claytonic

Wow you have said everything I was thinking all along but didn't have the courage to state in case I got slammed for saying that in fact, the 'truth' is that Clay is not in Jaymes' league. (I had already read a lot about Jaymes, from the time I first heard Clay mention her name as someone special). Class distinction is discrimination, and much more prevalent in old, traditional societies like, say, England, where if you were a carpenter, it would be to "lose face" if your daughter were to marry a butcher's son. While this kind of discrimination may not be as vile and sinister as racism and/or religious arrogance, it is still disgraceful and hinders the progress of the human race. But even in the example given, we can see how attitudes have changed. It looks like Prince William may marry a commoner, her family have absolutely no ties to aristocracy. Once upon a time, nothing less than a princess from europe would have been good enough for a future king of England. Princess Diana was a victim of the tabloids. Once upon a time, the media would not have dared to expose that much sensitive information about a member of the royal family, it would have been hushed up. Now, things are more "equal", no one is safe from the gutter media. My favorite story in support of breaking senseless traditions is this one: A young woman has a certain technique when roasting a chicken. She always cuts off the legs of the chicken, and cooks them in the same pan. Her husband asked her why she did that, and her reply was "that's the right way to do it. My mom always did it that way." One weekend, they were visiting her mother for Sunday lunch, and when the roast chicken was taken out of the oven, true enough, the legs were separate from the rest of the chicken. The son-in-law asked "Mom, why do you cut off the legs, why not just leave them as they are?" Mother-in-law replied, "That's the way my mom always did it, so I followed her way". Hubby couldn't understand this strange tradition. When he got home, he called granny-in-law, and asked her why she cut off the legs of the chicken. "OH.... that's because I only had a small pan, and it was the only way the chicken would fit". By tradition, I mean anything that people like to keep rigid because that's their comfort-zone, rather than thinking outside the box for so many other possibilities. As Clay says, he doesn't feel sorry for children with disabilities, he feels excited about the possibilities and opportunities for them. Now, THAT's thinking outside the box. Clay is special because he is a wonderful, talented human being, not because he is a celebrity. If Clay decided never to sing again, I'd still be a fan of anything else he may sprinkle his magic on.

Thanks so much for posting those pics! What was the occasion, for Jaymes to beon the stage?

You know, it really is outrageous that a solution to the oil issue was not addressed several decades ago. There are several inexpensive alternatives and all it takes is a long term commitment by the government and everyone else concerned with the transport industry. I've been debating this for a long time and have heard every excuse possible. None of it makes sense. The same goes for other forms of cleaner energy. Solar energy makes perfect sense, it's clean, it's free. It will never run out. If we are smart enough to get to the moon, we are surely smart enough as a species to find a solution for a problem that is never going to go away without proactive intervention.

All this talk about addictive computer games... I don't believe you, I don't believe it is possible for you to find the time to feed your addiction plus have enough hours left over to go to work, do your housework, feed yourself, DH and the kids, and every other little thing that takes me forever to do; plus SLEEP!!! Obviously the universe has been lying to me my whole life about only 24 hours in a day ETA: Muski I love your Gandhi quote!

Atinal, thanks for putting a finer point on my point. It is so sad that we are so quick to judge. Anyone seen the movie "A Cry in the Dark"? (Also known as "Evil Angels") The story is a classic example of media frenzy and the public feeding on it. The woman concerned was "different", she didn't fit into society's expectations of how a mother should behave when she has lost an infant under tragic circumstances. That was enough for her to be branded guilty of murder before she was even charged. It is a stark example of how intolerant we are as a society of anything unfamiliar, anything outside our comfort-zone. It is changing for sure, but too slowly. (The book is also worth reading. Oh, and the woman concerned was later found innocent and released from jail. And she found happiness with a much younger man.)

It is interesting that such high emotions have arisen out of discussions based on a two facts that haven't even been officially confirmed by the parties concerned: - That Jaymes Foster is pregnant, by artificial insemination - That Clay Aiken is the father, by sperm donation I have reached a point in my life where my views are based on this question: How does this hurt someone else? If it does not directly hurt another person, then it is no one's business. I have become more and more liberal because I have become more and more open to inclusion. There are so many things that I used to need to have fit into neat boxes with labels on them, but now, what I can't understand, I don't reject... at least not unless it is harmful to humanity. Clay has never done a single thing to hurt me. On the contrary, he has given me so much joy. I will support Clay in every way possible, what he chooses to sing, who he chooses to love and even the color the chooses for his hair, even if my personal choice doesn't match his. Clay will never be able to please everyone, so he might as well please himself.

