ldyjocelyn

With all the new people here....are you on the FCA DCAT representing list? If you want to be, you can either post on that thread, or you can PM me.... Scarlett, I think I love you. Actually, I know I love you. Topic? I love me some Clay Aiken! He (soft) rocks! *g*

Hey! I listened to most of the album during my 30 minutes on the treadmill this afternoon -- surprised me at how short this album is, because I got all the way to track 10! luckiest1, Only Mama Knows is one of my favorites on the album as well. But it's very interesting, because like keepingfaith, I think the album really kicks into gear with Mr. Bellamy and Gratitude. From that point on, I really like every song. Vintage Clothes is another strong song for me. But, don't forget...I'm one of these people that likes strong melodies and harmonies, and -- lyrics? What are those? So for me, it's the tunes that have me hooked. And yes, I get a STRONG Wings vibe from several songs, most notably Only Mama Knows and Nod Your Head. Fantastic album. Now I just need to get my husband to hear it -- he's really the Beatles fanatic in the family, although I've bought almost every album Macca has put out in the past 15 years. I loved his experimentation with Run Devil Run (a cover album, heh) and my favorite song by him is Calico Skies from Flaming Pie.

couchie, I think he depends on who you ask. I too this morning thought that he might be taking a trip in the way-back machine with his AI songs (maybe a medley?). I think for the not.just.us fans, it wouldn't be all that surprising at all. But for some of the fans who truly believe that he's given AI the total heave-ho in his life, and therefore believe he's never going to acknowledge AI ever again, that could surprise more than a few. (Not me, though!) But you know what? I don't really care at this point -- those few lines in the blog have me totally intrigued (as if I wasn't already), and I'm prepared for almost anything, I think. I too read the whole last section of his blog as a "don't engage anyone who says something bad." In other words, the gnats will go away after a while, even if they do bite and leave a few scars. Kinda like a bee -- the more you try to get away from a bee, the more enraged it gets and the more it wants to get you. Standing perfectly still bores the bee, and it goes away. I love him so very much, and I can tell that he loves us too....even if I'm guessing that he's said more than a few cuss words in the past week.

Lots of great posts overnight....and I've not got a lot of time here at the moment (Sunday morning is frequently quality time with hubby...), but I did want to thank KAndre for her ballerina story. Such a beautiful girl, and an entertaining story to boot. Very sweet, if tiring for you. couchie, ITA on what you got out of the blog. That's me too. I'm not totally sure if it would help. If I'm being truly honest -- to me this is a purely selfish thing that I don't go there. The place is toxic to me personally, and for my sanity and health, I just refuse to go there. I really believe, though, that 1) those people who go there for the first time and see what is going on are hopefully smart enough to say "not the message board for me, gotta find something else." And 2) that eventually the people who are doing all the talking/bullying will eventually be talking only to themselves, and surely they will get bored. *crosses fingers* Best money I've ever spent, and those blogs are what make them for me too. *checks to see if YSRN is still drooling over Clay at the beach* I think she's got her priorities straight in all this....

Wow....I'm on the floor. First I'm LMAO from the whole party thing, and then he gets me all pumped up for the concert tour. (It sure sounds to me like he's planning "Stump the Band, Part II" -- except with the orchestra). And then....and then...I'm crying my eyes out, because of the end of his blog. Ignore. God bless him. I love him. More later.

I love geeks. All types of geeks. But what you posted? That was so very cruel, especially before dinner. But I'll forgive you because you posted pretties. That works on so many levels. CG gets a special hug too for the pretties as well. atinal, I've missed you. I'm sorry I won't be able to see your show. Keep us posted on it. I didn't watch concert clack tonight, but I did watch "The Devil Wears Prada." Meryl Streep is soooooo good. Clay connection? Well, the film ends in Paris, and I started thinking about his comments about the city in the blog, how he thought it was overrated or something like that. Well, his thoughts were mine too...but now I'm looking at Paris and saying, "hmmm...looks nice." I'll do almost anything for that man. keepingfaith, I listened to the new McCartney album today while I was cleaning. Now, I'm one who has really liked a lot of his albums lately -- and I really liked this one as well. I found it very Wings sounding, actually. I will listen again more, that's for sure. luckiest1, I'm going to listen to it a few more times, and then post in your Macca thread. Heh. You funny, Karen Eh? Me likey. muski, keep us posted on the softball tournament. As for the events of the day in the fandom...I think I'll just hide. Sometimes ignorance is truly bliss. Meanwhile, I have this to look forward to -- :TourExcite: :Tour3: And of course, with or without covers. I think it's bedtime. 'Night all. Well, except now he blogs a novel. Off to read.

