#35: You mean, it’s not all dressing up and dancing at FCA?

[jmh123]

...again, the minimally knowledgeable leading the seriously misled......

[annabear]

This is why God created SOY milk.

anna - yeah, and soy milk even comes in flavors! Chocolate and Vanilla!! Both are really good in coffee!

Thank you both! :F_05BL17blowkiss: My mom drinks soy milk and I have tried it and like it, but alas, my soy allergy is quite a bit worse than my dairy allergy, so absolutely no soy milk for me! I've tried rice milk, too. YUCK! Especially in coffee - just.not.good. I need to get to the point again where I only drink coffee on the weekends. Then the little bit of half & half won't be such a big deal.

Thanks to those who have posted their thoughts on the "Get Smart" movie. I love catching that show in reruns now & then - LOVE it! I think I'm going to see it next weekend. Still want to go see SATC, too.

[Couch Tomato]

I guess I've been mostly playing OMWH on my ipod... I'm streaming it today rather loudly while I work and my mom walked by and said... you can't mistake that voice for anybody else's can you. LOL. NOPE you can't!!

[cha cha trusty]

This is why God created SOY milk.

anna - yeah, and soy milk even comes in flavors! Chocolate and Vanilla!! Both are really good in coffee!

Thank you both! :F_05BL17blowkiss: My mom drinks soy milk and I have tried it and like it, but alas, my soy allergy is quite a bit worse than my dairy allergy, so absolutely no soy milk for me! I've tried rice milk, too. YUCK! Especially in coffee - just.not.good. I need to get to the point again where I only drink coffee on the weekends. Then the little bit of half & half won't be such a big deal.

This is a shame!! Do they make rice milk in flavors? Maybe you could just put a little chocolate or vanilla flavoring in it!?

Thanks to those who have posted their thoughts on the "Get Smart" movie. I love catching that show in reruns now & then - LOVE it! I think I'm going to see it next weekend. Still want to go see SATC, too.

SATC is way better, if you have a choice between the two!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

-----

while tooling around youtube just now, I found another excellent montage by dreamlarge. Even if you've seen it, it bears repeating!! Thanks dreamlarge - you're amazing!

- so many memories!!!

[justclay12]

Sorry ... but opera sets my teeth on edge. It just does.

I'm so glad I'm not alone here in the FCA with my dislike of opera music. I can tolerate some of Bocelli's but otherwise the most I can handle is the Josh Groban style, whatever it is he does.

[Iseeme]

There are a few arias that I really like - well known stuff, but I saw Madame Butterfly a few years ago and remarked - to the astonishment of who I was with - "OH - this is Miss Saigon, just a different war!" So much for what I know about opera. I do like classical music in the background sometimes when I'm involved in quilting or house-cleaning....but again, well-known stuff with beautiful melodies. Most of what I know about classical music I learned from watching figure skating....

OH OH OH - I applied for 2 part time jobs yesterday! The first, and the one I want, is with the Amador Flower Farm - a very upscale nursery and gift shop. They hold claim to being the largest distributor of day lilies in the world and have something like 17 acres planted with over 1000 varieties. It's a really, really neat place. The other (hello henhouse, meet fox) is in a winery tasting room. Both would be great fun but the nursery job would be better and probably more hours. The last thing I want to do is go back to work but I'm still paying 2 mortgages - so until I sell my place in the Bay Area...the extra $$ would be nice! Hell, Clay may tour again and we all KNOW that will mean an airline ticket to us Californians.

[PermaSwooned]

Lover All Alone

It's interesting that there has actually been very little discussion on this song so far. Of course, there has been a lot of discussion of the song and Clay's performances of it for almost 2 years, so that may play a role.

However, this is above all an intensely personal song, and I think it affects a number of people in an intensely personal way. And that's always difficult to talk about.

I guess we knew ahead of time that David Foster wrote the music for this song, right? Not everyone was thrilled with that. Although some people thought that David Foster would know what to do with Clay, there were many others that wanted David far, far away from Clay. I think that many fans felt that David would give him big, huge bombastic songs a la Josh Groban or Celine Dion to suit Clay's big voice.....You Raise Me Up/My Heart Will Go On type songs. I was among the surprised that the music for Lover All Alone did not follow that path. At all. I don't think there is any way that this melody CAN be sung in a big huge voice. I think it's very, very interesting that when David has actually worked with Clay, we have seen more restrained performances. The Canadian Star Search Gala version of Unchained Melody is much more refined than the way he usually sang it in concert, as was his version of Solitaire at the Neil Sedaka tribute. And they were very, very effective.

