# 65: "Clay Aiken's Not Just Any Joe"

[FearofH2O]

Went to do Tai Jai this morning in a nearby park. Beautiful weather. Headed to Target after that to prepare for hanging up some more family Photos in my office. But first I had to finish sewing a skirt for a cheap TV stand that is now in public view due to our open room plan. Unfortunately I gave away my sewing machine so I had to sew it by hand. Looks ok. We did go out to eat tonight. Back to the picture hanging.

[merrieeee]

@clayaiken: Hey @KenArpino you should write a sitcom about our #boysnight #stupidtwitterlessdrew http://t.co/7kOcpHyipz

[ldyjocelyn]

Cute boys!

[merrieeee]

Matthew aka Pharaoh responded

Quote:

@MatthewRagas: @clayaiken @KenArpino oh Jesus...

From CV. It appears that Clay was in a bar somewhere in NYC!

[merrieeee]

One of the female cast members tweeted in response

@TCND01: @clayaiken @KenArpino mama loves you all.

[Couch Tomato]

Loved catching up on all the play chatter. Sorry I missed it. First time ever that I'm really jealous. But what are you gonna do. Whole bunch of new Clay associates that I have no clue who they are. The whole Clay following fans on twitter is cracking me up. I broke down a few months ago and added twitter to my phone but honestly I just don't get it. I decided it's just not for me.

Anyway, not doing much this weekend. Lazed around today and did a bit of work on job #2 - that I quit effective end of October. Tomorrow A's game. And who knows on Monday. I'll probably do some safety cleaning around the house. My mom keeps falling down. I just need to make sure that there are no hazards around. I looked for a movie to go see but absolutely nothing captured my interest. One week until I start incorporating real food back into my diet. I've lost 40 lbs. I started yoga this week and I got a bike - a nice foldable one that somehow ended up in my lap. Never could have afforded to buy anything like it.

Hope you all have a nice day off and rest of the weekend.

[shortyjill]

I just got home from a best friend's bachelorette party and I am NOT yet in the land of the living, but I've got a nice cup of coffee to help me get there. It was super low-key, close family and friends at dinner, and then it was just the bachelorette, her sister, me and another friend of ours hanging out and playing games for the evening. We had a good time! Earlier in the day my mom and I met up with my godmother and her bestie who have come in from Tennessee out at an art fair. I didn't find anything to buy but the rest of them did! The rest of this weekend will be dedicated to uberlaziness!

[ldyjocelyn]

Sounds like everyone is having a good weekend so far.

*hands Shorty some Tylenol*

Loved catching up on all the play chatter. Sorry I missed it. First time ever that I'm really jealous. But what are you gonna do. Whole bunch of new Clay associates that I have no clue who they are. The whole Clay following fans on twitter is cracking me up. I broke down a few months ago and added twitter to my phone but honestly I just don't get it. I decided it's just not for me.

I think maybe we need to do a big list of all the people Clay has ever worked with and their connections to him. It's going to take a while to get all the names of this cast, although I'm finding I like following Ken Arpino on Twitter a great deal. The working life of an actor, in 140 characters.

It's taken me a while to get the hang of Twitter. I really don't tweet all that much, but I have lots of people that I follow now. Generally, the more humorous they are, the better. couchie, if you are interested in learning more about Twitter, here are couple of hints that I have. For your desktop/laptop, use Tweet Deck; you can set up columns for the people you want to follow. On my phone, I use Twitteriffic, which does a similar purpose. I only have Clay's tweets sent to my phone as a text message; if I did that with everyone I follow, I'd be crazy with all the pinging! IMO, just start small; I actually started because of one celebrity, Craig Ferguson. Once I got the hang of what he was saying on Twitter, I started following more people.

Just my $0.02 of course!

Glad to see Clay out and about last night. Hope that he doesn't have a hangover this morning! *g*

[cha cha trusty]

Hi All! I've been lurking a bit since Joseph started, so I thought I'd decloak and say hi!

Wasn't Joseph a hoot!! I loved it!! Sorry I missed any of you up there, I went when my broad friends decided to go and they gave me a ride most of the way up there!! I only had to drive to PA. I miss those road trip days!

I hope you all are well, I see some of you on FB, so we are not totally disconnected.

Love that Clay has decided that Twitter is not the devil any more. I got in on the big Twitter/follower push while we were up in Maine and got to tell KorywithaK that I had just started following him the day before. Clay was also following me, not sure if he still is, because he said he'd unfollow everyone after the 25th. Brat!

