Clay Aiken - Simple Respect

Miracle On The Hudson

2009-01-18T06:59:00.000-08:00

The images of the survivors of US Air flight 1549 and Pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III have been combined in a fantastic montage of pictures and song (The Grace Of God by Clay Aiken) honoring the passengers bravery and the heroes that rescued them. Starfishy2000 is the creator of the montage.

Clay Aiken & PGA Professional Golfer Wayne Player Host 2nd Annual Bubel/Aiken Foundation's Golfing For Inclusion Event In Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

2009-01-08T06:02:00.000-08:00

On January 26, 2009 the 2nd annual Bubel/Aiken Foundation's Golfing For Inclusion will take place in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and will be hosted by Clay Aiken and PGA Professional Wayne Player. Many kids will experience the excitement and joy of summer camp with the funds raised at the golfing event in Florida.

Clay can no longer teach in a small classroom due to the celebrity status of being a mulit-platinum recording star, selling millions of CD's brings to his life. However he used his teaching abilities to encourage and support students who used their talents to write a wonderful book called Our Friend Mikayla. He continues to teach others and corporate America the wonderful blessings of inclusion through the Bubel/Aiken Foundation.

Through the years Clay Aiken has been a celebrity who has given his time and talents to those who are in need of a helping hand. Being a UNICEF Ambassador for education has given Clay the opportunity to travel to Indonesia, Uganda, Afghanistan, Mexico, and Somalia to observe UNICEF in action. He then came back and used his voice to raise money to support UNICEF and all the programs they operate. In 2009, Clay has a trip to an undisclosed location already planned with UNICEF.

Clay started a legacy in 2003 with his humanitarian and teaching abilities. His legacy continues in 2009. I can't wait to see what else Clay has in store for us in 2009.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Wayne Player Bubel/Aiken Foundation Golfing For Inclusion UNICEF

Clay Aiken Takes Manhattan By Storm In 2008 - But The Best Is Yet To Come In 2009

2008-12-31T19:06:00.000-08:00

In 2008, Clay Aiken took Manhattan by storm, starring in Monty Python's Spamalot as Sir Robin and making appearances all around town. Here's just a few pictures to flashback on a great year.

Spamalot was a smash success for Aiken and as Sir Robin, he wow'd audiences every night and helped the Broadway show raise a lot of money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

Clay attended a number of other Broadway shows including Spring Awakening where he went backstage and visited with the cast.

Clay performed on Rosie O'Donnell's prime time variety show as well.

Matt Lauer's Comedy roast was also attended by Aiken. It was quite an honor to be invited to attend this event.

The annual Bubel Aiken Foundation raised over $500,000.00 in one night. Clay performed for the crowd after a fantastic dinner and auction. It was a night to remember. (I used a few fan pics, but cropped their names to save space - Thanks to toni7babe and Irishbookgal.)

Finally just last week, Clay received a great honor by Sardi's Restaurant where dozens of top Broadway actors and actresses have their image immortalized in "caricature" and placed on the wall for the patrons to see.

2008 was an incredible year for Clay, including all the pictures above and a new son. Parker was born on August 8, 2008 at 8:08 a.m. However a wise woman spoke to the Clay Nation and said "The best is yet to come" concerning Clay.

2009 already has a few things lined up including the final shows of Spamalot, Golfing For Inclusion in Florida, a UNICEF trip (location yet to be disclosed) and hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) a tour celebrating On My Way Here.

Goodbye 2008. It was fun.

Hello 2009. Give me your best shot Clay! I'll be right here waiting.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Spamalot Broadway Cares Rosie O'Donnell Matt Lauer Spring Awakening Bubel Aiken Foundation Sardis

"Use Your Voice" tm Clay Aiken

2008-11-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Graphic design by Amazing_CA

Many times Clay Aiken has said, "Use Your Voice." Tomorrow is your chance to use your voice and vote in the general election for Presidency of the United States as well as elections for state senators, governors, representatives, judges, and county officials. Whether you vote for Barack Obama or John McCain, Elizabeteh Dole or Kay Hagan, or Joe Smith or John Doe, get out and use your right and privilege and vote your conscious.

I saw a bumper sticker a few days ago that spoke volumes to me. Instead of it saying, "The home of the free and the brave", it said, "The home of the free BECAUSE of the brave." No truer words have been spoken. Men and women from all parts of the United States have gone to war and fought for our freedom and our right to vote.

Rain or shine, on November 4th, "Use Your Voice" and get out and vote!

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Use Your Voice Vote Blog

Clay Aiken And The Champions Of Change Gala

2008-10-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken and the Bubel/Aiken Foundation are very excited about their upcoming Champions of Change Gala. From the auction and raffle items to their honorees to their entertainment, they are hoping to put on a world-class event that promotes inclusion and furthers our mission to create communities where ALL children can learn, live, and play together.

The gala benefit celebration will feature a special performance by Clay Aiken, as well as dinner, and silent and live auctions, in support of the Foundation’s programs providing children with disabilities the opportunity to play, learn and grow side-by-side with their typical peers.

The online auction will include both an online and live auction. A preview of those items for bid can be found at the the Bubel/Aiken Foundation Gala Auction Preview page.

The Bubel/Aiken Foundation invites you to join us in honoring our outstanding Champions of Change, and in celebrating The Bubel/Aiken Foundation’s five years of success in providing comprehensive educational and social opportunities in an inclusive environment for all children.

This year’s honorees are:

CVS Caremark, Corporate Champion of Change

Dan Habib and Betsy McNamara, Champions of Change

Rich Donovan, Champion of Change

CVS Caremark Charitable Trust is being honored as a Corporate Champion of Change for their outstanding efforts to improve the lives of children with disabilities. The five-year, $25 million CVS Caremark All Kids Can program supports nonprofit organizations helping children with disabilities in school, in recreation and in developing skills for successful lives, all within an inclusive environment.

Champions of Change Dan Habib and Betsy McNamara turned their personal goal of educational and social inclusion for their son Samuel into a universal goal of ensuring that all children have the tools to reach their full potential. The result is the film Including Samuel, which tells their son’s story of inclusion, along with the trials and triumphs of four other subjects. Dan is an award-winning photojournalist, director and producer of documentary films. Betsy is a fundraising consultant and an inclusion advocate who is the mother of Samuel, who has cerebral palsy, and Isaiah, who is typically developing.

