keepingfaith

I have a lot of funny Christmas stories, because I have crazy relatives. But there's one story that is a favorite of mine because it's so illustrative of my daughter -- and she can't escape the retelling of this story every Christmas. When she was five, we were at my parents for Christmas and my mother insisted we go to church that morning because they were having a Christmas caroling service. My daughter loved to sing, has never had a shy bone in her body, and tended to demand attention by being LOUD. Let's just say she's never needed approval in her life --- for anything. So when the songleader said to a group of children sitting in a group, "Who knows the words to Joy To The World?" my daughter jumped up and loudly intoned in the third row at the First Baptist Church: ************ Jeremiah was a bullfrog Was a good friend of mine Never understood a single word he said But I helped him drink his wine And he always had some mighty fine wine Singin'... Joy to the world All the boys and girls now Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me And although people were laughing, that didn't stop her until she was through. Yeah, she's still a piece of work. Now my mother, who is the opposite of my daughter and cares way too much about what other people think, was in a state of shock. She'd never heard of Three Dog Night, but she knew her granddaughter was singing about drinking somebody's mighty fine wine in the Baptist Church on Christmas Day! Thanks for the birthday wishes ... :F_05BL17blowkiss: Sure it's good to have them because it beats the alternative, yada yada, but do they have to keep coming so quickly?????

I think he's a dollface, however he does or doesn't do the hair. In fact, the day I thought it was hottest of all, there were people who didn't like it. And while some of the long hair pictures from last Christmas are gorgeous, some of them do absolutely nothing for me. And some of those are passed around regularly as examples of Hot Clay, so it's all completely subjective. And, to add two bits to my two cents, I think he looks way better now with a little weight on him than when his cheeks were sunken and he looked like he needed a good hot meal. But that's just me. And finally, my mother has never liked my hair either, and I don't care. Because when I was a kid she'd cut it and give me a home permanent and that was just wrong.

I'm such a fan of Here, There and Everywhere. (I love ya, merrieeee, but I'm reading your mind) I just melt whenever I listen to that AI clip. The range, OMG, the range. The tenderness and strength in his voice. I've frequently gone on HT&E jags. It's always heavenly. I will be there Here, there, and everywhere

I'm glad Clay doesn't make himself look like Mr. Hot Sexy Love Magnet when he's around the Bush women. He doesn't want those women all over him ... and you know that if they jumped his bones the Secret Service would blame him, and then those pesky tabloids .....

I don't think he looks awful. I think he looks like Clay attending a function as Clay Aiken the person, and not Clay Aiken the singing sensation. AMAs and DCAT ... he was appearing as a pop star. At the UNICEF function, he looks like a serious adult. Now I prefer the bangs in his face look, or the Snowflake hair, or the DCAT hair ... but he still has the DCAT hair .. it's just styled conservatively. He looks happy and that's always my first criteria. I'm willing to bet he'll look hot for Christmas!!!

I don't believe Clay is still a dork. I just think he plays one on TV. This ain't no dork in my book! Looks like he's keeping long bangs.

As one who has never seen the audition episodes of AI2, watching Rewind with Clay telling the story is captivating. Frenchie was awsome. Julia DeMato sounded better than I remember her. And Clay. I don't need credits to recognize the narrator, and AI2 watchers should know that voice immediately. But good for credits, because that indicates the size of his check. Of course every second of this show is scripted. But it's also very Clay in delivery. Going up to a commercial he says ... one contestant made the judges stand up ..... but it wasn't Steve. Made me laugh. I thought it was interesting that the audition line in NY was limited to 1500, and Frenchie was 1498.

In Houston the AI2 Rewind will be shown twice this weekend ... Saturday at Noon on KHCW (Comcast 5) and on Sunday at 7PM on WGN (Comcast 54). I can't wait ... and I can't really understand why I'm so excited just to hear Clay's voice on tape ... but he'll be saying things I haven't heard before and ... I am pumped.

