keepingfaith

Clayzor -- :F_05BL17blowkiss: I love ya, but we disagree profoundly on some things. First there's a difference in touring on your own and pocketing the entire net proceeds, and having a sponsor to front a major tour, book the big venues and share the spoils. I think the reason Clay isn't touring immediately with OMWH is that they may be ready to get a Live Nation tour with a 50-60 city deal, and all the bells and whistles and circles and arrows. I just do not get the despair that Clay is NOT a superstar, and I wonder if it depends on where you are. Certainly in places in the South where country music reigns, someone like Clay Aiken would be non-existent in the public consciousness, if not openly scoffed at, but he gets publicity everytime he steps out and he's pretty much got a lifetime career in the bag. Kelly doesn't, and Daughtry doesn't, and Carrie Underwood has potential but if she doesn't develop some basic stage presence she'll be replaced by the next PYT who can sing country music and connect with an audience. They are all big selling artists -- but they don't have lifetime franchises on superstardom, and I do believe our man does. The Real Me and Something About Us are geared for the '40's era crowd? My parents are 87 and 85 and they were the '40's era. Come on, girl! I hear contemporary ballads here, and actually we haven't heard them at all yet. The temp backing he had at QVC in no way reflects what Kipper did in the studio. I'm salivating to hear the full CD. I haven't picked a favorite or turned my nose up to anything because from what I've heard so far, any one or all of them could sweep me off my feet. I think the production values are the best yet for Clay and he sounds exquisite. I don't care is Clay has more or less younger or older fans, or however you can slice and dice music lovers and CD buyers. I want him to have what he's always had -- across the board appeal to those who hear the call. (Do you hear what I hear?) I think you can be 8 or 80 and all points in between and fall for him. And you didn't have to do that five years ago to do it today. That's the magic of Clay. Everything that was said about him by Gladys Knight on AI was the God's truth. The Food Network isn't my cuppa. I don't know Paula Dean from Jimmy Dean, but if she has Clay on the show I'll be watching that day. I've watched Martha Stewart exactly ONCE in my life. Guess when, ha! And WHOA was he HOT that day - so I'm all for Clay in the kitchen with eyefucks! Anyway, Clay has fans far beyond online. I know because I was one of them two years ago. Clay hasn't sold those 6 million CDs and thousands of books even predominantly to the messageboard fans. I think that's a myth. If 10,000 online fans bought eight copies each for a total of 80,000, it would amount to about 15% of the total sold just for ATDW. I really think he's doing much better than staying afloat -- he's soaring. At least in my heart. Now why can't I have one of those X-rated dreams! Damn!

Just an afterthought about QVC. I've never watched that network or any shopping shows or infomercials but I've always assumed that "middle age and beyond" is the demographic. I can't imagine that the teens and 20-somethings I know would ever, ever, ever watch QVC. So having an audience that skews to middle age should be right on target for the pitch. (And having the host of the show falling all over him didn't hurt, IMO.) Now I feel dirty to even be talking about marketing - which I happen to believe is one rotten aspect of modern society. In my life we've dealt with racism, and sexism, and now it looks like we're going to have to add ageism to the list. My mother is 85, and she watches Idol devotedly, and her favorite by far this year is David Cook. She loves him. There's no way to figure this stuff out, just let it be. Demographics aren't absolutes -- it's JUST marketing and regardless of what some may believe, marketing is not the be all and end all. It's just statistical marking of a target, and it's so often just completely wrong and off base. I try to remember that the American TV networks consider the entertainment part of shows as filler between sales pitches. People are defining and redefining potential customers every minute, and when the day comes that I start defining myself in consumerist terms, well, somebody please shoot me.

