ldyjocelyn

New article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I was told it's behind a paywall, but I was able to access it without difficulties. I'm copying the full text here. From 'American Idol' rivals to besties, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken explain

Thanks to beanerknits for finding this. Looks like we have a new guitarist for the last leg of the tour.

jamestownsun.com Once 'American Idol' rivals, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken to share Fargo Theatre stage

The publicity is starting for the third leg of the tour! https://www.jamestownsun.com/lifestyle/arts-and-entertainment/once-american-idol-rivals-ruben-studdard-and-clay-aiken-to-share-fargo-theatre-stage

As per my tradition, here is the Clay Aiken timeline for 2023. I'm afraid it's not quite as complete as I usually try to be, because keeping track of the interviews Clay and Ruben this year, that appeared online, was for some reason very hard for me. If anyone wants to help fill that out, please let me know! February 1 -- Clay appears on "Celebrity Name That Tune!" (Fox). His opponent is Jordin Sparks, also of American Idol fame. He beat Jordin in the main game, but bombed spectacularly during the final round. Still, he won $32,000 for the National Inclusion Project! February 2 -- Word gets out for a taping of "Tamron Hall" (syndicated) with Clay and Ruben scheduled for this date. February 6 -- The appearance on "Tamron Hall." Clay and Ruben were both very animated as they talked about the tour and fatherhood. They also sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" together! February 22 -- M&G packages for the summer tour are announced. Included are attendance at the sound check (with a song that won't be in the show, but only for that venue -- lots of individuality there), a hoodie and a picture with Clay & Ruben. March 1 -- Clay does a radio interview with local Raleigh, NC station WPTF. He gave a preview of some of the stories he'll be telling with Ruben during the tour this year. March 6 -- Another radio interview is released, this time with G105 (Raleigh) morning show. They played a few silly games, including one where Clay had to finish the song. Nice to hear his voice! March 7 -- A snippet of an interview from Clay and Ruben released on South Coast Today. March 9 -- A YouTube short of Clay and Ruben publicizing the Nashua Center appears. It shows their trademark humor. Also, Clay attends an event called "Big Night in for the Arts," benefiting arts councils in the Triangle Area. March 10 -- This time, it's a Facebook Reel that shows up with Clay and Ruben ribbing each other. It advertises for the Arcada Theater show. March 28 -- A video interview on Queen City News Charlotte (NC). Cute video interview. March 30 -- The WNYT (TV station in the Capital area of New York) online show "Onorato & Company" hosts Clay and Ruben as they discuss the opening night's show! April 2 -- Clay, along with Justin Guarini, Jordin Sparks, David Archuleta, Caitie Turner, Noah Thompson, and Phillip Phillips (all other Idol finalists), mentor contestants for Hollywood week on "American Idol." Clay proves himself to be a caring and compassionate mentor as he helps them with their confidence. April 3 -- Another video interview for promotion of the tour. This one is for WBTV in Charlotte, NC. April 5 -- And the Interviews keep coming! Two released today: "Soda City Live" (WIS 10 in Columbia, SC) and an interview released on Twitter from Nippertown, based in central New York. April 10 -- "The Pulse with Bill Anderson" (WTXF, Fox 29 in Philadelphia) has an interview with Clay and Ruben. There's also a long radio interview on WAMC (NPR in Albany, NY). April 11 -- Can you tell the tour is almost here? An interview on "New York Live!" (NBC 4 out of New York City), as well as PIX 11 from New York City as well. April 12 -- The opening night of Clay and Ruben Studdard with their "Twenty Years, One Night" tour (hereafter referred to as "20-1"). It starts at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (Troy, NY). Earlier in the day, two Facebook interviews appear, one from the Kokomo Press, the other B106.7. Both fun interviews! April 13 -- 20-1 at the Nashua Center for the Arts (Nashua, NH). April 14 -- 20-1 at the Zeiterion Theatre (New Bedford, MA). April 16 -- 20-1 at the Fallsview Casino Resort (Niagara Fall, ON, Canada). April 17 -- 20-1 at the Fallsview Casino Resort (Niagara Fall, ON, Canada). April 18 -- 20-1 at the Fallsview Casino Resort (Niagara Fall, ON, Canada). April 20 -- 20-1 at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (Patchogue, NY). April 21 -- An interview with Clay on WDBJ-7 out of Roanoke, VA, promoting the show on May 5. April 22 -- 20-1 at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts (Bronx, NY). April 24 -- 20-1 at the Wall Street Theater (Norwalk, CT). Also, a new video interview appears on FB with both Ruben and Clay, from NBC CT Live in Connecticut. April 26 -- 20-1 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts (Red Bank, NJ). There's also a radio interview on "On Point with Juandolyn Stokes" (NewsTalk 1340 WAOK), publicizing the May 6 concert at Mableton, GA. And then, an interview via Facebook from Mix 107.9 in Charlotte, NC. April 27 -- 20-1 at Penn's Peak (Jim Thorpe, PA). There's also a really good interview with Clay on the "Open House Party" podcast with Kannon. April 28 -- 20-1 at