Gibby

Merrieeeee, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Hee, I just sat and watched the entire HOI again on my homemade DVD. Son #1 wandered down during Shae-Lynn's DSIAFCD solo, and was quite engrossed. Didn't even notice the back-flap or make a mention of Clay's vocals at all. He was all because he's always liked Shae-Lynn. For the record, I don't see anything wrong with her skating moves at all, she's been doing them for years. They are uniquely hers. I've seen a few bendy men imitate them (Canadian Shawn Sawyer comes to mind) but for some reason, no one seems to complain about that. My basis for any negative comments I've made about her comes from my own biased personal opinions of her, as a long time skating fan. I think she performed beautifully in the show, and I had no problem with her getting all up on Clay at all. Since I think he kinda enjoyed it, I'm not gonna take that away from him.

I still can't understand what anyone has to complain about with that special. They mentioned Clay every chance they got, they paid him all kinds of compliments, and I thought the interview portions were great! I loved his rapport with the skaters and I thought his performances were awesome. I also thought he looked gorgeous, and I loved the hint of freckles we got in the close ups. I hope he is able to participate in another skating show in the future, because I think the combination works wonderfully for him.

BWAH about your son! And I agree about Clay's performance, and how he was treated with respect. I love watching HOI clips, particularly AIW and WAYDNE with the finale.

luckiest There are some people who would complain if he'd sung naked on skates, swinging to the rythmn.

That is one AMAZING visual. Hubbahubba!!!

I'm sorry about your MIL, merrieeee. Hugs to you and your family. *HUGS*

Aw, he's so cute!

The American Idol website actually has a nice article up about Clay's UNICEF trip:

American Idol Clay UNICEF article

Oh gah Philippe always reminded me of Constantine...

and whenever I hear Caryn Kadavy's name...my brain makes it caryn cadaver...yeah she has been around forever!!!

BWAH and BWAH!!

Yup! You're so right, Couchie. I do think many are still clinging to the idea that Clay must be the next Elvis. While I don't quite believe that Clay is actively trying to avoid superstardom, I do think that he's decided, for better or worse, to stay true to himself, singing the kind of songs he likes, making the kinds of choices that fit his values and interests. Could he have been bigger singing Timberlake-ish pop, cultivating a "cool," "hip" image, suppressing his desire to do Christmas concerts and minimizing his involvement in educational issues? Maybe. But then, I doubt he'd be the same guy we all love.

I still believe that he is an ambitious man. I think he wants to continue to have a career in entertainment, and that he is actively exploring different possibilities, both within and beyond music. But I can't see him abandoning his core values and self-identity just to be a superstar.

WORD!! I think that Clay decided to be true to himself and not sell out in order to be the latest, greatest thing. I LURVE him for being true to his values and convictions. I wouldn't love him if he were a cocky, self-absorbed rock stah, even if he sold millions upon millions. There are many others who can be self-absorbed rock stahs, who are here today and gone tomorrow. But there's only one Clay, and I have a feeling he'll be around for a long time. Of course I love his voice, but it's his authenticity and heart that keep me mesmerized and coming back for more.

Of course, I like the booty, too -

HA! Is that one where he was flirting with Angie 'cause her family was in the audience?

Yep, it is.

Welcome to all of the newbies - annabear, skybar and RIFAN!! (hopefully I didn't miss anyone).

I'm entertaining myself by finding cool pics and animations and bringing them over here to share with my friends. I hope ya'll don't mind that I'm posthoing.

From this summer's LA show - a veritable feast for tongue lovers:

Looks like annabear and ldyj have the same purty avi!

Here's another option for an avi that's slightly different:

Heee, wanda, I can imagine that green ink follows you around!

Perma, I'm so glad you're feeling better! And that pic is gorgeous.

Here's a screencap from Capitol One, with the offensive backflap flapping and bringing attention to Clay's booty. Ya know what this pic makes me wanna do? Ah, well, I don't care whether you want to know or what. Seeing that cute booty makes me wanna go squeeze the livin' daylights out of it. Yes, indeed. And I'm getting whiplash because he looks so different in the animations I just posted - but he's still the same sexy, wonderful guy!

