ldyjocelyn

Why yes, if fact I am an enormous geek. An enormous geek with a persistent earworm, tenqueberrymuss.

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.

Did someone mention covers? I'll send him a memo to remind him that we don't need really need them. They only end up on the floor anyway. Ah, but if he insists I'll just put it down to the fact that someone likes to show off how well he can build a tent on the bed.....will he EVER grow up?

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.

So, I either I am just dense or it wasn't "clearly a sexual orientation dig" to everyone.

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:

And yep, hugs to light my fire, roseviolet, and others who post there on a more regular basis. This effects you more than it does me.

I hate this shit because it disrespected the people that DO act like adults and do think of the OFC as home, and it disrespected Clay -- the very person they are bending over backwards trying to protect. It backfired, people. As usual. Let the grown man take care of himself!

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.

I agree with Play that now the most important thing to people is to assign blame. That does no good now. We need to look ahead and say...WHAT IF

What will I do IF the same mods return?

What will I do when I know I am being attacked by someone with hostile intentions.

What will I do when I see plotting on boards to shut down a thread.

What will I do when I see mods being equated with JP and other gnats that have been purposely set forth to ruin Clay.

What will I do when fans try to determine who is a good fan and a bad fan.

Time to move on from "is it a tablod? IMO

Time to move on from it's HER fault? Again IMO.

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.

The only person being hurt by all of this is CLAY. The rest of us get to remain nameless and faceless.

Ah yes, the anonymous nature of the internet. What a wonderful thing. *barf*

I think its when people just don't know when to say enough is enough and let go of the argument.

AND

I left the thread for good as soon as it started to be a bloodbath.

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:

I am just waiting to hear HYCA sung to me this summer, then I can die happy. :TourExcite:

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.

So I hear the fanclub mess will now be tabloid fodder. "We" only have ourselves to blame. But that won't stop us from not taking responsibility and it being the other fan's fault.

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.

Today I'm helping my daughter move. She just recently got her first big girl job and is now getting her first place all by herself, no more roomates. She's very excited. But you know, helping someone move makes for a less then exciting Saturday.

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.

Holy Sheet, people... it took me forever and a day to catch up and now I can't think of a friggin' thing to say. I don't know squat about Paris Hilton, I'm all talked out about the bit..er, OFC, I'm beat to a pulp from work today, so....

Hmm.

What to do?

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!

Hey CG..... . call me heartless... and while I agree the system is fucked up... it's really hard for me to feel for her. She's the Yankees of useless celebrities. Sorry to any Yankee fans heh. There also seems to be a connection between a certain sheriff and a Hilton campaign contribution. Might be tabloidy trash at this point though. I do like your pretty pictures though.

So excited for the tour... that blog made me so excited for what's coming. Whoop...

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:

Couch tomato - the Paris blog wench is Cameron Diaz - Ms Marm at CH had it 20 mins after the blog hit - I do love this fandom - I really do.

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.

I can just SEE him typing "My Angels!" and muttering, "craz...er enthusiastic bit...er...fans"

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:

He is such a grown-ass Southern-gentlemen type man

Later taters.

I'm not. I'm fucking pissed.

Way fucking pissed. And mortified that adults can act like such complete judgemental assholes.

Embarrassing doesn't begin to cover it. I am totally ashamed of this fandom today. I hate this shit.

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...

I know feelings are running high on all sides of the OFC board issue, so here are some ((((HUGS)))) for those who need them.

Thanks...I think we all could use that. Everyone can use a hug now and then.

Those photos of Leno Clay were, like, gah...and stuff.

I really think "Gah...and stuff" should be a thread title....

Dada

Word Of The Day

Coroplasty - working with clay

A dream job if ever there was one.

Personally I'd very much like to work with clay, work him gooooood. Oooh yeah!!

Work with Clay? Or play with Clay? Your choice...

I'm on a private board that is chock-full of Clay love - take today for example

We started out this am talking about Paris' house arrest and are now talking about Clay and handcuffs . . .

Private boards can be all kinds of fun ya know

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.