Amen, sister! It was the boomers who made superstars out of the living legends of the past 40 years. We know what's up! The cognigenti condemned the Beatles as ultimately irrelevant (har, har), the Stones as a bunch of no-talent uglies, James Brown as a "race" entertainer with no chance of widespread appeal, and Barbra would never make it without a nose job -- I could go on -- but, we thought otherwise. I won't even go into the early critics of Dylan, but every now and then I watch Don't Look Back just for the lesson! The greatest stars had the fiercest critics. I remember it well. That's why, to some extent, the controversies and haughty condescensions feed my happy place, because I remember why that stuff happens. Heck, Rolling Stone Magazine simply HATED Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd was just noise. Oh how they were derided by the "serious" critics in 1969! The critics LOVED and 5-starred so many singers and bands that never did squat. CG, regarding your aversion to the eyeliner -- he was performing at the theatre which is why he had on eyeliner yesterday, and he was performing on TV which is why he had on eyeliner at QVC. He was wearing eye makeup when I fell for him on AI5 -- so I guess I must have loved it. Fact is, I noted immediately with the Jenna Bush/UNICEF pictures (that everyone seems to think are totally cringe-worthy), he wore no eye makeup at all and was colorless. That, and the extra lbs., are the main problems with those pictures. Clay's eyelashes and brows are so light as to be translucent without eyeliner and mascara. With it on, I think he's just plain Hot, Hot, Hot! It's probably men who would be the first to condemn the make-up, and I don't let macho types define what's manly and sexy in MY brain, because the Tony Testosteroni types never turned me on. I thought one of the hottest scenes I've ever seen in the movies was in Bandits when Cate Blanchett was polishing Billy Bob Thornton's toenails. I guess I love broken barriers and crumbling stereotypes and people being who they are, and fuck it all. I did notice the "sighting" at 10 a.m. at Whole Foods with Hannah -- I didn't know Clay got out of bed that early!!!! I just realized that the CD Release Parties will be on Cinco de Mayo. Parte Ole!

Here you are: Amazon snippets. It really isn't easy to find. No kidding. How was it found originally? An Amazon tipster, perhaps? Kareneh you are killing me dead with the "Bush Plan." I miss you. Houston misses you. Please be at GMA on Tuesday. You know how I feel about your GMA photography. It lives on my wall! I forgot to talk about Bryant Park! I love that piece of land so much. Of course, I leave merrieeee and OOlsee alone there for five minutes and they have New York's Finest under their thumbs -- and that was even before merrieeee got that thumb-thing special! One of my wishes when the genie appears: I want to do Clay in Bryant Park.

Thank you, laughn!!!! Does any else get a subtle U2 vibe from the instrumentation of Weight of the World? A little bit of The Edge and Adam Clayton, maybe?

I'm still perplexed by merrieeee. :F_05BL17blowkiss: There Clay whored himself out Friday night for the discounted price of $250, and she didn't even throw in extra for the butt squeeze. So he went back up to the regular price of $300 on Saturday and Sunday. That should teach us all a good lesson about seizing the butt day.

I can't find a link to the Amazon snippets. Going through Amazon download site, I only found OMWH. Can someone help out a poor snippet whore in need? I recall popping off the other day about the difference in NEED and WANT and that we truly only NEED stuff like air and water and food and shelter. I spoke too soon, as usual.

Clay is looking so sexy and fit and at this point he could do just about anything to his hair (barring the bald thing) and I don't care anymore. He has hair, YAY! And about the eyeliner, CG, I figure Clay's been wearing makeup on TV since AI. As long as he's not too day-glo orange I'm good with it. He may have looked too made up to the studio audience, but on TV he was HOT, baby! My God he was selling some overt sex-you-ality at QVC. I found the comments about the TITN video to be intriguing, saying we have never seen the finished version, and it's not the preliminary video that's been "floating around" for a few years. That he tried to find it before and couldn't and believed that it didn't exist anymore -- but haha! RCA surprised him and put it on the QVC bonus disk. He seemed verra verra pleased. If the finished version is hotter than the unfinished version I've seen, we may all require serious evaluation. And saying it wasn't released before because he "looked too good" -- oh yeah, I'm there. Re QVC, my understanding is that 12,000 is all they had available to sell for the May 6 shipping, and that sold out within the hour. Subsequent orders will be shipped at a later date -- I expect there will be many orders to follow with the video available on the QVC website -- the quality of which is much superior to the live feed, IMO.

