jmh123

I had the same problem at CV, and it never was solved.

It is like a madness, isn't it? Sorry about your friend, Claygasm. Find the Pod and smash it--maybe it isn't too late (or is that the vampire's coffin??). But seriously, she's in danger of a takeover. You don't want to lose her to the Pod forever. Tell her to watch about 10 hours of clack tomorrow and stay off the boards. That should fix it.

:pod:

That's a mighty fine ass you've got in your avatar, georgiaclay! Sending good thoughts your way. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

The sad fact is that the entertainment media isn't interested in UNICEF (or other charities). Kevin Bacon was on Kimmel recently and thanked him profusely for letting him on to talk about his charity, rather than plugging a movie. Even then, I thought Bacon got on because he's Bacon, and because the Six Degrees idea is an interesting angle. The tsunami trip got more coverage than Uganda because it got more press, period.

ETA: the big events get plugged, sure - the balls, the galas and so forth. In depth interviews would more likely cover this sort of thing. I'd love for Clay to do another Primetime-like interview. I think he gets decent press overall, in comparison to other celebs. I wouldn't want him to be a "useless celebrity" and do all the party scenes, and without that you just don't get appearances unless you have a certain something--which Clay has got. Whatever he's on it'll always be a good show, it'll get good ratings, it'll be entertaining. If you're lucky it'll get coverage for weeks. It's easy to get PR when it's tied to him. I'm rambling. Am I making any sense? It's been quite a day in the neighborhood.

Tell me they are wrong - there is someone complaining about not being able to join the OFC and read the blogs because they are not in the US. International people can join, right? they just can't enter contests.

They are wrong. I just went into the OFC (not the board), community, search members, selected Japan from the pop-down menu without any member name, and came up with 16 members, 7 from Korea, and so forth.

ETA: Canada 230, UK 15, Singapore 12 - make me stop!!

ETA: Just saw this at Radio and Records. Clay is listed under most increased audience!

I think that's a good thing! I haven't seen it mentioned on any of the boards. Isn't that the kind of thing we should be eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeing about???

Actually, that's Beyonce that has "most increased audience" status. It only applies to the particular song it's attached to. If you check the ranking numbers, you'll see that the ones below her are simply a continuation of the top 30. Fray was "most added." I'm sure Clay's going to go up again this week on that chart, so that'll be fun. He should be ranked higher on this chart than Mediabase. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Clay's not sold out on Kimmel only because they're just starting to confirm tickets.

Luckiest1... what does your siggy mean...I've been meaning to ask for weeks!

Hee! I've been waiting for someone to figure it out.....it's my new license plate. I ordered it for my birthday. Who wants to guess? (ldyjocelyn, you are disqualified since I already told you! )

C L Z M Y L V S

I figured it would be less painful than getting it tattooed on my body.

Shoot. I was hoping I'd win a cookie or something autographed by Clay! Heh. Anyway, I love this license plate...and I'll let you all know that I got most of it without luckiest1 even telling me!

I for some reason assumed it was a line from an eye charge. Now I have to figure out what it means? Oh no.

Man, y'all who've done the "driving in blizzards to see Clay" have my respect. As most of you know, I DIDN'T try this a few months ago, even though I could have tried it.

I would never have gone TO a concert in that kind of weather--it was coming back that the snow was so bad, and really, only until we were already on the road. It wasn't forecasted, at least as far as I know. Blizzard is relative as well--it wasn't anything like that storm y'all had.

Did I mention that I drove through a freaking blizzard? Though the very dark Pocono Mountains? It did stop when I passed the mountains, but then there was rain. And fog. And more rain. And then sleet. I was so happy when I finally got home at 2:00 a.m.

Hee. I did that too. Shadylil and I were driving back together and she decided it was safer to take a back road because there was so much traffic and conditions were so bad on the highway. We couldn't see shit. There were no lights on the road at all, and whiteout conditions, and no shoulder to pull off on. My job was to sit right in front of the windshield and peer out and let her know when I thought we might be going off the road. We played Clay and sang along, and went about 20-30 MPH. Somehow we made it.

The other truly crazy thing I did for Clay was during the NAT where I sat out in a deluge, complete with thunder and lightening - you know, the kind of lightening bolts that come down from the sky and hit ground - to see Clay at the Delaware State Fair. He thought we were nuts! And we were! He just couldn't believe we were there! I couldn't believe they didn't cancel the show! Somehow despite being soaked to the skin, it was still a good time.

I was there too. It was amazing, wasn't it. Sigh.

