#24: Somewhere out there Clay is looking cute and talking with an accent and practicing a dance.

[Ansamcw]

((((Claygasm and Dad)))) good thoughts and prayers for you and your family...

[JennaZ]

(((Claygasm and father)))

Aww.. Skybar, PLEASE keep posting. As others have said, your post was thoughtful and made in a respectful tone, which is all any of us really want. And I suspect your position is not really that contrary to most on this board. I've admired your posts both here and elsewhere. You're a great addition to the board.

[justclay12]

some of you crack me up. still haven't figured out how to quote but maybe that is a good thing because my posts would all probably be filled with quotes. muskifest, i completely agree with you about hoping some lucky girl is getting some of that because it sure feeds my fantasies and it would completely be a waste

KAndre, i loved what you said about clive and the jungle fever. i'm not a fan of his at all and would love him to finally retire. from the bits i've read, which isn't all that much, because i don't like being sucked down into the swampland of the music business, i gather he is kind of like one of the kings of the swamp dwellers.

i'm not one who thinks too much about the future, including my own, so all i hope for clay is that he is happy, although for me, i hope that what makes him happy is to continue singing and making me laugh and think nasty thoughts, sometimes all at the same time.

sorry for the run on sentences. i always hated grammar. loved english though and i'm happy because i just got the books for my english class this semester, and the professor included that book that clay liked before, i think its called the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. haven't read it before because i kept forgetting the name. and we also have to read pride and prejudice, which i haven't read since i was a teenager. after i the talks on this board about the jane austen works, i've been wanting to read them again anyway. i think i am going to love this class.

have to get off of here now to get ready because today is the first day of class and thankfully, today's classes are late classes. unfortunately for me, tomorrows classes start at 8am, which sucks for me because i'm not a morning person. i keep hoping that by the time i graduate, they will start elementary schools at 11 am or something.

editing to add that i'm sending good thoughts to claygasm and her father.

[00lsee]

justclay12, I don't mind run-on sentences (because I do them myself!) as long as there is plenty of white space to help my brain coordinate with what my eyes are trying to read.

Thanks, muskifest, for sharing the news about Claygasm and her dad. Tell her, please, that I will be thinking about them both today.

[bottlecap]

((((Claygasm and family))))

[laughn]

My hope for Clay at this time in his life is just to enjoy and experience and grow, professionally and otherwise. I'm kind of tickled that NY seems to suit him. It's good to look at things from a different perspective, and though I think his heart will always be in Raleigh, NY will afford him a place to make connections like bottlecap mentioned...and I guess I would hope when this run of Spamalot is over he can look back on this experience with pride, both in the effort and for having the heart to give it a go in the first place. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

...thinking healing thoughts (((Claygasm and dad)))

[atinal]

{{{{{{{{{Claygasm}}}}}}}}}} , you and your family continue to be in my thoughts and prayers

[playbiller]

skybar22, I am not goingto even get into what you said, I just want to say that there are some different opinions you will find here, taht might not be found on too many other boards for a reason. While you might have thought there were equal discussions going on, there were not, some ideas were edited out by some overzealous people and differeing opinions were never reflected. I don't think there are many people who actually love Clve, there are quite a few who respect what he has acheived over time and some who don't believe he is nearly as active in the minutia as others seem to believe. For example, there are still people who believe that Clay was never invited to Clive's grammy party, while a few believe that a combination of his schedule and his dislike of parties probably kept him away.

Hee...........Ain't it the truth? My image of you may be not be anywhere close. I know a lot of people who have wrong impressions of me. I picture you as a suzy homemaker/Martha Stewart kind of gal. A person with good taste and a love for nature and good food. A

heh, my neighbors called me the Martha Stewart of our neighborhood because I was always crafting something (poorly, BTW) or cooking something ang giving it to them. Now in our neighborhood, it is considered a great cpompliment - you have to understand Martha used to live nearby. And she was of Polish descent, hee

I have to admit, I was laughing my ass off at the way both he and the pianist were twiddling desperately trying to remembering how WAMLAW went - and making up whole chunks. And if I felt like being messy, I would drag back one of my pet peeves - the constant bitching about other people's melisma while pretending Clay doesn't love the hell out of that stuff.

