#29: EEEEEEEEEEEE!!! It's really happening!

[Scarlett]

I love that Clay was able to do an album where "there will be something everyone won't like, but also something everyone WILL like." Most everything being sold today has been market-researched to death -- food, clothes, furniture, etc. You don't get shelf space unless you've been rated ok-or-better by 80% of your customer base (I'm just pulling numbers here). Case in point: yarn. Every spring and fall the yarnmakers come out with their "new" line but they're primarily the "safe" colors with a few "highlights" tossed in. You betcha there'll be tons of blue; I happen to love blue, especially his hoodie color, but if I didn't I'd be sick of it because every shipment year after year has it because blue yarn will always sell. It always sells because hardly anyone will object to it. Same story for furniture, except that instead of blue it's that standard boring tan/taupe shade that should be named "Pottery Barn Wasteland Brown".

Because he made an album where there will be songs that maybe "everyone won't like", this tells me that he didn't go with (or wasn't made to go with) all the safe choices, the generic songs you hear on the radio today that all sound alike because no one want to risk upsetting people so we end up with a bunch of "blah" songs that we may not particularly hate but which most people won't particularly love either. It gives me hope that every song on OMWH has that "special something" which some people may "dislike" but which others will be absolutely thrilled with or better yet "love with the heat of a thousand suns".

If he made that kind of album and he's as happy about it as he looked on the interview videos, then he got the album I always wanted him to make. *beams happily for him*

on the eHP rooms:

merrieeee, wasn't excluding you, just talking to the folks who were logged in.

so far it looks like:

72 degrees - Heidi, KF, 00lsee

80 degrees - KAndre, merrieeee, couchie

75 degrees - Solo, PerusingOne, Scarlett

[Couch Tomato]

I understand YSRN ..but hey this is FCA.. people feel free to rant and rave here over the general state of the fandom. The one thing I do know is that in a couple of days they'll get over it and move on to experiencing the joy of an upcoming album. It remains to be seen whether that can be said about the rest of Clay Nation's bitching and moaning. I hope 2006 won't be repeated.

I did learn my lesson. I'm not interested in reading anywhere else too often anymore. Mostly cuz I don't have time and mostly because after 2006 I just don't belong anywhere else. This is it. It ain't pefect but it's home. And it took me a long time to get here.

Thankful - I'll learn how to green ink after I learn how to post poll questions and make saved to sent mail the default.

Scarlett..love the yarn comparison. I totally agree. Bring it on Clay.

[muskifest]

Paulette, I'm honestly confused by your post.

I understand what you are saying. I do feel that 'sometimes' this board takes a 'we are better than them' attitude and I have been turned off by it. (Sorry FCAers, just being honest. FCA does have a rep as a mean board.)

What I posted here tonight, I would have posted at CV, only I would have been green inked for doing so.

I won't make fun of the other boards for wanting to angst, but I would like to express my amazement at the angst without being slapped down for having an opinion.

I don't understand. You say that FCA has a rep as a 'mean board'---what makes it mean? That we 'express amazement at the angst without being slapped down for having an opinion'? Isn't that what you said you would like to express but can't elsewhere? So...then if you say it here, does that make you mean, too? Or just honest? And you say it here because you CAN, but because you can...that makes FCA 'mean'?

I honestly don't follow. The main difference I see between this board and some others is that things are out on the public board that remain in back channels and through PMs on others. Does that mean that the other boards aren't mean, but the individuals are? I've certainly seen some PMs that, had their content and spirit been on the main thread of a board, would've caused the ink to fly---well, maybe not if the poster was one of the hallowed...

I'm not trying to fight; I'm just sincerely confused about the whole 'mean board' thing. I know for a fact that there are lots of people from other boards who regularly read here but don't post. Well, they don't post HERE, but they certainly take things back to their own back channel networks. Is that less 'mean' than speaking directly and owning your opinion publicly?

[Thankful4Clay]

I spoke to Claygasm about this in January. It's hard to articulate.

There are 'some' here who do make fun of the other boards. They make fun of them before anything even happens. That's why I could relate to what YSRN said. I believe her point was: why do you go to the other boards and read and then come here and bitch about them? If you dislike them so much, why don't you just stay here?

When I first started reading here, I was turned off by a lot of what I saw posted here in regards to other boards.

On the other hand, you can have great discussions here without the trouting. I appreciate that. No board is perfect. I think each board does have a reputation.

