RIFAN

I was just going to say the same thing. Poor guy just can't get it right!! But, he's a nice guy and I hope the musical has been going well for him. (not for "he") Do you think Clay might go and see him while he performs in Greensboro?

I subscribe to Yahoo Alerts for Clay and find that I get the same kind of rubbish. So far about one article in ten has actually been worth reading. Not only that, but I get the same one about five times. I just don't bother to open some of them when I see the source. Have to agree though--the one you just posted does get the "dumb ass" prize so far!!

I found this at the CB, posted on the 24th. I am so baffled. I just don't understand this kind of judgement, from someone who has seen Clay live almost 100 times. How is this judgement possible, against someone who has made a difference in the lives of so many. One thing I've discovered, I love Clay more this week than I did last week, because he made the right decision for the right reasons, and I admire him for it. ETA I left her name there. It appears she had put her full name an a mod edited her post to remove her last name. She sure means business. Sheesh. Very sad and misinformed. She seems to think that he chose to be a homosexual. She apparently has no knowledge of genetics. Does she think that when people are born they get asked which they'd like to be--gay or straight? They don't get to choose this any more than they get to choose whether they are male or female, tall or short, or blond or brunette.

I, too, am sick to death of the lying debate. Time to move on!! Several of us were so upset that we went over and just started posting positive stuff and kept quoting each other and tried to ignore the other crap. But, that board is moving sooo fast, that is was hard to get a word in edgewise. I really feel that an "official" fan club should be there for the purpose of celebrating and promoting and supporting an artist. It seems to me there are many of us that feel that way. It's just too damned bad that a few (who post loudly and frequently) should be allowed to take over the whole board. There must be something that can be done. I am very frustrated with the whole thing and just ignoring the board seems wrong. It's the board that Clay reads and I just hate that he has to read such crap. Our group is going to go back tomorrow and all post at the same time and try to drown out the negativity. It may not solve the problem, but at least we will feel like we are trying. Wish we could do more.

I don't post often on this board, but I do read nearly every day. (Once referred to myself as an "irregular poster" and was offerred prunes, I think--so I won't use that term--yes, I love the humor here, too!) Anyway, I just feel the need to word every single post that I just read on this page. I feel as if I am listening to "the voice of reason" finally!!

Yes, please, please, please!! I'll be at work Thursday and Friday. I LOVE that part. Heeee. I loved that part, too. I listened to OMWH (the album) on the way to work today, and thought that some of the songs could perhaps be interpreted a bit differently now. Of course, OMWH and TRM are examples, but I also think Ashes and Falling have lyrics that have a different twist with this news. I'm still at work, but will post some of the lyrics tonight. Did anybody else have this experience when listening to OMWH today? Absolutely!!! Ashes was playing as I was driving home from school and I just bawled. "Maybe love requires walking through the fire.." He did just walk through the fire for the love of Parker. "So I can rise up from the ashes" And, he will rise up from the ashes. I see a long and bright future for our Clay!!

. Could this also be part 2 of the promotion for the cd? Please let it be happy, happy. I don't ever want to see that look on Clay's face like in the 2006 interview, which I haven't watched since. Edited many times to get the facts right. Hmmm... I think I feel a *cough*cold*cough* coming on later this week... at least for a couple hours on Thurs. & Fri. morning... *achoo* *sniff* Oh, No!!! annabear! I just read your post and I think I may have caught the *cough*cold*cough* from you. I can probably manage to work for the next two days. But gosh, by Thursday I just may be too ill.

I always felt that EIH could be a parent's song to a child. Have not listened to it since the arrival of Parker. Have to say I love ATDW and played it constantly until OMWH was released. Haven't heard it in quite a while--off to go listen now!

I cannot remember where I read this. But, back a couple of months ago someone posted that they had spoken with Kristy at the Golfing for Inclusion last Jan. When they asked about her baby, she told them that she did not have a baby. I have no way of knowing which story is true, but the person who posted did it as a first hand account.

