#32: Man with titanium balls and the voice to back them up!

[Iseeme]

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0013...howViewpoints=1

Tab down about 3/4 of the way and on the left you'll see the place to click for page two, etc. I think they're on page 7.

[cha cha trusty]

I missed most of the listening party tonight, since me and mr chach shared some quality time in front of the TV. Pretty much the only shows I can get him to watch with me are Medium and Ghost Whisperer, so that's what we watched. And after I told him about the diabolical deed with Erik getting blindsided on Survivor, we watched the lead-in to and the tribal council. I loved it when James pumped the air and said he wasn't the stupidest Survivor any more!!

Then I tried starting at the beginning and listening to the songs and writing about them. After 2 songs it was just way too intense!! I hope I don't forget again tomorrow night, but I think I will be a wreck trying to do that! Listen to Clay sing and write and coherent thought at the same time, that is!!

So, I have a question... this Kitty Cat Dance thing..... how did that get started?? I googled it tonight and came up with this:

KITTY CAT DANCE - is this what you all are referring to??

Can I get a story as to how this came about - I must have missed it!!!

[playbiller]

Soooo, am I the only one with Clay on Vinyl here? (even though I posted about it's avaialbility once upon a time1)

About amazon - we can rate the reviews and push them down or putt them up and I have aliases there, so I guess I write a more detailed review..

[Iseeme]

Awwww.....Iseeme thinks up a new name and races back to Amazon!!!

One idjit gave him 1 star because she hadn't received the CD yet! That took brains I'll tell ya!

[muskifest]

I just click on "Newest First" and then I don't have to look at them! Actually, the ones I saw on iTunes are much worse...not just dissing the music or the cd, but doing the whole 'Gayken' and personal attack thing. I actually reported one of them (although I don't think anything really happens as a result)...

In any case, it's going to happen. And after page and page of gushing "OMG! THIS IS THE MOST PERFECT CD EVER!"...I don't doubt that more 'haters' will show up.

Whatever...I posted a review on iTunes and Amazon...so that's it for me. I don't need to read any more...

Instead, I'll just listen to the VOICE again

buy a few more copies tomorrow for gift giving...

email some people to make sure they know that Clay has a new cd

and be proud of him.

'night, y'all! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

ETA: WAIT! BWAH! Look at my new avie! :cryingwlaughter:

[YSRN]

Hey, you stealer! I made that for meeeeeeeee!

Funny as hell, isn't it?

Ok, you can use it... I'll use it elsewhere.

[cha cha trusty]

Soooo, am I the only one with Clay on Vinyl here? (even though I posted about it's avaialbility once upon a time1)

About amazon - we can rate the reviews and push them down or putt them up and I have aliases there, so I guess I write a more detailed review..

play - are you talking about the 45 of This is the Night? (I think) I have some here but have never played them.

Are you sure he actually ate a shrimp? I saw the chef put some on his plate and then he poked it with the chopsticks, but then after that, the plate was empty again. A minute later, he puts something in his mouth, was it really a shrimp? Are shrimp considered shellfish? Yeah - ok - just watched it again (I LOVE IT!) - it really does look like he ate at least one! Hmmmmmmmmm!!

[playbiller]

There were two vinyl singles. We must be the ponly audio philes, although I have nto listened to my copies either!

Amazon was childs play. I need to go to their MP3 section now.

Itunes was a rats nest. I think you have to have an actual account to post a review and these people are very offensive,. I rated every single one of them and even reported a 5 star review because it was stupid and annoying, must have been a 12 year olds review, would not sell me. I reported some for offensive content, but most for not being reviews and a few for a reason not listed, but being purely a troll, and explained why I felt they were trolls.

[Scarlett]

So late to the discussion since I swung by KAndre's pad and her TV system is so addictive, but not only did he eat a shrimp, and yes it's shellfish, but he also knew which sauce to use on it.

Awwwww!!! Such a cute, cute, cuuuute clip! What a waste of a cute vest, though -- I wouldn't wear one of those to Benihana because it'll reek of Benihana forever.

And he's right, during the last eHP road trip at least 4 out of 8 people were on the same cycle.

play, I have both vinyls too. Had to go to Virgin at Union Square for them way back then since the Times Square one didn't have them.

