#31: The Very Handsome Sir Clay of Aiken

[pkmiller]

pkmilller - one person (Billboard - was it Chuck Taylor or Fred Bronson?) gave the 'best cd of 2003' review. Clay has never been a critic's darling and I doubt he ever will be. (Unless KAndre's plan for world domination kicks in quicker then we'd hoped *g*)

Oh well, guess I should be used to bad reviews and being looked down on because I am a Clay fan...before Clay I was a huge Barry Manilow fan and got the same treatment.

Kandre, where do we sign up?

[aikim]

Feeling like utter crap right now, PMS'ing big time ( I am going to be 51 in Sept. and I am so ready to be over this shit!)

Anyhoo, just wanted to make a correction about the ATDW, People did have a download suggestion for that review, Sorry Seems To Be The Saddest Word. I remember because when that review came out and people were bitching about how bad it was, I, in trying to lighten the mood, commented that at least they suggested downloading that song and promptly got my head bitten off for it. No surprise there.

Now I think I will head off to a hot bath...

Kim

[atinal]

Man, I think I need to listen to deep voiced Clay again. Can someone hand me my walker? *g*

Yeah, let me go get a shot of Geritol to give me the strength to click on deep voiced Clay again.

[Clayzorback]

I remember ldyjocelyn. Clay did encourage his fans to do that, but I think that they initiated the behavior first and he just went along, and encouraged them to do it later in the tour. But I could be wrong. There has been a couple of times he has said things, like my fans will beat you up etc, that I felt some OTT people would take to heart and think Clay was really advocating that. I would never dream to approach total strangers, seated in a concert setting, and tell them to duct tape their cameras. Normal procedure is for the theater or the artist to make an announcement about no flash photography, and for security to tend to those who don't mind. It really isn't the responsibility of Clay's fans and he should not encourage that type of behavior IMHO. But he was young, dumb and full of cum back then....... What is OTT to me might not be over the top to you or someone else.

PermaSwoon I agree with you. They should of put Clay on AC right from the get go instead of trying to put him in with the MTV crowd.

This is what a certain segment of Clay's fans think Clay should be and he just isn't going there. I admit in the first year of my fandom, this is what I wanted for Clay too. However he isn't going to be a ROCKSTAR>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o4W_VyJljs

[Claygasm]

I often read a review and let it help me decide on a movie or a book, or even music. In the case of music, the influence is usually only when I am unfamiliar with an artist. I think you can tell when someone writes a review who has actually listened to the album and in those cases I respect the review whether good or bad - if the review is about the music.

Clay may get some good reviews for this CD. He may not. He may sell tons. He may not. I am not expecting a big first week - and I am sure if it isn't people will be ready to draw and quarter RCA again. But I would rather see this album have legs than have a big first week. I HOPE if they are going for radio they put some effort to getting him on AC, but I am not counting on that.

For me, the only thing that matters is that Clay is proud of this album - and he sure seems to be. It doesn't matter if I like it or not (although I probably will). It doesn't matter if it goes mega platinum or not. In the end I would bet that Clay will be happier putting out an album that he feels good about than one that sells tons but that he isn't proud of.

I don't know. I guess my sights just aren't set super high like so many. I know some have been saying this is going to be Clay's break through album - the one that finally gets him critical acclaim and Grammy nods etc. I don't think that is going to happen. Its Clay. Its unlikely to ever happen no matter how deserving he may be. It may not be fair, but it is what it is. I am not sure what Clay would have to do to be accepted in the music industry, but right now he's the odd duck that people pick on - like the Ugly Duckling.

And yet he keeps chugging along. Mybe one day they will all see the beautiful swan he is.

That's why I am so in love with how the Broadway community has seemingly embraced Clay. Spamalot is the best professional thing that ever happened to him!

Now I have to get out of this office and do errands and such. Muski - I hope you don't mind a lot little dust an cat hair!

