jmh123

Gotta go. Mom's got a plumbing emergency. I called a plumber who's coming this afternoon. She says no water still flooding in the meantime. Hope she's right. Gotta go meet the plumber and calm her down. Later.

Although I am not into perving or adult material, I have purchased Playgirl Magazine in the past due to great interviews of music legends such as Jagger.

I didn't know they had interviews. Makes sense, as Playboy does. Wonder if the interviews are available through Lexis-Nexis. Just made my third trip to campus for another step in the process of getting signed up for access to electronic databases. One more visit will hopefully do the trick. (Turned out something wasn't activated that should've been.) Gotta love bureaucracy!

ETA: Dunno how that happened as I know who I was quoting--fixed now. Thanks!

So who's going to go find artquest and smack her around remind her? KAndre??

Well you did say you flunked poetry, couchie, so you're forgiven.

I'm with you playbiller.

I am not into the physical aspects of Clay. I don't perv.

BUT since AI Rewind is the big news, I will just say this...

I want her everywhere and if she's beside me

I know I need never care

But to love her is to need her everywhere

Knowing that love is to share

Each one believing that love never dies

Watching her eyes

And hoping I am always there

I will be there.........

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

heee I'm still trying to figure out what yur last post meant. I flunked poetry

Lyrics are from "Here, there, and everywhere," couchie.

Mine!!

Happy birthday yesterday ialreadyam!!

lightmyfire :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I love that song! Lurve!

First page. New clack! YAY!! Now y'all superficial bishes quit harshing my buzz! :thdom2:

jmh & I had nothing like that worked out for ETYGA. We both listened to any and all choices. I'm psyched that 3 of our top 4 were the same.

It was cool. Since this song was dumped before the tour was 1/2 way over, it was easier to get through. I kept thinking I'd PM her, and one night I just listened to them all and made a preliminary list, so when she posted hers I thought, heck, I want to compare, so I made my list without looking at hers. I especially like that our reccy's were close, because I've kept a running list of recommendations I've seen elsewhere, and I find I just don't agree with them, which might cause me to doubt myself, except ours were virtually the same.

Cool, more recommendations. I have added them to the FCA Media page but I'll have to work on getting the mp3s up and linked later on tonight. If you want to go check things out and let me know if I have yours right (because sometimes I find it hard to decipher what order things are supposed to go in) please have a look here and let me know of any changes.

Speaking of which, luckiest, for ETYGA, could you replace LA spotlightlover with 070719_Canandaigua_ETYGA_canfly172? LA wasn't one of my choices, but I confused things by commenting on it anyway. Thanks.

And thank you for doing such a fantastic job with the Media pages.

Lover All Alone

What a musical gem this song is! The orchestration is simple, quiet, and elegant, with so many beautiful small touches throughout. The melody is simple, but freaking hard to sing. I've never noticed so many flat notes from Clay before! The other surprise is how many fantastic recordings I had to ditch because of someone chatting or coughing throughout the song. The hush wasn't as hushed as I expected. Still, every performance is amazing, there was no version with good sound quality that wasn't special, and the sound quality of all of these recordings is fantastic.

These two are virtually interchangeable:

1. 070720_Chautauqua_LAA_jojoct

This version is marred by only one thing, but for some it will be a deal-breaker. There's a moment of mike feedback right at the beginning that's jarring. Still, Clay hits all those high notes (which he doesn't always do), the orchestra so clear and vivid, you can clearly hear all the different instruments, the high violin "descant" (don't know if that's an orchestra word or just a choir word) is gorgeous, and the cello has an incredible tone and richness.

2. 070805_Indio_LAA_spotlightlover

There's some talking at the beginning, even after he starts singing, and at a later quiet spot, some shushing. The cello is fantastic. Clay hits all the notes, his voice is a little gruff on the first "can be," which isn't a bad thing. There's an effortless sound to most of the high notes, and this version feels particularly emotional.

#3 and #4 are pretty much interchangeable as well:

3. 070816_FortMyers_LAA_Scarlett

Clay sounds good on the high notes. There's a bit more of a pop sound to his voice on this version that's unique. The orchestration isn't as clear as it is in the top 2, but the cello sounds really good.

070816_FtMyers_LAA_bearcat has excellent sound as well.

4. 070812_Knoxville_Banter-LAA_stacia

This is a quiet version, quiet crowd. His voice is wonderful, a little gruff on "can be" but on key. The cello has one particularly loud note that jars a bit about mid-way through the song.

sentimental favorites:

5. 070719_Canandaigua_LAA_jojoct - You can hear the torrential rain throughout, amazing concert moment.

6. 070706_Houston_LAA_Solo&Scarlet - Clay's performance isn't up to par yet, but this is one of the early and oh so vulnerable performances. The orchestra is magnificent. With a quiet crowd like this song creates and a professional orchestra like this one, it become so obvious what amazing things our clack gatherers can do.