Again, there are intervals in this song that would defeat most other singers. The jumps in the "and....ON my own" line are killer, especially sung so softly. Clay developed a few little cheats in concert to get that note, and there were a few small bobbles at one concert or another, but they never detracted from the beauty of the song.

But what makes the song so incredible are, of course, the lyrics and the way they fit the melody so perfectly. IMHO, of course.

When ATDW was released, a bunch of my CH friends got together to celebrate it all together. We live all over the place, and there were 2 CD release parties in L.A. One was in Hollywood at the Hamburger Hamlet & Virgin Megastore, and the other was the next night in Burbank. One of our group graciously put us up at her house that Monday night, since we didn't finish getting our CDs until after 1 AM. We listened to the CD on the way back to the house. Some of us were unspoiled so we listened to all the favorites of those who were spoiled. When we got back to the house, the first thing we did was download the CD from Itunes so we could hear LAA. All of us just sat there in stunned silence. And then we listened again. And then again. There were tears running down several faces. When we could articulate again, we tried to express our thoughts...but it was hard then too. Whatever we might have been expecting, that wasn't it. After months of silence and dodging flung poo, this song was almost too much.

I do think that at one point or another in life, most people have experienced disappointment in love. This song is so poignant, so wistful, so introspective, so intensely personal. It's an incredibly vulnerable song. I do think that many people can identify with it...cotton I loved your story about your niece..., but I don't care what Clay may have said about not reading too much into it....it sounds VERY personal to me. If he were to suddenly get the idea about writing about disappointment at not finding true love, it's hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that he just dashed off these lyrics just to fit that theme. I think there's a reason why he faced the cellist and never looked at the audience while singing this song. It's an internal type song, not an audience type song, but I'm so glad he found a way to include it in those concerts.

I hope he writes more songs in the future. I hope his life is rich and full and that he decides to share what he's feeling in that way. But if he never writes another, this song is still a masterpiece. To me.

I frequently enlarge and frame some of my pictures to donate for fundraisers for the BAF. Below is the one of which I am the proudest. I took this picture at the West Point NaCT concert. He put on a great show that night, which was astonishing since he'd barely been able to stay upright the night before in Long Island. However, I caught one brief unguarded moment that just grabbed my heart. For me, the lyrics of Lover All Alone went perfectly with that introspective look.

PLEASE CLICK TO ENLARGE SO YOU CAN SEE THE LYRICS

Other thoughts:

Loved the youtube of Faryl Smith. She has an incredible depth to her tone for someone who is twelve. I used to sing Ave Maria a LOT back in the day, so I was singing along with her. I was surprised that she didn't go for the big glory note near the end. I wonder why?

I don't think anyone, including Blake Lewis, is surprised that he lost his contract. He has unique talents, for sure, but beat boxing to the degree that he does it is pretty passe, I think. I do think he'll be able to so something else with a more indie label that will suit his style better. Interesting news this week in that Taylor Hicks has a new contract with Vanguard for his next CD. Also, Suzie McNeil from RockStar INXS who sang with Clay on IWTKWLI on ATDW just got a new contract with Universal for her next CD. Makes me confident that Clay will be OK no matter what.

[bottlecap]

Most of what I know about classical music I learned from watching figure skating....

My classical music education mainly came from another source.

"Be very quiet. I'm hunting wabbits."

[jamar1700]

Interesting news this week in that Taylor Hicks has a new contract with Vanguard for his next CD.

Actually...

Vanguard Records, has agreed to distribute his cd, which Taylor plans to cut on his own label.

I know this because we were just discussing it elsewhere. *g*

---

I also think Clay will be okay...no matter what.

----

justclay12...I can't even listen to Josh Groban...for that very reason.

edited to add the right poster...*blush*

[Couch Tomato]

Most of what I know about classical music I learned from watching figure skating....

My classical music education mainly came from another source.