[playbiller]

Hmmm.,. I ordered them from Sony Music,. they had them for a dollar, so I ordered 6 of each, but don't have that many anymore, gave them away.

[luckiest1]

I have a couple of vinyl 45s, too, somewhere. I think one of them is Invisible?

I just can't be bothered with negative "fan" reviews on mp3 sites. I don't read comments on blogs, either. I'm glad some do try to counteract them, but I've removed myself from as much of that kind of shit as possible, to preserve my sanity in this fandom. I'm just here now for the enjoyment, and the fun, and the EEEEEEEEEEEEEing with friends. That's where it's at for me. I scroll, scroll, scroll otherwise.

Ever since the listening party last night, I can't get TRM out of my head. Maybe it's because that's where we ended off? Hee, I'll have to listen to the rest of it today on the trip to Toronto, since I'm going to miss tonight. And I'm sure they'll be blasting it out at the CD release party at lunch today, too!

ETA: This is really long, and has little to no Clay content, but it's quite fascinating about the behind-the-scenes workings of Spamalot. From spotlightlover at CH:

HaHA!! Thought I forgot, dintcha. Not a chance.

On Broadway: Iiiiiiiit’s SHOWTIME!

7:50 p.m. Thursday, May 1

When last we saw our intrepid walk-on, she’d been kicked out of the theater after rehearsal so as not to get underfoot. We now return you to your regularly scheduled recap.

So I dawdled as long as I could stand it outside, and then returned to the stage door for re-entry. As I enter, Jerome is talking to the door gal. He introduces a woman as the person who is here to sit in the pit with Sean. So they’re killing two auction birds with one stone tonight. Maybe I should rephrase that. I enter the conversation, indicating that I’m the walk-on monk. Jerome says, ‘Thank you for doing that.’ I’m assuming he means the donation, not being a monk. He smiles and we shake hands. He notes with a friendly laugh how cold my hands are. That Mission Impossible mask must be working.

As no one seem to know where Sean is, Jerome volunteers to escort In-the-Pit-with-Sean lady downstairs. Sheri the stage manager magically appears from around the corner; she uses door lady’s PA system to announce the 5-minute call to showtime. Then she takes me into the office to stash my purse and jacket.

In the office, I’m introduced to Martin Moran, who played Robin before Clay. He’s extremely friendly and gracious, and says he’ll watch for me when he sees the show tonight. Sheri leads me into the wings on stage left, where she’s placed a small chair for me next to her podium and at the head of a narrow flight of stairs leading down. (As it turns out, I won’t use the chair at all because I have a much better view standing closer to her.)

Sheri gives me a headset to wear, so that I can hear the chatter going on while she and others are running the show. She explains that she will be able to talk with me at times between cues, and that other times she won’t have time to talk.

She shows me the monitors they use to run the show. There’s one on the conductor, for taking musical cues. There’s an infrared monitor for seeing in the dark to cue scenic elements, an overhead monitor that looks down on the stage for watching the trapdoor where things rise thru the floor, and a side view of the stage. There are so many complicated scenic elements to cue, she explains, that they need “eyes everywhere”.

When the stage manager “calls the cues”, she speaks each cue into the headset to tell the appropriate person (lighting, sound, scenery, etc.) when to execute the cue. This is done by one person – the stage manager – who is thoroughly familiar with the show and can react to differences in audience reaction, actor timing, etc. to make sure each cue happens with the exact right timing.

All the cues are numbered in a special script for the tech people, and they follow along listening for their cues to do something, like turn on a special spotlight or play a sound cue or fly in a set piece from above.

The heavier pieces of scenery (like the 8,000 lb feet of God) are controlled by computer, but smaller drops and winch pieces on the deck are operated manually by stagehands. A “winch piece” is a relatively small piece of scenery that’s operated via winch on a rail on the deck. They call the stage floor the “deck” because it’s not really the stage floor; it’s a deck built OVER the stage floor. Each show that comes into a particular theater builds its own deck, and also installs its own lights and other special needs. When the show closes, they have to dismantle everything and leave the theater exactly as they found it.

