claytonic

A mother's unconditional love and support at its best.

What do you do when you’re born with two digits on each hand and your legs are amputated at the knees when you’re three?

Well, if you’re Heeah Lee, you become a concert pianist.

She is quite the little pro.

One of the most amazing and moving stories I’ve ever heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOkjLF1qEpM...feature=related

She sings towards the end of this

Lee Hee-ah is a Korean pianist with only two fingers on each hand. The thumb of her left hand does not have any bones. She does not have any limbs below the knee on each foot. Her father was injured in a war and took morphine for 10 years as he was paralysed below the waist. Her mother took motion-sickness pills to deal with carsickness without realizing she was pregnant. These factors may have contributed to Lee's birth defects. Not letting them hold her back, Lee tours the world giving concerts and moving people to tears with her ability to play pieces that would be difficult even for able-bodied pianists.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heeah_lee

Disabled Pianist Lee Hee-ah to Release Her First Album

Lee Hee-ah, 20, a disabled pianist who is making a deep impression on many people around the world by playing the piano despite having only four fingers, will release her first album.

Her album entitled "Hee-ah, a Pianist with Four Fingers" will hit the market around June 20.

The album will feature Lee's favorite classical numbers, such as "Fantaisie Impromptu in C sharp minor, op. 66" and "Waltz No. 10" by Frederic Francois Chopin, "Hungarian Dance" by Johannes Brahms, "Plaisir d'Amour" by Giovanni Battista Martini, "Serenade" by Franz Peter Schubert, and "Piano Concerto No. 21 -- the Second Movement" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The album also features "Amazing Grace," sung by Lee, and "Hee-ah's Song" written by Stephen Moon (Korean name Moon So-yon), a graduate of Seoul National University's Department of Composition who was in charge of producing the album. The recording began three years ago. Only "Hee-ah's Song" was recorded recently, but most of the other numbers, including "Fantaisie Impromptu in C sharp minor, op. 66," were recorded around 2002.

Lee's mother, Woo Kap-sun, 50, said she had originally intended to record her daughter's music in an album not to be sold, but to be kept in Lee's personal archive.

"In fact, I was concerned very much about the sales of the album, because Hee-ah's performing skills naturally fall behind those of normal professional pianists. The album was not designed for my daughter to play music for somebody else, but to represent her inner spiritual world," said Lee's mother.

Lee played with the Thames Philharmonic Orchestra in Britain on June 12. According to her mother, Lee received a standing ovation after playing "Hee-ah's Song" as an encore performance in Britain.

Source:

http://english.kbs.co.kr/society/news/1354631_11773.html

Weird and hilarious but I can believe this really happened, despite the date, because it was on the net BEFORE April 1! !

Paid to do it, but fails to make his friend’s wife pregnant after 72 Attempts

Apr.01, 2009

Paid to make her a baby, but in the end.

A nice story, with surprising end:

In Stuttgart, Germany, a court judge must decide on a case of honorable intentions in a situation where a man hired his neighbor to get his wife pregnant.

It seems that Demetrius Soupolos, 29, and his former beauty queen wife, Traute, wanted a child badly, but Demetrius was told by a doctor that he was sterile.

So, Soupolos, after calming his wife’s protests, hired his neighbor, Frank Maus, 34, to impregnate her. Since Maus was already married and the father of two children, plus looked very much like Soupolos to boot, the plan seemed good.

Soupolos paid Maus $2,500 for the job and for three evenings a week for the next six months, Maus tried desperately, a total of 72 different times, to impregnate Traute.

When his own wife objected, he explained, "I don’t like this any more than you. I’m simply doing it for the money. Try and understand."

When Traute failed to get pregnant after six months, however, Soupolos was not understanding and insisted that Maus have a medical examination, which he did.

The doctor’s announcement that Maus was also sterile shocked everyone except his wife, who was forced to confess that Maus was not the real father of their two children.