Things I remember about this weekend in no particular order – because order isn’t a big thing with me: The Sikh Day Parade with the thousands of various colored turbans, and the music and incense and OMG where’s OOlsee??? Okay she found us! Losing my companions in the mash of people at the Armenian Genocide Commemoration. Perusing One for guiding us to a most charming and eclectic Upper West Side café that was so so New York that I expected to see Elaine Benes walk in. And for their wonderful sugar-free cheesecake (seemingly without any chemical sweeteners, it was to die for), and Heidi Ho’s Jezebel that was so pretty to look at, and the array of sweets and cheeses and coffee and concoctions – all served in intricately designed glasses. That café was perfecto! For KAndre, an artist at hailing cabs with good old-fashioned Claudette Colbert tactics – namely a snap of the fingers and extreme décolletage, sparkles, and stilettos. When it comes to cleavage, this woman leaves Hannah in the dust. To the West End Café for excellent cuisine and a great backdrop for meeting and enjoying friends. And ME for ordering something I’d never heard of and that I ultimately absolutely adored! Who knew from Bronzino and that it could be so unbelievably good! And this was a place we basically stumbled into after rejecting so many establishments on 8th that we determined to eat at the next place. People from Texas just are not going to get Mexican food or barbeque in New York. Ain’t gonna happen. Café Martinique – breakfast by piano accompaniment. I realize that I could become spoiled with so little effort. Heidi Ho – Who so generously opened her hotel room to me because of a shared tolerance/preference for night sounds of the TV kind. And what’s more, we discovered Holy Cow We Share a Brain!!!!! Who knew? A perfect example in my life of “What a Difference a Clay Makes.” (Note to OOlsee and merrieeee: Thanks for your abiding patience on Saturday. I threw those Friday Night shoes in the trash today. I should have burned them.) The ridiculously expensive and delicious Exotic Margarita(s) at Hard Rock Cafe – and worth it just to see those original Beatles’ suits and remember looking at John, Paul, George and Ringo wearing them so long ago that it seemed like yesterday, and … wow, there they were encased before me. I felt so 15 again! Playbiller, with her smiling eyes and warm heart. So lovely to see you again, my friend. Finally sleeping with Merrieeee even if it was a quickie from 2:00 to 3:15 a.m.! OOlsee -- for never meeting a stranger, even on our subway excursions in the middle of the night, or with the Breakfast Buffet Hawk at the Marriott, who couldn’t resist her charms. But mainly on the general principle of being a beautiful person and downright fabulous, irreplaceable traveling companion and Earth Mother. Big thanks and heavy gratitude from me to the dynamo that is Solo for a guided tour of the subway system and helping me burn off untold calories in the process. High five, baby! And also, most supremely, for allowing me the seat of a lifetime on Sunday night – I’ll never forget that show as long as I live. What that man did right in front of my eyes, I still don’t know if I believe it happened. And from the way Solo was grabbing my arm, I kind of think she liked it too. I had a feeling. Chatting it up with the dude from Amsterdam who sat beside me Saturday night. He was so cool and thought the show was “unbelieveable” – which I had already surmised since he laughed his ass off all night long. It was a pleasure to meet this very interesting man. For Friday night in extreme right Row A when Clay was doing the shimmies and thrusts at the end of the show … in my FACE. But a big BOO to whoever let out those white pants. KILLJOY!! For unforgettable matinees with merrieeee and OOlsee. For seeing the show 5 times in three days and enjoying it more every time, culminating with the tour de force last night. For the earworms from the show that we sang and the lines of dialogue that seemed to apply to every situation all weekend. Of course, we're not obsessed, or are we, merrieeee? You tell me, because it appears we travel in the same boat, sugaree. For seeing Jerome with his mom. For Rick’s slow humping French Taunter last night (Sunday night is still last night for me at this moment). OMG that simulation was just flat out nasty, and I loved it, shameless perv that I am. For getting Tom’s autograph outside on Saturday afternoon – he’s such a doll! And for his plaintive ad lib “What’s going on?” from the dead cart Sunday night in light of Clay and Rick doing some un-scripted, un-choreographed, and highly provocative moves. The roar of the crowd! Speaking of roar of the crowd … I don’t recall anything topping the crowd response to The Artist Formerly Known As … singing “I Like Big Butts.” The crowd got the joke and the cast other than Clay seemed surprised by it. Now Clay? He had two grabby hands out like he was going after big butt! Jeez Loueez that was priceless. For Clay's pitches at the end of the show -- and for saying "You all say to me 'I voted for you, Clay' - but you know you didn't! You didn't vote for me. So give up your money - dollars, euros, pesos, we're in a recession anyway so give it up." I love David Hibbard’s Patsy so completely. He could have stolen my heart, if it didn’t already belong to another cast member. For five consecutive shows he made me laugh to the hilt, and then could turn around have me on the verge of tearing up. He’s magnificent in my book. And Couchie!!! merrieeee thinks Couchie's name is "Couch ToMAHto" - but it's not, it's Couch TaMAYda, don't you know?!) I FINALLY got to meet Couchie live and in person, and it was like meeting an old and dear friend. Ha Ha Ha = Couchie had imagined me as “reserved.” PSYCH!!! No really, Couchie, what part of my posts about being a total lunatic music fanatic, ex-flower child/ peyote muncher did you miss???? (Yes, I'm part Native American, and considered that I was entitled.) ShellyC – Who is so lovely and gave us a welcomed respite at the Millenium when desperately needed. I loved meeting Shelly and hearing her stories of the "old days" at the AI tour in 2003. I also want to thank … whoever made the cannolis at that pizza place where I got to chat with Ficus and her guy “Ficadood” (now that’s funny), and where amidst the pizza and ice cream and beer and sodas and cannolis, an exhausted group of returnees from the Great Philly Food Excursion of 2008 were fighting exhaustion and Scarlett dozed with her head on the table. Awwww, she needed a soft pillow so badly, sweet Scarlett. But then we were off and it was second wind time (or third?) for the eHP! Thanks also to the chef at the Irish Pub for the best onion soup I've ever had. And then there was my first experience of the whole trip, when I stopped at my local Starbucks before driving downtown to pick up KAndre, with whom I was staying the night before our early a.m. flight. The cashier dude knows me and asked me why I was there at 4 p.m. instead of my usual 9 a.m. I told him I had been busy getting ready for a trip to NY to see Spamalot. The barrista dude perked right up at that and said he was a Spamalot fan and had seen the show the year before in NY, and that he had the soundtrack in his car and played it often. And then, the payoff, this 25-ish Starbucks dude said ….. “Clay Aiken is in the show now.” And me, I just couldn’t resist .. I looked right in his face and said … “You mean the American Idol Clay Aiken??? He’s in Spamalot?” The guy said, “Yeah, and I hear he’s really great in it.” Now THAT was what I call an auspicious beginning. That and seeing the most exquisite Clack in the world via KAndre's surround sound. Who knew there was this much Clack in the world. And as I told her, if she can send this stuff to Austrialia, she can send it across Houston. Sounds reasonable, huh? How I ever missed Long Island/All Is Well is a shame and a disgrace. Thank God it's in my life now. And ... all those Independent and NAT vids that can't be viewed just once. For getting to the airport in time!!! KAndre drives like a bat out of hell, but she doesn't make me nervous. I think maybe "bat out of hell" is in her comfort zone of control. She's very good. I have so much more to say when my brain starts functioning again. Everything that happened from Friday to returning this morning was momentous and memorable. It was the trip of a lifetime. And all because of this guy named Clay Aiken. Who is he, really?

