FearofH2O

On one of my emails groups we've been talking about Billy Idol. Since I was basically pretty busy with kids and Girl Scouts and preteens and teens in the 90's, I didn't know a whole lot about him. But I did some youtube research and found that I really actually HAD heard some of his songs, just didn't know it was him!!

To make this Clay-related, there's an interview with Arsenio Hall in which he talks about the pressures of making an image as opposed to being himself.

- that part is around 2:40. He's not bad to look at either!! Rolling Stone cover

I admire any celebrity who "marches to a different drummer" and carves his own niche. And that includes M. Buble!!

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btw - could someone repost, or point me to the new Somalia pictures? I think they were posted last week when I had limited access and I missed them!

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Apparently there's a thread somewhere (the CB?) with a gazillion more mosaics, I got some in email today. here's one of my faves!

Ha! cha cha that is funny. I am very slowly working on cleaning out a closet in the guest room. On one of the shelves I found an old Billy Idol calendar. It's my son's from the eighties. I remember having to take him to a Billy Idol concert in Charlotte as he was too young to drive. Talk about a young demographic, I think I was a novelty to those kids. As my son would always abandon me, I fortunately found a man I knew who had driven his son there so I did have someone to talk to in between songs. Billy and his band were definitely gender benders in matters of dress and makeup.

I still have laryngitis, so since I can't talk I may be a post whore.

From the few people I know in Portland, they either have never heard of Clay or if they followed AI voted for Ruben. That's all I'll say. Fortunately my son's current girlfriend never watched AI and from hearing the cds I played for her thought Clay was a black male singer. I guess if you don't watch him and have no preconceived notions you can hear the Southern and soulfull in his voice.

O/T After going to the dentist for a teeth cleaning on Monday , I developed a sore throat Tuesday afternoon. I still have the sore throat, sore tongue and laryngitist but otherwise I feel fine. I'm wondering if this could be related to my dental visit? Very weird.

djs no storms here. We're too far from the coast but expect storms later this week. I wish it would rain. My garden is pathetic.

O/T - but a tropical storm is heading up the Carolina coasts, and I imagine New Jersey might feel some of that afterwards!

Heeeee.......remember when Emmit Smith won SYTYCD? Small range war between those who felt Mario was technically superior and those who just loved to watch Emmit dancing. (I was an Emmit fan).

Psst! djs it was Dancing with the Stars.

Hey, I'm lucky I remember any tv shows.

It's probably too late but have fun luckiest.

When I got home play warned me to avoid a certain board. Of course curiosity got the better of home . I read one post and got out of there real fast. Honestly, don't people have better things to do with their time? I thought this was supposed to be fun and fun to me isn't fighting.

Last night one of my friends brought her almost eighty year old mom along because she didn't want to stay home alone. During a lull in the conversation her mom brought up how terrible it was that Angelina and Brad were taking bids on their babies pictures. I asked if she knew that they were donating it to a charity. She said yes but wasn't that greedy? Just shows how people spit back what they hear without even thinking.

Turns out that the mom's favorite show is AI as well as the entertainment shows. Hey I used to watch the Apprentice so who am I to talk. Can't stand Trump so i no longer watch it.

We just had lunch at the Culinary Arts Institute (as seen on the Food Network) and are heading out to board a ferry. We'll be meeting up with couchie tomorrow and driving to Santa Cruz.

Have a great evening!!!

Cotton, I found the e-mail but can't find the file itself and the download link has expired. What's the extension of the file? (or anything else I can search by, please? thx!)

I would love to eat at a place like that, however I am really a chicken when it comes to unusual foods. Hope you all have a great time tommorrow.

Okay, this is way too long without a post. What a ya have lives or somethin?

I'm packed (just food, drinks and games) and waiting for my friend to come by and get me. I brought my dvd player with some Clay videos. They always expect that. And they have gone to a few Christmas concerts with me. We'll pig out on pizza, snacks and I'm bringing a pink lemonade cake for dessert.

Hope you all have a great evening.

I'm starting to get into this gym thing although I'd have to go every day for the rest of my life to recoup the amount I've paid in fees over the years while not going.

My new favorite this week is Grace of God..heh. I feel like I keep rediscovering the songs anew. I'm very proud of Clay for this album.

Now I'm going to work.

Does that DO NOT CALL list thingie still work. I am so sick of telemarketers I can just scream. How do I get off all these lists..don't even want to answer my darn phone.

If you have caller ID there is something called privacy director. It was less than a dollar a month. It screens the call and tells you who is calling and gives you the option of hanging up or taking the call. You never have to speak to them. Now I'm switching to cable phone and thats not available. Oh well, but it'll save me $40. a month. :thsmilies-6728:

I always think of going to the gym as just another appointment, like the dentist or getting a haircut. It takes a lot of convincing to make me miss going there. Besides if I exercise I don't feel bad about the dessert I might (probably will) eat at night. Tonight is girl's night out which means pizza and snacks so I'm off to the gym shortly. :28:

jamar, I absolutely agree with your post. I give my kids some criticism but then I point out some dastardly mistake that I have made so they know that I'm no better. Keeps things in perspective.

