keepingfaith

Thanks for bringing that over! I didn't realize this thread was here. I have had a "relationship" with Paul for most of my life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So many stories, but one that is timely to the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper comes to mind. When I was 18 I eloped. I left home on the morning of June 1, 1967 and was married on June 3rd. I surreptitiously packed my suitcase, and rode off with the man I would marry in the wee hours of the morning. As we stopped nearby for gas, with the radio on, the talk was about Sgt. Pepper being released that day .. and then they played the first song I was to hear from the new album and it was ... She's Leaving Home. And more than that, the words overlaid so perfectly with my life that I felt a divine approval of what I was doing. John was pumping gas and I sat in the car alone listening to that song, that was about me at that exact moment in time and about the circumstances that had led me there. After that, I couldn't listen to She's Leaving Home for a long, long time. Oh the 60's -- it was the best and worst of times -- and it's becoming clearer to me that the latest iteration is at hand.

Clay Aiken continues to amaze and astound. I think he has more than a thousand different ways to shine his light. I'm hearing Elton John .... how wonderful life is with Clay in the world.

I appreciate so much the kind words from so many about my Friday night post. Every now and then I do feel the need to expose my thoughts and feelings and for quite a while I've confined that to PMs with my friends at OFC. I especially appreciate The Moving Finger quality here -- having writ, it moves on. Who was looking for a Paul McCartney review? I just listened to Memory Almost Full for the first time today. First, I love Paul McCartney, and his concerts are spectacular, but his recorded music hasn't done much for me lately. This album started that way for me too ... sounded like standard issue Macca at first, but I was distracted and wasn't giving it my undivided attention. Until Mr. Bellamy came along and gave me a head snap. I sat down and listened. And it unfolded like a rose petal. That Was Me was a kick! House of Wax -- I had to repeat that one three times, a dead giveaway that I've got a huge favorite on my hands. So by the end I know it's totally brilliant. And I hadn't even given the first few songs a true listen yet! Now I have and my verdict is: I think this is the masterpiece McCartney has been waiting 40 years to write ... and wouldn't you just know he'd do it when he's 64. It's so Paul. Yep, I'm nodding my head. I'm glad it's No. 1.

I don't think I can be deterred from impure thoughts about Clay! So, mmmmm, does this mean somebody is trying to protect Clay from ME??? HaH!

{{{YSRN}}} I love your point of view, and how well you deliver it. And, Couchie, your meet and greet story is priceless. Makes me wonder how the OFC will handle M&G's for this tour ... or if there will be any to handle! My friend, lightmyfire, you know how I feel about you! I admit to having a tour-centric brain right now. The OFC troubles can't be undone by me, but as far as I'm concerned, the tour is mine! I checked the Houston/Jones Hall site this morning and the best available for 1 ticket was in Row Z, and for 2 tickets in the Balcony -- I think this show may well sell out. And I loved what the Houston Symphony has about Clay in their blurb: http://www.houstonsymphony.org/ticket/prod...=1624&src=t Now as far as jmh's set list I have only one questions ...... what happened to Why Don't We Do It In The Road? He mentioned upbeat "diddies" and songs he's never sung before .... :medium-smiley-070:

It is my dream that he sings HYCA as his opening song...."looking better than a body has a right to" And for me, in my daydreams, I envision him opening with Right Here Waiting ... but truth be told, he could open with If You're Happy and You Know It and I'd be ecstatic!

The Sherlock Holmes in me believes that the actress could very well be Cameron Diaz based upon what he wrote, and not because he could have met her at Kimmel last month. He said he met the famous American movie actress on the promo tour for ATDW. Justin Timberlake, also under the Sony/BMG umbrella, was promoting his new CD at the same time, and he was with Cameron Diaz. Might their paths have crossed then?

The edge? Where's the edge? Oh it's waaaaaaaay up there, I see. goldarngirl does it again -- what a hot montage! My No. 1 favorite as of now. That settles it -- I'm not going to go in at all today. I'm just going to *coughcallininsickcough* ... well, I'm coughing, okay? And I do feel awfully lovesick this morning.

I heard a very old Nat King Cole song this morning and it chilled me: Nature Boy There was a boy A very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far, very far Over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye But very wise was he And then one day A magic day he passed my way And while we spoke of many things Fools and kings This he said to me "The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return"

