YSRN

Yep. Me too. Clay CAME from Idol as sure as he came from North Carolina. It's part of the package we get when we get him. We (and he) are lucky that Idol has grown and been more and more successful each year. Every minute that show stays on air building up audience membership, Clay makes a few more bucks and a few more people are aware of him and what being from Idol really means. If that show had petered out in AI3 or something... it would be a totally different picture.

Bwah! No shit, huh? A little bit overinvested, ya think? To be fair though, I try to remember that the fans around me have all come from TOTALLY different walks of life. There's a huge difference to me between someone who's just never been around this stuff being truly surprised at the craziness in the world and responding, even repeatedly.... to the someone's who just need to stir the pot and know FULL well what they are doing. Oops... next question...

I guess there are a million different reasons. I'd be trying to second guess why if I tried, but I guess some of them could be: 1) "supporting" Clay in that way is part of the "support" package they feel they signed up for. 2) Fighting for Clay is an extension of fighting to protect their "fandom" - like people making fun of Clay are, by extension, making fun of them. 3) He's just a sweet young thing and nobody should hurt him and he told us to "use our voices". 4) The AI rivalry started out being a competition and people are still "voting". For me.... this is Clay's story. Period. It's his to live, his to tell, his to drive. I am simply along for the ride - to enjoy, to watch the professional career of another human being doing something I would have loved to do. If he asks me to vote, buy, support, do whatever, I will consider it because he's kinda cute and he asked... but other than that, I am a consumer of the Clay Aiken product. And I am a participant in a group of fans, doing fan things, like going to shows, sharing stories with fellow fans, meeting him if/when I can, etc... That's the role I choose. This is my biggest fan bugaboo... When I say I TRY to let fans be fans in whatever way they want, this is my challenge because I get really ticked when people try to tell Clay's story for him. The man can speak for himself. Period.

I think it's kinda boring, myself. Me either. I never looked at him on AI and thought one way or another. It's weird to me that people even thought of it in the first place. Haha. But, whatever, I don't care if people are curious. I don't get bothered by it much because I guess big whoop. How's that for some deep thought? Hee. See above. I don't even consider "them" gnats. I just ignore it. Oh, don't believe me if I try to tell you I was not one pissed off beyotch last February... I was. But that was "an incident", not a mindset. If the worlds wants to think Clay is gay or not gay, circle back to big whoop. It doesn't change him. It doesn't change me. So... one big bucket of meh. Yeah that.

I can see Clay doing a variety show... but please... not for 10 years! A Carol Burnett type comedy/musical thing. He'd be brilliant, and whoever his Tim Conway, Harvey Whateverhisnamewas partners will be hilarious too. HA... I just imagined Clay doing a Reality Show at his house like David Foster did. BWAH! Hilarious. And very popular too! BWAH... on preview, I think Claygasm and I share a brain! Hee. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I gotta say, this was very fun. I love that everyone is around all at the same time. Us Westies get left on our own a lot -- hell, even shows that tape HERE are seen by the east coast first. It's good to have everyone togetha! *group hug* Except ldyjocelyn because she is a tramp! *off to dinner* :F_05BL17blowkiss:

So tempting! < ---- heh, those little notes are kinda mesmerizing.

I don't know. I think Clay should just do what he does and let it fall where it may. He's not the type to appeal to an urban market... he's not CCM... he's not Mr. Angsty Artist (thank God). He's just light pop. Meh. Too much emphasis is placed on categorizing him/us IMO. Pass. Hee.

Agree! Hee. I think he was really getting scared there for a minute that he only had 5000 fans that follow him around. That's gotta be kinda freaky! *cries with Gibby*

Honestly, I have no idea. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I don't think he'll sing LAA. I'm not sure he wants to. I think it's more personal than he wants to be on stage. I really don't know obviously, and I am not sure I even believe myself, but.... I think he'll sing Invisible for sure. I hope he'll sing BW - that's the one I'm most looking forward to. And I KNOW he'll sing TOA, which I LOVE. I think he'll add two or three songs that will surprise everyone. I prefer the more uptempo stuff from him and I think the "surprise" songs will be all upbeat. I'm betting he'll sing at least two previously unknown originals. Hopefully uptempo. I'm probably one of the few fans who didn't like ICMYLM. I just don't like that stuff. I like happy, dancy, AAL/Invisible Clay. I wish I was going to even one show. :cry

I'm not sure about the timing. I think he learned a shitload of things last album that will help him make this one more quickly. Not hurriedly, just more time efficiently. I think he may have a new comfort level with the process. Wasn't ATDW the first album he wasn't RUSHED to put out? He had to have learned a lot including how to get through a tough decision or two. Dunno...it'll be interesting. And of course, I want it now. :medium-smiley-070:

I know..I'm seeing a new side to YSRN... HEY! I was talking about singing! I was! No, really.

