claytonic

This girl has an amazing voice for her age and I would probably not have ever seen her if I hadn't read about her here. Thanks Lotus, you are welcome! I saw that a number of people in this forum don't like opera, and actually I am not an opera follower either BUT there are a number of beautiful arias that are familiar to people who don't generally go for opera. However, when an unbelievably pure voice like Faryl's comes along, I am utterly spellbound. Hard to believe she is only 12.

H.T.B.A.P.B Jennifer's wedding day was fast approaching. Nothing could dampen her excitement - not even her parent's nasty divorce. Her mother had found the PERFECT dress to wear and would be the best dressed mother-of-the-bride ever! A week later, Jennifer was horrified to learn that her father's new young wife had bought the exact same dress! Jennifer asked her to exchange it, but she refused. 'Absolutely not, I look like a million bucks in this dress, and I'm wearing it,' she replied. Jennifer told her mother who graciously said, 'Never mind sweetheart. I'll get another dress. After all, it's your special day.' A few days later, they went shopping and did find another gorgeous dress. When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer asked her mother, 'Aren't you going to return the other dress? You really don't have another occasion where you could wear it". Her mother just smiled and replied, 'Of course I do, dear. I'm wearing it to the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.' NOW I ASK YOU - IS THERE A WOMAN OUT THERE, ANYWHERE.... WHO.WOULDN'T.ENJOY.THIS.STORY? H.T.B.A.P.B = HOW.TO.BE.A.PERFECT.B*TCH

Speaking of hurt and disappointments, no one is exempt. Olivia Newton-John will be 60 this year, and it must be awfully hard to be her daughter and be 20-something and have a mother who is STILL even prettier than you are. If you are an ONJ fan, this download will expire in a few days. https://download.yousendit.com/F7C1199E284E71CC How sad about George Carlin. He brought so much laughter into our lives. RIP.

I've been so side-tracked by 13 year old Andrew Johnston's talent in Britain's Got Talent (3rd place in final), I somehow missed this 12 year old girl. Faryl Smith's Ave Maria is incredible; she didn't win or even get a podium position (which was an all-male sweep) but many believe SHE should have won. (She won't have Andrew's problem of wondering what her voice is going to sound like when puberty takes control!) a MUST SEE : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlO0ikRPZrc AND I've never heard Simon Cowell rave so much about singer since his abundance of praise for Leona Lewis. Even if you don't like opera, just hear her amazing voice. (Obviously she'll need to get her teeth fixed, like Paul Potts did)

I've been so side-tracked by 13 year old Andrew Johnston's talent in Britain's Got Talent (3rd place in final), I somehow missed this 12 year old girl. Faryl Smith's Ave Maria is incredible; she didn't win or even get a podium position (which was an all-male sweep) but many believe SHE should have won. (She won't have Andrew's problem of wondering what her voice is going to sound like when puberty takes control!) a MUST SEE : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlO0ikRPZrc AND I've never heard Simon Cowell rave so much about singer since his abundance of praise for Leona Lewis. Even if you don't like opera, just hear her amazing voice. (Obviously she'll need to get her teeth fixed, like Paul Potts did)

OK, I took it up with my 'purist' (but denied by her) friend and so she concedes that perhaps Aretha did a great job under the circumstances. Not only is Nessun Dorma very close to her heart but so is correct Italian pronunciation. I guess for her, it drew minor parallels with that Bulgarian Idol wannabe singing Ken Lee.... Hey guys, please check out my latest post to the YouTube thread, especially if you like piano music..... it's a jaw dropper....

OMG do you think this might convert Clay into becoming a feline fan? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM...ature=rec-fresh and the SEQUEL ... OK, if that didn't impress you... Emily Bear will (any relation... Anna ? only kidding)

Although I am a fan (albeit not huge) of Aretha, I liked (not loved) it enough to send to a friend of mine in Oz who sends me anything she comes across about Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson as we both lurve those two. Anyway, I warned her that it wasn't the standard of Paul Potts BUT thought she'd at least find it interesting but to my astonishment, she replied she couldn't even watch it right through; she felt Aretha's accent was all wrong!! As far as I know, she's not an opera purist. Maybe it was the quality of that YT vid but I wasn't expecting such a response from her. Speaking of JHud, have you seen this: On The Set Of Jennifer Hudson's New Music Video http://www.news4jax.com/entertainmenttonig...218/detail.html (Her video at the bottom) This is for KAndre ... This 14 year old won Britain's Got Talent 2008 as a dancer. What do you think? One of the comments posted at YT "There are about a million black guys and kids in the US that can dance better than this him. Did he win cause hes white and girls think hes 'cute'?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-gk7Cid_cM& Personally I prefer the runners-up or Andrew Johnston who came 3rd.

chacha, only JUST got your PM ... it's Saturday afternoon here and I've been outside most of the time, only checking the PC now and then as I was waiting for an email to arrive. Anyway, I don't know why that link didn't work, the same thing happened when I posted that Ken Lee link the first time... even though I tested it. I've updated the link you were trying to access. Sorry I got you so intrigued.. a friend sent me that link. It's mainly just for a hoot:

This brought to mind a book a read many years ago. Death in White Bear Lake by Siegal. Any of you ever read this? Chilling. I just did a search on Death in White Bear Lake ..... how unbelievable that they were allowed to adopt MORE children!! In the case of the 18 month old twins in Brisbane, they were the youngest in a biological family of 6 kids and 2 parents. I don't care how mentally ill the mother was, she was able to get herself out of bed each day and go out to buy food to feed herself. Presumably. the other kids were old enough to find food for themselves (which apparently included asking the neighbors for food). The grandmother is evidently now caring for the remaining 4 kids while the parents are locked up for murder and torture. Where was this grandmother for the last 6 months? The mind boggles. I think it is a sad, SAD reflection on society where people either don't care enough about the welfare of others, or do care and are too afraid to interfere. For me, it's almost as unbelievable as the story about that Austrian* man who locked his daughter in a basement for 24 years and fathered her 7 kids. * Please note, AUSTRIAN is not Australia - believe it or not, there are tons of people that don't know the difference.