I think some people want to see Clay as a victim because they are man-hating bitches who want Clay to remain their little boy forever.

(Snort.)

BWAH!!

Wanda, I have a question for you. I love your short, pithy and irreverant posts. Are you able to post like this anywhere else without getting edited up the yinyang? I'm sure glad you can post here, 'cuz you entertain me!

I was REALLY tempted to use one of these as my avi, but I decided to keep mine for now. Anybody interested in having Mr. Hawt Sexy Ambassador Man for an avi? These are all from pixieglitter at CV:

The bigger sizes are purty, too:

Progress: 64%

Raised: $ 63515

Goal: $ 100000

There are more screencaps, although I think I've already posted the best ones. Oh, well, I don't think anybody minds seeing a few more, do they?

Mr. Ambassador Aiken, Sir, you may blindfold me anytime. Please, sir.

Oh gah. That sound? was my ovaries exploding.

Someone give this man a baby of his own.

No problem. I'll be happy to do it.

Line starts behind me, ya'll!! No cutting in line!

:thdom2:

Heeeee, they do, indeed, wanda!

Speaking of workouts..I got one too....my butt was on a bus for the first time in years. I have a nice walks on each side of my ride. I call this the But I wanna see Clay Aiken in the heartland form of exercise. It was him or get the car fixed. Guess what I chose

Well, I'm glad you decided on that workout, Couchie, cuz I got to see you again! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Shoulders! And darn, that stupid ET logo is right where I wanna ogle that cute little butt.

Brett's in this pic:

Awwwww!

Saw the clip. He's cuuuuteee! And fortunately, I didn't see any upclipped back flaps. Otherwise, people around the world would think he's fat, and we CAN'T HAVE THAT, PEOPLE!!!!

Whew! Got home from work about an hour ago, and proceeded to shovel, shovel, and shovel snow. And it's still snowing out there. I guess I already got my workout tonight, and I can skip the gym!

I'd list my favorites, but I'd never follow the rules, and I'd list about 15 to 20 things in each category. And I gotta eat supper and take my kids out for their evening activities soon, so I'll pass on this one.

BTW...for those that are downloading the skating show...I see that scarlett has a widescreen version which is truly excellent so if you already got the other version I think it would be good to check this one too.

The XviD widescreens are GORGEOUS. Everything about them is beautiful. If your computer can play them, download them, by all means! I also downloaded all of the mpg4s for my treo.

I don't have much skating experience, but I do know that Clay has skated with hockey skates in the past, and he was wearing figure skates at the show. That's why he was asking Sasha about the toe pics on the figure skates. The skates are different, which likely contributed to Clay not feeling as comfortable on them.

(ETA: Looks like Lucky beat me to this little bit of information!)

I do think his schtick is that of the dorky klutz. He often talks about his big feet and that he can't dance. So I can see how he would extend that to acting like he can't skate on figure skates, especially around people who are so skilled and athletic on skates.

I'm just glad that overall he looked pretty comfortable on the skates in the finale. They edited out most of his clowning around and acting like he was going to fall. I especially like the part where they show his, Sasha's and Surya's skates and then pan up. That part is YUMMY!

I totally agree that there are people who don't want to be happy. I think that some of them don't know how to be happy. Finding things to complain about is what they like to do. Unfortunately, I encounter people like this in the hospital. There are plenty of patients that are very appreciative and grateful, but others who will be unhappy no matter how much you bend over backwards to help them. At that point the problem isn't what you are/aren't doing for them, but that they don't want to be happy or satisfied. And since Clay has fans of every sort, he has fans like that, too.

Capitol One DSIAFCD had a few vocal bobbles, but overall I think there was a lot more right about it than wrong. Most vocalists probably couldn't have pulled it off even that well. And considering that Clay had rehearsals that day, interviews, and came back to blow AIW out of the water, I'm satisfied. I'll give him a pass on just a few little bobbles. I'm going to put the audio from Capitol One on my ipod. I think the quality of the sound is GREAT, and since I was there, it's a night I want to remember!

