#25: TONIGHT'S THE KNIGHT! Knock 'em not-quite dead!

[Kareneh]

KarenEh...I have no idea how to answer your technical questions but your word choices in a very innocent paragraph caught my eye ....

Oh, gosh muski, I don't think I've ever written a TOTALLY innocent paragraph in my life. :13:

Ah, the penis mightier than the...

oops...

I mean, the pen (space) is mightier than the truth sometimes, ain't it?

And he can truly flick his Bic at me anytime he wants.

[underthespell]

I just had to tell you all, I love this board ! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Karen eh, best wishes and good luck on your move. :thbighug-1: I hope you still have a chance to see Clay LIVE !

[muskifest]

Oooh...darling 00lsee posted this on CH and I lurve it! (talking about laughing about all this crap and talking about it on the public threads)

It's not altogether comfortable to laugh...but on the other hand, I hope a little ridicule and hilarity shows the gnats their games have lost some of their power over this good man's fans. Kind of like the Grinch, listening for the wails of disappointed Whos, was astonished by their singing.

"Fah who for-aze! Dah who dor-aze!"

Perfect. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Scarlett]

FYI - CITH audio recommendations have begun! Hee, I know because I did them. Come on everyone, you know you wanna! Thread is here.

I thought we were waiting for a certain someone to put up her videos? It has something to do with the color red I think.

Hee, well, narrowing it down to top 3 now isn't going to hurt, right? Once a certain someone uploads her clack, we can always add one or two to the list and reorder them if we have to. I just think times a-wasting, and pretty soon no one will even care about CITH anymore. With this fandom it's always on to the next thing! And we've got some time on our hands while Clay finishes his run in Spamalot.......

You know how Liver's got my nose to the grindstone on Canandaigua, right?

/JK :)

[Claygasm]

That ABC news article just blows my mind. They consulted a sexologist? OMFG! Hee, he really is the "controversy king", isn't he? I hope he's getting a giggle out of all this.

I sure hope he can laugh at it all too cuz I'm having a little trouble doing that right now but you are all helping me with that so thanks. From invasive fans to ABC news, I just shake my head in disbelief. What's next, an exclusive with Larry King so he can ask Clay again to just say nay or yay already?

Welcome Heinz!

I have a question - and I mean it with all due respect and love for all you wonderful women here.

Why do you let all this bother you? Why do so many - not necessarily people here - seem to find something to fret about in almost every bit of media that doesn't praise him up and down? And why do so many make matters worse by bombarding anything written about him with defensive comments?

Does Clay laugh at all this? I doubt it because I would bet money he doesn't waste his time on any of it - not anymore. He is busy living his life, and from all reports, loving his life, to take the time to read all these things.

I think he learned to ignore during the crap of '06. Too bad so many in this fandom can't do the same.

If we ever wonder why they - the media - seem so obsessed with Clay's sexuality or whatever, I think its because "we" are so obsessed with them! The media doesn't waste its time on people who do not attract attention. Most of the attention Clay attracts is from "us". When they see all the hits, read all the defensive comments etc., they know they are getting their money's worth.

If "we" didn't do that, maybe they would move on.

But I am afraid that will never happen.

With so many great things happening for this fandom right now, how come the majority of discussion over the last couple of days has been about stuff that really does not matter?

Ignore, ignore, ignore. Sometimes I wish that would become the mantra of this fandom.

[aikim]

From Katy4clay at CV:

Regarding Imus - he said he had gone to the play, he had heard of Clay and was aware of who he is, and that he was completely charmed by the guy, and thought he was a wonderful, entertaining performer. The other people on his show agreed! This was boardcasts on New York radio WFAN!

This is Don Imus

Kim

[txflwrgrl]

So, pin collectors, how many boards did Spamalot pins?

Playbiller - I just checked the pin archives and my own records and there are at least 16 Spamalot pins and probably more. Only a couple of them are "board" pins, like the FCA pins and the CH pin. Most pins these days are from individual designers.