the Parx Casino (Bensalem, PA). April 29 -- 20-1 at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre (Cary, NC). April 30 -- 20-1 at the Newberry Opera House (Newberry, SC). May 2 -- 20-1 at the Midland Theatre (Newark, OH). May 4 -- 20-1 at the Knight Theater (Charloette, NC). May 5 -- 20-1 at the Jefferson Center (Roanoke, VA). May 6 -- 20-1 at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre (Mableton, GA). May 7 -- 20-1 at the Oxford Performing Arts Centers (Oxford, AL). May 10 -- 20-1 at the Arcada Theatre (St. Charles, IL). May 11 -- 20-1 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts (Carmel, IN). May 12 -- 20-1 at the Genesee Theatre (Waukegan, IL). May 13 -- 20-1 at the Honeywell Center (Waubash, IN). May 14 -- 20-1 at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (Bloomington, IL). May 16 -- 20-1 at the Grand Theater (Wausau, WI). May 18 -- Once again, Clay hosts the Triangle Rising Star Awards, for young performers in the area. May 21 -- Clay and Ruben celebrate 20 years to the day of the finale of the second season of "American Idol" by appearing on the finale of the current season. They sing "The Impossible Dream" (the finale song from the 20-1). Also on this date...new 20-1 dates appear on the website and via Instagram! EEEEE! June 4 -- According to a tweet, Clay attended a fundraiser for NC Theater. June 9 -- An appearance on the Navarro-Miller podcast. June 21 -- Clay emceed at the Equality PAC Pride Gala, held at Union Station's East Hall in Washington, DC. September 19 -- Clay and Ruben do a radio interview on The Carney Show (KTRS, St. Louis). September 23 -- 20-1 at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center (Arcardia, CA). September 29 -- 20-1 at the Arts Commons (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). September 30 -- 20-1 at the River Cree Casino & Resort (Enoch, Alberta, Canada). October 4 -- 20-1 at the Alaska Airline Center (Anchorage, AK). October 7 -- The 20th Anniversary National Inclusion Project Gala. The day starts with many of the attendees going on a bus tour of Raleigh hosted by Clay, Dianne Bubel and Nick Leisey. At the dinner, Ben Cohn and Sean McDaniel are given the Founder's Award. Clay sings the entire "Measure of a Man" album in its entirety. October 8 -- 20-1 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center (Nashville, TN). October 9 -- 20-1 at Memorial Hall (Cincinnati, OH). October 10 -- 20-1 at the Otis A. Singletary Center for the Arts (Lexington, KY). On September 28, this show was cancelled. October 11 -- 20-1 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center (Marion, IL). October 16 -- 20-1 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts (San Antonio, TX). October 18 -- 20-1 at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center (Midland, TX). October 19 -- 20-1 at the Celebrity Theatre (Phoenix, AZ). October 20 -- 20-1 at the Fox Tucson Theatre (Tucson, AZ). October 22 -- 20-1 at the McCain Auditorium (Manhattan, KS). October 23 -- 20-1 at the Uptown Theater (Kansas City, MO). October 24 -- 20-1 at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts (Springfield, MO). October 25 -- 20-1 at the Pulaski Technical College The Center for Humanities and Arts (North Little Rock, AR). October 27 -- 20-1 at the Family Arena (St. Charles, MO). October 28 -- 20-1 at the Astro Theater and Amphitheater (La Vista, NE). October 29 -- 20-1 at the Hutchinson Fox Theatre (Hutchinson, KS). October 31 -- 20-1 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center (Rapid City, SD). At this show, Clay appears on stage with an eye patch. It seems he lost a fight with a sidewalk in Nebraska, leaving him with a nasty black eye. November 1 -- 20-1 at the Alberta Bair Theater (Billings, MT). November 3 -- 20-1 at the Shoshone Bannock Hotel (Fort Hall, ID). November 4 -- 20-1 at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort (Suquamish, WA). November 5 -- 20-1 at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino (Airway Heights, WA). "Pirate Clay" is no more at this show; makeup can now cover his black eye. November 6 -- 20-1 at Portland's 5 Centers for the Arts (Portland, OR). November 7 -- 20-1 at the Craterian Theater at the Collier Center for the Performing Arts (Medford, OR). November 9 -- 20-1 at the Blue Note (Napa, CA). Two shows that night. November 10 -- 20-1 at the Harris Center (Folsom, CA). November 16 -- 20-1 at the Gallo Center for the Arts (Modesto, CA). November 17 -- 20-1 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (Cerritos, CA). November 18 -- 20-1 at the McCallum Theatre (Palm Desert, CA). November 19 -- 20-1 at the Sycuan Casino Resort (El Cajon, CA). December 2 -- Clay and Ruben appear at a Gala for the David Foster Foundation, held at Cabo in Mexico. From Facebook snippets, it looks as if they did some of the Boy Band Medley from 20-1. December 14 -- Holiday Pops with the Naples (Florida) Philharmonic. December 15 -- Holiday Pops with the Naples Philharmonic. December 16 -- 2 shows (afternoon and evening) of the Holiday Pops with the Naples Philharmonic. December 17 -- A final Holiday Pops with the Naples Philharmonic. December 31 -- Clay and Ruben appear on the NexStar/Fox New Year's Eve Celebration. It was available streaming through several TV station's websites, including KTLA. Ruben sang "Flying Without Wings," while Clay did "Bridge Over Troubled Water." This was a pretaped segment.

