keepingfaith

You rang? Hello Gorgeous! And your name was ..... Best haircut ever, baby .... That suit and tie ... OMG! head to toe ... And now for some Clay Aiken to die for .... Okay, it was really good for me ... hope it was good for everyone!!!

And that's why I think Clay is already a superstar in the eyes of many. Some people don't know about him yet and may have to catch up, like I did, but just because I wasn't aware of how he killed on the JBT, he did it in spite of my ignorance and the fact that I first saw Clack of it last summer doesn't diminish the excitement of that tour for me right now. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the 21st century mindset eventually defines success in a way that encompasses selflessness, giving and joy because Clay is in the vanguard of that movement. It's not new, and he's not alone, but he seems to me to be living a real, true life of meaning and usefulness generously mixed with laughter, and that's a message for the world no matter who we are or what we do. Yes, I could do my Mary Catherine Gallagher now ... Clay Aiken ..... SUPERSTAHHH!!! Or, I could do the woman who is proud to be 50 years old ... I can kick, I can stretch, and I can KICK! Oh, and Clayzorback, are you planning on getting me all liquored up in Tulsa? :Tour3:

My favorite piece of Clack from the most recent tour and one of my all-time top two or three is the Grown Up Christmas List video from Joanne at Red Bank. There's something there that I can't begin to describe, but lightmyfire's "His instrument is undefinable" says it all -- oh, and those EYES --and his vulnerability and the love that pours from him .... the way he plays to the Clack cameras .... I'm going to go watch it again now. ETA: at 2:00 in the video when he looks directly into Joanne's camera, earache and all, was the first time I got that Clay's singing to me feeling whether I was there or not he was singing to the Clack Watchers! And for someone who's never seen him live ... that was and still is, a biggie.

Exactly, it's all in our definitions. And perceptions. It hasn't escaped me that Clay is continually defined as Superstar by the media and when the public reads or hears "Clay Aiken Superstar" it means something. Whether it's an understanding of the legendary path he's on, or the devotion of his fans, his incredible voice, his stage presence, his magnanimous being ... or all of the above ... I think it speaks to an underlying acceptance of Clay Aiken as a true emerging giant in the entertainment industry. And playbiller, IMO the legend/superstar thing is something that once you have it you have it. Whitney may never repeat her earlier successes, but she'll always be a superstar. Diana Ross probably couldn't fill up an arena any more, but she's still a superstar. Greta Garbo went into seclusion for decades and remained a superstar til the end. And lately I've been hearing a lot of superstar/legend talk bestowed on Barry Manilow that I've never noticed before. Superstars can go in and out of the public eye, and whenever they emerge, people are interested. But, hush your mouth honey, Macca does not eat meat!

Great conversations last evening ... and Clayzedover I LOVED what you wrote ...Ansa too -- I enjoyed reading all the points of view. Clayzorback's Superstar = Legend, I like very much. The cool factor related to Clay is one that never enters my mind ... because I've always defined cool as something unreal, an act, an attitude put on like a hat. I love the way Philip Seymour Hoffman played Lester Bangs (legendary Cream Magazine rock journalist) in Almost Famous ... and my favorite line of dialogue that "Lester" spoke to the character playing director Cameron Crowe in his youth was: The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool. Clay is such a chameleon, a man of a 1000 faces .... and however he looks at any given time is going to be somebody's favorite. What I think is hot may not be anything near the majority opinion at any given time ... but if it turns me on I don't mind being a stand alone! A friend I work with is a big every-year-AI fan and liked Clay from the second season, but was bowled over by AI5. When I got into things, I started sharing Clack with her along the way, and was surprised that her reactions to his appearances were almost never the same as mine. Case in point ... the Gala clack is so hot to me. Yet my friend didn't like that look on him at all, thought it was too "ministerial" and for whatever reason "not hot." Okay to each his own, but I was surprised that she didn't see what I saw. So ... come along to earlier this week when I realize she never watched the most recent Kimmel and I download it on her computer and we begin to watch. She GAHed over the whole thing. And that one snapshot of Clay in Afghanistan ... the "confused Jesus" or "young Obi-Wan-Kenobi" now she gasped at that picture and while I thought it was not his best, she certainly did. That was the only picture where she liked him in the beard -- go figure, huh? She thinks that picture is the cat's pajamas and the bee's knees. Ultimately, it all comes down to 'different strokes for different folks' and so on and so on and shooby dooby doo!' Oh, and my friend's absolute all-time two favorite pieces of Clack are .... a Waldo video, and Mary, Did You Know -- now juxtapose that and we may be talking "legend" here!

I see Clay as having a Clay Aiken career ... not a Tony Bennett, Linda Ronstandt, Barry Manilow, or anybody else career. He's unique. There's never been anyone like him before, and there won't be another one coming along. And as far as name identification goes, believe me there are people, music-lovers, who don't have a clue who Josh Groban or Michael Buble or Andrea Bocelli are. I think Clay's career is being carefully nurtured and plotted. And I believe everything is going according to plan. Will everybody everywhere love him? No, of course not. But, so what? -- There were plenty of people who never liked Elvis Presley and wouldn't have walked across the street to see him for free ... me, for instance -- but I didn't stand in his way!

