keepingfaith

On his face or elsewhere? Within a foot of him could mean anything. Can you tell I'm in snuggle mode right now?

Won't last. Misery loves misery. I keep hoping for any epiphany there. No faith, just hope. Kareneh, I was wondering if you were there this weekend. But, of course you were! silly me I'm soooo looking forward to April. ldyjocelyn, have you had an responses about late March? Well, if I win the lottery, we're on kid! It's freaking cold here today. Time to pull out my Snuggle Up With Clay Aiken blankie. A girl can dream.

Somebody clue me in because I have no time to read elsewhere ... nor the inclination I must add ... but are the naysayers saying nay? Or, would it be, could it be, that they are now ... looking on the bright side of life????

Farouche, you mean this stuff was from BROADWAY ???? O.M.GGGGGGGG!!!!!!! ... and then, MY FAVE!!

What a fabulous Waldopalooza this opening night was!! unless it's that darned Epipen again ... My absolutely positively fave pic of the day (so far) ... HOT BABY HOT!! oh and of course .... CUTE!

OMG I love this FACE!!!!!!! It's Mr. Happy Happy Joy Joy himself!

I don't exactly know how to express this, but one of the best feelings for me is the inclusiveness that other fans love things about Clay that I'm not necessarily crazy about. It tickles me to death that just about any way he presents himself will bring extreme happiness to a certain cross section of the fandom. There are no demographics or boundaries or preferences or belief systems among the fans outside of loving the stuffing out of Clay Aiken. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm thrilled that so many fans love "cheesy," and glasses, and red/blond hair combed back. It's not me, but it's a lot of fans and I think Clay knows this and gives everybody their day. Yes, I'm not a cheese lover -- don't even like cheeseburgers -- but Clay has never been cheesy to me at all -- ever -- not even back on Idol. I'm sure it's all semantics, but cheesy and authentic can't seem to occupy the same space in my brain. Anyway, I love to read posts that agree with me and state things in interesting and original ways that I already agree with in principle -- but I also love reading the swooning, schmoopie posts of fans thudding over the Clay that doesn't especially turn me on. It all makes me happy. Damn I'm happy. WOW, I think this may be my favorite Blond Clay picture of all time. He has that look of wonderment on his face that is so adorable! GOD I LOVE HIM!!!

It always concerns me when I hear about the trashing that appears to go on in the underbelly of the internet, just below the surface of my general awareness, that has to be based on fan jealousies. The whole thing is juvenile in the first place, soul damaging in the second, and a huge waste of valuable time in the third. I guess the Idol experience itself has fostered a lot of contempt among people with overly competitive natures. The entire American Idol concept has been, IMO, to select a new idol every year and promote the hell out of them with free media appearances in televised parades, national anthem singing at major sporting events, Christmas tree lightings, Fourth of July celebrations, talk show appearances, and magazine articles and covers -- there's a pattern -- and to milk every dollar from the AI tour and record sales until the next idol is selected and it starts all over again. I believe the show has a built-in shelf life for these kids and if they exceed it good for them, but an ex-idol has to rely on his or her personal level of success, commitment, drive and energy, not to mention dedicated fanbase, to continue at the top levels of the business. I remember Clay making the comment early on in AI2 that it was like a Miss America contest. It really is, in that every year they pick a new one and the previous winner takes her last walk down the runway, waves bye-bye and returns to her real life. Rarely do they reach stardom on their own, but a few certainly have. The Idol stars get that big rush for a certain amount of time, and then it's up to them to fashion their own futures. There are so many comparisons made, based on record sales and who's in "first place" ... and what is the best course of action for which particular career path and on and on. Each of these singers must find his or her own "grail" and follow it, and arguments can be made (by me, anyway) that Clay is in a league of his own, and not just regarding former idol winners and contestants. When I say he has the whole package, I mean it in every way ... including muski's! I LOVE THESE PICTURES!!! OMG, HE'S SO CUTE!!!