[liney23]

Eeeeep! Rumor going around here at work this afternoon is that they let a bunch of people in my old department go this morning.....

anna... scary, huh! Glad you're ok so far.

We're supposed to care about reviewers who slobber all over audio-corrected monotonous songs by people who lipsynch their way to stardom???

Elvis got BAD reviews.

We know how that worked out.

wanda.... I read somewhere that Elvis' fans were mostly older women at first, too.

I'm sad over the review in People, but many who have learned not to pay a lot of attention to reviews will at least know he has a cd coming out and that there is at least one uptempo song on it.... Always (trying to) Look At The Bright Side of Life... whistles and tap dances hopefully!!!

I mean, ATDW got a worse review and he still went Gold, so I'm trying to remain optimistic! Supposedly, RCA thinks there is radio-friendly tracks on the cd, so (heaven help me) I'm figuring they are going to support it more than they did ATDW and that gives me hope, too.

Also, I'm thinking the second round of promo in late summer should/could/probably is the release of the second single Ashes/Falling/EIDN. That would be great IMHO!

Off to listen to the snippet of the bonus track.......

[muskifest]

I really love his entire range

Yeah, Couchie, me too....especially his extended range...

Perma, I saw your post on another board and am glad you decided to post it here, too, 'coss I wanted to say sumpin.

I think that Clay worked really hard to make this a quality album. I think that he and Jaymes searched long and hard to find Kipper, and I think they struck gold. I think the album is very eclectic, and that though the arrangements are varied, they are all really excellent to my ears.

Me too. I posted on CH that after I got all pissed off reading the People 'review', I listened to the WalMart snippets and found myself really, really LIKING what I was hearing. I'm still jazzed about this CD.

I'm heading to NY tomorrow to see our amazing BF in Spamalot as he takes his final bows.{ME, TOO! :F_05BL17blowkiss: well, actually I'm heading to Claygasm's house tomorrow and we're heading to NYC Sat.} I am so, so grateful that Clay and all of us have had Spamalot to celebrate this year. They celebrated when he arrived there, they promoted him as a big star, he was given a warm welcome, was treated with respect and affection by his castmates, got good reviews and played for delighted audiences every night. I loved that Hannah & Clay, who both had their Broadway debut on the same night, were given such a great ovation at BC on Monday. That was special.

This is true and it reminds me to always 'remember the source' when an opinion is given.

I'm remembering back to when we got the People/EW reviews for ATDW. The big comparison on reviews then was that the incredible talented *g* Paris Hilton got stellar reviews and zillions of stars for her debut album. The reviewer freely admitted that there was so much ProTooling and production that she may not even have been in the studio, but it was "catchy". Lord save us. There are none so deaf as those who will not hear.

God, ain't it the truth. I couldn't believe Ashlee Simpson "singing" on DWTS and her lyrics "Boys think with their heads but not that one." Oh. Right. Great writing. Definitely Grammy material. And I knew she wasn't lip synching because she sounded HORRIBLE. Yet, somebody says her cd is 'catchy'? Uh, yeah...like the clap.

Ah...but all is well in my world because in just a few minutes I'm blowing this pop stand (not quite my preference in objects, but still... )...and I'm going home. And then I'm going to pack my carry on (Hear that, CG? I'm bringing ONLY a carry on and my omnipresent tote that will hold my laptop and video iPod! Don't believe me? Ha! :italianflick: ) and have a beer or a glass of wine or both and then give the doggie a walk and then...well, then all I have are two sleeps before I get to see Clay again. :kiss:

[ldyjocelyn]

Access Hollywood Video

It's the Billy Bush audio from last week, but now we've got the visuals to go along with it. Two portions to watch....

Actually, I just watched it, and it's not the same audio per se. Some is the same, but it doesn't talk about TRM at all, and it does talk about him taking Paxil.

I love the gold tie.

ETA: from the public side of the OFC (which, BTW, has added updated pictures with Clay's new look -- none that we haven't seen though)...