Now Soupolos is suing Maus for breach of contract in an effort to get his money back, but Maus refuses to give it up because he said he did not guarantee conception, but only that he would give an honest effort.

http://classicfun.ws/paid-to-do-it-but-fai...mpts/2009/04/01

There are four great religious truths:

1.

Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

2

. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.

3.

Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store.

4.

Jehovah Witnesses do not recognize each other at a Hooters restaurant

(I had to look up "Hooters Restaurant")

ETA:

Can't find 6.48 minutes for this video? Then keep this link for when you need a seriously gut-wrenching laugh to counter a seriously bad day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedd2FiZTqM

TIP:

Stick with it

, don't let the first couple of minutes completely determine the outcome.

Well I do think Clay is being diplomatic and is obviously not going to get drawn into the type of interview that they were looking for.

But I also think that Clay's reality with AI is not the fans reality with AI. Simon Randy Paula and Ryan are the face of AI but they are not all of it. Both Debra Byrd & Micharl Orland have been very supportive of him in the media. Not to mention that

Clay doesn't seem to have the

persecution complex

that many of his fans have for him.

Couldn't agree more, Clay has become extremely media savvy and carries himself in a way that commands respect generally except from those who never did and never will get it. Strange thing to me about Clay is that on the one hand, Clay is completely different to the 'boy' he was on AI in 2003, but on the other hand, he hasn't changed at all. It's a contradiction, I know, but I don't know how else to put it except perhaps that the essence of who he is, is constant.

One thing I've been meaning to say is that when I watched the full series of AI#2 long after everyone else, not for one moment did I even think of Clay as being gay during the series. He just seemed like a regular young man who - to me - looked and seemed young for his 24 years.

I've been mostly AFK and while I've had a few attempts at getting caught up, I've decided there is no way I can! I've mainly been keeping up to date via the daily emails from CANN.

I realize everyone has seen Clay's intro for Tyra etc etc but wonder if everyone has seen this YouTube clip in full ...it is relatively long (14 Minutes) but worth it every minute and the quality is good. What a fabulous intro, my goodness the man has so many feathers in his cap!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2OdLszvM_0

20th Annual GLAAD Media Awards - Clay Aiken Introduces Tyra Banks; Accepts Excellence in Media Award

I've been meaning to address what I said previously (seems like weeks ago now) about believing that if Clay doesn't appear on Idol, it would mean that he wasn't invited. What I meant was that 'all things being equal', i.e. barring personal emergencies (including family of course), I can't see any other reason for Clay not being on Idol if he was invited. Sorry I should have made that clearer.

annabear, sorry to hear about mamabear's cat. But that's a long life.... and what a lucky cat to have been with the bear family for all that time.

ETA: Well silly me... first I post and then I scroll up and see that Liney23 and Merryclay (maybe others too) have already posted that YouTube link I was so taken with.

Clay always just looks beautiful to me--regardless of his face, swelling, hair, etc. etc. I just don't see why it matters to some (tacky) people and journalists so much.

Clay's face will change or it won't.

I don't care.

I totally agree with this. Once someone has entered my heart, they look permanently beautiful to me. I may prefer a different hair color at times but that's just the "frills", and for the most part, frills don't matter.

Another example is my dog... in summer, she gets a crew cut... and some people think I should let her have a more fashionable snip etc but the crew cut is for her comfort because she doesn't like the heat. However, while she may look cuter with a more fashionable look, to me she always looks perfect in every way, every day.

I remember reading Bo's sales went up but his CD was an exclusive with Walmart so I don't know how many were made. Kim more people talked about her dress than her singing. Christain from Project Runway was not very fierce on that one.

I like Ruben but I didn't like that song for the going home theme. The majority of time the sales to go up. That is why most artist try to get on the show.

There have even been times that I contestant has sung a song & the orginal artists take on song starts selling more on itunes.

That is exactly what happened with Hallelujah. It was the winner's single for X Factor 2008, and it went to #1 on the UK Singles charts. Jeff Buckley's version raced up from #30 to #2, even though he'd been dead for more than 11 years. Also, Leonard Cohen's version entered the charts at #36 ... all this movement simply because Hallelujah got massive exposure at the XF finals.