:big hug: Oh Loves, I was hoping you would post here today. Reading what you just wrote about the good fight made me realize that over at OFC, you and Clayzor and lightmyfire and then later me, were like the walking wounded marching shoulder to shoulder into battle and we survived. YAY for us! Did Clay give great blog last night, or WHAT!!! Usually I read them and move on. This one I keep reading ... maybe it's the My Angels part that's killing me :2:, or just that it's the best blog ever. I'm stamping my feet and refusing to take the My Angels salutation as snark -- I believe he's that ecstatic over Jericho. The whole blog was reassuring and comforting in a paternal way, like daddy tucking the kids in bed at night after a rough day. I must be losing it, because I'm old enough to be his mother, talking about him as a father figure and yet ..... Sick Puppy On Board. jamar -- I love your avi. Definitely keep it. Clay's hands through his hair = always a turn on for me!!! And puddins, Lord grant me the strength to admit that Albert P is awesome, even though he single-handedly destroyed our star closer, and apparently stole his manhood, because Brad Lidge has never been the same. I was there at Game 5 of the NLCS in 2005, which featured the slowest, death march out of a ballpark that I've ever experienced. Even though the Stros did go on to the WS, Lidge was psychologically spent and it was over before it began. I think Brad is mentally still on the mound facing Pujols and watching that ball go into the stands ... over and over ..... Oh, and one more thing .... where are you lightmyfire?

Clay's blog has made me so happy tonight. Every word of it. I'm excited for him that Jericho is back on CBS and my, my he so badly wants his own TV show. CBS, huh? He covered so many bases, talking about the tour -- Jesse, Angela, Quiana and a new drummer -- and there will be new songs, and uptempo songs. What what was that? Clive and the label have been very generous in their support of the new album. And he'll be blogging more often with the message board down. I love that he was in Paris and hanging with a famous American movie star -- and that he recovered his original passport. I think Clay posting more blogs that give us insight into his reality would clear up the controversies and allay the fears. I am in awe of him. He's got to be one of the oldest 28 year old men I've even heard about. And thank you to everyone who waded through my upthread post and got something out of it. I didn't realize how long it was until I posted. I deeply appreciate the support that I feel here. It's as comforting as chocolate. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Regarding the situation at the OFC, I have some thoughts on the matter. I was on that message board in varying degrees of intensity for almost exactly one year. I renewed on Sunday. I joined shortly after the night I fell in love with Clay Aiken, when, and it was a surprise to me, he appeared on the AI finale and my life changed. Here was this handsome, magnetic and extremely sexy man who was comfortable, confident, considerate, and exuded happiness with twinkling eyes and a ten billion dollar smile. And then he sang. [There's no question about my favorite piece of clack, is there?] He has given me more happiness in the past year than I could ever express. I found my way to OFC and when I first peeked into that place it was all about the album thread. First of all I was shocked to read that some fans thought he looked terrible and that the AI appearance had been just awful because they were humiliating Clay and you all know the drill. Then there was the rampant anticipation for the new album, which I immediately learned was, for better or worse, a covers album. I jumped right in because I had fallen in love with Clay just ten days before, and I wanted to proclaim what happened to me and what had jumped out at me from my TV screen. The album controversy per se didn't bother me at that time because people were expecting different things from it, and since nobody really knew any facts, one speculation was as good as another. Yes, well, some people claimed to know, but I saw through that from the get-go. I couldn't understand otherwise intelligent sounding people falling headlong into the ego-feeding frenzy. I can testify that the newly Clayverted can be as committed and zealous as any fan, and maybe more so, but expressing my feelings was extremely important to me. That the fandom as a whole didn't seem to grasp the reappearance of Clay as a fully realized star bothered me. How could Clay's fans NOT see it? The tidal wave of Clay consciousness in the media and at the watercoolers strangely seemed to be just a footnote for so many fans. Me worry about Clay's future in the business? ... worry that if ATDW didn't sell that his career was over? .... don't make me laugh, that's how I felt about it. WAKE UP, PEOPLE, that's how I felt about it. So I mentioned that some fans may be too close to the intricate details of the fandom to clearly see what was obvious to me. Okay, so that was a mistake. Some people took that as confrontational and all sorts of other weird stuff that just isn't me. So I read and read, and posted when I felt the need to bare the Clay Aiken love in my heart, soul and mind. Excessive? I don't think so. Love does that to you. I was a Clay fan from AI who never went to the boards ever even once. I was in the other-than-ya'll fan group for three years before the ton of bricks fell. OFC was a place to be exposed to the cacophony of thought all in one place, and while it was sometimes educational, mostly it was confusing. Counting the days until ATDW was released was such an exciting time ... except for reading about how he was being sabotaged by his record label with promotional deficiencies, always enumerated in excrutiating detail by the pseudo-experts, and there were so many - some more condescending, authoritarian and prolific than others, but just as full of crap. The way I see it, whatever the promotion was or wasn't, it was never in our power to effect a change, and focusing on the perceived marketing shortcomings was to me just awfully boring subject matter without a seat at the table. If I've got a vote, I'm there. Otherwise, it is what it is. Who knows if there's a two-year plan, a five-year plan and what part ATDW and the promotion of it played in the plan? I surely don't know, but what I can do is formulate scenarios into which all things fit, and then determine whether the pictures I paint are in focus. I could make all kinds of sense out of the promotion of ATDW, hypothetically. And I still can. OFC turned the corner down a dark road when ATDW was released and the fandom didn't come together to support it in word and deed. That was gut-clutchingly disgusting and I was pissed off. The pathetic comments on iTunes and Amazon that turned positive review opportunities into excuses to continue the bashing of RCA and the lack of promotion made me realize for the first time that some fans had gone so far into a hole that they were coming out the other side and no longer resembling fans at all. The last straw for me was when someone posted, "I'm sorry Clay that ATDW was a failure, but better luck next time." I rejoiced when the album thread was closed, and hoped that it would be a new dawn for the OFC. But the album thread metastasized into almost every topical discussion on that board -- I know I counted at least five active threads operating as "the album thread" at one time. The OFC in the last few weeks was a sorry shell of a message board as the contempt between certain people was leaping off the pages. It had to be stopped. Clay cannot be represented by fans such as these nasty little cliques fighting for supremacy, trying to "win" as if their winning would or could establish any ultimate truth. What flimsy imaginings. The message board died at the hands of dueling agendas of special interest fans. The "I'm out of here if" people vs. the "I know more than you" people, among others. Sad, sad, sad that they aren't in love with Clay Aiken the beautiful, inspiring person who lights me up. As always, I feel fortunate and oh so grateful to be at FCA. This is a warm and inviting place with very smart people posting thoughful and entertaining material on a daily basis. I love being here and being entertained by all of you very loving and savvy women. Now that I've got a year on the boards behind me, I don't feel like such a newbie anymore. And within a month ..... dare I speak it??? I'm getting nervous and I'm not the type. But nothing about this past year has been typical for me. Counting the days ......