Some cues are so complicated that they can’t be spoken; Sheri shows me a special set of switches on her station that operate cue lights which are placed in various spots around the theater. Each light is assigned to a group of cues that signal several people at once what they need to do, because there are too many simultaneous cues to be spoken.

In addition to the stage manager who’s calling the show that night, there are two other stage managers – one on each side of the stage – to serve as eyes and ears to report on what’s happening or to supervise particular actions as needed. Spamalot has a total of four stage managers; three run each show and the other will “float”, either doing paperwork and scheduling in the office, or going out in the house to take artistic notes to keep the performers from getting too far off track in the show.

Martin Moran comes by in the wings and Sheri gives him a hug; he’s going out to take his seat in the house. The company manager comes up from the narrow staircase near my chair and I have to move out of his way. Sheri assures me there will be no more traffic in that area once the show starts.

I put on the headset and get it settled. Sheri says she’s about to call places for the show to begin. The sound on the headset is a little disconcerting; I chalk it up to the fact that I’m hearing Sheri both on the headset and in real-time. (I will abandon the headset before long, as I’m only hearing Sheri on it and not the rest of the crew, and half the fun is hearing the off-topic – and probably off-color – chatter.)

Since we never discussed what would happen after my onstage bit is over, I ask her what to expect then. She explains that Frank will take me back downstairs to get out of costume, and then I can come back upstairs to watch the end of the show. And then Clay will come over and I’ll get a photo with him. Wheeee!! That was never promised as part of the deal, so I’m surprised. (And pleased, duh. Or is that ‘D101’.)

I meet Cavan the prop man, who hangs out in the stage left wing. He’ll be the guy with the hand-grenade box when the time comes. Broadway is heavily unionized; just as they’re about to go onstage, actors are handed their props by a prop guy, who’s the only one allowed to touch them offstage.

Sheri has called places for the show. The fisch-schlapping ensemble has started to drift into the wings. These are the first of the cast members that I’ve seen, as they have all been in the dressing rooms getting ready. Some of them say hi, or smile and wave. Before I realize it, someone has grasped both my hands and is saying, “Hi – thank you for being here…” It takes my eyes a second to adjust and realize that I’m looking at David Hibbard in his Mayor of Finland hat. I burble about what an honor it is to meet him. He asks if I’ve seen the show before; well, duh, I guess. He tells me to have fun. He’s a real sweetie.

Sheri has a very sexy voice on the headset. She speaks some incomprehensible gibberish into the mic, the house lights go down and the audience cheers, and the voice of Eric Idle warns against being impaled by heavily-armed knights. Sheri purrs again, and the orchestra starts to play.

Jonathan Hadary sneaks up behind me in full King Arthur regalia and whispers, “Don’t be nervous!” “I’m not,” I laugh nervously. “Does he look a little different now?” Sheri asks. “Well, this is how I’m used to seeing him,” I reply.

“Electrics three………go”, signals Sheri, setting off some event, probably lighting. She does this several times during the overture, and I’m mystified as to what kind of extra lighting is happening. It’s impossible to tell from the wings. (When I watch the show later on the weekend, I will realize how many special lighting cues there are that the audience may or may not notice. For example Clay gets a spotlight all his own in several scenes with the other knights; it comes and goes when he speaks a line.)

Sheri calls cues for each of the graphics bits in the opening – the various clans of England, then the tombstones for the plague, then the storm moving in for a 50% chance of pestilence. She’s timing each of them based on the narrator’s delivery of the lines. (I thought the graphic sequence was more like a movie that always ran at the same speed, but on closing night I understood why it was important that it be individual cues. When Tom came out, he received an ovation that went on for a long time and I saw that the graphics cues were held to allow for it. The only “movie” graphic is the one that runs just before Act III, I mean II, begins.)

“Warning, winch one-hundred, one-oh-one. Warning autofly, five-oh-five on the red.” I don’t have a clue what it means, but it sounds ultra-kewl. I wanna be a stage manager in my next life; this chick is in control of EVERYTHING.

The fisch-schlappers have finished and are coming offstage. Four of the guys are immediately transformed into the four head-banging monks by donning robes. The fourth guy barely makes his change in time to just walk onstage. God, I love live theater.