Didn't Clay say something last Spring about Idol? Something in that blog that wasn't a blog, or maybe it was a blog, I don't remember.... but when he was addressing the fans about the reception of OMWH, promotion, radio, etc. Didn't he say something (and please don't hold me responsible for accuracy here, this is a sincere question) along the lines of .... why wouldn't he want to be on the top rated show in the country or something along those lines?

Yes, it was the "not a blog" when so many were wondering why he hadn't been on either AI or DWTS. In the case of AI, TC supposedly asked, but in Clay's words, "the producers decided to move on to other people." Which means they tried last year.

And, at the same time, last season's AI had a good piece on him being in Spamalot. So I don't necessarily think that AI hates him either.

The thing is...I just don't know about his business deals. Not my job, really.

That's the thing ... I have never had the impression that AI 'hated' Clay, and while Clay may not necessarily credit Idol at every interview and while he has not "watched Idol religiously" since 2003, he has, however, periodically acknowledged Idol for his break/start in the business. But I feel sure he also knows that it's a two-way street, and his success story is Idol's success story too. It would make no sense for either of them to alienate the other in any way, certainly not in such an incestuous business where they all know each other and all bump into each other at all the same events. I have always felt that Clay was extremely humble, even at the dizziest height of his popularity and success, and that it's some of his fans who think he is 'above' Idol.

His business plan isn't my responsibility either but we're just having a discussion over whether or not we can/should expect to see him on Idol. It's just part and parcel of being a fan, at the end of the day what we think isn't going to change anything but speculating isn't going to hurt Clay and the angst is "almost" compulsory, n'est-ce pas?

TV Programs: I loved Fawlty Towers , Murphy Brown, Mary Tyler Moore ... gosh too many to pick from. If I had to cite ONE TV program, it would be Roots. It was (for me) the original TV series at a time when there was no VCR. I would have friends come over after work and we all watched it together. There was no way we would go out on the night Roots was being screened, it was a ritual for as long as the series was on.

Sybil Fawlty: Are you still here Basil?

Basil Fawlty: No, I went a few minutes ago dear, but I expect I'll be back shortly.

Every time an artist appears on a show like Idol or Xfactor, their single/album shoots right up the charts. This is true even of artists like Beyonce and Mariah, that is why they jump at the opportunity to appear these shows, despite being established and hugely successful artists themselves.

Not always. Examples--Kimberley Locke and Bo Bice. Neither had albums that had just been released. Kimberley was trying to ignite a new single, and she'd gotten decent radio play before, but nada. Both of them sold a few hundred albums as a result of their appearances.

I think this works best for established stars with hot material at the moment.

Having said all that, I still agree with you that Clay would go on the show if asked.

ETA: Ruben got the "going home" song last year, the one they play at the end of every results show, and an appearance to sing it, and it tanked.

While I'd concede that Clay is not as "big" as Beyonce, I wouldn't compare him with Kimberly and Bo Bice. Neither of them are in his ball-park in terms of success.

I agree--just addressing your generalization that "every time an artist appears...."

Well, I think it would be fair to say "generally" that if a popular artist appears on a show like Idol, it would generate sales to their product. It may not result in huge sales in the current economic climate, but it would definitely generate sales because there are many people who watch and enjoy Idol and buy the music when they KNOW about it but they don't follow the artist around like we do. I have talked to several of those people who tell me they love Clay but they obviously have a life, unlike the rest of us

I honestly don't see any purpose for Clay to be on AI this year...totally agree with

Jamar

..no CD or single to promote (don't think he will be doing any promotion for BOCA)...can't see him being on the show just to promote his guest appearances and not sing. I suppose he could be on as a mentor as some others have done, but that just does not interest me. Kim

You see, I don't see a new album or single promotion as THE reason to be on Idol.