Honorable mention: 070717_Philadelphia_LAA_Invisible926, 070728_Newark_LAA_Scarlett, 070811_Asheville_LAA_Invisible926, 070810_Cary_27_LAA_4192spooky

Nobody saw nuttin'

The Sporker.

I can't laugh out loud at 2 am, people, I'll wake up the neighbors. Better get to bed, I've got a lot of LAA to listen to tomorrow. Got it narrowed down to only 17 cities--should be a cinch.

BWAH--y'all are cracking my shit up!!

{{{merrieeee}}}

Weren't y'all doing....lunch????

I feel for you guys, I really do. When I went to sleep last night, I thought I was going to be one of you. FOX's main station in Raleigh WRAZ changed their schedule around overnight. Being properly in the mood after that, I also watched the TV Guide Close-up of Clay tonight. It had been awhile since I've seen it. I swear I think it was longer and had been added to. None of the errors corrected of course--like confusing IT and the NAT. Clay vocabulary I'd never heard before. Stuff like that. But I think it's really a positive profile that does show some sides of him and us. I don't know that he comes off as the guy I feel like I know, but he does come off as likeable and quirky. Lots and lots of love for ATDW coming from Clay. Lots.

The Rewind was a rewind, but with Clay narrating it. Definitely scripted, not earthshattering new clack, but I'm enjoying it. I wasn't planning to watch til Atlanta, and I avoid audition shows as a rule, so they definitely have me in their pocketsss by having him narrate. I'm very pleased about the billing and the way he seems to have some measure of power in this process. Seems like a win-win all around to me.

It has always seemed kinda amusing to me that some are sure Clay would be a superstar if only he would stop being Clay.

This one really stuck in my mind. It would have to be shortened--maybe to

Some are sure Clay would be a superstar if only he would stop being Clay.

{{{hugs}}} to everyone missing rewind until tomorrow.

Just in the interest of getting something out at the same time as jamar :F_05BL17blowkiss: , my thoughts so far on my unfinished ETYGA evaluation. I'll be back later and edit in my final version:

My ETYGA picks:

I love this song, one of my favorites on the album, but a lot of the recordings from the tour have show me why this was eliminated from the set list. The arrangement drags and is sing-songy. There's a timing problem--Clay, orchestra, piano not always in exactly the same place. Clay sounds bored with it to me. The exception:

1. Chautauqua - 070720_Chautauqua_EYGA_jojoct

The tempo seems a little faster, everyone stays together throughout, the orchestra is good, the falsetto--WOW!!--and the piano sounds great after that.

2. 070802_SanDiego_ETYGA_spotlightlover

I can see why jamar picked this one. The first half is totally the best, but for me, things fall apart about 1/2 way through. But oh, the falsetto after that! The piano at the beginning is so clear and sounds so good. His voice is kind of rough on the high "time" at the end. (meaningless aside: One of the back-ups sounds exactly like a guy or else there's a track)

3. 070803_Pala_ETYGA_spotlightlover

Great sound and great vocal performance. Very close to 1 & 2. There's some crowd noise and at one point Clay addresses a latecomer and then laughs. Probably kills this one for a lot of folks.

4. 070805_Indio_06_ETYGA_4192spooky

070805_Indio_ETYGA_spotlightlover

Another really good version. More crowd reaction as he moves around and also some chatter in spot's version--I think Solo hit someone at the beginning. Spot's is the better recording but spooky's is more free of chatter. Clay's voice cracks just the teeniest bit at the end.

Several evaluators who've posted lists on other boards have picked:

070804_LA_ETYGA_spotlightlover_large.mp3

LA does have a rich sound, but his voice doesn't float like it does in Chautauqua. The various musicians are not coordinated at certain points, the second verse is better than the first. There's lots of chatter and reaction. So I wouldn't choose this one myself.

I also want to listen to the extemporizing at the end and include on my list a version that is best in that category. Not as much of this as I thought--I only found one version that went on with Clay and Angela and Quiana goofing around after the song was over. I guess I was confusing this with IWTKWLI.

YAY!! Overnight my TV Guide listing has changed, and we're having the NY auditions at 1 pm on Fox.

Then tomorrow they'll rerun the last show of last year (Where are they now? season 1) Hee. Then WGN tomorrow night at 8 pm will show NY Auditions. As of yesterday no one was showing the Audition show til next week, according to the online listing for my area.

Then next week the shows are on at completely different times. Guess you have to watch the listings carefully every week to find it. Now why do I have butterflies in my stomach all of a sudden??

That first one is cute but to me, he looks about 12 yrs. old in it. Makes me feel a wee bit strange.

No reason.............

Ah, but dontcha know he'll turn around and look 30 in just a second? Besides, I'm 12 anyway.

I was over "reading" the NewClayAiken blog. The pictures tell the story: US trip to see Clay entitled, I'm not sure why because I can't read a word, "Without Clay"

Anyway, found this there on the current blog page. I love to look at the photos they choose. Is this not the most amazing photo of the most amazing face?