Regarding Leona Lewis, I think she's good enough to make records, but she's not what Clive was claiming -- she's not on the Diva list just yet. I certainly noticed that the big bucks went down to grease the wheels for her to hit the States with a bang. Yes, her Ryan Tedder-penned single is a big hit on radio, and she was Clive's featured star this spring -- and while her album debuted at #1, I think it sold less than 200,000 the first week, and it fell off to about 90,000 this week. At that rate, they have to view it as a disappointment. Someone who has the album told me that it has only three really good songs on it, one being Bleeding Love, and if that's the case, it may not have long enough legs to recoup the corporate investment. Maybe that had something to do with Clive being ousted the same week. Simon personally thanked Clive Davis tonight for what he did for Leona Lewis. As for the Results Show nitty-gritty, I expected Brooke to go. I have no comfort level with her at all. This fragility thing she does is on my nerves. Syesha is no prize. She has MAJOR pitch problems that irritate the holy crap out of me. And Carly regularly sings flat and loud and I couldn't take it. Her JCS was better than WY, but the shriekiness factor is HUGE. I'm happy to say goodbye to her. David C. was the only one who gave a great performance. His voice isn't always superlative and rich in tone, but he hit those notes cold and dead-on, and I was impressed. He surprised me with his versatility, and he does seem to be able to sing just about anything and make something out of it. For now, he wins this competition hands down. FYI: My mother called me last night and said that David Cook was great and his song was the best thing she's heard on American Idol since Clay Aiken. My mother is 85 -- and she's going for David Cook. She doesn't care for the "little David" that much. My sister also likes Cook, but she's going to be so disappointed that she'll have to see Brooke for another week!