"Be very quiet. I'm hunting wabbits."

BWAH...that's me too.

I have been playing The Real Me and As Long as We're Here and On My Way Here over and over and over again today. As Long as We're Here is really inching up towards the top spot in my book. It's SO Clay... I can't even explain it ..it just has everything that I love about him all together in that one song. Maybe if I listen 10 more times I'll be able to explain what I mean!

[Cotton]

bottle, shouldn't that be . . .

vewwy quiet???

scarlet! Wish you could take a walk down by the river, too. I have to tell you, though, that some of the critters down here might scare a city girl!!!

Perma, your LAA graphic is lovely!

Thank you all, for your kind words re my niece.

I do think these lyrics could fit a moment in most everyone's life. It was just my Sis's reaction to the song that hit me so.

I used to write poetry. And I go back and read some of my old stuff. It reminds me that a poem ( or a lyric) captures a moment in time. Expresses the way you were trying to deal with a particular hurdle, or hurt or feeling at that time. So - even though I'm sure LAA does express personal feelings true to Clay, I take heart in my own experience, that just because you feel hurt or sad enough on one day to write something heart-wrenching, it doesn't mean that's the sum of your emotional state.

[gbmifan]

LAA - One of my favorites on the CD. I just love the way he sings this and the way the cello and his voice blend. I did not have the I-Tunes version, so could not wait to hear it in concert. I am very glad they put it on this CD.

This weekend has been a whirl wind. Yesterday we set up the Buick Open, then came home at 12noon, showered, drove four hours to Cincinnati, to my nephew Grad. party, stayed a couple of hours, drove back, got home at 1230am, got up at 630am, rode our bikes 40 miles this am, then came home and started laundry while my hubby cut the grass. I think I need a nap.

Clouds are coming in, the wind has picked up alot, and I am just waiting for the thunder and lightening. May have to shut down shortly.

[Cotton]

DH and I have a new storage barn. Built on site. So - today we've been painting it. We started hearing thunder, but managed to get the first coat on ahead of the storm! Well, we got three sides painted. We didn't get to the back. It backs up to trees, so nobody can see it. We want to paint it, of course, for protection. But at least the neighbors won't be looking at a three quarters done and cussing us for our laziness!

Hope everybody's having a good Sunday.

Clay and RCA.

Would they really drop him?

I mean, I know his sales weren't up to last time. But - don't they make money from him?

Seriously. I'm just curious.

I don't really care what label he's with. I figure he knows more about his business than I do.

But - Blake? How many albums has he sold?

I can't imagine that RCA has spent more $$ on Clay than they've made from him. Am I mistaken? I don't know nuttin' about the music business. I just know I like Clay's music!

ETA:

cuz Clay is NOT a drip! *g*

[Scarlett]

Scarlett - there's a "Feta cheese place"?? That's oddly intriguing...

Word to the wise: Never tell Scarlett to pick up some Feta cheese to go with the Gyros for lunch. Most of us would go to the local Krogers and pick up some stuff in a plastic tub.........not Scarlett she goes to a Middle Eastern shop and brings us about 2lbs of cheese still in brine.......real feta cheese!! Boy was it good.

:F_05BL17blowkiss: merrieeee and annabear, you know what I paid for that giant hunk of cheese (no not him, the feta)? All of $3.50. Kroger would've charged me $3.50 for that stuff-in-a-tub too but it would break down to 50 cents for packaging, $1.00 for shipping, $1.00 for marketing (because we reallly want to give those marketing experts our money), 75 cents profit for the store, and 25 cents for the play-doh-tasting stuff in the plastic tub. I paid $3.50 for 1 lb of real feta and got to pick from 12 different kinds. They even let me taste several -- just like in a Marble Slab or Cold Stone Creamery only with cheese. You know it was gooood. Yum!

Oh, and while out shopping today I got my first batch of Ranier cherries!!! Wheeeeee! Could never have enough since Solo introduced me to them in Philly last year. Now why did I talk the eHP out of our July trip to Seattle? We could have been rolling in Ranier cherries....

oh yes, I remember - because KAndre and PerusingOne hate the cold, and Solo and merrieeee hate water, and what do you get a lot of in the PNW? Beautiful scenery and cold water. *sniff* I would have enjoyed it anyway, while munching bushels of cherries.