Apparently, there is needless melisama (Clay singing Over the Rainbow in Charlotte) and reasonable melisma. A lot of singers seem to use it because they are not sure where the note is and figure if they sing enough notes, the right one will be in there somewhere. I think when Clay doesn't remember a song, he will use melisma more because he has no idea what the note is at all. I don't want anyone to think I see Clay only through rose colored glasses, although I used to own rose colored glasses for computer use. I am not a favorite of the A-A-A-A- in Don't Save It All......I think the song is written that way, and it is not my favorite part, that would be watching him wait and prepare for his glory not - no singing actually involved in that part.

Ther is also vibrato and VIBrato!!!! - Clay does not soond like he swallowed a goat, most others use their vibrato way too much and sound like they did swallow that goat.

This must be very difficult time for Claygasm, she seems very close with her parents. It really sucks when they get ill and you can't stop what is happening. I hope we hear from her soon with good news.

[annabear]

Popping in quickly on my lunch break....

{{{{{{Claygasm & dad}}}}}} Sending healing thoughts your way.

[Cotton]

Because I'm still rather new here and have missed whole chunks EVERYWHERE during my April - Octoberish illness, I don't know about Claygasm's Dad. Has he been sick for a long time?

Yes, it is hard to watch your parents (or any loved one) fade. I think with Fathers and Daughters it's especially hard to see the man who was so strong and in control slip away while his body weakens. My Sis and I watched Daddy go through prostate cancer. One of the treatments is actually giving female hormone as the testosterone feeds the cancer (IIFC).

Even though he was a middle weight Scotch-Irish wiry kind of guy, seeing his muscular arms lose muscle and become soft, almost feminine was shocking. The man who used to climb up on the roof to put up the TV antenna, or add on a room to our home became something new, unexpected. He was the same man, yet he wasn't.

Claygasm, hugs coming your way.

I hope when it's time, his passing is gentle.

[YSRN]

{{{{{my darling twin and her daddy}}}}}

I'll be back later in my little frilly pink apron to giggle at the image I've managed to convey. But first I have to go bake some perfectly shaped cookies for the neighbors and iron my monogrammed kitchen towels. The rest of course is me to a tee. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

eta.. Heh, and I'm obviously the adventurous type cuz here I am at the top... Wee.

[cindilu2]

I don't believe I'll ever experience a more difficult thing in my life than watching my Dad suffer through the last few weeks of his life. CG, my thoughts are with you.

[luckiest1]

{{{Claygasm & family}}}

I have a note to add to this list - the low "well" in the GFI ATM. And I just love it at the end, when he repeats "I could just ho-o-o-o-ld you" unexpectedly. *swoon*

[muskifest]

I'll be back later in my little frilly pink apron to giggle at the image I've managed to convey. But first I have to go bake some perfectly shaped cookies for the neighbors and iron my monogrammed kitchen towels. The rest of course is me to a tee. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

eta.. Heh, and I'm obviously the adventurous type cuz here I am at the top... Wee.

BWAH! Yeah, I got a charge out of the 'image' of you someone described....

BWAH! :lmaosmiley-1:

frilly pink apron? :lmaosmiley-1:

ironed monogrammed kitchen towels? :lmaosmiley-1:

perfectly shaped cookies? You mean penis shaped? :lmaosmiley-1:

BWAH!

[Bookwhore]

Anyone else having an almost uncontrollable urge to lick his neck??

We're supposed to try to control those urges??? Now ya tell me, after my monitor has tongue prints all over it and my employees are looking at me weird.

Instead of speculating, AGAIN, about how ATDW should have been promoted, I'd rather talk about how Spamalot is being promoted--with an enthusiastic, widely distributed press release, with well-placed online ads and concert fliers, with various newspaper interviews, and an appearance on "The View" and perhaps more.

My Grandma, God love her, used to say, "Don't wash your cake down with a glass of vinegar". Ok, yeah, that's weird, but English wasn't her first language, so we cut her some slack. But what she meant was why waste the sweetness by coupling it with something sour. Which does pertain to Jenna's post a little bit. I'm just loving all the Spamalot promotion, and looking back to ATDW is, for me, like drinking vinegar.

And I have a confession to make. I'm ignorant. Totally, completely, blissfully stoooooPID! I don't know nuttin' 'bout promotion and marketing or anything else in the entertainment industry. Couldn't decipher the HDD thread to save my life. I was ignorant enough to not even know that ATDW wasn't being promoted well, so I could blissfully just think, "Wheeee! :Boss: I love Clay's new album!" and not worry about placement or numbers. Don't know enough to not like Clive or RCA or Roger (not even sure what they all do). I've never even thought about or noticed the promotion or placement of any other musical artist, and still don't give it much thought. All I ask is that there's a copy of the CD I want when the store opens up on release day.

