Couch Tomato

I'm happy that the concerts are starting up finally. I think Clay will soak up the adoration and hopefully it will lift his spirits. And you know what, in the past whenever I've felt worried for him (and that really hasn't happened often) just seeing him in his element has done wonders for me too. Seeing him carry on and be funny and charming during the PETA mess is an example.

Sapphire! Gulp! Gorgeous. I'm always amazed by the talent I find in ClayNation...I love your wallpapers and Invisible's and Betty's and... you know what I'm saying!

OK did a google and found some things... Have You Heard? Clay Aiken launches fan club Fans of ‘American Idol’ star Clay Aiken can now become official members of his fan club. Aiken launched the fan club on his Web site Monday. It costs $29.95 for a one year membership. Fans will receive a letter from Aiken along with an 8x10 photo. They will also receive access to Aiken’s weekly journal. Fans will have a chance to see Aiken perform this summer in his home state. Aiken will perform Friday, Aug. 5 at the Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary at 8 p.m. AFTER 'IDOL,' CLAY AIKEN MEASURES UPBY ALAN SCULLEY CORRESPONDENT For a few select performers, "American Idol'' has become a dream vehicle through which to enter the music business. But the fact is, success on "American Idol'' doesn't guarantee popular contestants a place in mainstream music once they finish their run on the show. Just ask Justin Guarini, who quickly faded from the public eye after finishing second to Kelly Clarkson in the inaugural 2002 season of the hit show. Clay Aiken, who finished second to Ruben Studdard in 2003, embarked on the making of his debut CD, "Measure of a Man,'' knowing he needed to bring more to the table musically than he showed on "American Idol.'' "I think that with "American Idol,' you perform a lot of classic standards stuff, and a lot of times people come out of there wondering, "Will this person have the ability to compete in a mainstream market?'‚'' Aiken said. "I think that's what we were really trying to show with the album. Yeah, I sang "Build Me Up Buttercup' and "Solitaire' and "Mack the Knife' on that show, but that's not all I can do.'' Whether fans see the songs on "Measure of a Man'' as adding a new dimension to the musical personality he established on "American Idol'' may be open to debate. But there's no arguing with the popularity Aiken … who along with Clarkson is a headliner at the upcoming Toms Riverfest event … continues to enjoy. "Measure of a Man'' debuted in the fall of 2003 with first-week sales of 613,000, the second highest total ever behind Snoop Dogg's "Doggy Style'' CD. The record spent two weeks at No. 1, has now topped two million in sales, while its lead single, "Invisible,'' became a major hit. A holiday album Aiken released last fall, "Merry Christmas With Love,'' became the highest-debuting holiday release ever, opening at No. 4 on the Billboard magazine album chart and shipping more than one million copies. It's all an amazing series of events for someone like Aiken, who never saw singing as anything other than a hobby. The 25-year-old native of Raleigh, N. C., was an outgoing kid who first began crooning country tunes he heard around the house when he was all of 16 months old. By age 5, visits to a local Sears store where his mother and stepfather worked would often result in shoppers giving the young Aiken a dollar to get up on counters or on carpet samples and sing. He sang at the Baptist church he attended and, not surprisingly, performed in musicals in high school. But Aiken said he never thought of music for a career, and in fact was in the midst of earning a degree in education when everything changed. During college, he had begun working with autistic children. The mother of a boy Aiken worked with, Diane Bubel, had heard him sing during visits to her home, and she convinced Aiken to audition for "American Idol.'' "I was going to be a teacher,'' Aiken said. "That was my goal in life, to teach and to do that. I had my life planned out until I was 50 years old. I was going to be a teacher and maybe a principal at some point…Music was not in my five, 10, 20-year plan. And so I would have never auditioned had it not been for someone (Bubel) who convinced me to do it.'' Ironically, Aiken failed in his first audition for the Fox network affiliate in Charlotte. But Bubel convinced him to travel to Atlanta where national auditions were held. He made the show and emerged alongside Studdard as a leading contender to win "American Idol.'' In the season finale, viewers voted Studdard the winner by a margin of less than one percent, but Aiken's showing was easily strong enough to earn him his deal with RCA Records. Teaching went on hold, and singing became the priority as Aiken went to work on "Measure of a Man'' with the help of label president and music industry legend Clive Davis and an impressive cast of songwriter/producers that included Desmond Child, Clif Magness (who was a major contributor to Avril Lavigne's debut CD), Rick Nowels (known for his work with Cher) and Steve Morales (familiar to many for his work with Christina Aguilera). Despite the considerable involvement of such heavyweight outside talent, Aiken said he retained a good deal of control over the material that makes up "Measure of a Man.'' "I went in with standards that said, "I don't want to do this, I don't want to do that and I'm OK with doing this,'‚'' Aiken said. "So they played me, like, 15, 16, 20 songs. I said, "I don't like this one. I don't like this one. I do like this one. This is the kind of sound I like. This is what I'm interested in doing.' And we all bought into the same type of vision that I have.'' Aiken, Lachey make special deliveriesThe Associated Press Updated: 2:32 p.m. ET July 22, 2005 NEW YORK - Clay Aiken lurked outside a house, Emmylou Harris stopped by a university, Nick Lachey dropped in on a stranger’s workplace and Moby played with dogs while making special deliveries in honor of online retailer Amazon.com’s 10th anniversary. Over 10 days, 23 Amazon customers received a surprise visit from a celebrity associated with their order. “American Idol” runner-up Aiken dropped off his memoir, “Learning to Sing.” Lachey delivered all three seasons of MTV’s “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica” on DVD, while musicians Moby and Harris showed up with their CDs. The moments were captured on tape and the videos are available to view on Amazon.com. Other celebrities who participated in the surprises included Harrison Ford, Don Cheadle, Jeff Bridges, Minnie Driver, Fat Joe and Michael J. Fox. Says Aiken on his video clip: “It’s very rare that you get to go up and meet fans and especially at their house and surprise them. To come and knock on somebody’s door is kind of a neat experience.”