Clay is the ultimate product, and an appearance on Idol would be primarily to promote Clay Aiken. If Clay does not appear on Idol this year, it would mean they did not invite him. There is no way he'd refuse something so valuable, I'd bet my bottom dollar on that.

Every time an artist appears on a show like Idol or Xfactor, their single/album shoots right up the charts. This is true even of artists like Beyonce and Mariah, that is why they jump at the opportunity to appear these shows, despite being established and hugely successful artists themselves.

Not always. Examples--Kimberley Locke and Bo Bice. Neither had albums that had just been released. Kimberley was trying to ignite a new single, and she'd gotten decent radio play before, but nada. Both of them sold a few hundred albums as a result of their appearances.

I think this works best for established stars with hot material at the moment.

Having said all that, I still agree with you that Clay would go on the show if asked.

ETA: Ruben got the "going home" song last year, the one they play at the end of every results show, and an appearance to sing it, and it tanked.

While I'd concede that Clay is not as "big" as Beyonce, I wouldn't compare him with Kimberly and Bo Bice. Neither of them are in his ball-park in terms of success. Whenever Idol talks about their stars, Clay is always mentioned, along with Jennifer Hudson, Kelly, Carrie, Chris D. I NEVER hear about Kim Locke or Bo Bice. Or even Ruben or OTHER winners. Clay has a great album that wasn't really marketed. It still has a chance to pick up some sales although it isn't easy in the current economic climate. Plus the music industry in general has been feeling the pinch for a few years, so even an appearance on Idol won't necessarily mean a huge boost but it will push things along and because of an audience that includes industry people, there are all kinds of possibilities that may arise out of such an exposure, I am thinking TV....

ETA: The Xfactor in the UK has had 5 seasons. They have only produced one star, Leona Lewis, although they are very optimistic about the 2008 winner. Their 2007 winner has just been dropped by the record company.

TIP:

For those who don't know, if you have a teaspoon of lemon juice at the start of your meal, it improves absorption of nutrients. (That's from my doctor who practices nutritional medicine)

Right now, I am trying to find a simple recipe for lime/lemon pickle. Every recipe I have seen on the net so far is too complicated and lists ingredients I have barely heard of.

All I drink except for morning coffee and evening tea is water with lemon or lime juice squeezed into it. But I did read that you should have hot drinks with your meals to prevent plaque buildup. But then again I also read that too much water leads to kidney problems. I just don't know what is good to drink.

I am vowing to go back to counting calories this week. I let the stress of too much to do get to me and eat anything and everything. Our last day for preparing taxes at the library is April 9. With the deadline approaching I am feeling a little less stressed. Now it's all family and friend's returns that I must do at home.

Most of the junk food is gone as well as almost all food. I'll be careful shopping his time.

I've heard the same about not drinking cold liquid with meals and also about too much water being a risk. I intend to get some info on that and will let you know what I find. I think 2 liters of water per day is the standard recommendation. I don't drink enough water although I have it with meals. I know some people who don't drink water AT ALL! All their liquid is soda pop or wine or coffee, etc.

Yeah well. Agree to disagree and all that.

Clay doesn't have a single to shoot up the charts and he appears to have moved on from promoting OMWH. Not to mention that he seems to be at a "recollecting" point in his career. Maybe the timing just isn't right for HIM right now.

There is a lot of history with the split from 19-E and everything that supposedly went on with the AI3 appearance at the time of the split. They may agree at times (like AI5) to work together but I just don't see him ever being treated like the other past contestants on this show. And he made the choice to try to get out of his 19-E contract. He knows he could have played the game their way and still have been beholden to the show. It is what it is. I'm sure he's smart enough to know that too.

And I don't think he's going to tour this year either.

You can just call me Mary Sunshine!

---

eta...I've now officially edited the crap out of this post and will move on to a new post the next time a new thought hits.

When Beyonce performed on X Factor last year, it was to promote her European tour, her new album and new single "If I were a boy", which she performed.

She also performed Listen as a duet with one of the finalists. She wasn't promoting Listen, it was her "old" single from "Dreamgirls, it was chosen by the contestant.

