Ansamcw

Good morning everyone!!!

Just found the board again this morning (shhhhhh from work) .... joined just before my computer went kaput .... then i went to Vegas .... still haven't had the energy (or money) to get said computer fixed ... or get my older one up and running with at least the internet!!

Just wanted to drop in though!!!

For those who don't recognize my board name .... i'm from Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canaada. Older (almost retirement age!! Yikes!!! .... single and 99% loving it!! ... and i work in our university library) .... and i'm very very pleasantly plump!!!

Hey christelklein...welcome...hope your computer woes are over soon and you can join the discussion.

WORD couchie...I really don't have any problems with Randy and Simon's reaction to Clay's picture. So many of us have admitted that we thought he looked funny then. Even now...people would make fun of his clothing choices, his hair, his weight etc...and we are his fans. So its just understandable that these people that were hired to be critical..specially Simon that is known to be mean...would react this way. What is important to me is that despite the funny look...and these judges initial prejudice and reluctance...he won them over. They responded to him...NOT just the image or the fact that he is marketable to the right demographic. TO ME...that makes Clay;s success ...all the more sweeter.

I also enjoy the idea that Simon was so wrong about two of the most successful idols...Clay and Kelly...

I think a lot of fans forget that AI is not the Clay Aiken show...so its not designed to just prop him up. These judges are not fans. They are not part of his management team. They were there to be critical...to create drama and controversy.

soulsistah...glad to hear you are feeling better....

((((Wandacleo))))

Great stories all around. I would like to submit a story too...but I am not a very good writer.

Thank you to all of you. I've appreciated your support.

Mom died last night. It's been a very difficult week, but I'm happy that she's at peace. She had a good long life--not many people make it to 98.

Her last words were "I love you" and "you sonofabitch" (when we were turning her to clean her), and that pretty much captured her spirit!

(((((Wandacleo and family))))) so sorry for your loss. She sounds like a very interesting person that had a good long life....This has been a huge strain on you...take care and know we are here for you....

KF...great post WORD...

Yeah I know Christmas can be sucky for some people...and I know it is pretty much commercialized...but as they say don;t throw the baby with the bath water...There is still a lot of good that comes from it. It may not be for everyone, but I do believe Clay is trying to capture its original spirit.

I just hope his hair looks good and his pants fit tightly so I will have something to distract me from these stories.

I'm not religious at all, I don't talk much about it just like I don't talk much about politics because they are both such inflammatory subjects. I respect everyone's beliefs and their rights to state those beliefs. Some of the trouble starts when religion breeds hate as it often does or when people question me because I don't involve myself in religion. Not a subject to debate because it can cause so many hard feelings and it really shouldn't. Differences are differences, pure and simple. I won't get mad at you because you are religious and don't get mad at me because I'm not!!

Very good attitude Toots...thats my philosophy too.

CG...I guess we just agree to disagree as you said you have your filters and I have mine. I do hope you will find a lot to enjoy and distract you with this tour.

Welcome ashleysgram....hope you enjoy it here. Looking forward to getting to know you.

CG ...you are of course entitled to your opinion...but when I read your post the one thing that really strikes me is that you are making a lot of assumptions about Clay and how he feels. I know he said he can't imagine not believing in anything...but I think that is probably something he was dealing with since as he explained in LTS...he kinda lacked exposure to people with different views of faith. But from what I read and how he has conducted himself with people from all walks of life...he seems to be making the effort to respect others faith and even lack of and is being very open minded.

I think as lucky said..he is looking for stories that will fit certain segues to songs he will be singing...and thus he needs certain themes. I also don't think renewed faith necessarily means renewed Christian faith but faith in others. I know I never assumed it was all about God and being Christian, but more about family and our relationships with others.

I really have a hard time accepting your view of Clay in this instance cos to me...the guy you described is not the Clay I got to know. I wouldn't like the guy you described...cos I don;t like preachy guys with superiority complex and quite intolerant. I am almost sure that he would respect you and your beliefs.

(((soulsista))) hope things get better and some Clack would make you feel good.

eta: CG...I also wouldn;t presume that the Church is intolerant of other beliefs. I did read an article on that site about Islam and they were very respectful and they didn;t think Muslims are heathens or that they should be shunned. They simply explained the difference and that they encourage people to reach and a hand of friendship to others of different faith. I am bothered that people assume that this Church is intolerant. Yes they are pro life, they probably think homosexuality is a sin...but that does not mean they are automatically intolerant of others or that they will be bigots.