Has anyone watched the behind the scenes stuff with Sasha and Clay....WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too cute for words. She even says at one point..."you're so cute".

CV has it in the vault and I don't have a clue how to bring over the link...sorry.

Yes, it's extreeeemly cute! I think they really enjoyed each other. Clay plays chopsticks on the piano! Heee, I have that silly Clay grin again.

Like couchie, for me, it's all about tone. If the critical posts are respectful of him and not derisive or cruel, they don't bother me that much. However, if opinions are made using language that (to me) seems highly insulting to him, I have to scroll. And quite frankly, if across a board, angry, bitter complaints far outweigh any appreciation or praise, I'm sorry, but I have to withdraw. I just cannot enjoy the online fandom when that happens. For me, life is too short to wallow in disappointment.

I agree 100%, Jenna!

As per the "rose-colored glasses":- luckily for me, there hasn't been a whole hell of a lot that Clay has done that I haven't enjoyed. I did post a month or so ago about one thing from a couple years back that DIDN'T thrill me, and I knew that I was in a very small minority on that issue. I guess the difference is that, for me- if there is something that I don't enjoy, I just don't feel the need to go blaring it all over the boards. Yeah, yeah, I know- that's the whole purpose of HAVING the boards, right? To express our feelings about Clay? Well, yeah, but just as I wouldn't particularly enjoy having my boss at work point out EVERY SINGLE LITTLE THING I HAVE EVER DONE WRONG ON THE JOB- including my failures to dot every i and cross every t- I don't particularly enjoy reading negative opinions on everything that Clay does either. I find it very draining, when I mainly come to the boards to keep up on information, and to hopefully share in the fun of being a fan. And while the scroll button is a wonderful invention- as was the "ignore" button on a board or two that I frequented in the past- it doesn't always do the job. Because that post that you scrolled by can then be quoted and requoted ad nauseum- both by people who agree with it, and those who take issue with it.

This is me in a nutshell, too. No, I don't love everything Clay does (really, I don't) but I just don't feel the need to post about it. Others do. I scroll the best I can, and I avoid places that seem to thrive on constant criticism. That's just my way of enjoying my fandom.

I agree with lucky and lajeterfan. I don't consider myself a Pollyanna, but I don't find a need to post about the things I don't like about Clay. Fortunately, there aren't very many things I don't like, but there certainly are some: I don't care for the blonde hair, and I prefer him without glasses. I think that he sings gorgeously for the most part, but he occasionally sings some notes verrrry harshly. I was just thinking today how my former voice teacher would make him stop every time he sings like that and create a warmer tone to his voice! I thought that the JNT 05 skits were just okay. And there have been other things that I didn't care for, as well, that I don't remember at this point.

But for the most part, I don't post about these things, and this is why: for me, personally, paying attention to and talking about negative things can be depressing. For me, life is a whole lot more enjoyable if I choose to pay attention to things that make me happy. I acknowledge that the less-than-stellar things are there, but since they don't add value to my life, I don't pay attention to them. I'd rather spend my time and energy on things that make me happy. And I'm a whole heck of a lot happier (and more pleasant to be around!) than I was when I paid attention to things I didn't like about my life, myself, people around me, and people like Clay!

I fully respect and support free speech and the opportunity for other people to post their opinions, positive or negative. I just have no need or desire to pay attention to things that don't add value or happiness to my life. So, I may read criticisms of Clay, but I don't have a need to refute them or expend energy being upset about them.

That doesn't mean that I think that I'm right and people who post something they don't like are wrong. It's just the way that we choose to express our fandom is different. Vive la differance! Life would be pretty boring if everyone expressed themselves the same way.

The preceeding part of this post was brought to you by zen-r-us.

My mom's discharged YAY.

Yay, that's good to hear!!!

(yes, I'm behind on everything including Clay... hee!)

Hmmm. Beind Clay? Sounds pretty darn nice. Exactly what are you doing back there???

And thank you for the wonderful Capitol One clack!!