Just found Kevin Hees photo shoot pics hubba hubba

So I'm being offered a bonus to stay at my current job through the transition period. hmmm... hope my blood pressure can take it but might as well make my JNT money the easy way.

I certainly know what you mean...I have spent enough money on pins that could have been used to pay for a couple of hotel nights. But I'm still enjoying it all. What I'm doing now is buying just the pins that scream out BUY ME NOW...in other words the ones I really love. I have bought about 40 different pins now ...at least 2 of each, sometimes more. So I have pins that I can use to trade to get the ones I don't have. And that's what I'll be conentrating on now. And I really hope to find some of those elusive ones while I'm out and about at the pre and post and concert festivities.

I have to say that the CB post about Diane and a CH post I read today did my heart good! You never know what's going on behind the scenes, what relationships are being built. Sometimes those take TIME to bear fruit. I hope the State Farm thing actually happens now that TBAF has been thrown into chaos. That a letter was the start of this whole thing doesn't surprise me...wouldn't be surprised if there was more than one. What I'd like to see is more people involved in the daily running of the organization. NO FANS. NONE. Fran can't do it all, obviously. She bears the blame for its problems but also gets credit for its successes as far as I'm concerned. I hope TBAF steps away from the galas and turn elsewhere for their fund raising. I'd rather see a benefit concert - just Clay singing, talking about TBAF and its goals...he can do that once a year or every other year and charge $100 or more....or a pay per view type thing. </delusional wishful thinking> That may be a few years down the line but that's what I hope to see in the future. I love some of the intiatives that the fans are involved in, like Wrapping for Inclusion, Fun Centers, etc. So hopefully there will always be that place for us if we so choose to donate of our time.

Can't leave ya'll alone for a few hours! Edited to move my TBAF ramblings to the right thread.

I've decided to sign up for Audible... and DiamondJake I'm going to order The Curious Incident of the Dog in Nighttime. Any other recommendations. I also like who done its and thrillers. I'm a history nut but have those books tended to be good in audio book form? Also, do you miss out on anythign when you buy unabridged or does the story still flow?