Listen was at #60 on the charts when Beyonce appeared on XFactor.

One week after appearing on XFactor, Listen shot up to #8.

Mentors who have appeared on Idol or Xfactor have benefited from a boost in sales to their old albums.

All I am saying is that IF they invite him, I would eat my hat if he said 'no thanks', especially when he tried to get on last year and couldn't. Exposure on Idol is pure gold.

Jamar, I honestly think Clay is too smart as a businessman to turn down an appearance on Idol.

Well I'm certainly not implying that Clay isn't smart. We just don't know. I think Clay knows what is right for him at this time. I don't think it's always one way or the other. Clay has made plenty of comments in the past about moving on from Idol and he has nothing to promote right now.

Jamar, I honestly wasn't implying that you were implying that Clay isn't smart. I believe that whatever Clay feels about Idol, he also knows that an appearance on such a high rating show is a massive showcase for any artist. He told us that they tried very hard to get an appearance on Idol last year, but it just wasn't possible. OMWH still needs to sell even though it is no longer a new release.

Every time an artist appears on a show like Idol or Xfactor, their single/album shoots right up the charts. This is true even of artists like Beyonce and Mariah, that is why they jump at the opportunity to appear these shows, despite being established and hugely successful artists themselves.

Jamar, I honestly think Clay is too smart as a businessman to turn down an appearance on Idol.

I, for one, became a fan not from watching AI#2 but from watching his guest appearance on AI#3, and i feel there were many more who discovered him that way.

Does anyone feel he will be included this season? I think it would be the BIGGEST INSULT, if he didn't. I would hate them more than I already do!!

Quite honestly, I am amazed they got Jennifer Hudson .. I mean, she doesn't need the exposure because the media glare has been constant because the Oscar, the Grammy and even (sadly) the family tragedy. I wonder if they asked her "very nicely" since she is surely the most celebrated Idol.

I feel sure they would have thought about Clay, he may not have won a Grammy but he's had a remarkable career resulting from the exposure he got from Idol in 2003, so they'd surely want to "brag" about him too. At least that's what I think.

Just got an email from a friend about this:

"

The second taping on Wednesday is the LIVE performance show with special performances by Jennifer Hudson and Ruben Studdard.

On Thursday we are taping the LIVE results show featuring special performances by Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson and Joss Stone!"

WOW, is all I can say.... JHud plus Stevie Wonder and SMOKEY ROBINSON all in the one week!!! Not to forget Ruben and Joss, but heck I just love JHUD and Stevie Wonder and most especially Smokey Robinson, one of the original pillars of Motown...such a superb talent!

Looks like the American Idol people are going all out to regain the audience they once had.

PS Sorry if this has already been posted, I haven't caught up but wanted to post this exciting line-up!

ETA: I've reduced the font size, it wasn't meant to be that large but I had trouble with reducing it then I got distracted with another email....sorry about that but I am always excited about Smokey. Much has been made about Elizabeth Taylor's eyes but Smokey's are way more remarkable.

luckiest1, I've made marmalade using your recipe, but I got somewhat creative and added lime, lemon, pineapple (very little) and fresh ginger. It tastes yummy, the only imperfection is that it is not thick enough but I had decided that it wouldn't matter as I could also use it for a hot drink. (I used to buy a ginger cordial, and there was a variety that also had lime with ginger. Rather than drink it as a cold drink, I'd add boiling water and have it as a hot drink in winter.)

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration. If you have any ideas about how to make it thicker next time, let me know. But otherwise I am really happy with it because the ingredients would read 100% fruit (orange, lemon, lime, pineapple), fresh ginger, sugar.

TIP: For those who don't know, if you have a teaspoon of lemon juice at the start of your meal, it improves absorption of nutrients. (That's from my doctor who practices nutritional medicine)

Right now, I am trying to find a simple recipe for lime/lemon pickle. Every recipe I have seen on the net so far is too complicated and lists ingredients I have barely heard of.

