keepingfaith

A few things bothered me about that review: None but local fans were delighted? No one else was identified by race. What's that all about? I watched the clack and I didn't see "flamboyant showman" at all. I saw and heard world-class singer. Has this reviewer confused Clay with another AI runner-up?

Alright! The View has brought it on!!! Kim, I don't think those women are going to change the MO of the show for Clay. They've talked on top of each other every single time I've ever watched The View, which I why I don't watch regularly. And I wouldn't count on Clay putting his hand over anyone's mouth to get a word in! As far as I'm concerned, I'll be happy if he just sits there making his cute sexy faces. He can say more with a wicked side glance than most people can say in a monologue. merrieeee, are we going to need an intervention team?

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

Some people just don't like being on top?

Oh come on, touch it. I dare ya!

I can't believe I'm actually going to watch a soccer game!

It's Impossible ... to quantify the songs on T&T. Just.can't.doit. They are like Forrest and Jenny ... peas and carrots ... different and the same. Moon River had me at the opening sounds of the Beethoven "Moonlight" Sonata theme that was layered with the familiar Moon River melody and this is just the Intro, minor and major. Too cool, too fine, too brilliant. A serious analysis would be anathema to me. It's lush and unexpected, traditional and original, fragile and steely. A perfect finale to the core album. Vince Gill's guitar accompaniment is a nice contrast feature. It just works for me. I'm not an historical fan of this song. I've had it filed in my mind for years with my Mother's favorites like "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" and "Ramblin' Rose" -- which she sang to infinity. But, this ain't my mama's Moon River, it's Clay's Moon River, and that makes all the difference. Who's Sorry Now is nice because for me it speaks to everything Clay has overcome in his life from middle school, paternal family rejection, and the crosses he's borne in the tabloids, music industry, and probably a load of personal references we can't imagine. I never skip it. I never skip any of it. It's plays in my car from Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, through Who's Sorry Now to Breaking Up and finishes off with You Don't Have to Say ... before repeating again. One day last week when I was working 1/2 days and could maneuver the freeways without too much traffic, I began at track one of T&T as I passed the crossbars of the parking lot downtown, and the last notes of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me concluded as I pulled into my driveway. It was the perfect drive home. I could no more rank these songs than I could pick my favorite child, It's Impossible.

I ordered a nice orange package the very first night. Water doesn't bother me (it's the swimsuits that scare me). I think it was party time at your place last night, Chippie. PBS? Is that Package By Singerman? Package Bursts Seams? OMG we'll all be stroking Clay's Packages at once while ordering brand new Packages. I'm replete and overcome at the prospect. At least I never claimed to be virtuous, in fact, transcending virtue has always been a personal goal. I recall that he admitted to whoring himself out at the 2007 Gala, and I'm all excited about this "new level" -- Oh, the humanity! So now that the cat awesome package is out of the bag, I'm rather glad he's turned out to be such an easy .... uh, fondle. You're shameless with the sloppy seconds. Well done! That must be one crazy keyring.

Sure but there's one problem....my apartment is on the second floor! Nevermind. I don't know who's stuff you're fondling, but I just received an email from Clay that HIS package is on the way to ME. And you, a married woman, caressing a new large package on the first night! You've been around me too long, I see.

Err how to put this politely? I want to be alone with the large package. I want to run my mouse all over his pad and I want to fill up the tote till it caint hold n'more and slide that keyring apart and place my keys oh so lovingly on the silver prongs! So I think the answer is NO! Can I look through the windows? I'll be peepingfaith tonight, 'kay?

I think he's having a stare-down with the baby. They both look resolute and determined. merrieeee is home tonight carefully fondling Clay's package .... can I come over?

I was just thinking about this Solitaire thing. Clay had a huge night on Idol with Solitaire. He had a hit record with Solitaire. He wrote that, as a child, when he visited Vernon on weekends his father would sit for hours in an easy chair playing Solitaire. Now Clay is addicted to Solitaire on his iPad. Adding to the Solitaire theme, Clay now claims to be a bit of a "hermit." Okay, that's all I've got.

Nope, I had some hair of the dog early on this morning. In fact I had the whole dang dog. I put the BBH videos on my iPodTouch last night and watched them in bed this morning while intermittently scrolling through the 63 popeater pics I had also loaded in. I was way late getting up for coffee, and that's unheard of. The song remains the same? Not one of my favorite Zeppelins, oh, you mean ... never mind.

These are few of my new favorites this morning:

I just downloaded and listened to Scarlett's clack of Clay singing In Whatever Time We Have in duet with Lauren Kennedy, and this will go on my list of the best Clay has ever sounded. His range is phenomenal, unearthly, and wildly spectacular from the depths to the heights. You're getting the idea I like it, right? I'm finally convinced that he needs a Broadway show of his very own. And I don't think that's a falsetto. I think that's his freaking amazing RANGE. WOW! Putting that one in context with TMC and TITM and MTK and everything else that night --- he's a National Treasure. Cagney, "embarrassment of riches" is exactly what I'm feeling, along with "my cup runneth over."

Well, pool or no pool, this guy needs more of my money.

Thanks, cindilu!

I think we crossed the border into big jesus country now.

He's too sexy for any damned shirt. And LdyJ, no matter how hard he may try to remain homespun, his nerd days have passed him by. He can wear suspenders, put bear grease in his hair, and talk like he just came in from the back 40, but that's One Hot Dude and he can't hide it. Our Sweet Homeskillet is too hot to touch! Aow!

Oh yes his tractor's sexy all right. ETA: Liney, I see we have an eye for the same farmer dude.

I wonder how many times I'll change this avatar before I get through visually groping all these pretties.

I feel like we just found some special corner of heaven reserved exclusively for us. I'll be on those pictures and the video for DAYS!

As to MTK and TMC, after listening to both of them all the way through once, I have subsequently listened to MTK all the way through another 10 times, and the last 10 seconds of TMC about 50 times. Both are addicting. I just don't have the patience to wait through the entire TMC to hear the last fabulous 10 seconds with his thrilling vocal prowess. I'm so behind with the T&T song-of-the-day. I need to get on the stick with Moon River and Who's Sorry Now, hopefully later today. My pop-loving younger sister, whose favorite song on OMWH has always been Falling and who is going to see Clay & Ruben this summer in Biloxi, told me she now wishes the tour was just Clay doing the songs from Tried & True. She really, really LOVES it. Made my day.

Fear, the pendulum swings, sometimes imperceptibly slow and other times with great force. I sense a big move coming, and I believe Clay Aiken is part of that force. The only people I know who are into Top 40 music these days are 9 year olds. My four teenage grandchildren, between ages 14 and 18 - are into various types of music, none of them Top 40. My youngest granddaughter had a sleepover this weekend for her 10th birthday with 12 little girls ages 8 - 10 and they were singing the Top 40 stuff. Apparently that's the target age group now. Everybody older than that is on their ipods finding their own way. Lip-synced concert performances and auto-tuned recorded voices will be discredited eventually, because change is inevitable and the pendulum is always moving in one direction or the other. It can't go any further toward artificial crap, IMO. Oh there will always be an artificial crap niche, but Godspeed the day it doesn't dominate the groupthink in the recording industry.

Well, Hello Mr. Insanely Gorgeous