This is the one that puts a lump in my throat:

Yikes! I just copied this pic from a post of dreamlarge on CH! Does anybody know how to make a wma audio file into a mp3 so that I can load it on my iTunes? I'm confused. I went online to download free converstion software like MediaMonkey but then my Mac says there's no application to open that file (which is .exe) HUH? Where's Scarlett? muski, iTunes should convert it automatically. Open iTunes and from the File menu click on Add File to Library, then browse and select the wma file from My Music or wherever you have it on your hard drive. This is the very best Clay sickness I have ever suffered. There's a glorious pit in my stomach like falling in love with love. Those tears in his eyes are killing me. He was so proud of his fans, and thrilled to his core and it showed. He makes my head swim. I was watching some politics on TV today and suddenly realized that once again my mind had drifted off into Clay thought ... this is happening a lot ya'll and I'm perfectly happy with it. I love it. I'm thriving on it. He's a serious addiction and so so good for me. Watching that AI5 finale was my lucky day.

Just focused on Clay's feet/shoes in these pictures and now I'm wondering if maybe Mike Nichols really removed some toes because Clay's feet look smaller to me! In one picture his feet look smaller than King Arthur's feet - and Clay has on silver/white shoes too. [/

Was I dreaming when I read that the official reviews wouldn't come for a week or so? Maybe that was someone's opinion, but I did read that somewhere. The first pics I saw last night of the cast accepting applause was that picture of Clay looking all schmoopie at his fans. He must have been so apprehensive about the reactions -- whether about clack gathering, the usual suspects yelling out at him, fans not being responsive to the other actors, or maybe a negative reaction to saying shit and acting out of character. For whatever reason, that look on his face, the familiar two-finger salute, and then that sweet blog underscore that the bond between Clay and ClayNation has never been stronger. I'm excited about a new fanclub too. I'm hoping that all the snafus with ticket sales and meet & greets led Team Clay to abandon Clique and go with a professional organization to run the fanclub. He deserves a first-class operation ... and so do we. I commited last night on the phone with merrieeee for the April 26 eeeeeeeeeeeeeHP invasion. I wish I were there to see KAndre all in love and schmoopie!! I'm so excited, but April seems so far away. I was planning a Spring Break trip about March 21 -- then my sis informs me she's bought Moody Blues tickets for us on the 22nd. FYI: My sister tells me that the MB presale tickets and packages were sold directly through the fan club and not LiveNation or the venue. Could you imagine Clique actually handling direct ticket sales and distribution to fan club members? I think "debacle" wouldn't begin to describe it. Okay, so when will Clay be on Letterman? That's got to be out there somewhere -- somewhere ..... there's a place for us .... a time and place for us ..... THREE MONTHS? ARGHHHHHHH!!!!! I wonder how Scarlett and Perusing One made it without cameras? That must have felt strange. I just hope they don't get addicted to watching Clay with the naked eye and abandon their camera work when the pop tour rolls around!!!

Kareneh! I mean, Kareneh?

Okay, I must be in Python mode because I read this as "a true fan would be like a parrot (although not a deceased, expired, or no longer living one!)! You know there are those days when I could kick myself for hookiing up late to the fandom ... and then the times when I'm so glad I missed the "mess" which I never knew existed until joining OFC! Hence, I was never hurt, hypervigilant or afraid, and had no need of healing. I've just been the happiest teenager++++ you'll ever see! So, you win some, you lose some. And I plan to win some when I finally make it to NY for Spamalot!!!

merrieeee!! I was going to call you tonight to enjoy some of your excitement and wish you the best time ever, but realized I left my phone downtown tonight. I am thoroughly thrilled and excited, and if I knew I would be there tomorrow night I'd be completely insane already! Everybody that will be there tomorrow night ..... YOU LUCKY DOGS!!!!

I know what you mean, muski. That struck me several months ago, and I've come to the conclusion that Clay likes to avoid "I, me, mine" as much as possible. I think I understand it, but it can be distracting when used so much. He must heavily identify his career self with the team.

I've never said (and don't think) they hate him. They don't generally go out of their way to praise/support him either though. Thus, my (pleasant) surprise. Regarding Idol, I don't think it's a monolith. Nigel Lythgoe is about the TV show and the TV show only. All he cares about are ratings as he gets nada from record deals and management contracts. The Simons are another kettle of fish, so there are varied and potentially cross purposes among the producers and judges. So far four Idols have hit it big in the record business: Kelly, Clay, Carrie and Chris. If I were going on Idol, I'd change my name to Cate.