Rich Donovan is being recognized as a Champion of Change for applying his world-class business acumen to creating means of empowerment for people with disabilities. He was a key to Merrill Lynch’s diversity strategy. As CEO of Integrated Process Solutions, Rich provides large corporations and governments with ready-for-action profit opportunities as a “return on disability”. Rich, who happens to have cerebral palsy, is Board Chairman of Lime Connect, showing real-life solutions - and real financial advantages - to hiring, working with, and providing products and services for people with disabiities. In serving children, he is an advocate of education as essential to the future economic and social success of individuals with disabilities.

Below is a clip of Including Samuel. It's a pleasure to watch.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Champions Of Change Blog

Clay Aiken Fans Stand By Their Man

2008-10-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken has many fans who love and support him. Unfortunately, in order to get a "good story," a large faction of the media will always try and make things appear much worse than they really are, even if that means manipulating quotes and reporting only the negative responses to do so.

The media is in a terrible state of existence today. I've lost just about all faith in them and their ability to report the facts and the facts alone. The reporters insist on slanting their stories to fit their agenda or they take the quotes of the person they are writing about and edit it until it says just what they want it to say. It's tiresome to read, to say the least. This kind of sloppy reporting not only affects celebrities such as Clay Aiken, but it affects persons as high up as national political candidates down to the local blue collar union worker and his corporate boss. The facts no longer matter. What matters is who is reporting the story and how they want that story to appear to the public.

If the media, People Magazine and other bloggers & news outlets, would bother to check their facts first, they would discover that while there are some fans that are upset and hurt with Clay, the overwhelming majority have stood by Clay and supported him. In the very same message boards where these reporters get their "facts" that fans are feeling betrayed, there is a plethora of fans who are not going anywhere. Their words of support to Clay and each other far outweigh the negative ones the media is choosing to focus on.

People Magazine, in their story titled Clay Aiken Says 'Nothing Has Changed' used a quote from the middle of a long paragraph in Clay Aiken's blog, completely taking it out of context to make it fit what they wanted their article to say. In their article, they quoted Clay as saying, "I would have been happy to have kept my personal life private for that very reason. Because it's personal life and I have always considered myself a private person. But, living as myself without discussing my sexuality publicly would have been as impossible." What People Magazine failed to include was the first part of the quote that called the media on the carpet about all the things in the world that they should be reporting on (Wall Street falling to it's knees, congress propping it back up, two political debates, hijackers in Somalia, new leaders in South Africa and Japan.) while choosing instead to make a big deal over his current status in life. They also failed to report the middle of the context where Clay's quote was taken from, and where Clay said, "Gone are the days when entertainers could go about their lives without the invasion of privacy that we now see everyday in the form of paparazzi and internet tabloid bloggers." Finally People Magazine failed to report the final context of just this one quote of Clay's that they used. His paragraph ended with him talking about how "one chance to expose the truth would have been a payday for any greedy opportunist."

Intelligent readers will not take my word for the truth either, as they shouldn't. They would read the quote in the context from which it was taken and judge for themselves. Again, that's the intelligent thing to do. For those readers, here is his quote in context from Clay Aiken's blog, which he said would be okay to be posted on other boards and blogs.

What a week or so this has been. In fact, it's just been two weeks since I started back to the Spam. Jerome and I were just talking the other day, though, about how the past two weeks have felt like a month. So much routine to get back into and yet so much routine and consistency to break. No doubt, many of you have been going through quite a bit over the past week or so yourselves. What a bunch of headline news we have had in the past 10 days! Wall Street falling to it's knees. Congress propping it back up. Two debates. Hijackers in Somalia. New leaders in South Africa and Japan. You'd think with all of the important events going on in the world, there would be plenty to fill up the pages of America's newspapers, websites and blogs without the need for information on the private lives of the country's singers and entertainers. But, alas, thats never the case. In fact for the last five years, I've found what seems to have been an inordinate amount of interest (not from the public, but from the media) in my own personal life. The questions never seemed to stop. Oh sure, they die down for a period, but they resurface. The wind blows another direction, and I do yet another interview worried that my personal life will become a topic of discussion. No doubt the birth of Parker would bring the same scrutiny, just heightened. It's an interesting time we live in. Gone are the days when entertainers could go about their lives without the invasion of privacy that we now see everyday in the form of paparazzi and internet tabloid bloggers. So, in the hopes of being able to sing and act (and dance poorly) and do what I love to do for a living while raising my son in a hopefully more private and accepting environment, I chose to go ahead and confront things head on. Yes, I would have preferred to separate my personal life from my professional life. I would have been just as happy to go on without discussing my orientation. But, it seems like that was not an option. Make no mistake, its not because I am ashamed. No, not for a minute. I haven't always been as comfortable as I am now, but I am without a doubt, proud of who I am and make no apologies for it. Instead, I would have been happy to have kept my personal life private for that very reason. Because it's personal life and I have always considered myself a private person. But, living as myself without discussing my sexuality publicly would have been as impossible. One chance to expose the truth would have been a payday for any greedy opportunist.

Looks to me like People Magazine and other media outlets have a habit of reporting what my grandma used to call "half truths" or parts of the truth. Did Clay say what People Magazine reported him to say? Yes, but taken out of context it means something different than what he actually meant in the context of the other text. Shame on the media for being so deceptive in their practices. Again, this doesn't come just from People Magazine. It comes from almost every news outlet in the world, all the way to your local county or city news outlets.

For those intelligent readers who like to read things and decide for themselves, here's the rest of Clay's blog for you to read and digest.

I went to American Idol, much like many of us did "back in the day". Naive. Unlike the contestants who join up today, we had no idea of the power and pull of Idol when we signed on. (I'm sure many of us season two folks like to think we are the reason the show got so big!!! ;-) ) There I was two months off of the biggest show in the country, sitting at a table with a reporter from Rolling Stone who was asking me every single question I would never think of. Twenty-four years old in the rest of America is a LOT younger and more naive than twenty four years old in the media business. So when this guy started asking me about things that I didn't really know how to answer for myself... things that I was not yet ready to admit to folks like my mother and my family.... things that I found intimidating and invasive, I responded in what I assumed was a benign way at the time. I attempted to "out spin" a professional. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. But, I have no regrets. The truth is, I don't apologize for the responses I gave to that reporter or any reporter over the past five years. I did make every attempt I could after that one interview to never say "I am not gay" or "I am straight". And I never said either. (some interpreted my vague answers to mean that... but I never said either) Some will say thats misleading. In truth, it might be defined that way. But, a better definition and a more accurate way to describe it for me, is a redirection and an attempt to change the topic to something that matters more. For some of you it won't be enough, but I can't apologize for keeping my personal business to myself. If someone feels that they were mislead, I can totally understand that viewpoint and apologize for that feeling, but I can't apologize for how I handled questions that affected me and my right to privacy.

