keepingfaith

Both of my two favorite classic movies are Bogart flicks: Casablanca (it's just so blissfully iconic in every way), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, where the doomed love affair was between Fred C. Dobbs and his stash. I was a real sucker for The Notebook, because Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were darling. And I adore Before Sunrise and the sequel Before Sunset, with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, because she's just fabulous. Also, The Wonder Boys which I have always totally worshipped -- Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, Tobey McGuire, Robert Downey, Jr., Katie Holmes, and a soundtrack with Bob Dylan and Van Morrison among others. I have to watch it a couple of times a year to visit the James Lear character, just on general principles. And Vernon, I love Vernon! Romantic music? Tschaikovsky. Puccini. George Harrison's "Something" Romantic books? They write romantic books?

If y'all want to speculate, and you know that I do, and stipulate for the pure purpose of reverie that the item is true ... and if this Boyd dude is involved as a producer on Idol, America's Got Talent, and Greatest Rock Band ... and being that I recently read that Jerry Springer is being replaced on AGT ... speculation could go in that direction, too. But of course, Clay could just be a personal friend invited to a birthday party. But if they're such good friends, enough for Clay to be invited to his birthday party, maybe Boyd is developing something altogether new for Clay. Speculating on a Sunday afternoon is a pleasant enough diversion for me.

I don't get it .... some people don't think wackos and posers are God's children, too?

Ooh, I like BOCA. It has the potential to be very useful in every day conversation. Example: I like Clay's BOCA. I'd sure like to BOCA that hawt singer man. OMG, his BOCA is bigger than I thought! BOCA me, he's kilt me dead. See? Versatile! It's like a wild card! LOL Well, BOCA me runnin'!

I was over at Amazon and the "Best Of Clay Aiken" page led me to OMWH and to read some reviews. I was taken by a review from "someone who loved Clay on Idol" but didn't like MOAM at all -- thought it was "plastic" music -- and ignored ATDW because it was warmed over covers -- but just discovered OMWH and can't get enough of it. And then there's me ... and I love all three. Lucky me. ETA: Haven't watched Idol, but hearing about Simon's remark that one of the singers reminded him of Clay Aiken .... did that kid get through?

Next week.

I don't know Taylor Swift from Tom Swift, but when the #1 album of the week sells under 75,000, it's a dismal market. #2 and #3 were debuts. I don't know, I was stunned by the drop off in chart numbers. Scarlett, I really wish I had known you then too. Not only because you're a beautiful person, but because I definitely would have seen Clay a lot earlier. Look at the years I wasted!

This talk about spins made me think about the Tuesday sales numbers on HDD, so I checked for the first time since last May ..... and things are tough out there. This week Taylor Swift is #1 with sales of 74,635; #2 is Lamb of God with 62,528; and #3 is the new Jonas Bros. movie soundtrack with 53,465. I wonder how the labels will recoup money from anyone at this rate. You can break the Top 50 now with fewer than 12,000 units sold. Unbelievable.

Well, perhaps I should have noted above that I adore big arena concerts. Paul McCartney comes to mind for both his 2002 and 2005 concerts (still choking back tears thinking of Scarlett's expensive, upfront ticket eternally unused .... OH THE HORROR!) ... and not to mention the Venus & Mars a/k/a Wings Over America tour, which was magnificent. An arena is just-right with top sound equipement, and Macca has excellent sound equipment. During the 2005 encore when he went from Helter Skelter to Please Please Me ... well I was 15 again and crazy with music in my body. What I really don't enjoy, and gave up on a looooong time ago are stadium concerts. I passed up Pink Floyd one year because it was at Rice Stadium. I had free tickets to the Rolling Stones at the Astrodome in 1981, and I left very early because the sound sucked. Hated it! I need live music to get under my skin and pound its rhythm into my bones, and stadium sound doesn't Tecate my body. But a Clay Aiken concert anywhere fulfills all my musical needs, and whatever the venue .... a soccer field, a fine concert hall, a hot, spooky old barn in Oklahoma ... no matter if I can fill my eyes and ears with Clay Aiken. Where is Clay??? I'm feeling like the old Mott the Hoople at the end of All the Young Dudes: Hey you there with the glasses I want you I want you at the front Now, you, all his friends, bring him down Cause I want him I want him right here Bring him, here you go I've wanted to do this for years

Playing together? Wow, they should get Ginger Baker to join them and call it a Blind Faith Reunion Tour. I'd pay the price for that. A little Sea of Joy, or Can't Find My Way Home would do me good!

