#41: Clay Aiken Makes His Triumphant Return!

[aikim]

Emily with Mom and Dad

[Couch Tomato]

You all look so dapper. Her dress is gorgeous. She looks so serious. heeee. Taking the pictures before the wedding is good for those of us sitting at the reception hall eating bread...but no I'm not bitter. hee.

[aikim]

You all look so dapper. Her dress is gorgeous. She looks so serious. heeee. Taking the pictures before the wedding is good for those of us sitting at the reception hall eating bread...but no I'm not bitter. hee.

They did take pictures at the reception, but all the church pictures were before the wedding; unfortunately, my husband's parents could not make it there before the wedding; so only got pictures at the reception.

Kim

[claytonic]

Great pics aikim... wow 7 attendants plus flower-girl! Now you can relax a bit with all that stress (leading up to the big day) is over! Your dress looks great too! Emily looks beautiful, and serious, as Couchie said!

ETA: At last, the thread title I voted for wins the overall vote!

[muskifest]

I'm soooooo curious about Clay's REAL hair color. I'm waiting for the day he just lets it grow out to find out what it is!

[aikim]

Great pics aikim... wow 7 attendants plus flower-girl! Now you can relax a bit with all that stress (leading up to the big day) is over! Your dress looks great too! Emily looks beautiful, and serious, as Couchie said!

ETA: At last, the thread title I voted for wins the overall vote!

I don't know why she didn't smile; her teeth looked beautiful; she had them whitened and also had some work done on her front tooth; she had fallen when she was about 7 or 8 and broke her front tooth and even though it was capped; the dead tooth at the base had been graying and she hated to smile because of the way it looked. I'll have to see if there are any pictures of her smiling.

Kim

[Claygasm]

Wow, Clay looks sooooo happy at the stage door this weekend! Last time he usually looked so serious. He had a lot going on, between the album and being concerned about Jaymes' pregnancy. I loooove the big, gorgeous smiles this time!

I don't know. I thought in many, no, in most, of the SD pics I remember from last time he looked verra, verra happy! I do think as the run went on it became more of a chore and obligation and there were days he didn't look so happy, but overall, I didn't think he looked serious at the stage door at all last time.

He did look blond and often had that dreaded eyeliner on heavily then so I would definitely say he looks BETTER this time!

Plus, I just think this time he looks more like Clay.

[Bookwhore]

He did look blond and often had that dreaded eyeliner on heavily then so I would definitely say he looks BETTER this time!

Plus, I just think this time he looks more like Clay.

Oh, I totally agree. The eyeliner and longish, flatironed-within-an-inch-of-its-life, bonde hair looked too artificial to me. This look, however.....

..the sparkly eyes and beautiful smile....

:17f71c4d:

Ii could just eat him with a spoon....

[FearofH2O]

Playbiller just called from the flea market in Schubert Alley, she said they had Spamalot posters signed by the new cast for $40.00 and Playbills signed by the cast for $20. Unfortunately I volunteered to help making calls for a candidate today so if you are interested you can call her on her cell phone. She said many of you know it.

Have a great day! I'm enjoying this new clack. And about Clay's hair, I'm just glad he has plenty of it.

[djs111]

Play just called me too - you can reply here for the next little while, and I will keep checking here, and I will call her with any requests.

[bottlecap]

I'd love a poster, but since it's showtime, I'm probably too late...

[djs111]

I left a message on Play's phone for you, bottlecap....anyone else who doesn't have play's number, just PM me, and I will pass the info on to her! I don't think she was actually going to see the show this afternoon.

[bottlecap]

:thbighug-1: Thanks!

[calurker]

This board moves so fast...it's hard to keep up....z-o-o-o-o-om !!!!!!!!!!!! ....Plus the fact that I got sidelined looking at those gorgeous photos OMG...he has turned back time...the man is amazing.