05/02/08 Entertainment Tonight

Personal Appearance - New York City, NY

05/06/08 Virgin Megastore

TV Appearance - ABC

05/07/08 Good Morning America

TV Appearance - ABC

05/08/08 The View

TV Appearance - MSNBC

05/09/08 The Today Show

TV Appearance - NBC

05/12/08 Tonight Show with Jay Leno

TV Appearance - ABC

05/16/08 Jimmy Kimmel Live!

TV Appearance - CBS

05/20/08 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

I think the only new one is the May 9 one -- Today Show (via MSNBC?!?!?! Hmm....I'm sure the fandom sleuths will find out more...Heh)

[Iseeme]

Good evening. Loooooong day. Pish tosh on the People review. It was expected. Sometimes I wonder if Clay shoots himself in the foot by not standing up to some of the allegations. In a way he's allowed the stereotyping to flourish by his silence. I was always of the mind that if he spoke to it it would just get worse. But it's almost as if he's set himself to be a verbal punching bag for any media cretin or reviewer that wants to tee off on him. It's very sad. It's almost as if he doesn't have a chance - no matter how talented he is - in the recording arena. And all that was said about Michael Buble -I would agree with completely. And the guy sings covers and gets lauded for it. God I hope he sells a ton of CDs the first week.

[atinal]

Interesting??

Posted at the CH:

From the Late Night TV page listing for Regis & Kelly:

Quote:

Fr 5/16: Alyson Hannigan, the winner of the middle school competition Math Counts, Bryan Adams, guest co-host Jimmy Kimmel

Isn't that the day that Clay is supposed to be on Kimmel?

Could Clay be hosting? Is the date still messed up? Why is R&K showing up on the late night TV page listing? Enquiring minds want to know

ETA:

I guess with the time differences in the 2 coasts Kimmel could do both shows.

[ldyjocelyn]

Late Night TV Page

This page started just listing the late night showlineups, and they expanded after a while to include some of the daytime shows.

As far as the Kimmel thing -- who knows.

[bottlecap]

Hmmm. I just had an "American Idol" survey on Rate the Music. How often did I watch, how does this season compare to prior seasons, how important are each of the judges and Seacrest to the show, and who would I vote off if I could. (Can you say Paula and Randy, Dawg?)

[muskifest]

OOOH! Now there's fun speculation that maybe Clay is going to guest HOST the Kimmel show, with Ryan Shitcrust and Matthew Fox as guests. Toooooo cool. I want to hear the questions Clay would ask Ryan...oh yes, I do. All just speculation---nobody knows, of course. But personally, I don't think it's all that farfetched (especially since Jimmy's the guest host on Regis & Asshole around that time)...

Hey! He could suddenly get up from his host chair and burst into song! He could dedicate "Everything I Don't Need" to...

Gosh. there are so many possibilities....but since Ryan is going to be right there....

[muskifest]

Hey! Lurker friend of Claygasm (and me!) who never posts but reads here and who is going to be sharing a hotel room with me this weekend! I tried to pm CG and just left a message on her cell phone...I saw a ticket for sale for Sat. matinee that you should quick like a bunny grab if you still haven't found one for yourself!

How the hell can I get in touch with you? I don't even know what your board name is! PM me if you can... :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[keepingfaith]

I went over to OFC to check out the new pictures -- and there will be a new t-shirt for sale in the store tomorrow.

[muskifest]

Hey! Do I win a prize for three posts in a row? Lookie here:

The Broadway Cares website now has a detailed run-down on Tuesday's show and awards...

There is a photo of Hannah & Clay singing with the nun skating in the background with the caption:

Spamalot juxtaposing a stirring duet between stars Clay Aiken and Hannah Waddingham with a roller-skating nun, Spamalot’s Lee Wilkins, scuttling back and forth across the stage in accompaniment.

Broadway Cares Easter Bonnet 2008

There will be more photos later this week on the site from the show and some backstage shots also...

