ldyjocelyn

Hee -- I missed that one. I bet couchie would like for Clay to sing to her like that. *g* Aw...bottlecap, I enjoy your post-hoiness (?!). Love, love, love the interview from yesterday. He's gotten to the point where I though he would eventually -- comfortable with the career and all that entails. It's taken a while...but I knew it would happen. I mean, can you imagine what his life was like in October 2003? I would have gone stark raving bonkers, and I think he did admirably keeping it together. But at the same time....there was just too much going on for him to have the time to adjust and process it all. With the passage of time...it's finally happening. Good for Clay! Glad he blogged about Gregory too. Gee, you think Clay knows anything about rumors and speculation? *g*

'night all. This was fun. Once again -- {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Clay, cast and crew}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} {{{{{{{{{{{{GREGORY}}}}}}}}}}}}

Cellcert reports that the lights came up after DSIAFCD...then went down...then back up...then Q&A came out...so the lights went down. This tour is one big soap opera, isn't it? {{{{{{{{{{{{Clay}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Standing O for the kid tonight! Good! "We panicked." Hee! And a standing O for Allison too. I'm in tears now....

That TFN was freakin' awesome! Must.see.clack.now.

Well, since Tommy basically reads the Christmas story straight from the Bible -- I think he'll be fine. He can have the book in front of him. Whew! First act over!

Christmas Waltz -- another favorite. I bet the kid stays on Beverly's feet much more...unless the kid knows how to waltz. Who knows? I think this cellcert is pretty clear this evening.

Just gotta say...I love this version of Jingle Bells. Love. LOVE. Also, I was freaked the other day...I heard Michael W. Smith do this exact version on the radio! Must be where Clay heard it... Love this jazz section...they all get into it so much.

I finally get to hear an entire cellcert...and then Gregory is sick. Wah. Seriously, I hope he's OK. I also feel very NERVOUS about this, and how it will affect the performers. Break a leg, gang.

From what I've read of the cellcert (I was out at a Christmas party and missed the ding-danged thing)...it sounds like the Washington show was a bit fraught with problems. Didn't I read Clay saying something about that during the banter? Anyway...I wonder if something happened to the shirt, and that might have been one of the problems. No matter...he looked adorable. I love him. Off to a class for all day today. *sigh* I want to hang out and read Clay boards instead.

I'll just second what Skatejoy said... Michael Buble's album is WONDERFUL. I love it! I caught the end of the PBS special, when Groban came out...and laughed myself silly. I knew Buble had a sense of humor from his appearances on the VH1 "I Love the..." things (and I would KILL to have Clay appear on one of those, although I think they are down to "I Love the 1890's" or something...), but didn't realize Groban was that funny too. And then, watching that...I was so hoping Clay would show up on that stage too. The Three Young Tenors, each with their own style...I'd die and go to heaven if that ever happened. BTW, I would also DIE if Clay would cover "Home." Beautiful song. U2 live is unbelievable...and I haven't seen them in almost 15 years! My 30th birthday was spent with Bono and Co. in Chicago...still the best concert I've ever attended. (Clay will get there, I know it...) Topic: Clay purdy. Sing great. I love him. Skatejoy, looking forward to more pictures!

Squeeeeeeeee on Dear Santa! He looked so handsome....and sounded so purdy. I love him. I think I'll keep him. Dudley just posted this on the CH: I find this incredibly cool that Clay has all these song writers FIGHTING for his attention. And it sounds like it is good people too. EEEEEEEEE!

buzzie, be safe in your travels today -- and to all traveling to the show this evening. I'm also sending good thoughts for safe travels for Sarge, the bus drivers, and the truck drivers for the show. I don't tend to worry about Clay all that much...unless he's traveling. For him to be riding in that bus last year to travel to the Detroit show scared me to death. I'm feeling the same way today...I want Clay's travels to be safe and sound. I heard MDYK on the radio this morning! EEEEEEEEEEEEE! Long story: I knew about yes.com -- but 2 years ago, when I was searching it, it never had my area, we were too small of a market. Just on a whim the other day, I went back...and discovered they show the playlists for all my radio stations in the area. Therefore, I discovered that my local Contemporary Christian station (which I had forgotten about, it's really not my cuppa) has gone to an all Christmas format. According to yes.com, they have played Clay, but not a great deal. This morning, as I was driving to work -- MDYK came on! I squeeeeeeed! And then, I got so flustered when I tried to turn the volume up that I accidentally turned the radio off! I love those Boston school pictures! I'm also very glad People picked up on the NY school pictures. Any word on if the picture made the store copies? I'd welcome this couchie person...but I think she already knows that I love her. Bummer on the GMA...but we have Dear Santa to look forward this evening!