In my opinion, sexual orientation is ALWAYS a private thing. I think the OVERWHELMING majority of people agree with that. Why in the world should someone's sexual orientation be a news item? Why should anyone care? Yet, for all we espouse as a society about tolerance and open mindedness we forget to allow folks the opportunity to be who they are without judgement. Making a decision to come out to family is a difficult and heavy decision. But, for every young man or woman who is struggling with it, it should be a decision that is made on his or her own schedule ONLY. It's never acceptable for anyone to make such a decision for anyone else nor to coerce someone to take such a significant step before they are ready. Not a friend, not a stranger, not the media. So, I waited until the time was right for me. For that I can't apologize either.

There are plenty of you who have anticipated this blog in hopes that I would "set the record straight" or "admit to lying for five years and apologize for it". For that small group of people, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. My decisions over the past five years have been made with lots of deliberation and at times even heartache. Always with concern for folks who might feel mislead. Don't doubt that. But they have also been made as an attempt, not to hide my true self, but instead to allow myself the same liberties and rights that every single gay man and woman in the world should have... the right to determine for myself when I was ready to discuss my personal life. In as much as that, at times, was interpreted as misrepresentation, I feel badly. But I reserved that right for myself and I can't say I regret it.

I have endeavored over the past several days to allow folks to vent and express themselves as freely as possible without restriction on these message boards. There is no way to change a person's mind when you tell them they are wrong. We all, when backed into a corner, have a human instinct to swing. Having different feelings and opinions and viewpoints are only natural. The only way to deal with that is to accept everyone's right to disagree, and allow them to discuss their feelings. I always have, and I always will. That said, it hasn't been, nor do I imagine it will be, my intent to make the message boards or the OFC a clearinghouse or discussion zone for sexuality or such topics. I hope we can always continue to discuss the same things we have always found important. The need for inclusion for children with disabilities. The desire to make sure every child in the world has access to their basic needs for survival. And any other topics that will make our neighborhoods, our regions, our country and our world a better more acceptable place (where that relates to issues involving sexuality, I hope we are able to advocate, at those times for the acceptance of others)... and I hope we will all still use the message boards for the lively discussion of the need for better entertainment and music in the world!!!! ;-) That said, as of this posting, I have asked the moderators to archive the thread regarding the People magazine article and close it from discussion. For those of you who are still struggling, I encourage you to continue to talk to your friends and neighbors and fellow OFC members in the thread devoted to such support. It is not going to be as easy as accepting something over night, but I believe that we are on the right track. The moderators will resume their regular duties of moderating the boards in the fashion that they did prior to last week, and I (and hopefully all of us) will resume our routines in the same fashion as well. Talking about music, talking about potential tours and other performances and appearances, talking about me forgetting my lines of tripping on stage in Spamalot, and discussing with our friends how many times we have seen the show and will see it! (And... looking forward to the announcement of out Playbill contest winner!!!)

Finally, I will say that, also representative of most every other gay man and woman in the world, that I am not defined by my sexuality. No more so than each of you are defined by your sexual orientation. No more than a man or woman is defined by race or ethnicity. It is, simply, a small facet of the same person I have always been. Most of you realize that nothing has changed. I hope to continue being able to entertain you in the same way I have for the past five years. And I hope you will allow me to continue to inform you of the causes that I find important and entertain you with the music and performances I love. For I love and cherish you all. Yesterday, now and forever.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken blog media

Clay Aiken A Class Act For All

2008-10-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken is such a class act. I wish there was a way for the media, who has relentlessly hounded him about his sexual orientation, to have a conscious and feel ashamed for being the "greedy opportunists" that they are.

Clay said, "It's never acceptable for anyone to make such a decision for anyone else nor to coerce someone to take such a significant step before they are ready. Not a friend, not a stranger, not the media."

The media is such an abomination to respect and privacy of not just Clay, but countless other celebrities. I don't have a lot of respect for the media and their profession.

On the other hand, I have the utmost respect for Clay. Clay's given permission for his blog to be published on other sites and blogs. Here it is in it's entirety.

Killing the elephants in the room.
10/03/08

What a week or so this has been. In fact, it's just been two weeks since I started back to the Spam. Jerome and I were just talking the other day, though, about how the past two weeks have felt like a month. So much routine to get back into and yet so much routine and consistency to break. No doubt, many of you have been going through quite a bit over the past week or so yourselves. What a bunch of headline news we have had in the past 10 days! Wall Street falling to it's knees. Congress propping it back up. Two debates. Hijackers in Somalia. New leaders in South Africa and Japan. You'd think with all of the important events going on in the world, there would be plenty to fill up the pages of America's newspapers, websites and blogs without the need for information on the private lives of the country's singers and entertainers. But, alas, thats never the case. In fact for the last five years, I've found what seems to have been an inordinate amount of interest (not from the public, but from the media) in my own personal life. The questions never seemed to stop. Oh sure, they die down for a period, but they resurface. The wind blows another direction, and I do yet another interview worried that my personal life will become a topic of discussion. No doubt the birth of Parker would bring the same scrutiny, just heightened. It's an interesting time we live in. Gone are the days when entertainers could go about their lives without the invasion of privacy that we now see everyday in the form of paparazzi and internet tabloid bloggers. So, in the hopes of being able to sing and act (and dance poorly) and do what I love to do for a living while raising my son in a hopefully more private and accepting environment, I chose to go ahead and confront things head on. Yes, I would have preferred to separate my personal life from my professional life. I would have been just as happy to go on without discussing my orientation. But, it seems like that was not an option. Make no mistake, its not because I am ashamed. No, not for a minute. I haven't always been as comfortable as I am now, but I am without a doubt, proud of who I am and make no apologies for it. Instead, I would have been happy to have kept my personal life private for that very reason. Because it's personal life and I have always considered myself a private person. But, living as myself without discussing my sexuality publicly would have been as impossible. One chance to expose the truth would have been a payday for any greedy opportunist.

I went to American Idol, much like many of us did "back in the day". Naive. Unlike the contestants who join up today, we had no idea of the power and pull of Idol when we signed on. (I'm sure many of us season two folks like to think we are the reason the show got so big!!! ;-) ) There I was two months off of the biggest show in the country, sitting at a table with a reporter from Rolling Stone who was asking me every single question I would never think of. Twenty-four years old in the rest of America is a LOT younger and more naive than twenty four years old in the media business. So when this guy started asking me about things that I didn't really know how to answer for myself... things that I was not yet ready to admit to folks like my mother and my family.... things that I found intimidating and invasive, I responded in what I assumed was a benign way at the time. I attempted to "out spin" a professional. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. But, I have no regrets. The truth is, I don't apologize for the responses I gave to that reporter or any reporter over the past five years. I did make every attempt I could after that one interview to never say "I am not gay" or "I am straight". And I never said either. (some interpreted my vague answers to mean that... but I never said either) Some will say thats misleading. In truth, it might be defined that way. But, a better definition and a more accurate way to describe it for me, is a redirection and an attempt to change the topic to something that matters more. For some of you it won't be enough, but I can't apologize for keeping my personal business to myself. If someone feels that they were mislead, I can totally understand that viewpoint and apologize for that feeling, but I can't apologize for how I handled questions that affected me and my right to privacy.