In response to muskifest....Clay said in an interview that his mother was liking the blonde hair because it was the closest he had been to his natural colour. If you go back to some of the AI pictures, not from the show itself but the casual ones, there are pictures where he appears to be a strawberry blonde or something close to that.

That's all I got ...oh yeah... :013085001176249046:

[djs111]

Ms. Bottlecap yer covered! Play is going to tonight's show, but not the matinee.

[Gibby]

Aikim, what beautiful pictures! Everyone looks so good, including you! Thanks for posting them.

The Broadway Cares Flea Auction is happening this afternoon, and can be watched via a live feed! Here's the link:

http://broadwayworld.com/livetv.cfm

Just click, and you can watch it live!

I was just looking at stage door pics from yesterday's performances, and wow, is Clay ever looking great!

Scarlett, it's great to see you right up there having fun at the barricades! I'm so happy that you could go to the opening weekend.

[ldyjocelyn]

Intermission reports from CV~

xxx just called me during intermission. She reports a good sized crowd, though she can't see too far into Mezz. and balcony. Orch full except for the extreme side seats. Mostly NJU in the crowd today but he's getting great laughs and appreciation from the crowd. Schubert Alley is a zoo and obviously there won't be a "Stage Door" today as there is nowhere to have it. She said he is much more animated in the Camelot and final scene than when she saw it last season but he's just great. Tom is out again and that was very disappointing as, I think, we would all agree. I would hate to be an understudy for someone so loved. She can't remember anything else and told me to make stuff up but I'm coming up empty. so there yu have it!!!

eta: The Spamalot poster being sold for $40.00 - she thought that was too much so she took about 5 minutes before she weakened and bought it because, you know, Clay had signed it ................

From toni7babe~

-Not a huge crowd in the theater today, mostly NJU. Orchestra is filled and mezz is maybe 1/2 filled...couple of rows of the balcony filled.

-Clay is getting a good reception and lots of cheers, especially for his "Idol of my age" line.

-Toni is sitting beside a couple who are huge Monty Python fans. They are really enjoying Clay!

-Tower scene, played with his straps, did his little sing song about the coconuts.

-During "Camelot", the girl with the drinks kissed him on the cheek and left a red lipstick mark that stayed through the entire first act. He was so excited and was jumping for joy telling Gallahad, "Did you see the girl with the glasses...she kissed me, she kissed me!" toni is sitting right in front of Clay and Gallahad during that scene.

- Clay has lots of energy and was rocking out during "Find Your Grail".

-During the French Taunter scene, he pet his horse. He also fondled the wooden rabbit for a bit before he turned around and said, "Oh Wow!"

-During "Run Away", the girl who chases him was sticking her tongue out at him. At one point she touched her tongue and then wiped her finger on his cheek. :omg:

From toni via irishbookgal at CV

Knights of Ni did the Palin and crystal meth line.

-Guard scene seems to go by quicker than last time (maybe because of Tom being out) and he didn't play with the ribbons.

-Soling his pants was perfect!

-YWSOB was great and he had great cheers. No tongue and no crossed eyes when he does the bottle dance.

-During the Tim the Enchanter scene, there was a delay when Tim was to fly offstage on his broom. Rick said, "I'll be going soon" and they were all having a hard time keeping a straight face.

-When Clay came on as Brother Maynard, he was still laughing a little from the Tim scene. His delivery though was very good and had good pauses in between the lines.

-During the Finale, he was smiling a lot and was turning around joking with a knight and a blonde dancer. He had on his mismatched socks andgave his salute.

They were all going to hang out in the Alley for a little bit to see if anyone came out. The Not Yet Dead t-shirt they are selling at the Spam table is beige and says "Recycle Or I'll Eat You! - Spamalot" and has the Killer Rabbit and an earth symbol on it.

toni, AAIT, xxx, and Scarlett all say hello! Thanks to all of them for helping us be part of the fun!

toni is leaving soon but xxx may be able to call someone tonight with reports.