A backstage guy walks up to talk to me. “You get to call the cues for the rest of the show, right?” “I should be ready by the second act,” I reply with a straight face. He introduces himself as Will, another props guy. He knows who I am, he says he was watching my rehearsal. He tells me to enjoy myself. Everyone is being incredibly nice. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that they can tell I’m incredibly interested in all their jobs backstage.

Clay’s in the tower giving the king a hard time. I’m parroting his lines, which gets a wide-eyed reaction from Sheri. Okay, I’ll shut up now. Rick Holmes comes up wearing his dirty face and Sheri introduces me. He seems a bit under the weather; she asks how he’s doing.

Sheri keeps reaching out and pushing aside the black wing-curtain (called a “leg”) so I can see onstage. I assure her I’ve seen it before, she doesn’t need to do that. She never gets the message because she keeps doing it for me all evening. What a sweetie she is!

Rick seems to have disappeared; I ask where he went, and she shows me that there’s a ladder just to her right where he climbs up into his tower. Tom Deckman comes into the wings and Sheri introduces me. He’s transformed from the tweedy, button-down narrator into not-dead Fred. He demurs shaking hands because “I’m all muddy.” Mud make-up, anyway. As he lowers himself onto the floor in the far downstage wing, he makes a funny face. It’s hilarious to see him lying there face-up, waiting to be dragged on by Lancelot. It makes perfect sense, it’s just not something you think about when you’re watching from the audience.

The scene’s going well; I remark to Sheri that it sounds like a good audience tonight, based on the reactions. Someone comes into the wings and Sheri tells me it’s a new first-time Bedevere tonight; Michael, one of the standbys, is doing the part for the first time. (Clay will say something about this in a later conversation.) What a white-knuckler; it’s amazing to me that these standbys can do multiple roles and never get a real rehearsal. Steve Rosen, the original Bedevere who’s returning to the role, won’t be there until the next night.

I start singing along to Not Dead Yet; Sheri says I must own the sound track. Well, I do, but that’s not why I know the words. I think I’m starting to scare her. At least I fooled her long enough to get in the door.

Bradley Dean comes into the wings and introduces himself as “Brad”; he asks if I’m having good time. Naw, I hate it here. Actually I say that I’m afraid my face may split open from grinning so much. I’ve met him once before and he seems to be a bit shy, rather different from his onstage persona as Galahad. I’m beginning to get the idea that I must be considered some kind of VIP. I like it. I really, really like it.

Suddenly Jim, the facts-n-figures stage manager, has grabbed my hand. “Where are we going?” I ask, waving bye-bye to Sheri. “Downstairs,” he says. I don’t know if I’m being hustled out of the way or what. He takes me downstairs, past the wardrobe room and under the stage where the lifts operate. I’m going to watch the LOTL rise from the lake. And there she is, in about ten pounds of costume and fifteen pounds of glitter make-up. “Hi, I’m Hannah,” she says in that priceless accent. Well, duh. Although she could be Cleopatra in that get-up. I introduce myself as the hand-grenade monk for the evening. “I love that, monk for the evening,” she says. Phew. I’ve made an impression. Go me.

The laker girls file in; Jim introduces me and they all say hi. “Welcome to the trap,” one says. “Have you seen the show?” “Oh yeah.” Um, a few times. They back away slowly. Well, not really, since there’s nowhere to go from here but up. I repair the damage by sucking up and telling them how great they all are. Vanessa, my monk twin, comes in and says hi. I’m in mid-sentence when Jim holds up a shushing finger; we all listen for a minute and then the girls come in on their singing cue for “Excalibur!” My ears ring for a minute from all that soprano in a small echoing room.

Now they’re ready to take their places on the lift. Jim positions me where I won’t get in the way or fall into the machinery. Hannah does a couple of quick warm-up exercises for her voice. Jim decides to have me swap places with him so the freezing cold from the fog machine doesn’t hit me. The trap door above us opens and the lift rises slowly while the laker girls sway and wave. When the lift gets to full height, its platform fills the trapdoor and we see only the lift mechanism.

Jim says this entire room was built just for the Spamalot production. He tells me that the first time he was down here for this number and the girls started to dance, the shaking of the platform was pretty scary. And sure enough, when they start the K-I-N G-A-R chant, it sounds like a stampede is in progress. Apparently Jim has to stay down in this room until the lift comes back down, so I’ll be staying with him. Standby monks don’t get to wander around on their own. The lift will come down near the end of The Song That Goes Like This, carrying down the boat.

