# 19: Clay Aiken: glorious voice, excellent comic actor, master of character and man in tights!

[Couch Tomato]

Ahhhhh.... LdyJ - I'm sorry things aren't looking good right now. We were so happily plotting our escapades and I'll keep holding out hope that things will work out. I'm not married but I can understand hope a significant other can get a little tired of the Clay trips. And frankly as much as I say it's just a hobby, or it's like going to a game, how often do people travel around the country for a hobby. Since August I've taken 2 trips. I'm taking another one in November -- then one in December. And now I'm plotting spring in NYC. It's not hard for me to understand why this could cause a problem. Thank god I'm single.

I am hindered by finances. I know I'm going but just can't afford to run out and buy stuff this early. I just take comfort in knowing that I am going. And I look forward to planning a nice long week in NYC in April. I have family there. My cousin just had a baby last month and I'll get ot see her. I can do a lot of sighseeing - museums, restaurants and Ellis Island. And I'll get to see CLay once or twice. For right now I keep telling myself there will be tickets next month or in January or whenever I can afford to buy them.

Now on topic...WHOO HOOO.. Jenna, you said a mouthful girl. I'm all about Clay expanding and growing and trying different areas of entertainment. He's got the talent for it. Pop stardom is pretty fleeting. One year you are radio's darling and the next you can't even get spins for your songs. Yeah yeah.. I want him to have some success there although that's the one place I won't be following. I hate the radio. I turned it off 20 years ago. The local station here had Invisible in a pretty decent rotation. I'd call in and request. I'd go to the website and request. But it was extremely hard for me to wait for it to come on. Sometimes I'd hold out for an hour and I'd heard it. I didn't do that much for MTV. At the right time, at work, I'd get on the phone, punch in my request for Invisible but I never ever watched that show. Those people don't interest me in the least little bit. If Clay wants it..he can go for it and I'll do what I can to support him in it -- anything but listen and watch heh. Does MTV even exist to play music anymore or it just all reality shows.

I too would LOVE to see Clay on TV regularly. I'd like to see that brain in action so I don't even care if it's a variety show or something more meaty. There's a million freakin' channels. Surely there is a place somewhere there for him. And he can continue to sing beautiful songs and tour and take acting roles and charm lady talk show hosts.

I already had so much to look forward to: fifth grader (if colorado wins all their games in the world series there will be no pre-emption whoo hoo), vegas, and the tour and then then the airing of the special and then the new album. Now, the good news is there will be no fretting and angst after the tour ends because his pretty pasty butt will be on stage every freakin' night for damn near four months.

Have all the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's been used up.

Claygasm, you are cracking me up. Save April for me hon!!

I missed last year's Xmas show. It was the first tour I had missed and I got through it with the clack. It made me appreciate the clack a whole hell of a lot. I don't know what if any clack we'll get out of this but I will enjoy the reports here. I can't wait to hear from everyone.

[Scarlett]

I just want to thank goldarngirl and luckiest1 for all the wonderful work they do. There's so much happiness and excitement in the fandom right now, but happiness can be stressful too. I'm stepping back a bit to just relax and reconnect. Despite what the umpteen thousand pieces of hype today will tell you, the best Clay Aiken experience is to just sit still and listen. Goldarngirl & luckiest1, thanks so much for sharing your talents with the fandom. (thank you to the cute guy too!)

BTW....if the competition for Saturday night show tix drives prices too high, here's another way to enjoy a Clay Aiken NY weekend:

Some of us are thinking of watching a show on a Friday then driving to the FingerLakes region on Saturday and heading back to catch another show on Sunday night. I loved the Summer tour for introducing us to Canandaigua and the areas around it. It's also where I met a lot of FCA'ers for the first time. Wish we had more time to enjoy it before heading to other summer shows. It'll be great to be able to do all that with friends at the end of April.

[saltwaterdog]

I guess i was in the minority as i never wanted to see him become a “rock”

star....... I wanted/want him to sing songs that are written for that wonderful voice. .... and sorry, but I think of screaming when I hear “rock star”.

When I think of Clay doing "rock" songs, I think of Steve Perry of Journey. They did some great songs - soaring vocals along with soaring guitars.

So I just typed in "Clay Aiken Spamalot" in Yahoo's search engine...142,000 entries. I looked at the titles and they all pretty much posted that MARVELOUS press release!

YEAY! YEAY!

I just love seeing Clay's excitement.

[zena]

There's so much happiness and excitement in the fandom right now, but happiness can be stressful too. I'm stepping back a bit to just relax and reconnect. Despite what the umpteen thousand pieces of hype today will tell you, the best Clay Aiken experience is to just sit still and listen.

