claytonic

What do you mean by "just played for drama"? While I realize that almost everything on TV is scripted, I thought that AI was live to air, i.e. not "live" in "real time" but taped live, and then put to air with whatever editing is necessary. Surely the reaction of an eliminated contestant isn't scripted. I can understand Tamyra saying - after the fact...especially years later - that she didn't want to win Idol but surely AT THAT TIME, with all the buzz and momentum and being one of the favourites to win... she surely would have wanted to win, even without knowing anything about what would happen afterwards. I personally found Tamyra a little boring, which may be totally unfair of me to say since i never watched the series, and my opinion is just from snippets I have seen of her. I DID, however, watch AI3 and also found LaToya to be boring, whereas I LOVED LOVED Fantasia as a full package. She oozed personality and had a good dose of humility and humour to balance her serious performing talent. When the 3 divas of 2004 were in the bottom 3, Fantasia found it hysterically funny whereas the other two looked stunned. I couldn't believe that she won by such a small margin over Diana DeGarmo, I had expected Fantasia to have a landslide win. She is still my favourite female Idol. (They sure breed good talent in North Carolina!)

Playbiller, that makes me curious. How did Tamyra reacted to her elimination? I never saw Series 1 except snippets found on YouTube. I do remember seeing Tamyra's audition on YT where she absolutely oozed confidence. I think she would have passed out from shock if she had not been put through to Hollywood! Also, from the Q&A for Series 2, where the top 12 were asked who they thought was going to win Series 1, almost everyone said "Tamyra". (I think Clay said "probably Tamyra".) Since Tamyra herself must have surely thought she would at least get to the Top 2 (apparently, much was made of her talent by the judges), I can't help wondering what her reaction was in interviews afterwards. Was she gracious? I am a little surprised she doesn't really have a career as a recording artist since everyone seemed to think she had such a great voice. Yes indeed, there is more to Idol than just having a great voice. Where Clay is concerned, I think that his early "losses" (Charlotte and Group 2 semi) were a huge blessing in disguise. He was smart enough to use that experience to his benefit. While his "Open Arms" semi was good, VERY good, it paled in comparison to DLTSGDOM, which made everyone sit up. If I had watched Series 2 as it progressed (rather than 5 years later LOL), I would have bet ANY amount of money that Clay would make it to the Top 12 after his Wild Card performance. It became even more obvious that the audience had voted for him when the judges did not pick him as their personal choice; after all, the judges, including SIMON, were blown away by his performance.

So far, I haven't had a chance to watch a single episode of this series... yet I knew that Michael Johns had been eliminated because it was all over the news here in Oz. Apparently, Aussie Mike's emergence inspired two Australian Idol judges to go to LA and London, to seek out and audition Oz talent living abroad.

Hey I'll take a 3 1/2! The last time I complained about cliches, I was told that cliches WORK, that is how they become cliches. i.e. used as a popular way to communicate a point, a feeling, a message. Since then, I've not been so judgemental about the use of cliches and note that when simplicity works, I'll take it.

The reason I don't quite get the fuss over the ATDW covers is because, as atinal pointed out, we did, after all, fall in love with Clay during the Idol competition, where ALL the songs he did were well-known covers. Indeed, contestants are cautioned about doing obscure covers because the audience loves familiar songs. I love most of the songs on ATDW and the few I didn't particularly love, I still liked them because Clay sang them. I just find his take on a well-known song interesting as I love his phrasing. I WANT MY CLAY AIKEN STAMPS WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I do have the stealth Clay Aiken stamps though. Playbiller, perhaps we could make our own 'stamps' of Clay, and place them as stickers on snail-mail. Instead of $0.20c, they could be $priceless or $Pricele$$ or Pricele$$. (Yeah, got the idea from mama Aiken's poster...)

WOW I was blissfully unaware of all this! All I know about ATDW is that I am able to listen some of the most beautiful songs ever written, performed by my favorite singer. The fact that they were previously hits by someone else meant that I knew and loved those songs before ATDW, and I now know and love them even MORE, because they are sung Clay Aiken. That's all that matters to me.