Jim points out the very large drums under our feet covered in coiled cables. There are over 100 miles of steel cable under the stage, used to operate the heavy pieces of scenery. He points out a man in the back of the room who’s running the computer that controls it all.

Up in the corner of the ceiling, there’s a monitor that shows the orchestra conductor. I can see waves of the fog falling over the front of the stage right onto the conductor’s back. I wonder if he has longjohns on, or if it’s hot down there and he enjoys it. It occurs to me that the orchestra pit is just on the other side of this room I’m in.

Hannah and Brad start on the last verse of Song, and the lift starts to come down; the sound from onstage is suddenly much louder. I realize that I’m not only hearing their amplified voices, but I’m hearing their powerful unamplified voices from right above me. I also realize I’ve never noticed a hole opening up in the floor during this part of their song and vow to watch for it next time I’m in the audience. I’m learning how much planning and effort goes into distracting the audience from seeing the chicken wire.

Once the lift is down and the trapdoor closes, Jim’s job is done and he takes me back up the stairs into Sheri’s domain. All For One is just beginning. Sheri explains to me that with the main drop hiding the stage, they’re moving the scenery to set up for Knights of the Round Table. Will the props man comes over and hands me a small remote-control device. “Now when she says ‘go’, push that button and hold it down,” he says. I do as I’m told. He shows me that it is causing the smoke to come out of the campfire. Kewl! This is so freakin’ kewl! I think Clay’s golden larynx just rang, but I was busy making campfire smoke. Smokin’!

One of the what-happens-in-Camelot girls comes into the wings in costume. She’s really TALL, and those cone-shaped things are really really big. They must be pretty light, though, from the way she’s twirling them around. In the darkened wings, she looks like a UFO about to take off.

Things get very busy in the wings for Knights of the Round Table. Dancing girls, tap-dancing knights, prams and maces. My contact Lee is standing in this whole weekend for Matthew Crowle; after he sings “I have to push the pram-a-lot” as a knight, he rushes right into the wings to change into the dancing nun. The entire costume change takes place right in front of me, it’s a very busy one. I see Clay make an exit into the wings, wait a few seconds, and immediately re-enter; it’s the first time I’ve seen him on this side.

Sheri moves me back into my chair for safety while people and props are flying about the wings. Just above me, the mountain that the knights cross looking for the grail is being lowered on chains from the flyspace. It’s in two pieces and they assemble it in the wings; there’s no place to store it full-sized. Sheri explains that they have to store almost all the set pieces up above in the flyspace because of lack of space.

Jim come to take me back down to the lift room to watch Hannah go up with the grail. Maybe he’s afraid to be alone down there. Whatever will he do when I’m gone? He leads me past the door of the wardrobe room, where they’ve put up a curtain for Hannah to make her quick change from Cher into the grail costume. That’s more modesty than we get to afford in community theater.

Hannah arrives in her sparkly blue grail costume. A small staircase is positioned at the far end of the lift from the door. They open a small portion of the trap, just enough for her to pass thru. She has to squat down on the staircase and hold the grail up over her head just at the level of the stage in the hole, where Sir Robin will “discover” it. Then as the lift slowly rises she stand upright and she’s lifted up to stage level, where she steps off and sings the song. We stay in the lift room until Find Your Grail is over and the trap is safely closed.

As Jim is leading me back down the hallway to return upstairs, Hannah is already standing near the wardrobe room. She’s apparently not feeling well, a couple of the chorus girls are saying how hot it is. Hannah’s pretty much blocking the entire hallway, but Jim just slides past as if she’s not there. I’m not quite that brave and have to wait for an opening. I dart past her like Laura Dern avoiding the T-rex. I get back up to the wings as Rick is getting up a head of French-taunting steam. I meet “the” Shannon, who’s in the wings with a bunch of other folks who have been helping the ensemble members change quickly from knights and temple maidens into French people. I note to my surprise that the French mime face is actually a mask, like the Phantom of the Opera. From a distance it really looks like make-up.