Scarlett, I have enjoyed the wonderful concert clack that was synonymous with the Clayfan fame of your messageboard name long before I was lucky enough to meet you in person. At first, it was a little hard to believe you weren't .....umm.... taller???

Oh, I am so going to get myself into trouble with the eHP here if I don't say this right. What I mean is; there you were, kind of quiet and all, and we were all lined up in the Knoxville bus line, and it was your FIRST time.

Things like this so reinforce my unrefutable rationale, (and give credence to the line I feed to all the poor souls who attempt an inquisition when I set off for yet another concert) for wanting to meet the people whose work and words I respect, enjoy and admire; face to face, hug to hug.

So 'scuse me, but I seem to have been copying and pasting your words as much lately as I have downloaded your videos.

" Just sit still and listen." I think those are pretty wise words for a busline virgin; not only for the Clay Aiken experience, but in all the noise,stress and clamour of this world.

thank you, you are very smart and sweet!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Kareneh]

Who is this Kareneh person who has taken on my pesona???? Eh???? Well......okay.....she's welcome to that......BUT BUT BUT!!!! My question mark? Who stole it? Give it here! NOW!

Someone in the middle of an identity crisis should have a question mark, don't you think?

I feel positively naked without it..... :o

OH.

Maybe that's what Clay had in mind.

Since he was the one who stripped me of it.

And I guess it will be nice to be recognized the next time he comes a calling over here. Y'all don't mind if I sit around nekkid do ya?

(My most humble apologies to those of you who found this post before you'd had your coffee and orange juice.)

John will be getting his passport back on Friday so he'll be home to police the 6 pounds of German chocolate I bought at the Frankfurt airport last weekend. What the hell was I thinking? Oh....yeah.....Christmas....Ho Ho Hold me back. Two and a half more days to go.

I want to sit around and listen, too. But I was stuck tonight listening to English Comp. audio lectures on line. I cheated a little bit, though and opened Photoshop while I was listening and worked on a few pix. I learned that I can listen, take notes, crop, tag and save file as.....all at the same time. I'll head off to bed now and leave you with a couple of studies in profile and potential use of left hand.

And also in the interest of science.

My own little Grizzly Adams.....isn't he cute?

[luckiest1]

I already had so much to look forward to: fifth grader (if colorado wins all their games in the world series there will be no pre-emption whoo hoo), vegas, and the tour and then then the airing of the special and then the new album. Now, the good news is there will be no fretting and angst after the tour ends because his pretty pasty butt will be on stage every freakin' night for damn near four months.

Have all the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's been used up.

Not yet. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I often say this ---> We Are So Lucky. And now I won't have to sob my way out of the theatre in Merrillville.

Goldarngirl & luckiest1, thanks so much for sharing your talents with the fandom. (thank you to the cute guy too!)

Awww, thanks, but you have more talent in your little finger than I do in my entire body! Heh, I'm just the OCD one who compiles and organizes and watches mumbletymumble hours of clack. goldarngirl does the hard stuff. We have some good news today - we have finally finished the JBT AC final concert montages! They should be up on the site by today or tomorrow. I'll provide a link when they are ready. Now it's on to the Houston DCAT!

Scarlett, thank you (and all the other clackgatherers) for sacrificing your concert experiences to bring the clack home to all of us! There would be no montages without clack.

Wheeee! Top of the page. What better way to start the day? I hear it's a good luck charm. :clay:

[bottlecap]

We have some good news today - we have finally finished the JBT AC final concert montages! They should be up on the site by today or tomorrow. I'll provide a link when they are ready. Now it's on to the Houston DCAT!

:nana:

[keldanker]

I haven't been here in a day or so, so just caught up. I was just starting to get excited about my Vegas trip coming up when all Clay broke loose. Yesterday I bought tickets for me, hubby, and dd#2 for a Sat. matinee in March. We first thought we'd go for a couple of days, but the reality of hotel cost and transportation costs set in. Even though we live within driving distance of NYC, we won't drive there. Several bus companies run there daily and the cost is not bad; however, IF you want to go up one day and come back the next, the price is close to double what it is to come back the same day. The train is twice the cost of the one day bus fare. So the plan right now is to take the bus up in the morning, have lunch, see the matinee, and then catch the bus back in the evening. I'm still researching other alternatives and hoping to find a good deal on a hotel and/or transportation so that we could stay a little longer.

And, of course, I'd really like to be able to go to more than one show. Heh!!