[laughn]

Hey! Do I win a prize for three posts in a row?

I would give you a cookie, but keepingfaith posted in there too....oh heck....here's a snicker doodle anyhow!

forgot to mention that I'm sort of in love with that Broadway Cares performance. I think I could handle a few more thousand hundred pictures from it.

[HeidiHo]

Do you go to concerts of people who you are not already a fan of in some way?

Actually there are alot of venues in California - and I'm sure other places - where there are summer series or concert series where you have a subscription and can choose the concerts you want to attend. Two of the venues in California - the Los Angeles Greek Theatre and the San Diego site - were this way and there were many attendees that only remembered Clay from American Idol. We chatted up some of them. I also know alot of people that see someone on TV or hear their music and choose to see them in concert! So not sure your premise is totally accurate.

Actually, it is accurate. You are talking about people who saw him on AI – therefore they know him and must have liked him from that. If you go back to the parts of my post that you snipped you will see that is part of my premise. Again, with people you already saw on TV or heard their music – they know that person from SOMETHING OTHER THAN A CONCERT so they are not going in blind and becoming a fan. They are already aware – also part of my premise, therefore, my premise is accurate. If you live in under a rock and have not heard of Clay Aiken, are you going to pay $60 or $100 to see him?? If you pay that kind of money, isn’t it most likely that you have heard of him in some other way than a concert?? I believe so. Therefore, the idea that concerts are largely used (I’m sure there are a small percentage of peeps out there that do this, but to base very expensive tours on that hope is nuts) to gain new fans is just not plausible. Like I said, here in Nashville we have a zillion small concerts that I’m sure people go to blind – but then they pay less than $20 bucks – way more than Clay charges.

Heidi, I hear a great time was had between you and my friend keepingfaith. She is a keeper isn't she?

She is indeed!!! I had a post all written in response to hers from the other day, but I’ve literally only been home for 12 hours in the last week. I’m here now, thankfully. <g>

No, nobody should have to put up with rude behaviour. I got a little off-point with correlation to my industry, when the subject is Clay. Do you really think that the behaviour at any Clay concert has warranted an 'I don't want them here' attitude.

Yes. People have a right to their opinion, and they certainly have a right to determine who they do ( or don’t) do business with. I do it in my business. We have more than one potential client that would be willing to pay us thousands of dollars but who, for a variety of reasons, just aren’t worth the trouble. Like, they take too long to pay, they constantly demand extras that aren’t in the scope, or they dick around constantly to the point that you don’t make any money.

It's all about personal perspective - since she's allowed to use hers to judge which acts get booked, I focused on that. All the points about ticket buying behaviour, etc - totally valid. But again I ask, is that limited to Clay fans? Spending time on the phones? Dealing with the limited amount of crazies - part of the job! I'm in no way excusing the behaviour - but it's part of the job.

It doesn’t really matter if it happens with other people – it IS happening with Clay. There may be others she won’t book as well.

Well, not to put a fine point on it, venues are all about the fans. Fans ultimately are the reason someone gets booked or not. If you have no fans, you ain't gonna get booked, no matter what a wonderful act you are. If you don't have enough fans, you ain't gonna get booked (again, no matter how perfectly lovely the performer is). If the fans you bring in isn't worth the hassle, you ain't gonna get booked (yes, Clay could be the sweetest thing since sugar - but the people in the ticket office aren't dealing with sugary sweet Clay - they are dealing with psycho fan from Houston who is treating them like shit).

Clay is expensive and for smaller venues, profit margins are thin. And in the local entertainment scene, a lot of people don't just work venues for money.

Word.

Well Luckiest, I seriously doubt it's only a handful! The 4-fer in California last year was a perfect example!!!!! There were out-of-staters abounding at those concerts!!!!! Look at the people that fly in to NC when he appears "at home!" I have friends here in CA that go to numerous concerts out of state. Oh wait - they HAVE to if they want to see him "live!"