The Clay promo on AI tonight was impressive. He looked fantastic. Showed a bus with the Clay promo, and the outside of the Shubert "featuring Clay Aiken" and some of the backstage video. Showed him as Robin and the guard. And, most importantly, showed the CD and had Clay say it was out on May 6. YESSSSS! Obviously, they are good with Clay.

Amazing Grace - I don't care for the "wretch" part. I never found that a sweet sound. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley's version has been resurrected since Jason Castro sang it on Idol. I say leave it alone. WAMLAW - I detested that song until I heard Clay sing it in the JBT Stump the Band clack. Man, I would turn "Mercy Percy" Sledge off the radio before you could say Jack Robinson! Then I heard Clay sing a bit of it again in the GFI clack and the deal was sealed. It's perfect for Clay's voice. Kind of like that Hold Me, Thrill Me song -- I despised the original and couldn't imagine listening to it, until I heard Clay's demo. I'm a sucker for his voice, okay? Showcase that voice and I fall in line.

Current tally: WAMLAW - 48% Hallelujah - 34% Amazing Grace - 16% Obviously I was lying to myself about working today. It's a Clay week for me. What the hell was I thinking?

My name is keepingfaith, and I'm a hopeless romantic, an overt sentimentalist, and (this one's for you, KAndre) a transcender of virtue. Emotionally threadbare is not subtle, btw. It's truth in all it's bleak, stark reality. It's stripped. It's OMG how many ways can it be said: Okay, I'm done with emotionally threadbare. It's an intellectual term and has been around for decades. Fuck it all. Now regarding Climmel, jumping to conclusions and speculation are two completely different animals, and I never feed the former, but have a pronounced weakness for the latter. I notice that Clay's CD has 19 Recordings Limited attached to it wherever you see it. In fact, 19 is listed before RCA Music Group. And from what I'm reading lately, the franchise may be getting wobbly, or wobblier. Heck, last week they acted like it was the second coming that Mariah Carey was on the show and Randy was the Godfather and whoo-hoo, etc., et al, and it was the lowest rated performance show in years. The Wednesday night show when Mariah performed was the lowest ranked results show since the initial 2002 summer series. So maybe 19 is having Clay on the show because nothing would pump up the ratings like having Clay Aiken return to Idol and debut the single off his hot new album. And they'll hype it like mad. And it will work! Meanwhile, Clay goes on Leno and Kimmel, talks about Spamalot and the new CD, and hypes the Idol appearance, and is as funny and entertaining as always. Then he goes on Idol and the show has it's biggest numbers of the season. When June rolls around and the Musicpass thing is ready to go, and the label sets a release date for a faster track to Hot AC, he'll do a outdoor concert at Kimmel, or maybe something bigger. Speculation is my dear friend because it brings me pleasure and I never get attached to it, or disappointed if only a pleasant dream. It's my fantasy and I'm keeping it ... with faith too. Faith that Clay knows exactly what he's doing and what's going on, and we don't. Okay, one more for the road, KAndre: Stick a fork in emotionally threadbare. It's done. Ansa, can I vote for you if I vote WAMLAW? Please?