And therein lies the rub -- I totally agree that not everyone saw it that way. Where does the line get drawn? And who gets to draw the line? Eternal questions for the ages. Honestly, I read the first few lines of the blurb, kinda winced at the wording of it, and went "not worth my time" before even finishing the article, therefore totally missing the synchronized swimming reference. How many others did that? I'm hoping more than people realize. lightmyfire, I appreciate your viewpoint as well. Is it time to derail the conversation with pretty pictures yet? :eusa_whistle:

Amen to both you ladies. I really do feel badly for those people who consider the place their home board and were trying their best to post in a respectful manner...only to have the whole thing de-evolve into bickering like 8 year-olds. couchie, if I were you, I'd post that list on every damn board you can get it to. People need to see it -- it might make them stop and think a bit. Ah yes, the anonymous nature of the internet. What a wonderful thing. *barf* AND This is what I was talking about earlier -- some people were smart enough to realize that it was fruitless and pointless to keep the whole thing going, so once they'd said their piece, they left. Some people, however, HAVE to win. That, to me, turned into the whole gist of the problem. Right now, I'm very glad for a few things about the FCA board. One, we're still small, although I do love the recent growth spurt in the past week. And two, we're using the linear thread idea, rather than threads for each and every little tidbit of Clay's life. Why? Because the gist of this article was posted last week here. I'm the one who did it, although I just summarized it rather than post it word for word. (I debated that actuallly...but that's neither here nor there at this point). What happened? A few people didn't like the article. Just as many were OK with it. We discussed it, respectfully. And then...we moved on. It got out of out of our system, and the next topic came up. Again, I'm sorry for those people who are coming out of this thing battered and bruised, but there are just as many that I'm not very happy with at the moment. And who is in the middle? Clay. The fan wars just have to stop, and that means that someone has to put down that keyboard and walk away, and know when that point is when it becomes detrimental. :angry22:

Me in a nutshell. I think for me that's the only true expectation I have for this tour -- to hear HYCA. I'm fully expecting to hear it too, since he did it live for the WalMart Soundcheck. I'm patiently waiting to hear those low notes live, so that they vibrate all sorts of parts on my body. *g* As for other expectations regarding the album -- IMO it's just way too soon to tell. At this point, extrapolation seems rather pointless. Let's see how the tour shakes out first. You're shittin' me, right? Oh good Lord. And people wonder why we've been painted with the "crazy Claymate" label. A lot of mistakes were made with the message board. While I'm not totally convinced that posting the original story was either bad or good, and the modding there leaves a lot to be desired from what I hear, it all seems to me to boil down to an issue of respect, and knowing when to say "enough, I'm out." There were too many tenacious bulldogs on both sides of the fight who just kept gnawing and gnawing and gnawing. And, IMO, this was something that was a long time coming, it just needed a "spark," and that article was it. In the meantime, I'm back to being pissed off at a fandom who can't look themselves in the mirror and see what the f*** is going on. Let me know when YSRN hears about this. I'll put some Kevlar armor on then. Very cool! And remember -- lift with your legs. BTW, I forgot -- luckiest1, congrats about your son. That's fantastic that he's getting to play regularly. OK, even though the weather outside is perfect today, I'm going to work on cleaning my office. It hasn't been vacuumed since the Dark Ages, I think.