JMH..you were at Anaheim too. After not even thinking about going to a concert at all I ended up at 3 AI shows, including that final one. I thought I was impulsive...but wow. I bet that air ticket cost a fortune!!

Actually, not. I used frequent flyer miles, but to get them I had to stay a week, so I turned it into an impromptu "research" trip in the LA area. (I think I went to Hsi Lai--great lunch there, and beautiful art objects--the LA County Museum, and Chinatown. Pretty lame as "research", but fun. I got a pretty good deal on a hotel room for the week, less than half of what the plane ticket would have cost.

I remember watching Clay on the telethon on the television, downloading it from the net, and watching it on the telethon site, all at the same time, from the hotel room. I downloaded clack like a maniac the whole time, being on dial-up at the time. The trip was supposed to cure me of this obsession that was getting out of hand. Get it out of my system. Oh, and make me quit smoking too. Laughs hysterically.

Let's see--my story. Well he had me from "Take"--at least partly. I was living far from home and had been for some years, and I was homesick (my board name a couple of places). I had watched the last six or eight weeks of season one and enjoyed it, so I started watching season two right away. I heard them say XXX from Raleigh and then heard him speak, and I was like OMG it's HOME. And of course the VOX was amazing. I wasn't so struck that I was completely devastated when he didn't make the final group--I think I also had a strong suspicion that he was a shoo-in for the Wild Card. Somewhere shortly after that I started telling my mother to watch this guy from Raleigh, and then she found out a friend of hers was a former co-worker of his, so he was "ours" from then on. We'd watch every week and then talk about it on the phone. So I rooted for Clay, and enjoyed some others nearly as much--I really liked Kim Locke. Sigh, what a great year that was. The group numbers, the house stuff, it was all a lot of fun. Confession--I never voted. Not once all season. I think on the last night I might've picked up the phone and dialed once or twice and got a busy signal. It never occurred to me that Clay wouldn't win. Then, when he lost, I was really depressed. I thought I might never see him again.

Time went on and I searched him on eBay and found out about the demos. I bought them, which wasn't easy, because fans were getting the sales cancelled before they could be completed. Yikes, people, I just wanted more CLAYYYYYY!!

I didn't think he was particularly hawt for a long time. I loved his voice and I loved him, but he was young enough to be my son for Pete's sake. I had a teeny twinge when he sang Everlasting Love and a bigger teeny twinge when he sang To Love Somebody. But it was listening to the demos that put me over the edge. I'd listen to those and there'd be a thrumming in my girly parts--oh my!!

I started watching the entertainment shows every night hoping for a glimpse of him. I'm a little confused at the order of things at this point. At some point I discovered the boards as a source of information on when he'd be on TV, but I know I downloaded from Neurox for quite awhile without ever reading any of the discussions on the boards. I also remember downloading the AI performances from the main page at ClaytonAiken.com, and making a copy for my mother too, but not going to the message board there. At some point I started reading and posting at TTC--I think around the time of the LWLHD auction.

It was that summer that I did one of the craziest things I ever did. I didn't go to the AI tour when it was near me because I had no one to go with and hate to drive. I figured I didn't want to see the whole show anyway, and Clay only had a few songs. It just wasn't worth it, I thought. I was downloading clack and enjoying it, and the tour was coming to an end. I spotted a sixth row ticket for Anaheim on eBay on the day before the concert and bought it, booked a flight and a hotel, and flew across the country. I was too shy to talk to anyone, although I saw fans in the lobby of my hotel.

Then I began to meet people who lived near me in RL via the boards, and the PA Posse was born. I went with Shadylil to several IT concerts, we had a blast, and the rest is history. And now I'm back in the Triangle area--home at last--and Clay's home too. He lives really close to where I used to live before, except I lived in a trailer park and he lives in a mansion. I really miss my Posse, but I'm so happy to be home. And that's my story, which went on longer than intended. The end. LOL.

Oh my gawd, KAndre, you are just the funniest person evah!!!

Back to read it again.

BWAH bottlecap!

Diva, you are always classy!!

Love, love, love the round pin.

KAndre, looking forward to your next installment.

Have a great day, everybody!

ETA: I killed the efffing board! WAHHHHHH!!!!

Muskifest, just saw your name on the CH list. Congratulations!!

Appropo of nothing, this one is cool:

I have already confessed to being new here, so who or what are Pod People?

If it is too difficult to explain, it is ok.

Thanks.

Couchie did a good job here:

Who are the Pod People?

Well people from FCA come from different Clay sites and we've noticed the same things...