[jamar1700]

Ignore, ignore, ignore. Sometimes I wish that would become the mantra of this fandom.

Amen amen amen. Life is too damn short. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Ansamcw]

WORD CG

I do believe that at times...we can choose to let things bother us or not. Even if this article annoyed me...I quickly let it go...I took it in perspective and realized in the bigger picture...this was just a dot. SO although I found the article bizarre and had me thinking about this whole ride we are on...I was pretty mellow about it. I think the fact that I deliberately stayed away from places I knew would be going nuts about this ...truly helped.

I should also say that this board helped because of the varied reactions of the members...in the end I think we kept it pretty cool. I think it also helped that the members that truly were upset by this...looked for ways to get over it like Muski and 00lsee. I know all the media focus on Clay;s sexuality still bugs...but at least we are starting to have fun with it.

[muskifest]

CG...I'm going to try to craft a response to your question above, but I imagine there'll be other posts before I finish...just wanted to tell you that I'm really thinking about this one. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Gibby]

Welcome, heinz!!!

And Meesa, your pic with Clay is lovely! You both have beautiful smiles, and look very happy. Almost like a couple!

[Claygasm]

CG...I'm going to try to craft a response to your question above, but I imagine there'll be other posts before I finish...just wanted to tell you that I'm really thinking about this one. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Thanks muski. I really do want to read your thoughts on this.

[Gibby]

Intermission report from the CB:

Just got a call from a very excited Fab4Clayton! She is in Row C almost dead center and keeps saying, "I can see Clay so well; I can see every facial expression!" This is her third show and she has been much farther back in the orchestra and also in the mezzanine. Sounds like up close and personal really has her flustered!!! LOL! Clay4shore is there with her son who was so sweet to take her. Altogether there are 3 Baltimore Claymates there representin'! We are going to have a lively Meetup in February! She reports that the orchestra looks to be almost completely full but she can't see the mezzanine and balcony. It looks like the first four rows are alomost all Clay fans but the whole audience is really into the show and responding very well. She's sitting next to some fans but didn't say who. I asked her specifically if Clay is wearing the same red wig he wore in the opening shows and she said no. It is more of a reddish brown. She also said that the little mics are hanging down on his forehead again tonight. I did notice in the first few shows that Hannah's (The Lady of the Lake) were too in one of her songs. They will be going to the stage door after the show trying to get autographs since they haven't been lucky enough to get one yet. She would love to get a picture with Clay, too. Wouldn't we all? It's so much fun to talk to someone who is there and hear the excitement coming across on the phone! I asked her if Clay had added anything that she could identify and she said she didn't know she just kept mumbling that she can see his eyes shining because she's sitting so close! LOL! The Aiken Fog has claimed another victim!!! They will be there for the show again tomorrow night and she won't have computer access or time for a recap before Saturday. She may call me after the show but her minutes are getting low so we'll see. Anyway, that's a bit of something for you until the recaps come in from others who are there tonight.

BWAH!!! This is from fountaindawg at the CH:

I usually use pictures to illustrate the news stupidity, but this took over my sinus headache ridden brain. Here's the yet to be discovered by any board newest round of the "Not-the-News Telephone Game":

The Evolution of a Clay Aiken Remark:

Actual (fictional) remark: Mah toes are curlin’ becoss mah boots are tight. Ah would love to pick up a new pair of kick-butt boots tonight.

The next day:

Newslessweek: Aiken curls at thoughts of love, but wants to kick butt on us.

York Newer: Aiken …. would love to pick up … tonight

abcusedtobenews: Sexologist reports. Aiken does have urges. Toes curl and admits to love.

Inquisitioner: Aiken in kick-butt love with tonight’s pick-up. Check out our Photo. Shop.

At almost any Fan Board:

Poster A: EEEEEEEEEE new Boots!!!!11!!!!!!1!!!!

Poster B: I want to M&G those new boots!

Poster A: They look black

Poster B: No they’re brown.

Poster C: I think he dyed them since they left the store.