That picture of Clay and Hannah just about did me in. Those bedroom eyes--OH MY!! I got an email last night saying that I had won an autographed copy of OMWH!!! EEEEEEEEEEE!!! Almost didn't enter--figured I had a snowball's chance in hell of winning. Wondering who else has been notified and hoping that someday I will have that same kind of luck with winning a meet & greet.

I was wondering how you could possibly survive without an iPod, because I know how attached you are to yours. I'm glad you got a new one!! {{{Muskifamily}}} I totally understand. A little over a year ago I dropped my "Claypod" on the tile floor and it was beyond repair. I was devasted --it had been my walking companion, my going to sleep companion, my companion while I did paperwork at school, and my housework companion. DH was so sweet--just said no sense in being upset and he got right on line and ordered me a new one. I love the new one. It is a nano and is smaller and holds more songs. I have over 100 Clay songs on it, but lately all I have played is the whole OMWH CD.

Just wanted to say hello!! You may not remember me, but we spoke in line as we were entering the Shubert on May 3 for the afternoon show. You showed me your bracelet with the hippos and explained your screen name to me and I recognized the screen name from CB. My plan had been to go to the afternoon show and take the train and return to RI that evening. However, my travel mates had different plans and we ended up also seeing the evening show and getting back to RI at 3:30 am!! Would I do it again?? In a heartbeat!!! My only regret is that I was not there on May 4 to see Clay on that rooftop. Anyway, welcome to you and all the newbies. I am not a frequent poster, but I do read nearly every day. Hope you are lucky enough to be going back to Spamalot! Right after I posted this, I noticed BettyJean from Hawaii in the post above. Aloha!! Glad to have you here!!

I got the first vote in for thread title!! That is a first for me. It was cool to see the 100%.

Hope you have a blast at the Rod Stewart concert. He was in RI last week and DH had bought tickets last April--floor seats--vera, vera expensive. I couldn't go--had surgery and took longer than expected to heal. So, he brought a good friend and they LOVED it!!!! I got such a kick out of the fact that he kept calling me so I could hear the songs. Made me wonder if Rod's fans have cellcerts like we do. Wondered if somewhere folks were typing in red on message boards. I was disappointed not to go, but only mildly so. Now if that had been a Clay Aiken concert, it would have been a totally different story.

Chardonnay, I am a crying mess after watching the video of "I Will Be Here" and seeing your beautiful daughter dancing with her new husband. Have always thought that it would make the perfect wedding song. They did a wonderful job singing it--was that another daughter singing?--lovely voice-- and two lovely girls. The baby and motorcyle noises added to the enjoyment for me--made it real. And also reminded me of my own DD#2's wedding seven years ago. A motorcyle roared by during one of the readings and you couldn't hear anything. The girl doing the reading later confided that she had been very nervous and was very grateful for the motorcycle noice.

We think is was KYTE in Newport, Oregon that was the station that just played OMWH. He is on their playlist. Apparently it is not a monitored station, but still pretty exciting to actually see him on a playlist. Oh, in case you haven't guessed--I am easy when it comes to Clay. Get pretty excited over any little thing.

Well, this has really generated lots of excitement over at yes.com. The supersleuths are already into Wikipedia to see what station it could be. They are very good at tracking down spins. There are about 30 possibles. Who knew there would be that many stations in the Portland area!!!! We can punch the call letters into a site that will tell us what songs are played. It's gonna take some time, though. God, I really think we could find Osama just like Clay said on Kimmel.

Well, that is great news!! If you can get the call letters of the station, I would like to report this to the yes.com group that is voting. (I have been part of that group for most of the summer since I have been recuperating from foot surgery and have to be off my feet.) I can look the call letters up and add it to our list even if it is not monitored by media base. We are keeping track of all the spins each day--monitored and not monitored. I am going to go over now and tell them about this. They are going to be ecstatic. They are like me--easy when it comes to Clay and we all celebrate every spin over there!! If anyone is so inclined, feel free to join us at yes.com. Just realized that this is my third post today. Hope ya don't regret telling me to be a more "regular" poster.