And the DJ was the God-awful Sam Malone. I absolutely cannot listen to that man, so the info came to me from a friend who's been hearing this go on re Taylor Hicks.

I think Kelly is in a redefining mode right now ... and I would call it a bit of a crisis when a tour gets cancelled just weeks before the opening date and days before the album release, and you've just fired your manager, and have been in a very public battle with Clive Davis. Doesn't mean she won't come out on top .. just sayin' that things aren't rosy for her right now. I wonder if she's considering Renshaw since he's known as a bit of a rebel in the industry. No, things aren't nearly as bad right now for Kelly as for poor Taylor. He's had concerts canceled (the smaller venue kind), and they're having trouble giving away free tickets at the radio station here. People were winning radio contests and when told they had won Taylor Hicks tickets were asking, "Ya got anything else?" Finally, the DJ said something like, Okay people we've got some tickets for the Taylor Hicks show and if you want 'em, give us a call. I don't think I'm overstating Clay's trajectory to the stratosphere. Clay is a phenomenon and I'm not going to downplay him in any way. He's going to have his own TV show, you know. He'll be a star in concert, in the recording studio, on Broadway, on TV, in Vegas, and he'll go international. I think Kelly Clarkson will be plenty successful in her career, but not like her old pal Clay Aiken.

I'm keeping track, merrieeee!!! Three weeks from today ..... 21 days ..... WOO HOO!!! :TourExcite: I'm now thinking that the jet-setting lately is all producer related. Maybe his good buddy DF has hooked him up to interview the top music producers in the world and Clay and Jaymes are flying around meeting them to see what fits. If so, then Jaymes was probably with him in Paris ... and Spain ... and now on to England. I think Clay must be her "special exclusive project" ... I know Jaymes produced Bianca Ryan's debut album last year, but other than that I think she's devoted to Clay's career. There is some kind of strange alchemy going on in the music business ... black is white and up is down. Kelly Clarkson sold 15 millions albums, won Grammies, has been the darling of Top 40 radio, gets tons of publicity and her career appears to be in crisis mode right now. Clay, on the other hand, has never had radio, his most recent album didn't go platinum, he hasn't ever been nominated for a Grammy, and yet he seems to be on a trajectory to the stratosphere. I guess industry insider conventional wisdom just ain't what it used to be!!! You crack me up, Conchita KAndre ....... Clay Aiken is El Jefe, indeed! And El Jefe is such a classic Sagitarrian -- jet-setting traveler going home to spend time with his animals .. and then OFF again! Regarding his social studies teacher whose retirement party he attended .... would this be the teacher he took with him to Afghanistan? THREE WEEKS ..... THREE WEEKS ..... THREE WEEKS ..... :Tour3:

Loved your post jamar! And the quote above reminds me of some of my favorites from A Lazy's Man Guide To Enlightenment -- What am I doing on a level of consciousness where this is real? Love as much as you can from wherever you are. Go beyond reason to love: It is the only safety. and my personal favorite: What did you think it was that needed to be loved?

Look What Love Has Done?

Oh, I think it would be a real seductive crooner .... and sing I can only give you everything I have ...

To beat the dead Page 6 one more time with feeling, I was told that the reason the reference to synchronized swimming under the Eiffel Tower became a focus for so many is because the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatic Games, featuring synchonized swimming, was being held in Paris ... and that was the reason for the snark in the gossip item, and why some people were so riled about it. But if you didn't already know about it, or Google something in the reference, how would people know this? And I think the games were over well before Clay went to Paris, so this was just a snarky remark by an idiot. All in all, much ado about nothing, why does anyone care .... and, Laughn, this is brilliant and hilarious:

I agree, especially with the bolded part. That's where tolerance and open-mindedness comes in. I am not the biggest fan of LAA, and if he didn't sing it in concert, it wouldn't bother me one bit. But I hope he does sing it because it means so much to so many -- and I don't want to hear the crying and lamenting certain to come if he doesn't sing it. I want people to be happy and since so many people love that song, I hope they get their heart's desire. And I'm sure I will love it, too! And just an aside re Kelly ... I got an email from iTunes today, and with a pre-purchase of My December they will give you a code for concert ticket presales along with the normal stuff like bonus songs and booklets. Hmmm, tour sales must be limping. I was surprised that Kelly has been booked into the Toyota Center in Houston when she didn't even sell out the CWM Pavilion last summer and lawn tickets were two for one! The Toyota Center seems like quite a stretch -- especially if the new album doesn't appeal to pre-teen girls. Christina/Pussycat Dolls did well at Toyota, but a friend told me the place was full of 8-12 year old girls in high heels and makeup!

