#27: Ya' gotta give me somethin', honey!

[djs111]

{{{{{{gbmifan and family}}}}}}, and anyone else who has lost a child - I sent a prayer to Jizo, the Buddhist god who looks after the souls of children who have passed on before their parents. I was lucky to visit a beautiful temple in Kamakura; the hundreds of little Jizo staues arrayed in the temple gardens are very touching. The Japanese visit them often and sometimes dress them or leave little gifts and toys, it is as if the child is still in the family. This temple is one of the places that still seems fresh in my memories; the sense of peace and beauty stays with me.

Here is a picture of the part of the shrine that is dedicated to Jizo:

Jizo temple garden

[gbmifan]

Good morning everyone. Thanks for all your hugs. Life goes on, my husband went to do ski patrol today. It is not my day so I opted to stay home and catch up on laundry and cleaning, and if my son and dil call for support today I will go over to them. I want to give them space to grieve and to also pull together to get their life on. The love is there so I know that they will survive and hopefully when ready allow themselves to have another child.

I am loving any reports from the shows, I will not get there, so every little bit is fun. Keep them coming.

Just two days ago my husband and I were planning our March ski trip and deciding where we want to go. I think right now we are going to Big Mountain in Montana. We both love skiing and I think we both need this trip. We usually get done with skiing in March and then jump right into biking. We have already signed up for two five day trips. Just have to get in shape to ride 60-70 miles a day. The option is always 100 miles on most rides but I am done with that many miles, to long in the saddle. The last time I rode that was when I did 400 miles in 4 days, and I decided that was way to much work.

[Gibby]

gbmifan, I am so sorry for your loss.

I'm glad that you have some fun things to look forward to!

Review, via CV:

Recap of today's Matinee performance from robynd at CB

My friend Dee and I attended today's matinee, and Clay was fabulous! We were certainly disappointed not to see him at the stage door - especially since this was probably my best opportunity to get close enough, but the weather is nasty this weekend. Also, there were some substitutions in minor roles today, so perhaps something is "going around", and Clay was being cautious - probably at Jerome's insistance.

Clay certainly gave 110% during his performance! We went to the theater with row F balcony seats, and stopped at the box office to see if it was possible to upgrade. At first all the guy had to offer were STO, but a more thorough search produced 5th row center orchestra! My best seat for all the shows I will attend.......thank you Dee!

I had not seen Clay since opening night, when I was so impressed with his performance. But as it has been reported, he has continued to raise the bar, to fine tune all aspects of his multiple roles. I loved how he played with his strap in the tower scene. He was so expressive, and it was amazing how he expanded his role there, and throughout, just by adding physical enhancements to the same dialogue.

The Camelot scene was so overwhelming, compared to viewing it first, from the mezzanine. Clay was definitely enjoying the ladies! Hanna changed something, slightly, just before she started to "Scat" with Arthur. She was great throughout the show - the Posh Spice change-up was new for me. The Knights Who Say Ni 's line was the Moviephone Commercial about selecting a number for the show you wanted to see.

I loved the way Clay "dismounted" his horse, to check out the wooden rabbit, being very careful to "tie it up" and "pet" it! LOL! His Broadway number was almost more than I could take (but, I survived!). He seemed to become bigger and stronger as he did the "Tevye" dance...totally commanding the stage. He had a powerful look on his face as he used those long legs to carry the line in the Bottle Dance. They certainly weren't pulling him along, as he proclaimed on The View!

Clay's portrayal of Brother Maynard was even funnier than the first show.....he has really "become" the character, and makes what is a brief appearance very memorable. The same with his role as Herbert's Guard. I defy anyone to say this man can't act.

The finale, from 5th row, was amazing, and while I "tried" to watch the whole cast the first time, this time I only had eyes for Clay! How could I not, with him soooo close! The man radiates pure joy. And, the icing on the cake, for the show, was that my friend Dee caught the bouquet!

Sorry for such a long post, but I guess you can tell it was an exciting afternoon!

[annabear]

Your bear is coming along, Annabear did you change wigs? Are you going to "paint" the mail?

I did change wigs, Play. I ordered the same one, but in a larger size, along with another longer style. The longer one was just waaaay too much hair, even if I cut it. This larger version of the original worked out well, I think. When he's done, I'll post a profile & back shot. No painting for the mail part - I found a great metallic knit on the upholstery bargain table at the fabric store. I will be doing some painting on his armor, though. Still need to "soil" - hee! - his tunic a bit, too!

Cindilu, you certainly know how to accentuate the positive!