I soo agree. I am also not surprised about the 'shipping' (see how good I am getting at using FCA'ism?) of Clay and Jaymes. Clay has dropped lots of hints about his friendship with Jaymes, LOTS. And I have never forgotten that YouTube clip of the two of them whispering, i.e. the body language involved . Clearly they are very close, and that vid is an old one. The relationship didn't start just now. Regardless of whether the relationship is just one of extremely close friends or something more, their age shouldn't come into it. If Jaymes were the male and Clay the female in this relationship, no one would make a big deal of it. The one thing all this tells me is that Clay is BIG news. And another thing, these kinds of planned babies are so very wanted that the parents involved go to such extremes to have them. With so many babies born to people who breed like rabbits and don't stop to wonder for one minute about the new life they are creating, I have no problem with the making of this special baby. I would welcome any baby that will be subject to Clay's values. Lucky, lucky baby, and lucky, lucky world to have another 'quality human being' (to quote the host of AYSTAFG after Clay had won $300K for TBAF. I just cannot deny Clay any personal happiness. It doesn't have to 'fit' other people's perception of how he should be happy, it only needs to fit his.

That's because you're a normal human being. It is perfectly normal to want to know the truth, even if the truth isn't our business.

OMG, that is plain ridiculous! It is one thing to have an opinion on how Clay leads his life, but to allow it to affect one's life to the point of not being a fan anymore? It really is not our business beyond having an opinion. Regardless of whether this baby is genetically related to Clay, one thing is for sure, Clay will play a huge role in the baby's life, given his relationship with Jaymes. But I can't see it necessarily reducing the number of tours Clay does because with the new era in the record industry, touring/live gigs is going to be one of the main ways of promoting albums. Unless, of course, he gets a TV Show and we get to see him weekly. But that shouldn't stop him touring, even it is fewer dates than usual. ETA ausdon: I just turned on ET and within 2 minutes, they "announced" the news! I didn't realize the ET episodes we get are so current!!! Good thing I knew in advance, otherwise I might have fainted in shock!

I agree. Why would David Foster remain silent if the reports are preposterous?

Well, Jaymes has been pregnant for 6 months, she wouldn't have been able to hide that for much longer... so I guess it's probably why the news broke. Oh, to be a fly on the wall chez Jaymes Foster right now!!!

I just checked the calendar, it is definitely not April 1st. When I grow up, I wanna be Jaymes Foster!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_quer...mp;search_type= The above link will bring up other clips that include Jaymes. How NICE to note that Jaymes had been trying to "force" him to write! HA! She saw what I saw!! I like her!

The news does NOT lack credibility to me because Clay confirmed his special relationship with Jaymes long ago. PLUS, it makes sense to me that Clay was going to be very choosy who the mother of his child was going to be. Everything Clay does, he does with precision. Remember how much care and thought and planning he put into every performance on Idol? When something is important to Clay, he seems to ensure the outcome is not left to "chance". David Foster will be 59 at the end of this year. Can't find out how much younger Jaymes is. But if it is artificial insemination, that makes sense too since. Lots of people use this method if they have waited long enough for nature to take its course.

I don't know if anyone else has posted this but I can't get through all the pages on this board today. I just HAD to go find this YouTube, which I knew I'd seen last year. The woman who comes up to Clay from behind and whispers in his ear is Jaymes. Check out the body language. I remember thinking when I first saw it, these two are CLOSE, very close. David Foster also mentions "his sister". Clay on David Foster and Friends

Thread title? Off to a meeting......later. Oh good Lord, if that wins, we're back to a thread title that can't be seen publicly at work! Hee. We've all got OPINIONS about things. For example, I actually do like Michael Buble, and have most of his albums. Probably won't travel across the country to see him in concert, but if he came to my area, I would consider it. I know there are just as many out there who don't like him -- doesn't bother me in the slightest. So, when someone says they think Clay's voice is "thin" -- I may not agree with it at all, but I also know it is just their own opinion. It doesn't make it "right or wrong," and yet, that's another thing that makes this world so interesting, our varying opinions. WOW, Clay's voice is anything but thin! But as you say, it's just an opinion! There isn't anything about Clay that I would change other than what I've said previously, that I wish he'd write songs because there is so much depth to him. But I was more than happy with ATDW, covers by Clay are just fine by me, after all, he made it on AI on the strength of the way he delivered covers. Oh and the hair, the hair... I'd like it a little darker... but really, the thing about Clay that I admire most of all is that he's the real deal. He doesn't try to conform just to fit in the crowd, and that's an attractive quality to me. I loathe the sheep mentality, where everyone does what's expected of them and individuality is suppressed. The fact that people are different is what makes them interesting.

TV news bloopers! The first two and a half minutes are hilarious!

It's around $1.50/$1.60 per litre my end of the world. That's over $5.00 per gallon. It's affecting the cost of everything else, especially food.