OH OH OH - I applied for 2 part time jobs yesterday! The first, and the one I want, is with the Amador Flower Farm - a very upscale nursery and gift shop. They hold claim to being the largest distributor of day lilies in the world and have something like 17 acres planted with over 1000 varieties. It's a really, really neat place. The other (hello henhouse, meet fox) is in a winery tasting room. Both would be great fun but the nursery job would be better and probably more hours.

Iseeme, the perfect background music for (hello henhouse, meet fox) - "Hello Little Girl". Good luck on the job hunt!

My classical music education mainly came from another source.

"Be very quiet. I'm hunting wabbits."

LOL! Broadway came to life for me via Les Miseranimals (YouTube) with "Camembert" hunting "Runt ValRunt". Rita the cat's part is sung by Bernadette Peters.

scarlet! Wish you could take a walk down by the river, too. I have to tell you, though, that some of the critters down here might scare a city girl!!!

After the bats and bugs last summer, I think I've seen them all. Or have I?

[ldyjocelyn]

Good luck to all those that are suffering storms! We've been very fortunate around here -- a fairly wet spring, but not enough for the local river to overflow its banks. And very few storms this year, thank God.

About LAA:

I can't wait to see him do this song live again...with an orchestra again. *g*

Can't you just see the heads exploding? Clay Aiken announces fall tour with orchestra. Hee.

BWAH!!! I'd pay big bucks to see this!

My hope, even though I doubt it will happen, is this: when Clay goes on tour, the show is divided into two parts. One section would be Clay with "the band." Ashes, WOTW, Invisible...stuff like that. The other section -- add a small string section, to similar to what he did at the ATDW Kimmel appearance. ALAWH, BYLM, LAA, during this section. I'd be a happy camper!

Iseeme, good luck on the jobs! I hope you get the one that would do best for you.

Lover All Alone

It's interesting that there has actually been very little discussion on this song so far. Of course, there has been a lot of discussion of the song and Clay's performances of it for almost 2 years, so that may play a role.

However, this is above all an intensely personal song, and I think it affects a number of people in an intensely personal way. And that's always difficult to talk about.

Perma, I totally agree with this assessment. I think for me, this is a tough song to talk about, because it is so personal, and therefore rather uncomfortable. I also think that "we" may be a bit talked out about it, because we have had it for a few years at this point.

Beautiful graphic, too. *right-click and save*

Most of what I know about classical music I learned from watching figure skating....

My classical music education mainly came from another source.

"Be very quiet. I'm hunting wabbits."

Hee. I've always loved the Looney Toons cartoons, because they subtly introduce kids to classical music. However, in this day and age, they also introduce kids to "violence." LOL.

I have been playing The Real Me and As Long as We're Here and On My Way Here over and over and over again today. As Long as We're Here is really inching up towards the top spot in my book. It's SO Clay... I can't even explain it ..it just has everything that I love about him all together in that one song. Maybe if I listen 10 more times I'll be able to explain what I mean!

I hear ya! ALAWH is turning out to be my "repeat a few times" song. In my mind, it's such a grand, sweeping song, and such a good song for Clay to sing. Guh.

Clay and RCA.

Would they really drip him?

Is this anything like waterboarding?

[Cotton]

scarlett! Wish you could take a walk down by the river, too. I have to tell you, though, that some of the critters down here might scare a city girl!!!

After the bats and bugs last summer, I think I've seen them all. Or have I?

Heh

You ain't seen nuttin', yet!

lizards

The occasional gator

garter snakes

The birds are great, though.

Herons

Great herons

Mallards

Hooded mergansers

I saw an eagle once, but he was too far away to get a good shot.

Pelican Place? You 'll see a few of them at my mac site.

We do have deer in and around us and they are sometimes on our road, but I've never caught one when I had my camera with me!

[Cotton]

crap!

[Iseeme]

Company is GONE. Now I can play.

I haven't weighed in on many of the songs but have enjoyed the holy whatsis out of reading people's opinions. I'm still amazed at the musical knowledge on this board - and happy for it.