In my opinion, sexual orientation is ALWAYS a private thing. I think the OVERWHELMING majority of people agree with that. Why in the world should someone's sexual orientation be a news item? Why should anyone care? Yet, for all we espouse as a society about tolerance and open mindedness we forget to allow folks the opportunity to be who they are without judgement. Making a decision to come out to family is a difficult and heavy decision. But, for every young man or woman who is struggling with it, it should be a decision that is made on his or her own schedule ONLY. It's never acceptable for anyone to make such a decision for anyone else nor to coerce someone to take such a significant step before they are ready. Not a friend, not a stranger, not the media. So, I waited until the time was right for me. For that I can't apologize either.

There are plenty of you who have anticipated this blog in hopes that I would "set the record straight" or "admit to lying for five years and apologize for it". For that small group of people, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. My decisions over the past five years have been made with lots of deliberation and at times even heartache. Always with concern for folks who might feel mislead. Don't doubt that. But they have also been made as an attempt, not to hide my true self, but instead to allow myself the same liberties and rights that every single gay man and woman in the world should have... the right to determine for myself when I was ready to discuss my personal life. In as much as that, at times, was interpreted as misrepresentation, I feel badly. But I reserved that right for myself and I can't say I regret it.

I have endeavored over the past several days to allow folks to vent and express themselves as freely as possible without restriction on these message boards. There is no way to change a person's mind when you tell them they are wrong. We all, when backed into a corner, have a human instinct to swing. Having different feelings and opinions and viewpoints are only natural. The only way to deal with that is to accept everyone's right to disagree, and allow them to discuss their feelings. I always have, and I always will. That said, it hasn't been, nor do I imagine it will be, my intent to make the message boards or the OFC a clearinghouse or discussion zone for sexuality or such topics. I hope we can always continue to discuss the same things we have always found important. The need for inclusion for children with disabilities. The desire to make sure every child in the world has access to their basic needs for survival. And any other topics that will make our neighborhoods, our regions, our country and our world a better more acceptable place (where that relates to issues involving sexuality, I hope we are able to advocate, at those times for the acceptance of others)... and I hope we will all still use the message boards for the lively discussion of the need for better entertainment and music in the world!!!! ;-) That said, as of this posting, I have asked the moderators to archive the thread regarding the People magazine article and close it from discussion. For those of you who are still struggling, I encourage you to continue to talk to your friends and neighbors and fellow OFC members in the thread devoted to such support. It is not going to be as easy as accepting something over night, but I believe that we are on the right track. The moderators will resume their regular duties of moderating the boards in the fashion that they did prior to last week, and I (and hopefully all of us) will resume our routines in the same fashion as well. Talking about music, talking about potential tours and other performances and appearances, talking about me forgetting my lines of tripping on stage in Spamalot, and discussing with our friends how many times we have seen the show and will see it! (And... looking forward to the announcement of out Playbill contest winner!!!)

Finally, I will say that, also representative of most every other gay man and woman in the world, that I am not defined by my sexuality. No more so than each of you are defined by your sexual orientation. No more than a man or woman is defined by race or ethnicity. It is, simply, a small facet of the same person I have always been. Most of you realize that nothing has changed. I hope to continue being able to entertain you in the same way I have for the past five years. And I hope you will allow me to continue to inform you of the causes that I find important and entertain you with the music and performances I love. For I love and cherish you all. Yesterday, now and forever.

c

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken respect blog

Clay Aiken Makes A Positive Impact On Broadway

2008-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Times Square was abuzz Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction and Clay Aiken's return to Broadway, both of which came together to impact Broadway in fantastic ways. $10,000 was bid for Clay Aiken's back stage tour of Spamalot, including a Meet & Greet, as well as an autoraph and picture with Aiken at the Broadway Cares Auction. The 22nd Annual Grand Auction was held this Sunday, September 21 from 10 am – 7 pm in Shubert Alley. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fund raising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American theater community to an urgent worldwide health crisis.

The invasion began on Friday as American Idol star Clay Aiken returned to Spamalot to reprise his role as Sir Robin. Aiken first played the role last Spring, and then left for the summer. His return to the show was greeted with an outpouring of enthusiasm and accolades from fans. The most passionate Aiken fans are known as Claymates and they rival the theatre gangs of long ago.

The celebrated British actor Edmund Kean had "the Wolf Club." Kean's wolves were fans who would drink with him, and hound out theatrical rival actors with the violent tactics more commonly associated with criminal street gangs. The loyal fans of American actor Edwin Forrest and British actor William Macready fought to the literal death spurred on by their loyalty to their respective actor. The Astor Place riots were a real theatrical tragedy caused by passionate fans. Well, Clay Aiken can rest soundly at night knowing that he has his own passionate gang of theatre and Broadway fans known as Claymates, and they are ready to do battle for Clay if need be. From the moment the news of his reprise on Broadway broke, the Claymates have been out in full force supporting their Idol. Katie Holmes doesn't have fans like these. Few people do.

No worries about violence, the Claymates seem more about celebration than intimidation. Those fretting a Shubert Alley Riot with Claymates battling Ace Young Fans or Daniel Radcliffe enthusiasts will be disappointed. Looking over the sea of exuberant comments posted on Broadway.tv, Clay Aiken's return should give all Broadway fans a reason to smile.

"Opening night was amazing, the entire show was magical!," writes Dolly. "Clay brings an excitement to the stage that infects the entire audience and cast. Clay's performance last night was full of joy and everyone seemed to enjoy the night," posts music fan. Bedford posits, "For those of us fortunate enough to have seen this young man in concert, we knew he could do anything he wanted to. We were, once again, amazed at his talent. The entire cast is to be congratulated on making this play so darn funny! Mike Nichols was correct when he said Clay Aiken was an amazing comic actor!" The list of comments seems endless, and a quick trip through the blog will bear witness to the enthusiasm Clay Aiken is bringing to Broadway.

