Mandler

Sylvie! *waves*

I have a new idea for Clay to use when his next album is released. This afternoon, I came out of class and had a missed call from an unfamiliar number on my phone. When I checked my voicemail, it was the guys from Rascal Flatts chattin' and laughin' and reminding me to buy their album today. Very exciting! I can only imagine how much more exciting it would be to have a call/message from Clay. Hee.

Big props and thanks to those who have been working with the guts of the site and tweaking all the little things. I'm sure it's a big job as well as a maddening one at times. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Hi everyone, it's been awhile. I've been reading but have no time to post. Hope everyone is doing well.

I miss Clay.

I second that. Grad school is kickin' my butt lately.

Happy Celebrations to all those who have had celebrations of any kind! From new iPods to birthdays to anniversaries...that should cover everything, lol.

Is it okay to "quote" a photo, or should I put it in my photobucket first. I know nada about posting of photos etiquette. But, oh my, I could just not resist posting this again! Where was this taken. He is absolutely stunning in this photo.

Pretty sure it was the day of LKL after ATDW was released.

GAH!

That is one of my top-5 favorite pictures of Clay EVER.

Love.love.love.

And throw in some lust.lust.lust.

I have a question - does anyone think there are only 16 Christmas shows, or are there ones not announced yet? (hopefully not in NJ, I can't afford to go to anymore!

Let's see

Nov 26, X, 28, 29, 30

Dec X, 2, X, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, X, 11, 12, 13, X, X, X, X, X, 19, 20, 21, 22

While I accept the single X's, the 5 X's in a row seem unlikely.

He's coming to spend those 5 Xs with me as a birfday present, of course (mine is the 13th, lol).

[/delusion]

So I get back and investigate the poor mighty downfall of Fifty Cent only to discover he sold 659,000 CDs his first week and came in at number 2. WTF.. that's great! Then I look up at number 1 and Kanye sold 930,000. What did I learn from all this? Feuds help Cuz I think this is the best either of them have ever done. And 2 -- spin is everything.

Woah...I hadn't seen those numbers yet. Jeez, what a failure. Spin is definitely the word...

First page of a new thread! Maybe this getting up early stuff isn't all bad!

Happy Birthday, ldyjocelyn!

So you like smiling, laughing Clay, huh? Then these two guys are all yours today!

Does anyone else think it looks like he's kind of squishing the boys in an attempt to maybe scratch an itch?

Just me?

I wondered if maybe something was stuck, or caught up in his boxers and he was trying to shake it loose.

I realize this is a departure from the smut, but day-um...there is something joyous about the way the man laughs and smiles...

On top! And I was trying to avoid the smut...that'll show me!

You know it's bad when you look forward to the work week more than the weekend. Oy.

Waldo? Eh. Sometimes, he just presents himself, you know? Hard not to notice, especially when Clay is almost kneeling in front of you (as happened to me at the W-S IT show). But for the most part, I'm more busy just watching the whole being of Clay. And yes, I do actually watch those around him too on the stage. I like watching the other's reactions to Clay as well.

First...eee! I was in Winston-Salem, too! My first close seat (7th row, I think), and I was in hea.ven. *sigh*

Second, I distinctly remember the first time I noticed anything of a "waldo" sort about Clay. It was shortly after Idol, and I had just joined the boards (TTC at that time). Someone made a remark about "Grease," and I rewatched the video. I still remember the feeling of the lightbulb going off above my head, lol. I'm horribly nonobservant about that sort of thing, though. A board buddy of mine used to literally draw me diagrams when people would be having a fit over a pic and I'd be saying, "But I don't see anything!!"

I have an incredibly hard time comparing tours. I honestly can't do it. I dearly loved the JNT 2004 when I saw it in Atlanta -- I mean, that was the speeding ticket for his friend story, wasn't it? Gosh, now I'm gonna have to look that up. If I remember correctly, that's one of the first times he said "You can never get enough Clay Aiken!" But every show has it's memorable moments, and the same with every tour.

I agree that every tour has its own particular charms and memorable moments, but the NAT will likely always be my favorite. It's completely for selfish reasons. I got to go to more shows that tour than any other, had great luck with tickets, and got a M&G. Plus, he came to Lexington (eee!) and sang STO and SSD, two of my favorite songs.