I'll say!!! I absolutely adore that main pic you used. Well, I adore almost any profile shot - he's sooo beautiful. Thanks for sharing! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Couchie, I was actually the same way in home ec when it came to making clothes. My mom & grandma were so disappointed, as they had always been big sewers. They could go window shopping, pick out some fabric, go home & whip up the latest styles. The few attempts I made on clothes always looked like a science experiment gone wrong... Teddy bears are much more forgiving!

gbmifan, I admire your attitude, strength & faith. I hope that your son & dil will draw from you if they need to do so. More {{{{{Big Hugs}}}}} to all of you.

[gbmifan]

Annabear -(I still can not get this thing to bold) Your bear is adorable. You are very talented. My mother was a great seamstress, I can only hem pants. Which I have alot of practice since I am just shy of five ft. I am always in amazement for those who can sew and make great creations.

I also saw the print of Linda Huber last drawing, that is one handsome dude!!

[laljeterfan]

annabear- Sir Robin Bear is coming along nicely! He looks so warm and cuddly- kind of like someone else we know and love.

Question- Yesterday we had showings of both the new AI Rewind (country night) and last week's (movie night) on at the same time here. I knew Clay was shown first in the movie night one, then I caught him about midway through the show on country night, even though we know he was actually last up on the original show. Now, I had read that in one of the shows, and I thought it was country night, that he talks about asking his mother to come out to see him because he's afraid he'll be going home soon, and she tells him she'll be out when it gets to the round of 6. I haven't seen that clip anywhere, though. If anyone has seen it, which theme night is it in?

Sadly, I did see the "Clay bombs" promo for next week's Disco night- WTF? Man, they're even more manipulative this time around, which I didn't think was possible. I was even more annoyed that on my local station yesterday, they showed Ruben and Julia twice, then ran a shitload of commercials until they finally got to the big send-off. Again, WTF?

[playbiller]

I'd heard some Rewinds were screwed up. The Clay calling his mother was a preview from next week, but I did not hear anything about Clay bombing.

Last year, I guess I was bored, I went to some message board and read the weekly reviews of the show. It was interesting, I guess I was too TWOP involved and to busy in real life to read many boards, Basically on this message board, they though Ruben was the bomb every week and Clay just failed to make it week after week. The people on the board were the usualy suck ups, saying how insightful the reviewers (there were 4) were, with no one disagreeing. I guess people do get closeted into groups that think alike by nature. Although, I feel I can disagree quite freely here, and you might note that I do probably way too much, just go to the AI thread, heh.

[KAndre]

{{{{{{{{gbmifan & family}}}}}}}}

[Ansamcw]

I saw the asks mom to come over during country night.

[liney23]

That is just darling, annabear. Can't wait to see the finished product!

I've been having fun with the stagedoor photos tonight

annabear... I'll echo cindilu... that bear is adorable! You're going to smile everytime you see it when it is finished!

cindilu.... That is a work of art... moving art... which Clay is, as a matter of fact! LOL

{{{{{{gbmifan and family}}}}}}, and anyone else who has lost a child - I sent a prayer to Jizo, the Buddhist god who looks after the souls of children who have passed on before their parents. I was lucky to visit a beautiful temple in Kamakura; the hundreds of little Jizo staues arrayed in the temple gardens are very touching. The Japanese visit them often and sometimes dress them or leave little gifts and toys, it is as if the child is still in the family. This temple is one of the places that still seems fresh in my memories; the sense of peace and beauty stays with me.

Here is a picture of the part of the shrine that is dedicated to Jizo:

Jizo temple garden

djs... even with the bib/cap on one of the statues and the electrical stuff on the side, I could feel the power and sacredness of that temple and the beauty. Thanks for sharing it!

Maybe Clay has a simple mild cold... or his allergies acting up... and not the creeping crud that knocks you over bad and that's why he is still doing great on stage, but taking precautions to keep it under control. I think he'd feel really bad if he had to cancel a show, cause he knows how far some people come to see him. He is suuuuuccccchhhh a sweetie!!! I lub him!!!

[00lsee]

annabear

Still need to "soil" - hee! - his tunic a bit, too!

Are you going to do this with paint or with tea/tea bags?

Good morning, all...

I hope to hear more good reports about Clay today. I hope his issues are mild and he feels back to 100% soon. Love that guy, y'all.

You know, American Idol and FOX can spin Season Two any way they want, but it doesn't change history to misrepresent it. And Clay is still doing fine, all these years later, so I'm good.