Spamalot is a musical-comedy that embraces the absurd and delights in the unusual. As a recording artist, Aiken clearly has the vocal capacity to interpret any number of musical roles (one fan suggested "Pippin"). That said, that Aiken has chosen to come to Broadway and return to Broadway in this comedy says a great deal for his willingness not to take himself too seriously. His fans' enthusiasm and joy in his performance suggest that Broadway should enjoy taking Clay Aiken very seriously indeed. Like Fantasia igniting The Color Purple, or Reba transforming Annie Get Your Gun!, Clay fits Sir Robin and Spamalot like a glove.

Broadway has embraced Clay Aiken, and his fans for that matter, with such respect and joy. It's something that Clay and his fans usually have to fight for.

By the way, we really love Broadway too.

Information courtesy of By Edith Haight, Broadway Magazine and by Linda Lenzi, http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=32837

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Spamalot Broadway Cares Sir Robin

King Clay Aiken Has Returned

2008-09-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

At the moment, forget Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in Equus, and Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise and their entourage of Scientology protesters at All My Sons, or even forget Entourage’s Jeremy Piven in Speed-The-Plow, or Ace Young in Grease. The big story on Broadway today is Clay! He is back on Broadway, and the fun has begun. ~ Broadway TV blog.

The Shubert Theater was brimming with excitement over the return of Clay Aiken to the Broadway musical, Spamalot. While he may be playing a “Sir” on Broadway in Spamalot, it is safe to say that he was King Clay Aiken at last night’s opening.

The fans were excited as was the cast of Spamalot. Before the play began, Clay blogged and told us of his love for us then as a good Spamalot king should, he farted in our general direction.

I've never met one person who could make so many people schmoopie one minute and laughing our heads off the next. That's our King Clay!

Of course, Spamalot has an excellent new king in Michael Siberry, and an awesome Lady in that lake with Merle Dandridge too.

The new additions to the cast of Spamalot all seemed to walk on air, and this up close look at the celebratory curtain call can’t help but put a smile on your face.

The reports from the audience indicated the same thing. The crowd was excited and the energy in the theater was palpable.

American Idol star Clay Aiken is a natural on Broadway.

I think our collective cry should be, "LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE KING CLAY AIKEN!"

Story courtesy of Broadway magazine/Broadway TV.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Spamalot King Clay

Broadway Cares Auction: VIP House Seats & Clay Aiken

2008-09-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life With Clay Aiken

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has an auction up for bid offering the following:

Item Description
You and a guest will receive VIP House Seats to see the return of Clay Aiken in the Tony Award-winning musical, SPAMALOT. After the show, you’ll go backstage where he will give you a special behind-the scenes tour. You will also have the opportunity to have your photo taken with Clay and get his autograph. Go home today with a SPAMLOT poster, autographed by Clay and the cast when he was in the show earlier this year.

COURTESY OF Cheryl Jacobsen & Clay Aiken with special thanks to Allison Lee.

Live Event Item
After the online close, this item will be going to a Live Event for further bidding. Absentee Bidding offered.

Online Close: Sep. 20, 2008 12:00 PM EDT
Opening Bid: $500.00

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Broadway Cares Auction Shubert Alley

Clay Aiken - "Including Samuel" And The Bubel Aiken Foundation

2008-09-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Samuel Habib sits on the lap of his father, Dan Habib, behind the controls of his grandfather's sea plane as they prepare for a flight. (COURTESY DAN HABIB)

CONCORD – Dan Habib thought he had a film that was more than just good or informative or touching. He thought he had one that would change lives.

"I had my modest goal, and I had my secret dream," said Habib, the former photography editor of the Concord Monitor. "My modest goal was that it would become a tool within New Hampshire to talk about inclusion in a more informed and innovative way. My secret goal was that it would serve that purpose nationally and internationally and would cross over to the mainstream."

"There's a huge disabled population there and all of them are pretty much undervalued," Habib said. "There's not an understanding that people with disabilities can be part of the society in Iraq, and hopefully this film will support change."

"Including Samuel" is the personal journey of Habib and his family -- his wife, Betsy McNamara, and two sons, Isaiah and Samuel -- told over four years. At the heart of the story is the family's support of Samuel, who has a rare form of cerebral palsy, a disorder that makes it difficult for the brain to control the body's muscles. It's about their efforts to make him part of educational and recreational activities open to kids without physical or emotional disabilities.

Samuel, 8, just entered third grade at Beaver Meadow School in Concord. The school was the subject of a photo essay Habib did for the Monitor in 1991 about its efforts to mainstream students with disabilities. He can appreciate the school's inclusive policies even more now, and immersed himself in a recent project to make the school's playground more accessible.

The film tells not only the story of Samuel, but also of four other people with disabilities. There is a balance between the positive and negative aspects of inclusion that reveals Habib's journalistic background. Some of the greatest advocates to emerge from the film are the students without disabilities whom Habib interviews.

The institute was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to screen the film for free at New Hampshire schools this year. Schools can apply for a screening by contacting the institute at 228-2084.

The impact of the film has also been recognized by the Bubel Aiken Foundation, which will honor Habib and McNamara in October as recipients of its Champions of Change award. Clay Aiken, who graduated from UNC-Charlotte with a degree in special education before gaining fame on "American Idol," co-founded the organization in 2003.

The recipients were selected "for their substantive efforts to extend the boundaries of the human experience to children of all abilities, in keeping with the foundation's mission of supporting communities with inclusive programs and creating awareness about the possibilities that inclusion can bring."

The Bubel Aiken Foundation serves to bridge the gap that exists between young people with special needs and the world around them. We support communities with inclusive programs and together create awareness about the possibilities that inclusion can bring. The Bubel Aiken Foundation envisions a world where young people with developmental disabilities are totally immersed in all life has to offer.

Excerpts of this blog courtesy of UnionLeader.com and the Bubel Aiken Foundation.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Including Samuel Bubel Aiken Foundation Champions Of Change

Malaria No More, UNICEF, And Clay Aiken

2008-09-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Malaria No More has teamed up with UNICEF and UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken to fight against the horrible disease of Malaria.

This is a disease that kills a child every 30 seconds. We can help prevent the death of a child by joining with UNICEF and Clay Aiken and donating only $10 to purchase insecticide treated bed netting.

For a limited time, Malaria No More has agreed to match your donation dollar for dollar.

"Let's make the most of our time" and help stop Malaria.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken UNICEF Malaria No More malaria

An International Clayversion

2008-09-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Susan recently shared the story of an International Clayversion of a dear woman who works with her.

A year ago Susan's friend fled from her country ( El Salvador) with only the clothes on her back to escape being killed by her government. She was a lawyer for teachers in El Salvador and her fight for teachers was not appreciated by the government. She can never go back home, and if she does, she will be killed. Her parents are still in El Salvador and she is fully aware that she will never see them again. She is approx 40 and she has told my friend that her father is not well, because of how sad he is that she is gone. She has a sister and a niece here that she lives with her. Being new to the country, everything and everybody is new to her.