Clay Aiken Timeline for 2024. ldyj will try her darndest to keep this list up-to-date. If you see anything missing/incorrect, please contact ldyjocelyn! January 4 -- Twenty the Tour (TTT) at the Fargo Theatre (Fargo, ND). January 5 -- TTT at The Dakota (Minneapolis, MN). There's two shows that night. January 6 -- TTT at the Hoyt Sherman Place (Des Moines, IA). January 7 -- TTT at the Pabst Theater (Milwaukee, WI). January 11 -- TTT at the Mille Auditoriaum (Kalamazoo, MI). January 12 -- TTT at the Robins Theatre (Warren, OH). January 13 -- TTT at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts (Clinton Township, MI). January 14 -- TTT at the Edwin J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall (Akron, OH). January 15 -- TTT at the Carnegie of Homestead (Munhall, PA). January 17 -- TTT at Plymouth Memorial Hall (Plymouth, MA). January 18 -- TTT at the Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building (Lexington, MA). January 19 -- TTT at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury (Westbury, NY). January 21 -- TTT at the Levoy Theatre (Millville, NJ). January 22 -- TTT at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club (Bethesda, MD). January 23 -- TTT at the Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA). January 24 -- TTT in Atlanta, GA. January 25 -- TTT at the Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College (Irmo, SC). January 27 -- TTT at the Ritz Theatre and Museum (Jacksonville, FL). There's two shows that night. January 28 -- TTT at the Central Park Performing Arts Center (Largo, FL). January 31 -- TTT at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center (Lady Lake, FL). This is the last of the "full" show; the next few dates are the abbreviated version of the show, missing a few of the medleys. February 1 -- A private, members only TTT at the Ocean Reef Club (Key Largo, FL). February 3 -- TT at the Center for Performing Arts (Punta Gorda, FL). There's two shows on that date. February 24 — Clay attends a concert by David Foster and Kat McPhee at the Durham Performing Arts Center. At some point, he ends up singing a bit of “Unchained Melody” to great applause! March 13 -- a mysterious duo of "The Beets" appears on "The Masked Singer" (Fox). On "Wizard of Oz" theme night, they sing "Home" and make it through to the next round. March 29 — Clay’s in NYC! He attends “Back to the Future” on Broadway. March 30 -- There's an Instagram Story and an Tweet from Clay, simply with "Clue Number 1." Speculations begin. Link to Instagram story here. April 1 -- "Clue Number 2" and "No. 3" appears on the InstaStory. See the link above for what this picture looks like. April 2 -- "No. 4" arrives. April 3 -- "Clue number 5" shows up. April 4 -- "Number 6" appears. What will it be? April 5 -- More confusion as "number 7" shows up. April 6 -- Guess what? Another clue, "number 8." April 7 -- To publicize his work with the DPAC on May 9, Clay appears on "ABC11 Together Perspectives" (WTVD Raleigh, NC). April 8 -- After skipping a day, clue "number 9" appears. April 10 -- "Number 10" shows up, along with a gif of a heart and a message that says "watch The CV for more details." Heh. April 12 -- Guess what? "11" appears, along with a note that says "Check the CV before 8 pm this evening." At 8 pm -- well, there was information imparted to many Clay fans about something coming. LOL. April 25 -- Mystery group "The Beets" finally make their second appearance on "The Masked Singer," singing "I'm So Excited" as part of Girl Group night. They survive to the next round! May 1 -- "The Beets" sing "One Moment in Time" on "The Masked Singer", and then had to sing against "Gumball" (singing "I've Had the Time of My Life"). Unfortunately, "The Beets" lose the sing-off and are revealed to be...Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken! The judges had no idea! Clay later tweets out about their appearance. May 2 -- Whoa! The media blitz after their elimination on "The Masked Singer" begins! Lots of print and video interviews! May 9 -- As is his tradition, Clay hosts the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) "Rising Stars" Awards. May 11 -- Another hosting gig! This time he's hosting "RYC's Got Talent," featuring the Raleigh Youth Choir. Clay was part of this choir back in the day. The event will be held at the Dorthea Dix Chapel.