I have too much on my plate to even think about Facebook. I check my comcast personal email about once a week on average, have let gmail lie dormant for months, MySpace must have lapsed because I haven't checked in for many moons. I signed up for Twitter before Christmas, but unless there's a crisis at hand it bores me -- too much like "chat" unless there's really something hot going on. So I don't see Facebook in my future. It's a good day when I have time to post at my favorite place -- right here. Reading the favorite TV shows .... I'm a C-Span freak, with PBS a close second on a good night. I thought the most entertaining show I watched recently was the Mark Twain Award honoring George Carlin posthumously. Wow, was that funny, and poignant at the same time. As for reality shows, I watch zero because I don't believe they are reality -- but I will watch ANTM next month for purely personal reasons. I absolutely, postively do NOT and have never watched police, detective, or forensic shows -- or cooking and home decorating shows (I'm just not all that domestic). I don't like watching movies on TV -- I prefer the theater. I watched the John Adams miniseries last year, because I do love a good miniseries. I used to watch Six Feet Under and LOVED it! My only current guilty pleasures on TV are Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters on Sunday night -- the glorified soaps. Other than that I'm just a news and non-fiction junkie. I need a life. When's Clay coming around? Now, I have to say that it would be glorious to see Clay in a small, intimate venue. I would have said six months ago that small venues usually are quite expensive for name acts, but this economy is turning things around. Next door at the House of Blues, just three months ago the tickets were running from $85 - $200 for a reserved seat. Now I see that most of the shows are selling at $22 - $55. This economy has brought ticket prices down dramatically. I'll betcha the Rolling Stones will never again get $300 for a regular ticket -- but then they never got it from me anyway. I saw them in 1971 and 1978, and I think we paid $8 and $15 a seat, respectively. I remember paying $6 for Jimi Hendrix in 1969, and getting a floor seat for Led Zeppelin in 1970 for $6.50. Maybe that's coming back? There has to be a silver lining to this damned depression!

What makes you think KAndre and I would have had something to say? Yes, you would empathize first, KAndre would line them up against the wall (redneck mothers!) without hesitation, and I'd be argumentative (surprise, surprise). But before I honor any liberal credentials, I'd need some definitions -- because in the 60's one could qualify as a liberal in Houston by not pitching fast-food trash out of a moving car (which is where "Don't Mess with Texas" originated). Me? I was a full-fledged counter-culture freak, but I did know some liberals, such as the people who believed in wearing helmets on their choppers even when not mandated by law, and then those people who spat on me and my long-haired hippie boyfriend at the Hermann Park Zoo in 1969 -- they were liberal. Hoo-ray for Scarlett transferring downtown. When's lunch, ladies? I've been wanting to try Huynh Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine. Any interest? As for changing the name of TBAF, I'm all for it. I agree that the current name doesn't convey the mission of the foundation, and it's easily mispronounced. But I'll leave it to others to suggest a new name because my brain just doesn't operate on "pompous." ETA: If Clay had TMJ joint replacement surgery, it sounds pretty horrific!

I just caught the tail end of the Indie "Spirit" Awards that are always given out the night before the Oscars, and Eric Roberts (remember him?) seemed to be the main topic of the show. When Mickey Rourke accepted his Best Actor award, the first thing he said was that Eric Roberts is the best actor he knew of, and that people should forgive what Eric did 15-20 years ago and give him another chance. They showed Eric in the audience with his face in his hands. Then Alec Baldwin in presenting the Best Feature award said he echoed what Mickey Rourke said about Eric Roberts. Now, what I want to know is, what did Eric Roberts do fifteen years ago? I know he was feuding with sister Julia, so maybe it has something to do with that. Only other thing I know about Eric Roberts is that he and his wife are Jaymes Foster's friends.

Hey Clayzor. It doesn't require two seconds of thought for me to reject the idea that Jaymes is hanging on to Clay's celebrity. That's a no-brainer for me. And there is this person named Parker Foster Aiken. I know nothing about Reed, but he seems to be an independent artist in his own right, and a successful one. And, since I don't see Clay Aiken as a creation of RCA, I can't see how parting company with RCA would necessarily be a bad thing for him. Clay Aiken was a creation of television, and I don't see TV going away. In fact, Clay's going to be on TV again in April. As long as Clay was under contract to RCA, I thought the whole "cryptkeeper" and "sabotage" criticism was insane and harmful and undermining his business relationships. But That's All Over Now, Baby Blue! I think Clay has been and will forever be a "teacher" and that he will have no problem extending his singing career for a lifetime. And ... jmh, although I rarely if ever disagree with you, I do think of Clay primarily as a singer, career wise. He's a humanitarian, a teacher, and a beautiful old soul, but he's MY SWEET SINGERMAN!!!!