Scarlett, that's a great picture. Clay is such a real person.

playbiller get your hair cut today. It can't make you feel any worse than getting a year older. :big hug:

Wishing you a highly successful surgery, Ldyjocelyn. :thumbup:

After being out all day visiting a friend in the mountains, it was nice to come back to a UNICEF blog from Clay with pictures. He looks like he had a blast with those kids. And they look so happy to see him. It's amazing how he can communicate with them despite the language barrier.

I doubled my contribution from the last time hoping to make up for those fans who can't forgive Clay (IIT) and as a result punish those kids in Somalia. It's understandable to not be able to afford to donate. But I hope those who threatened this action as a punishment had second thoughts about it after seeing those beautiful children. Grr!

Nice pictures annabear. That last picture is a killer to me.

Whoa! I had a great pat on the back today. At the gym a young (maybe 1/3 my age) woman came up to me and asked if I was a runner. She said I looked like I could do 5K. I asked if that was more than 50 feet because otherwise my answer would be no.

She than said that she told her husband about the woman in the front row who really kicks butt in aerobics class and even works out beforehand. She neglected to say the older woman in the front row. After I got up from the floor where I was kissing her feet, I told her thanks that made my day. You can't pay people to say that or can you?

Have a great day.

Bon appetit Scarlett. I was watching the next food network star.

I'm off to bed. Have a great evening FCAers.

Scarlett, I'm not a great cook but anyway line a souffle bowl with the wafers, make the custard sauce with egg yolks, milk and sugar. Cook in a double boiler slowly. When it thickens but not enough to curdle take off the heat and add vanilla extract. Alternate bananas sliced and the custard sauce. Put cream on each serving.

We like ours warm but its usually served chilled.

The custard recipe I use has 3 or 4 egg yolks, 1/4 c sugar and 2 cups milk.

Cotton, I've never had it with meringue. I wonder if it would hold up as a leftover? My husband makes the pies and lemon meringue and custard are his favorites. When I had our first son, he made a large custard pie and that was what he ate for two days. That plus played golf for two days. Around here they call custard pie, egg pie.

Scarlett

If Clay Aiken were a dessert, would he be key lime pie? Coconut macaroons? Banana cream pudding? LOL!

Definitely Banana pudding. I would make it tonight if only I had vanilla wafers.

Clay is much too complex to be a banana pudding. My lioness can make a banana pudding

I gotta defend my banana pudding. I don't use vanilla pudding mix, I make a custard from scratch and occasionally use lady fingers instead of vanilla wafers. And I put real whipped cream on it. It's rich, flavorful, untraditional yet Southern. Sounds like Clay to me.

But I do like peach cobbler too. :thbighug-1:

Scarlett

If Clay Aiken were a dessert, would he be key lime pie? Coconut macaroons? Banana cream pudding? LOL!

Definitely Banana pudding. I would make it tonight if only I had vanilla wafers.

muskifest, my oldest son lives in Portland. We visited in 2006. One of the fun things we did was got to Multnomah Falls and then the nearby fish hatchery. We stayed a few days at a McMennimen Brothers B&B where they make wine, beer and spirits . They had a few craftsmwn there too. Great food and amazing art on the walls and ceilings.

We hadn't been there since sometime in the ninties so we did the total touristy thing. He graduated from Reed College and other than a few years has lived there most of the time since college. He loves it as he doesn't need a car and can bicycle everywhere.

So did that Afghanistan cd say that it was made in Vancouver or Canada? Mmm! No I won't ship.

Someone sent me this article in an email.

BAF still doing good.

Mr. Fear is reading a book about failed nations. Somalia is right near the top of the list. Something went terribly wrong in many African nations. But I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it was the more progressive nations taking advantage of a more primitive country. We have done our bit: slavery, dropping off our trash, taking some of the natural resources. I wonder if these countries would be better off as monarchies or some other type of centralized government. But since our government can't even take care of its' own disadvantaged people, I wouldn't have much hope in Africa.

We watched a documentary about the lost boys of Sudan, called "God Grew Tired of Us". A fascinating story of bringing some Sudanese boys to the US and how civilization changed them for both good and bad. There is just no easy answer.

So I would think if you donate to UNICEF or another humanitarian agency that works in Somalia, at least some of the citizens would get food and health care until a solution can be found.

ETA: Took me so long to answer playbiller this topic is old hat.

:00003653: :04: Happy Birthday Claygasm :poze: :hb2:

1. Your part in the fandom: how has it evolved? Do you consider it a hobby or an addicition? How much time do you spend on your fandom?

I started out worrying what would happen to Clay. Now I trust that he and his team can handle anything or any barrier in his way. He will have a career as long as he wants one. I would love to be around if he should decide to run for office. I find him extremely interesting. I think it's a hobby to which I'm addicted

2. What would you considered a "blowtorched puppy" -- in other words, what could Clay do that would make you stop being a fan?