CH = Cool people. You have to be special to be allowed in. I have zero interest in being a member there.

CV = A heavily moderated board. There is a lot of non-Clay talk there and I think that makes CV different in a good way.

CB = A heavily moderated board that is totally confusing to read so I only go there when a link is posted.

OFC = A board where you can trash Clay constantly and it's not a fun place to be.

FCA = A board with very little moderation that sometimes thinks it's above others and makes fun of the other boards and many of their posters.

RHT = A board with no moderation that has been slowly dying for years. Not the place to go if you want fast-breaking news.

I'm not trying to mean. I'm giving you my impressions and what I have heard from some others. If you ask me specific questions, I'll try to answer. If there are any lurkers who would like to chime in, please do so.

I don't think FCA has to change and I'm not asking for that. I'm just expressing my opinion. I know that I'm not alone.

[Couch Tomato]

Thankful, yep I've heard all that about FCA and more. I think you have to be part of a board to really understand it and even then everything won't appeal to you. You make the best of it until you can't anymore. I don't at all mind this discussion taking place. I think it's quite healthy actually.

Every so often when you see me kindly remind you that FCA is an open board with no cubbyholes to discuss all the things that can't be talked about in mixed company it's because I've heard through some place or another that we're the mean board. I know you guys love your other boards and sometimes we're so small it feels like we're just over here in the corner talking amongst ourselves. I don't want you punished because you post here. But yeah a few people have quit in a huff. Others have taken it upon themselves to report everything they find objectionable to others mostly out of context. I actually find that hysterical as they ain't my mama so can't tell me what to do and the board will only change from within not from any force from the outside. What I love most about FCA is that people come from all over. Even I don't know where you've been reading or posting when you come here all exasperated. Yet I do think some think this board revolves around them. It doesn't. There are too many people here from too many places...and hell if I can't figure it out half the time how can anybody else (shut up hee). So I think it's the fandom we're discussing, not boards. I think since I spend so much of my time as part of it I have a right to do that, and not behind closed doors.

I'm going back to work..I swear, my clay trip is getting closer and closer and my savings well... ahem.

ETA: The use of you in the first paragraph is just general talk..not speaking to anyone specifically.

I always challenge people to pick a thread or two, any thread, read it and if we're still just the mean board so be it. But don't read one day and think you know us cuz you don't

ETA: I have to say that while a lot of clay nation wallowed in misery, many FCAers had the smarts to think some flim flamming was going on somewhere somehow as a whole lot of bs got posted as fact. I'm proud to know ya'll and post with you every day.

[jmh123]

Some of those characterizations of other boards, Thankful, aren't very kind--all seem to me to be based on stereotypes so I don't put much stock by them. I hope wherever this conversation goes, we can avoid making specific comments about specific boards.

I'm sorry that YSRN was hurt by what she read today. Her post hit me pretty hard. I think it's a very complicated situation. FCA is (IMO) always open to hear honest criticism about itself, but it is a group of individuals with different opinions, all of whom were just lumped together. You were expecting trout? An admin note saying don't pick on others? Like couchie said, this is FCA. Some people today were upset about all the angst on the boards, and they posted here knowing that FCA is a place you can come and express that without getting shut up or edited. For me, FCA has always been a place of refuge when the angst got out of hand, a place where I don't expect to see angst at those times when it is rampant on other boards, and a place to vent about angst or weird fan ideas/behaviors when people feel the need to do so. It doesn't mean those opinions are endorsed by the board, or that any group or individual is speaking for the board. I'm sorry that FCA has the reputation of being mean, and I don't find it to be mean myself, but my heart goes out to anyone who feels differently and is hurt.

This is not about YSRN, who, I'm guessing, may be feeling hurt by posts made by her friends, I don't know, but whatever the case, the following is not her situation: I have always found it ironic that people will come here because they've heard they can say things they couldn't say elsewhere, and they'll say them and rejoice about it, and then some time will pass, and someone will post something they don't like, and they'll be all, "Where's the green ink?" "Where's the trout?" "Are you going to let her get away with posting that?" Well, yeah, 99.9% of the time we will.

So a by-product of people feeling free to say whatever, is that the board will seem a certain way to those who just read when someone says, "Go over there and see how mean they are," or quotes a specific post, or expects that people should be free to say whatever they want only as long as you agree with them, or doesn't stay engaged with the life of the board on a regular basis. There's a whole lot more to FCA, a whole lot, than just being a place to talk critically about the fandom. Or what couchie said.