See you earlybirds who started going to Clay concerts at AI have this problem. Me? I don't even have to think about it. Not yet, anyway.

Ditto on The War, KAndre. I'm going to buy it for my dad and hope that he will watch it. I really appreciate a show that is told from this perspective ... the people's history of WWII -- not the generals' history, or the reporters' history, but the soldiers and their families at home. My dad was a Marine and fought in the invasions of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa, and was sent into Nagasaki only weeks after the atomic bomb. He doesn't talk about it. Ever. He doesn't watch war retrospectives or documentaries, or WWII movies (he has always said that John Wayne-type glory shows are fairy tales and propaganda -- that what happens in war could never be made into a movie). But I think he will appreciate this series. He's 87 years old, and he has always said that the only heroes are the ones that didn't come home. Oh no, I guess I missed Dirty Sexy Money, and I was planning to watch it because I loved Peter Krause on Six Feet Under. And I'm a sucker for Grey's and Housewives -- but missed Private Practice because I watched the Democratic Debate (yeah, I'm a serious political junkie -- I need help). I watched DWTS but nobody has yet turned my head, like Apolo Ono did last season. I'll give it another week or so, but somebody better show me some style and charisma. Helio is good. Mark Cuban has a certain strange billionairish charm. Jane Seymour is style personified. Is Wayne Newton wearing a corset? What's with that unnatural looking barrel chest? Boston Legal -- hold me down -- I LOVE that show. LOVE Alan and Denny!!!! As to Lost -- I've never seen even one episode and I guess it's too late in the political season for me to get caught up in another TV series since I already watch about six shows -- and that's a record.

Where did the idea come from that 19 Entertainment doesn't have anything to do with Rewind? It's owned and syndicated by 19, and distributed by Tribune. I watched the first Rewind season and the 19 Entertainment logo was the last thing on the screen after the credits rolled each week. I think people just don't like to think of Clay as working for 19 -- but I kind of like it that they have Clay Aiken on their payroll. Yeah, I like it a lot. Also, as to suggestions that a fan take over publicity for Clay .... just how delusional has it gotten over at OFC MB? I checked over there once yesterday, but never opened the "Roger" thread (thanks for all the warnings which I faithfully heeded). I swear I don't think Jack Hanna could control that venomous mass of entangled vipers. I'm so happy here. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

In evaluating three of the songs from The Classics, I found that what I judged to be the best audio for one was usually the best for the other. Therefore, for Bills Bills Bills, 1999, and She's Thinks My Tractor's Sexy, the clips I chose cover all three songs, if not for top favorite, then for honorable mention. I made a top 12 for each song, burned them to a CD and listened to them in my car for a couple of days to determine the best sound, according to my ears. Here are my picks: Bills Bills Bills San Diego - jojoct - This is a nice full sounding audio in my car with a strong bass. San Diego had a top notch orchestra and they sound great here. 1999 Sterling Heights - ClayIzzaQT - I suppose I have to offer a disclaimer on this one immediately. I first made video snippets of the top 12 and the first time I watched 1999 on this clack, I was toast. I've watched it repeatedly and it's become a necessity of the day. The moves he makes in this are so damned hot I can't stand it. It's not forced, just the most naturally sexy Clay Aiken in that dark blue shirt and low cut jeans --- I'm sold. The audio here is also incredibly good for all three songs. But when I hear this one, I can see those moves in my mind during 1999. It is, therefore, the undisputed No. 1. Sexy Tractor Pala - spotlightlover - This clack from Pala sounds very pure, although it's actually a toss-up between this one and Luvbenmeg's audio from Atlanta, which has a lot of oomph and enthusiasm. ------------------------ LA - Renegade - Renegade captured only a partial of The Classics in LA, but fortunately it covers my three songs, and these are excellent versions which mask the audience noise I heard in other LA examples. Atlanta - Luvbenmeg - This is uniformly good for all three songs, especially Sexy Tractor. Whew! This was serious business --- and lots of fun. Now I think I'll go look at the ClayIzzaQT's Classics clack from Sterling Heights to see 53 of the hottest seconds in show business! Yowza!