[lilyshine]

Some of us are thinking of watching a show on a Friday then driving to the FingerLakes region on Saturday and heading back to catch another show on Sunday night. I loved the Summer tour for introducing us to Canandaigua and the areas around it. It's also where I met a lot of FCA'ers for the first time. Wish we had more time to enjoy it before heading to other summer shows. It'll be great to be able to do all that with friends at the end of April.

Hey! That's were I live! If you are really planning on driving up here (it's a six-hour drive from NYC) in the winter, be sure and watch the weather! We can get a lot of snow. As beautiful as the area is, driving through a white-out is NOT fun.

If you do come, let me know. We can do a Clay tour!!!

[ldyjocelyn]

From the front page of the OFC:

10/17/07 : Important Information Regarding Year 2 Membership Signups

By Team Clay

As the relaunch of ClayOnline.com and Year 3 renewals are coming up quick, we are unfortunately no longer accepting Year 2 membership signups. All Year 2 memberships will remain valid until renewals are made available or until your 12 month membership expires. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Stay tuned to the news for updates regarding Year 3 and all the new features that will come along with it!

____

EEEEEEEEEEE for luckiest1 and goldarngirl! Can't wait to download those!

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

8 Days until Clay is Live at Lincoln Center!

14 Days until Clay is on AYSTAFG!

19 Days until Clay Tapes The Skating Special!

39 Days until The Christmas Tour Starts!

65 Days until Christmas in Merrillville!

68 Days until The Skating Special Airs!

81 Days until The BAF Golf Outing!

92 Days until Clay is on Broadway!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[ldyjocelyn]

ArtyAna at the CH found this about seating at the Shubert Theater:

Help Me Choose My Seats ™

The Shubert Theatre has a similar seating arrangement as most theatres. The Orchestra section consists of right, left, and center sections. This theater also has Mezzanine and Balcony sections.

The best seats in the house, as with any theater, are going to be Center Orchestra. This section is 14 seats across. The rows begin with AA and goes through T. There are a lot of things happening on the stage so sitting in the first couple of rows may make it a little difficult to see everything. The ideal place to sit would be about 5 rows back in the center section. In the center Orchestra, you will find yourself in the middle of all the action. With an incredible up-close view of the actors. Right and left Orchestra off of the aisles will also be a good seat, but seats farther away from center may leave you with a slightly obstructed view.

For the production Spamalot, there is a castle center stage where much of the action takes place, but there is also dialog on either side of the castle making a far left or right Orchsetra seat a "Partial View". While you will not see the entire stage from these seats, a partial view ticket will also come with break in the price. All partial view seats for sale on our site will be clearly labeled.

The Mezzanine section is also separated into right, left, and center and are labeled rows A - K. The Mezzanine overhangs row L of the Orchestra. Seats in the first few rows in the center are considered very good with an incredible view of the entire stage. There are two steps between each row which means that the further back that you sit, the higher you sit as well. The Mezzanine and Balcony sections are only accessible by stairs. There are no elevators at the Shubert Theater, so those who have trouble with stairs may want to find seats in the Orchestra.

The Balcony is located directly above row C of the Mezzanine. It is separated in right, left, and center and is labeled rows A–J. If you would like to sit in the Balcony a seat in the first few rows will give you the best view of the stage.

There really isn’t a bad seat at the Shubert Theatre. With a seating capacity of 1521 it is relatively small so the production feels very intimate.

[luckiest1]

Thanks for bringing that over, ldyj. When we attended Spamalot in Toronto, we sat in 2nd row, centre mezzanine, and we had a wonderful view of the entire stage. This time I am very excited to be sitting up at the front, but I realize that it won't afford the same panoramic view. Of course, my priorities have changed slightly......

ETA: This is from Wikpedia, from the Holy Grail movie entry. Eric Idle also played Sir Robin. I think the reason that the actors play various roles in the Broadway play is in keeping with the way the film was created. It was very typical of Monty Python that, even in their skits, the main guys would play multiple roles.

Brother Maynard, played by Eric Idle, is one of the minor characters in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, first appearing in the scene where King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table first met Tim the Enchanter, as the keeper of several sacred relics, including the infamous Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

He was the one responsible for bringing out the Grenade for Arthur to slay the Rabbit of Caerbannog, and later, when the Knights entered the Cave of Caerbannog, he helped to translate the ancient Aramaic text left by Joseph of Aramathea, revealing the location of the Holy Grail to be in the Castle Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh.

Shortly afterwards, he was eaten by the Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh.

[KAndre]

Saw this over at the Clackhouse from MnM:

Feminine Looking Males

Masculine Looking Females

The Clay description: Petite with blond hair and blue eyes. See, I'm torn on things like this. Because I do think Clay and Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom can be so freakin' pretty they can make my teeth (and other body parts) hurt (I don't know the zach person) - so they are right on that - but he's actually tall with variously colored hair and green eyes. So they are stupid and blind on that. but they see the pretty. I think I will go with they are stupid but can't miss the obvious.