Jim comes over and takes my hand again. He leads me upstage to watch the cow fly from the backside. From the audience, it looks as though Rick and Tom reach down and fling the cow overboard themselves. Well – no. The cow is thrown from stage level, all the way over the castle, by two very burly stagehands. The funniest part of this is watching Rick and Tom say their last lines and then completely hunker down out of the way; I get a really good shot of Tom’s ass. And a verra verra nice little ass it is.

As soon as the drop comes down to leave only the knights onstage, all the French people leave the stage immediately to go the dressing rooms and change costume during intermission.

Before I know it, the knights have fled, the Trojan Bunny has crashed, and Act I is over. They want to get me out of the wings while they re-fly the two-pieced mountain, so Sheri walks me back into the office.

Have a drink and a pee, I’ll be back for Act Three – er, Two. Maybe tomorrow. Aren’t you just holding your breath.

From CV via CH:

Jimmy Kimmel just announced who would be guests next week and when he said Clay Aiken he said he'd be there to re-kindle their love. lol

From CB via CH:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/view/472/

And finally, from claikendee at CB via CH:

http://www.tower.com/details/details.cfm?wapi=111975701

TOWER.COM REVIEW On My Way Here - Clay Aiken

Under the tutelage of producer Marc 'Kipper' Eldridge, Clay Aiken finally breaks out of his shell to deliver his best record to date.

It has been 5 years since Clay Aiken was runner-up to Ruben Studdard in the second season of American Idol. Since being propelled into the spotlight in 2003, Aiken has released 3 full length studio albums, including a Christmas CD, authored a New York Times best-selling book Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life along with Allison Glock, and has recently made his Broadway debut playing the role of Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot in January, 2008.

On My Way Here, released on the RCA label, is the singer's 4th record and perhaps his most authoritative. The album recounts Aiken's experiences, positive and negative, over the past 5 years. The title track, "On My Way Here", was originally written by Ryan Tedder (One Republic) and immediately caught Aiken's ear. It conveys the infinite trials and tribulations of growing older and depicts new challenges that arise as adults, a theme clearly relevant to Aiken's recent past.

Catch Clay Aiken on his U.S. summer 2008 tour to promote the new album.

Favorite Songs: "On My Way Here", "Ashes", and "Where I Draw the Line"

Hee, guess they had old news? But a nice review, and song recommendations too!

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

Fell asleep at 8:00 last night; getting up at 4:30 really did me in. Sorry about missing the listening party.

Interesting about the CD, I always have a different song going through my head, this morning I woke up with Ashes and that is not really one of my favorites.

2 Days until Leno!

6 Days until The Climmel/Rachael Ray!

10 Days until Craig Ferguson!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[KAndre]

Oh, I've just loved the Kitty Cat Dance from the first time I saw it - it's so catlike! And me like! So when I'm in an excessively good mood, I sing it!

[claytonic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQDNeBDtXVM

This has to be one of my favorite interviews!!

I LOVE this part...

Mo Rocco: What are your feelings about soya sauce?

Clay: I like soya sauce. Why? Is there a controversy?

I really wish Clay would get that TV show, the kind he has mentioned he'd like to do... he is so naturally funny. He entertains even when he not being an entertainer! The idea of having him on television so that there is a contact flow of clack....rather appeals to me!!!

[annabear]

I've got a couple of songs on vinyl, too, never played.

Loved the listening party last night. I'm going to try to make it tonight, but my mom is coming down for Mother's Day weekend, so may be doing some mother/daughter thing this evening. We'll see.

This morning WIDTL was the song in my head, particularly Either you're gonna resuce meeeeee, or you're gonna be the death of me.......

Thanks for brining over the latest installment of Spot's Spam recap, luckiest. I'm totally fascinated by all of the stuff that goes on while we're sitting out there laughing ourselves silly!

[footloose]

:F_05BL17blowkiss: sorry I haven't been here lately.

People people people....

...he did NOT throw the edamame pod back into the glass. If you watch carefully, the blue glass NEXT the full glass is for the skins. Mo throws stuff in there too.

Sheesh. I thought Clay Aiken fans had better observation skills than that. I mean really...they can find Waldo ANYWHERE.

Of course, that's generally not too hard...heh, I said "hard."

ldyj, you really cracked.me.up.