Bingo! I was thinking about those Souncheck pictures. They're not my favourite but I don't dislike them, either. They are just so different from messed up, concert Clay and yet, they tug at me. I think they're really quite sexy. I've just always found him such a cameleon (chameleon?) and I never get too attached to any "look" because it changes faster than the weather in Vancouver. This set of photos though, just like the OFC ones that are so "done" have an attraction for me - I find them kind of "arty" though I don't think they capture the essence of him one bit. I really find him infinitely intriguing! And hawt. Definitely hawt. Hawter than hawt. This guy is my favourite though! That is an amazing picture! After watching four years of clack in the last year, I definitely thought of Clay as a chameleon because he looked so different in every appearance and from year to year. It totally floored me when I saw him for the first time in Frisco and the different faces of Clay were all in there together and I was seeing them flash before me one after the other. I don't think I've gotten over that yet, or that I ever will.

I love him in all of his manifestations. He has an ageless quality.

Eugene did not attend the reunion -- but even after all that time, and in absentia, he managed to uphold his reputation. I don't think people were upset with him as much as they were kicking their own butts for letting Eugene get the best of them one more time -- because it was classic Eugene! Okay, you Admins are certainly brave to put things like Insert Special Item and Quick Access on a Clay Aiken board where Muskifest plays. This should be lots of fun.

I'm feeling an itty-bit better today -- well enough to be at work, but not well to have the zeal to actually get anything done --- so I'm going to try to finalize my recommendations for ~ Bills Bills Bills ~ 1999 ~ and ~ Sexy Tractor ~ today. I'm down to the ten finalists for each one and realized this morning that every one is from an outdoor venue. To me there were only a couple of indoor venues where the audio quality could compare to some of the outdoor ones. Anyway, I hope to have the finalists ready to upload by tonight. I'm in the camp that thinks indications would be that Clay did attend his high school reunion for these reasons: 1. It's been 10 years since his graduation. 2. Most reunions are held in September/October these days. 3. He's the kind of guy who wouldn't miss his reunion, and not just because he's famous, but because he's the sentimental type. 4. He keeps up with old teachers -- the choir teacher in JNT05 -- the social studies teacher he took to Afghanistan -- and the 5th grade teacher he took to the taping of "Fifth Grader" 5. Especially since he was on student council, yearbook, and those activities, I think he'd be the first one there whether as Clayton the Special Ed teacher, or Clay the national celebrity/singing sensation. 6. But since he is Clay the national celebrity/singing sensation ... if they had it, I do not doubt for a second that he was there. I didn't go to my last reunion for the same reasons the Playbiller mentioned -- when they sent around the notice of all the people they couldn't locate, they were my best friends or the people I was most interested to see again. But there was one quite interesting story that I've never shared regarding our last reunion and here it is: There was an internet group of about 200 that was formed from the known email addresses of the grads in preparation for the reunion. There were 978 graduates in my class. People were hooking up online and getting connections to long-lost friends and just giving status reports on their lives in general, in advance of the actual reunion. There was the usual "has anyone seen Cindy T, or whatever happened to Mike G," and there were a few "who was the guy that ran from one end of the senior class group picture to the other end and appears twice in the picture?" And the answer was, of course, Eugene! So at that point the collective conversation turned to Eugene, who was an unforgettable character, even in a class of nearly 1,000. After a lot of back and forth about Eugene and remembering some of his antics, there came a very sobering post from a guy named Brian, who I didn't know, and who had completely different remembrances of Eugene. Brian was very bitter. He remembered that Eugene had everyone fooled at school and at his church -- the teachers saw him as the class clown, the popular guys thought he was crazy and cool, and the good-looking girls thought he was funny and cute. But Brian said he knew a completely different Eugene, a Eugene that was a hateful bully preying on the little guys, a sociopath who threatened and beat up the nerdy, uncool kids, causing them to live in fear and their lives to be holy hell. He said that the scars left by Eugene had caused him years of counseling and that he still wasn't free of the pain. He spoke with obvious disdain for the girls who gathered around Eugene to hear his latest jokes or watch his pranks, and angrily said he hoped one of these popular, pretty girls ended up married to Eugene because no doubt he turned out to be a alcoholic wife-beater and they would get what they deserved for being taken in by this consummate phony. I'm tellin you, Brian had real issues. The diatribe against Eugene went on for two pages with this poor soul pouring out his heart to his fellow classmates about the torture he and fellow nerds had sufferered throughout middle school and high school from Eugene. Well, the response from this was immediate and overwhelming. People urged Brian to seek further help because too much time had passed for him to remain so emotionally wounded from the torture inflicted by Eugene during those teenage years. In fact, a few of my fellow grads with training in social work and counseling, and a couple of doctors, all offered to help Brian if he would contact them privately. Then, in the midst of this meltdown, one small voice posted one simple sentence that read ... "I remember Eugene as being a little guy." Then the remembrances shifted to things like, "Yeah, Eugene was a little guy, short and thin and no way he could have beat up anyone, even a nerd!" After a lot of this, somebody said, "Hey, I just checked the yearbook and we didn't have anybody by the name of Brian H in our graduating class. Did any of you know this guy?" Someone asked, has anyone seen Eugene since graduation? Then several remembered that Eugene had turned up at the 10 year reunion in a limo with two 20 year old hot thangs on each arm, wearing white tie, tails and twirling a cane. Guess who Brian turned out to be?