Now I'm all permagrin-y. Such.good.memories!

Man, there has been some great football on today. That Ky and Lsvl game was really something.

On topic, would like to see Clay in a football jersey now. Those Leno pics are great by the way.

EEEEE!!! First UK win against a Top 10 team since 1977!! And against Looahvull! It doesn't get any sweeter than that! And I don't even like football! lol

Clay in a football jersey? Check!

Just so y'all know, I blame you entirely for the fact that I made a batch of brownies this evening. Oy. Now I have a 9 x 13 pan full of them to resist. If only I had a tall, handsome neighbor with a striking resemblance to Mr. Clay Aiken but lacking his unfortunate chocolate allergy with whom I could share them...

...conjunction junction, what's your function...

Now there's a cover Clay could sing!

I'm kidding...kinda...hee.

New Ph.D. student classmate of mine is named Maryclai (Mary Clay is how it's pronounced)....just a random factoid.

I'll admit to feeling like a bit of an outsider last evening, but then again, I'm an only child/only grandchild, so I'm used to being the "cheese stands alone" gal, lol. I was aware of it, but not all that distressed by it. So just to throw my opinion into the ring, the "adjustment period" to a new board/group is interesting. I realized after I joined that I haven't had to "meet new people" in this fandom (en masse, anyway) since joining my very first message board in 2003. Eeep. That be a long time. It's unsettling and exciting at the same time. And for the record, I didn't think things were at all "bad" last night. I thought the whole thing was handled in a respectful way.

Strong words are bound to attract strong reactions.

Wise words. And it's not as if we're discussing the weather or something equally innocuous. People are invested, and emotions get tangled. I'm a firm believer (even if I haven't/don't always practice(d) it) in waiting to post, editing, and in saying some things to my computer screen or to a friend that never get posted. I don't know how many times there have been things that triggered just too personal of a response, and sometimes I have to check the impulse to share that with the rest of the cyberworld because I know I don't have any good explanation other than "that's how I feel." Granted, that's explanation enough sometimes, but I always question if it's worth the potential angst or can I be happy just complaining to a friend or going for a walk or cranking up the stereo and dealing with it that way? That's just how I personally deal...everyone is different.

In lighter news...saw this at CV:

Has anyone posted this yet? I just saw it at Clay's MySpace. It's new to me! Looks like Jolene from Kimmel. Isn't this the cutest pic?

And the pic...

So cute!

Personally, I don't think we know enough about the situation from either side to make much of a judgment about Clay's or Kim's motives/thoughts/mistakes. All we have is what has been in "print." Yes, his blog had a tone of exasperation/anger to it. I imagine that might come from being deluged with comments/posts from dozens of whiny children calling themselves his fans. And honestly, when I read it, it just seems like he was trying to be very, very clear so that hopefully no one would find "hidden meanings" in his words. I don't get as much of a "pissy" vibe as other people seem to have gotten.

Kim's words, too, have a tone of frustration and anger. Maybe she's pissed at Clay because he didn't want to do the tour, maybe she interpreted his words to mean that she was wrong to have said anything, maybe he told her she was wrong to say anything. None of us knows that. They could have talked. Doesn't mean he or she would be any less upset in their respective comments.

Was the situation seemingly handled in the most mature of ways? Not really. But God help me if every spat I had with a friend was a matter of public consumption and I had hundreds of relatively uninformed onlookers critiquing my every word/action.

I gather Clay is no longer listed as a friend on KL's MySpace page!

Ack! Really? I hope it hasn't come to that.

Good God, this is so junior high school. But friendships aren't...I hope Kim and Clay can meet IN PERSON and work this out between them...if that's what they want to do. And I sure as hell hope that all the experts in every other area of Clay's life---both professional and personal---that lecture and interfere as though it were their manifest destiny will NOT do anything ANYthing to make a difference in whatever their relationship is going to be.

God. Get your OWN fucking lives, people!

Dit.to.

MySpace wars? This is junior high school.

I'm just outraged that she quoted his blog. Rule-breaker!!

*adds Kim's name to the Bad Fan list*

Hee.

In all seriousness, I agree that she didn't address the issue as "professionally" as she could have. Of course, maybe she didn't feel all that "professional" after the last few days. It would have been nice if she could have responded without making it personal, but it's too late for that now.