Lover All Alone, to me, is a song that I find intensely personal to Clay. I usually believe every last little word he says, but when he's talked about this song I've always felt he was being his adorable self-deprecating self, not wanting to take credit for it, threw some words together in a few minutes after sitting on it for months, yada! yada! yada! What the lyrics tell me is that Clay HAS loved and lost (where is she - I'll hurt her!) and that he's also hopelessly romantic. I've never written poetry and thank all the Gods that are holy - I've never written song lyrics. But I don't think you pull words and phrases like this out of your rear ear! I just don't think you do - no matter how good your imagination is. I do know people who write poetry and I do know people who have dabbled in songwriting, but they needed inspiration of some kind. So what was Clay's inspiration at that moment in time for him to write such beautiful, beautiful lyrics! I love the minimal orchestration, and as always, I love David Foster's piano. He knows how to showcase the artist and just provide enough piano accompaniement to support the song.

As for RCA dropping Clay. Who knows. Who cares. I honestly feel record labels are like large financial institutions - they're all the same with the exception of their name!!! I can't imagine that RCA has spent more money on Clay than he's made for them. I vaguely remember someone saying (one of those so-called experts on another board) that the artist makes less than a nickel on CDs sold.....so the rest of that money is going somewhere besides the production crew, musicians, etc. But you know, artists get dropped all the time and the good, talented ones find homes elsewhere. Clay's relationship with David Foster (pre-Babygate) seemed to be mutually functional. There are worse people in the industry to be hooked up with musically. The man is a genius, has a track record a mile long, has won Grammys, etc. So if RCA DID drop Clay, or Clay dropped RCA.......I could see him signing with Warner Bros. But - as we always say - Clay certainly will know what is right for him. And I would love to see more songwriting collaborations between he and Foster. Other Foster collaborations I won't comment on.................

ETA: OMG - I just watched the Syracuse LAA. I had never seen it. Words fail me. I got all shivery.

ETA #2: Perma, that picture, the unguarded moment, beautiful. Just beautiful.

[FromClaygary]

FromClaygary- Don't know why, but it does my heart good to see that you enjoyed the concert in Syracuse so much. I work in the building that that concert was held in- first time I've ever been to an event there, although I've worked there for 17 years. When Clay appeared here for the NAT, it was in the building next door to the Civic Center, the War Memorial. I feel extremely lucky that Clay has come to my neck of the woods 3 times- the Turningstone Casino in Verona, where he came for Christmas 2006, is just a hop, skip, and a jump from us, so I consider that local as well. And I'm always happy to learn that people who have come here have enjoyed themselves,(although I imagine that the man they've come to see has a teensy little bit to do with their enjoyment, too!)

We had a great time! Here's another fun memory of the night...

I frequently enlarge and frame some of my pictures to donate for fundraisers for the BAF. Below is the one of which I am the proudest. I took this picture at the West Point NaCT concert. He put on a great show that night, which was astonishing since he'd barely been able to stay upright the night before in Long Island. However, I caught one brief unguarded moment that just grabbed my heart. For me, the lyrics of Lover All Alone went perfectly with that introspective look.

PLEASE CLICK TO ENLARGE SO YOU CAN SEE THE LYRICS

Beautiful!! Thank you for posting it!!

Clay and RCA.

Would they really drop him?

I mean, I know his sales weren't up to last time. But - don't they make money from him?

Ahhh, you've been listening to those Negative Nellie's over on another board!

Craziness.

Oh, and while out shopping today I got my first batch of Ranier cherries!!! Wheeeeee! Could never have enough since Solo introduced me to them in Philly last year. Now why did I talk the eHP out of our July trip to Seattle? We could have been rolling in Ranier cherries....

whimper..... OMG I LOVE Rainier cherries!! All we ever see here are the Bings....

[Cotton]

Oh, Lori.

I'm not in the RCA dropped him camp.

I am just asking, but it makes no sense to me that they would.

I mean, one person mentioned Blake being dropped and that's all it took.

So - I'm just asking - why would they? And asking if I'm right in thinking that they make $$ on Clay without breaking a sweat.

I'm just not a hand-wringer so it's hard for me to understand.

Clay?

I don't worry about him.

He's a big boy.

heh

He can take care of himself. He's mad-talented and an absolute sponge where learning OJT, IMO!

I think he can do anything he sets his mind to.

