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

[ldyjocelyn]

So...when you put ice cold drinks in these, do the clothes disappear?

I have GOT to get me a set of these!

merrieeee -- :F_05BL17blowkiss: back at ya! I much prefer thinking about what we HAVE, thankyouverymuch!

BTW, did you all know that there's this really good album out? Called "On My Way Here?" And supposedly we were going to do a song of the day about it? "Everything I Don't Need?" What ever happened to dat?

*nudge nudge*

[FromClaygary]

We had snow yesterday...

snow

Yes, snow. We had a blizzard day before yesterday. It's been around 30 degrees below normal temps for the past few weeks. It really feels more like fall.

I think I'm the only one in the fandom that doesn't like the JBT hair. Now, the Tyra hair....THAT'S what I'm talkin about!

Snow.....ahh, I remember it well! Snow 12 months a year~yah, I loved Alberta! Only NOT!!! It's been wonderful to NOT have snow on my birthday (in August) these last couple of years.

Tijala, I feel for you!! I used to wonder if I would ever be warm again.

I'm like luckiest1...there really is no such thing as "too hot" for me.

....and the Tyra/Christmas 2006/snowflake hair? OH........YES!!!

[jamar1700]

{{{couchie}}}

If it's any consolation...my team is losing spectacularly on almost a nightly basis ... and it isn't even the playoffs. *g*

----

*waves*

Now I'm off for a weekend in the Hinterlands with my people. Be back sometime Sunday night.

Be good, ya'll.

[djs111]

I just have to say how nice it is that this is such an upbeat board.........not a lot of doom & gloom like other places!

I am not fond of hearing over and over that this baby spells the end of his career! Who knows what is down the road and I would much rather look at the pretty than speculate about how soon he will be gone. (no offence to any other board*g*)

To be fair, other boards are talking about the career and life choices they have picked out for him, not about Actual Clay at all.

Is there a thread at the OFC where people can directly inform him of the career they have planned for him, and tell him the choices he should make as to who to love, when to have babies, and what method of conception he should use, who he should hang out with, where he should live, etc.?

Maybe he just doesn't know that there is a better plan for him than the one he has of his own!

Of course, I subscribe to that Life is What Happens when you are making plans thingy.

[bottlecap]

So...when you put ice cold drinks in these, do the clothes disappear?

I have GOT to get me a set of these!

But doesn't the cold cause, you know, shrinkage?

[djs111]

But doesn't the cold cause, you know, shrinkage?

No worries, the glass will stay the same size!!!!! Heeeee!

[ldyjocelyn]

But doesn't the cold cause, you know, shrinkage?

No worries, the glass will stay the same size!!!!! Heeeee!

I'm thinking that even WITH "shrinkage," the glasses may not be big enough....

Off to catch up on my updating of the Fast Forward news section. I'm way behind, for some reason...

[cha cha trusty]

OK -- I'm worried.........

no, not about THAT......./\

Last Friday our power was out from about 11pm to 1 am. There was no storm or anything and when I called to report it, the recording said "widespread outage due to equipment failure."

And then last night the power went out several times for less than a minute or two.

This is not good people. Do you ever wonder if the power grid will be able to withstand all the demands that will be required of it in the coming months? I do.

But - first - LET'S PARTY!!!

I'll have what she's having.........

HAPPY BELATED ANNIVERSARY GIBBY!!

the power went out last night before I had a chance to post, and so I just went to bed!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[cha cha trusty]

oh, yeah, :clears throat, taps baton on podium:

EVERYTHING I DON'T NEED

OK - last night on the way home I blasted this out and kept repeating it maybe 5 times or so.....

I LOVE THIS SONG!!

With the exception of maybe one or two references, do you think this song could be directed at the media/trash tabloids???

discuss

[Bookwhore]

Oowwwwww!!! My eeeeyyyyeeeee!! I'm bliiiiiinnd! I opened up my computer and something poked my eye out!

You women ain't nuttin' but a bunch of horney ho's, posting all these nasty pitchurs of that nice young man. You should be ashamed of yerselfs.

I LOVE you guys!

Yeah...I was doing fine without my computer though until she read Gibby's post. Still fittin' the wedding dress huh?

wench

'Wench' wasn't the first word that came to my mind. Ppppbbbtttt!! It's no big deal. I can still fit into my wedding dress, too. ok, ok....my left thigh can still fit into my wedding dress.

Congratulations Gibby and Mr. Gibby! 25 years is an accomplishment to be proud of. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[pkmiller]

Good morning everyone! Do you guys stay up all night? I can get on here several times during the day and evening and not much is going on...get on in the morning and there are 6 pages to catch up on!