Poster D: And now they look shorter too since he had them on opening night.

Poster E: Whaaaaaa … I can’t see his mismatched striped socks now! Pffft!

Poster F I just wandered into this thread and I am shocked! Why must you always be soooooo critical? Let Clay’s boots be Clay’s boots!

Poster G (Logging in because of the email she got from F): I came for the socks. I stayed for the boots.

Poster F: Yeah. Boots found. Shoes over.

Anonymous CHer: Awww poor baby! His toes hurt. Lemme lick them better for you, Sir Robin. I’ll be your serf. Or let you surf meeeeeeee!

muski anywhere she posts: And I’ll start at the toes and keep going up one side and down the other until I get back where I started from!!! Hummina Hummina!

[JennaZ]

WORD! CG

I realize that some people just can't help but worry, that it's part of their nature. I understand the desire to want to defend Clay against any and all detractors. Sometimes, things get me down, too. However, so much of what is written or said is like dust in the wind, it flies by so quickly it is easily and generally forgotten. So many fans, however, tend to capture every speck, magnify it, examine it, and hold on to it tightly, saving it in the collective consciousness as evidence of some Great Conspiracy against Clay. I know it can be hard, but I want to say to them, "Let it go."

I sometimes read some posters (not necessarily here), and wonder, "Do you really want to be angry all the time? Aren't you tired yet?"

Maybe it's just me, but I don't have the energy to take every slight to heart. Sure, I wish some things weren't written or said, but, quite frankly, they rarely seem worth the anguish. Clay seems to take things in stride. I wish more fans were able to do so as well.

[Gibby]

Spamalot recap posted at the CB by Shycon:

Spamalot Recap:Jan. 24-27

I was lucky enough to attend the Thursday evening, both Sat. shows, and the Sunday matinee…and, of course, go to the stagedoor all four times. Needless to say, Mr. Clay Aiken was gorgeous, mad talented and super nice.

The audiences were mostly the NJU with loads of men and young people. The people around me were very effusive with their laughter. At all four shows Clay got marvelous reactions to his comedy, particularly his big song and dance number and his "soiling his pants" episodes. LOL

When the knights are introduced for the first time, I could barely catch my breath because Clay looked oh so handsome standing in the spotlight , even though he was gripping that ridiculous chicken. It's amazing how he is able to change his voice to get into the various characters he plays.

As the guard in the tower, he is getting more and more animated in his exchange with the king about the coconuts. From Thursday to Sunday I seemed to denote even more clarity in his lines. I love the inflections in his voice.

As Sir Robin he excels. I especially love the song "All for One" in which all four knights sing and harmonize fantastically. He got a very loud reaction to his "I'm the idol of my age" line. The yodeling scene they wrote especially for Clay really shows off his voice….wowsers! In the Camelot scene, Clay has enhanced his performance when he is reacting to one of the dancing girls…at the last two shows I attended, he not only used that gah-inducing finger summons, but he added a deep kneebend and a "hello, mama" line. THUD!

When the knights are running away from the French taunters during a strobe like, slow motion effect, the faces and body language contortions of Clay are hilarious! As the slightly

drunk guard, Clay has a very funny exchange with Prince Herbert's father. Lots of lines and all spoken with pinpoint comedic timing and a straight-faced stare.

Finally, as the monk, Clay changes his voice again and does a superb job "reading scripture". His skipping is cute too.

At each performance there seemed to be small pockets of Clay fans who did a fine job representing and showing the love without calling out or waving blinkie lights….hee!

Stagedoor: the Thursday crowd was about 100 but the other times I estimate the crowd at about 300 or so. Darn that Clay…he made me buy a new camera with video features so three of the times I was able to get some nice videos of him doing the entire line. If I can find someone to host them, I will upload the videos.

On Sat. night Clay asked up to sing Happy Birthday to Tom Deckman who is so adorable and funny in all his many roles. I got video of his reaction as we serenaded him as Clay conducted us. Too cute!

