#15 the Earl of Aikenberry: a man of character and Naughty by Nature

[ldyjocelyn]

Do dust bunnies count as pets? 'Cause that's about as close as I've got. No pictures, though, for some reason.

Well, in my house anyway, a lot of the dustbunnies come FROM my pets, so by extension, I'd say yes. In your case, though -- hmmm. Have you named them? If so, the answer is yes.

BTW, for those wondering why the one cat in our household is named Spot -- well, see my "Star Trek" the Next Generation" love. And if you're still confused, you probably won't understand anyway. Shrug.

couchie -- see, YSRN, jmh and I are a threesome. We simply hate love being on top...*g*

[KAndre]

Oh, I know I throw the word "hate" out too easily for stupid things...I think I will appropriate 'playhate', jamar...

Yankees...isn't it sad that if you asked me to name a Yankee (at least I know it's baseball) the only one that floats to the top of my head is Babe Ruth? And George Steinbrunner.

I'm not overly fond of Shakespeare either...hides from merrieeee...or a LOT of 'great' Western literature. But I love Branagh's stuff and threrefore was not surprised at how many people hate it. I am very fond of populist genre stuff! I love just about all of the Eagle's pop hits - and don't know any of the rest. Popular songs I 'playhate'? American Pie. And Horse With No Name. If I never hear them again, it'll be too soon.

[liney23]

ldyjocelyn' date='Sep 5 2007, 05:46 AM' post='39809']

You know, I can handle if they say "I don't like the way he sings." That's fine with me -- there are many artists out there that I don't like the way they sing either. But when it's combined with the tabloid crap, that's when I just start to get confused -- what do the two have to do with each other? I don't understand that.

I think they use the gay line to justify their not liking him... like it does - NOT. Like maybe not liking his voice isn't enough.

I live for getting together with Clayfriends, as there is no one else in my world I can really talk to about Clay. My oldest DD and my DIL, I cannot even say his name or they go off on how can I be so stupid to believe he's not gay... grrrr! My work people are into rock and heavy metal, sooo...

I cannot wait for Vegas... pre-party here I come. Hope to meet a bunch of you there!!!

[merrieeee]

Hee kandre I bet you just lurve McArthur Park!

Oh and yes Will is my man!

[Gibby]

I think I will do a Regency buck Clay photoshop - long hair, clean shaven, eyefucking, delightfully tight pants...

Sounds great. Post it soon, please!?!

Ah, yes, we've watched many a trek show at our house, too. My fav is still the original series. I was GLUED to the TV when it originally came out. It was my after-school activity. Now I like to watch them and laugh at the silly special effects, and sometimes the acting and the plot. But no matter how much I laugh, I do enjoy the main characters a great deal.

Because of that, one of my favorite movies is Galaxy Quest. What a hilarious spoof!!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go ....

Edited September 5, 2007 by Gibby

[ldyjocelyn]

LURVE me some "Galaxy Quest." And Kenneth Brannagh! (and I'm not fond of most Shakespeare either....sorry merrieeee....)

Yes, boys and girls, it's time to play "SOOOOOOOOOOO BIG!" (Take that any way you want....)

That man is adorable....

[Mandler]

Did someone say "shoulders"? LOVE the shoulders. My love began, as I recall, during the NAT of 2004. All that shoulder action during IKYWW and Kyrie dang near killed me. Gah!

It's interesting that y'all are talking about the reactions to "outing" yourselves as fans. I started grad school a few weeks ago, so I'm in the midst of a new social group. And as much as I hate myself for it, I haven't worked up the nerve to "out" myself. It's not that I have a burning desire for them to like him, too (although, that would be nice), but I just hate that instinctive feeling to defend him that bubbles up when someone says something nasty. I know it's stupid. I know he's a big boy (pardon the smut) and can take care of himself. And I know I'm perhaps underestimating my peers. It's strange. I have very little anxiety admitting my fandom to people older than me, but to my peers, I get nervous. Through the last two years of college and since then, I've found a grand total of 2 people (in RL) my own age who also like him.

