keepingfaith

My issue with Sorkin is that he's trying to pretend that Newsweek is worth saving. And that the writer being gay himself somehow mitigates things, unless I'm misreading that, which is always possible. It's a strange argument in the days of George Rekers, Larry Craig, et al. I believe that Newsweek's rightward lurch in the last few years is hand in hand with the tabloid bent that has taken it to the bottom. There's very little difference in the things I find in the national news mags and what's on the covers of the gutter tabloids anymore. Just my opinion, but I've read these news mags for years and it all changed one gray day who knows when, but I suspect it was during the OJ Simpson - Clinton/Lewinsky era when EVERY news outlet embraced and exploited tabloid journalism (which is an oxymoron if ever there was one). Did anyone have the same reaction I did to the Time Magazine cover last week of the 100 Most Influential People in America? Okay, first on the list of "Artists" was .... Lady Gaga, followed by Conan O'Brien, Simon Cowell, and Taylor Swift, among others. Glenn Beck made the "Leaders" list. I view the Times and Newsweeks of this world as no more than pandering shitrags these days. National Enquirer was expected to get a Pulitzer this year for breaking the John Edwards love child story. It didn't, but I heard a lot of complaints that it wasn't "given its due" because of its "great track record for breaking news." American popular culture has been on the skids for a long, long time, but money talks. Why else do I see all the Girls Gone Wild commercials on late night TV? Or these commercials for a product like Xtenze. It's all about the cash on the table. If people stop buying, or watching, or listening, it will end. That's why I'm a long-time advocate of boycotts. When all else fails, taking away the money can be the only solution. But then, maybe I've read too much Chomsky! Sorkin wants to save Newsweek. He should buy it, before Murdoch does.

Here's the latest on Ramin Setoodeh. Remember him, he's the Newsweek writer who had the tense interview with Clay before the Spamalot run, and insisted on asking Clay about the Ripa/O'Donnell thing, and his sexuality. Here's a piece of the interview: http://www.newsweek.com/id/91541/page/3 And here's a snippet from a story in today's Huffington Post ... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/glaad-demands-newsweek-ap_n_574730.html I think this guy's career in the big leagues is finished. Maybe he can get a job with Liberty University, writing admissions bulletins, or at one of the Dobson/Rekers organizations. And Newsweek itself is hanging by a very slender thread. It's on the market with no buyer in sight. Karma, it's a bitch, but so often a delightful one! I hope this gives Clay some bit of satisfaction.

Do album credits name members of the entire string section or just featured soloists? Off the top of my head, I can't think of a violin or cello solo in what I've heard so far. The brass are up front and personal throughout. But I do like it when he sings "and a thousand violins begin to play" and the soft strings kick in. If this was Chris Walden's shebang, it could be the same orchestra on all the tracks. But who knows, I speculate more than a manic Goldman Sachs trader on steroids. The BN snippets are different, and for some reason I haven't had a problem getting them to play. I like hearing the intros to UM and MR -- and the "oozing life" part of Mack!

First I've heard that Quiana was supposed to be on the album. I was more surprised to see that Ben Cohn wasn't involved. I suppose he did the arrangements for live performances only. Kudos to Chris Walden. And to Alex Christensen, another Hamburg guy. I don't know what a vocal engineer does exactly, but Clay's voice is recorded perfectly, from the "creamy goodness" (love that!) down to the last whisper. I send virtual roses to Dave Novik for bringing some wonderful songs to Clay. If he's responsible for Fool, that alone makes him my man. And I know Impossible is going to kill.me.dead -- and in heaven, there's Misty playing for me, with it's composer, the late great Errol Garner on piano.