On Sat. night and Sunday matinee, Clay seemed a little more animated when reacting to the crowd at the stagedoor but all four times he was very gracious in signing whatever item was presented to him(poster, playbill, CD cover, etc.)

On Sat. he was wearing that terrific camel coat of his which makes him look divinely sleek. (and what was with the V neck shirt which allowed us to spy some delicious chest hair?) The other two times he was more casual in a hoodie and comfortable pants.

If you are going to the stagedoor, get thee there FAST! It is only a few minutes after the show that Clay comes out and walks the line only one time from left to right.

We stayed at the Super8 in North Bergen, NJ for a darn good price, took a very convenient and inexpensive shuttle to and from Manhattan,(15 min. trip) and found some delicious and reasonable places to eat (Dunhill Café on 45th between 7th Ave. and the Blvd of the Americas is especially good and inexpensive).

I join everyone else in saying…if there is ANY WAY you can go to Spamalot, you MUST GO!!! The entire cast is superb and so very nice to talk to. We Clay fans were able to show them our admiration and they appreciate it immensely. We laughed for two plus hours.

I sat close in the center orchestra, in the Mezzanine 2/3s up, in the last row of the balcony, and had standing room in the back one night. Everyseat is fine but if you have height sickness do NOT go to the balcony as it is quite steep. (after asking we were able to move to the last row of the mezzanine as there were a few empty seats.

[FearofH2O]

If we ever wonder why they - the media - seem so obsessed with Clay's sexuality or whatever, I think its because "we" are so obsessed with them! The media doesn't waste its time on people who do not attract attention. Most of the attention Clay attracts is from "us". When they see all the hits, read all the defensive comments etc., they know they are getting their money's worth.

If "we" didn't do that, maybe they would move on.

But I am afraid that will never happen.

With so many great things happening for this fandom right now, how come the majority of discussion over the last couple of days has been about stuff that really does not matter?

Ignore, ignore, ignore. Sometimes I wish that would become the mantra of this fandom.

Claygasm, I think (hope?) that most fans are beginning to realize the futility of commenting and defending Clay to the writers of questionable articles. I see a lot of anger on various boards but also warnings of not commenting or giving them hits. There is always a lot of wringing of hands and ranting but everyone has their own way of handling angst.

Clay et al have done a fantastic job of keeping his name out there despite the haters and too cool folks. I know there is an audience out there for Clay and I'm hoping this cd and acting gig will make them aware of him. He is an amazing talent. In the mean time all these mentions both good and bad are keeping his name out there. Acceptance takes time and hopefully his has started.

[Claygasm]

Is there a reason the OFC is telling me I have no active subscription?

Did I miss a memo or something?

[playbiller]

Today all memberships finally expired, you have to reup. I did it last week, I have no idea what that means, but I thought it wass due last week? Oh, Well, mquicker lip gloss for me!

And if anyone can explain - how did I go from having 1 friend - to having like 20?

[Gibby]

CG, it's renewal time at the OFC. You can still renew by clicking on the renew or new membership button. At that point you'll be asked if you already have a clique ID. Put your email and password in, and you're on your way to renew!

Another recap from tonight's Spamalot show:

Just got my post show call from Fab4Clayton and she is so happy. She said seeing it for the third time was just as much fun as the first. I think all three of the Baltimore ladies got autographs tonight and Clay4shore must be thrilled! Today is her birthday and several people told Clay as he came down the line and he told her Happy Birthday! How cool is that? She said that the crowd at the stage door was only about a fifth the size of the opening night crowd and that it was only about 2 or 3 people deep around the barricade that they have up every night. Other news: tonight the "Best Peasant" was a pretty young woman in seat C1O1, so they are changing it up once in awhile! In the scene where Clay plays Brother Maynard, he added a few more lively, "Amens!" and that was funny. In the scene with the Knights that say Ni! they did kind of a rap type thing about kids staying in school. She said there are a lot of young people in the audience as well as men and they all seemed to be enjoying the show. That was it. She will be trying to call me tomorrow night, too. Hope we get a lot more recaps and some PICTURES from others there tonight! Dang! Just realized that I forgot to ask her what he was wearing at the stage door tonight. Hope someone will give that detail later or tomorrow. It's ALL about the details!!! LOL!