OK, I know that Bo was sick every break in his finale and they suspected food poisoning, but it really wasn't. I know Clay had food poisoning during the Wildcard results. And he had mint poisoning on Billy Joel. But I did not hear about food poisoning on the finale. I heard exhaustion as they had to learn so many songs and so much choreography, never again repeated in a finale. (man, Clay and Ruben had it the roughest!, So unappreciated by the younger fans)

Gosh darn, I really have to reread LTS.

Oops yeah it was wildcard...hee not reading properly...

Yes he did have food poisoning...he was sick every commercial break I think. Now where did he reveal this to us again??? LTS???

TLS...one of my favorites too.

Its Tuesday and that means time for a new banner!!!

Our banner this week was created by laughn

OMG I loved TITN. Other than my Solitaire defining fandom moment, TITN was it for me. When he came out to sing "his" song, and he got so into it, with the knee bends, and then the wild eyes afterwards, where it looked to me that he was just about jumping out of his skin with excitement.....well, I was toast. Maybe it wasn't a perfect vocal performance, but it was the most exciting thing I'd ever seen. And then the difference between that and the absolute certainty and power of the BOTW performance.....I was a goner.

How can it only be 10:30 am? I feel like I've been at work for 6 hours already. Ugh.

I loved Clays performance that night, but like Muski...I was never enamored with the song. I totally understood why it had a hard time getting played on the radio.

I actually started on Bolt. The early days of Bolt was very interesting because there were a lot of people posting that knew Clay from Raleigh so there were a lot of stories about how he interacted with kids at the Y or people that heard Clay sing in hometown connection. I remember there was someone who said he would usually sing in the last day of camp so there were some parents that looked forward to that. Since Bolt was a board for all kinds of topics...you also got some posters that simply like to be trolls. I think some people would check out the Clay threads because it was the busiest and they came in and bashed Clay and other posters as some form of sport.

I also think that Clay fans sometimes think that Clay is the only one deserving of praise. I was thinking about it earlier today...how would I feel about Clay if I was a Kim fan, or Josh or Trenyce. Clay certainly got a lot of really great reactions from the judges...did they think Clay was getting pimped too? I think that is why there were a lot of Clay bashing, its because on the net...the Clay fans did tend to over run some of the boards. In the end...fans of the different contestants would focus on him because of the intensity of the fans they encounter.

Its really interesting to look back in those days. I know the times I felt Clay was not getting treated right was when Paula gave her reports on ET. I think this is where I first got the idea that TBTP was trying to manipulate the results. But I really didn't think Clay was treated worse by the show.

back to lurking then, because i always mess up and start something.

anyway, I am swooning all over clay on American idol rewind, "Superstar" and "Unchained melody" every time, has got me so fangirly. Clay is so amazing, there inho has never been a contestant like him or will ever be he is unique. Now back to lurking agian.

Tidbit: I join my first board ever,it is a little known Clayboard and i still a member there, in march of 2005.

Aww don;t go lurking soulsista...you were just sharing your own experience and since you were on both side of the fence at one time then you must have different experience than most of us. I think its a very interesting perspective because often times this fandom becomes so Clay centric that we forget that other Idols and their fans had their own share of problems to deal with. Ruben certainly didn't have an easy time of it and some of it is due to the fact that Clay ended up having more success than him. I am always very impressed that Ruben never showed any bitterness towards Clay and always defended him. If there are extreme fans of his that harbour bitterness towards Clay, that is not his fault and certainly not the fault of other Ruben fans that is just enjoying their guy.

I think what is not healthy is the finger pointing and the fault finding, the its them not us mentality. As much as Clay fans want to think we are above it all...we also have our extreme factions.

even though after the fanale and stuff, still a ruben fan back then, I also hate the fact that some of the people were bashing on my hometown , because they though that we were the enimy or something, there is on reason perhaps why i will never go in the archive of all the clay boards dating back in 2003 and 2004 cause of that. i just did not want end up crying.

ETA: I was'nt talking about ruben. I was talking about my hometown. Sorry.

Sorry you had that kind of experience. I think this whole competition just got so contentious that there were pretty extreme reactions all around.

I may be pulling this out of my nether regions, but I vaguely remember Clay talking disparagingly about contestants who were always playing to the cameras while off-stage. He said something to the effect that it was about singing, not being a camera-whore.

Actually, I do remember him saying something about how he realized that the competition started before the voting, in that he knew that how you presented yourself to the cameras off-stage was important because it affected how the audience perceived you. I do recall him expressing some disdain for those who were mouthy or displayed attitude during Hollywood Week. Maybe it's in "Learning to Sing"?