From the beginning, my musical attraction to Clay Aiken was an outlier. Right now, he's the center of my musical universe. Just from the limited songs we're heard, the music is outstanding. Whether the arrangements are crisp, tight, or lush, they all sound, to my ears, perfect - that there are just the right amount of notes, with nothing extraneous and nothing left out. The sound, even when the orchestrations are complex, is clean, with Clay's seductively killer voice weaving all the parts together. The engineering is superb. The whole thing is wildly impressive. ETA: From CV - B&N snippets are up - different ones: http://music.barnesandnoble.com/Tried-True/Clay-Aiken/e/602527372860/?itm=10&USRI=clay+aiken And credits are there: Album Credits Performance Credits Clay Aiken Primary Artist Derek Watkins Trumpet, Flugelhorn Mark James Guitar Stan Sulzmann Flute, Alto Saxophone Pete Beachill Tenor Trombone Dave Bishop Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone Mitch Dalton Guitar Jeff Daly Baritone Saxophone Simon Gardner Trumpet, Flugelhorn Noel Langley Trumpet, Flugelhorn Steve Pearce Electric Bass Ralph Salmins Drums Mark Hodgson Double Bass Chris Walden Conductor Dave Stewart Bass Trombone Andy Wood Tenor Trombone Ben Castle Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone Gordon Campbell Tenor Trombone Pete Murray Piano Mike Lovatt Trumpet, Flugelhorn Andy Mackintosh Flute, Alto Saxophone Technical Credits Chris Walden Arranger Alex Christensen Producer, Vocal Engineer, Vocal Editing Vlado Meller Mastering Fanny Gotschall Art Direction Dave Novik Executive Producer Regarding Vlado Meller: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i1239cf1a1e13f623065912c94ae522b1

I think the DVD will be the PBS Special and they won't release it until it's time for PBS to air the show during pledge drive. I know I've watched several shows on PBS and checked with Amazon to find the DVD available at a fraction of the PBS membership price. I would imagine that PBS would have a say in the release date since it could impact their pledges. And I do expect the PBS version to have an extra here and there to sweeten the pot. Okay, so we're going to get three bonuses so far with Sorry, Breaking up and You Don't Have to Say, not to mention a video bonus of Buttercup. I wonder how many CDs I'll have to buy to get everything! I wonder why anyone would buy the standard version for $10 when for an addition $2.99 you get two bonus songs, a making-of short, and the Buttercup video. Such a deal!! ETA: I think that except for the easy ones like MR, SM, and UM, I'm going to avoid the acronyms, such as YDHTSYLM, and just shorten the titles, eg. Fool, Make Believe, Hush, etc. The long ones get to be a blur after five albums!

I don't know, maybe he's posing for that 2011 Calendar!

Just saw this at CV: GMA? If true, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

There's something about every one of the song snippets that is special and compelling. I can't wait to hear ... every single song. I think his voice in What Kind of Fool is so rich, and his voice and phrasing in You Don't Have to Say You Love Me is beyond tingly. The way he says "and beg you to come home" sounds so GAH. The quality of the engineering on this thing is just ridiculous. The musicianship is insane. This is a brilliantly conceived and executed project. I'm a quality-over-quantity kind of person, so whether this thing wins awards or sells a jazzillion copies, and it certainly could do both from what I've heard, what he's done is step up to the forefront of the big leagues and hit every tune right out of the whole damned park. I love that Clay has walked into the realm of the immortals and out of the planned obsolescence turnover of the music industry machinery. Wonder where Who's Sorry Now will show up? On the Amazon Deluxe? Or is that an exclusive packaged especially for Simon Fuller?

Just listened to everything iTunes had to offer. What do you say after that? Maybe I'm amazed. That "said" in Crying sent me for a loop. I am amazed. What a sound. What a sound.

I'm playing Misty and a student walked in to ask me a quick question, and as she was leaving said, "Who's singing that? It's so relaxing." I said, Clay Aiken, and she nodded as if she knew who he was, and said, "Sexy." Yes it he is.

So is Misty! The whole thing! http://www.myspace.com/clayaiken

Ha! Liney, I saw a glimpse that reminded me immediately of Parker, and it's at the end of Buttercup. Like you, it's probably just me, but it hit me as soon as I saw it.

QVC brings back memories of being in NY for Spamalot and ordering the CD on QVC online on merrieeee's computer before heading to the airport that Monday morning ... and then watching Clay on QVC that evening back home. As I recall there were only a finite number of CDs available with the QVC bonus, and it was just the week before the CD drop. This time they may want an idea of how many they will need to press. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I think it's officially known as the J. Edgar Hoover Syndrome.