I truly believe there are people in this fandom who want a board where nothing even remotely negative can ever be said, or even thought, about Clay - and from what I understand, there are boards out there for them. I suspect there are fans who want a board where they can criticize Clay 24/7 (and where they EXPECT him to listen because he OWES them his ear) - and I would bet there is a board out there for them too. I want neither. Give me a board where one can talk freely, discuss openly, bitch and moan, throw a few things at each other and then start simultaneous drooling, smutting and changing of one's undergarments, sprnkled with a true appreciation of all the aspects of the man.

Tall order? At one time, to be sure. But now there's this board, which just like Clay, is something to treasure, warts and all. Just take a look around the fandom and you'll know it's true!

CG, I agree. Despite what I just wrote, I don't want an all-positive board, either. It's not fun AT ALL when discussions of any sort are stifled. And obviously, I don't fit in an all-negative board, either. FCA is just right! We can have intelligent conversations and allow each other to express opinions without being offended if we don't feel the same way. And we can have fun, too!! :headbangerf: :thumbup:

I just got a call that one of my friends is being tested to see if her kidney is compatible!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in shock....I had no idea she was even thinking about it.

Talk about a belated Christmas present. (tears of stunned surprise)

Yes!!! I will pray that she's compatible.

And while it is obvious that Clay is certainly aware that some of his fans seem to get their jollies picking him apart strand by strand, I don't think he spends a whole lot of time reading all of the "helpful suggestions" offered to him by his all-knowing fan base. I love the fact that he has said, in effect, "I know that there are those out there who don't like x, y or z that I am doing, but ya know what- I LIKE IT, so I'm gonna keep doing it."

Clay's blog the first night of CITH was a perfect example of this. He was so snarky and cute about it, but in actuality was telling critical fans that he wasn't going to listen to them or care what they were saying about CITH. I LOVE that blog. Clay even poked fun at himself, saying that Christmas isn't the time to grind on a backup singer or tell fart jokes! BWAH!! I love how Clay manages to tell people his views in an uncompromising but tactful and humorous way. What a guy!!

So there are no tongue lovers here?

Uh, no. Not me. The extensive collection of tongue shots on my hard drive are the results of malicious hacking. I swear. No, really. I didn't painstakenly collect them one by one or anything like that. Seriously, THEY.ARE.NOT.MINE. I think they belong to Fake Baby Mama. Truly...

Y'all believe me, right?

Wichita, you say?

ETA: muskifest => :lies:

Lets just say Winter wonderlaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand is mesmerizing

Heeeee - regarding my Wichita Jazzy Medley partial clip - it was the first concert of CITH, so fans had not yet heard the medley arrangements. I didn't know he was going to sing 'Winter Wonderlaaaaaaaaaaand' at that moment, but somehow decided that it would be good to stay zoomed in at that moment. Wow, am I glad I did! Tongue, indeed!

Anyway, Marilyon, I'm glad you like it! And bottle, too, even if you don't admit it.

cindi, I agree that Spamalot fan reviews on opening night are a concern. Fans can be brutally critical! I was shocked to read the horrible reviews after attending the first CITH concert, especially since I enjoyed it so much. Most people changed their tunes once they viewed clack, but we likely won't have much clack of Spamalot. Maybe I'll just stick around FCA, where I know we can be a bit more even-handed.

lucky, what a wonderful Christmas surprise from your kids! You wouldn't happen to have before and after pictures, would you?

I just had a chance to watch boyfriend sing at Capitol One. That's the show I attended, but wow, is it ever nice to see it done up so professionally! I really like how they edited it and put it all together. It really features Clay, but manages to show the skaters a lot, too. I realized after watching WAYDNE that I had that silly grin on my face that I get when I watch Clay. Great way to start the day!

And now, off to the salt mines. Groan. I'd rather stay home and watch clack!

JJ, I'm glad you're safe and warm! Being comfy and warm while watching fresh clack is sure a lot better than stuck in a cold snowbank.

Happy Birthday, Jamar!!

:00000430:

I've been at my Mom's house most of the day, so haven't watched the Skating Show yet. I can't wait to see it!