There's also the possibility that my head might explode if one more person makes that disgusted face and asks, "Is he gay?" Once, I responded with "Well, he wasn't last night." Unfortunately, the joke was lost on the receiver. Oh well. It's such a silly non-issue.

Pets!

My Murphy:

I did not fashion the hat, btw.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Mandler

[KAndre]

Galaxy Quest totally rocks. And I am glued to watching the remastered TOS on the SciFi channel - OH MY LORD! You haven't seen anything until you see cheesy costumes and special effects in HD!

merrieeee, I do love MacArthur Park...to DANCE to!

Someone...left their cake out...in the rain

I don't...think that I can take it...

'cause it took so long to bake it...

And I'll never have that recipe agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!

then it would segue into "Last Dance". Good times.

I love Clay so much I would even go disco dancing with him. Even if he couldn't do the Hustle.

ETA:

I can see Murphy is plotting revenge against you, Mandler! Cat hat!

[bottlecap]

(pardon the smut)

You really are a newbie here, aren't you? Smut is not only tolerated, it's pretty much expected.

Murphy appears remarkably tolerant of his head gear...

[Mandler]

My "pardon" was more of an acknowledgment than an apology, lol.

Oh, Murphy retaliates. By breaking lamps, turning over vases, knocking things off bulletin boards, etc. Hmm. Maybe Clay is right. Maybe cats are evil.

[Ansamcw]

My primary thought on the matter of the blogs and articles and whatnot is that I've learned to think about my "hits" as currency, especially to sites that are advertiser-supported. It's pretty easy to tell if I want to spend my currency looking at a specific article or not, based on what's posted on the boards. My engaging with the haters in some obscure local paper's comment section isn't going to make a bit of difference to their mid-set. And you can bet the editor, if there even is one, doesn't give a crap beyond attracting hits to satisify the marketing people and advertisers. This is where I really appreciate the board members who do the initial screening on the articles and blog entries they post. I don't google anymore, and I have no need to see every single mention - I just want to see the good stuff.

jumpingjacks, I know you took some major hits monitoring the crap early on for CV, and I appreciate your valour. I can so understand why it would be hard to get that out of your mind.

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

Yup...hits whether people just look or leave hate comments ...is what they need...that is why they write about Clay. Its about economics. Its funny...I never thought I would use the Kelly fans as an example...but when PH went after Kelly...they BOYCOTTED him...which is the more proactive way to say ignore I guess. Apparently some boards just never talked about him. They now that is the best way to hurt him.

Jamar, Kandre...WORD.

When someone brings up the gay word to me regarding Clay it could be three ways: friendly inquiry...they have heard about it and is curious if its true. I don't mind this I tell them he says he is straight and from my observations I believe he is straight then if they like him I might even mention Waldo. That sure peaked my cousins interest. Then there is the neutral assumption. People who simply assumes he is gay but is still very positive about him. I don;t bother to argue with these people I just talk to them about what a great performer he is and about his voice. finally there is the obvious homophobic reaction...when that happens...I can;t help but have lowered opinion about that person. This is no longer my problem or Clay's, its the person i am talkign to that has a problem...so I just walk away.

There is one negative reaction that I cannot ignore...those of my family, specifically my girls. I know that part of that is resentment over the time I give to my hobby. I pay attention to this and I address it by talking to my kids and making sure I give them the time and attention they need but I also firmly state that this is something I enjoy...this is for me...and I cannot let that go because as a separate person..I have my own needs that they will have to accept and understand.

Mandler...good luck with your friends. I guess the way I deal with it is I just don't push clay on others. If I think someone would enjoy it I recommend his music but thats all. If they want to know more they can ask.

ldyJ..spot=data..

I love star trek but not TOS. But my hubby loves it...he puts it on the TV in the kitchen every time its on even if he is not in the house...he is trying to convert all of us...not working though.