[playbiller]

Eh, I just want to be happy.

Soon, soon. soon.

[jmh123]

Playbiller, I'm sorry you deleted in a way, that was a great post, but I know you didn't want to be mean about people being mean. An, the irony.

I don't understand. You say that FCA has a rep as a 'mean board'---what makes it mean? That we 'express amazement at the angst without being slapped down for having an opinion'? Isn't that what you said you would like to express but can't elsewhere? So...then if you say it here, does that make you mean, too? Or just honest? And you say it here because you CAN, but because you can...that makes FCA 'mean'?

[Couch Tomato]

I'm sorry you deleted too..I was going to respond to one of your paragraphs but now it's gone!

[Lotus]

I decided to check in here before going to bed after not reading the boards for a few hours so I'm late to the discussion.

I really enjoy FCA. It is now the first board I read in the morning and the last I read at night. I also enjoy reading other boards, mainly CV, CH and LBFCA...I rarely read OFC and I find CB confusing. There are aspects of all the boards which I enjoy but today I have found all the angsting I read on some boards very tiring and it made me feel sad. I ended up scanning to find the happy postings which started appearing after the initial flurry of concerned and worried posts..I knew they would appear eventually, they always do.

I was feeling over the moon at the prospect of a tour promoting the album this year and was even happier that it might be this fall. Of course, Clay and his team are going to do what they want and what they think is the best course of action. It is not necessarily what I might want but I do think that it is alright for me to express my own disappointment. I just wish that there had been no mention of a tour this July in the first place.

I do hope that things have settled down by the morning.

I'm off to bed....goodnite.

[playbiller]

When I am tired at night, I write with passion from my heart. Then when I get ready to sellp, I have second thoughts and save it until the day. I might be sorry, but here it is back again. (if you go backwards thought your browser history, old things reaappear.)

YSRN,

I understand what you are saying. I do feel that 'sometimes' this board takes a 'we are better than them' attitude and I have been turned off by it. (Sorry FCAers, just being honest. FCA does have a rep as a mean board.)

What I posted here tonight, I would have posted at CV, only I would have been green inked for doing so.

I won't make fun of the other boards for wanting to angst, but I would like to express my amazement at the angst without being slapped down for having an opinion.

I know of the mean board. the truth is, I have disassociated with the angst everywhere, I don't even try to fight it for the most part, I just can't deal with it again. I do post on different boards on different threads though because I still hurt from the way I was treated as being ignorant or blind or a poor poor soul who does not have the latest inside information passed through PM. I don't liike being ordered to be unhappy or carry the shame of a "bad fan". So maybe I over react sometimes when I see the storm clouds gathering.

Do I think I am better than others? it depends on how you define better - I know I am in the minority most places, like I have been most of my life. I think My opinions are mine, I own them. The problem is, I just do not want to face the hostility when I express my opinion in certain places, so I post them here and express my opinion on idol or some other topic elsewhere. I am not the smartest, the quickest of wit nor the kindest, but who is?

Being the mean board - this was not one of the boards that went after the mcvargas girls and wished then harm. I don't think I have ever read anyone here wishing someone death like I have at so many other boards. I remember this was not one of the places that condemned someone for getting the A101 more than once. I don't remember any one person being condemned, just general behavior. I have read a lot of nastiness, with names or other associations being identified, some posted pictures of people without their permission. Yeah, right we are the mean board. A generic rant is not nearly as nasty as a lot of crap I have seen on the other boards personally directed and extremely judgemental, except my extremely overmoderated (but remembered fondly for the ability to read that board with a child in the room) TVclubhouse.

I believe this fandom is too invasive, is it wrong to express that? Is this worse that claiming Clay is a this or a that based on one persons story or the reading of something inthe media that is not a dierectg quote?

I can happily say that there are more differrnig opinions than there were before out in Claynation and a bunch of positive polly's followed the people who were not being nice to the article writer in leaving comments..

Do I think being upset by something that has not happened yet is silly, you bet your bupkis. Most people would admit that if they realized it was what they were doing.

ETA - Lotus there will be at least one tour this year, I am sure. And there were some great recaps tonight. If no one else bringsthem over , I will tomorrow.

And now goodnight.