We don't get stinking tornados in NJ, at least rarely. And they almost never touch down. I saw two tornados in 30 years and that fact amazed some people. I figure the tornado must have past over the trees, because the branches are twisted off and they are healthy branches. I really don't know how people deal with it on a regualr basis. A friend of mine was from Witchita Falls and she said it was called tornado Alley.

We get mild hurricanes and my house is pretty insulated and the trailer has nothing valuable in it, if it goes, it goes.

Happy 25th anniversary, Gibby

Actually we mostly ignore the sirens. I know....we're bad, but they sound the sirens when the tornadoes aren't even anywhere near by! I remember one time when I was at work, the landlord of the building called and told everyone to go out into the hallway because a wall cloud was over the building...guess where everyone went? Yep, outside to see.

Happy Anniversary to Gibby, Fear, and laljeterfan. :11:

Happy B-Day to Justclay12.

Play: Glad your house is okay.

Canfly172, I sure am thirsty...can I please have that first drink on the left?

Thank you everyone for the purdy pictures! I think my cursor has a mind of its own. I'm just happily scrolling down and the cursor ALWAYS stops on Clay's crotch!

[liney23]

He's so dreamy.

muski... I love this one! Not that I don't love all the smutty ones, too, you understand. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

But doesn't the cold cause, you know, shrinkage?

No worries, the glass will stay the same size!!!!! Heeeee!

BWAH!!!!

It's FRIDAY!!!! I'm so happy!!!

I watched SYTYCD last night with my DD. First time I've seen her in 2 weeks. Not one Clay word/insult passed her lips. Color me amazed and happy. So, saw both DD and DIL who usually cannot resist taking potshots at Clay and not one word from either of them. Life is good!!!

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

[Iseeme]

Good morning.

EIDN.....I always thought this was the song Kipper was talking about when he said people would go "that's Clay Aiken?" I love the growling and imagine that by the time - if ever - Clay tours this CD, that growl is going to be as awesome as the growl was in I Survived You! I think this is one song he's going to kick some major ass on "live!"

I guess you could apply it to the media with a few lyric changes. But then Clay said all these songs were interpretive. One part I never understood was "last of a dying breed!"

Looking at the picture Muski posted and then Liney reposted.....Clay has really filled out in his upper body. His shoulders and arms......sigh! Point in fact:

[Cotton]

So why do y'all think people (other boards) are speculating that RCA may have dropped Clay?

I just don't get it. Doesn't he make them money without much output from them?

I know OMWH hasn't sold as much as previous albums, but - how does that translate to being dropped.

DH was talking the morning about football contracts and how they differ from pro basketball and baseball. That players can be dropped even when they're under contract. I told him that reminded me of the music biz. I hadn't realized there was such a difference between f'ball and both b'balls as far as the way players are treated.

Interesting.

DH makes me laugh. EVery time I mention (not often) something about the biz/Clay/unfairness, he comes up with a, "Clay should . . ."

Today - it was Clay should start a business for idol contestants - in essence, preparing them for the reality, the underbelly, etc.

ETA:

Good Morning!

[Iseeme]

Haven't gone to other boards so don't know why they would be saying that. I do know one board in particular has VERY outspoken RCA haters and it wouldn't surprise me if their collective minds conjured this latest rumor. If RCA did drop him, I doubt he'd have any trouble at all getting picked up by Warner (DavidFoster) or some other label. As much as we worry about every little thing, Clay is a celebrity! And he does have mad talent. I still don't know what happened to OMWH. It's just so weird that it died so quickly. Part of which is because Clay has been an absentee singer since 2 weeks after the release. Big flurry of promo and then he "goes home to rest!" So unless he's planning on working this CD at a later date.....eh? So much doesn't make sense to me these days. And not because I'm projecting what he should do with his career based on my needs or whatever.....it just doesn't make sense.

ETA: went over "there" and found this as an answer to whether Clay had been dropped from RCA:

no. its just speculation for our part.

And that folks, is how rumors get started!!!!!

[Cotton]

I agree the promo period was a bit odd. Though I'm sure he needed the break like crazy.

However, part of me wonders if it wasn't "rest" but another project that caused the time constraints. Like he had only a short window of time available - but then the "satellite" interviews - prerecorded, and the music pass later and Paula Dean later - providing some later promo without Clay actually being present.

I'm not talking about UNICEF or baby. Something that required his presence to work on something.

Has me curious as to what's next.

I surely don't get the hand-wringing!

I'm just kind of patting my foot and drumming my fingers.

Come on, Clay! Whatcha doin???

I get emails from Real Simple all the time (don't know why, no longer get the magazine). This morning's quote:

June 13, 2008

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.

— Anonymous

IIU and all that.

[Couch Tomato]

Happy Friday Ya'll.