I think it is intellectually dishonest for them to essentially CHANGE the show after the fact. Inserting interviews is one thing, manipulating and reorganizing the documented process now (even more than they did at the time) just shows how much of what we "saw" then was also manipulated. I'm glad to see more of Clay's insights into the show...but it bugs to know that the average non-fan viewer won't remember the way the show played out the first time around...and that FOX might still have any influence whatsoever on how Clay Aiken is perceived.

[laljeterfan]

I saw the asks mom to come over during country night.

Thanks- do you remember where in the show it was? It definitely wasn't right after his performance, but I may have been switching channels and just missed it- or it may have been in the part where they replayed Ruben's performance.

ETA: Thanks ansa- It's on here again tonight, so I'll have to check it out again!

[Ansamcw]

I saw the asks mom to come over during country night.

Thanks- do you remember where in the show it was? It definitely wasn't right after his performance, but I may have been switching channels and just missed it- or it may have been in the part where they replayed Ruben's performance.

during the safe not safe section I think...

[liney23]

You know, American Idol and FOX can spin Season Two any way they want, but it doesn't change history to misrepresent it. And Clay is still doing fine, all these years later, so I'm good.

I think it is intellectually dishonest for them to essentially CHANGE the show after the fact. Inserting interviews is one thing, manipulating and reorganizing the documented process now (even more than they did at the time) just shows how much of what we "saw" then was also manipulated. I'm glad to see more of Clay's insights into the show...but it bugs to know that the average non-fan viewer won't remember the way the show played out the first time around...and that FOX might still have any influence whatsoever on how Clay Aiken is perceived.

00lsee... my understanding is that FOX sold the show to another company that is doing Rewind, so not sure how much influence they have in how the show is manipulated on Rewind. Whoever bought the show for Rewind could be doing the manipulation all on their own for some unknown reason.

I had a dream last night that Clay's new cd was named Lucky by Me. Now if Luck is in the title, I will start handing out my Psyhics R Us cards.

[ldyjocelyn]

You know, American Idol and FOX can spin Season Two any way they want, but it doesn't change history to misrepresent it. And Clay is still doing fine, all these years later, so I'm good.

Yeah, that.

I think it is intellectually dishonest for them to essentially CHANGE the show after the fact. Inserting interviews is one thing, manipulating and reorganizing the documented process now (even more than they did at the time) just shows how much of what we "saw" then was also manipulated. I'm glad to see more of Clay's insights into the show...but it bugs to know that the average non-fan viewer won't remember the way the show played out the first time around...and that FOX might still have any influence whatsoever on how Clay Aiken is perceived.

IMO, it's an interesting paradox. For some, I think the passage of 5 years and more media representation on how manipulative AI was in seasons after Clay's probably gives an "A-HA!" moment when rewatching season two. In other words, "man, the show has since shown itself to be rather manipulative....I see now that it was then too." OTOH, there are going to be some people who, for whatever reason, don't see anything all that different. And frankly, there are probably going to be some people watching Rewind who are like "eh, whatever -- that was a fun show!" It truly is sad that some will still want to believe in the hype (or non-hype, in the case of Clay *g*), but I think there are some out there who will see it way differently. Just depends on those damn filters we all have.

Sewing?!?!? Ew, icky. I can do a hem. I can sew a button. That's about it. But put me in a kitchen, and I'm in heaven. That was my experiences growing up. Home Ec class was torture when we did sewing, but I loved the cooking and baking sections. Go figure.

[Gibby]

I had a dream last night that Clay's new cd was named Lucky by Me. Now if Luck is in the title, I will start handing out my Psyhics R Us cards.

Luckiest1 would be heaven if the name did, indeed, have 'lucky' in it.

[Cotton]

Yeah, I know. Morning is long gone!

I've been sitting here chuckling all day, too, at y'alls in depth dissection of Clay's parts. I mean, his roles. In Spamalot. It never even occurred to me to wonder...I just enjoy them all. His roles, that is. :28: Well.....and his parts.

Those bios are just too funny! If you have time, could you post some of the others?

The whole discussion and the bios have been such fun to read!

And progress report on my Sir Robin Teddy - We had a rough fitting for his tunic this evening. Chainmail & armor tomorrow!

Wow! He's great! Amazing!

That's what I meant when I said mine CUTE little bears are my poor woman's Sir BearRobin! I love them. And they are CUTE. But they are down and dirty representations.

Your bear is a marvelous recreation of the almost real thing!

Can't wait to see him when you're finished! How tall is he?

My little guys are only 8 inches tall (sitting). They are not articulated and don't stand.

But you made the bear, too, right?

I can imagine how many hours have gone into this.

Did you block print the squares? Is the chicken stitched?

Could I ask any more questions?

The last time I rode that was when I did 400 miles in 4 days, and I decided that was way to much work.