I don't tweet much either, but it's a really good way to keep tabs on what my kids are doing. We mostly communicate by twitter, fb, email, and texts! An occasional phone call. LOL I tweeted back to Clay after his pigeon/statue tweet, "Way to be cryptic, Clay!" Love the pictures he's tweeted lately. He seems to have become more comfortable with us!

We are getting ready for my daughter, sil, and grandson (18 mos) to come tomorrow and stay with us for about 10 days while their one and only bathroom gets remodeled. I think tonight will be the last peaceful night of sleep we'll get for awhile! I usually visit about once a week and babysit while they run errands, go out to dinner, etc. They live close to DC in Arlington, which is about 30 miles from here.... 45 minute drive on a good day! Rt. 66 can be a real bummer at times! In the process of putting together a crib...

Wouldn't it be nice if Clay did another Broadway show... or a Christmas tour!! Keep your fingers crossed!

[FearofH2O]

Hi cha cha,. We were in Ogunquit on the 21st and 22nd. Saw 3 shows. Went with playbiller, djs111 and baby piggy. None of us tried to get near the front of the stagedoor as there were many people I didn't recognize and thought they should get facetime with Clay. I was happy to get a glimpse of his gorgeous face.

[ldyjocelyn]

Hey cha cha! Good to see you again!

One final RED report, from the lovely PermaSwooned! She's had a nasty infection in her face recently, so I hope she feels better soon!

I think that everyone who was involved in this production of Joseph would like a do-over, and that includes the Playhouse, the sponsors, the Director, the cast and crew, the entire town of Ogunquit, and all of the fans who attended. And probably most of the fans that didn't. It's pretty hard to recreate magic, though, and this particular show was "the perfect storm" of casting, personalities, the unique location, everything.

I remember Clay mentioning several times that he would do American Idol every day for the rest of his life if he knew he wouldn't get voted off...he enjoyed it that much. I think this is going to be another one of those experiences that he would do forever, if it could all stay the same....sort of like Brigadoon!

THE VERY LAST RED REPORT ABOUT JOSEPH.....OR WHY I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT CLAY HAS EVER DONE......FOR CLAY!!!! IMHO

My last show was Thursday evening 8/22, and it was awesome!!!! There was a huge difference between the show Tuesday nite (which was great too) and that Thursday nite. Clay was pogoing with the brothers during the whole "red, yellow, purple, etc." sequence after getting the coat, and dancing much more. There was more eye rolling, and breaking the 4th wall a bit during the Pharoah sequence. He was just having a great time. I know by all reports that he got stronger with each of the last 3 performances, but Thursday night capped it for me, so I have to be happy with that.

For this show, I was sitting in seat G2, the right hand aisle seat. That was a GREAT seat, actually, and gave me a different perspective. This was the first time I saw Keala take the cell phone pic of Jacob and the brothers and then stuff the phone in her bra. If you watched the show a zillion times, I think you would notice new details every time. There's just that much going on on stage. SO fun.

So, before the show started, a middle-aged guy came up the aisle with a bunch of younger guys, and they filled up the rest of my row. I was chatting with Clayann who was sitting across the aisle from me, and so this gentleman asked me if I was visiting Ogunquit. I said that I was, and I asked him if he was as well. He said, no, he had lived there for 30 years. He asked me if I had come to see Clay, and I said that I had. He asked me where I was from, and I told him I had come with 4 other friends from Southern California. He said he just couldn't believe how many people had traveled such a distance to see Clay in this show. I noted that Clayann was from Dallas, and pointed out Lucia down the row from us, who had flown in from Brazil. He was just amazed.

He said that he had been a big supporter of the Playhouse for many years, and that they had never seen anything like this. They were all blown away. Plus, he said that everyone was so nice!! (Yes, yes we are!!!)

I was doing my very best to seem like a normal person, and not a crazed fan, so I told him how much I was loving Ogunquit and the area. I told him that the reaction from virtually all of the other fans who had traveled there was the same. We loved the Coastline, harbor, the beaches, the architecture, the FOOD, the friendliness of the people....everything!!! He told me several other places I needed to explore on future trips, because I told him I wanted to bring back my husband so that he could explore with me.

He told me that next time, I needed to come and stay at one of his Inns. He and his partner owned several in the area, and he showed me their ad in the program. Cool!!! I told him where I was staying and how much I loved the location, and he told me which one of theirs was the closest to where I was staying this trip.