Whatever.

I just hope this doesn't become some sort of "Idols Feud" story. But I would not be surprised if the fans make it into one. Oy! Just when things were settling down...

I second the Oy.

You know..here's a quetsion I ask myself - would I rather see diva tabloid stories on this or hope and pray nobody showcases the ugly side of the fandom cuz you know it's all been taken in with delight.

Man, I hope this doesn't become one of those stories that would never have been a story without fans drawing attention to it. *sigh*

Whatever. Do you think Ruben is somewhere shaking his head over this and chuckling?

The smart man is keepin' his mouth shut, lol.

Girl, there's a book, "He's Just Not That Into You".

Right back atcha, YSRN.

That know-it-all expert fan is seductive, though. It frustrates and embarrasses me now, but there was a time in this fandom when I was "so gullible" and bought into some BS artist's bill of goods. I guess maybe I was more "Pollyanna" than I realized at the beginning of the fandom, and it didn't immediately occur to me that not everyone loved Clay in the fun way I did. It was beyond my comprehension that someone would go to such lengths and use other people to get what they perceived as "closer" to Clay. I think those sorts of people can sense the vulnerabilities of others. And, unfortunately, my vulnerabilities were exploited. Lesson learned and no permanent (I hope) harm done, but it drives me crazy to see the same thing happen to other people.

It's called being older, but wiser. You learned. What bugs the heck out of me is that some people never learn, or I should say, want to learn. I think they want to be taken in by the BS artist because that way they can still believe the fantasy.

Not to get all lit-geeky, but a few days ago, I came across a line in the Wharton novel I'm reading that really reminded me of, well, humanity in general, but it applies to some of the current fandom conversation, I think. "For weeks it had hung on the edge of consciousness, but he had turned from it with the heart's instinctive clinging to the unrealities by which it lives." (The Custom of the Country) I guess I think that truth is sometimes painful, and in some ways, I empathize with the people who cling to fantasies. At some point - when the fantasy supersedes reality or becomes destructive - it has to stop, however. And when some person with ulterior motives is feeding the destruction, that's just despicable. [/personal rant]

So why this? Why did this cause things to overflow like they did? Because if this was indeed true, this icky reunion tour with Ruben and Kim -- then who would be blamed. Oh yeah, some worked hard to bring this back around to RCA but really, it was weaker than the biggest conspiracy theories of 2006. They would have to blame Clay. They would have to believe that maybe he was not what they so believe he is. The Christmas special, and the JNT05 with the cheesy vingettes, and the loving Mr. Rogers and his mama, and moving back to Raliegh, and hosting Miss America were not anamolies after all. Cuz THIS sounded so like Clay right?

Then there's that investment. 4 years. Money spent. Battles fought. All to show those asshat critics and hatahs that Clay had talent and now he was throwing it all away. And now I would have to find a way to defend him even more. Defend his superior talent. So when we learn it's not true - an outpouring of relief and then anger cuz Kim made us doubt him. It's her fault.

Wish I had more to add, but I just 100% agree with, well, most all of that, but the bolded parts, especially.

OMG, I so agree about the pecking order thing. I have always had a hard time understanding how so many people can be so gullible. To believe every word that comes out of the know it all, expert fans. To a point they refuse to even listen to anybody else when they make a post offering common sense.

That know-it-all expert fan is seductive, though. It frustrates and embarrasses me now, but there was a time in this fandom when I was "so gullible" and bought into some BS artist's bill of goods. I guess maybe I was more "Pollyanna" than I realized at the beginning of the fandom, and it didn't immediately occur to me that not everyone loved Clay in the fun way I did. It was beyond my comprehension that someone would go to such lengths and use other people to get what they perceived as "closer" to Clay. I think those sorts of people can sense the vulnerabilities of others. And, unfortunately, my vulnerabilities were exploited. Lesson learned and no permanent (I hope) harm done, but it drives me crazy to see the same thing happen to other people.

Heh. Think that if Clay goes to his 10 year high school reunion later this month he might manage to drop that little nugget into conversation: "Yeah, when I was having lunch with Tyra in New York a couple of weeks ago, we discussed ______________"? I'm easily amused. "I was just talking about the candidates with Diana Sawyer the other day when I was at the ABC studios, and _________."

lol...I thought that, too. I imagine him calling a bunch of people from high school just to say, "I had lunch with a Supermodel today! What did YOU do?"