She has a great love of life and when she found out it was my friend's birthday she brought her guitar to work and in front of everybody, all 77 staff she sang a birthday song for Susan from her country. She said it was because she had shown her such kindness in giving her a job, when she knows very little broken English language.

She doesn't miss a day of work and gives 150% at all times. Her work ethic is impecable, even though she now works in retail at almost minimum wage, when only a year ago, she was a lawyer in her country.

She heard Susan was a Clay Aiken fan and because she loves music of all kinds and wants to learn to play English songs, she asked if she could listen him. My friend gave her Clay's cd, On My Way Here, and the following day, her day off, she traveled on a bus to give Susan a note that her sister had typed for her.

This is word for word what the letter said........................

Susan

Thanks you for the beautiful music of Clay.
I listened on the silent of the night.
I was close my eyes my soul and thought soared
With my loneliness and memories
Made me to remember the sublime to love
Made me to think to how the human been are very
Blessing because have the opportunity to express
The feeling, emotion, happiness and angers
By music, poems and words.

Susan's words, "I am crying as I type this and thanking God that this amazing woman came into my life. I wanted to share it with you and I wish that there was some way that Clay could know the peace these personal songs he carefully chose has given this woman with an incredible spirit."

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken International Clayversion

Happy One Month Birthday Parker!

2008-09-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

This beautiful baby boy is one month old. Clay Aiken and Jaymes Foster's son, Parker Foster Aiken, had a 1 month birthday today. Happy Birthday Parker!

No this isn't Parker, but he is a handsome baby that took a great picture.

There are many fantastic things that a 1 month old baby can do that a newborn cannot.

Milestones for a month old baby

* Your baby can lift his head slightly for a few seconds when lying on his stomach.

* He focuses his eyes on your face.

* With his eyes, he'll follow an object moved about six inches above his face.

Getting to Know You

Your baby loves your face, your smell, the sound of your voice. By his one-month birthday, he'll be able to show his affection in small but important ways.

He will stare at your face for longer periods. He will look alert and seem to listen when you talk. You can encourage him by chatting when you're alone together. Tell him, "I'm washing the dishes." Or "I'm changing your diaper." Or simply, "I love you, too."

I wonder how many times Parker has heard his mama and daddy say, "I love you" and has heard his family sing songs to him?

By now, Parker has put on a few pounds, splashed a gallon or more water out of his baby bath tub, and completely stolen his mama and daddy's heart.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Jaymes Foster Parker birthday

Sacrificial Love

2008-08-28T14:40:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered why an artist chooses a particular song to record? I have. Now unless Clay chooses to reveal his motivations behind choosing his songs, other than what he's already stated, we'll never know why he personally chose the songs on his latest cd, On My Way Here.

There's one song in particular that seems to be different than the other songs. It's not hopeful or positive. It's filled with uncertainty and a bit of angst or worry. It's the song, Sacrificial Love.

Sacrificial Love, is one I'd like to dedicate to the fans of ALL the artists who profess their love one minute and bad mouth the artist the next. You know the ones - they talk out of both sides of their mouths.

They are the same ones who profess their love as "unconditional" in one breath, yet proclaim their distaste in the next breath with statements like, "he should have done this" or "she was a fool for doing that" the next minute.

This song is for those fans.

Sacrificial Love

Sometimes it feels like I'm chasing the shadows in your eyes.
Losing my foooting and looking for something I recognize.
You tell me you're here for forever but act like you're passing through.

Which one's the real you?

Which one's the real you?

Are you only practicing until you find the real thing?
Taking up space until you find youself that perfect face.
Are you looking over my shoulder?
Am I enough or just your sacrificial love?

What's it going to be? I've made my decision. I choose Clay Aiken

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Sacrificial Love music artist voice

Playbill Excited About Clay Aiken's Return To Broadway.

2008-08-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The writers at Playbill are excited about Clay's return to Broadway. "American Idol" finalist and new dad Clay Aiken will return to the Broadway company of Monty Python's Spamalot in September.

Aiken, who played a Jan. 18-May 4 stint in the Tony-winning musical at the Shubert Theatre, will return to the New York cast Sept. 19. He will reprise his role of Sir Robin through Jan. 4, 2009.

In a statement Aiken joked, "Since leaving Spamalot in May, jokes have just not been funny. Food has lost its taste. The grass is no longer green — the sky no longer blue. And, babies won't stop crying!! I'm so excited about coming back to the funniest show in the world!"

Aiken — who was bested by Ruben Studdard during the second season of "American Idol" — has gone on to sell more than 6 million albums, co-author a best selling book ("Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life") and play six sold-out concert tours. He was a focus of the short-lived Off-Broadway musical Idol: The Musical and has appeared on "Ed," "Saturday Night Live" and "Scrubs."

Aiken released his fourth album, "On My Way Here," this past spring. Spamalot features a book and lyrics by Eric Idle, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, direction by Mike Nichols, choreography by Casey Nicholaw and is based on the screenplay of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" by Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
The musical tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table on their quest from God for the Holy Grail — with a short stop in the dazzling Spam-filled land of Camelot.

Spamalot earned the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical and took home honors for direction (Mike Nichols) and one of its stars (Sara Ramirez).
Spamalot celebrated its third anniversary on Broadway March 18. On Broadway Spamalot plays Tuesday-Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 and 8 PM and Sunday at 2 and 7 PM.

For more information visit http://www.montypythonsspamalot.com/.

Monty Python fans and Clay Aiken fans alike will surely enjoy the rich and robust voice of Aiken who has even graciously come out of the stage door to sign autographs from time to time.

Break a leg Clay!

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken Spamalot Monty Python Playbill Voice Music

Welcome To NC Parker Foster Aiken

2008-08-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken and Jaymes Foster welcomed their son into the world on August 8, 2008 at 8:08 a.m. The boy weighed in a 6 lbs and 2 oz and was 19 inches long. Jaymes and the baby are doing well and dad couldn't be any prouder. He blogged that "the Little Man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy." You can almost see his smile through the blog.

The Clay Nation is excited to have this newest addition to the Aiken family and blessed that Clay chose to share the news with us first.

Thank you Clay for including us in your life. We know you don't have to do that, but we love it when you do.