Where you headed, Clayzor?? Regarding the OFCMB, the first couple of days have seemed odd to me .... like a Stepford Board or the "one extreme to another" syndrome. I hope the pendulum does settle to a golden mean, but no holding of breath! In reflecting on Clay's blog, I'm thinking Clay may feel the need to hear outside voices ... not from family and friends whose opinions he must know quite well ... not his bosses or his employees ... not yes people or no people ... but the full-blown fandom of diverse opinions from all ages, backgrounds, influences and musical preferences. When a broad agreement forms in a group like this, it's got to be worth consideration, as long as the premise is not false or skewed.

Interesting that with all the predictions of No. 1, a huge built-in, longtime fanbase, iTunes bonuses, tons of publicity, and great reviews .... Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full debuted at No. 2 with 162,640, second to .... T-Pain? Who in God's creation is T-Pain? Makes Clay's ATDW debut look absolutely stunning in retrospect!

I just have to ask you playbiller ... because I've never heard Kelly live, and not that much otherwise, but was it because she was too loud? too screechy and yellie? too much amp?

I've never understood where the anti-Kelly, anti-Ruben stuff comes from since they are obviously Clay's good buddies. Jealousy? I don't understand that either. Kelly can sing her ass off and in a number of genres, but she doesn't threaten Clay. The first time I ever saw Kelly, someone told me to watch because she sang Aretha, e.g., Respect and Natural Woman, but what I saw was Kelly singing Bette Midler's Stuff Like That There. She can explore and go in a lot of directions. If she wants to rock, this is the time to do it. And Ruben, I think he's such a sweetie, and while I've never been a fan of the raspy Ruben voice, I think he must be a wonderful person. I'm not crazy of what I've heard of Kelly's new album, although I've heard others say they love it. To each his own. And it took me days to get the vision of Ruben singing Lucy In The Sky out of my head -- but he did a good job on the duet with Jordin. I have nothing but the best wishes for Kelly, Ruben, and Kimberley Locke, too. Trying to tear any of them down in an attempt to "help" Clay -- what's that all about???? Clay's the Magic Man ... and I don't see that he has any competition at all.

Its funny cos you can already see the difference in the stories according to who is reporting. Apparently The Firm has a very good relationship with HDD so they have it slanted to the Firm while EW seem to be on RCA's side. Clay was actually quoted in the Elle Kelly article as very suportive of Kelly...so I think they have been in touch through this time...wonder what he thinks of all this. what I find very interesting is the reaction of the Clay fans...I have seen some real anti-RCA actually be on Clive's side on this. with clay saying Clive is suportive about the next CD and Kelly taking RCA's side over her managers..maybe RCA ain't that bad... This is going to be an interesting development. Knowing how much some fans dislike both Clive and Kelly, I'm curious to see whom of the two they dislike the most!! HA! What I find strange about Kelly is that she claimed she's never been in love and never spoken the words "I love you" romantically .... and, if that's true, where's the anger coming from in her new album?

Someone help me with this if I'm off base, but from what I know about contracts and the entertainment industry, I don't think the artist gets to quit unless there's a contract breach or unless the artist is happy to sit idle for the duration of the unexpired contract period, which could be years depending on the terms. You can fire your manager because they work for you ... but you can't fire the label because you work for them, and if you quit, you can't work for anybody else until the contract term expires, unless you were to have another label reach a monetary settlement with the original label for your release -- but for a successful artist the price would be astronomical. I assume that entertainment contracts have options so that upon certain periodic dates, the label can either drop the artist, or pick up the option to extend -- and there's nothing the artist can do about it. If you're not producing as expected you get booted, as was done with Tamyra Gray, Justin Guarini and, apparently, Bo Bice. If they give you the old heave-ho, you're free to make whatever new deals you want, but if you're popular and selling, well then they have you by the yin-yang. Times may have changed some things, but I doubt little has changed regarding who holds the aces. That's why railing against Sony/BMG/RCA/Clive etc. seems ridiculous to me -- they assume the risk, they make the rules and how much an artist gets to participate in the process depends on how good a lawyer he/she may have. Somehow I think Clay may have excellent representation, good enough to get him out of the 19 management deal anyway. All I know are a few things about general contracts ... but I know that a contract can make you rich and tie your hands all at the same time. The nature of the beast.

The FIGJAM really CMSU!!!!

I am soooo glad to see this one on YouTube ... it has some of my favorite Clay moments all gathered in one place!

When I think about why the Beatles broke up, I can think of lots of reasons, other than the obvious animosity among the boys at the time, but symbolic ones such as the 60's were over, etc. But what ever could have topped Abbey Road? Where was there to go after that ... and the final words recorded as "The Beatles" were Paul McCartney singing "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." That's walking out at the top of the game. I loved them all, but in my 15 year old Beatlemania days ... I was the biggest Paul freak in my school. I'm a music lover and have tons of albums and CDs and yet the only three guys I've ever gone totally ape-shit over on a personal basis have been Paul McCartney, Justin Hayward and now ... you know who!

Since religious wars appear to be involved in the battles at OFC, what I took from Clay's blog was .... resist not evil and turn the other cheek, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.

And one more for this list .... SAM (Renshaw)? Check.