Well, it's still going on. Radiohead has been inching in that direction and sold their last album from their website -- on the honor system. The downloaders paid what they felt it was worth. Then a couple of months later it was released on CD and vinyl and was No. 1 on the charts. There are a lot of new places to go to and through now, and the next "way forward" may be at hand. Way back when, the Beatles kicked Capitol to the curb and started their own label, Apple. Of course, they were the biggest thing in the world, and they signed distribution agreements with other labels through the years, but they were the first to take complete control of their product. The thing is, major, significant, paradigm-shifting change is happening ... again ... finally! As Dylan wrote: "Don't stand in the doorways, don't block up the hall, 'cause he who is hurt, will be he who has stalled ... " The Times They Are A'Changing -- Peter Paul & Mary 1964 Following is something I saved from a few years ago ... a record producer writing about how the Beatles changed everything, and revolutionized the business. It's time for another revolution! I don't know what everyone else thinks about it, but to me Clay Aiken is a trendsetter, an independent force, a captivating presence, and a huge talent. I think he could be in with the crowd that's changing things again. I'm not so certain the split with RCA was one-sided. If the contract was up, and RCA wasn't offering enough sugar for the take, it was in Clay's best interest to move on. He really does have options. Clay could have asked for a bigger percentage than RCA was willing to allow, especially in the current enonomic climate, and they reached a stalemate. But even if he was dropped outright, "dropping" by the labels happens to the best of 'em, i.e., I remember when Bonnie Raitt was dropped by Warner Bros. back in the early 80's, along with Van Morrison. Bonnie had her biggest hits after being dropped by Warners. Last time I checked both remain music icons, and I bought albums by Bonnie and Van in the 70's, 80's, 90's, and in the past year. So, all this to say, I'm looking forward, with great anticipation.

I can foresee the possibility of Clay making more money as an independent artist than under contract with any label. Clay has an established name and definitely has an established fanbase. He's been selling what he has mostly from self-promotion anyway. Now that Clay has made some money, he can produce his own music and sell it the same way he's been doing it since 2006 -- through the internet and through appearances on talk shows, and reap more of the benefits. Just because he's not with a label doesn't mean he won't be on Kimmel, or the View or Good Morning America, etc., to introduce new music. The difference will be that a record label won't be skimming the profits off the top. It's a new world everywhere these days -- even in the music business. I've heard predictions that labels won't exist ere long because the internet, downloading and iPods are making their core functions increasingly obsolete. I think Clay is a shrewd businessman, and he certainly has a "Foster" family of industry insiders to offer advise and direction. And he still has Cindy Berger on the job.

You know, Claytonic, I never really focused on the number of gay men who were extremely close to Elizabeth Taylor, but just off the top of my head I can think of Rock Hudson, Montgomery Clift, Roddy MacDowell and James Dean -- all actors she worked with.

Yes, Fear, I distinctly remember that there was a picture backstage with Clay and Diana ('cause I have it somewhere), and captioned that Clay escorted his mother and grandmother to the theatre. I thought it was the night before Martha.

Andy Dick? John Lennon? He looks like to me. Sebastian always had those kind eyes.

I agree -- and may I add: :whatutterclaptrap:

Oh, hmmm, maybe all the "insiders" back then were getting Clay confused with Andy Dick. That would explain a lot.

Dude! Clay looks like he could be on his way to Woodstock ... or that he DOES know the way to Monterey. I love that Clay can camouflage himself so completely. We could be passing him on the street and not know it. Regarding the Diana DeGarmo picture, I can't find the folder I have that in, but I remember that he took Faye and Granny to Hairspray at the time of the Martha "Hot Pineapple Salad" appearance.

Pictures .... I need pictures ... I need lots and lots of pictures ....

John D. Who? Just when I think I've heard about everything, there's a new one! I've heard of J.P., and now J.D., when will this get around to Jay-Z? LdyJ, that picture of Clay above would have gone unrecognized by me if not for Jerome standing there, and the rings. He looks like a Beat Poet. Who said Clay wasn't cool??? Just heard Hillary say she likes to work to classical music, and to listen to the Beatles and Stones. That sounds vaguely familiar. I'm thinking of sending her some Clay Aiken.

Missed you too. I'm still a little puny, but I've worked myself up to chicken noodle soup today. Yippee.