I received this enlightening email today and I just had to share it with you. 6 Truths of Life 1. Did You Know You cannot touch all your teeth with your tongue. scroll down..................... 2. All idiots, after reading the first truth, will try it. 3. The first truth is a lie. 4. You're smiling now because you're an idiot. 5. You soon will forward this to another idiot. 6. There's still a stupid smile on your face. Sorry about this...I'm an idiot and I needed company... :-)

"Elvis" has been mentioned quite a bit in relation to Clay. The first time - I think - was during a promo tour of Idol, when he was in the Top 2? (Not sure at what stage of the competion, I just know it was BEFORE the Finale). He's a completely different artist (his hip movements not quite up to the Elvis standard lol) but he sure can move people the way Elvis did, in an exceptional way.

Cha Cha, check your PM. (I have only just seen your post. I know ausdon's last name)

OK, I checked. According to his Resume in LTS...

I hate to say it, but it looks to me like the roots of his hair are verra verra -- ummmm -- light. I don't think it's a case of a "grey hair". I also want to say, "not that there's anything wrong with that!" Does anyone have a pic that shows Clay with his REAL hair color? I thought we saw his natural hair color at the early auditions but then I am now under the impression his natural hair color is red. So I have no clue. But I'd like to know!

I'm scared of your mom, annabear!! Speaking of moms.... WHY DID GOD MAKE MOMS? Answers given by 2nd graders when asked the following questions: Why did God make mothers? 1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is. 2. Mostly to clean the house. 3. To help us out of there when we were getting born. How did God make mothers? 1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. 2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring. 3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts. What ingredients are mothers made of ? 1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean. 2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think. Why did God give you your mother and not some other mum? 1. We're related. 2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mums like me. What kind of little girl was your mum? 1. My Mum has always been my mum and none of that other stuff. 2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy. 3. They say she used to be nice. What did mum need to know about dad before she married him? 1. His last name. 2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? 3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores? Why did your mum marry your dad? 1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot. 2. She got too old to do anything else with him. 3. My grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on. Who's the boss at your house? 1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball. 2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed. 3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad. What's the difference between mums & dads? 1. Mums work at work and work at home, and dads just go to work at work. 2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them 3. Dads are taller & stronger, but mums have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's. 4. Mums have magic; they make you feel better without medicine. What does your mum do in her spare time? 1. Mothers don't do spare time. 2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long. What would it take to make your mum perfect? 1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery. 2. Dye it. You know her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue. If you could change one thing about your mum, what would it be? 1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that. 2. I'd make my mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me. 3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

I am sure this will happen, it will be the perfect platform for his many talents. The Clay Aiken Show, and he will sing a song and interview Tyra and Diane Sawyer, teach them how to dance and ask them what their favorite color is. All kidding aside, I am almost certain this will happen. And thank goodness for the internet otherwise I'd have to move to the US of A. :20: ETA I've been voting at http://votenumber1.com/voteamericanidol.html So, just four names - Kelly, Carrie, Chris and Clay. Are they the most successful Idol contestants of all? Or are they listed as the top 2 females and top two males?

I can't wait for the whole CD album now... You know, I was thinking..... I wonder if CD sales would be boosted if there was a piece of merchandise that is comes with the CD, say a pin or unisex style of long scarf with the CD front cover printed on one side, and the back cover or something else printed on the other side. I once had an idea of a scarf with the theatrical Comedy/Tragedy mask on each side of the scarf, that's why it came to mind. Anyway, imagine the next live gig of Clay doing his new songs and his audience is made up of members wearing such a scarf, all showing that they bought the CD. (Yes it would cost more but I am sure most people would happily pay an extra $10 to get a piece of merchandise that came especially for the launch of a new album.) OK, I am dreaming out loud since it isn't easy for me to even be at such a concert.... LOL, it's a loonnnnggg swim! ... right now... back to listening to OMWH ...

FYI.... I've just discovered that the reason I could not access the song at popeater.com was because of my IP address, NOT because of my dialup. So for anyone outside the USA, you might have that problem as well.