Gibby, so glad you like it! BTW I posted the wrong link for the final, well, not the wrong one but this is the better one, it gives a better intro and judges' comments http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es-43w8pAek...feature=related

Here's my recommendation to the wonderful list of must-see talent: Audition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PKRLxwZnok 13 year old Andrew Johnston blows the audience away with Pie Jesu Semi-final: Unbelievable rendition of Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven Final: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es-43w8pAek...feature=related Pie Jesu -He came 3rd but don't let that steer you away from what was missed in the audition... ETA and now for something completely different... EATA and now for something completely, utterly and ridiculously different... (Can you really say you've seen this before???)

Muski Only just read about Carrie ... gosh, you have two opposite-end generations challenging you! It must be hard to be a 13 year old in 2008, there are so many contradictions out there. Sometimes, when there are too many choices, it's harder to make the right ones. I admire your ability to rise above stuff and be as cheerful as you usually are on this board.

WOW thanks for reminding me about this song! I just searched for it on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvTjp7ZUNjQ

3 Clay songs Solitaire (The version on AI#3. This will always be my favourite because this was my first glimpse of Clay performing.) Unchained Melody (The way he did it on Idol.) Bridge Over Troubled Water (The Art Garfunkle version used to be one of my all-time favourites anyway, now Clay's version is the best for me.) 3 non-Clay songs Imagine (John Lennon.... I think the lyrics to this song will always be timeless, although possibly not applicable for life on a desert Island) Cruisin' (Smokey Robinson blows me away) La Vie en Rose (Edith Piaf. Beautiful love song by an amazing singer) Hey, LOVE that idea!

Ansa, at least you are still in your youth! :bday: p.s. sorry if these quotes seem depressing, they are part of my collection of birthday/age quotes from notable people in history.

was "hung her children that she can't feed" Oh dear, bad eyes, bad ears - soon I will just be all bad. . Hey, that's a shocking reality here, for a moment I thought you were referring to a tragic case here. 18 months old twins, a boy and a girl, were found by their eleven year old sister, dead in their cot. They had starved to death. When they were found, they had been dead for about a week. The horror of this story is just unfolding now. The couple has 4 other kids. I feel sick just thinking about it, those poor, poor babies, they were toddlers but weighed as little as newborn babies.. I mean, this is not the third world, if they didn't want those kids SOMEONE would have adopted them. I don't understand this, just can't get past how this could happen in a house full of people (twins +4 other older kids +2 parents and assuming they had relatives or visitors at any time), it would have taken months for those babies to die from starvation.

OK, ITT then ... but I am sure it IS because it now all makes sense to me. While Clay has some old-fashioned values, he's not a cookie-cutter kind of guy; he doesn't follow the flock of sheep that inhabits most civilizations; he's a trailblazer and/or he does what sits comfortably with him and the way I look at it is that most of everything he has done with his life to date has brought joy and inspiration to others. Rather than think about what's wrong, I prefer to think about what's right about the things he does because most of the time, he's absolutely right. (And where I may not agree with him in certain matters, I welcome that difference of opinion as a measure of balance. He may make me think, but he doesn't change my mind on issues that I hold strong.)

Heck, EVERYONE knows he was Victoria Principal's dodgy brother in Dallas ... Absolutely agree. I don't believe anyone can be considered a success in life if they failed in their most important role in life. (I just know our Clay is going to consider his child the most important focus of all. His work ethic, his values and his heart will stand him in good stead as a parent. That Aiken kid is going to make a difference in this world, if his father is anything to go by...)

I don't really like Bob Dylan's voice BUT it's a voice so connected to his beautiful lyrics and so recognizable. I do love some of the covers of his songs but I know some fans who feel no one else can do a Dylan song justice. I am very impressed with some of the members on this board; their ability to analyze a song, its melody and the singer's delivery .... is nothing short of amazing!

:bday2: Couchie!!!!! p.s. Couchie, this is the 21st C, 46 is the new 16....you are now entitled to give cheek and stay out all night....oh, but that also means you are now too young to drink

Too bad Jennifer Grey didn't pay attention.

OMG, Luckiest, it's winter here in Oz and it's gone down to 18 degrees C and that's too cold for moi!!!! And I'm not exaggerating, it has flared up my CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) condition in my left hand and the pain keeps me awake most of the night. No matter how much heat I apply to keep my hand/wrist warm, it seems to make no difference if it's cold outside. I need to move to a warmer climate! Strange how it seems to be under control in summer (usually, but not always) and flares up in winter. But regardless, CTS or not, 9 degrees C is kinda cold in anyone's language!

Exactly. There are so many competent singers around, but they are oh sooo boring! It's the Clay way that snared my attention. I lurve his idiosyncrasies, even the ones that have nothing to do with singing! I get a little annoyed when people diss American Idol since it's BECAUSE of AI that we now have these Clay Aiken masterpieces to listen to forever. I listen to other music, but it's always back to Clay, and now there is so much to choose from.

Well, I am traumatized! I actually have seen some of those pics (about half of them) before, and it never even occurred to me that when he was just Clayton, he was that focussed on his, um, style! I'd like to know who is responsible for his "style" in his much-too-dark and much-too-weird hairdo in that AI#2 official pic at the website. I first saw Clay on AI#3 doing Solitaire, and when I went looking for him at the website, I couldn't believe it was the same person!