[JennaZ]

It is pleasure to have a place to share the Clay love, especially as many of us don't feel comfortable expressing him freely among their friends and co-workers. I'm fortunate in that my closest friends and family who know I'm a fan never comment negatively, though I rarely mention him to them. However, with others, I just keep my fandom a tightly held secret.

I have to say, it's interesting what you hear among people who aren't aware that you're a fan. I have one co-worker who loves TMZ, adores the tabloids, and of course, believes every negative word about Clay. I also have another co-worker who thinks very highly of him and firmly believes he should have won American Idol. A third co-worker doesn't care for his style of music, but is the first to say that he has an amazing voice. A fourth is from North Carolina and enjoys seeing him on TV, though she's never bought a CD or seen him in concert. Now these are all unsolicited comments that came up in random conversations not instigated by me.

I agree that there are people who don't like Clay Aiken. However, personally, I've found that--as with anything--feelings vary, with some less negative than others. Honestly, I think that most people barely ever think of him. Of those that have an opinion, feelings range considerably. I do think Clay does have a lot of fans beyond the hard core internet following. Otherwise, his concerts would not sell as well as they have.

One of the reasons I'd love to see Clay on television more is because I believe that his personality can help win even more people over, especially men. We've seen it time and time again in concerts--people go in expecting to be be bored and come out thinking he's a great singer and very funny guy. Clay has enormous potential. I really do think it's possible for him to grow in popularity, regardless of what some might think of his sexuality. It just takes a little more thought to market him, because he has a lot of preconceptions to overcome. However, IMHO, if he's positioned smartly, under the right circumstances, ultimately, the sky's the limit.

BTW: I love Galaxy Quest. Love Shakespeare (Henry IV, Pt. 1 rules!)

[KAndre]

Yes, cats are evil - but in that excessively cute way!

Family and Clay...my family tends to think of me as a little out there anyway - and as long as I'm happy, they deal. They will mock Clay to me, but hell, they will mock me to me. My son? Used Clay in that teenaged boy way to go "awwwwww Mooooooooooooooooom"! But he also does that to Prince, the Bee Gees, the Eagles and Denzel. But his favorite Clay song is "The Blood Will Never Lose It's Power". And he knows all the words to the rest.

[atinal]

I've kept that experience with my SIL to myself until I posted about it last night, and Jamar, you may be right that it has little or nothing to do with Clay. I think the whole thing caught me a little off guard.

It's time for me to go paint, I'll be back this evening, I need to get on the stick on my FCA recommends rating.

[jamar1700]

Don't get me wrong. I do like Shakespeare I just can't abide the actual character and story of Hamlet.

You know the condensed Hamlet right?

Whine whine whine

Everybody dies

The end.

eta...this is just playful teasing. Once upon a time in another life I was an English Major so I know all of the reasons why people like it and all of the reasons why I'm supposed to like it. For me...it just doesn't work.

And I also loved the Eagles. Just hated had a strong aversion too their biggest hit. Which I think is creepy weird. And the Yankees? If you root for any other baseball team. You understand that mess.

--

{{{atinal}}}

---

Mostly a Next Generation fan, but have watched and enjoyed all of the series. You know, Data's fully functional right? :eusa_whistle:

----

Ooops almost forgot...what's another edit?

The rule is, if you name it it's a pet, if not it's just something that lives under your bed.

----

Ack. Just peeked in on my baseball board for the first time today. Boarderline suicidal there. Think I'll stay on this side of the internet for the rest of the morning. *g*

Edited September 5, 2007 by jamar1700

[jumpingjacks]

Anyone else seeing a big black empty space where the banner used to be?

[KAndre]

No, I see the banner...

[woo lovereyes]

Do dust bunnies count as pets? 'Cause that's about as close as I've got. No pictures, though, for some reason.

Fancy you'd wonder about that!!