Whatever happens wtih Clay personally,professionally...all I can do is wait and see and continue to support him. Definitely can't spend energy worrying about it. He's smart and talented enough to land on his feet. I'm still hoping OMWH will slowly but surely make its way up the chart and that may open a door for future singles. I hope the fandom is focusing on that as well.... even if it's just sending wishful thoughts in that direction.

That was some picture party last night!

[Iseeme]

Please don't take this as criticism of Clay - it's just part of my bewilderment. He's 29 years old. He had a very busy schedule what with recording and Spamalot. BUT - he chose to do Spamalot while he was recording. Said he had to be in NY anyway. He didn't go into this without some thought. I just don't buy that he was in such a need for a break that he did 2 weeks promo and then went home to nap. He got sick once during Spam - missed one performance. On all his promo activities there were a couple breaks in his voice but generally speaking he sounded wonderful to me. So I don't think he was on the brink of utter exhaustion and THAT desperate for a break! I don't think in the business - JMO - that you put out a CD and then go home to rest. He could have delayed the release date. Artists do it ALL the time. Even Clay has done it. So it's just always been my belief that something else was going on. IIT than he probably wouldn't want to tour while Jaymes is waiting for the baby. Probably wants to be there when he/she is born, provide support, yada! yada! I honestly don't think Clay would let his CD die in order to take a UNICEF trip. That doesn't make much sense to me because without his star power his UNICEF trips don't do much for the cause, right? So what the heck is it. That's what's got me so curious.

And quite frankly, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm back in the "it's true" camp and I don't want to be there. The only logical reason I can think of for putting out a CD and then just walking away from it - because to me that's what he's done - is the baby! Either he doesn't want to be put in a position to be relentlessly questioned about it or he's gone to ground to be with Jaymes. I honestly don't like this scenario but if that's what's happened - well, we'll I'll just have to deal with it. And I'm also still in the camp that believes once the story was leaked there should have been some kind of announcement. It might not have stopped the gossip but it might have staved off the worst of it. I would like to see a very, very proud Clay saying he was going to be a father!!! But I know that isn't necessarily a popular view. Or I would have liked the Foster camp to say "hah! Clay is Jaymes BFF but he isn't her baby's father." But I know that isn't necessarily a popular view either.

So - two more months to wonder about this.

[Couch Tomato]

There's nothing wrong with doing Spamalot and recording. He did it before..toured, wrote a book, and did an album. So that's clearly not a problem for him. The finished product was excellent IMO.

I don't know how much difference it would have made but if I had a vote, and I don't... I wish the album could have been released so he would be free to do a bit more promotion before hand. I thought they did a good job for someone that had to be in NYC all the way until two days before. Maybe just two weeks later and then if he had a priority in his personal life he still could tend to it. But if the personal life IIT IIU is more imporant than that's the way it is. And I do believe that Clay really wanted the day the album dropped to be the date. But I don't know that he just walked away or he had no other promotion to do. What else could he be doing right now. Yeah I can think of a million things if I didn't have to make it happen - SYTYCD/song on a soundtrack/commercial/tv - but the only real thing I can think of is really working the AC stations by doing interviews and he could do that from home and he could have been doing that before the "news" broke. But that obviously wasn't set up to do. IIT IIU... I can honestly seeing it take priority over

everything else.

One of the things I thought I'd see and hopped to see was Kipper/Clay partnership driving some major music magazine coverage. I'm totally suprised that didn't happen.

Iseeme..and I wonder if even in two months we'll know anything. This one is definitely interesting and I haven't a clue how it's going to work out. I'm still in the it could go any way camp with a slight leaning toward oops it's true LOL. On the one hand wouldn't a gigantic media mind *DSIW) be just so delicious. And on the other...it's his life and if what he wants I'll be happy for him.

[duckyvee]

oh, yeah, :clears throat, taps baton on podium:

EVERYTHING I DON'T NEED

OK - last night on the way home I blasted this out and kept repeating it maybe 5 times or so.....

I LOVE THIS SONG!!

With the exception of maybe one or two references, do you think this song could be directed at the media/trash tabloids???

discuss

I don't know what this song is actually supposed to be about, but I think Clay certainly has plenty to pull from in his experience in AI and as a celebrity to bring emotion to this song. On the surface it sounds as if it's about a relationship, but you know Clay..... a thousand different ways to interpret.

This is, by far, my favorite song on the CD. Sometimes I listen to the opening (through "Well, now" or is it "Well, Well" or maybe "We......ell") over and over and over again.

There are so many amazing sounds in this song that I never tire of it.

My favorite lyric is "I don’t want to listen to the answers to the questions I didn’t ask"

Gosh, how many times have you had that thought?

[Iseeme]

Yup Couchie....I agree. We may not ever know. But as much as I don't want it to be true, IIT I would hope that Clay would allow us to be happy with him. I would hope that he would allow (notice that word I keep using) us to see HIS happiness. I loved the comment he made about Chamberlin - something to the effect that the little guy didn't ask to be born into celebrity. However, Quiana has his pictures all over her MySpace. I want to see Baby Aiken. I really do - IIT.