Hey, you stealer! I made that for meeeeeeeee!

LOLOL YSRN, i already thought you would respond when i saw muski's avvie.

Bummer.

I was just over at the iTunes Store and the album OMWH has dropped out of the top 10! Its been there all week, but now its down to #11.

I keep promising myself I won't worry about the numbers, but I do. I am so afraid that even if does relatively well its first week, it will drop off severely after "we" all finish buying our 5, 6, 7, 25 copies.

I don't want this album to disappear. Its way to good for that!

Claygasm it's my worries too. I would rather the album having long legs rather than having explosive sales during the first week and then disappearing like ATDW.

I haven't shared this anywhere else, but I had a scary thought a few days back after reading Jaymes' first day sales report. I was afraid that the album would flop and that 5, 10 years from now we would hear Clay's songs in this album covered by "cooler" artists and become hits. I probably would kill myself if that ever happens!!! *cringes*

[Iseeme]

Good morning. Wow! I'm so impressed with Spot's recall of all the minute details! She's pretty funny, too!

The reviews for this CD are all over the place!

Cute picture with Rachel! But I think the show with Kimmel is going to be the best. I hope he gets alot of couch time. Wish he could sing. Did anybody ever figure out why Letterman avoids Clay or whatever......

Had to watch "Benihana" again this morning. Clay's face! Priceless.

[liney23]

I haven't shared this anywhere else, but I had a scary thought a few days back after reading Jaymes' first day sales report. I was afraid that the album would flop and that 5, 10 years from now we would hear Clay's songs in this album covered by "cooler" artists and become hits. I probably would kill myself if that ever happens!!! *cringes*

footloose... that could happen if the label doesn't release any of the faster songs to radio. Please don't kill yourself, tho! Just make a voodoo doll and stick pins.

I'm really hoping that the label will release the fast songs to Hot AC, tho. I'm really hoping that the second single is a fast song like it was with ATDW. I kinda got a vibe from Clay's now you see it, now you don't blog that someone sat him down and had a realistic talk with him about what his place is in the radio landscape. When I was younger, all the best songs were on Top 40, be they slow or fast. Now Top 40 is just the stuff that can be danced to in clubs.

I am on pins and needles waiting to see what Climmel has for us next week. One thing I am hoping for tho, is a Clay-Ryan interchange sorta like what he did with Britney on his first Kimmel. Dismissive! I guess I'm so angry at Ryan at his treatment of Clay that I would really like some payback. So, to me, being dismissive would work. Probably won't happen, but a girl can wish.

[Iseeme]

I think Clay knows where his music belongs and is acting accordingly. He pretty much said Ashes, etc. would not be released to radio and that we'd only hear them in concert. (I think I got that paraphrasing right.....) I'm just going to sit back and let him do his thing and hope that there is a master plan. The less-than-great reviews have cracked on the songs - not the man and his voice. If this CD tanks than Clay will probably need to go back to the board and figure out what went wrong and rectify it - if he wants to. He's accepted he's not a Top 40 pop/rock kind of guy and so have I. It's kind of like having a child that you want the world for and that child has a different idea of what he wants! I continue to think this whole promo scene, the talk of taking the summer off, the potential UNICEF trip is all part of something that's been well-thought out that we'll know about when he's ready to reveal it.

But I personally don't think for this CD to be a success they have to release the fast-tempo songs to radio. If that was the plan I think the songs would have been different. Just my opinion.....

[Gibby]

I enjoyed the listening party so much last night! The discussion about lyrics was particularly interesting to me. I bummed that I won't be able to be there tonight - DD#1 is in a play, and I'll be filming it.

I know this post was made a long time ago, but I just finally got caught up with both main thread, so i have to comment:

so many men think we're looking for a cold, tough guy. Maybe once, just for that life lesson on my way here.

keepingfaith.. :F_05BL17blowkiss: Ain't that the truth. Sometimes I'm just sitting around at home and I look over at my hubby and thank the stars I had enough sense to accept a NICE man's love. It's certainly fact that before him I seemed to NEED the approval of men who were more 'macho' or 'cool' or 'hawt' in the stereotypical ways, which usually included being tough and aloof... My hubby cries during "Ghost Whisperer", for god's sake! My kids give him all kinds of grief about that (My teenager has a pet name for him---NancyBoy! BWAH!), but....