I guess I jumped ship just in time!! As for McCartney being called Macca, Loads of people called Mc or Mac get called Macca. I was born in Liverpool and am an expert in such things - honest, I am. Thanks! So then he really is "The Big Macca!" Looks like you swam to shore just in time! What other parts of the fan club is Team Clay warning about? I guess the blogs and chat are still open -- but the only OFC blogs I've ever read have been Clay's and the one Jaymes wrote last summer! Does this mean new OFC Mods?

I think you are so right about this ... it's not the critiques that are the problem, but the attitude with which they are delivered. There are some posters who never miss an opportunity to add that extra spoonful of vinegar to their critical opinions ... and end up just leaving a bad taste in my mouth and giving me the shivers. Too much of that and I need some counteracting positive sweetness!

FYI: The OFC Message Board has been shut down until further notice.

Hee, I like your evil ways. Macca? Just a nickname, I guess. No idea where it started. Maybe one of our other resident Beatle fans knows? I've always heard it was from the Liverpool days with nicknames derived from last names and that George was called Hazza and John called Lenny. Not sure just how correct that is. But I've also heard that Macca is a British nickname for anyone whose last name begins with Mc or Mac. So Paul is the Big Macca!

What to do, or who to do, merrieeee? I suggest we do Clay Aiken!

We could hit the floor together, luckiest1 -- I do love and adore RHW, every last note of it from beginning to the Beatlesque fade out. I'm so thankful I never heard this song before ATDW!!!

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.

Okay, merrieeee, here we are one month out and I'm already in a state. What will become of me? I'm going to try to concentrate on the very expensive suit, and how happy I am that Clay is dressing like a multi-millionaire (when he's not wearing the trusty cargo pants). But I just can't get past his eyes right now. There's something about the longish bangs that bring out his eyes like nothing else! It's phenomenal what that hair style does for his eyes -- and what it does to my solar plexus.

bottlecap, bottlecap, help me. I'm weak and gasping now. Those pictures are killing me dead. I'm finished. It's over. Those pictures are so good that I'm wondering if the word exists to describe them. Each one of them I must gaze upon and soak up its essence ---- and the last one in the first group .... Yes, God, that one ..... who but an angel could have a face such as this? ETA: I mean the last one in the first group on this page! I just found the ones on the previous page .... talk about overloading my senses!!!!!!!

The OFC can be the most depressing place in the world. But let Clay blog and it is afire with excitement within minutes, and for as long as he's logged on. Unfortunately, once he's gone, the claws come back out and the fans exit out by droves. I'll continue to be a member at OFC, in fact I just renewed. It was worth more than the membership fee for the Houston pre-sale alone -- no way I could have gotten second row seats for my first Clay Aiken concert without the OFC. For that, I'm totally grateful. And ... now I know about The Riches, which I'm catching up on and am very much enjoying so far. I knew the show was for me at the end of Episode 3 when they played Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air" -- that was enough to seal the deal for me right there.

It's more than okay -- you deserve applause for Once Upon a Dream/Dream On ... it is among the favorites that I've burned to my "Best Montages" DVD -- and watch before falling asleep many nights! Thank you so much for that one, cindilu!

Let's let KAndre decide. The dance around the smoldering remains of her opponents got my attention. I want her happy!

OK, I just have to ask .... which Sex Machine are we talking about -- the Sly & The Family Stone version from the Stand album ... or the James Brown version? James Brown one is the one I have.....dont think I have heard the other one...which is best one? 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!