Just a couple of things and then I really have to work today .... Emotionally threadbare is next to the skin. It's unadorned. It's the opposite of what Mariah Carey would have done with this song. I've heard the term before used in poetry, and read it in a context that made me understand it, and I do know that it's not an obscure reference in music or poetry. And next, I first heard the iTunes bonus track as a John Denver song on the Muppets Christmas show -- but it's not a Christmas song. Originally it was a folk song written by a folk singer in the early 70's. I checked on YouTube and there's a version of it sung by Freddie Mercury and Cliff Richard. It was also a group sing for a stageful of artists at LiveAid in the 80's. It's In Everyone Of Us by David Pomerantz It's in everyone of us to be wise Find your heart open up both your eyes, We can all know everything without ever knowing why, It's in everyone of us by and by .. It's in everyone of us I just remembered It's like I've been sleeping for years, I'm not awake as I can be but my seeing is better, I can see .. through the tears, I've been realizing that I bought this ticket and watching only half of the show, There is scenery and lights and a cast of thousands, Who all know what I know, And it's good that it's so .. It's in everyone of us to be wise Find your heart open up both your eyes, We can all know everything without ever knowing why, It's in everyone of us by and by, It's in everyone of us by and by.. Okay now, does anybody else have any concerns or complaints? I'm taking all comers today. Give me your best shot. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I thought the same thing. If it's the John Denver/Muppets Christmas album song, it was written by David Pomeranz and that's what he named it! And I DEFINITELY agree about the pretty pictures!!!!!

Liney, you can check it. Pull down the "Store" tab at the top left, and at the bottom click on View My Account. Under recent purchases your pre-order will be listed. I wonder if "It's In Everyone Of Us" is the John Denver/Muppets song?

I'm so freaking happy about this CD that it's already blowing my mind and all I've heard is OMWH, LAA, and nine snippets. The snippets are supremely addictive, so I can't even ponder what the whole deal will do to me. I guess I'll be at his mercy.

I'm going to keep this interpretation, whether or not it was intended. MUAH!! :F_05BL17blowkiss: That wasn't just a fluke interpretation, check out another review: Is IS a very heavy thing to say that OMWH is emotionally threadbare. I think that qualifies as genuine respect.

No, No, No. Emotionally threadbare is a huge compliment! That's a great review. He's saying it's HONEST and that it will be POPULAR for YEARS!

Emotionally threadbare -- to me it means exposing raw, naked emotion, without fluff. I think it's an acknowledgment of the sincerity coming through in Clay's delivery of the song. It's a good thing. ETA: I googled the term and the first thing that came up was this review from Lycos Music about an album entitled, "O.V. Wright - Giant Of Southern Soul 1965-1975":

The way I understand it is, you have to pre-order before May 6 -- but you don't actually buy and download until May 6. It's an early-bird special. A "big debut day" sales strategy.

Every single Monday I get the email from iTunes about new music, and tomorrow they will get a response from me. Not that I don't download from iTunes, but very rarely is it one of the new releases they promote. I'm not rich, so why is it so much fun to give my money to Clay? At least with iTunes I won't be tempted with multiples!

I'm paying a shipping fee with Walmart so I know I'll get a physical CD in the mail, but whether it's a special pressing with the bonus song, or if it will have an insert with a code, I don't know. I'm just thankful it's not at KMart!

I just found what is drawing me to The Real Me ... on the headphones ... the way he sings that word "within" ...