Good Good, woman!

It would take me 400 days to do 4 miles!!!

[Couch Tomato]

I honestly fail to see how Clay is being hurt by Idol rewind. Has every change been solely done to make him look bad? I think the cutting of 2 hours down to 1 is the main issue and adding him with the commentary and in interviews and as narrator certainly has more impact than a "headline" designed to make people tune in next week.. If they start cutting every good comment and leaving only criticism or cutting his performances altogether like they did craggle then maybe Anybody know the ratings for this show anyway. Is there really a market for old AI shows and if so I wonder how many of them are eew viewers.

Speaking of ratings..keeping a Nielsen journal is a pain in the ass. Funny, I always wanted to do this and now be careful what you wish for comes into mind.

I'm glad Clay is taking precautions in order to stay healthy as possible. I know he's determined not to miss any shows so good for him. So how does Jerome make his announcement... in the venue? heee

[Ansamcw]

I honestly fail to see how Clay is being hurt by Idol rewind. Has every change been solely done to make him look bad? I think the cutting of 2 hours down to 1 is the main issue and adding him with the commentary and in interviews and as narrator certainly has more impact than a "headline" designed to make people tune in next week.. If they start cutting every good comment and leaving only criticism or cutting his performances altogether like they did craggle then maybe Anybody know the ratings for this show anyway. Is there really a market for old AI shows and if so I wonder how many of them are eew viewers.

Speaking of ratings..keeping a Nielsen journal is a pain in the ass. Funny, I always wanted to do this and now be careful what you wish for comes into mind.

I'm glad Clay is taking precautions in order to stay healthy as possible. I know he's determined not to miss any shows so good for him. So how does Jerome make his announcement... in the venue? heee

WORD...shows do this all the time...not just AI or FOX. They like to show favorite people in jeopardy and want to heighten the drama by exaggeration during the promo. BUT as long as the show itself is not edited to show him in a bad light...I don't think its true manipulation. right now the only changes i see are some of the order...but when you look at it in total CLay has the most participation in the show overall.

Yup...I think cancelling the stage door signing is the most prudent course...no question about it...

[Lotus]

this from LBFCA

Joy

Just wanted to say that our loverly BF was wonderful last night......but we could tell he was sick, because having seen him before, his energy level was down just a notch. And he looked mighty pale even through the stage make-up. Knowing Clay, he won't miss a performance unless he is hospitalized, so I just want him to rest, rest, rest between shows and get well quickly!

Bummer.....Cheyanne & her hubby, Cha Cha and I were all lined up right in front near the stage door, holding on to the barricade....I mean, right there waiting, with our programs and happy smiles, not a soul between us and Clay. Except that he was ill. Jerome said "Clay is very sick. He won't be able to come out here to you." I yelled out, "Then can we go back to him?" which elicited a laugh from Jerome and the fans.

There was a lady there who had come all the way from Texas and she had a large bear with a Sir Robin costume on it that she wanted signed. She asked Jerome if he could bring it back to Clay to have it signed but he said no because if he took her bear backstage, he'd have to take everyone's stuff. There was also a girl there whose birthday it was and she had a specially created bear to be signed too, and she was sooooo disappointed. I felt so badly for these people because it was their one and only time there.

[gbmifan]

COTTON - We start training in April with rides around 40miles(we can get that done in less than three hours) and then keep increasing our miles every week. By the end of the summer we are doing around 70 miles in a day. Our one ride on Labor Day weekend is 5 days and 340 miles. When I did my century riding I was on a single bike, now I am on a Tandem with my husband. The most we have ever done in one day was 96 miles. I can say that time was not really tired, but the multiple days in a row are hard.

When Clay was in Clio in 2005, I had rode 58 miles that day, and had to be up by 6am the day after the concert to do another 62 miles. I could not say no to hubby or he would of made some comment about Clay interferring with my training.

Cannnot comment on Idol Rewind this week, I do not get it to 1100 tonight. Since I missed some episodes originally because I was teaching on that night, I have really enjoyed the look back.

[luckiest1]

I had a dream last night that Clay's new cd was named Lucky by Me. Now if Luck is in the title, I will start handing out my Psyhics R Us cards.

Luckiest1 would be heaven if the name did, indeed, have 'lucky' in it.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I honestly fail to see how Clay is being hurt by Idol rewind. Has every change been solely done to make him look bad? I think the cutting of 2 hours down to 1 is the main issue and adding him with the commentary and in interviews and as narrator certainly has more impact than a "headline" designed to make people tune in next week..

