading KAndre's tale, I tried pulling up tickets for Cary too? I'm wondering if I pulled up one of the tickets that lickiest1 just got....) lickiest1, I have a feeling that I'm going to get upgrade fever for Merrillville show at Christmas.

The People magazine thing CMSU. Probably very surreal for him too. (But then, I think him singing to Flat!Clay! was probably OTT surreal for him...and I mean that as no offense artquest...)

EEEEEEEEE for lickiest1 and most of the crew being in NC!!!!

EEEEEEEEE for KAndre scoring a fantastic ticket!

Note to self: have KAndre buy all my concert tickets at the last minute from this point on...

Good luck to all in staying cool that night, though. As much as I really want to be there, that weather sounds brutal.

YSRN, I actually understand you about "wearing your clothes until they are just threads." When you're raised by a Mom who grew up during the Depression, I just kinda gets ingrained in you. So, in a sense, I understand Clay wearing these shorts.

But I'd love it if they wore out so fast, as laughn[ suggested, that we'd get more than we bargained for. *g*

ETA: Cool. I'm the "top of the page queen" at the moment.

Post-ho'ing to say - I just posted a couple of WALLPAPERS on my site........

Ooooo, pretty. Thanks! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

SEE YOU DOWN SOUTH!!

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

That just sounds dirty, you know. *g*

Warning: whining ahead. I've been waiting patiently for clack from the Greek show, right before the introduction of WTLGD -- ie., Clay's "surprise" for Angela's parents. Where the hell is that clack?!?!?!?

OK, that's out of my system now. My apologies to the clack dealers/collectors. I don't normally whine...

CG, I continue to think about you and your father. Keep us posted!

Thank you jmh for that Weekly Reader article. Fairly good questions, great answers.

Well, duh. I should have known that.

Blame it on the headache and the lack of sleep.

The pictures get posted by date, and when you go to home on the site, they're with all the current stuff. I think the 8/8/07 - yesterday - is correct.

Man, I don't know....if you look at other pictures on this home page....some are dated 7-8-07, some are dated 8-8-07, and there's even one dated 9-8-07 (time travel much?). I think you may be right, though. It just seemed more logical to me for him to be arriving in Manhattan in early July, when he had that week break (and possibly more time to work) vs. arriving in Manhattan yesterday when he's gonna be leaving again probably tonight. I know, that's the life of a pop star -- quick trips and such -- and I've been known to be wrong from time to time.

ldyjocelyn, I'm telling you...we're on the right track with this 'favorite pair of cargo pants' thing. With luck, he's going to wear them until they literally fall off his body. Think of it as a really slowwwwwwwwww [TM CA] strip tease.

Good point. With any luck someone on his staff will wash those damn things and put them through the dryer 50 times in a row so to speed up the process. With my luck, I'll be 85 when they finally wear out...which means 1) Clay will be in his early 60's and probably won't be fitting into them anymore, because of his continued mac/cheese and Krispy Kreme diet *g*; and 2) I'll be too old to really care. (Or will I?)

ETA...ack! ack! ack!, I'm at the top of the page and I have a fear of heights...

couchie, we need to come up with some sort of prize or something to recognize those "top of the page" posters....

OH, Manhattan! TV or record stuff? Either way, sounds like work which is good.

Yeah, I think either option is a good thing.

Nice to occasionally see the glasses again. But I have a question about the second to the last picture that shows a back view. Whre the heck did his butt go? Pancake city!

:lmaosmiley-1:

Heh. I just knew the low-rider jeans were providing the ILLUSION of him having a butt. (However, I really like that illusion, so I hope he wears those low-riders a few more times....)

While the posted date is 08-08-07 .... it says date created 07-08-07. Maybe when he was in New York to meet w/Jesse and the stunt orchestra to put together the tour?

Good catch on the date. However, if the date truly is 7-8-07, this would have been immediately after the Tulsa show, and before his uncle's wedding. I like bottlecap's ideas about hashing out some details for his TV show or next record.

The shorts I'm sure they sell that way and my guess is they aren't cheap...bum chic.

You're probably right. But at the same time, the man does like to recycle his STAGE clothes, let alone his casual duds.

But does it look like different glasses to anyone else? Darker frames?

I think they are. I've studied the pictures of him in glasses way too much, and these do look different. I like them.