"A hard man is good to find". Mae West

Thanks for the timely tip about freezing avocado. I bought a large quantity today since I need a butter substitute because my doctor told me my cholesterol is too high. Funny how some people think that only overweight people have a problem with cholesterol. I am not overweight but even when I was UNDERweight, I still had a higher than acceptable level and it also surprises others.

Speaking of overweight, my dog is due for her annual needles shortly and I just know the vet is going to frown about the fact that my dog hasn't lost weight! She isn't too bad but when lying down, you can see she needs to lose some weight. It's my fault because I just can't resist giving her a little bit of what I eat, over and above her normal meals. Her food is 100% raw bones + minced chicken, vegetables and oatmeal, i.e. 100% home cooked, no commercial food at all as I just don't trust the dog food industry. A friend of mine was buying the most expensive dog food thinking expensive = the best but gosh, it costs more than the best salmon you can buy, and I still don't trust it!

OH and speaking of avocado and dog food, did you know avocado is toxic to dogs? I had no idea until about 3 years ago.

Well, Liney and Muski and anyone else who looked at that pic of the 16 year old X Factor finalist, apparently the explanation is that the bulge was an Irish flag that he had "stored" down his pants so that he could whip it out for his final song. Sounds like an Irish joke to me, but hilarious!

Am I the only one who's never seen that photoshop before? Hee, me likey.

Nope you are not the only one. Photoshop is scary.. no longer can a picture tell a thousand words because no longer can we readily know if it ever was a real picture...

Regarding AI...I read enough about it to know what everyone else is talking about, and might watch at YouTube clip if someone's performance is particularly buzzworthy. But I don't make a point of watching full episodes. I do find it funny, though, that all the people who watch and

then say "the show is soooooooooo rigged" -- still end up watching the show

. *shrug*Happy Spring Everyone!

Well...now I think I have seen everything...

I was at the supermarket scouring the jars of conserves ... thinking I could get a small jar of a fruit conserve since the only spreads I have for toast are Vegemite, peanut butter and honey....

And lo and behold, a saw a jar filled with completely white contents and the label said "Marshmallow spread". Marshmallow on toast? Marshmallow sandwich?

I walked away and thought... I think I try making that marmalade luckiest1 posted about... I love the fact that it has only 3 ingredients and doesn't have any numbers in brackets to figure out.

Here, at last, is the "Papa's Beautiful Star" VIDEO version of the montage from

hosaa

VIDEO of Papa's Beautiful Star

, thanks to her for letting us know where it is.PS You can hear Poppa clearly in this....

Poor Natasha Richardson. I can't believe she died after what seemed to be such a minor accident! Scary stuff.

claygasm, hey there, great to see your avatar again!! I love it!! A while ago, I sent it off to someone it reminded me of and he loved it too, as I knew he would!

Image Upload failed for jezebe2003.jpg with error: A network error caused your upload to fail. Please try your upload again

This is from the CANN site, which I absolutely love!

I didn't realize that St Patrick's Day was of special significance to ME.... because that is the day in 2004 that I saw and heard Clay Aiken sing for the very first time, and I was blown away to hear him sing one of my old and all-time favorites, Neil Sedaka's Solitaire.

From now on, I will have reason to celebrate St Pat's day, how strange that I have associated the color green with Clay for quite a while now and it is also my favorite color!

ETA: Although I first discovered Clay on 17th March 2004, I was busy with other matters and did not actively get involved in ClayNation, which I wasn't aware of. It was a while later when I came across more and more of his videos that I started searching for a forum but I read LTS long before that, as I was completely surprised that my library had a copy...surprised because the book shops didn't have it although they said they could order it for me...Clay wasn't really a big name here. (Kelly Clarkson was/is well-known here, she performed Ms Independent at the first Aussie Idol. Most people I know, know Clay too but largely because I rave about him! I have asked for his CD at record shops and they don't know who he is, and that was when OMWH was released)

http://www.claynewsnetwork.com/2009/03/16/...ings-solitaire/

Clay Aiken Sings Solitaire

Posted: 17 Mar 2009 12:40 AM PDT

There are times in a person's career that become obvious benchmark events. Some of these events are built up to be career-changing, but some just happen. Most people believe that March 17, 2004 was a defining moment in the career of Clay Aiken.

