#50: He puts a happy face on my heart

[claytonic]

Benjy Said, April 22nd, 2009 @8:55 pm Great speech from Clay. Now that he’s come out publicly, I’ve been reading a lot more about him & have been very impressed with all of his humanitarian accomplishments & have noticed his tendency to give everyone else the credit in his career & charity work. Usually celebs are all about ego & refreshingly, he seems to have none, or at least a healthy, humble one.

My brother used to work with Jaymes Foster-Levy & he said that if she chose Clay to father her child, then Clay must be an exceptional person, because Jaymes would accept nothing less.

Thanks for all the good work you do, FEC! As the fathers of 2 toddlers upstate who are hoping to adopt more in the future, my partner & I appreciate the recognition of our family as a normal family unit with all the rights, privileges & respect of anyone else’s household.

N.I.C.E. Clay's gonna win the world over one person at a time "and that's fine by me"... tm CHA

Thanks for bringing that over, Liney23 ...I love it! I think Parker is a very lucky little boy.

"One of the most popular idols in the show's history, Clay Aiken's freshman album sold 613,000 copies in its first week. Since then he has released three more albums and become a pop culture phenomenon. But his most important work came with his co-founding of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation which deals with children with autism."

Well, the autism thing is pretty close, but I do think the BAF is a little more inclusive than that. Hee.

Actually even I forget that BAF isn't just about autism, even though I do KNOW that it is about broader inclusion. I was telling someone (with an autistic son) about BAF and I am pretty sure I failed to mention it started out as a result of Clay's work with a young autistic boy but amongst other things, it is about providing camps for all children, including typical children.

Gosh how tall is Jerome, he looks like a giant beside Clay who is pretty tall himself. Is Clay the only former Idol who has had a constant body guard all these years?

Thanks to everyone who was happy for me regarding the lottery windfall. It was very exciting to talk to a lottery representative!

Well now ... do you think if I tell Clay I can make a quick trip to the USA, that he will drop everything he is doing and organize a tour?

[djs111]

Is Clay the only former Idol who has had a constant body guard all these years?

I am pretty sure he is the only former idol who has had a steady stream of death threats and stalkers.

And that's just what we see, who knows what else is happening behind the scenes!

I don't think Clay would be paying Jerome to be with him if it was unnecessary. Don't think Jerome is constant, either.

Couchie - I am glad you liked Ironman! It is a fun movie. Terrance Howard will be replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequel, though - Evidently Howard was signed first for the original, was paid a LOT more than everybody else - Downey, Paltrow, etc.!, and was difficult on the set to boot.

So for the sequel they offered Howard the same amount of money as other supporting actors, and he said nope. So they got Don Cheadle.

I like Cheadle a lot, I have even stopped mistaking him for Tim Meadows - and I found this myspace that put it very succinctly - (scroll down a bit)

Don Cheadle IS Tim Meadows - it's science!

Don Cheadle was excellently awesome in Hotal Rwanda and Crash. IMO, etc.

ABBA fans might want to check out Muriel's Wedding - great movie, and the whole soundtrack is ABBA songs.

[aikim]

Think I am going to pass on the Idol cards...don't watch AI and I am not going to pay for cards with the off chance I might get one with Clay...I'll save my money for when Clay tours.

Kim

[FearofH2O]

Well now ... do you think if I tell Clay I can make a quick trip to the USA, that he will drop everything he is doing and organize a tour?

Claytonic I have no doubts. We know that Clay must do whatever his fans want. Just name the dates.

djs, I loved "Muriel's Wedding" it was so much better than" MaMa Mia" to me at least. I may have to rent it again, it's been a long time.

Anyone going to the Gala next fall and heading towards the mountains from Raleigh, I'm a convenient stopover and will give anyone a tour of my small town and a place to sleep and/or eat.

[djs111]

Anyone going to the Gala next fall and heading towards the mountains from Raleigh, I'm a convenient stopover and will give anyone a tour of my small town and a place to sleep and/or eat.

I can recommend this stopover highly - ten stars!!!!!!!!!!!! at least!!!!!!!!!!

[merrieeee]

Nice pics

FEC Event

[luckiest1]

Oooh, do we have this one in biggie size yet?

[jmh123]

Interesting article from the Chicago Tribune about how the Grateful Dead were way ahead of their time when it came to music marketing (and still way ahead of the majors).

Why the Grateful Dead Live On

Long before the Internet was a factor in the way music was made, distributed and marketed, the Dead presaged its impact, and became a model for how bands could thrive in a digital age.

In 1994, technology expert Esther Dyson suggested that the ease with which digital content could be copied and distributed would require a new economic model for copyright-holders. They would have to “distribute intellectual property free in order to sell services and relationships.”

No band was better at selling “services and relationships” to its fans than the Grateful Dead, and no band understood better that free distribution of its music could be a pathway to building a bigger, more loyal audience that would reward the band’s trust.

Here’s how the Dead anticipated the future we now live in during its 1965-1995 lifespan:

Free music....

Make the product unique....

Who needs record companies? ....

Sell direct to fans....

The band as brand....

Remix, remake, reinvent....

Not mentioned here--they also had some of the first online communities, back in the early days of the internet.

From this perspective Clay's low sales aren't because of all the free clack, but because of the lack of follow-through in developing ways of deriving income from it: in the Dead's case, the extensive touring, the wide range of merchandise (with clever themes identifiable with the artists like the dancing bears), and the sale of live recordings (difficult for Clay to do without owning the rights to songs he tours with). It'll be interesting to see which way he goes with his musical future. I'm not suggesting that he imitate the Grateful Dead, because these are different times and what was innovative then would be imitative now, but I'd like to see him be on the new cutting edge. Or else be an actor, comedian, and a TV star. And a musician.