Well, I may be entering eHP territory because my DIL, after watching DVD clack with me for a couple of hours on Sunday, and with me pushing for more, asked me .... Sandy, have you lost your fucking mind??? And I replied, And that would be a problem because .....???? I think I'm almost there, KAndre.

Hmmm, I think after Clay sleeps til noon every day, he could go to the studio for a couple of hours on any afternoon (except Saturday and Sunday). 4 o'clock would be a nice recording time. Horowitz only performed at 4PM. And, in Manhatten he should be close to the studio. It could be no more than a walk up the block for him. I just opened a link on a Google Alert and was smacked with this gorgeous face ..... the text was this ... Good-ness that is one fine example of the seductive naked eyes of Clay Aiken.

OH MY GOOD GOD, PERMA! All I can say about that is ... he's so damned C U T E I missed everybody while things have been hectic at work, and a 14 year old commandeered my home computer for a while. I'm b-a-a-a-c-k! Well, the 14 year old granddaughter has gone, work's still a bitch. What a tremendous 2008 this is looking to be. I was strangely reminded today of something I read on the boards the very first night I joined OFC, which was the very first message board I read. Being that I arrived late to the party, I dove blissfully unaware into the murky water of the dreaded Album thread and remember this one particular post I read that first night that made me laugh hard ... someone was actually threatening Clay with leaving the fandom over the covers on, and delays with, the unseen, unheard, and unnamed new album that wasn't being promoted yet although certain ones thought it should be, and said ... "some people have already left for other idols." Some dadblamed idol-hoppers out there, I guess! Seeing Clay on Idol again had revved my engines pretty high, as he was obviously ahead of, above, and far, far away from AI -- and the whole thing kicked my ass for sure. While at the same time there were some original fans who had become restless and grumpy and demanding, and some were downright delusional, there were simultaneously fresh, starry-eyed junkies-to-be coming online with hearts full of enthusiasm, quite a few in fact. And ever it shall be I do believe. But I thought about that post today and laughed my ass off about it again. And although I have no recollection of who wrote it, I'd be willing to bet they're still hooked. He's so fine. I'm almost sick that I can't be in NY this weekend, but so excited that I'll have friends there who are so fabulous at spreading their joy. eHP, dear sweet friends, I'm going to be in dire need of phone Friday night for an after-the-deed reaction. At least one of you most eloquent lovers of Clay simply must OMG!!! in my ear for a few minutes. This most definitely is the last gathering of the tribe that I'm going to miss for a while. And this time, Gimpy will be there in spirit. :F_05BL17blowkiss: I've always believed that the album would be out in May. And if it's delayed, I think a single will be out in May because I suspect he'll debut it on the Idol finale -- the 5 year anniversary of Clay and Ruben -- in front of millions and millions of people. I don't think Clay is going to be limited in his availability to record the album. And I don't think there will be any reason to delay the schedule. And I think it's going to get a big push. And that's all I've got to say about that, Edith Anne. How old am I that I remember how cute Johnny Tillotson was? Don't answer that. Are we voting on recent pictures and videos? Well then, just say NO to glasses. Yeah, yeah, if you like nerdy Clay, go ahead on. I happen to like looking at those gorgeous seductive eyes uncovered. Full frontal Clay.

YES!

Watched AI Rewind earlier today and it was fun to see an episode I've never seen before -- Top 32/Group 1. And -- I've got never-before-seen episodes coming up for the next few weeks. Clay's narration was almost nil today because these are tapes of live shows without voiceovers, and the contestants themselves provided the behind-the-scenes comments. It was really enjoyable to see something new, although some of the singers weren't great. I found myself rooting hard for Julia DeMato to get in, even though I hate that Preacher Man song intensely. She seemed fragile compared to Kimberly C's self-absorbed lovefest. Kimberly C was so transparently bitchy that I didn't want her to go through regardless of how she sang. I now see that she was turning people off from the very beginning. Trenyce was the best singer that night, IMO, but her song sucked. I like that the Results are condensed to the real nitty-gritty for the last 5-6 minutes of the show. I've seen Clay's Group 2 on YouTube, but I'm so looking forward to seeing him sing on my TV next week. I'm such a doof I'll probably tear up when he doesn't make it.

GOOD GOD, KARENEH!!!!

YES! :ura: :nana: :7: It works for me -- and February fourth is alliterative, muski.