liney23

Luckiest... Great recap! Thanks... I like the details, even the one not Clay related, but trip related. Fun! I have been so busy at work and home that I haven't even watched any clack except the songs. Things will be better next week, so that will be my Clay Gala week! I LOVE that the fandom came together to win Christie's Cookies. America's Giving, here we come!!! Fear... is there a website for the Beads for Life? I'm thinking Christmas presents. How do I get them to support NIP?

Are you telling me that some people are issuing their regular ultimatums to Clay again? I don't know whether to or . Are the music industry experts in the fandom sharing their expertise as to the path toward his greater success, and is Clay not playing along with their career plan? Is he again ignoring their pronouncements on the songs he should record? If so, it's definitely a for me. To be sure, I'll always be a fan of Clay Aiken. Can't be sure I'll always be on fan boards, because if FCA ever went away (God forbid), I'd probably confine myself to lurking at the OFC for status reports. I certainly wouldn't associate myself with places that censor some speech while giving wide berth to ripping Clay Aiken to shreds, or boring me to tears with faux authoritarianism over his career choices. There's a difference between expressing honest opinion and grinding the old ax. Oy vey! To be clear, Clay can go on Broadway again, do a talk show, take a recurring role in a TV comedy, record every couple of years and tour occasionally while spending most of his time working with National Inclusion, or blow up to the heighths of all glory with adoring multitudes and paparazzi camped on his front lawn; he can sing classics, new songs, obscure oldies, write all his own material, or never write another song. I'm along for the ride and I appreciate how cool he really is. Not transitory/popular cool, but inner cool. I trust that he knows who he is and what he wants and how to get it. I draw no lines in the sand. I'm not open to disappointments regarding what he does with his singing stardom. I just ask for more recorded music to increase his repertoire and my choices. And I'm going to get it! YAY!!! If others have a limit to what they can listen to and enjoy, that's their deal. I just don't know why we all have to suffer through hearing about it over and over and over again. keeping... thank you for saying this so well. You are right on... I love the man and it's fun to watch where he goes with his life and career. He could be just sittin' on the porch swing and I could watch him for hours. wanda... Yeah that ^^^^^

Motown night? Bluish with stripes IIRC. claycherie... it was the first night of competition, I believe, when he did that sexy little arm movement/finger snapping to one of my fave songs from AI. The bluish stripped one was auctioned last year and was "Someone's Else's Star", country night. clayizzy... Happy Birthday!!! As for the Gala... I cringed a bit when his voice cracked on ALAWH, but other than that, he sounded fine. Not unbelievably fine, but fine considering the week or so he's had. I lost a close friend in August and my brain was in a fog for two weeks afterwards. Even if death is a release and expected, it still takes an adjustment. I think a lot of people were looking forward to the Gala soooo much, since he didn't do a tour last year/this year that their expectations were higher than circumstances allowed for. What he does at the Gala doesn't influence my fandom much at all. For me, it is the fact that he ALWAYS puts on a great show when he tours. Even then he occasionally misses a note or forgets words but the overall effect is a lot of fun and a show I am happy to spend my money on multiple times. I so look forward to the next tour cause he always does some uptempo songs in the concert and he couldn't not do comedy if he tried. That and the company of like-minded Clay fans is all I need, plain and simple!

merrieeee.... I'll do it if you pay my way to the Gala... Lotus....Also, make sure they turned it on for your room and/or gave the the proper code to use to log on. Some hotels have free internet, but you have to have a code they provide you every day.

I'm not going to the Gala either... so take good clack, please!!! I'll meet you guys here, as CH is having a cellcert and I'll want to be on site to read with a silly grin on my face. I put in around 50 email addresses last night that Georgie gave me. I'll try to get the other 50 in tonight. I sure hope we get this $25,000. That would be sooo awesome. Then to win the other contest with the $50,000 prize for just a $10 donation or 3, that would be ultra awesome. Crossing fingers!!!!

couchie... have fun on your not-a-gala trip!!! Interesting post. That was such a shame about Marvin Gaye. Fascinating about his battle with his label. Making money vs making art has always been a battle, unfortunately. I hope Clay's next CD is a nice balance that does both. I'm glad to hear Clay went online. I wonder if he is reading threads about the Gala or if the condolence thread drew him. Which ever, either thread would show the man he is loved and what else matters!

*raises hand* *raises hand, too* That "yonder" slays me every time! S.W.O.O.N. muski... how kewl!!! Who the coach of the other team was... not that Carrie's team lost. The Gala is almost here. It has been a long wait to see him perform again (LV in May). Next Sunday is going to be spent in front of the computer waiting for clack. I'd better get another butt pillow! treenuts.... sawwy bout your niners. I don't have a favorite team, being from LA. I have favorite quarterbacks. I watched Payton Manning yesterday. I like Kurt Warner, but can't watch cause he's too inconsistent. Love Drew Brees and really hope he gets to the SuperBowl this year. Brett Favre is another one I like, but can't watch.