[Scarlett]

Don't get me wrong. I do like Shakespeare I just can't abide the actual character and story of Hamlet.

You know the condensed Hamlet right?

Whine whine whine

Everybody dies

The end.

Well I loved it as The Lion King -- shorter, to the point and with singing. *begs for pics of Clay singing CYFTLT, with puppy eyes... * (puppy me, not Clay, though it'll work on him too)

Galaxy Quest?!!! Eeeee! I can quote lines w/o even re-playing it. "It's a ROCK! I has no vulnerable spots"

and I loved Alan Rickman!

Contrary to popular belief, the eHP is only mildly violent - the R rating was for other things - I swear! Besides, you only have Solo for proof! BWAH HA HA...ahem. Excuse me.

What do you mean 'mildly'? You're not the one who got hit in the head. And is still deprived of an iGallop experience ... *sniff*

I need to start a 'Les Miserables' -type novel about my travels with the eHP.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Scarlett

[muskifest]

Once, I responded with "Well, he wasn't last night."

BWAH!...good one...

So our wireless isn't working at home and I just caught up here when I got back to work...on the way home last night, our bus broke down. Hubby was home so he came to get me to drive me back to where I'd parked my car to get the bus that morning. Guess what? I didn't have my keys. Had left them in my office. Glad hubby had been home; otherwise, it would have been an interesting trek on foot home.

And that's about as close to any 'trek' association I have. heh.

As wonderful as Kenny is about my 'hobby', I'm still self conscious and careful about actually bringing Clay into a discussion. So often I have to just STFU from gushing over something Clay said or did or whatnot because it's sooooooooo funny or hawt or cute or smart and why wouldn't EVERYBODY think so, too? , right? I try to pick and choose the things I share...for example, I just KNEW he'd appreciate that story about Clay writing, "For a good time, call ...." when he signed his name on the Genessee wall. He did, he really laughed and thought that was funny as hell. I like sharing things like that that show Clay's personality and his 'just a guy' side...like his potty humor on stage, those things help him with the male audience, imo.

But I do try not to tell him how funny Clay was checking out his zipper after Quiana warned him not to bust his pants. nope. try not to go there. Because I most likely wouldn't be able to just tell the story like that, you know? I'd get a smirk or start drooling or something, just thinking about...stuff and then potentially add an editorial comment like, "He must have to buy industrial strength denim to restrain that big boy."

or some such natural progression of thought....

[Guest Toots]

Posted by buckeyebroad at the CB:

QUOTE

<H3 class=post-title>AI REWIND SEASON 2 CONFIRMED - WOOHOO

It premieres Sunday, September 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

I can't wait! That was the only season I really liked!

Chicks, I am always on my iGallop. Always.

Yee Haw!!! :17f71c4d:

Don't get me wrong. I do like Shakespeare I just can't abide the actual character and story of Hamlet.

You know the condensed Hamlet right?

Whine whine whine

Everybody dies

The end.

And I also loved the Eagles. Just hated had a strong aversion too their biggest hit. Which I think is creepy weird. And the Yankees? If you root for any other baseball team. You understand that mess.

jamar...made my head spin. I thought you were talking about the singing Eagles, who I love, and then we go on to the Yankees and baseball teams. WTF are you talking about girl?

And....what biggest hit do you have a strong aversion to, I'm thinking "Hotel California" but you may be talking about some fricking home run!

Going down to click the preview post button and see if I finally figured this quote shit thingy out!

Oh Happy Days...I finally did it!

Oh Goody....I'm on top again.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Toots

[ToldForThis]

I know the discussion has changed somewhat, ..... but here are my thoughts anyway.....

I first saw Clay on AI 2 and never even thought about gay...... just thought he was a little weird. Loved his voice and would not miss a single week of watching him.

After AI I found the CB and was able to keep track of his TV appearances. The more I saw of him and his personality, the more I liked him and liking him has turned into loving him.