Happy New Year FCA!

RIP keepingfaith. If you read old posts on here from 2006-12, you'll see posts from her. I went with her to several concerts -- Houston and Tulsa in 2007, Reno in 2010. We had a blast. I'm so sad to read of her passing.

I would love a residency in Las Vegas, but I bet Clay would hate living there. From Instagram stories, a picture.

krqe.com Reuben and Clay set to bring a taste of 2003 to the new year

Merry Christmas to all here at FCA! DH and I just got home from 3pm church, and now we are waiting for "A Christmas Story" on TV. Tomorrow is a big breakfast and then I have a small ham along with Texas Potatoes and green beans almondine, with cookies from a local bakery for dessert. I hope everyone has the celebration you want! Love you all!

More promo for the upcoming shows!

West coast people, please take pity on those of us from the rest of the country and capture this for us!

Article about the New Year’s Eve TV show. Lists stations who will carry it, I think more will be added later. https://www.nexstar.tv/klas-to-host-30th-annual-las-vegas-countdown-to-2024-tv-special/

I just found the same thing, but on Twitter (or whatever it's called now...) YouTube version:

A TikTok that has most of Clay singing "O Come All Ye Faithful/Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

More pics here: https://www.facebook.com/nancywigdugan/posts/pfbid0Yef8ZuutEVCEJxBxFVBs5ZTgnFBKr4frhDLnUhBRieu8EPPynTvoYfPGBS8M7ppHl

Brief video from today's show: https://www.facebook.com/1016484887/videos/732322218369643/

Recaps of the first two Naples concerts, used with permission, from sweet carolina girl at CV. No idea why it's bolding, and I can't turn that off on these posts. Night one: Night two:

Another photo from last night! https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10100335687203301&set=a.819026792931

Picture from last night, via FB. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10159954315681645&set=pcb.10159954315706645 I'm reading that Clay is getting over the flu...and still sounded wonderful.

Official program book for the Naples Irchestra. Clay interview on pages 28 and 29. https://artisnaples.org/events/program-book/12/

CV had the same question...and I Googled. Supposedly Noel is the French spelling, but Middle English spells it Nowell. https://grammarist.com/spelling/noel-or-nowel/#:~:text=The Christmas carol The First,best to stay with noel.

I almost forgot — the Christmas concerts are this week! Here’s the program, thanks to beanerknits! https://artisnaples.org/uploads/files/resources/programs/12_14-17_23_Holiday_Pops_FINAL.pdf

Aha! It's now been discovered why Clay was potentially in Mexico. Actress Melissa Peterson posted this reel to Facebook, about an event benefitting the David Foster Foundation, held in Cabo. (David is Parker's Uncle, and a world famous producer; also married to Katherine McPhee) It looks as if Clay and Ruben performed there. If you watch the entire reel, it has a brief clip and Clay and Ruben doing some of the Boy Band medley. https://www.facebook.com/reel/322818693943822