[skybar22]

I guess I want to say more after reading the comments here. I'm in a strange place, for me, as far as message boards go. I am a member of several but have posted mostly at CH. I was also on a private board that I got banned from because of my inability to fall into step with the admin there. I was literally cornered and they tried to force me into saying things I didn't believe or feel. Talk about some mean stuff. I could almost understand how some fans became hateful toward others and even Clay because of how they got treated by other fans and I never dissed Clay one bit. I LOVE Clay. I seldom criticize him or find fault with him because I believe people are who they are and he is a good and decent man. On this particular board people were always looking for haters and judging others, including whole boards and loyal fans because they spoke their minds. Not everyone likes what Clay does. People have the right to their opinions.

I recently got very fed up about the drama that continually manifests in this fandom. It happens everywhere and it began to feel like a dysfunctional family to me. I came from one of those where drama was the status quo and I worked hard to get emotionally healthy. I keep my distance from my family of origin although I love them and I want to know what is happening with them. I decided that I was feeling the same way about this fandom and it got really activated a few times so that I found myself looking for a place to vent. I found that here a few months ago. But the boards still challenge my sense of peace about Clay and where I am in my appreciation of him. Because of my health issues and my need to experience less stress, I have been staying out of the discussions that get heated all over the boards. I don't want to be part of that anymore. I just want the news and I want to see the pretty pictures and basically enjoy my Clay fandom.

When I started to see the reactions to that article I was very surprised. I thought it was an okay summary of the answers to the many questions she got from the fans. Some on that blog were accusing her of being a typical tabloid and making Clay look bad. I was scratching my head on that. I made the mistake of reading some of the boards and people were getting all deflated and bummed out because of various answers Clay gave. I don't believe she fabricated any of it. She matter of factly reported what he told her, IMO.

When I came here for my regular reading of the board, I noticed some people of like mind and felt some relief so I posted. I hope that I didn't upset anyone with my comments. I've learned to keep my distance now and to just read for content. I guess I am much more content that way but I do appreciate the lack of monitoring people's comments here. We are all adults and I think it is much better to allow us to work things out than to shut things down.

Thanks to the mods here. It is not an easy job. Back to lurking.

[djs111]

I think something to take into consideration is that many of us have a history with other boards.

Mean? I have seen outspoken, I have never seen the volume of sheer unmitigated nastiness expressed about Clay, his family, his friends, his business dealings, that I have seen expressed on other boards. Or the demented digging into peoples' private and business lives.

Just the nastiness about the Christmas stories was pointlessly mean at other boards (Well, it was downright hilarious how that did a 180, though).

I do think it funny that some boards just assume they are being targeted.

Maybe it is just that some boards have been around for so long that they are more about themselves than about Clay - more about what they THINK of what Clay does, instead about what he actually does. Maybe that is just a natural progression. Perhaps some boards are more about shaping others' opinions regarding Clay than Clay himself. Whatever.

Evolve means changing, it does not mean changing for the better, even though the word is used that way sometimes (usually by someone who thinks they are superior and that others should strive to be like them.) The boards have just, IMO, evolved, grown (for better or for worse), morphed, settled into what they are due to the proclivities of their main body of posters.

Kimmel's 1000th show special comes on at 11:35 tonight, it looks like it will be pretty funny, and I can't imagine we won't see Clay flinging Jimmy against a wall or sitting nonchalantly and inexplicably on a horse. Heeee....the point of that horse was really that there was no point to it - something that I wish would be embraced by the folks who over-analyze everything for the most depressing negative meaning.

[jamar1700]

goodNESS! Had an apt. after work yesterday and only got back here for a quick read before heading to bed. Wish I had more time to put things into my own words, but I don't. But...no surprise...you've all said it so well.

:F_05BL17blowkiss: FCA! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I read the article here and thought nothing of it. Liked the questions she focused on. Figured there would be no tour in the summer and my money is on a Christmas tour starting in November (aka FALL...)

Mean is as mean does. And that's all I'll say about that.

I go to NYC next WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!

[lilyshine]

Kimmel's 1000th show special comes on at 11:35 tonight, it looks like it will be pretty funny, and I can't imagine we won't see Clay flinging Jimmy against a wall or sitting nonchalantly and inexplicably on a horse. Heeee....the point of that horse was really that there was no point to it - something that I wish would be embraced by the folks who over-analyze everything for the most depressing negative meaning.

I was trying to explain the humor in the horse bit to someone who didn't "get" it and I said it was like something out of Monty Python, no reason, just funny as hell.

Didn't know at the time how prescient I was!!!

ETA I'm another who doesn't get the angst bug. I thought the interview answers sounded just like Clay.

And Press Releases are just that Releases to the Press to get the ball rolling, set the tone and provide hard information. They aren't personal communications. What the press does with them is another matter. I expect that most PRs I send out get spindled, folded and mutilated without even being read. (Boy, does that date me!) The fact that so many of Clay's PRs get picked up by so many media outlets is amazing given his low profile.

[claytonic]

Although I am relatively new to the whole Claynation and fandom thing, I am not new to the media in general. Therefore, I always wonder how much I am reading is factual, especially in relation to Clay since so much fiction has been written about him.

Unless I hear it from the horse's mouth (Clay, sorry to call you a horse...) I tend to take it with a grain of salt.

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

For myself, I try very hard not to use FCA as a place just to come and rant; but sometimes it is good to be able to vent and post opinion without getting edited and it also makes one feel so not alone in the fandom when you see others with the same opinion. And like I said yesterday, sometimes you just like to be where people take the common sense approach to situations rather than the emotional one.

31 Days until The Closing Night of Spamalot!

33 Days until "On My Way Here" is here!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[luckiest1]

Wow, looks like I chose a good night to take a reprieve from the boards.....but I do have a few, after-the-fact, comments.

Welcome, ashleysgram!

CG, good to know I am the exception to your rule.

I don't give a flying fuck about a press release!

WORD! And WORD from one to ten to HeidiHo.

As to the FCA discussion....for many of us, it's been a haven. Yeah, sometimes I go out and have a peek and very occasionally even make a post elsewhere. But to come home here and be able to rant about the state of the fandom or disturbing trends in the fandom is a healthy thing, IMO. It's a crazy world out there!

[Ansamcw]

I have a lot on my mind about the various post but don;t have the time to express it. At this point I would like to WORD Couchie and JMH cos they expressed a lot of what I have to say.

I would like to take the time to say that we are an open board that welcome opinions that are expressed respectfully. Posters are always free to speak their mind...with in reaon of course...and that includes criticisms and angst. The response may be different from some of the boards because many here tend to try and dissipate the angst instead of nurturing it....but if you have something to say... go ahead and express it...I believe it simply leads to some really meaningful discussions and that is what makes a board interesting.

YSRN...you are always welcome here... you tend to keep us balanced...

[ldyjocelyn]

Recognize anyone in this poster?

I've got too much to do at work today, but let me just say that I think one of the cold, hard truths that I've come to realize in the Clay Aiken fandom is that NONE of the boards are perfect, and really, IMO, there will never ever be a unified "Clay Aiken fandom." We're just too diverse. We all get different things out of what Clay does, and we're never going to agree on those things. Also, boards tend to "bond" over a particular aspect of Clay, and therefore, I also think that no board will truly ever be balanced. It's just a fact of life anymore to me. It makes me sad, but I think this is also a microcosm of the real world.

OK, gotta run. If someone can bring over recaps from Spamalot, I'd appreciate it!

[merryclay]

It's all just because we're human. Everyone thinks their view from the window is the best view. Many just want to be the loudest. Well, the house has a lot of different views and windows. It just always helps to remember that. I know in my own family, there's some dysfunction, Duh. I'd like to paint a better picture of my family, but that wouldn't make it true. I think a balance is healthy. I come here to look out other windows. I like to keep a balance. I'm sure some have had bitter experiences on other boards. I think it helps to always remember that we all are just regular people in society, and these are just fanboards. It isn't healthy to let this stuff make you sick. If it does make you too emotional, than backing away for a week or whatever you need can be helpful. This board life is not for everyone and being a Clay fan has never been totally easy although, in my book, the joy always outweighs the bad. It is all about keeping a healthy perspective.

Sometimes, I feel like an outsider here, because no one really knows me. That's OK, I want to get to know you guys.

[luckiest1]

Saw this one from GBB from last night. Thought it ws cute.

Nothing like standing in 30 degree weather for half an hour to wake you up! I did the stage door and Clay was verra verra gorgeous and very animated. There were 3 little kids there with their parents and his face just lit up when he saw them. One of the little boys sang something to him and Clay was all impressed.

One funny thing, right before Clay left the foyer area between the inner door and the door to the outside, I could see him shaking his head wildly back and forth to get that gorgeous tousled look. And it was gorgeous.

The thing about him going back to the front of the line isn't that he came back to sign more, but that he didn't sign for them at the beginning because there was some pushing. He stepped back and started a little farther down the line and said he'd come back to the front later. He did after he finished the rest of the line.

I have some great video (missed the beginning hair toss but got his talk with the little kids). He looked really really good tonight and seemed to be in a good mood.

Working on converting the video now. Will have it up asap.

eta - Yikes, sorry about that nearly incoherent post before I went out earlier. I was v. v. sleepy. Well still am, but Clay and/or the cold woke me up a bit.

etaa - awwww... watching the video again, I just relized what the little boy sang to him. "A thousand days, a thousand nights is not enough..."

Video can be found here:

http://www.clackunlimited.com/clack/Specia...8_Spamalot/GBB/

[rohdy]

It's all just because we're human. Everyone thinks their view from the window is the best view. Many just want to be the loudest. Well, the house has a lot of different views and windows. It just always helps to remember that. I know in my own family, there's some dysfunction, Duh. I'd like to paint a better picture of my family, but that wouldn't make it true. I think a balance is healthy. I come here to look out other windows. I like to keep a balance. I'm sure some have had bitter experiences on other boards. I think it helps to always remember that we all are just regular people in society, and these are just fanboards. It isn't healthy to let this stuff make you sick. If it does make you too emotional, than backing away for a week or whatever you need can be helpful. This board life is not for everyone and being a Clay fan has never been totally easy although, in my book, the joy always outweighs the bad. It is all about keeping a healthy perspective.

Sometimes, I feel like an outsider here, because no one really knows me. That's OK, I want to get to know you guys.

Being a Clay fan is the easiest thing I have ever done.

But that is because I am the house. The boards are my windows into all things Clay. I go to different windows, for different views. I try not to whine if I don't like the view out any one window...I just pull the shade and move on to another window. In a few days (or hours) I can lift the shade and find the view has changed, the clouds have lifted perhaps, maybe I'll find sunshine and flowers! Or maybe I'll have to pull the shade back down.

But they are my windows. Only I can control how much I let their view effect me.

[merryclay]

It's all just because we're human. Everyone thinks their view from the window is the best view. Many just want to be the loudest. Well, the house has a lot of different views and windows. It just always helps to remember that. I know in my own family, there's some dysfunction, Duh. I'd like to paint a better picture of my family, but that wouldn't make it true. I think a balance is healthy. I come here to look out other windows. I like to keep a balance. I'm sure some have had bitter experiences on other boards. I think it helps to always remember that we all are just regular people in society, and these are just fanboards. It isn't healthy to let this stuff make you sick. If it does make you too emotional, than backing away for a week or whatever you need can be helpful. This board life is not for everyone and being a Clay fan has never been totally easy although, in my book, the joy always outweighs the bad. It is all about keeping a healthy perspective.

Sometimes, I feel like an outsider here, because no one really knows me. That's OK, I want to get to know you guys.

Being a Clay fan is the easiest thing I have ever done..

But that is because I am the house. The boards are my windows into all things Clay. I go to different windows, for different views. I try not to whine if I don't like the view out any one window...I just pull the shade and move on to another window. In a few days (or hours) I can lift the shade and find the view has changed, the clouds have lifted perhaps, maybe I'll find sunshine and flowers! Or maybe I'll have to pull the shade back down.

But they are my windows. Only I can control how much I let their view effect me.

I guess that's what I was trying to say. Maybe you said it better. The only thing I disagree about is that it was sad to see Clay have to go through all the injustice of dealing with crazies and the unfair media that didn't even know anything about him. But now as I look back, I take pride in his courage and tenacity and I can see that he leads by example, and so I've come to peace about all that.

I'm so excited about the new music. I'll be so sad to see the end of Spamalot, but I love to hear Clay Aiken sing and I love to see him on TV.

Bad things have happened, but in the long haul it made us better. I think that's cool. I've never followd any other celebrity in my life. I always used to say there was no one I would cross the street to see. Somehow , that all changed. Clay really has that "it" factor and it certainly can't be explained any other way. I think things will be fine with the CD. I'm looking for 300,000 first week. I'm nothing if not an optimist. LOL!!!

[luckiest1]

This was posted by idlefan4ca on CH and looks legit:

Clay Aiken's List of Music You Should Hear