[Cotton]

Clay package (down smutters!) just went for $10,000!

The highest bid in the Broadway auction. Next was a Wicked package that went for $8,500!

Yay, Clay!

From caperkeeper at CV

butterflyshine just called me with this news: Clay was listening to his item being auctioned! Jerome was apparently outside and she thought we might see Clay but he was inside upstairs (remember the one guy looked up and said someone was 'mooning' them? at least I think that's what he said - that was probably Clay! Not mooning of course! Anyway she says she got a grainy picture of him in the window! A fan did win - butterflyshine wants to let her tell - but Jerome looked at butterflyshine and asked who? She pointed and he nodded ok.

Cool that Jerome ok'd the winner!

[Cotton]

James Beaman (touring company Sir Robin) with Clay!

James' blog and pic with Clay

[FromClaygary]

How cool that Clay's "package" (I wish!) went for that much!.....and would we ever have doubted that he was competitive enough to be checking out what it went for? Dying to hear who it is!

Anyhoo..... from beautiful (not) downtown Timmins, ON birthplace of Shania Twain. It's a lovely night and I'm very happy I got here before the moose came out to play on the highway.

Goldarngirl and I went to see Neil Sedaka at the casino north of where I live last night. What a fun show! The man has been in the business for 56 years! That's the first time I've seen him live. Cute little teddy bear of a guy, I bet Clay just loved him; he seems very nice.

The show was excellent, boppy and fun just like the music, with people chiming in on the choruses of lots of the songs (not to their detriment, it was great). There was, of course, a Clay mention. He does an audio/video lead-in piece before he comes onstage, which shows many of his songs done by other people....and of course, guess who for Solitaire. It was the very nice picture of him done up retro with the TV on his lap, from the TV Guide a few years back. Very sexy picture. Goldarngirl and I eeeee'd and poked each other Well, I poked her, anyway

I have quite good "nack" of the entire show but as I am not at home, it'll take me a while to render it and get a yousendit or something done. If anyone's interested, I'll get it happening as soon as I can.

Clay He is just glowing.

ETA: Thanks, Cotton, for linking that blog of James Beaman's. Interesting. Funnily enough, they look a bit alike standing side by side like that!

I haven't read anything of his blog other than this one, so I probably shouldn't judge.....oh, OK, I will! ....he seems to be a bit full of himself. But hey, he liked Clay, and I bet it was interesting for Clay to meet him. Works for me!

Me....just :013085001176249046: and every other piece of him. Have I mentioned how thrilled I am he's baaaaaaaaack??? Or was that obvious?

[bottlecap]

Goldarngirl and I went to see Neil Sedaka at the casino north of where I live last night. What a fun show! The man has been in the business for 56 years! That's the first time I've seen him live. Cute little teddy bear of a guy, I bet Clay just loved him; he seems very nice.

The show was excellent, boppy and fun just like the music, with people chiming in on the choruses of lots of the songs (not to their detriment, it was great). There was, of course, a Clay mention. He does an audio/video lead-in piece before he comes onstage, which shows many of his songs done by other people....and of course, guess who for Solitaire. It was the very nice picture of him done up retro with the TV on his lap, from the TV Guide a few years back. Very sexy picture. Goldarngirl and I eeeee'd and poked each other Well, I poked her, anyway

I have quite good "nack" of the entire show but as I am not at home, it'll take me a while to render it and get a yousendit or something done. If anyone's interested, I'll get it happening as soon as I can.

Hey, laughn and I saw Neil's show a couple of months ago and had the very same reaction as you guys. I was all clenched up and muttering about how Neil's opening montage of singers that covered his songs better include Clay, and I might possibly have squealed and poked a bit when it did.

[FromClaygary]

Hey, laughn and I saw Neil's show a couple of months ago and had the very same reaction as you guys. I was all clenched up and muttering about how Neil's opening montage of singers that covered his songs better include Clay, and I might possibly have squealed and poked a bit when it did.