Clay has a very expressive face and there are times he reminds me of Jim Carrey.

Yes, Clay has very graceful hands and hand movements, some effeminate ways........... I know a lot of straight men like that. I do not like stereotyping!!

I have had a lot of discussions with friends and acquaintance about this, some quite heated and what I have found most interesting...........

....... some of the women that think he is gay or just don’t like him for whatever reason, have husbands with the same mannerisms.

...... many of the men that think he is gay also have some effeminate mannerisms.

....... my husband , who is rather macho and very masculine, does not think he is gay and likes him.

[wandacleo]

Good morning all,

I must have a different type of friends, family, and associates than some of you because NONE of them have ever given me any grief over Clay (and if they did, they'd get a tongue-lashing from hell!). I think it comes down to respect. I wouldn't dream of denigrating their taste--in clothes, art, music, or anything else. Why would anyone feel it's ok to say nasty things about Clay to someone who is a fan? That's just downright uncouth.

[muskifest]

It's so ironic that I should log in here this morning to encounter discussion about Hamlet, of all things (waves to fellow English major, atinol) And this synopsis of Hamlet CMSU!

Whine whine whine

Everybody dies

The end.

....because just last night my older daughter was asking me about Hamlet! Seems on her first day in class (drama, I think) they were asked to do something about the play and she didn't know much...went online and as I was putting away the dishes she starts with, "Ok...running tally. Two people dead...no wait...there goes another....okay we're at five now...." etc.

Then I had to impress her with my oh-so-pedestrian associations with the play "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" etc.... I started in with Hamlet's melancholia and wishy-washy nature and his daddy and all that....and she stopped me with an eyeroll and a "Fine, Mom...I get it. He's a wimp and lots of people die. Got it."

BWAH! :lmaosmiley-1:

[playbiller]

looks at the next generation people and snorts DS9 is the only one with a complete story arc and the complexity to justify it.

If I am not having sex with someone, I don't care about their sexual orientation. End of story. I feel that people who are so fancinated with it are the ones with issues, not me.

Here is my postition on sexual orientation - I never believed anything was just black and white, but all shades in between. Not only grey, but rose and yellow and brown and green (I do have a little crush on someone called Kermie). I honestly believe that there is a sliding scale in everyone since we appreciate people for who they are and what they do. Since I had my sea chantie stage, it is interesting how the sailors of old could get it on with each other at sea, yet still play in the whore houses on shore. Then there is the 16th century folk songs tell us about orgies where the partners were not so discriminatingto include treee stumps and animals. If you are interested, I suppose I can find/post some lyrics to back this up. The dividing people into gay/not gay is mostly new to this planet.

I have had two people come up to me and say Clay is gay - one a woman during AI2, but she changed her opinion by the end of the show and the second a man who was astounded that Clay would be in my range of musical tastes (he did not know me well or would find other choices pretty frightning.), It reminded me of a teacher in grammer school who was shocked I liked rock - for some reason he thought I would be a classical music fan - I was 10! I still don't understand his comment about being disappointed in my tastes, but it seems I am the kind of person that people have no fear of expressing that I disappoint them. Most people either don't say anything to me directly besides maybe an UGH, or they accept it as I accept their love of Groban or someone else.

I do know about people you love who feel they can put you down for something you believe in, in the political sense. My brother's family have stated that I am not allowed to talk politics in their house anymore, but everyone else can. See, I was the person who had a differring view from the commonly accepted platitudes that you might see today and wanted to talk about what was fact (oh, I am sooooo predictable). However, I did tell them about Ripa and they did all agree she was a big pain in the ass and should be off the show already. I am allowed to talk about television. Do I think these people care about me, yes, but I have to know my place in challenging them in a discussion.

Hehe, I am ready to move on and you have all passed me by while I was composing this post for the last hour!

If you want to find me at the OFC, look for this avatar I am such a serious person.

Edited September 5, 2007 by playbiller