Heh. What a nice surprise to click on the link and see that video. My crowning glory as a videographer. Just shows that it sometimes pays to have cheap seats. What a masterful performance that night. And of course, right now, I had to watch the thing all over again, and sing along at the top of my lungs. I've only watched that clip 50,000 times. So....now it's 50,001. Sue me. :F_05BL17blowkiss: YSRN! I know where you're coming from CG -- as much as I don't understand at all why Paris Hilton is even famous to begin with, and think that the whole judicial system is whack, I really don't like anyone being hurt all that much. Even poor wittle Paris. She IS a human being. But at the same time -- I totally see couchie's point too. I'm so conflicted. I'm still smiling over the blog, although I had another thought later today about it. Remember how it hit me that he was still in Paris? Well, then I coupled that with when the blog appeared, which was approximately midnight EDT. So, what time was that in Paris? 6:00 a.m. (if my research is correct). He was writing a damn blog at 6:00 in the morning. For us. Probably because of the OFC fiasco. But one that gave lots of information too. As much as I loved the blog, I really feel a twinge because he had to write the thing while he was in Paris, and at an early time in the morning to boot. ETA: More Megan M. pictures:

I'm through episodes one and two at this point. I have to be honest here -- I was starting to get a bit bored toward the end of episode two....until the v.v. end, when he answered the phone. THAT got me wanting to watch episode three to see where THAT is going to lead. I'm going to take my time with the episodes, since the show won't be back on in the USA for a while here. My opinions: love the acting. I think Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are both fantastic. I also really like the daughter. The next door lady is fun too -- I hope she and the Minnie Driver character form a good friendship. In a way, though -- once the story was set up, I found some of it a bit predictable. I think though that will change as I get into more and more episodes. The funniest part of the second episode was the arm. 'Nuff said.

I just reread the blog one more time...and figured out that he must have blogged from Paris. Duh. Am I the only one who missed that entirely? Man, why do I really want to go Paris right now? It's for the chocolate right? *g* "Sold out." Looks good.

Glad to see so many new faces here! Welcome Sally! I'm in awe of the talent here! Psst...Ansa...maybe Sally would be another person to get in the stable fold of banner designers?

Just wanted to :F_05BL17blowkiss: to Totally and LovesClaysVoice and txflwrgrl and others who are coming back into the fold after a bit of an absence, and to wonder where georgiaclay is as well. PuddinsJoy posted this about the mystery celebrity: And a reminder to couchie -- post your story about Clay and the new version of your name! You know I love hearing the story again, and many of the new people probably don't know it.

yeah, I thought that too.... I guess great minds think alike, because I had the same reaction.... You know, it made me really, really happy this morning to wake up to 2 full new pages here at FCA. I went to bed early last night, sacrificing Jon Stewart, only to discover a couple of things: 1) Clay of course did blog last night; and 2) Eddie Izzard was the guest on Jon's show. I'm guess I'm gonna have to work *coughwatchtheinterviewonlinecough* later today. Anyway, my point -- there were a LOT of great posts in the past 24 hours. I've already mentioned keepingfaith earlier -- it's so very nice to read the perspective of someone who has not been in the fandom all that long. I'm glad I'm going to be seeing you the night of your first time EVAH with Clay live! Also, I apologize publically to jamar for giving her a heart attack because I PM'd her this morning. She thought she was getting a dreaded admin note! Fat chance -- I loved a lot of what she wrote. And there are so many others I want to welcome...Maddy, Claytonfan20 and jerrijan. If I've missed someone, please don't take it personally -- it's just that I've been frantically writing names down on pieces of paper, and I think I've lost a few! The blog last night made me smile, and cheer, and just feel good all over. I remember someone mentioning a "void" in information yesterday -- well, it looks as if that void was filled, at least somewhat. Good for Clay. bottlecap -- you know that pictures are always welcome., and I know you're not trying to derail anything around here. :F_05BL17blowkiss: As far as the band goes -- he just mentioned Q&A, Jesse and the new drummer. I think it may be an assumption on our parts that this is the entire band. At least I hope so, because I want Andy there too (for his stellar guitar work), and Daniel too (love me that bass player!).