UNICEF Ambassador, Clay Aiken, Making A Difference In The Lives Of Children

2008-07-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

UNICEF Ambassador, Clay Aiken, continues to make a difference in the lives of children around the world. Aiken just finished a five-day visit to north-west Somalia, the self-declared republic of ‘Somaliland’, according to http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EGUA-7G6RLY?OpenDocument

The ambassador traveled to Hargeisa, Gabiley and Boroma to see first-hand, UNICEF-supported projects to promote child health, safe water, sanitation and hygiene, primary education, child protection and girls’ empowerment.

Somalia is a country in which less than 25% of the population has access to basic health services, less than 30% attend primary school and only 29% have access to a safe water source. It's also a place where 98% of girls are circumcised and has amongst the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.

Playing basketball with girls in the enclosed facility of the Somaliland Cultural and Sports Association (SOCSA), Aiken saw the opportunity given to females by the UNICEF-supported organization. ‘Here, girls are able to learn about leadership and health, acquire life-skills and play sports within a safe environment. Even the youngest girls that I’ve met at SOCSA, impressed me with how confident and articulate they are as a result of this project.’

At a camp for 1500 internally displaced families in Hargeisa, Aiken met 11 year old Abduraman, who helps to support his five siblings and blind mother by working each morning to collect stones. He uses his earnings to pay for school which he attends in the afternoon. ‘Somalia has some of the lowest enrollment rates in the world, but every child has the right to an education. UNICEF is working to help ensure that even working children get to go to school.’ UNICEF has also provided the camp with child protection monitors, teacher-training and school materials.

In Boroma, Aiken saw how the town’s water system is functioning thanks to UNICEF support. Under a public/private partnership, the system provides clean water to 95% of the town’s population including schools and hospitals. Aiken also visited maternal and child health clinics to see nutritional feeding and immunization activities along with projects supporting children with disabilities, the eradication of female genital mutilation/cutting and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The montage above shows Aiken on some of his trips for UNICEF to Indonesia, Uganda, Afghanistan, and Mexico.

For more information on Clay Aiken and UNICEF, go to http://chexxyspearls.blogspot.com/ , http://www.unicefusa.org/, and http://www.bubelaiken.org/.

When Is Enough, Enough?

2008-06-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have been sickened lately by the news and entertainment media, namely TMZ and E News! and their focus on tearing down lives of people who are celebrities or are rich and famous. No one is safe from their lies. Their main focus is to grab a kernal of truth, create a work of fiction that will draw hits to their websites and then send sleazy paparazzi to harrass their target into reacting to their intrustion or making a statement. Often these sources don't even need any amount of truth to fabricate their fictitious works.

This is not a new phenomenon. Princess Diana was a target of a nasty barrage of paparazzi in England. What happened to her? She died in a car wreck that should have never happened. Can her death be directly attributed to them? Legally, no, or they would have been prosecuted already. We, however, are not stupid people waiting to let others decide for us. It is very obvious that the "Nazi Razzi" was a huge contributing factor in Princess Di's untimely and early death.

What about Tom Cruise and his marriage to his first wife, Nicole Kidman? Did the nosybody press cause their divorce? No, but the constant harrassment from certain reporters that accused him of being gay was definitely factor that plagued him for years.

Britney Spears is an interesting case as well. I don't enjoy her talent as an entertainer/singer and she has behaved atrociously and in such an immature way, that she has deserved some of her negative press, but how is it fair or appropriate for paparazzi to wait outside her house, stalk her, block her paths to exits, chase her in parking lots, harrass her in stores, and basically intrude into every aspect of her life?

The first amendment is an amazing thing that we as Americans take for granted much of the time. Freedom of the press was meant to protect the people and yet somehow over the years, we've made the "press" into an entity, by itself, devoid of rules and accountability. Any entity without checks and balances becomes a tyranical dictatorship and that's what we've allowed the press to become.

When did the media transition from reporting the facts and truth to making up stories in order to sell magazines or get website hits? Any article you read today is NOT a full declaration of truth and facts, but rather at times a few facts mixed in with a story fabricated from a writer whose whole goal is to make his story readable and entertaining to the target audience of his choice. It's very evident especially with topics that are related to politics, entertainment, and religion. This current phenomenon has trickled down from the top media sources to the local news agencies in the neighborhoods that you live.

For example, if you are a left wing democrat, then you don't get your news from Fox News. This also holds true that if you are a right wing republican, then you don't get your news from CNN or MSNBC. If you are a reporter in today's media, then what affiliation you align yourself with will determine how you report on a speech by President Bush, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or John McCain. This is very evident in that the same exact speech, heard in the same room, by a group of reporters from various news agencies, is reported in a myriad of different ways and opinions. Rarely are the facts reported - just the opinions of those writing them.

No one takes the words of actors and singers in the entertainment media at face value any more either. They take footage of an interview, edit it so that it fits that station's opinion or point of view on the person being interviewed and then the story is aired as the truth. Let's face it. What makes a more interesting story? "Britney Spears goes to the grocery store" or "Britney Spears crashes her car in grocery store parking lot?" The part that the reporters fail to include in their more interesting story of how "Britney crashes her car", is the part of the story where the hord of paparazzi that chased her from her house to the grocery store, chased her and calling out to her throughout the store and the parking lot, finally made her so uncomfortable that she sped through the parking lot to escape their constant barrage of harassment only to end up having a fender bender in the parking lot. Do you think that part gets included in the sensational story? Not on your life.

So when is it going to stop? When is the media going to be held accountable for their actions? Why aren't the rights of the rich and famous protected? After all - they are citizens of this country, just like you and me. Is stalking at a famous person's home where we draw the line? Or is it when a fender bender occurs? Is it even after a life is lost? All of these things HAVE HAPPENED to the rich and famous in real life.

When is enough, enough?

Dirty Laundry
by Don Henley

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something, something I can use
People love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry

Well, I could've been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear, give us dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em all around

We got the bubbleheaded bleach-blonde, comes on at 5
She can tell you about the plane crash with a gleam in her eye
It's interesting when people die, give us dirty laundry

Can we film the operation? Is the head dead yet?
You know the boys in the newsroom got a running bet
Get the widow on the set, we need dirty laundry

You don't really need to find out what's going on
You don't really want to know just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone, keep your dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're stiff, kick 'em all around

Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie
Love to cut you down to size, we love dirty laundry

We can do the innuendo, we can dance and sing
When it's said and done, we haven't told you a thing
We all know that crap is king, give us dirty laundry

Just The Truth Got Rearranged, Again

2008-05-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Are they deaf, stupid, hateful, or lazy? That's the question I ask myself after reading many reviews of Clay Aiken's new CD, On My Way Here.