I'm sorry...was there a fan fiction free for all question that I missed?

Mostly originals. Early 2008. RCA. Er, LA? Hee. Um, open mouth, blow... Because HE CAN!

Not a thing! Can you imagine? Having that gift. Knowing you have it. Feeling a shitload of people looking at you waiting for you to unleash it... finding the sweet spot, and letting it rip. When he feels he has it right, can you imagine the incredible feeling of delivering the ultimate successful moment. That's HOT!

Upbeat, uplifting, happy, singer interpreter guy. Lite Pop/Rock with an uplifting message? Is that a direction? Who knows...? I'm pretty sure he's gonna sing though. Agree totally. He's way too smart for life to be easy. And what a waste that Clay Aiken wouldn't get the opportunity to do difficult and important things in life. BWAH... I was just gonna say "I gotta peeeee!"! Heh, I scored a marriage proposal! :F_05BL17blowkiss: Am I allowed to hate the banner without hurting anyone's feelings? Hee. ETA: That works for me! Muski really should be here... there are some primo smut opportunities goin' on in here!

I definitely wouldn't. I wouldn't want that for my kid, or anyone else in my life either. Clay needs to stay on solid ground and that means working through life's issues right alongside the rest of us.... (like you said later, but I wanted to say it too!)

Psst. You too! I did better on the second question. Hee. ETA: I agree it's very rude to diss Clive and his age... Don't "we" hate that done to "us"? If the guy's an ass, fine... but what does his age have to do with it.

I think their relationship is fine. I think they have a guarded respect for each other -- guarded in that they realize it's business, not family or friendships. I don't use the word "trust" in regards to any business. So to say I don't "trust" them to not take care of Clay seems out of place for me. What I trust is that everyone is looking out for their best interests and that the parties in question are all fully capable of holding their own and nobody is "out to get" anyone else. That's as simply as I can put it.

Me too. I think Clay had way more leeway to do the album he wanted WITHIN the parameters of a large list of songs. He wanted upbeat (emotionally, not tempo), and that's why I believe HE left LAA off the album (I believe he said so in fact). I also believe he was given four slots for originals and he chose them. I believe he chose all the songs in fact. I don't believe he is embarrassed with the CD; quite the opposite. As for promotion, I believe they did everything they planned +/- 10%ish. Everything listed on that "ebay list" was potential, but not guaranteed. Just like every other artist's promotional plan. I think Clay had a LOT of say in the way it played out. Low key now... more later. I think Clay IS perceived as a celebrity and not a musician... by more than RCA. I think he does his share to foster that perception. Partly because I don't think he's 1000 percent sure he IS (only) a musician. I say that because I think he wants to be more than a singer, but he's not sure what, so he tries to leave too many opportunities open. I think that hurts him career-wise, but not personally. I know I'm projecting a little there because I did/do the same thing. I prefer to have more options than make it any further up the corporate ladder in one area. It's a personal nature sort of thing. I admire that Clay is so perceptive about himself. And I could be talking out of my ass, but it's the way I view him. I'm so totally off topic. Ha! This is hard. Heh, but it's good to try to force me to stay on one topic per 20 minutes... Me likey. I suck at it so far, but I like it. Hee.

God, that picture is BAD! I'm blaming the photographer. That's what I do when pictures of me look like that. Eep!

Yeah, um literature! Have fun reading! I'm off to dreamland! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Bwah... what the hell is that emotie supposed to be doing? Some guy comes out from behind a garbage can to cut some other sleeping guy's hair off?!? Huh?

West-coaster reporting in! You're funny, you are! Of course, you should be good! Damn, jmh, really does her homework. Maybe that's what Aaron meant by going to piss off some people -- they were on their way to Sacramento to perform for our Repub. Governator. Hee.

I'm here, I'm here! Yep, we just have to make the sayings, create the art, submit it, "build" the items we want to offer at Cafe Press, and the buyer/Cafe Press does the rest.

chach, I can get to your site just fine. And I can see your avatar too, but that might be in my cache. What that article means is that googlebot is hitting your hosts servers so many times that they are trying to get them to stop (or at least significantly reduce the crawling that is going on). I have the same problem on getclayaiken. googlebot makes over 30% of my site's hits. They're bandwidth eaters!