THEN....he told me that one of his perks of his alliance with the Playhouse was that he got to pick up the stars of the show and transport them to Ogunquit!! So he told me that he had picked up Clay, Faye and Parker at the airport in Boston and driven them up to Maine!!!!!! He told me that Clay was such a nice guy and very friendly. He said his mother was very charming. He said that Clay had a lot of questions about the area and was very chatty. He went on AT LENGTH about how adorable Parker was. AT LENGTH!!! He said he was just one of the cutest little boys he'd ever seen, and that he and Clay were so great together. He said that he was incredibly polite and well behaved. The drive from Boston to Ogunquit is 1.5 to 2 hours depending on traffic, and he said that most little boys that age would have been cranky and whiny on a drive that long, but he was chatty and happy, and pretty easily entertained. He went on some more about how adorable he was and how Clay seemed like such a good Dad. eeeeeeeee

Y'all would have been proud of me....I did not tackle him and demand to know if he had gotten a picture with all of them. I was quite calm!! But I ate up his description anyway!

Then it was just about time for the show to start. He said he had seen the show in Boston with Donny Osmond and loved it, so was excited to see what this cast did with it.

He and his group laughed and clapped and were having a great time throughout the first half. When Clay finished "Close Every Door" I could here them exclaiming "WOW" "Incredible" "That was phenomenal", and clapping enthusiastically and yelling "Bravo". I was like a proud Mom!!!

My seatmate did a lot of shmoozing at intermission. He's well known in the community, evidently and a lot of people came up to talk to him. When we were back in our seats, he told me that he had really enjoyed the show years ago in Boston, but that this production totally blew it out of the water. He said that Clay was really great, but that the whole cast was really fantastic as well. He said it had so much infectious energy, it just seemed like everyone on stage was having the time of their lives! Yes, yes it did!!

He said that maybe Clay would become the next Sally Struthers for their Playhouse. This only makes sense if you know that Sally Struthers came to play there years ago and fell in love with it. She comes back to appear in a production every year, and does other fundraisers and publicity for the Playhouse. She is like the Queen of that theater. He said that the Producers there would give anything to have Clay come back and be a regular....but at least come back. He said they have never had this kind of attention and reaction for any other star, and that it had been (at that point) one of the most successful productions they had ever had!

So, here, for me was the kicker. He said that he would be driving Clay back to Boston when the run was over, and that he couldn't wait to hear what Clay had to say about his stay in Ogunquit. He wanted to know if Faye and Parker had enjoyed themselves. He wanted to know if Clay enjoyed himself. He said that Clay had arrived on the Saturday before the show debuted, and that Saturdays in Oguquit could be pretty crazy with people all over the streets and lots of traffic. (Yes! And during the week as well, but I'm sure weekends are worse). Clay looked out at the crowds and the traffic, and said...."I can see I'm going to be spending most of my time here in my room". My seat buddy said, "He really doesn't like crowds, does he?. He was really freaked out." No. Clay doesn't like crowds, not even small ones, and he hates not having any privacy.

BUT, he didn't stay in his room, did he? That Playhouse, and that cast, and the whole town and all the resaurant owners and staff, and everyone who went to see the show, treated him like a star, but with open arms and hearts as well. Clay let Parker play with all the kids in the show. He and his Mom and Parker went out to local restaurants. HE LET PARKER SIT IN THE AUDIENCE TO SEE THE PLAY!!! Knowing that there were fans there who would know who he was. When they left and Zach came to town, they tweeted and hung out with the "bros" and got into the whole Twitter contest mode, etc. He went to the same local restaurants multiple times (he went to Amore Breakfast every other day....the day before and day after I was there!). The cast had game nights and potlucks and trips to the Clam Shack. They went out afterwards to local restaurants. They had bonfires!! And Clay went to all those things. He let Zach tweet a picture of the two of them with Zach's arm around him (and a lobster). That special, magical place made him feel respected and liked. He was welcomed everywhere he went, and that the whole place was excited to have him there. He could go out with friends and family in public and no one bothered him or chased him. All of his reviews were good. No one wrote snide articles about him (not counting the wig and coat stories before the show started). No one asked him intrusive questions. He had a very nice print article with the local media and a GREAT, GREAT TV interview. As far as I know, no one posted a picture of Parker.

After all the crap that Clay has been through, it must have seemed like Heaven (or as many of the cast said, like the best summer camp ever)!! In this experience, he learned he did not have to be a recluse for the rest of his career. That it was possible to have a life partially lived out in public. That he could tweet without it reaching the tabloids. That being Clay Aiken COULD be fun.

So, I'm hopeful this acting gig will lead to bigger and better things. I think it will. But, in my heart of hearts, I do hope he is able to go back to Ogunquit. I would surely go back to see him there, because I've rarely seen him so happy.

And because I thought that the whole Ogunquit experience was pretty darn magical too.

THE END!!!!!!!!

[gbmifan]

Just catching up after being on my bike tour for 5 days. We did 295 miles in 5 days. We had one rain day and only rode in the afternoon and did only 36 miles. The rest of the days I did 60-72 miles.