[Claygasm]

CG, it's renewal time at the OFC. You can still renew by clicking on the renew or new membership button. At that point you'll be asked if you already have a clique ID. Put your email and passord in, and you're on your way to renew!

Thanks. Nice of them to let me know! Couldn't they have notified us by email? Or did they just skip over me?

[skybar22]

Well I'm certainly not fretting about that article nor do I ever defend Clay with comments to articles written. I do, however, admire his strength in dealing with the major fallout from every freakin thing he says and does and so, yes, in that sense, it bothers me that the media went wild with this silly "asexual" crap. It bothers me that anyone in the public eye has to deal with the state of our media and it has much more to do with that than it does with Clay although I care about him. Hopefully he can and will laugh it off. I am even bothered by what the media does to Britney Spears and I don't even like her. It's the principle of it all that bothers me. I tend to have strong feelings about the state of our culture and how the media influences our culture's reality. I don't like what has been done to Clay Aiken by the gossip hungry media because he is not who has been portrayed to be. He does many wonderful deeds and he gets little attention for those but he gets insane attention for putting his foot on an arm rest in a plane. It's absurd.

I was additionally kind of upset that some fans were psychoanalyzing him on a message board so that, coupled with the stupid ABC news article kind of triggered a reaction in me. That is me, and I guess I want to feel okay thanking you all for taking it to another level because it helped me to see the humor in it. We are all very different people and some of us process our thoughts and feelings very differently from others. I have a problem with generalizations about any fans and I do frequent other boards because I like some of the people on those boards and I enjoy the discussions at times. I'm not used to dismissing my feelings on anything. I find it healthier for me to express them. Like I said, we are all very different. Hope that explains where I am coming from CG.

[00lsee]

Claygasm, I keep most of my ranting to the boards, but those times when I have "said something" it has been because what happened was bigger than Clay. I fight prejudice, dishonesty, and stereotyping wherever I find it because I believe it is the right thing to do. And when I do, I am not speaking as a Clay fan, but as a member of society.

Quite honestly, I'm not sure how one can know what percentage of stories about Clay Aiken are "mostly" fan-driven. Sure, a lot of fans react, but I doubt the level of response to Clay headlines could possibly be "just us". I think he attracts hits because he is interesting.

And WHY do I get "so" upset? I don't know. It's like he's as hardwired into my system as my family or friends. I react just as strongly when something "bad" happens to one of them.

Anyway, that's my short answer.

[playbiller]

I don't think I am ever so upset about the articles themselves as much as the fact that they are calling Clay phoney and a liar - I don't see how that is acceptable to any fan, but then again, I am not every fan and it is my interpretation. I guess I have been to too many hater places and seen too many hate things that I know what feeds them and frequeently it is fan posts - both the over the top ones and the ones that agree that Clay is a liar or has any of a number of litany of flaws that in any other person would not be considered a flaw, but Nooo, Clay is held to a standard by many fans of needing not only to be perfect but to be the person they decided he should be. Rock!Star! Lover boy! Sophistcate! Publicists pawn helpless in the hands of marketing and not capable of dealing with his own career! Pretty much everything but what he says he is. He must watch his every word but open up to interviewers and self promote and not praise friends and and and .... basically be everything except Clay

And then I think, maybe I don't know how to be a fan - I just want to watch him, listen to him sing and talk and then go back to my life and not try and live his.

[Couch Tomato]

Haven't been able to read much today...hopefully can catch up tomorrow but wanted to welcome Heinz to the board. Looking forward to getting to know you.

[Ansamcw]

I hope y'all know that its perfectly ok to share your reaction on the board...whatever they may be. I think the important thing is that we process them and try to move on...and not let the bad ruin the fun and celebration of being a Clayfan.