The thing about being called 'positive police', or being given any label, is that it's just that, it's a label. It doesn't define who I really am or how I think. When labels start flying, to me, it means someone disagrees with the way another person thinks and doesn't want to bother to either accept that difference or at least look closer at it. Somebody isn't willing to look at the subject from the other guy's point of view. Easier to slap a label on it like a construction site 'danger' sign so they can walk around it....which I guess is ok if there was really danger involved, but labeling other posters is just sort of silly to me. I can see no danger in reading another person's opinions, other than realizing my way might not be the only way to look at something. Meh.

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.

The SSB because he talked later about what a big deal it was to him and how nervous he was, and he nailed it

One of my favorites too -- I was so proud of him that night.

....and Kimmel, because I cut my shins the very same way when I shave my legs too.

BWAH!!!!!

Well, it is in Clackunlimited.com Under TV and then Primetime.

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:

I must be evolving into a smutter here .... I read ldyjocelyn's post and what phrase jumps out at me? Why "bulging hard drives" of course. I may be a candidate for the eternal sunshine of a spotless mind at this rate.

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.

**Sniff** All I see are red X's! Does that mean they're X-rated???

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*

Gee, how many times have I been accused of being a member of the positive police,

Hi My name is couchie and I'm a member of the positive police or so I've been told.

*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.

I have the ultimate confession to make....I don't even watch much clack. Unless I miss seeing something on TV I actually download very little. And when I do, I watch it once and then *gulp* delete it. I don't revist things I just enjoy the moments and look forward.

eta : probably because I'm lucky enough to go to concerts. I'm sure I'd behave differently if I wasn't.

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.

Ansa, your pictures didn't show up again....ETA, you fixed it. But I've got different ones. Neener neener. Heh.

So, here they are:

First of all, here's a link to a YouSendIt for a fantastic HIGH RES picture....I don't know how to post it in high res on the board though, but yousendit will get it to you....

http://download.yousendit.com/CBA785DA48345294

And the last 4:

mee2u2 promises pictures from the Megan show later tonight....

Oh my....

I think I do have a case of the vapors right now....

Dreaming is going to be very sweet tonight.

Well, dayum..... those are purdy!

I'll second that. Man, he looked so good that night. And I love that suit.

Oh man, I take an afternoon off to get a bunch of errands done, and ya'll turn into a bunch of postwhores! But I can see why though too -- what a great class of new people here.

:garfieldodie-grouphug:

When I faced my mortality 5 years ago...it changed a lot of things.... I always found the good...most of the time, tried to find the happiness...most of the time....Complained...more than now. Didnt take any risks...then the dr said..."I have some tough news." and it changed everything....I REFUSE to angst or worry about Clay ...what good does it do....Clay is my JOY , so to speak....he is my good. My daughter and I have gone places we never thought we would, met people who otherwise we didnt know existed...just plain have been having a helluva grand time!! And I like to think it carries over in my every day life...my kids tell me I am crazy...I say thank you....

cause god if you didnt laugh, and feel good...what is the point??????

I really, really, really like your style. Your post made me smile so much. Thank you. Oh, and thank you for all the montages too....they are so fantastic. I can watch pictures of Clay scroll by on my computer screen for HOURS. cindilu2, I love your montages too.

You'll all be shocked to know that I don't mind the OTT criticism or the OTT praise or the mediocre stuff. I want it all!

Seriously.

I'm shocked, I tell ya, shocked! Only not. *g*

I'm an easy bitch though, because I pretty much just take things for what they are at the time. If I love it, I'll watch again. If I don't... I won't. But I'm still glad for what it was when it happened. And I might love it at the time, because I'm in the Clay Aiken fog and later think, WTF was that and how did I get sucked in so easily.

I think this sums me up too. I do have to admit that most of the singers during the NAT made me a little like "get out of the way, please"....but then there were some priceless ones too, and we couldn't have had them without having some bad too. But my point is that yeah, I go with the flow when I'm seeing Clay live, and then later, cuss myself out for being stuck in the Clay Aiken vacuum cleaner.