Hee...I see both bottlecap and I have changed our avatars. Hee. I'm still swooning over the MGUCL from yesterday. That is one beautiful rendition...and in no way can it be compared to Quiana's version. Love it so very much, and I think I will probably faint when I see this clack for real, inside the studio. georgiaclay, welcome. I've been looking out for penguin slippers, and the closest I could find were things from the movie Madagascar. If I have time online today, I may look around some more... Skatejoy, thank you for the pictures. He really is dweemy, isn't he? I also like your "long view" pictures...good for the stage setup.

bottlecap, I hope you don't mind that I took that over to the CH. That's a great find...he looked so dapper that day. He always manages to look pretty darn good at GMA...well, except for the first Diane Sawyer interview right after AI2 was over...that wasn't a particularly good day. diamondjake, I totally understand your feelings about the Reading show. Hopefully, your memories of the rest of the show will outlive that 5 minutes at the end. ETA: Pictures of Clay at New York City school today

I had the same thought...it's VOCALLY very beautiful. But watching it, for me, was painful. What killed me was his expressive hands were missing. He so uses his hands to express that message of good news in so many of his performances. With this one...nada. That was sad. Happy concert day Jen, Skate, buzzie, diamondjake, and any other lurkers attending the concerts this weekend!!!

Very good point. I think Clay really, really wants to give those who know how to use their cameras the right to be able to take pictures. He seems to be pretty tuned into the fact that clack can sell tickets to shows. My guess is that the security people at the Beacon this weekend, and the security people at shows from now on, will receive a MAJOR message from Team Clay that flash photography will not be allowed, and that the security will have free reign to beat those people to a pulp. I think they will also strongly word the message so that non-flash people will be allowed. {{{{{{{{{SkateJoy}}}}}}}}}}} That really does suck with the timing of all your JNT stuff. Good luck...and please remember to have fun!

*sniff sniff* what's that smell? Is it...bottlecap? *g* Congrats couchie! That's so great for you! More money to funnel directly into Clay's account! I like the glint in Clay's eye for the December picture. And that jacket looks so soft and pettable. Have you made your Shutterfly calendar yet? I did mine early, because they were having a 2-for-1 sale. Means I don't have any current JNT2005 pictures in it...but that's OK. Um...yeah. Loved Hurley's reaction too. Hee. I too cannot wait to read diamondjake's concert review. In the mean time, I'm just going to cry for a while...it really saddens me that people can be so stupid and selfish ("only one flash won't hurt him"). Well, do the math idiots...if 999 other people think the same thing, that's 1000 flashes, making a strobe light effect. Besides, I'm not a photographer, but even I understand the basics enough to know that the flash.won't.help. I hope that everyone this weekend is able to enjoy themselves, and gather clack. I'll be praying for buzzie and skatejoy...selfishly of course, because I want to see their pictures!

Since we're such a small group here...does it matter if I post 5 times on the same page? *g* Hee...I'm on a new page anyway...hee... Anyway, for members of the fan club...there's a new audio greeting when you log on. It starts with Clay singing HYAMLC. *swoon* I love him bunches and bunches.

Not to derail the main thread here... SAWYER?!?!? EWWWWWW! Can't stand him. He's an idiot. Him and Ana-Lucia would be perfect together...and then the monster can kill both of them. Give me Sayid ANY day. I'm sorry I will be missing all the action this evening...this is a bad week for me. I'm involved with the local production of a Madrigal dinner -- dress rehearsal this evening, then 3 consecutive performances. (BTW, bottlecap...I'll post a picture of lrdjocelyn and myself next week to see us in our garb. ) Happy birthday Clay! Thank you for bringing so many of us together, and also...thank you for just being you.

ansamcw, good luck with your trip, and have fun the best you can. Love, love, love the Pittsburgh interview. I'm sure it's got to be a bit disconcerting to have people speculating on every.piece.of.his.life, so I really loved his take on reading the boards. Hee. Insider clip: OK, my first thought was "I hope Raleigh doesn't pee on that white outfit of his." My second thought was "Boy sure does love his stripes." My third thought was "Wow, he's so articulate." And my fourth thought was "GUH! I LOVE HIM!! SQUEEEEEEE!" Yep, that's pretty much me in a nutshell when it comes to Clay Aiken. jen...our time will come for a M&G. Just mark my words. At least I sure hope so...I want to meet him...wah.