Short of touring, and not being an expert on this stuff, I do think there were other things he could have done. There could be more TV, radio interviews, etc. but.....instead we have nothing. Such is life.

I know OMWH won't be his last CD but it still is sad that such a fine piece of work just faded into oblivion. Here's hoping it "rises from the ashes" at some point. I do love the CD. Love it.

[ldyjocelyn]

*pulls out an oxygen mask and asks Iseeme to "breathe for me honey"*

Iseeme, I think you're experiencing something that I call the "we don't know diddly squat" phenomenon. (WARNING: liberal use of the "royal we" ahead....) In my mind, it's what's fueled so much of the RCA hatred out there -- because we as fans are not privy to the information that's gone on behind the scenes. We truly do not know what measures are still out there for promotion for this album. There may be a second wave in August; there may not. We also truly do not know what Clay's decided for all this. As couchie said, the best thing I can see at the moment is to keep supporting OMWH the single as best we can. (Have ya'll played the AOL Sessions video today?)

This lack of information is frustrating, isn't it? But you know, I've almost always seen this fandom as built on one based partially in FEAR, specifically fear of the unknown. We never knew if he was going to be on AI week after week; we didn't know what kinds of promotions were going to happen for him. And that scared some people, and made them worried. Still does, IMO. Also IMO, that's why there's more than a few out there that think they know better how to run his career, or his life, because they want to control what they cannot know.

What keeps me from not being worried is CLAY. He's a strong man, IMO, and also a fairly smart one too. Therefore, I try my best to let go of my worries for Clay. It won't help me to worry about him, and it certainly won't help Clay either.

One more thing: IIT IIU etc. etc. -- I think People magazine will have an exclusive with the first baby pictures of the happy family. I really don't want it to be something like a GMA exclusive on TV -- to me that would feel just way too intrusive. But for some reason, I can totally picture a People magazine spread.

[justclay12]

I do think that Clay has some things going on that we don't know about, obviously the personal stuff, but also career-wise. Clay is a smart man and he worked overtime to get out a cd that he was proud of, so I don't think he would just let it die without something going on in the background. And he did say that he would be doing more promo later. Plus, even though the cd didn't sell as well as we had hoped, at least for now, didn't I read somewhere that someone from RCA said that they would be happy for 50000 opening week or something like that? I just don't think Clay or RCA or his team are panicking quite as much as we are. Partly because they understand the music industry better than we do and partly because they know more about the future plans, which really drives me crazy cuz I'm not in the loop and I hate not knowing everything.

Now, does anyone have any birthday's, anniversary's, etc so that we can celebrate with more pretty pictures?

And EIDN is wonderful. Since I have limited attention span and can only pay attention to about one or two phrases during any one listen, I can't relate the lyrics to anything. I just like listening to him growl at me and sing pretty. But I do think he is singing Well well during that disputed part.

[Ansamcw]

I always hesitate to put any judgement on what Clay is doing because I don;t know what his personal goal is. I think the fans that constantly get upset at what he is doing...are feeling like that because his actions or decisions do not jive with their goal of making him a superstar.

ITA Iseeme about the baby possibly impacting on his decisions IIT and I totally don't blame him if he did. He has his priorities and I trust that he is doing what is best for himself and his team and he is the only one that gets to determine what is best according to his own personal goals...not the fans goals.

BTW...please don;t start giving memorials for OMWH when they only released one song from that CD that is still slowly climbing the charts. We also knew that he was going to be on vacation...again he gets to determine if he needs it or not...so this silence is expected and I bet TC factored it in when they planned the promotion.

[Iseeme]

Oh ldyj, I'm breathing. But extra oxygen is always nice. Is it like helium though where your voice gets high and squeaky?

Surprisingly I'm really not worried. I will readily admit my consternation comes from the fact that he isn't living his life the way I want him to You know, the fairy tale wedding, young beautiful bride, adorable red-headed babies. But if he is happy with whatever - than I can finally honestly and truthfully say I'm okay with that. He's not the nerdy young geek we met in 2002 anymore. He's a grown man of intelligence and a mind of his own - whooeee, do we know that last fact for sure or what!!!!

I've never angsted (is that a word) about RCA or Clive. I'm just kind of sad because of how this beautiful CD has played out so far. But it aint my life, just my passion!

And on that note - I tee off in about 30 minutes and am not dressed or fed. Adios for now.

P.S. I was not judging Clay in any way, shape or form and I'm sorry if it came off that way. I thought I qualified my post with "this isn't criticism" - just bewilderment. Clearly I know nothing and can only hope there are plans somewhere in the works.