Nah, YSRN, it doesn't sound stupid - just that you are a lot more accepting of other people's point of view, I think...

I know perfectly well I'm not particularly good at that traditionally female ability just to listen to people vent - I tend to take 'venting' as a precursor to 'attempting to fix' - because if I'm bitching about something, I want them to change whatever the hell it is to what I want - and if I keep venting to someone about a point of view, I want that someone to come around to my point of view. I've never seen the point of Monday morning quarterbacking. The fandom is slowly bringing me around to the point of view that people are really just complaining, and don't expect anything of it. I don't think I'll ever really understand it though. Stuff I don't like, I'll say bad things about it, then stop thinking about it.

Cheese of all types is good though.

Another reason why I'm a minion, because this sums me up pretty well too. I suppose I can deal with some venting...as long as it lasts no more than 5 minutes. And like KAndre, I too am learning that some of the complaints truly are just venting. I've learned a hell of a lot about myself by being in this fandom.

The James Brown song is probably best. The Sly instrumental is quite long, and does get downright slurpy! But, I love the vintage Sly Stone of Stand, I Want to Take You Higher, Sing a Simple Song, You Can Make It If You Try, and Hot Fun in the Summertime!

Bolding mine. This sounds like the perfect song to sum up the :Tour3:

RE: Fan criticism. Every passionate fan base goes over-the-top. Sports fans rant endlessly about owner or coaching choices. TV show fan boards can go ballistic over plot or character developments. It's funny. You look at other active boards on any subject, and you tend to see the same situation played out. Posts bitching and moaning, and posts stating "Well if you hate X so much, why are you posting on this message board?"

And you would think I would know that, being a Star Trek fan and all. Talk about whiners if things weren't "cannon." But, I wasn't an internet Star Trek fan, and I think that's a big difference for me.

Case in point: The message board for the TLC Show, "Little People, Big World." The message board is full of posts about how the family's house is too messy, how the kids are brats, how the father is cruel. And then, there are posts saying, "Well, if you hate the show so much, why are you still watching?" Some champion the right to criticize, sneering at the "self-appointed defenders," while others bemoan the negativity and plead for more positive, less judgemental posts.

I love that show, and thanks for letting me know that I should probably just stay away from that board.

clayzedover, I loved your post about how Clay is learning in this business. I know some people would NOT say this, but I believe he's a risk taker. He tries things -- some work, some don't. In the process, he learns from that. It's a great quality to have, one that some people never develop. And this:

The poor guy has only been in the entertainment business "officially" less than five years. Fans will come and go. People have short attention spans these days. BUT, I know Clay will be around for a LONG time. He has what it takes. And I will be here with him all the way.

I'm with him all the way too. Love this paragraph.

I have come to a point in my fandom, where I don't want to know things before they happen anymore. It takes the element of surprise away, for me, and sometimes sets up disappointment. In fact I don't download every piece of Clack anymore either. luckiest1 made a good point about how clack can set up disappointment for some fans.

I'm getting there, but there have been many instances where I don't want to know everything either. It's much more fun to hear that song for the first time without hearing other people opinions first.

I really liked this post claygasm. I agree that the positive police can be every bit as OTT, as the so called negative nellies. I liked your analogy here. I think that is exactly what Clay does. Scrolls the constant whiners post, and scrolls the OTT smoochie smoochie do no wrong insincere posts, and takes a sampling from the rest.

I keep thinking to myself that I'd love it if Clay read this board. I think we've got a good balance here....

And to end on a freaking funny note:

can say "hey you're full of shit here! Just be nice about it.

"You're full of nice shit?"

Just because this made me LMAO.

Welcome to Claytonfan20. I hope you enjoy it here.

jamar, glad to know Creole is still a fan. Gee I can't believe I couldn't remember her name. I'm staying at the Crown Center so maybe we will run into each other. I'm thinking of traveling with some Smirnoff Vodka and Mango Martini mix to keep in my room. LOL Maybe we can fix us a drink. *g*

Oh great...I'm rooming with a lush.

Bring enough for me, OK? *g*