Another pretty:

From CH

ETA a couple of screencaps from the AI2 Season Opener thanks to our generous Anonymous donor:

~~~heh, I wanted to see them.... /suparsekritmod weee!

We need these on the new page.

Then we're both sick puppies, Wanda, becoss I got a big ole grin on my face just at seeing Clay's name! :nana:

ETA: Or what lovethatguy said.

Arf arf

From what I can tell, my local station won't be showing the NY audition show until next weekend. I think we're getting the final show of the season from last year that some folks saw last week. Post finale. Some kind of survey of Idol thingamjig. But the supersekrit source presumably has the premiere, so I'll get to see it either way. I think it's diabolical to have Clay narrate. Raises my interest quotient, that's for sure.

Let me dust off my sack cloth and ashes, and settle down where it's warm and cozy.

I'm excited.

Long day.

I guess it's not exactly caregiving if my divorcing sister and her teenage daughter are living in an RV in my yard, is it? It's an emotional rollercoaster though, that's for sure. Holy crap, that girl can CRY!

Damn right it's caregiving! I can't believe they're still there.

West Wing:

Hard to find a good one as this was a magnet for chatting by the audience, and I'm guessing it's fairly difficult to play well with minimal rehearsal. I kept waiting for more versions, and at last.....the winner is:

First place: 070804_LA_WWPlayingDumbOrBeingDumbAuditionedforSYTYCDTVThemeSongsBanter_Scarlett or LA_WestWing_Scarlett for short. Magnificent sound quality to the recording. Beautiful performance by the orchestra. Minimal chatting til the end.

Second place to: 070723_SterlingHeights_Banter_TVMedley_canfly172 - Excellent sound and no talking!!

Third place: 070805_Indio_07_WestWingTheme&AIAuditionBanter_4192spooky - Just a little laughter (Clay must've done something funny) and a few bad notes at the end, I think

Fourth place: 070817_Tampa_WWPresidentialRingtoneBabyDaddyBradyBunchFingersBanter_SlowandEasy&Scarlett -Beautiful sound and performance but lots of chatter.

Thanks wandacleo. I expect that the accident situation isn't totally resolved yet, but at least we've made a start. That's a great idea about typing stuff out for the doctor. I've said some stuff in front of her when she asks me to straighten out a mess for her when she's forgotten something and I can tell she doesn't like it. But how do you explain to the young man she agreed to let move in upstairs (which she never should've done) that she said he could have a cable modem but when the people came to install it she told them to go away? I'll get some of the Comfort Bath cloths--maybe she can use them herself for freshening up when she needs it. And I'm definitely going to look for some of that Nature Bright. By the time I get ahold of stuff, stains have been set in and spray and wash isn't cutting it.

So, I'm behind. First there's that on-line compendium of misinformation where there was one thing and then another and another. Then I got Shanghai'ed. Heh. Then I had to get down and finish up a job application that ended up being about 1/2 inch thick. So I missed a couple of topics.

High school reunions--I have one coming up in November. There's an e-mail list via which people been posting memories and photos and so forth, and I can't remember 95% of these people at all. I'm going for the sake of a few folks I remember and like, but it's going to be a bit freaky. My last year of high school was rather hellish.

Clack legacies. By coincidence awhile back I ended up distributing the clack of a fan I didn't even know. She was a great grandmother who died, I assume from natural causes (although if the very young From Claygary can be a great grand-mom, maybe I've assumed wrong). Her family posted a request in the CH public access thread, and I responded. The family obviously had some knowledge of the fandom, because all the really, really valuable stuff that I expect she would've had wasn't included--no rare pins, no AIW, no autographs. It was really sweet though that they wanted the things to go to fans who really love Clay like she did. Most of the stuff they sent was stuff we all would already have, so I sent a lot of it to Japan to the New Clay Fans, which made them very happy. The main recipient, the one I initially contacted, is a fan originally from Indonesia married to a Japanese man--has two very young children, and she wasn't able to come to the concerts this summer. She posted on the CB looking for a Rolling Stone, and then I asked if she or anyone she knew wanted this or that, and after a couple of e-mails like that she said, send everything, they want it all!! They paid the postage to send it all first class!

I didn't send a bunch of teen magazines and other magazines that aren't cover stories, just random pictures, and a bunch of Clay TV appearances on video, which they couldn't have used and I doubt anyone wants. Not sure what to do with that stuff. It was quite the experience getting these boxes by fedex and looking at someone else's lovingly gathered collection. At first I couldn't do anything with it--it was kind of overwhelming. I had to let the vibe settle or whatever. Anyway, her collection looked a whole lot like mine, and probably a lot of yours too.

Congratulations to sylvie and Carolina Clay for the beautiful grandbabies, and thanks for the pictures!!