I really wish they'd do something for season two alone. While I do have some idols that I like (Kim Locke, Fantasia, Bo), I'm just not intersted in revisiting other seasons.

I'm a sports fanatic but I have to admit hockey is one sport I just can't seem to get by watching. So now you can enlighten me heee. I know I'm about to sound like a "girl" but believe me in football, basketball golf and baseball I could be an announcer! I know what they are trying to do..get the little pucky thing in the net... but I'm always confused by the penalty box. Is that a foul? And how is the time determined? What do Canadians think about that hockey player that went off a few weeks ago..sorry forget his name but he was talking about how much he had given up and berated the fans (not all the fans) about not wanting them in the stadium. Yeah, we got all kinds of coverage of that on our sports radio but rarely do they talk about hockey here unless a local team makes the playoffs.

Thanks for all the info on the framing. I have the perfect solution. I'll build a new house with walls big enough to support my Clay pins habit! Seriously, this is very useful information. And I think I have a few new ideas now to incorporate some Clay photos with the pins...

The first audio book I listened to was...ta tum.... Learning to Sing! And I absolutely LOVED it. Becuase hearing the words come out of his mouth I understood that this wasn't a bitter man drowning in the past. Hmmm... I need to go add this to my ipod! Thanks for the info....I enjoyed hearing Clay read to me so much I will probably try it out with other authors. Edited cuz you can't read an audio book.

Well, my heart breaks for Clay. But I knew this would happen the very day I saw that site go up. Surprised it took so long. And people wonder why he can't get over it and adapt and be all happy in his new life. Maybe it's all the knives sticking in his back. I don't know how this will play out in the media but it will not be good for Clay even if the story goes no further. Because as we can see already this story isn't about a new company with some growing pains it's about Clay Aiken being a thief. The innuendo has already begun. The story will never be about Fran because nobody gives a shit about her but the fans. Even if some intrepid reporter does some research or has it handed to them by some do gooding "fan" the angle will still be CLAY AIKEN because that will sell papers. Fran will be a footnote. Even if she quits, she will be a footnote at the bottom of the article rehashing how Clay Aiken has failed. I know Clay's fans will try to help and I can understand it. They'll respond to articles and try to defend Clay or straighten the record and it will keep the fires of interest burning. But I can't even be upset about that because I know they are doing it out of love. So hugs to Clay. Thanks to Sewell, which is nowhere in this ballpark, I've learned how to sympathize but I can't afford empathy...I can't internalize this situation because the bitterness I feel will take over. So I'll do what I can. And Ansa and I will be donating our little pin profits to TBAF. And then I will scream my ass off for Clay at my concerts to let him know he has my support.

I've been asking myself that for years now. Degree sure looks pretty though...but my answer to that question is ....you become an accountant. ShelleyC - you have a lot of useful skills..you're really going to have to think outside the box but you'll be surprised at what you are qualified to do.

Thanks! I didn't know a new Lincoln Rhyme book was out. I think I've read them all. I love his ticking timebomb style. Wow, I used to read, a lot!

Thanks for the recommendation. I love Don Cheadle and have ever since Picket Fences. He was the only worthwhile thing in Devil in a Red Dress...and I love Denzel...but that movie was Boring with a capital B..except when Don Cheadle was on the screen. If you haven't seen Hotel Rwanda I highly recommend it.

I think I've decided to do some sort of framed presentation with my pins. Anybody doing anything similar? I'm looking for ideas!

Damn Geekette, I wish I read your post YESTERDAY. Yes, my labels were cut off on the left side...some of them, not all..and I spent time writing out the envelop for those. And I learned a whole bunch of other stuff from your post which I'll utilize when I continue with my mailing. Only got about 200 done yesterday. In other words, I only THOUGHT I was organized.

Admin Announcement I'm putting this here because who reads the announcement page...probably nobody!! Please be aware that when you send a PM you need to check the Save in Sent Mail box for it to save to that folder. We are trying to figure out how to make that the default. In the mean time, please check that box to keep a record of a particular PM.

BWAH! Sorry for laughing. You may have fewer day to day obligations but I bet you need more money!