I love that last picture of Clay and the boys. He looks so young! He has looked so happy lately.

I know I do not post much but am here everyday. Now back to laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning the motor home. Sometimes it is more tiring when you get back from a vacation.

[luckiest1]

I love that Permaswooned recap! I chatted with her briefly in Maine on the 21st. I like when I can put a face to a board name. God knows I have enough trouble with recognizing people......I have no idea why, but lately I cannot hit enter and get a new line on this board. It drives me crazy. Forgive the lack of white space in this post. I am not up to much this weekend. I was planning to hit the beach yesterday (about a 45 minute drive to the lake) but the weather was kind of iffy so I ended up at the local outdoor pool instead for the final open swim of the season. The water was much warmer than that icy ocean in Maine! Today I might head downtown to our annual Fall Fest in the park, but again the weather is kind of iffy. If not, I'll probably get into the kitchen a cook a few things that I can take for lunches this week. I still don't have my new car....the dealer was hopeful that it would arrive by this weekend, but it's still on a truck somewhere between Montreal and here. So I have that to look forward to this week. I need to lay low this month and try to reserve a few dollars for my Gala trip in October. I don't think we're going to be able to afford the flights, so we're probably going to drive again (3 of us splitting the gas this time).

[jmh123]

Luckiest, that happened to me for awhile and I found I had clicked something around the edit window somewhere. I can't find anything now, which may be because I unselected? This is soooo helpful, sorry. Guess the point is, it can be fixed, but I can't remember how I fixed mine, nor can I yet find how to unfix it so I could fix it again and tell you.

Finally got to read Perma's long recap. Wow. There's some food for thought there for those who don't understand why he left LA, didn't move to NY, doesn't pursue a career actively 24/7/365. When he's at home, he can lead a relatively normal life just as she describes most of the time. I don't think some of the fans who live far away really "get" that, or they assume he never leaves his man cave because he doesn't report every activity of his daily life. He has restaurants like Mecca where people know him, places he can shop, places to take Parker, and more, and he has friends and family around him, which he has always preferred to red carpets and schmoozing with celebrities. Yes, his presence is often tweeted, but that seems to be more of an amusement nowadays than "the devil," and it happened in Maine too. I think the Drowsy Chaperone was an equally enjoyable experience for him--didn't last as long, and didn't have so many men. This was a unique group of "brothers" for him, just as he had with Spamalot, and that seems to be very fun for him. Which isn't to say that I would mind him returning; I'd love to go next time if he did.

[Couch Tomato]

A vacation is riding the back 50 miles a day? ha ha. Only in my dreams.

3 day weekend went by so fast. Don't have another day off until Thanksgiving.

Nice to see you cha cha trusty!

[jmh123]

Indeed, I should have said so also--great to hear from all the folks checking in. I've been cleaning and organizing all weekend. Woo hoo!!

[ldyjocelyn]

From Twitter. Clay's still in NYC:

Ken Arpino ‏@KenArpino 4m

Dinner time with @clayaiken @kealasettle @korywithaK_18 :-) #thebabysback #famdinner

[ldyjocelyn]

merrieeeeee!

[ldyjocelyn]

From the CH and playbiller:

PHOTOGRAPHER PUBLISHES BOOK OF FAMOUS FACES..."UP CLOSE and REAL: 100 Celebrity Portraits by David Jacobs"

His book of celebrity portraits is as extensive and tenacious a collection of famous contemporary people as any in existence. And they are real. These are not beautiful photographs of people beautifully made up and dressed and coiffed and styled and watched over by their PR bulldogs. No! These are the real people. We know their faces as being familiar but we don't know them like this. In David's photographs, the celebrities become real people, just like the rest of us, and in so many ways, It makes them immediately more accessible and empathetic. We can like them for who they are more than for what they do.

.....

CELEBRITIES PHOTOGRAPHED .....Clay Aiken ......

You can see the photo at http://www.blurb.com/books/4546832-up-close-and-real-100-celebrity-portraits-by-david, you have to page through the book, it is not too far into the book.

[luckiest1]

[FearofH2O]

Happy Birthday merrieeee!

[shortyjill]

Happy birthday merrieeee!!

[merrieeee]

Thanks for the birthday wishes! I was bad and had Thai food and a huge piece of cheesecake but loved it all.

[jmh123]

merrieeee

Have some more cake with that (it's never too late for birthday cake, and there's never enough!). Happy birthday!!

[ldyjocelyn]

Can someone bring over Ken Arpino's tweet about him and Clay going to see a movie? I am on my phone and cannot!

EEEEEEEEEE!