People are so busy being bitter and angry and spending all their time fixating on every thing that Clay either didn't get, another Idol did get, conspiracy theory A, B or C they can't enjoy what's in front of them for more than 2 seconds. Good news go ignored. Things that Clay says that don't fit the theory are spin. Those are the pod people.

Do I think everything is peachy keen between Clay and RCA or that he had the best PR there was to have or that things could not have been handled better? No. Is it just as possible that a large company like the BMG group was just ineffective in their planning (like they are with the majority of their talent) rather than the evil CEO spends all his time coming up with ways to hurt Clay? Yes. . Do I think Clay is a wimp being led around by the hand, silenced and unable to contribute to his own career, told what to say and not to say at every turn? No. He's a strong man in a man's world with all the facts at his disposal and will do what is necessary to ensure his longevity. I won't be surprised if he stays with RCA forever or walks away next week. I also think he is a great judge of character and knows every rat in his circle, if indeed there are any. I'm certainly not about to be upset on his behalf based on stuff I have no knowledge of.

Maybe I need to put this in the FAQ hee.

Here we want to know it all, and we can get in to some serious discussion without letting the negative overwhelm us every single day. At least that's what we try to do.

And we love the Pod People, we just miss them, and are sorry they were abducted by aliens.

To any lurkers: I think I can speak for everyone when I say that there is no animosity towards anyone intended in anything we say on this board. If we didn't care about the Pod People, we ... well, we just wouldn't bother. I offer my deepest apologies to anyone who doesn't understand that. When I think someone in my family is acting crazy, I tell them that, and I tell my other family members too. I tell y'all that my mother is nuttier than a fruitcake, cause she is. (I tell her too.) It doesn't mean I don't love her; it just means that I need support cause I love her and it is hard to handle watching her lose it. The same is true of the Pod People. I love them, I miss them, and it's hard watching them lose it. It's hard watching a board I love deteriorate into paranoia and sarcasm. I snark because I care. It just breaks my heart to be labelled a bully because of that. Forming a secret board to post names and photos of "enemies" of Clay--now that's bullying. Joking about the Pod People is letting off steam, and asking for support from others who care about them just as I do. We aren't ashamed, and we aren't hiding on some secret board talking about other fans and other boards like some folks do. We kid because we love.

The good side of that is that if ATD makes the playlists, it could stay there for years!!

Here's Clayscience's morning mediabase report from the CB:

There are 80 spins listed on AC for the week for ATD. ATD is listed at #36 on the AC chart. It is #13 on the JUMP chart and #7 on the Taking Off Chart (2 new station, 18 new spins due to KUMU and WTFM moving from format starters to leaders within a week). There are 14 stations listed as playing it on the JUMP Chart.

Please start to listen to your local or streaming AC stations, especially if we know it's playing ATD. Yes.com is a great tool, but the stations will want active streamers and/or airwave listeners. Also, it's apparent that we need to hit a balance between requesting enough and not requesting too much. And that balance will probably be different for each individual station so it's good to get to know your local stations.

Still a steady move forward! I just heard the last half of ATD on my local station, lunchtime request, after reading at the CB that it was going to be on. First time they've played it, and the requester said the DJ called her and told her it was going to be played and when, and that they've had "a lot of requests" for the song.

ETA: They asked her to introduce the song on air.

The most condensed sources I know of are this thread on the CB which is updated daily in the first post, and the posts moonhead posts at CV, CH, and the OFC everyday. Her posts at the CH are here with a fresh post at the end of the thread daily. I don't know of anyone who is keeping a record of all the solid info on stations, receptive DJs (or not) and so forth, although there are conversations in threads at the OFC and elsewhere. Remember Airplay Central? Ah, times have changed since then....

Clay has been in musical theatre all his life, he was the MC and did comedy for Hometown Connection and other similar shows, he also shows skill as a writer, and let's not forget the BAF. I don't think it's fair to ask him to limit himself to singing to supposedly guarantee his success. I think he's always been one to follow his heart and I hope he never stops doing so. I disagree that his one true talent is singing--I think he's an entertainer first and foremost. I think he's actually smart in recognizing that the current market for singers these days isn't a good fit for him, so he's exploring ways to diversify and use his various talents as an entertainer.

jmh 93 and plays Scrabble, huh? That's damned impressive! And AMEN! to your statement, "A human mind is a fascinating thing." My mom is almost 86 and it seems that each time I visit her at the assisted living residence, I see a little more indication of the Alzheimer's progressing. Yet at least now (vs. when she was livinng at home with us and alone in the house most of the time) her sense of humor is back and she's the 'belle of the ball' in her new social circle....she just forgets that I've called her or gone to see her recently or that her things are where she put them and haven't been 'stolen' by the cleaning staff...or that she got a permanent just two weeks ago, etc.