{{{{{{desertrose}}}}}} {{{{{{all those with frail parents}}}}}} {{{{{{Clay and Gramma and Faye and the rest of the Aiken family}}}}}} Happy Thanksgiving Holidays, Claynaians!!! :04:

merrieeee... I pm'd her here at FCA and got multitudinous emails to use by the 15th. Kewl!!! FromClaygary... That American's Giving Challenge... the big prize of $50,000... that would definitely be worth working for. We are in first for that, but 29 days to go. Nice prize!

I barely prefer #2, flat surface or not, muski. LOL ldyj... THANKS!!! This has been soooo much fun every day. I so look forward to it and am going to miss it greatly!!!

Ok... not fair! This is getting h.a.r.d!!! Actually, I was thinking about it the other day and maybe it would be fun to have several category contests, then pit the winner of each against each other. Maybe 32 from each so it doesn't take forever. AI picture contest IT picture contest NAT picture contest TV appearances picture contest Gala picture contest JBT picture contest JNT picture contest Out and about picture contest Then we'd have a final 8 to get to the final winner. I really enjoy starting my day with this contest and don't want to stop... can you tell??? LOL

treenuts.... thanks for bringing that over!!! That just shows the integrity of Clay and Diane and all the people who work at the foundation!!! GREAT bunch of people and now more people will know it. merrieee... Whoohoo!!! We made #1!!! I have some new email addresses to use, so I'm going ahead and do them just in case we have the other charities trying to overcome our lead! Goldarngirl... Happy Belated Birthday!!! So we have Keepingfaith on 10/3, me on 10/4, and Goldarngirl on 10/5. That's quite a string. Anyone today???

girlcanuck... THANK YOU muchly!!! Those are both very heart stimulating and at my advanced age I need that.

These are two of the best of the lot, IMO. Choosing between them is like choosing between... well, two of the best Clay pictures eveh! LOL I picked #2 cause it is just so typically Clay.

Thank you verra verra much! My daughters are taking me to lunch, then I'm driving to my son's for dinner, since he had knee surgery on Thursday and can't come to me. Yesterday, I went to my meditation group and one of my best friends brought a cake and candles, so I got Happy Birthday sung to me and got to blow out candles for the first time in years. It was very pretty... dark chocolate with bright yellow and orange flowers on one side of the top. I teased her pretty badly tho, cause the cake was chocolate and she had forgotten I'm allergic to chocolate. At least my birthday cake didn't add any calories to my diet. My biggest unhappiness of the day, tho.... the Jets/Saints game is not being televised. At least my TIVO says not. The TV honchos missed a ratings bonaza on that one. I support teams based on how much I like the quarterback, and I have liked Drew Brees since he was with San Diego. Mark Sanchez is a doll. Didn't they know it was my birthday??? LOL As a birthday present to you, I'm going to post a new picture I found yesterday and think is gorgeous! And, another fun picture from the same Gala. I love his facial expression.

#1 is a sentamental favorite cause it shows his heart, but #2 is a work of art and a great picture of the entertainer, so... #2 it is.

bottle.... BWAH!!! I think we should subsitute your leaning on the trunk picture for the one in the contest. Just sayin' keepingfaith... I knew there was a reason I liked you.... my birthday is tomorrow... we're both Libras!!!

This is just getting tougher and tougher! Both are great, but the Tyra picture is just soooooo gorgeous!

bottle... BWAH!!! I love all three of those photos of Clay. I hope they make it over the wall!!!

This one was R.E.A.L.L.Y. hard, dang it! #2 has the slight edge for me, tho.

bottle... Um... you can post this combo any ole time you post your Clay on the rocks picture... k?? Yum from both ends of that post! Green sweater... I didn't mind it in the OMWH video with the arms pushed up (on the sweater, not Clay's arms LOL). Other than that I don't care for it. But, then, I loved the grey kangaroo sweater, so what do I know? I don't seem to have that one in my photobucket, but look what I found in my search>>> Here's one of my old favorites... I like this one, too... Everyone likes the red striped shirt/tie from the NAT and I did, too, but this shirt makes me drool...

Karen eh... Good to hear from you! Sure glad your pooch and you are both ok! Scary!!! tree... I'm with you, sistah! You know there are actually people who like that sweater... besides Clay, of course! I wonder if the green sweater haters would band together and buy it just to donate it to a homeless shelter?? couchie... glad to hear there will be another picture contest. I don't remember a single picture from the JNT06 that so many gorgeous pics were posted last week. I'm so excited that the Gala is almost here. Gots to see the man perform. I don't even care what he performs.

#1 is a piece of art... plus merrieeee will leave the fandom if #2 wins the contest and we just can't have that...

Dang it... all this loving both of them is a pain in the patootie! Love the glamour of #1, love the sentiment in #2. Glamour won this time.

merrieeee.... you are totally right. Clay has "IT" in spades. He's just interesting and that's such a plus for his continuing success. He brings hits so people put his name on their sites. This bodes well for the success of any new endevors with Decca, IMHO. couchie... I know what you mean. I do like DF. I especially like how he has always treated Clay. And, the show is in LA twice. And, since Clay would be planned (IIT), he might get at least one more song than last time. But, that's a lot of time and effort for little return, except it would be supportive of Clay and get the pump primed for a solo tour next year after his album drops. Yeah, if it's true, I think I just talked myself into going.