Yup!! We weren't muttering, but I know we both were thinking it! LOVED it when it happened though!

He said Solitaire is the "most covered" of his songs, so I think it was quite a compliment to have Clay included.

[Cotton]

My take on James' blog:

I went back and read James' blog a second time. I think he's actually pretty complementary of Clay's performance. It's really hard to see someone else do "your" part. I felt a titch of jealousy, but, really, how could he not be a bit jealous? Isn't that what every actor wants?

And how often do you suppose he's ever been in an audience with a bonafied STAR in the cast? It must be a bit unnerving to see every little thing get such a reaction!

I think I'll cut him some slack. I hope one day he gets to see Clay do a completely different part and sees what else he can do.

I hope one day he gets his dream of performing on Broadway, himself. It seems pretty important to him. And he doesn't have CD's and concerts, et al, to satisfy his passion to perform. Overall, I didn't see the whole thing as a "review" anyway. I saw it as his take on HIS show from a very different perspective. I wish he'd seen it twice. Once to get used to being in the audience and experiencing the - yes extreme - reactions from Clay's fans. And once to sit back and enjoy.

Oh - and there's this . . .

You must CLICK!

~~~~~~~

Lori, I think DH and I saw basically the same show in Vegas (skating show!) and it was all I could do not to jump out of my front row seat when the Clay reference was made! hee

[spikesmom]

I thought James' blog was fine. I've read his blog on and off since it was first discovered and I didn't see anything in this one that was much different than how he's reported on other things. I actually enjoy his blog when I take a minute to read it. He makes a point to find out about the city he's in, visit some sites and shares pics and info with you. He always gives props to his dresser. He seems to be a thoughtful man.

And I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some Clay fans don't realize that there is anyone else on the stage.. ;-) In my two shows, I was a bit surprised at the screaming for every little thing Clay did or said... at one point, I really did think it was overkill. Hard to hear the next line... Yes, bring enthusiasm - absolutely - but scream for e.v.e.r.y l.i.t.t.l.e t.h.i.n.g - not so much. JMO

I did have a chance to see James' Sir Robin when he was here in Milwaukee and it was the same month that I saw Clay (Clay early April, James end of the month). James' take is different which is to be expected. I actually thought he did a fine job. His scream was very abrupt - forced - not as natural, but overall, I thought he did fine. If I hadn't seen Clay first, I probably wouldn't have thought anything about James' performance to be lacking. I do feel that Clay is a better Sir Robin - maybe it's his facial expressions - how he plays the character - he brings a joy to the part that shows. So I imagine, as Cotton said, it's probably hard to see someone else play your part and do it well - especially someone who is not Broadway born and bred. A thin-skinnned performer might not have been as nice in their review.

Hey, aikim, glad the wedding went so well - thanks for sharing pics - they are lovely. I went to my niece's wedding shower this afternoon, wedding is next month (Gala day). I just don't know where the time went and how she grew up so fast to be 26 and getting married... dang I feel old!

[ldyjocelyn]

While I've popped in here and there this weekend, this is my first chance to really POST here.

aikim, thank you for sharing the pictures from the wedding. I'm glad everything went very smoothly for you!

gbmifan, I'm also glad things went well for you and your family.

Hooray for all the reports from the weekend. It's nice to see him again...I mean, really, really nice. I think it may just be that he seems happier to some at the moment because "we're" happy to see him after a few months off. I know that's how it is in my case...I'm so happy to see him, I could just siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

Congratulations Clay for finally getting first place, with the auction! And for a good cause too.

You must CLICK!

~~~~~~~

Oh yum. Very yum. Lickable yum.

As for the blog itself, I think it has to be hard to see someone in a role that you identify with so much. IMO, he wrote a good blog that really highlighted the good about Clay, and the play itself.

OK, after this weekend...lots of celebrating...I think it's bedtime already. Hee.