From KAndre: He is such a grown-ass Southern-gentlemen type man

No time to do a full post now, so I'll write just three quick items: 1) Best. Blog. Ever. Bar none. I love him so very much. 2) keepingfaith rawks. Wonderful post -- thank you for that. 3) I'm off to suggest this as a thread title, from the glorious KAndre: Later taters.

Yeah, that. Although, I think my first response was truly sadness -- sadness that it had to come to that. And then, pissed off that the whole thing basically just degenerated into one big ole pissing match. Stupid fucking idiots. Claygasm, that is a great point though about the "dirty laundry" aspect of it. I wish I wasn't that way either. I'm ashamed to say this, but I bet Clay blogs tonight. Meanwhile, on a more fun note or two... Thanks...I think we all could use that. Everyone can use a hug now and then. I really think "Gah...and stuff" should be a thread title.... Work with Clay? Or play with Clay? Your choice...

Fur-lined handcuffs, right? RIGHT? Personally, I've always been intrigued by Clay's neckties and what could be done with those.... luckiest1, that's interesting about Macca (and no, I don't know the story either, sorry). Not even 200,000 sold for Paul McCartney? Wow. Man, the recording business sure has changed. Clay's doing good, IMO. ETA: According to this answer on allexperts.com, it's just a shortening of McCartney's last name, which is supposedly a common pracitce over in England. Very astute observation, and a damn fine paragraph too. I've always tried my best to see all different points of view. Granted, some days I just can't, or just won't. But the only way to learn is to read other viewpoints, and then try your best to see where this person is coming from. One of my favorites too -- I was so proud of him that night. BWAH!!!!!

I think cindilu2 means THE WHOLE THING -- including "Moon River." There was a lot of footage that was hinted at in the previews for that show that was never shown. There's LOTS of early clips of his that I simply treasure too. One is the advertisement he did for the "Let's Just Play" on Nickelodeon. The one with him and the hula hoops on his arms. Adorable.

Welcome oldnaiken! I hope you find this to be a welcoming place...and it sounds like you have a few other cool interests besides Clay! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Think I didn't word it that way for a reason? *g*

Why yes, muski, yes I did. I just thought I'd mention it again in case someone else missed it. :medium-smiley-070:

Oooo, I'm gonna have pretty music at my wedding.... couchie, you realize that's like choosing your favorite child, you know? Man, that's really tough. I adore every and all appearances he's made on Kimmel -- he really shows his snarky self there, and the chemistry between the two of them is such a hoot. Conversely, I also love him when he appears on Leno. He does seem to turn to his "country boy" shtick when he's on the show, and I know that bugs some fans. But I really love those interviews too -- to me, it's just a different side of Clay. The combination package is what makes me love the man. BTW, did you see the package in those latest Leno photos? But I think I've gotta go with the Tyra show as my favorite appearance. Maybe it's just because I'd really like to BE Tyra during that show, because the man had the major flirts that day. Good Lord. No wonder it spawned a fiction story. From the strut out onto the stage to the final kiss at the end, he was smokin'. I'm drooling just thinking about this.

I'll let you decide... I had trouble seeing them too this morning....and then they were there....and now they seem to be gone again. This is linked to my own photobucket site though.... And I'm marrying the first of these three pictures. Ya'll can come to the ceremony...no gifts though please. *g* *slaps on PP badge* Can we market these PP badges? Because I'm pretty positive I'm a member too. Proud of it too, damn it. But let me add a definition here, as couchie alluded too -- being a PP doesn't mean I think everything has gone fine with Clay's career. It really doesn't. It just means that I prefer to look at things in a positive light. So -- ATDW didn't sell a gazillion copies. Big deal. Clay will still be around for a long time to come. See, isn't that easy? Also, it doesn't give heartburn/high blood pressure/heart attacks. If I'm being truly honest -- I need to go through my bulging hard drives and delete almost everything. I really don't go back and watch a great deal of it either, and the stuff I DO watch more than once, I have burned to DVD already. I just hate the idea of "losing" all that clack. luckiest1, just a big fat WORD to your entire post.