Quite honestly, I doubt many people would have even KNOWN about this if they hadn't made such a big deal of it. I truly couldn't get over it, i.e. that such a fanfare was made out of something I truly didn't even notice until it was pointed out. Yes, it's hard to believe that Corey made it all up about Pawler and I agree, she makes me go "what the ...?" at times but he's a cad through and through because if she really helped him that much, then what a way to stab her in the back. That's the part I don't like. Pawler is Pawler, she has her weaknesses (have you read LaToya Jackson's autobiography??) and she's part and parcel of the whole nasty Hollywood scene, but even she didn't deserve to be betrayed that way.

AT LAST! I have just listened to OMWH several times and I just love it!! my oh my... I realize there are other good singers around but I can only listen to one song at a time and I know whose song I want on repeat on my MP3 and blaring out of my speakers! :00000441: Thank you so much to everyone who PM'd me and emailed me when I whined about my (temporary) dial-up dilema, with MP3 files and download links. You guys are just THE BEST!!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I can't get it going either, but then I've spent the last 9 days back in the dark ages of dial-up. The process of upgrading to a higher dsl level involved first being thrown back into dial-up for up to 2 weeks. I've been slowly slowly pulling out my hair but now that the countdown is at 'light at the end of the tunnel' stage, I am getting excited about downloading the current Idol episodes since I've not watched a single one of them and it is frustrating not knowing what you guys are talking about! It is just amazing how much we take for granted, I honestly can't believe I lived with dialup for the first few years.

Thanks Couch! I've been dying to see the lyrics, and now I can understand why he chose this song.

Yes, I was so moved by it that I thought I'd include it in my siggy just for a couple of days. It's a bit long for a siggy but I felt it deserves the space. It is proof that Clay's sensitivity towards other people's suffering has always been a part of who he is. For me, it's not just about the voice, it's also about how he captures our soul even when he's not singing.

Oh really, Frenchie got involved? Darn, they left that out of the REWIND! What's TPTB? But lilyshine, you're right of course. Television is an illusion. They show you what they want you to see, and what they want you to see is stuff you'll talk about at the watercooler - just as we are doing lol - so that it generates interest and therefore big bucks from the advertizers. C'est la vie. It's fun, as long as I'm not the one they are calling a b****..... (it rhymes with "witch", thanks KimC). I'm a little surprised that they brought back Corey for REWIND, after his disgusting attempt to discredit and shame Pawler. Oh heck, that's part of ratings too, so I'm NOT suprised after all....

He doesn't look like he's dressed for the cold! That's a good thing, I'm thinking of poor ausdon who comes from an ultra warm climate and who's about to descend on NYC...

EXACTLY!!! I had watched all of Clay's individual performances either via YouTube or Clack Unlimited BUT (thanks to KAndre) watching those performances within the context of the competition made them so much more meaningful and enjoyable. They truly showed Clay as a standout on the verge of superstardom.

Reading the recent posts in this thread, I am reminded of a YouTube video I watched of Clay in concert... and he was about to walk in amongst the audience but before he did so, he said something along the lines of "you know, when I see my family, they don't rush to hug me. And all of you are like family, so ..... " . Clearly, he wanted to be able to walk into the audience singing without anyone jumping up and wanting to hug him. When you think about it, his fans ARE like family...after all, he didn't choose the people in his family and he didn't choose the people in his fandom. (Oh and if I remember correctly, his request for his audience "family" to NOT hug him worked like a charm - only one woman stood up and wanted a hug and he handled it beautifully. Clay is becoming an expert at handling his fans.) I guess what I am trying to say is that like family, just because we love him, it doesn't mean we are a perfect family member, or a perfect fan. We're all human.

Maybe it was her overall package that I was not impressed with. I didn't like the way she dressed and especially the way she walked. And yes, she looked very awkward when she was performing. She had a beautiful smile though. But it was her whiney-ness with the conflict/misunderstanding that turned me off. She was very naive, and so was her sister.