Kim talking about Clay Aiken on KISS FM This was uploaded today but it's an old one of KLo shortly after she and Clay became EX-room-mates. It's new to me since I've not seen it before. I love it! (hehe his fans are mentioned...)

Clay NOT a musician? Of course he is! He played piano in Spamalot, din'he??? HUH? His resume can now read: singer, whistler, dancer, musician, comedian, nerd, geek, humanitarian. The ONLY thing he can't do is use chopsticks... :lmaosmiley-1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVXljocHD1c Montage with a bunch of funny Clay expressions I've never seen before. The very very end is worth waiting for, when you hear that classic Clay laugh!

These may not make you laugh out loud, but they will make you smile a lot... WHAT LOVE MEANS TO CHILDREN AGE 4 TO 8 YEARS OLD Touching words out of the mouths of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does 'love' mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think: And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

He delivers the work of other renowned songwriters (Paul Simon, Elton John, Neil Sedaka) as well or better than they do. The emotions he puts into songs come from somewhere ...I guess I want him to write because I want to see inside his head!! I feel there is so much in him needing to be expressed. LAA is one of my very favourite songs.. I know he chooses his songs (lyrics) carefully, so in a way he is showing us who he is. But I am "greedy" I want the full Monty!!

As an artist, Clay compares himself to Justin Timberlake, who is considered the coolest of the cool by some (not me) and finds himself not cool. In high school, he never considered himself one of the cool kids and since they had tormented him since grade school, probably doesn't want in the least to be cool. He knows he's going against the stream, but heck, he always has so he's actually comfortable with it, I think. I think we're stuck with it, unless he meets someone who convinces him otherwise. Crossing fingers here!!! I am reading this while listening to "The Real Me." This certainly gives more meaning to the comments being made. Isn't going against the stream considered cool? One thing for sure, he is very comfortable with changing hair color. That shows to me that he is not adverse to change because his hair color choices have been pretty brave and drastic. Love the Scarlett Brad Pitt comment. Like KF, I have also had all the colors available from most of the brands over my lifetime. Sometimes, I suspect that he really does realize that he no longer is nerdy, but has become gorgeous and sexy and is embarrassed to acknowledge that in interviews. The man has enough money to buy a good mirror for God's sake! Maybe we should chip in and buy him one. He has said that he doesn't know why we like his ass, yet he flipped his coat tails during Spamalot to show it to us. The man knows how to work us. He knows his "stuff" is good. I too am crossing my fingers!!!! Well, from LTS, I got the impression that his problem with bullying disappeared when he changed how he felt about himself. I think that was one of the reasons why he wrote the book, to let other nerds etc know that you can change how others feel about you when you change how you feel about yourself. He was a guest on Dr Philgud's show when the topic was about bullying. The impression I also got was it didn't matter about being uncool or nerdy, because that didn't change about him, the only thing that changed was how he felt about himself. The attention from women is a different thing though. Women, being the shallow creatures we are (well, at least as teens), Clay never got the kind of attention regular guys got from girls. From LTS, "It’s ironic to me how women go berserk over Clay now. They never even noticed him before." — Nick Leisey, longtime friend and right-hand man", [ Learning to Sing] I think that when you get to be 23 and largely ignored by the opposite sex, it must be hard to suddenly accept that they are interested for the right reasons, whatever those may be. Think about it.... the only thing that changed after Idol was that he had way more money, had a make-over, and became a celebrity. Otherwise, he was/is still the same person. Why didn't the ladies like him before his money, make-over and celebrity status? Maybe I am reading way too much into it but one of the hard facts of life is that most people operate more favorably under fair-weather conditions. One thing is so glaringly obvious - the people who were important to him before Idol have become much more important to him post-Idol. They represented the people who loved him unconditionally. He has made it clear, the pre-Idol people in his life can call him Clayton. With rare exceptions, everyone else he has met since Idol has to call him Clay. He mentions in LTS: "During the run of the show, I began to get calls from people I had known in school who had never even spoken to me before. People who had ignored me or gossiped about me in the locker room, people who would not have spit in my mouth if my teeth were on fire. Now they were calling me, my mama and my actual friends and talking about how close we had been back in the day. All I could do was laugh. I think the reason why Quiana is so special to him is because she was possibly his first genuine friend in Idol. Long before he was chosen for the semis, she was by his side. On his MySpace friends list, Quiana is positioned second, the only one ahead is Brett. Here they are, rehearsing together in the early days in Hollywood She was his friend when he still looked like a nerd, and no one knew his name except his friends and family. For me, Clay's most attractive qualities are his sensitivity and loyalty. His sensitivity is what puts the right punch in the songs he sings. My only real disappointment in him is that he does not see himself as a song-writer. How can someone of his sensitivity and intelligence not be a song-writer? Anyway, that's my take on Clay, the man.