You're a good daughter. Hope you'll remember that if you ever get a case of the guilts.... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

That's interesting about your mom. My mother is adamantly opposed to going into assisted living, but she's definitely lonely. You're making me wonder whether I should be pushing her harder to go, but she's been so big on this for such a long time. I don't think she wants to leave her house and her things.

Not only does she play Scrabble, she's on her laptop all the time and on the internet. She was on message boards before I was (geneaology). She hasn't been diagnosed with Alzheimers, but the mental stuff has been creeping steadily into worrisome territory. She forgets who's been to see her and when, she forgets that she's talked to me that day, she forgets she's told me a story before (again and again and again), she forgets if she ate or not or whether or not she took her medicine. Couchie, we are really fortunate that she's physically healthy. She doesn't get out hardly at all, just hobbles around the house, but she does it on her own steam so far. No serious diseases or physical ailments, other than just being really, really old. What's it like taking care of your mom physically? I don't know how much longer she's going to be able to bathe herself--that will be interesting. *eep*

I love the FCA MAD4Clay chapter idea. Thanks ansa for the quick work making that happen.

ETA: Ooopsie, thanks couchie!!

I am new, but see a lot of familiar faces. Hope no one minds me peeking in.

Welcome Tesssy, glad to see you here! This is a great place to be, with lots of positive folks!!

I've been doing mom care today--bought groceries, washed dishes, changed the bed, washed and folded clothes, and walked down the street to get her some bbq. I keep trying to think of new things to feed her because she seems to be living off ice cream and mixed nuts. Three forks she's used in a week! Lots of bowls and spoons. It's funny, for most of her life she had a really balanced diet, and every meal had to be at exactly the same time every day, but that's all over now.

Last week she was really confused and kept calling and asking me the same question a couple of times a day. Today she was sharp and added up all her points correctly (and quickly) when we played Scrabble. It's been a long time since she was able to do that. The human mind is a fascinating thing. I sure hope she can maintain this slightly dotty but still functional state of being for a long time, or go peacefully at any time (cause she's happy to go whenever--she's 93 after all). I know it might not be that way, but that's my hope anyway.

I think there would be a delicious irony to the success of the one new song that was least liked by the fans. Don't know why RCA isn't putting a ton of money behind it just to stick it to us. If ATD succeeds on radio, that's an idea for the Pod People --RCA's not really supporting Clay, they just hate his fans. Tee hee.

Alabama sent her some instant grits too. Heh. Gotta be our Ankasia.

I had grits sent to Japan when I lived there and invited everyone over for a real southern brunch, including mimosas. A British friend really fell in love with grits. Wonder where he gets his now.

I just think that if no big deal had been made out of the gifts the last time Clay was on Kimmel Valentine's Day, few would be so anxious to be giving gifts this time. You aren't supposed to give a gift so that you, the giver, gets recognition.

I have no problem with giving gifts if you honestly do not expect that Clay will acknowledge them personally. I remember during the IT when so many were bringing gifts to the concerts. At some point there was an interview with Clay where he said most of the things like stuffed animals, books, etc. would be given to charity. One girl I knew was so upset! She honestly thought Clay would personally get her gifts and send her a thank-you note! She was so mad she said she would never send him a gift again. All I could think was that she was giving the gift for all the wrong reasons.

Somehow I think Clay would appreciate donations to the BAF or UNICEF or whatever given from our hearts more than he would if he knew they were from someone's desire to be recognized by him.

Word to this. It got even worse. By the JBT fans had discovered that some of the gifts were--gasp--thrown away! It never occurred to anyone that Clay would need an extra tractor trailer or two to haul around every gift he received. I remember one in particular that someone at the OFC made a big stink about--it was a scrapbook of photographs. Now I'm sympathetic to the giver (who wasn't the one who made the stink), as I'm sure she worked hard to create the gift, but I can also understand why Clay wasn't all that interested in a bunch of photos of himself. And I'm sure he already has a few. LOL.

Now it is being suggested that if Clay doesn't receive gifts it will be taken by the media that he has lost his fans!

I bet not many outside of "us" even remember he was on Kimmel on Valentine's Day before much less that he got gifts!

Good lord!

Um, yeah. But since the media are in the personal employ of the Evil Conspiracy to Ruin Clay Aiken, I'm sure someone would tip them off.