Gosh, you must have met us somewhere, sometime...because that's EXACTLY how my husband and I looked at the show! Me too! I finally actually got to hear an entire cellcert this evening! My first! I'm extremely jealous of those who still have a chance to see this show. I want to see it again. *pouts*

Jen -- yes, Clay reads the CD version of LTS. It's wonderful to hear him tell his stories! I've listened to it too many times to mention!

Concert? What concert? Here's my Reader's Digest condensed version... The show itself: One word – LOVE. I myself thought it was simply lovely…but there’s more to it than that. I also felt the love that Clay has for this show. There’s a joy that radiates around him during the entire production. He may not be the focus at all times, but his warmth and presence is felt. The word that keeps popping into my head in regards to Clay and this show is “luminous” – he simply glows. Lrdjocelyn and I sat with Oldmoviegal and her husband. She and I had a wonderful time being fangirls, while I’m sure I could hear the men’s eyes rolling around in their sockets. We were seated in a box under the loge seating, just off of center – lower to the ground, but further from the stage. I found that I could focus on “the work,” which I found touching, sweet, and well done by all (except for the microphone technicians *g*), and also focus on the voice. When you’re seated that far away, it doesn’t matter if it’s a round box or a square one, or if he’s got rooster hair, or if you’re going to be seduced by the pretty, IMO. The music was what got me, hook line and sinker. The songs I enjoyed most were the ones I hadn’t really spoiled myself with – Christmas Serenade being a prime example. That was simply exquisite. I thought he was vocally on top of his game. (BTW, I didn’t miss the growls on Celebrate Me Home at all. I think those who were not spoiled by this song, which would probably be half the crowd at least, didn’t miss them. OTOH, I was thoroughly charmed by the little laugh at the beginning of The Christmas Waltz…it seemed so spontaneous.) There was only one song where I missed Jacob’s contribution, and that was during MDYK. Clay’s voice sounds that much richer during the bridge with Jacob’s harmonies – it lacked oomph in Chicago. Another thing about sitting that far back is watching Clay’s body language. This struck me most during DSIAFCD. When he’s ready to hit the glory note, he was standing there, one foot firmly planted on the ground – but the other foot was on its heel, toe straight up in the air. For some reason, this made me smile as much him hitting the glory note. All in all, this show is a winner in my book. Every song transported me to another world, and I’m dying to see it again. Wish I could too. The clack I got for this show is all distant. However, for those who are interested in the staging…this is the clack for you. Clay’s pretty “glowy,” but it does give a sense of what else is happening. I had not told my husband much of anything about this show, except that Jacob went MIA a few nights ago during a performance. So, afterwards, we had this conversation: Me: So what did you think? Him: Well, it wasn't what I was expecting. Me: What do you mean, exactly? Him: I was expecting a concert. However, I liked that Clay put some thought into making the show different from last year. Clay’s music, for the most part, is not my husband’s cup of coffee, but he recognizes the talent, and thus enjoyed the show. Then, as we were driving back, he mentioned that he noticed that Clay wasn’t always at the forefront of the show, more of a “director”…he thought that was cool. I think he kinda got it. *g* Lrdjocelyn and I went to the Field Museum the next day, me proudly wearing my new Clay Aiken JNT2005 shirt. (I LOVE this shirt…it’s the one with the green printing, which is striking, and I think it has the CUTEST picture of Clay.) Three people commented on it, and all of them were staff at the Museum. The one lady asked if I had seen him the previous night, and if it was good. (I suppose you don’t need to guess what my answers were.) The other two were male employees at one of the gift shops, where they also asked if I had seen him. The one then mentioned the book signing from last year, and we talked about the people who camped out in the freezing cold (not me, unfortunately) for hours. The other guy then mentioned that this was pretty amateur in comparison to a story he just heard – a gentleman camping out for 11 hours in the cold to spend $400 for an Xbox console. This gentleman then took the game back to his car, pulled out a sledgehammer, and totally destroyed the Xbox! So, if anyone needs a story to complement us “craz…enthusiastic Clay fans” – that might be the one you need! I had a wonderful time in Chicago with “the family.” Thank you Chicago and thank you Clay.

It's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day.... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! So what am I doing here at work? I hope my mail comes today before I leave for Chicago...for I'd love to wear that long sleeved Tshirt as my travel shirt today! Still planning to buy stuff at the show tonight, if I can. Hopefully, my husband won't be too ticked off about dropping $100 at the merchandise table. *g* It's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day, it's concert day.... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!