I think darkened hair, brows and lashes look does magical things with his eyes. While the dark hair doesn't have an exclusive on that, he's definitely exuding hot and sexy in these caps.

I feel like crap, but this is getting my attention in spite of the mind-numbing meds. Some hot screencaps from Walmart Soundcheck were posted at OFC today, and this one kills me. I wish it would kill my cold.

Oh Solo, The Enforcer should be your official description! Luv it!!

Exactly. And there's none other remotely like him. And to me he can't be categorized. I heard Kanye West say that he and Justin Timberlake are the new Prince and Michael Jackson. Now that's just pitiful. Which one does he think he represents? Clay Aiken is like nobody ever was or ever will be, and for that, to me, he's a pop star, an entertainer, and a superstar.

I haven't seen this before and it just cracks me up. What a group -- those two party dogs, Quiana with her "This is not a joke" admonition, and Clay with a classic "I thought we were goin' sightseein'!" Too funny for words.

I have not seen that pic before. Is that Nick with the backpack? What are they all looking at? Was that prior to the Kimmel taping? Enough questions?? Yes, that is Nick. Don't know what they are looking at .... maybe the "presidential entourage" he discussed later on Kimmel. GMA was on the 19th, and Kimmel was a week later on the 26th. I think that pretty much says it. Here, There and Everywhere. In my dreams.

Funny because I never made the connection to "Playmate" ... I made the connection to "playmate" ... but recalling some centerfolds from the 70's ... I wouldn't mind being a Claygirl!

I know, I know, I missed about three and a half years of meetings ... so can someone tell me why "Claymates" is a loaded word? I always thought it was kind of cute, and never attached anything stereotypical to it. I don't go around calling myself a Claymate, but if somebody calls me that I don't find it objectionable. To me it's just fun. Clay uses the term ... Kimmel uses the term ... the media in general uses the term to the extent that it's become part of the brand. So is there a backstory? ETA: Up on top again? The vertigo is going to kick in, I swear. I'm used to being at the bottom of the page -- it's so comfy there. And ... shortly before his "It will be locked" moment ....