[Couch Tomato]

TGIF!

I love seeing the playing cards. Thanks for reporting on them and showing what's on them. Let me know when they put out of pack of all Clay

Claytonic. Congratulations on your lottery win! Wow, you are one lucky duck!

DJS I LOVE Don Cheadle.. but also Terrance Howard. Where are you getting that news about him.. a reliable source? The difficult to work with source cuz there's nothing wrong with turning down an offer. You know it's hard out there for a pimp.

Guess I shold get up and get ready for work.

Love Jerome. He must be 6' 7" or so.

[liney23]

Is Clay the only former Idol who has had a constant body guard all these years?

I am pretty sure he is the only former idol who has had a steady stream of death threats and stalkers.

And that's just what we see, who knows what else is happening behind the scenes!

I don't think Clay would be paying Jerome to be with him if it was unnecessary. Don't think Jerome is constant, either.

Couchie - I am glad you liked Ironman! It is a fun movie. Terrance Howard will be replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequel, though - Evidently Howard was signed first for the original, was paid a LOT more than everybody else - Downey, Paltrow, etc.!, and was difficult on the set to boot.

So for the sequel they offered Howard the same amount of money as other supporting actors, and he said nope. So they got Don Cheadle.

I like Cheadle a lot, I have even stopped mistaking him for Tim Meadows - and I found this myspace that put it very succinctly - (scroll down a bit)

Don Cheadle IS Tim Meadows - it's science!

Don Cheadle was excellently awesome in Hotal Rwanda and Crash. IMO, etc.

ABBA fans might want to check out Muriel's Wedding - great movie, and the whole soundtrack is ABBA songs.

djs... I LOVE Don Cheadle. I've not seen any work of his where I haven't loved what he did.

Are those AI cards by season, cause if so, I'm probably going to get a few to find those Clay cards. If it's all of AI mixed... probably not! Too big of a chance to get nothing.

[bottlecap]

Clay has started a questions thread in "The Man" section of the OFC message board, and is currently answering questions. He's set up specific guidelines (not too personal or rude; questions only in the thread - no discussions) and is currently answering random stuff. Nothing too deep, but some fun tidbits.

[claytonic]

Clay has started a questions thread in "The Man" section of the OFC message board, and is currently answering questions. He's set up specific guidelines (not too personal or rude; questions only in the thread - no discussions) and is currently answering random stuff. Nothing too deep, but some fun tidbits.

I wonder if he will respond to my telepathic message to him about being able to make a quick trip to North America and therefore he should just drop everything he is doing and organize a tour of only the US and Canadian cities I want to visit.

ETA:

Rachel Ray's hot cooking tip - How to remove the silk from the corn:

WARNING: NOT SUITABLE for children or impulsive smutters

[bottlecap]

2 and 1/2 hours and Clay's still posting on the thread....

[ldyjocelyn]

If you don't want to scroll through the (now) 53 pages of questions just to get to the ones he's answered, butterflyshine has set up an archived thread here (you must be a member of the OFC and logged in to see):

Ask Clay a Question -- Answers thread

Whoops, just noticed that's page two of the thread...you'll have to backtrack for page one...

And I'm in love...he most wants to slap upside the head Ann Coulter. Good for him! Can't stand that witch.

[ldyjocelyn]

Heee. He answered my question.

*sigh*

[FearofH2O]

Teacher Clay is cracking me up with his frustration at those who don't follow the rules.

[ldyjocelyn]

While I loved his Ann Coulter answer, the answer to his smoking a cigarette is priceless. So is his story about Ruben tying his ties during the AI tour.

:::heart:::

[Couch Tomato]

thanks for posting the link to the summary... can not wade thorugh 53 pages. It's been one hell of a long day.

[ldyjocelyn]

The thread is almost up to a hundred pages at this point.

butterflyshine hasn't updated the summary thread in a few hours, I think she's too busy being a mod in the original thread (editing out people who AREN'T asking questions...)

[bottlecap]

Hey, Clay, have you ever logged onto to a Clay Aiken message board when some particularly hot stuff was going on and looked up to see that five hours have somehow gone by and you didn't even realize it?

Seriously - Love him and the fact that he's taking the time to do this. What a great way to connect with a big group of fans in a casual and fun way.

[Couch Tomato]

Hey, Clay, have you ever logged onto to a Clay Aiken message board when some particularly hot stuff was going on and looked up to see that five hours have somehow gone by and you didn't even realize it?

hee whatever do you mean bottle..that's never happened to me. LOL.

[merrieeee]

While I loved his Ann Coulter answer, the answer to his smoking a cigarette is priceless. So is his story about Ruben tying his ties during the AI tour.

:::heart:::

I loved the smoking answer!

[aikim]

Clay would have to pick the night I go bowling to start a question thread...I did get a couple of questions in, but he didn't answer them...but I enjoyed reading the ones he did answer and I loved his response to the smoking question!

ldyj for getting a question answered!

Kim

[Clayzy]

Me no have OFC membership. Glad he's keeping in touch with his fans, though!

[cindilu2]

clayzcoffin, I highly recommend it. Best money I've spent all year!

He is SO cute. The answer about the photo of him at the beach as a kid was priceless, and the tie-tying story was schmoopie, and the kiss-a-smoker answer... GAH! I *heart* him.

I will admit to being surprised at the 'Love Me Tender' revelation. I had no idea.