As far as when things took a turn for the worse, I can, of course, only speak for myself. The first time I saw what I thought was a really ugly side of the fandom was when the TITN video hit the boards. I just remember all this "policing" going on - people not "allowed" to even speak of it, let alone watch it. And post after post after post sounded like someone speaking "on behalf of Clay" - stuff along the lines of "well, this is what HE would want." And I remember thinking - How in the hell do you know? Sadly, I've had that thought too many times to count since then. That, like other incidents, was one of those that challenged a lot of people's ideas of who Clay is. I've been lucky enough to be a part of boards/groups that tend to take things in stride and not get ruffled feathers, but seeing it elsewhere has always been an experience.

I must say, the Pixel Detectives after boobgate were scary, amusing, and, in a slightly twisted way, impressive all at the same time, lol.

Food, food, food.

I have a confession: I am from southern Kentucky and do not like grits. It's a mouth-feel thing. Eww. If they're cooked really dry and have enough cheese in 'em, I can stand it, but otherwise, no. Also not a fan of country ham (too salty). If not for my sworn allegiance to UK basketball, they would have kicked me out of the state by now.

Chitlins? No

Liver of any kind? No

Brussel sprouts? No

Salmon patties and fried potatoes? Yes!

Pinto beans and corn bread? Yes, yes!

My mom puts salt on jell-o. But only the jell-o from one particular restaurant.

It was about the rampant (hee) hubris that seems to permeate the collective fandom. There is immense pride about the amount we spend on Clay shi stuff, the number of concerts we go to, the amount of clack we collect, the polls we spam and on and on. Some of this may be justified, but there is an underlying neediness to be top, first, best that is disturbing at times. There seems to be a very real inability to let go and not control everything - including other people's feelings, thoughts and musical tastes. (Clayversion, anyone?)

Perhaps it is hubris that gives the fandom the sense of entitlement. The right to chastise Clay for putting on weight, for selecting which audience member to talk to, to decide on his own career path.

I definitely see that. It's where the insane "pecking order" that some people have comes from. The I'm "better" than you, and I "know" Clay better than you, so I can tell you what to do/think/say/etc. mentality. That's also part of the good fan/bad fan name-calling, I think. And to open a real can of worms, the almost...worship...that some people have for those fans with so-called "inside" knowledge. Not gonna lie, I'd love to be Clay's BFF (among other things) and talk on the phone and watch TV together and know all sorts of things. But #1 that's never gonna happen and #2 if it DID happen, I sure as heck wouldn't be posting on a message board about it. Makes me gag when people fawn over those "connected" folks. Ugh.

I also think some of the entitlement is a warped outgrowth of Idol. "We put him where he is so he owes us."

I think there are fans who are happy with Clay being Super Dork or Super Nerd or whatever and forever having a cult-like, not-many-people-get-it following. And I think there are fans who devoutly wish he were Mr. Top 40 and Mr. Hip Singer Guy. And then I think there's the vast gray in the middle. For instance, I don't care if he's ever considered "cool" by radio/MTV/etc. standards, but I would like to get to a point where he's not the whipping boy for every constipated and disgruntled DJ/blogger. Not to fall into comparisons, but you don't hear the same, almost vicious response to Josh Groban or Michael Bublé. They are certainly not considered "cool" or "hip," but for whatever reason, they're allowed to exist in relative peace. Is it because Clay is competing directly with the Top 40 folks? Is it his open criticism of the MTV/BMA/radio world? Is it the so-called law of "nice guys finish last"? I have no idea. But I would like perception of him to change a bit...just not necessarily to the "cool" side of the playground. I'd just like him to stop being the kid who gets pummeled in dodge ball. He may be fine with that, but I'm not. That's not to say I'm right and he's wrong. It's also not to say that he should change anything he does. It's just to say that's how I feel. I have to think it's something like a twisted parent/child relationship, lol. Kid can be slighted in some way and not give it much thought, but the parent is furious. Again, probably not the healthiest feelings to have, but they're feelings nonetheless.