Jeez, working for a living bites! I have to get back to work now, and I'm not even caught up.

[Bookwhore]

{{{Claygasm & dad}}} my thoughts are with you.

[Cotton]

Bringing this over from Berkely - CV - if this is not okay - MODS, could you just delete, please?

OT, but with a Clay-related point:

Broadwayworld.com has extensive coverage with numerous photographs, of last night's debut of Zonya Love, Chaka Khan and BeBe Winans in their roles as Celie, Sofia and Harpo in "The Color Purple." There are curtain call photos of them and other cast members included.

The debuts are treated as a new premiere of sorts, with producer Oprah Winfrey in attendance, as well as celebrities like director Jonathan Demme, singer Patti Labelle, playwright Marsha Norman, and singers Ashford and Simpson. Lakisha Jones also rates a mention and several photographs (she'll play Sofia for the matinees and Church Soloist in the evenings.)

To the point: the "Spamalot" people have treated Clay's casting as The Next Big Thing all along. The theatre sites have covered Clay before, going back to his appearance in Heather Headley's "Home" benefit for BC/EFA. There are also cast changes and photos for "Spamalot" through its many iterations.

Based on this, I would expect Broadwayworld and the other theatre sites to give equivalent coverage to Clay's debut next week. Not only will that be an excellent outreach to theatre lovers, but it will be at least one way to see Clay in costume.

More as I come across it.

[Cotton]

Berkely's post makes me even more excited!!

And a little bit JELL-US that I won't make opening and closing nights.

My DH and I met doing Little Theater.

There is something so special about Openings and Closings!

Pee-of-Fear Opening Night - so filled with aniticipation, excilleration, anxiety and joyous relief at Curtain Call.

Bittersweet Closing Night - so filled with pride, sadness, gratitude and joyous relief at Curtain Call.

•I hope for Clay that his cast sees the man's work-ethic, talent and ability to laugh at himself, his willingness to praise others and respect him for it and tell others that he is worthy of being there.

•I hope that audiences see his talent, his humor, his comic timing and enjoy and love him like "we" do.

•I hope TPTB see both of the above and jot his name down on their programs as someone to add to the list of those they want to work with.

•I hope that Clay has a blast, is proud of his accomplishment in this arena, makes new friends to treasure, becomes better friends with his feet *giggle* , and is deliriously happy that he said "YES" to this project!

•I hope for those who don't get to see SPAMalot will somehow, somewhere, sometime get to see at least snippets of this run preserved in the treasure trove of Clay History!

•I hope that when this run is over - whatever comes next is something that he feels equally happy and satisfied with. That he gets what he wants. What makes him happy.

Cuz when he's happy and smiling that dynamic smile from within, I'm happy!

[Clayzorback]

{{{{{my darling twin and her daddy}}}}}

I'll be back later in my little frilly pink apron to giggle at the image I've managed to convey. But first I have to go bake some perfectly shaped cookies for the neighbors and iron my monogrammed kitchen towels. The rest of course is me to a tee. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

eta.. Heh, and I'm obviously the adventurous type cuz here I am at the top... Wee.

Now listen up, little missy....What I meant by Suzy home maker, did not include wearing aprons and ironing monogrammed towels. Silly girls. I only meant that I bet you are a neat housekeeper and cook. A place for everything and everything in it's place. So are you trying to say you're a slob? I also forgot to mention that I think you have a love for photography. You sure take awesome photos of your fruit and flowers. You also come across as someone who tries to take good care of themselves. So there. Pffft

playbiller, I can see you being a great neighbor too.

KAndre I loved your comment about Clive and his taste in women. CMSU Do you think he can still get it up? He is a dinosaur, isn't he? I think he is in his 70's. YIKES. Tries to wipe the Clive having sex image out of my eyes. I used to hate on Clive a lot. Just ask my friends. However I have come to understand Clay a lot better and I think a lot of what happens to, or for, Clay is a result of Clay's own career choices. Not that his label and Clive are out to destroy him.

Claygasm, my heart goes out to you and your family. I wish we could all be there to give you a big old FCA hug. muskifest would you pass that on to her please?

I think Clays biggest success has to happen on TV or stage first. Then perhaps people will give his singing and music career another listen. NYC is definitely a good fit for him. I could tell he loved it when he has gone there. Spamalot, I hope is going to open a lot of doors for him and afford him good contacts, for other projects. That is if he does a good job and takes it seriously. To which I will assume he will. I wouldn't be surprised to see him buy a home or apartment and spend his Summers there, then winter in NC.