BTW...I've pretty much been listening nonstop to this cd since I opened the freakin' package (heh) and I'm not even BEGINNING to tire of any of the songs. It rocks.

I have to say that Mr. Muski is a sweetheart! He's funny, articulate, intelligent, thoughtful, and a great conversationalist. Mr. Gibby and I really enjoyed spending time with the Muskis in New York!

And now, off to another rehearsal . . .

[playbiller]

While some people have mentioned that sales are probably impacted by Clay not doing TV prior to the first week, maybe this will help cushion the fall of the second week. Maybe the promotion spread out is a good thing, we will see, live and learn. I am still in the school of drinking pepsi, heh. Now, politically, I find the company a throw back, but I have not heard stories of them contaminating water, so can drink it for now.

If we want this song to have legs, the way to support it tis to support the single. I need to go to my local A station web sites and search for Clay, see if they have anything on him, then give them hits. I need to do all the rate the music entries I have. And I need to buy (for free) a copy on my rebooted different IP, different computer copy from Amazon MP3 of OMWH. We all have different ways of supporting, I am not a station caller, they do not welcome Clay fan calls, so I hit them in other ways, like telling them they need more variety in their play list, it is getting boring. For legs, we need music out there.

[Claygasm]

Wait...I just went to the iTunes reviews and saw a bunch of obvious troll posts in a row. Is that where you were talking about?

Funny, I was at iTunes last night and was shocked that I didn't see bad reviews! Now I didn't read all 145 or so but still I was shocked that of the 20 or so I read they were good and only a couple mention the evil mandate! I haven't been to Amazon. It doesn't bother me only because of how I react to the slanderous type of "reviews". If its an extreme and/or not about the music, I would ignore it - and I think others will too. Let's face it. If you have taken the time to come to the page with Clay's CD and are reading the reviews, you probably already have some interest in him and/or his music so I doubt an over-the-top troll like review would sway you from buying the CD.

I haven't shared this anywhere else, but I had a scary thought a few days back after reading Jaymes' first day sales report. I was afraid that the album would flop and that 5, 10 years from now we would hear Clay's songs in this album covered by "cooler" artists and become hits. I probably would kill myself if that ever happens!!! *cringes*

footloose... that could happen if the label doesn't release any of the faster songs to radio. Please don't kill yourself, tho! Just make a voodoo doll and stick pins.

I'm really hoping that the label will release the fast songs to Hot AC, tho. I'm really hoping that the second single is a fast song like it was with ATDW. I kinda got a vibe from Clay's now you see it, now you don't blog that someone sat him down and had a realistic talk with him about what his place is in the radio landscape. When I was younger, all the best songs were on Top 40, be they slow or fast. Now Top 40 is just the stuff that can be danced to in clubs.

See, I don't think its necessary for one of the fast songs to be released to radio for him to get a radio hit on AC. There are lots of artists played on AC and they sell albums. Don't people who listen to AC or Hot AC buy CDs? For that matter, there are many ballads that do well on both formats. Look at that dreary "Beautiful" by James Blount! And OMWH isn't slow or dreary. Its a mid-tempo pop ballad and IF it ever gets played, I think people will like it. If it gets enough radio play to warrant a second single, then I think one of the faster songs should be released just to show the variety. But unless OMWH gets radio play, there won't be a second single.

And without radio and limited if any promotion after these first couple of weeks, who will even know the album is out there??

But I am not going to worry about that now. I do know "we" alone cannot make this album successful. "We" can't keep buying enough to make much of a difference. It really is just up to the NJU's.

Oh, and I'll join in on the Mr. Muski love! Muski knows I have had a crush on Mr. Muski even before I met him!!

[Kareneh]

Hi, it's me. I'm packing to go home. The kid and I are flying out Monday night. I got nuthin' but a beautiful new avi and I wanted to see what it looked like in real life. *Sigh*

I do believe it will do quite nicely.

[Claygasm]

I was just bringing over some pretties from GMA and I see Karen Eh already has a new lovely, lovely avie, also from GMA I presume?

[Iseeme]

Lips!