Some fans, however, seem to have trouble reconciling who he is with who they want him to be.

I agree. It's amazing how everything he does can simultaneously "fit" into dozens of different "personas" of him that fans have created.

I agree with the opinions about many fans thinking Clay is not cool enough. My analysis is that there is a LOT of fear of loss involved. If he doesn't do this, we'll lose him (and all that goes with him), if he doesn't look like that, we'll lose him, etc. When people don't trust, they try to control. And, the anomymity of the internet lets them be very vocal about it, unfortunately! I think one of the things Clay is here to do is to bring the message that being yourself is the coolest thing you can do.

Word, word, word. People do and say and act in all sorts of ways they normally wouldn't when they are comfortably ensconced behind a computer. That can be in a very positive way - more outgoing, more confident, etc. - or it can, of course, be quite negative - attacking, judging, bullying, etc.

They are now also discussing ways that Team Clay can go about publically denying this information- as if it is really of that much importance to anyone outside of the fandom- and also trying to decide how we, as Clay's fans, can go about getting the information out there that this was a false story.

Oy.

God, I love that man. Not enough to go to NYC to see Fantasia - unless he's offering to pay my way and let me stay with him - but nearly that much.

I always wonder how the people with the highest levels of angsting/whining/bitching/whatever feel when it turns out to be over nothing. I know when I get that way (far more angsty in my RL than in my Clay life), I feel really stooooooooooopid. Of course, the idealist (or maybe the teacher, I dunno) wonders if some reflection would lead to a better understanding of why the idea of the tour was so distressing and an examination of where those fears (I think most all anger/stress is motivated by fear) come from. Yes, I know I just lapsed into delusion. Moving on...

I still wouldn't be surprised if it was his idea, originally, and after the fiasco the last couple of days, he changed his mind.

That really and truly would sadden me, disgust me, and come perilously close to being my burnt puppies.

I am not remotely interested in a Clay Aiken who bends to the will of some strident fans. Blargh.

I really don't think he'd do that. I think the guy who was a vegetarian for 2 years and walked around with a perm out of stubbornness pretty much stands on his own.

Gah!

The little mustache whiskers kill.me.

*waits for some sort of initiation following her first on-top post*

I trust that some kind soul will identify the show and song in which this likely-fleeting moment took place:

no matter what they say, they seem to hope that Clay will see it and think, "Man! This clearly represents all of my fans who clearly own my ass! Let me obey them forthwith!"

Bah.

Bah²

Craziness.

OMG..OMG...OMG!!!! I KNOW I shouldn't go out and look around but...there is this big "We need to show Clay some TOUGH LOVE" out there now. WTH? He's almost 30 years old...give me a FREAKING break!!! Should we send him to his room without supper, too?

I, frankly, am shocked that there was no follow-up mention of giving him a good spanking. Maybe I've had too much caffeine this a.m....

it's not Clive, but the AI machine that is evil and pulling the strings, forcing him to do this.

So many monsters under the bed. Skeery stuff. lol

So, what does CLay's silence mean to everyone.

1. He is out of the country and knows nothing about the "turmoil" Kim's comments created.

2. He is sitting in Raleigh eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch totally oblivious to the turmoil Kim's comments created.

OR

3. He's typing and retyping his blog so as not to piss anyone off...

Or typing and retyping his blog to carefully construe the secretly coded message that will provide definitive proof for a full range of conspiracy theories. He's probably selecting which words to put in all caps and which commas to put out of place so as to lead his clever fans down the secret path of inside knowledge.

Yeah...definitely too much caffeine this morning.

God bless those Sterling Heights jeans.

Besides his nose looking too long (atinal), and pointy, his upper lip seems too small, and his eyes look sleepy or sedated in a way that is so unlike his usual luminosity. Plus his shoulders in the pic look more narrow than his real very wide ones.

I've always thought those photos looked a little...off. As much as I go to pieces at the reclining one (it's the line of his torso...gah!), I could never get over that...off-ness.

Hope Clay blogs soon or makes his own announcement, so peeps can either get busy saving their dollars or get busy burning their O-fficial Clay Aiken fan club card.

We do have fan club cards, don't we? lol Those of us who actually received the fan packs, that is. I wonder where mine is...

Oh. Speaking of something being off....