[YSRN]

I'll be back later in my little frilly pink apron to giggle at the image I've managed to convey. But first I have to go bake some perfectly shaped cookies for the neighbors and iron my monogrammed kitchen towels. The rest of course is me to a tee. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

eta.. Heh, and I'm obviously the adventurous type cuz here I am at the top... Wee.

BWAH! Yeah, I got a charge out of the 'image' of you someone described....

BWAH! :lmaosmiley-1:

frilly pink apron? :lmaosmiley-1:

ironed monogrammed kitchen towels? :lmaosmiley-1:

perfectly shaped cookies? You mean penis shaped? :lmaosmiley-1:

BWAH!

Hey, it's not THAT funny!

Ok, so I'm a bit anal about facing all the labels forward in the pantry and lining up the items in the fridge... but that's all I'm copping to. Hee. I take what you say as a very nice compliment, clayzor, so thanks! *muah* Unlike that muski who's gonna get a spankin' next time she comes over. And not by Clay. LOL!

[JennaZ]

Great post, Cotton! Your wishes are my wishes!

I think Clays biggest success has to happen on TV or stage first. Then perhaps people will give his singing and music career another listen. NYC is definitely a good fit for him. I could tell he loved it when he has gone there. Spamalot, I hope is going to open a lot of doors for him and afford him good contacts, for other projects. That is if he does a good job and takes it seriously. To which I will assume he will.

I agree, Clayzorback. I think television and stage may prove to be a bigger launch pad for his career than any label-orchestrated promotion. I have always believed that he is an atypical artist, one who couldn't be plugged into formulas or packaged into boxes. I hope this new endeavor will open a lot of eyes.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him buy a home or apartment and spend his Summers there, then winter in NC.

Or maybe the opposite. NYC summers can be unpleasant, which is why so many leave during the weekends. But I can definitely imagine him maintaining a residence there.

[jmh123]

Great post, Cotton! Your wishes are my wishes!

I think Clays biggest success has to happen on TV or stage first. Then perhaps people will give his singing and music career another listen. NYC is definitely a good fit for him. I could tell he loved it when he has gone there. Spamalot, I hope is going to open a lot of doors for him and afford him good contacts, for other projects. That is if he does a good job and takes it seriously. To which I will assume he will.

I agree, Clayzorback. I think television and stage may prove to be a bigger launch pad for his career than any label-orchestrated promotion. I have always believed that he is an atypical artist, one who couldn't be plugged into formulas or packaged into boxes. I hope this new endeavor will open a lot of eyes.

I think that all along Clay has been aiming for a more diverse career than simply "pop star". I think when he first signed on with his management firm they discussed long-term plans and goals. One was that he wanted to "make a difference," just as he had said on AI. Thus, BAF and UNICEF, both of which are extremely important to him. Another, IMO, is that he was aiming for certain levels of achievement over the long run, so he would avoid the kinds of choices that might be regarded as a "step down," like another reality show for example. For this or whatever reason, he seems to have avoided endorsing any products, because I can't believe he hasn't had offers, at least post AI2 if not recently. So, based on what he's done since then, we know he wants to keep recording, and has done so. We know he wants to keep touring, and has done so. We know he's interested in acting roles, but again, he's been choosy, turning down lots of Broadway offers before taking the Spamalot role. We know he's interested in television, and has stated that he'd love to do a talk show. With the TV writer's strike now entrenched, his timing for going to Broadway was good.

I don't think anyone could've planned ahead for the crap that he's had to deal with, but I think it's been handled from his end in a low-key classy way. He hasn't gone the route of calling attention to it with a big media splash--he only did what he had to do at the time his album came out, in order to get some 5 star publicity for the album: People, GMA, and LKL. He hasn't whined or complained about being made fun of by comedians, but has showed his good nature and class instead. I think he's positioned really well at this point for another big career boost post Spamalot, be it another album of originals, a film role, a TV show, or some combination of these. A big success in any of these areas would go a long way towards getting some of the love back from those among the NJU who, because of professional gossips, insult comedy, Ripagate and the like, have decided they don't like him without really knowing him or anything real about him.

We know only too well how charismatic and talented he is. Every appearance he's had has been a success; he's a natural entertainer. I'm really excited about Spamalot because I think it's going to be lots of fun for him, as well as opening some new doors.

A word about "reviews". Given past history, I think we can count on some immediate negative responses, from people who just don't like him, from fan critics who get a kick out of harsh judgments, and the like. My fantasy would be for the fandom to just let those roll off and focus on the good. We really won't know how well he's received until after he's been in the role for awhile, and I think the people who count in the long run will be willing to give him a chance to get comfortable on the stage before judging him.