YAY you remembered it too. Yes this is exactly what I meant and why he tried to go below the radar on Hollywood week...it could very well be from LTS...

Um...I've been looking for a forum that sells concert tickets. Do we have such a forum in FCA? I think I may be able to fly into Chicago and catch the last show of the tour and would like a couple of decent tickets for the show before booking flights, hotels, etc. Thanks for any help.

neverlipsync...we have threads for each concerts...maybe you can post there. Hope you get that ticket.

The first time I really thudded over Clay was Diane Warren night...when he came out in that black leather and the cool and confident way he sang that night...GAH!!!

I first thought he was attractive in Wild Card...but after Diane Warren Night...every night he just looked gorgeous to me...

Couchie...I also didn't like disco night. I truly understood what Simon meant cos I thought his choice was a cop out. I didn't think it was really disco and that song just wasn't compelling to me. I also thought the shirt made him look even more scrawny. I never really got the excitement over the pants.

Perma...I love your little gifts...and YUCK statistical analysis...shudder...I hated that during grad school years...

I love AI2 talk...

I do remember Clay saying something about keeping back from the camera during Hollywood...well now he says he was there to work and not to party and I believe he also said something about not wanting to get into the drama early on. I believe he recognized that the camera was looking for controversies and he wasn't going to get into that. So as much as he recognizes the power of the medium, he also knows it can work against a person.

I do believe that more than just the singing talent...Clay definitely has that extra something...that star power...that sets him apart from other people. Unfortunately...this X factor is very hard to define...some people think it is brought about by good looks...or flashy personality. But its really more than that. It really is very rare to find model like beauty combined with great talent making it in the industry. BUT...these record executives who keep wanting to recreate the careers of big stars are looking for formulas...at times the formula works, like in the case of Carrie Underwood. But more often than not...it is artists that set trends or that have something unique to offer who really end up with long lasting and significant careers.

I do believe that Clay was in the maybe group because he was so unique that they saw it as a big risk. That is why Randy called it weird. I think even if Clay didn't go this route he would always be a star with whatever he does. That is why in his audition he had all those people waiting and cheering for him...why in that clip about his sleeping butt...that girl couldn't take her eyes away from him, he just had that strong charisma that was undeniable.

The world is really full of great and talented singers...but not all of them have that star power. Most of them will make a living with their music singing in bars and amusement parks, and cruise ships. I would put the Kim C. and the Corey C. in that category. They can make an impression in first few times you listen to them but that is what the AI format does...it pushes these performers so that they have to go beyond their repertoire of songs they can do really really well. Once their arsenal is done, most of them simply fail to keep the interest of their audience so they bow out pretty early. I also don;t think that every season has a star...winning AI does not mean you are a star...it just means that you lasted longest.

YAY rohdy so how will this work???

I was kinda a Ruben fan in the beginning. Yeah he had breath control problems but I truly loved the tone of his voice and his personality. I can see where the Luther comparison would come from.

Pre AI Clay? I think I would be interested in him if I got to know him. I really like tall skinny guys with fine features and wicked sense of Humor. I had a huge crush on someone like that in my choir. BUT I dont think I would instantly be attracted. Like KAndre...I was easily distracted by obviously pretty guys. But I tire of them easily once the personality is revealed.

The maybe room...somewhere in the back of my mind, I seem to have a recollection that KimL or even Clay said something about them being in the maybe room. This was never officially mentioned in the telecast, they were just the yes rooms and the no room. I think they will be showing the deliberations next week so that mystery will probably be solved.

Hey Claylaughs!!! Welcome....I love both your names. Hope to get to know you better...see you in main sometime...

Bummer. I would have like to have gotten to know them more. Agree that they probably didn't have the physical abilities to make it far, but they look like they would have been a fun team.

yeah but really...pretty much expected.

Did he call the bike a crotch buster

I think so...

the daughter is great at managing her dad...if that was me...we would never get anywhere cos my temper...gosh...

but he sure breaks the stereotype of mild mannered Asian.

I wonder if they can recover from last place...

OMG the grandpa...just let him have it...

I can;t beleive this guy!!! its his daughter that kept them focused and She disappointed him!!!

The poor girl...

OMG...that daughter is a saint!!!!

WOW impressed with the brother sister...hope they don;t burn out...

hee except they chose the wrong task...but they are on their way now

OK I;m here!!!

wow Ron...kettle meet pot...cos you are just rude to these people too. Poor Christina. Did I say he reminded me of my dad?

not now