The comment about being a "regular" did this to me: :lmaosmiley-1: I will try to post more often and not just lurk and read. I do pretty much visit here every day. I post more at CV and also enjoy that board. See some of the same folks here as well. (But, I gotta' say I am just a little skeeered about going back to CH for a while--not a member and can't post there anyway.) Maybe it is just as well that I cannot post there. God knows what I would have said last night--I was just in such an awful state.

I am not a big poster here and not really one of the "regulars," but I just wanted to let you all know how much I enjoy this board and how much it has helped me at times to just come here. Last night I was just so upset about some of the things I was reading on another board--don't ask me why I kept reading--sucker for punishment, I guess. Anyway, I went to bed very upset and woke up still upset. Then I came here this afternoon and saw Playbiller's post with all of the highly appropriate emoticons that just seemed to express my sentiments exactly. I just need to learn to let things roll off my back or scroll more often, I guess. Anyway, thanks to all of you!!! This is a great board!!! And one more thing---I love Clay Aiken. And I think he can be trusted to be in charge of his own career. From where I stand he's done just fine so far without my advice.

I hear it the same way you do, cindilu. I think I saw the lyrics first, but they didn't match what I was hearing- and I do think are makes more sense in the context of the lyric. This is one of the top 3 on the album for me. I think it's clearly an emotional and personal song for him. And I seem to remember Clay saying that it was about celebrity and how important it was to have someone who really knows you, and I also remember him saying that the writer of the song was kind enough to change some of the lyrics for him. Then again, I've been suffering from mom-nesia for years, and am lucky to remember my own name at times, so what do I know?? Oh, wait- here's something I'm SURE of!!! Well this "shadows of shattered dreams" vs. "shadows are shattered dreams" could very well replace the "well, well" vs. "well, now" controversy!! I just played it about 10 times (only for the sake of research) and I definitely hear "are" not "of." So, is it the Aiken Random Lyric Generator, a misprint, an intentional change, or faulty hearing on my part. I leave it to you to decide!

Proud RI teacher responding. I am at an elem. school and we have a wonderful program for children with autism. Funny, though, most teachers in RI feel they get really "slammed" by the local media. In spite of it, we just keep on doing our best.

Just to add to the Jerome stories--(it IS Father's Day and he is a father!) After the SRHP tour in Gilford, NH, we were trying to organize ourselves in case Clay was going to be doing the handshake line. Jerome came along and said, "Single file and no flashes or I pull him from the line!" But, he was not at all mean as he said it--he was grinning the whole time and had on his baseball cap that said, "Line Up." We all just lined up so quietly and quickly and put our cameras away. There was just a feeling of reverence as we whispered and introduced ourselves to each other and waited. Not one of us would have ever risked doing anything that would jeopardize Clay's safety and well being and we sure did not want to cross Jerome!! He was the gentle giant and we all loved Clay and Jerome as well. Later the staff was overheard saying that they had never seen anything like it before. They were talking about the numbers of people in the line, the respect, the organization, and the love. It was my first and only concert line (so far) and an experience that I will never forget.

That's a good question - might explain why I read somewhere that Hannah's last show was this afternoon and not this evening. I think that is a great outlook. Can you explain this yes.com rating thing further? Like what does it do? How does it benefit Clay? I think it's great to spend time doing positive things that could potentially help. I wish I could explain it better. Right now I am trusting the folks there who say it is important. I will try to get more info and bring it here. One thing that happens is that they know when new stations start to play Clay. Here is a new one and they asked me to bring the link to some boards. http://www.mmr247.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/ If anyone here is in that listening area, please request (gently, of course ) They said it is in Monterey (I assume that is Calif.) When there is a spin, those of us logged on to yes.com, give it a "yes" vote. Don't know what that does, just know it feels good!! Also, for some stations, when you get the alert, you can go quickly to the station and stream and rate the song. Again, it is time consuming. Sometimes two hours will go by with no spins. I make the window small and do all of my email and other board reading and just keep my eye on the yes site. We also do some chatting while we wait and teach each other what to do. Right now there are six of us--often there are 14. A great group of helpful and dedicated fans. Hope this as been helpful.

OMG!!!!! I just got promoted from dog walker to body guard. This is BIG, folks!!!! Next thing you know, I'll have an avi!!