[Marilyon98]

Now I'm going to put this out there. I got some PMs from Claygasm during the night. Her father is in crisis with his health condition and in fact, she expected him not to last through the night....but he did. He's bleeding internally, however, and nobody really knows what's next. Please keep CG and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Strong prayers for Claygasm and her family. My heart goes out to all of them

[skybar22]

Great post, Cotton! Your wishes are my wishes!

I think Clays biggest success has to happen on TV or stage first. Then perhaps people will give his singing and music career another listen. NYC is definitely a good fit for him. I could tell he loved it when he has gone there. Spamalot, I hope is going to open a lot of doors for him and afford him good contacts, for other projects. That is if he does a good job and takes it seriously. To which I will assume he will.

I agree, Clayzorback. I think television and stage may prove to be a bigger launch pad for his career than any label-orchestrated promotion. I have always believed that he is an atypical artist, one who couldn't be plugged into formulas or packaged into boxes. I hope this new endeavor will open a lot of eyes.

I think that all along Clay has been aiming for a more diverse career than simply "pop star". I think when he first signed on with his management firm they discussed long-term plans and goals. One was that he wanted to "make a difference," just as he had said on AI. Thus, BAF and UNICEF, both of which are extremely important to him. Another, IMO, is that he was aiming for certain levels of achievement over the long run, so he would avoid the kinds of choices that might be regarded as a "step down," like another reality show for example. For this or whatever reason, he seems to have avoided endorsing any products, because I can't believe he hasn't had offers, at least post AI2 if not recently. So, based on what he's done since then, we know he wants to keep recording, and has done so. We know he wants to keep touring, and has done so. We know he's interested in acting roles, but again, he's been choosy, turning down lots of Broadway offers before taking the Spamalot role. We know he's interested in television, and has stated that he'd love to do a talk show. With the TV writer's strike now entrenched, his timing for going to Broadway was good.

I don't think anyone could've planned ahead for the crap that he's had to deal with, but I think it's been handled from his end in a low-key classy way. He hasn't gone the route of calling attention to it with a big media splash--he only did what he had to do at the time his album came out, in order to get some 5 star publicity for the album: People, GMA, and LKL. He hasn't whined or complained about being made fun of by comedians, but has showed his good nature and class instead. I think he's positioned really well at this point for another big career boost post Spamalot, be it another album of originals, a film role, a TV show, or some combination of these. A big success in any of these areas would go a long way towards getting some of the love back from those among the NJU who, because of professional gossips, insult comedy, Ripagate and the like, have decided they don't like him without really knowing him or anything real about him.

We know only too well how charismatic and talented he is. Every appearance he's had has been a success; he's a natural entertainer. I'm really excited about Spamalot because I think it's going to be lots of fun for him, as well as opening some new doors.

A word about "reviews". Given past history, I think we can count on some immediate negative responses, from people who just don't like him, from fan critics who get a kick out of harsh judgments, and the like. My fantasy would be for the fandom to just let those roll off and focus on the good. We really won't know how well he's received until after he's been in the role for awhile, and I think the people who count in the long run will be willing to give him a chance to get comfortable on the stage before judging him.

jmh123, I want to word your entire post especially what I've bolded which is why I maintain that Clay is building a very solid foundation in the world of entertainment and he is doing it his way. He is unique and determined to be true to himself, IMO. I see great things for Clay because his talent can't be denied and talent always trumps the naysayers. I think he is also flexible in his view of how he wants to proceed. Clay said, a while ago, that he has learned to let go and let God, paraphrasing here. I believe he has done that. So many possibilites exist for him. If I look at what he has accomplished in the short time he's been in the public eye, I can't help but see the potential.

I am generally very positive about Clay and his future. Thanks to those who gave me some feedback and background on things here regarding RCA. I honestly don't get into the dramatics on the boards unless I have a very strong opinion and know where I am coming from and then I will state my opinions in a way that owns them as mine. I also enjoy having facts not speculations to form my opinions. We are all so different so I wouldn't expect agreement with everything I think or believe. I appreciate it when discussions can take place in a respecful way so thanks for that.

{{{{Claygasm}}}}, my thoughts and prayers go out to you at this time. I remember when I lost my dad. It was a long, drawn out process and very painful.

[aikim]

Sending prayers and hugs to Claygasm; been there myself with my Dad.

Kim