Season 3 of American Idol was in full swing. The final group of 12 contestants had performed on the first elimination show one night before. Each singer had tried to impress America by singing a song for "Soul Night."

But March 17^th was Results Night and American Idol had invited Clay Aiken, the runner up of Season 2, as their special musical guest.

According to reports at the time, there were many fans who arrived very early in the morning for the 5pm taping. A reporter from KIIS FM came by the line at about 9am to do a man-on-the-street interview with the line-sitters. Someone had called Rick Dees for an on-air contest and they were intrigued that there were so many people lined up so early. They wanted to know what AI3 finalist the people were there to see. They were completely shocked to learn that most of the fans were there for Clay.

At about the half-way mark of the show, Ryan Seacrest announced Clay. He strode onto the stage in a commanding way. He was wearing a black turtleneck and a suit. Instead of standing in front of the judges table, Clay chose to perform at the side of the stage. Clay chose to sing Solitaire as it was being pushed as his new single.

The audience in the studio and watching at home were treated to a wonderful performance. Not only did Clay sing well, he was able to connect with the audience with his eye contact and emotional lyrics. And I doubt anyone will forget the surreal "glory note."

It was reported that Debra Bird was monitoring the show on a TV screen at the front of the audience. As Clay was singing, she smiled widely and seemed very proud. Fred Bronson and Julia DeMato were both a part of the audience that night.

All three of the regular judges were there. One fan reported: "During Clay's song, all three judges seemed to not be paying any attention whatsoever. They were talking among themselves. There was not one minute of interaction between Clay and those judges the entire time Clay was on the stage - not before, during, or after the song."

After his performance, Clay chatted a bit with Ryan Seacrest. Clay said he got a little nervous being in the studio again. He also said that the tour with Kelly was going well. Ryan made sure that the audience knew that Clay's album had gone triple platinum.

The contestants had a chance to ask Clay some questions. The audience laughed when Matt said he was having nightmares about Simon and wanted to know how Clay dealt with that. His response was to focus on the goal and to not let anything get in the way. He also commented that fame is hard when Fantasia asked him if people treated him differently.

At the commercial break, Clay went over to where the contestants were sitting and shook hands and hugged every one of them. Someone from the audience threw up some panties and also a bear for him. It was reported that Clay calmly picked up the panties and casually threw them over to Simon.

"My impression of the whole experience was that Clay is the real superstar here - he is just so far beyond American Idol," reported a fan that was a part of the live audience that night.

It was certainly a night to remember and the entire audience was on their feet and applauding loudly for Clay Aiken, the new pop star.

Please watch the video of Clay singing Solitaire on March 17th, 2004

I've said that I rarely watch current movies but I did watch Slumdog Millionaire. Some seem to think it is a true story but it's a fictional story adapted from the book "Q & A" by Vikas Swarup. I haven't read the book but I believe it is miles better than the movie, but then the book always is.

I have wondered how the little kids in the movie would adjust to life back home in the slums. Here is a story about one of the little boys in Slumdog, looks like his father tried to get some glory by showing off his son but the boy was sick of all the attention. I feel more sorry for the father than the son, simply because the father doesn't know any better, that's the sad part.

http://www.babble.com.au/2009/03/02/slumdo...aten-by-father/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzqzs1rzV8...feature=related

John Denver, signing to The Lord's Prayer. When I was watching this, I could see Clay doing this at a live gig. Actually, I wish there was a universal sign-language, so that people who travel to a completely different country can have the critical basics in communication. I was totally amazed to discover there is no universal sign language, and in fact my friend who told me this (herself a deaf sign language teacher) seemed adamant that it was best the way it is. Does not make sense to me.