Let's pick some more obvious pictures:

Orlando - one of the few blond men I would just eat up with a spoon

Johnny - when he was still a baby - a hot baby.

Clay - one of my favorite pictures of all time

Prince - the one I think they left off

Hmmm, once Clay finished Spamalot...I need an eyecandy movie. With singing.

[Couch Tomato]

I just had timet to scroll the pictures K...but I didn't agree with most of the masculine females.

It's Thursday already!! whoo hooo

I love seeing this press release for Spamalot picked up everywhere. I have to admit that solo song scared me...soooo many lines heee. I wonder if he is practicin' yet. I think I'll be floating all the way to opening night about this.

[muskifest]

So they are stupid and blind on that. but they see the pretty. I think I will go with they are stupid but can't miss the obvious.

Yeah, that, KAndre. Petite?

BWAH! :lmaosmiley-1:

Shall I write to this website and explain just how NOT petite Mr. Aiken is? Big voice. Big heart. Big feet. Big hands. Big ears.

etc.

[KAndre]

I didn't even pay any attention to the females - the only one I recognized was Cameron Diaz and she doesn't look masculine to me at all. I don't think she's particularly pretty. Unlike the guys.

I keep scrolling back up to look at the pretty. I'm so shallow.

[jmh123]

Some of us are thinking of watching a show on a Friday then driving to the FingerLakes region on Saturday and heading back to catch another show on Sunday night. I loved the Summer tour for introducing us to Canandaigua and the areas around it. It's also where I met a lot of FCA'ers for the first time. Wish we had more time to enjoy it before heading to other summer shows. It'll be great to be able to do all that with friends at the end of April.

Hey! That's were I live! If you are really planning on driving up here (it's a six-hour drive from NYC) in the winter, be sure and watch the weather! We can get a lot of snow. As beautiful as the area is, driving through a white-out is NOT fun.

If you do come, let me know. We can do a Clay tour!!!

Um, yeah, Fingerlakes very pretty (in the summer) but a long way from NYC and the snow never melts til April or May. They do keep the main roads pretty clear, and since you're driving, you can just wait and see what the weather is like the weekend you are there, but honestly, not so very pretty in the winter--kind of drab.

ETA: I will so go with you one day, jmh123!!! (BTW, do you want a museum-cert sometime? I want to go back to the Shanghai exhibit one Saturday -- you pick one except in early Nov)

Awwwwwww, you're sweet, but it's the seeing part that appeals. You can take some photos or video for me if they're allowed--that would be way cool.

[Guest Toots]

And yes, I know I'm being a bit whiny. It's PMS time, work is sucking (two meetings coming up this week, neither of which I'm looking forward to), and then this happens.

:em0600: Sorry for your dillema ldyj, Hopefully you will find a way to do both!

Scarlett, is the Finger Lakes region the source of Ice Wine? If so, time and distance will not be a factor in your planning if KAndre is part of the equation.

[KAndre]

Don't fool yourself - Scarlett is excessively fond of Ice Wine as well.

Mmm Mmm Good!

[jmh123]

Yoo hoo Couchie!!!!!!!!!!11

SLC has uploaded IWTKWLI from Gilford and the sound is good.

[ncgran4clay]

Just catching up there's been so much to read these days with all the wonderful news!! I wanted to chime in regarding those who feel bad because they can't attend concerts, Broadway etc do to whatever reason. Yes, it seems like "everyone" is going when you read the boards & you can feel the excitement but feel left out when you can't go. My DH died April. 06. He required a lot of care due the nature of his illness. He encouraged me to go see Clay as we live in Clayland & it didn't mean days away etc. I rarely went because I felt like I needed to be home as every moment left with him was precious. I had to share my Clay joy thru those who attended, wonderful clack etc. Sometimes real life just has to come first. I had to put my big girl panties on & do what was right. After he died I found a birthday card he had bought in advance & the only words inside were " I hope you dance". This is my wish for Clay in regard to his career. Yes, I'm able to go see Clay when I want to now, but what I wouldn't give to not go to concerts because the reason for not going still existed.

[saltwaterdog]

ncgran4clay what a wonderful post! Hugs to you. Your DH sounds like he was a wonderful man.

My own little Grizzly Adams.....isn't he cute?

GoodNESS that man is gorgeous!

[bottlecap]

ncgran, you are very wise. to you.

[JennaZ]

ncgran4clay, you're making me a little misty. Thank you for sharing your experience.