ITA. I watched both this week's episode and last week's episode last night (they come on back to back here). Other than changing the order and skipping all the group numbers and other filler stuff, how is it manipulated? Unless you mean not showing Corey Clark the one week, and that was fine by me. Hee. I love the little insights that Clay and the other contestants give in the recent interviews. I rewatched my clack version of Everlasting Love, which will be shown next week, and for the life of me can't see how anyone could call that "bombing". LOL. But they always go for some attention getting sound byte when they preview the next show.

[00lsee]

this from LBFCA

Joy

Just wanted to say that our loverly BF was wonderful last night......but we could tell he was sick, because having seen him before, his energy level was down just a notch. And he looked mighty pale even through the stage make-up. Knowing Clay, he won't miss a performance unless he is hospitalized, so I just want him to rest, rest, rest between shows and get well quickly!

Bummer.....Cheyanne & her hubby, Cha Cha and I were all lined up right in front near the stage door, holding on to the barricade....I mean, right there waiting, with our programs and happy smiles, not a soul between us and Clay. Except that he was ill. Jerome said "Clay is very sick. He won't be able to come out here to you." I yelled out, "Then can we go back to him?" which elicited a laugh from Jerome and the fans.

There was a lady there who had come all the way from Texas and she had a large bear with a Sir Robin costume on it that she wanted signed. She asked Jerome if he could bring it back to Clay to have it signed but he said no because if he took her bear backstage, he'd have to take everyone's stuff. There was also a girl there whose birthday it was and she had a specially created bear to be signed too, and she was sooooo disappointed. I felt so badly for these people because it was their one and only time there.

I'm curious...In the olden days, couldn't fans send Clay something to sign and it would eventually get it back to them? Is that still possible? I mean, I would have no clue where to send something, but it niggles in my mind that at one time, people did that...sent in pictures and stuff for him to autograph. Am I mis-remembering?

Well, good for Clay if the AI rewind is not showing him in a bad light. All I know is he looks awfully cute when they show his interviews (I almost said present-day interviews, but they were done long enough ago that he already looks different now...heh)

luckiest

I watched both this week's episode and last week's episode last night (they come on back to back here). Other than changing the order and skipping all the group numbers and other filler stuff, how is it manipulated?

Obviously, I don't know what I'm talking about here. Ignore me. heh

It is an interesting way to look at it that they are presenting a "favorite in peril" as a way to keep interest in the show. It honestly hadn't occurred to me to look at it that way.

[wandacleo]

Only Claymates have memorized the original AI2 to the point that they know that Rewind is "manipulated," but Clay is clearly the narrator and is there on film making comments every show, so the primary manipulation is to put Clay right front and center-- before his new CD comes out!!! I'm not seeing how any of this is a detriment to Clay, but I'm not big on the idea that the world is out to get Clay OR that it owes him homage. Imagine how Ruben's fans must feel!

In a fit of greed, I have taken on a couple of new writing projects so that I can have more money for Clay. I'll be sitting at my computer every day for the next couple of months (excluding the time I'm in NYC SPENDING the money I'm earning on Spamalot). Couchie, I understand your taking a job to support your habit. Perhaps we should have some type of meetings: Cloverworkers Anonymous.

I seriously want a bear!!! Those are the cutest things EVER.

[muskifest]

Being without internet at home sucks.

{{{{{{{{gbmifan...I cannot fathom how you and your family are feeling.}}}}}}}}

I wondered how Clay would avoid this freakin' bug that's everywhere. Bless his hard heart. Hope it leaves him FAST! And hope he's going home after every performance and getting pampered (if that's what he wants) or being left alone (if that's what he wants)....I KNOW he'll only miss a performance if he can't move or utter a sound.

AI Rewind? Saw it last night and wondered about the re-ordering of the singers. Wonder why? It was weird to see Clay out there as the first one for SOT. But it was terrific to hear Gladys Knight speak her 'prophecy' again. She's a smart lady.

FWIT, I always assumed the Tower Guard and the Dead Gatherer were the same person---Robin, before he became one of Arthur's knights. And at first I thought the drunk/stupid guard must be the brother that Robin referred to in the Not Dead Yet scene, but then realized that the castles (Swamp and Camelot) were very different places! So when someone said that the "brother who's a guard" line was most likely an add-in nod to Brett, that made the most sense to me. That leaves Clay with

1. Tower Guard/Dead Gatherer who becomes Sir Robin

2. Drunk/stupid Guard at the Swamp

3. Brother Maynard

That works for me.

I love the info about Clay adding little touches to various scenes. Reading that he 'ties up his horse and pets it' after dismounting (gah) CMSU! :cryingwlaughter: