#31: The Very Handsome Sir Clay of Aiken

[merrieeee]

I cannot wait for tomorrow night!!!!!!

[Couch Tomato]

Just dragged ourselves back to the hotel. I'm caught up and I see you have the gist of the show tonight. It was really really spectacular. I'm glad I went. I'm so happy that they just went with it for the final night and gave Clay extra added attention and let him be showered with love by the people on stage and in the audience. The guard scene was so frickin' funny..I'm still laughing at it. The alley was so surreal. I always go back against the wall of juniors and just take it all in. And my lurker friend just knew he would come out on the roof for some reason and she was right. Damn that was very special. Glad to see there is clack of it.

Anyway, afterward we went to O'Lunneys and ate and drank and generally made merry.

Cindilu, Lucky, Play, Fear, Cha Cha, annabear, ducky, cagney, claygasm, muskifest, lurker friend and a friend of Cagney. I can't believe it...FCA actually had a reservation!! heee.

So we all have early flights tomorrow so will turn in soon. And now that Spam is over I can concentrate on new music from Clay. Can't wait to hear it.

This afternoon I think the thing I laughed the hardest at was Concord laying on the ground with the arrow in him and saying "You've got mail." The entire cast of this show is wonderful..and yes I still have my girl crush.

[playbiller]

Just caught up and ready for bed.

Pleas don't copy this review to any other board, I want to review and update in the morning and then I will copy it to a few. This is just for here tonight.

The final show was no disappointment or let down. No shameful famewhores or what ever else people angsted about before the show, I am sorry some worried about the last show, thought it would be annoying or OTT and missed it because it was unbealievable love.

Let's start with the audience - what a great audience, every single listed part received an ovation on their first appearance - the love was shared every where. From the wild applause for Finland finland finland through the standing ovation for the chorus people. every one (and I mean everyone capable of standing) stood after the finale went dark and were up for the first of the curtain calls. The chorus were thrilled, it might have been their first Standing O. You know when they ask everyone to sing along - well, everyone sang along. it was like a performance for family where we loved everything, every single person pushed their performance up a notch, more than we can imagine. Unfortunately, I felt the new belvadere decided to stretch things for laughs and at first it was funnuy, he just did it a bit much. It seemed damned hard for any of the principals to keep a straight face, you could see the smile begging to break through.

Now let me make some elaborations on already reported stuff.

With all the extra applause and stuff, i was afraid they would cut stuff to make up the time, but I didn't really notice any tonight, it was like damn the clocks, lets slow it all down.

When the historian first appeared there was a huge applause, he had to hold his hands off to cut it down, the second half he was prepared and made a cut of signal much earlier so he could get his lines out.

knights of NI. I have seen a show where rick did the "morning train" before and he went on and on, believe it or not, it was not as long tonight, but it was much funnier because the other knights of ni started dancing around wildly waving their hands and bouncing up and down. it was so hard for all to keep a straight face, Clay bit down on his finger, Tobe just bent his head down so low, his hat probably covered is face for all but thoses sitting in the front row and laughed. What really cracked me up though is when the kind was struggling for the name, Clay started waggling his fingers in time to the song and then did a very much more contained version of the ni's dance.

In tghe bottle dance, probably for Bottle cap, Clay had major tongue, it was so funny, his eyes were crossing and it looked like he was concentrating tso much he lost control of his face. The tush exposure looked very deliberate and cracked Patsy up. Patsy was pretty much smiling during that entire scene. The King made Clay take the extra bows afer the big song.

Dennis growing into his role, still not great as dennis, but has conquered Herbert's father. The guard scene had everone OTT. Patsy wa weaving from the get go, trying to steal the scene from Clay and did some very edgy balancing. Clay cracked up people because his ifififififififif was kind of followed up, interupting the father with a wha wha wha wha kind of sound, keeping him from saying anything. Then the flower sniffing began, followed by the ribbon braiding, which just went on and on. I sort of was keeping a bit of eye on Tom, he did not crack a smile, but did eventually sit down, then Herbert's father then patsy guard. I am not sure exactly what made Clay look at them, probably the fact he was left alone to braid for so long., but then he looked down at the father and sort of jumped awake.

I have to go to sleep, this is too much more to say. in the morning.

[Couch Tomato]

Well we're up and packed and ready to head toward the airport. Don't know if it's that we're all drop dead tired but lots of silly laughter. Someone wants to do all manner of sneaky things with my admin buttons. We're laughing at some of the reports going..hmmm that didn't happen. That didn't happen. LOL but I guess the main thing is that last night was really special. See you on the other side.

[Ansamcw]

Well we're up and packed and ready to head toward the airport. Don't know if it's that we're all drop dead tired but lots of silly laughter. Someone wants to do all manner of sneaky things with my admin buttons. We're laughing at some of the reports going..hmmm that didn't happen. That didn't happen. LOL but I guess the main thing is that last night was really special. See you on the other side.

oh yeah wondering with ldyJ last night if the report of clay swearing and tearing up were true...Glad you guys had such a wonderful time. Looking forward to other recaps!!!

have a good flight and hope you guys have enough energy to stay up to meet May 6!!!

[bottlecap]

In the bottle dance, probably for Bottle cap, Clay had major tongue, it was so funny, his eyes were crossing and it looked like he was concentrating so much he lost control of his face.

See, y'all can have your sooper sekrit steamy text messages and whatnot. It's obvious whom Sir Robin really lurves, what with the constant shoutouts to ME and all...

Safe travels to all the Spammers!

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

1 Day until OMWH is Here!

2 Days until GMA!

3 Days until The View!

4 Days until The Today Show!

7 Days until Leno!

11 Days until The Climmel/Rachael Ray!

14 Days until Craig Ferguson!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[ldyjocelyn]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE for the FCA Spammers last night!

__

From Kiermar at the CH:

I'm baaaccckk! Clay got a wonderful send-off tonight by both the fans and his gracious colleagues. I'm dead tired and have a headache and my husband is complaining about some bill that I misplaced, but here goes my disjointed, ungrammatical stream of consciousness.

Orchestra area was wall to wall Clay fans. All the main characters got great applause when they first came out to play their role. Tom as the Historian actually had to make raise his hands to quiet the audience.

Clay's applause that went on and on when he first made his appearance at the tower. All the actors were very patient in waiting for the applause to subside. There was a very funny scene when Clay is guarding swamp castle, the laughter was nonstop at one point, so Tom as Herbert actually sat down on the ground! And then Herbert's father sat down and then the other guard sat down!

The new Sir Belvedere is excellent.

Rick's routine for Knights who say Ni went on and on and on. He sang "My Baby Takes the Morning Train" for several minutes and I couldn't hear well but I think he made up the words for a lot of it. I think the main reason it went on so long is because he wanted to crack Clay up. Clay's lips curled, but he didn't lose it!

When they sang "All For One" Clay punctuated each phrase with the cheesiest grin you ever saw! It was hysterical.

When Clay finished his showstopper, it was a REAL showstopper. First of all, when he got to the piano, he turned around and gestured to the audience to quiet themselves. He had to turn around again and raise his finger, and boy, did we shut up! He wasn't pissy, it was cute. After the number he got a standing O, and when he stood up from kneeling down, Jonathan gestured to Clay to kneel down and again and soak in the applause. He did this twice.

The peasant was the cutest PYT who must be a fan, or at least she is now! She gave Clay a flirtatious wave which he appreciated very much! He waved back at her and seemed to wink at her. They continued to give each other flirty smiles. Clay seemed all pleased with himself, and continue to wave to her and give her flirty smiled when she went back to her seat. He then bragged to the other knights about the attention she was paying to him!

Nick looks great! Saw him on the way to men's room,and I think I saw Mike Nichols, too. I haven't caught up yet, but are there any other reports that Nichols was there. It was nice seeing Mary, Quiana and Angela.

The cast is just so gracious. When Jonathan took his curtain call, he made a gesture to the crowd to forget about applauding for him, and he gestured dramatically toward Clay. He took Clay's arm and pulled him center stage. He got two bouquets of flowers; one from the dancing girls who gathered around him, and one of the stage managers came out with flowers.

I visited the ladies room in the basement after the show and the bar was roped off and prepared for a party! It was low key, I think, there were just bowls of potato chips, pretzels, Hershey's kisses, and a few dozen glasses of champagne poured.

It was a great evening to be a Clay fan.

From butterflyshine at CV, via the CH:

This recap is brought to you by CAP121, Queensmum and me:

Random thoughts and recaps:

The applause was so loud for Clay when he made his first appearance in the guard scene King Arthur was looking around for the source of the sound. It went on for so long that Patsy waved to Clay. Clay was also looking for the sound.

Tom did Russian split during his not-yet-dead Fred scene

During the All For One song he was doing look back over shoulder smirk and soooooo breaking the fourth wall....and boy did we love it ....(of course, i can't think of a single thing that i didn't love )

Camelot scene:

huge leer for Camelot/Vegas Girl

grabby butt hands on the first jello mold dancer

waving at jello girl

looked underneath her dress

Drink...goosed and spanked him several times

Jenny Hill (blue dancer) shimmied over to him and shimmied back and she put hands around neck with no space between ....

he did high kick

The nun after he got spun....did a very cute...longingly gesture at Clay...it was a very sweet moment

Blue dice girl kissed Clay

AND THEN

HANNAH SINGS INVISIBLE and the crowd goes wild...and to his credit Clay didn't break character...just looked confused...

Going up the mountain -Bevedere was passing wind-Clay was waving his hand in front of his face....

Galahad did a huge gallop onto stage for French Taunter ....

Clay did huge dismount, tied up and petted pony.....

Clay did his kick the door, I am soo brave guy thing...

Rick did the slow undulation on the wall...

and the gestures were quite lewd and Rick lent hand to Tom...Clay covered not only the King's eyes, but his eyes...

During runaway...Jenny as the french girl, grabbed Clay's tabbard and spanked him several times....

everyone got so much love tonight it was such a joy...every principle on their first entrance got huge applause...

Tom pringed the audience...his reception as historian was huge and he pringed us to shut us up

Patsy's Bright Side of Life rec'd a huge amount of applause...

Clay and the minsterals were excellent and Clay's soiling himself had a few extra hip moves and was pure physical comedy genius...

huge applause...and it started to die down...and then grew again...Tom and Black Knight stayed frozen waiting for the applause to die down...

Clay's 2nd soiling included extra hip and leg action and his hand was on butt for long time....

And Rick did the big hand wave in front of nose...and David plugged his nose...

Knights of Ni--Rick started out off singing "Morning Train" and then made his verses...and went on and on and on ...little Ni started doing their own dance...and King Arthur did his own jig and on went Rick in an effort to get to get Clay to break character...which eventually he did ....and the audience was laughing and laughing and laughing

While waiting for King Arthur to compose himself, Clay was mouthing the words to Morning Train and playing the piano...

Clay's solo...

on second pass of underware girl they did a huge shimmy....

When did his normal hold applause before piano...he had to do it several times to get us to stop applauding

huge tunic flip...

during Clay's Russian dance, his tongue went to the side with the leg...then it went to just he tip of his tongue...

Standing ovation for Clay's solo...King gestured to Clay to take at least 2 more bows...and King held his gosh for a long time...and Clay did his don't be mad at me for my solo for a long time and gave several beseeching looks...

Recap continued:

When Concorde got shot -Rick shouted don't you die on me and pounded on his chest....

During the supply word scene...Concorde made Lancelot really work for it on idiom and Rick writhed around for a long time...with the audience howling...

Guard Scene....

Clay had a serious case of ribbon envy and smelled the flowers....Clay braided for soooo long that Tom sat down....and then the Father, and Clay is still braiding, and braiding, and braiding...so then Patsy/Guard sits down....and then Clay is admiring his braid and turns it shows it to everyone while making little satisfied faces...they finally stood up...and the scene continued...the audience ate it up with spoon....

While waiting to for Lance's entrance...he unbraided his ribbons...

Herbert and Lance...Herbert was really, really, really happy to see Lance and wasn't afraid to show it....it took a few seconds for Lance to say his name and identify himself...

Tom extended his last breath...and extended his fall so that it sounded like it was longer...

For those who haven't noticed....Lance's family crest can be found on emblazoned on codpiece....

Brother Maynard--he sang Aheyheyman or (Amen) but that's how it sounded ...it starts in his lower range...and is just gorgeous...tonight the King and the Knights Amened him back...

When Bevedere mentions the fourth wall...Clay tries to reach through the fourth wall...

Peasant--pty...with converse sneakers...which the King mentioned...and Clay didn't offer his hand to shake, instead he was doing flirty wave, constantly and winked...and coy face...and shy boy face...it was adorable....

And when she left the stage...he put his hands to his eyes and scanned the crowd for her and then waved again...

Wedding scene....huge applause for find my grail....and when he went to dance with David and Bevedere he did the zero sign and David did it back...I was sitting...close enought to see David well up and look at Clay...like you did it dude and Clay's eye welled it up...

And the three them of did the piston dance Clay went up and down in sequence...and then they did the cabbage patch ...then they the hip thrust....

Curtain Call...audience on feet from get go...everyone got huge applause ...Clay came out and the applause was huge...Hannah blew him a kiss...and then King came out and gave his bow to Clay, which was a huge sign of respect...

One of the chorus girls gave Clay flowers....and then Pamela, the choreographer brought out a bouquet of flowers...

some chorus girls and Hannah surrounded him ...

And he was insisting that everyone join him on the sing along....

and he was bouncing and saluting...

I think everyone knows how he did his final stage door from the top of the Marquee...waving and signing thank you...and holding up five fingers and a thumb...which to me...meant buy six...CAP thinks it is May 6...some said it was May 6th and buy 6th..whatever it was it was amazing and a fitting tribute...and the perfect way to go out...he was the star on the marquee...

this recap may travel

PS CAP and Queensmum will be cohabitating tonight

From anntherese54 at the CH

It's 2:15 a.m. and I'm an East coaster so I'm usually sleeping at this hour. However, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both today's matinee and the evening show of Spamalot. I left Grand Central Station at 11 p.m. for a 2 hr. train ride back upstate NY, and then drove 45 minutes back home. And here I am.

When I left the house this morning, the previous thread was at page 68. I have no idea what was posted between then and now. I will go back another time to catch up. But, for now, I just need to say...

OMG.

Tonight's show was such an amazing experience. There is no way I am going to be able to write about it all now. There are so many things to say....

-The energy of the crowd and cast

-The thunderous applause and cheers not only for Clay but also for all the other cast members

-The unscripted parts of tonight's show that had the audience laughing uproariously (is that a word? if not, it is now). The audience laughed and cheered so hard, long and loudly tonight that in several if not many places, the actors could not continue with their lines.

-The regard and respect shown to Clay by his cast mates throughout tonight's show and at curtain call.

-Clay's appearance after the show on the "rooftop" of the Shubert Theater marquee, signing "thank you", blowing kisses, waving and holding up 6 fingers.

I did not attend opening night on January 18th. But, I did attend the first matinee on January 19th. There were lots of cheers and screams for Clay that first matinee...when he walked on the stage for a scene, when he danced, when he sang, etc.

But, tonight, the cheers and applause and outpouring of love and appreciation were there for ALL of the members of Company Monty Python's Spamalot. And deservedly so. It felt so good to be able to show my appreciation through applause and cheers for these very talented actors who have graced the stage at the Shubert Theater for the past 4 months with Clay. They have made me smile and laugh and filled me with joy. I was so happy that the applause and appreciation was there for all of the cast tonight as well as for Clay. It felt like a family.

When Jonathon Hadary came out for his curtain call, he quickly knelt to his knee and stretched his arm to Clay, in essence, redirecting the applause for him to Clay. It was a gracious and generous gesture by Jonathon and one that was met with more cheers and screams.

More about the details of the show tomorrow...many of them may already have been shared in the post show spamcert.

I'm so glad that there is video of Clay on top of the marquee "roof". It was such a magical moment and one that should be shared with all of his fans.

Thank you, Company Monty Python's Spamalot. Thank you, Mike Nichols, for your faith in Clay. And thank you, Clay for all of your hard work to pull this off. Oh yes, and thank you for finally singing the AMEN from Brother Maynard at a show that I attended. *g*

From Sue4AllYouDo at the CB:

Hi Guys...Just got back from the Big Apple...what a day!!! Did some sightseeing, lots of picture taking and ended up at Juniors for a late lunch while the matinee was in progress. We met the young man that waited on Clay and Jerome the other night and he was so excited to meet Clay and told us about the painting that Clay purchased from him. He told us that Jerome has commissioned him to do a painting for his home also. We saw one of his paintings, very colorful and very abstract. His name is Rizz and he is a very fine young man and talented artist. From Juniors, we went to the Stage Door at approx 3:30 and it was already 6 deep. We saw the edible fruit and the flowers being delivered......GORGEOUS!!!! Clay came out and signed items, but he was only outside about 5 minutes. My son in law managed to get one good picture of Clay, which we'll post later. He had a green and yellow hoodie on, with the hood up....he looked so cute, as usual, but seemed rushed. This was the first time my daughter has seen Clay close up and she was amazed at how beautiful his face is!!!!

The evening show was phenomenal. I've read quickly the red reports and they are right on!! The thing that stands out in my mind, besides the thunderous ending, was, after Clay's big number, when he stands before the King, he kneeled down and accepted the audiences applause 3 times before the King looks at him and says "Gosh"!! It was wonderful to see him accept all the love and he was beaming. The ending was fit for a King and was such a show of love and appreciation for all Clay's hard work. It was so nice to see Angela, Quiana, Mary and Nick. It was especially nice to see a ton of familiar faces from this amazing family of ours.

We had heard all afternoon that Clay would not be doing the Stage Door for the evening show. When my daughter was outside during intermission, she saw that all the barricades were taken down. Then, after the show, they were back up again and you couldn't fit another person in the Shubert Alley!! It was the most amazing crowd ever!! What a Brilliant move on Clay's part to step out onto the overhang of the Shubert Theatre so that he could thank each and every one of us in clear view!!! I honestly think he wasn't going to do the Stage Door, but may have decided to with this marvelous twist.....I may be all wrong, but I just think this is something that he would think up. His signed "Thank You's" were very, very sincere....you could see it in his face that he was overwhelmed and very emotional and very happy! His image up on that roof will be etched in my memory forever...it was a beautiful sight. He held up one hand for "5" and one finger "1", which I thought to be a reminder that on May 6th, buy 6 !!!!! So Cute!!!!

Our night continued on as we said goodbye to friends and reminded each other that we will see each other soon. Congratulations to all who were able to stay in New York for all the upcoming events.....have a fantastic time and I'll watch for you guys on TV!!! All my love to ClayAngel, whom I met for the very first time....what a sweetheart and beautiful girl. Thank You, Clay, for making all this possible. Without you, we just wouldn't be "us", and without "us" my world wouldn't be as beautiful. I know that sounds corny, but it really is nice to be a part of a special group of friends who understand each other and who understand the unconditional love and respect we have for Clay. He has earned that love and respect many times over......Bravo Clay....Continued Success and Happiness....and Thanks for The Wonderful Memories!!!

from Irishbookgal at the CV

____

Lots of new articles out too. I'll try to get them posted later today.

[merrieeee]

Finally no more days and only hours. The eHP will show be showing up at my place tonight for a listening party! Anyone in the neighbourhood is welcome to join us.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

On My Way Here is really here!!!!!!

[luckiest1]

Checking in from JFK...........last night was a blast. It was the ultimate Spamalot performance. From beginning to end, it was such a trip. So much love being shown by the audience, and the performers were soaking it up........all of them. I loved it even from the balcony. I was seated beside 4 "NJU" people, who were very good natured. I heard someone explaining to them prior to the show starting that it was Clay's last performance, and they should expect that it would be quite loud. They were good sports, applauded every time we all started cheering, even if they mightn't have understood what they were applauding for.

I didn't cry, but the rooftop at the end made me pretty schmoopie. Too bad I spent most of it trying to figure out why my camera wouldn't take a damn picture (probably because it was soooo dark up there where Clay was, it couldn't find anything to focus on!) Afterwards we had fun at O'Lunney's, chatting with all the FCAers.

Can't wait to get home and unpack, relax and catch up on the boards until the midnight hour comes. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Work tomorrow is gonna suck.

[ldyjocelyn]

From linluvsclay at the CB

I was in the second row at the stage door and saw Jerome come out and look at the crowd. You should have seen his face!! His eyes were huge and he said, "WOW" and then scanned the crowd again and said "OoooKaaaaay". He really held that word for a few seconds. He saw the photographer on the roof, and I think that's where the idea of Clay on the roof came from. He came out a few minutes later, walked to the back of the crowd and went back inside again. A very short time later, screams erupted, and there was Clay waving to the crowd from the roof. I missed most of it--just saw the tips of his fingers waving because I was under the awning/roof thing that he was standing on, and although the crowd tried to move back so everyone could see him, there wasn't much room to do so. The cheers were so loud and the crowd so huge (literally filled all of Shubert Alley--no exaggeration) that I think Broadway will be talking about it for years to come.

I :::heart::: Jerome!

[Couch Tomato]

I swear, how do people write such complete recaps. Do they take notes? heee. The only thought I can seem to put together is ... OH WOW. And I keep singing all the spam songs. We're at the airport. I thank Cindilu and Lucky for getting here 1 1/2 hours early so that we could share a cab. I enjoyed meeting and seeing everyone. I want to give Playbiller a special shout out for putting people up and becoming the designated shopper/Spam memorabilia grabber of FCA. And you know I'm serious cuz I'm bolding her name!!

Waves to Annabear. I hope you are up and out and headed home! I'm sure we left a ton of stuff behind in the room..heee.

[merryclay]

It's all been worth it. I feel like being a Clay fan from day 1 has been an honor. We certainly picked the right man's career to follow.

[luckiest1]

from Irishbookgal at the CV

Loving all the recaps, but it was this picture that finally made me teary. THAT was the picture I wanted to take last night. I am so glad that the moment was well captured on film. It was one of those moments, like the Merrillville AIW, that I feel priveleged to have been a part of.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I just noticed that the counter is down to 0 days! To quote King Arthur..............GOSH. It's almost here! So much to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. But it's always so bittersweet when one chapter ends, and another one begins, isn't it?

[playbiller]

Thanks for letting me reread my show report, I see i did make a few mistakes, I am not sure when I can rewrite it as we are going somewhere.

[FromClaygary]

Hi all!

So glad all the NYC-bound peeps had a good time! Is that the understatement of the year??! Wish I could have been there, but it was not to be.

In the meantime, I'm here in beautiful Raleigh, NC which is one of my favorite places on earth even withOUT Clay in it.

Very excited about this CD drop, and the party tonight here, and the one in NYC which should be a blast! Looking forward to hearing all about it!!

As someone very special just said last night...... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

ETA: gdg, what's up in Cali? We need reports from our roving reporters all across the country!

Say hi to Leslie (comfiecozyclay) for me if you see her...altho' she may be in NYC

[Claygasm]

Just rolled into work straight from NYC! My Lurker Friend and I left a sleeping muski behnd, but she should be heading to Penn Station soon.

I can't recap now, since I am at work and all, but suffice it to say it was a FUN, FUN, FUN and memorable weekend. Good times, good friends, good Clay! I am sooo going to miss Spamalot.. Favorite thing Clay has ever done!!!!

Ever.

And now he has to re-enter the world of a "pop" singer and be subject to belittlement and put under a microscope and gossiped about.....

I wonder if its really worth it?

On the train home I kept thinking he seemed so much more at peace and so much more at home on Broadway than he ever has in the pop arena.

I wonder if he's feeling that too......

Oh well, to work I must go. Haven't read much at all all weekend so lots of catching up to to.

Oh, and Ldyj - thanks for looking up where the gathering spot was for me last night - since couchie didn't have her phone on!!

[Clayzorback]

Warning!!! Warning!!! If you are at work, turn off your images................

Thanks for all the recaps from the finale. I'm glad FCA was well represented. This experience will stay with Clay fans for the rest of our lives. In fact it reminds me of a song.

Memories light the corners of my mind.

Misty water color memories of the way we were.

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind.

Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were.

Can it be that it was all so simple then,

Or has time rewritten every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again,

tell me, Would we? Could we?

Memories may be beautiful, and yet,What's too painful to remember

We simply choose to forget.

So it's the laughter we will remember,

When ever we remember the way we were,

The way we were.

Great job Clay. You did us proud, but more than anything else, I think you did yourself proud. What an accomplishment to have on his resume.

From this:

To this, in just a few short years:

I'm spent!!!!!

[jmh123]

AOL is playing the full album today on First Listen: http://music.aol.com/songs/new_releases_full_cds. Just click on the album cover. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!1

Remember that the listens will be monitored, so listen lots. If you don't want to be spoiled, just mute the sound.

MUAH to all the FCAers who were there this weekend for a monumental experience. I'm so glad y'all were there to represent us!!

ETA: snap, ldyj

[ldyjocelyn]

I still have no words about how I feel from the past 24 hours. I mean crap, I wasn't even there -- and yet I'm just so proud of him. He took a chance, and it turned out beautifully....

I will truly get those articles brought over today. Pinky swear....but I thought this might be more important for those so inclined....

AOL Full CD Listening Party

jmh owes me a Coke!

[Clayzorback]

HOLY CRAP-OLY...........

You shouldn't have done that, jmh. :Thud: Just allowed myself longer snippets of a few songs. ASHES is going to kill me. :Thud:

[Iseeme]

Good morning. GREAT recaps. Here's one of the articles that came out this morning.

http://www.charlotte.com/200/story/610129.html

Monday, May 5, 2008

Posted on Sun, May. 04, 2008

Five questions for Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken has had a busy four months. Since January, he has juggled performing on Broadway for the first time with recording his first album of original songs since 2003. "On My Way Here" hits stores Tuesday, just two days after Aiken wraps his role in "Spamalot." The album chronicles the past five years for the "American Idol" runner-up. Aiken, a former UNC Charlotte student and Raleigh native, spoke to the Observer recently from his N.C. home before hopping on a plane back to New York a few hours later.

Why the five-year wait between your last album of original material? "We had label folks who had certain ideas. They wanted to do the Christmas album, then the cover album, and had certain marketing ideas."

What makes this album special? "It's something I've been wanting to do for five years, and that makes it plenty special. There's a song on it called `On My Way Here.' We found that song, and the lyrics just really struck me. We already had songs chosen, but we scrapped them because we loved this song. The lyrics are really kind of powerful and almost personal."

Would you perform on Broadway again? "I've had a great time. Would I seek it out again? I don't know. I loved the atmosphere and it's a nice little community the show is a part of."

If you had a day to spend in Charlotte, where would you go? "I like the University area because it reminds me of home."

What's next on your plate? "I'm going to take some time off, actually. I've not had two days off in a row since October. I'm looking forward to doing nothing. I'll be back in Raleigh at the end of May. I'll be taking a trip for UNICEF in the summer. But I'm going to take several months off this year because you know how lovely and breezy and cool the summers are in Raleigh. I haven't experienced that in a while, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle it."

Off to logon to AOL.

[KAndre]

KAndre simply wallows in Clay's voice...

Falling and As Long As We're Here and On My Way Here are MY jams...back off, bitches! I have a spork and will use it!

I'm just fooling around with Everything We Don't Need, Something About Us and Sacrificial Love.

Flirting with the rest, especially the last 2/3's of The Real Me...I admit, the first third is not thrilling me.

Wonder if Clay will be headed to Myanmar?

[claytonic]

Video of Clay on the roof, showing his six fingers!

[ldyjocelyn]

I've started a thread for an OMWH listening party! Location is here! Dates are May 9 and 10 (this Friday and Saturday). The information on how this all works is in the thread. If you have any questions, PM me.