If you haven't heard the George Rekers story yet, it's worth a Google for the hypocrisy factor alone. Rekers is a Baptist preacher who co-founded Family Research Council with Dobson, and has been at the forefront of the FRC's anti-gay or "ex-gay" craziness for more than 20 years. Karma is such a fine bitch!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! FYI: We bandy about who Clay resembles and vice versa, but actually nobody else looks like Clay Aiken to me. I love the new pictures for the authenticity and mood. To be honest, I prefer his hair with more length, but in the 50's it really didn't matter if the style flattered or not -- it was uniformly over-the-ears SHORT for males. The only alternative was SHORTER! Clay is keeping it real for this LP, and I love that! Also, I think we committed fans are the only people who have cared if his hair is parted on the left or right, or if it's flat or poofy, over the eyes or slicked back with Vitalis. I kind of resigned from the Hair Club for Clay once I gave a thought to how many other artists I consider according to how they wear their hair. Zero. Clay deserves the same freedom from superficial judgment from me. All I know is, he's dashing and handsome, and ooooooo baby, those eyes! 26 Days!!

Just a quick comment about Parker not talking at 21 months. I have three children and the first two talked early and often, before they were a year old. My oldest son at two would stand on a table, anywhere, and belt out Rhinestone Cowboy. The baby was not interested in talking at all. My mother told me over and over that he had a problem. The pediatrician told me that his hearing was fine and he was busy learning other things and talking would come. My husband believed that we were so overly attentive to the baby that he didn't talk because he didn't have to! Anyway, when he was about 2-1/2 and still mostly pointing and grunting, I was sitting at the table with my older son working on math homework and asked him, "What is 3 + 3." The baby who never said anything, quietly said, "Six" ... and I almost fell out of my chair. That's when we knew some of what his little brain had been doing all those months. And he'll always be my baby!

I think all you need to do is watch this You Tube: . BEST that song's ever been sung. Orlando got more attention the next night because it was the last show, but West Palm was the pinnacle performance. He was completely ON.Way worth checking out at the clack sites: Scarlett's WISYS Spotlightlover's Banter & TWYMMF (The banter is priceless) He blew it out on Without You. And Right Here Waiting was righteous! Clay was perfect and in stunning voice. Afterward, people were remarking that it was the best they had ever heard him sing. It was almost as if there was someone special there that night and he was electrified. He gave it everything he had in every song. He was at his funniest ever with the banter, and his cutest. He jumped into the audience and sang. He was GORGEOUS beyond words. I wanted to eat him up, and KAndre was close enough that I'm surprised she didn't! He touched my hand in the parking lot. He was amazing. And he looked like this all night .... On traveling around You Tube, I came across this one with the Charlotte DJs the day after the AI5 Finale. I flipped out all over again! And I love when the guy says, "Clay Aiken is awesome."

WOW! From the International Media Clay Page: I find it ironic that fans who have been around for seven years are still pulling out their hair over Clay's.

Seems to me that Clay has become comfortable with photo shoots. He certainly looks like a man who knows exactly who he is, and what he wants. My money's on him.

Cary Grant Clay James Bond Clay (is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just etc. etc.) Rick's Cafe Americain Clay (Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.) I was watching Good Will Hunting this afternoon and enjoyed seeing Matt Damon, how cute he was with his boyishly thin face and youthful demeanor. But he moved on from Will Hunting and is now best known as Jason Bourne. That's somewhat how I see Clay's transformation. Whether he sings contemporary or retro music, he'll be doing it as an adult, with taste and distinction, and always the element of surprise. Whether he has long hair or short hair -- combs it back, forward, or sideways, he'll always be a knock-out. I'm enjoying the show.

I'm thinking that the photographer's website pictures are ones NOT being used in Clay's promotion. Am I wrong to think that the pictures selected by Decca and Clay for the Tried & True campaign would be used exclusively for that purpose? Maybe they gave permission for the photographer to include certain pics in his "celebrity" portfolio. I don't know. But as much as I like these pictures of Clay, I'm having doubts they will be seen elsewhere. It's also possible these photographs could have something to do with the microphone commercial I've heard about. But I've got them saved, so I'm happy.

Me too, liney, me too. Those eyes go right through me. I don't think he could have pulled this off without the enhanced jawline, but with this look and attitude he reminds me of Bond, James Bond. Cue the music ...

For as much good as it would do me if Clay were straight, it makes no difference whatsoever. I don't even think about him like that. I think about him and Reed like that though. That's hot enough for me, at my age!