Not sure if even anything criminal would chase me away.

3. How do you feel about "shipping Clay?" Why do you feel that way?

I think it's ok as long as there is a real possibility of it being true. I don't do it very often since my sister gets angry with me and then I have to explain what I really meant.

4. How does Clay combat the tabloid media?

By being himself and ignoring the lies.

5. Should Clay be a "superstar?" A "pop star"? An "entertainer?" Or all of the above? Does he really have to choose?

Whatever he'll be will be. Although I enjoy the entertainer quite a bit.

6. How do you feel Clay's voice has evolved over the past 4 years?

He has so much control over it. There are so many inflections which giving meaning to those words. His acting has become so good that he sets the scene and tells a story with each song.

Great job rohdy. Think of all those kids learning just a little bit more than they might otherwise have.

Ambassador Clay is just awe inspiring. I'll probably wait until tomorrow to donate just in case there is a challange specifically for Clay and Somalia. In the first picture it looks like they might be singing and clapping. How many young men look so comfortable with children? Especially those that they cannot communicate with. For Clay--

I agree that Clay is a star justclay12. And it's not only that he has a lot of fans but think of those who have spoken so well of him: Mike Nichols, Eric Idle, Neil Sedaka, Jerry Lewis and others I wish I could remember. Those who take the time to listen and look come away with a new understanding of Clay.

I see boxes too, but I don't think I'll need Chinese characters. I am definitely not a language person. I barely got through Spanish in college in order to graduate.

This reminds me if the movie "The Sixth Sense" where the kid says "I see ghosts."

I guess I'm date challanged too as I tried to break down the dentists door this morning not realizing I was a week early and they are on vacation this week. Argh!

I was thinking that Clay's video part of the CNN/ UNICEF special was filmed when he went to see Hannah's last performance in Spamalot, but didn't he already have brown hair then? I'm so confused and I thought just keeping track of when he wore what shirt was a challange.

Add me to the waiting list to see if there is a Somlia challange by UNICEF. If not I'll donate anyway. I am so amazed at how far a few dollars can be spread out to help so many children. They do seem to do a good job.

Loved the David Foster Gala. I think I made a dvd, I'll have to dig it out. His look reminded me so much of Bobby Darin but he seemed a little vulnerable. He is the man of a thousand faces. I really don't understand why he is not in the movies. He would be a fantastic character actor, which I think is so much more fascinating than a leading man.

I forgot which picture I voted for last night. I'm pretty sure whatever it was I was in the minority. It may have been the Somalia picture which I set up as my desktop. Humanitarian Clay interests me as much as actor/singer Clay.

When I first watched the Kimmel OMWH on my tv set, although it's less than a year old, something sounded a little off. But watching that video, I loved it. Maybe one note was a little bit disconcerting and it was different than the cd but I loved it. It had a little bit more vibrato but not enough to sound like a goat. It was a very touching and emotional version for me.

Build me Up Buttercup was a stand out performance for AI, at least through the second season since i haven't watched since.

ALAWH, I think it's great. Clay really sells it and I can envision him singing it to someone. I don't really care what why means as long as he sings it the way that he does here, especially the why-y-y-y-y-y-y. No way would I ever skip this song.

Maybe it's just me but I always thought Clay had a lilt to his voice that I hear in many older Canadian singers. Could it just be an agility that his voice has? Kind of aerobics for the voice? Or could it be the Jaymes influence? I don't know but I like it a lot.

Claygasm, maybe it feels like ganging up on someone who might be critical of Clay because the majority of poster like to look on the bright side of life. To me it is easier to praise the positive and let the little annoyances go by the wayside. Its just a matter of outlook. Even the people I hired during my career, I would always praise the good things and just explain a better IMO way of doing things that did not please me.

I just had to put in my two cents about the discussion du jour. One of the boards on which I posted had a mod that is a FC believer we now find out. At that time anyone who posted that they disagreed with this particular mod, who of course was in personal discussions with TC, was edited for who knows what reason. Two years later and fake clay and babymomma discovery, its okay to bash that mod. SO now I feel sorry for her What a wimp I am.

I even argued in that OFC thread which turned into a bash Clive fest, that one shouldn't talk about Clay's boss like that. What a blow up that turned out to be.

I like that anyone can post what they like here, within reason. But if one side predominates, I don't understand why the other side has to make numerous posts saying the same thing over and over to make up for the number of fewer posts. Then it becomes arguementative. I guess the boards would not exist if everyone just stated what they thought. I can scroll if I feel something insults Clay or his family. But I would get angry if someone insulted a poster I considered a friend.

I guess I'd better get cooking and cleaning as this day I thought I would rest, instead we have people coming over in the evening.

Congrats claymatron. I've enjoyed your humerous posts over the years.

Happy fourth!