And I wonder if a recording label is just relevant? Meaning - they're interchangable.

Except for the AI baggage Clay brought with him to RCA.

???

[ldyjocelyn]

Sorry Cotton, I couldn't resist. Just thought it was, shall we say, an interesting typo....

As for the reason for the typo in the first place -- I'm with Iseeme. The call it "show business" for a reason, and the mega companies are pretty interchageable. I can't honestly imagine RCA dropping him -- but I think if they do, there are many other companies that would pick him up. ETA: I think a lot of the discussion about RCA dropping Clay is really more "wishful thinking," because they think RCA has done so poorly with promoting Clay. Me? I think they've done a decent job, since they have how many artists on their roster? It's not like Clay is the only person they need to promote....

Both hubby and I have had a low energy weekend. I've managed to do a bit of cleaning, and he has done a bit of yard work. I think, in my case -- I'm so tired of this knee thing, and I've got at least another week to go with it. (Doctor appointment on Thursday, though!)

OT: has anyone downloaded Mozilla Firefox 3 yet? Any problems? What do you like about it? What do you dislike?

[Scarlett]

Oh, and while out shopping today I got my first batch of Ranier cherries!!! Wheeeeee! Could never have enough since Solo introduced me to them in Philly last year. Now why did I talk the eHP out of our July trip to Seattle? We could have been rolling in Ranier cherries....

whimper..... OMG I LOVE Rainier cherries!! All we ever see here are the Bings....

Is there any way to send you some? By coincidence, it was on the day of that Syracuse LAA that I first tasted them. Too much back to back yumminess for one day?!!

[FromClaygary]

Oh, Lori.

I'm not in the RCA dropped him camp.

I am just asking, but it makes no sense to me that they would.

Oh good, I thought we'd lost you to the insanity for a moment there!

The answer, for me, is.....they wouldn't!...and of course I know about as much about it as the ones saying he already HAS been dropped and we just don't know it (STUPID us!!) One more for good measure....

It all just smacks too much, for me, of the "oh, if you only knew what I know!" of 2006 or whenever that was. And you know how that turned out.

It just irritates the PISS (sorry!) outta me that these people are driving so many away from the fandom for their own self-aggrandization, and influencing mindsets drip by drip by relentless drip.

It's way too much like Chinese water torture.

ETA: / rant BTW

[FromClaygary]

Is there any way to send you some? By coincidence, it was on the day of that Syracuse LAA that I first tasted them. Too much back to back yumminess for one day?!!

Oh, Scarlett, you're a sweetheart but I suspect the reason we don't see them is because they're too fragile to travel well.

But they ARE wonderful!

ETA: I've always had them from Pike's Place market in Seattle...wandering around the vendors with a bag of them is a day in heaven!

One of the things I enjoy most about Ontario is the opportunity for fresh fruit! Yesterday at the cluncheon one of our members brought fresh ON strawberries....OMG! orgasmic!!

When I lived up North we didn't see much good quality fruit unless we drove 8-12 hrs into British Columbia, so I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

[Iseeme]

ldyj said:

I think a lot of the discussion about RCA dropping Clay is really more "wishful thinking," because they think RCA has done so poorly with promoting Clay. Me? I think they've done a decent job, since they have how many artists on their roster?

I came to the conclusion awhile ago that no matter what RCA did for Clay in the way of promotion, no matter how many TV shows, guest appearances, etc. it would NEVER be enough unless he went double platinum in 2 weeks again. I mean, Clay has some say in this as well, and it seemed like he was kind of anxious to get back to Raleigh. He kept saying he was going home for the summer, etc. He has a management team and a legal team - seems to me if he thought he was being slighted or whatever that he would take some action, get into some negotiations, etc. Too many people make him out to be the hapless victim of big ol' corporate RCA. Bullrot. I don't believe that for a minute. I also hear/read "nobody knows about this CD!" Wellllllllllllll......................I couldn't tell you what CDs came out in the past month other than that rapper with the ucky lollipop song and that's because it was on the Yahoo home page. Who is being spread all over the media because of a new CD? OH yes - Madonna was. That worked out really well for her didn't it.............................not!

Since nobody knows what Clay's original contract was, how do we know it didn't run out and re-upped with them?