You’re arguing against yourself now. You just said that people from out of state abounded in the CA – and that Clay fans are perfectly willing to fly in another post. So, why should he tour in CA again? If everyone is willing to fly everywhere…..

And I say this as someone who lives in Nashville, who has seen Clay at home….twice? Not counting AI?? And I’ve *never* seen a TV taping he’s been involved in. It can always be worse.

We don't crucify people here. If you are argumentative, chances are you will get an argument. Simple as that.

Word.

Reviews? Eh, no biggie. I only use them if I’m completely unfamiliar with a movie or a book. Or a restaurant.

Clay not speaking up in his own defense on certain subjects?? Hell, it makes NO difference what Clay says or doesn’t say, it never has and it never will (unless he says what they want him to say, that is, which won’t likely happen). Best to get used to that now and let it go, IMO.

[Iseeme]

WOO HOO for Broadway Cares! That's alot more important in my mind than the People review!!! There are really good things happening in Clay's life right now and alot for us to be happy about. I'm happpeeeeeeee........

Can hardly wait for the reports from the weekend Spam attendees - especially from Sunday night. Awwwwww....

Was laughing at the Google Alert about Clay losing weight after stopping Paxil. Even when he had the Pillsbury Doughboy tummy last summer he was still one skinny guy!!!! Wonder what I could stop (besides eating, that is) and lose 30 lbs.

[keepingfaith]

Heidi! I hope you're feeling well, and I look forward to sharing many more good times with you!! I couldn't agree more with your last sentence.

I'm not susceptible to being brought down by anything said by anyone -- and especially people posing/posting as music critics -- because I keep listening to EIDN from the Walmart samples -- and hearing him say that "well now" -- somebody may need to scrape me off the ceiling. Oh, baby! And I love the way he says "phone" and "alone" and everything else he says.

That's Clay? That's Clay Aiken?

You bet your sweet bippy it is!

[muskifest]

I keep listening to EIDN from the Walmart samples -- and hearing him say that "well now" -- somebody will have to scrape me off the ceiling. Oh, baby! And I love the way he says "phone" and everything else.

keepingfaith, you are me...gah. That kills me every freakin' time... He's gonna kill us all dead when he's on a stage in concert tweaking that song from here to Sunday with patented ClayAiken eyefucks and lipbites and slanted grins and slowly rising....eyelashes and fingers through the hair and...

uh ....excuse me a moment (or three), okay?

[keepingfaith]

He's gonna kill us all dead when he's on a stage in concert tweaking that song from here to Sunday with patented ClayAiken eyefucks and lipbites and slanted grins and slowly rising....eyelashes and fingers through the hair and...

uh ....excuse me a moment (or three), okay?

No problem! I think I'll have a moment myself.

[jmh123]

WOO HOO for Broadway Cares! That's alot more important in my mind than the People review!!! There are really good things happening in Clay's life right now and alot for us to be happy about. I'm happpeeeeeeee........

I'm happppeeeeee too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many fabulous things going on!!!!!!!!

Muski, kf, we will have to have a polygamous marriage with "well now."

He's going to kill me dead on May 6 listening to the album! And seeing him on TV so much in May. YUM!!

[Gibby]

Ooooh, I had to go listen to 'well, now' in EIDN, and it killed me dead, too! This is my ghost posting. GAH!!

Can't wait to hear how many more GAH moments there will be in this CD. I usually go to work on Tuesdays to do special projects, but fortunately there aren't any pending special projects this coming Tuesday. The new CD will be my special project!!

[keepingfaith]

Muski, kf, we will have to have a polygamous marriage with "well now."

He's going to kill me dead on May 6 listening to the album! And seeing him on TV so much in May. YUM!!

"Well now" may not be marriage material, jmh. I have a feeling that even polygamy couldn't keep "well now" under control. A seductive gigolo if I ever heard one!!!