I'm an adult. I can handle criticism. There have been reveiwers that have actually listened to the new cd and it wasn't there cup of tea. That's ok. They gave props where they thought they were deserved, but let you know they didn't care for it. I respect them for at least listening to the cd and giving constructive criticism, not hate spewed ignorance.

What bugs me is the reviews from so called "journalists" who either had their review written long before the CD came out or have permanent hearing damage from who knows what. I honestly think they have a review written and have simply inserted the name of a few songs into it so it looks like they know what they're talking about.

Any Shmoe can do it. Watch and learn...

(Insert artist name)'s new CD (Insert CD name), is a real snoozefest. (Insert song title #1) sounds like a dog howling at the moon. (Insert song title #2) makes my skin crawl with cliche's that would make Aunt Bea roll her eyes in sarcasm. (Insert song title #3) is the only decent song on the album because it makes my 3 year old go to sleep. (Insert producer name) is washed up and over the hill producing stale material for a washed up singer. (Insert band name if available, if not just refer to the band in general) sounds like a bunch of middle school wannabe's who are more interested in flirting with the opposite sex than they are in playing the songs together and with class.

It's funny just how ignorant these reviewers make themselves look by doing this.

Yes - I do like Clay Aiken, but let's bypass Clay for a while and look only at the producer and musicians that worked on Clay's latest album.

Kipper, a GRAMMY AWARD WINNING producer has worked with some of the best in the business, including Sting, Chris Botti, Seal, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Mary J Blige, Shawn Colvin, Wynonna, Richard Marx, Jeff Beck, The Temptations. That Kipper's a real loser isn't he?!! (insert sarcasm here).

Let's look at the members of the band as researched by The ConCLAYve Blog.

These are the men behind the “uninspired, stock music” --- as the critics
would have it.
Keith Carlock – DrumsKeith has played and/or toured with Steely Dan, Sting, James
Taylor, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Diana Ross, Faith Hill, The Blues
Brothers Band, Leni Stern, David Johansen and the Harry Smiths, Richard
Bona, Chris Botti, Wayne Krantz, Harry Belafonte, Oz Noy, Paula Abdul and
Grover Washington, Jr, to name a few. Keith was recently voted number 1 Pop
drummer and number 3 Best All-Around in Modern Drummer's 2008 Readers
Poll.There's some interesting stuff at Keith's website and in this article from Drummer World Magazine.

Freddie Washington – Bass:Freddie joined Herbie Hancock’s band at age 19, and has
played in sessions or on tour with Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau,
Aaron Neville, Lionel Richie, Anita Baker, B.B. King, Elton John, Stevie Wonder
and Whitney Houston, Donald Fagen, The Crusaders, George Benson, Denise
Williams, Johnny Mathis, Burt Bacharach, and Kenny Loggins.He has a platinum
record as the songwriter of Patrice Rushen’s smash hit, “Forget Me Nots.”Here is Freddie's Bio and a great article on his work with Donald Fagen from Bass
Player.

Jon Herington – Guitar:Jon has played with Steely Dan for both recording and
touring. Jon has also toured with Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, Bette Midler,
Phoebe Snow, Madeleine Peyroux, saxophonist Bill Evans, the contemporary
jazz superband Chroma, and jazz/blues organ great Jack McDuff.Read Jon's Profile and his reviews at his website, and watch him featured on "My Old School" in this AOL video of Steely Dan.

Jeff Young – Piano, Organ, Vocals:Jeff has played with Steely Dan, Sting, Boz
Scaggs, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, Phoebe Snow, Michael McDonald, Curtis
Stigers and many more. He appeared in the acclaimed Broadway musical “Gospel
at Colonus.” Vonda Shepard once sang in his band, leading to Jeff being hired to play for several episodes of “Ally McBeal.”

There's a connection between these four musicians. The men on this CD are
the longtime Steely Dan band, backing Donald Fagen and Walter Becker --- and not a single one of these “music critics” recognized them or their musicianship.Fusing jazz, pop and blues, multiple Grammy-winners Steely Dan (Donald Fagen and Walter Becker) are one of the most acclaimed bands in music history. They are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.This is the caliber of musician that Clay Aiken chose as his session men for "On My Way Here."
And as for the “sound” of the album: It was recorded and mixed by Nathaniel
Kunkel.Nathaniel’s work with Sheila Nicholls, The Crystal Method, Lyle Lovett,
Graham Nash, James Taylor, and Sting, among others, “has earned him the
reputation of being one of the foremost authorities on engineering in surround
sound.
“Nathaniel’s mix work has garnered him industry acclaim and awards, including
Grammy awards for his work with Lyle Lovett, B.B. King, The Trio (Emmylou
Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton), and comedian Robin Williams; Surround
Music Awards for his work with Graham Nash, James Taylor and Insane Clown Posse; and an Emmy for his recent work with Sting.”
Nathaniel is the son of drummer Russell Kunkel, a longtime James Taylor
sideman.
Here's a great article on his work with David Crosby and Graham Nash from Mix Online, "the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry."
Read about his Studio Without Walls, and check out the artists Nathaniel has worked with.
Finally, Cameron Craig engineered the strings.
Cameron is a Grammy-winner who has worked with Duffy, The Hours, Suzanne
Vega, Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner, Joe Strummer, Garbage and Blur, among many
others.

Just because it is a Clay Aiken CD, some of these moron assume that gives them a right to trash it with malice and ignorance. They make the assumption that people are stupid and can't use their intelligence to find the truth in the midst of the crap that the reviewers are trying to forcefeed the public.

Looks like the last laugh is on them.

Omnivores, Diurnal, Nomadic, And In Sync - It's Not What You Think It Is!

2008-05-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

AOL News Blogger, Mo Rocca, has just had Clay Aiken describe the Claymates in one of the funniest interviews ever at a Benihana restaurant in New York City.

Mo captured Clay's charm and wit during a meal at the Japanese hibatchi restaurant. Clay describes the Claymates, helps the chef make an onion volcano and demonstrates his lack of skills in using chopsticks.

Great job Mo and Clay!

ABC News Nightline And Multi-Platinum Singing Sensation Clay Aiken

2008-05-09T03:53:00.000-07:00

ABC News Nightline had guest and multi-platinum pop sensation Clay Aiken on their show on May 8. They have a segment on occasionally that spotlights the songs that have influenced an artist and call the segment their "Playlist."

Cynthia McFadden interviewed Clay and they got the top 5 songs on his "Playlist." The songs included Islands In The Stream, The Great Adventure, A Lovely Day, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, and Carolina In My Mind.

The stories that accompany those selections are what makes the interview.

Clay Aiken Rocks The House On Good Morning America

2008-05-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Clay opens with an interview with Diane and Robin.

Then performs On My Way Here! Great job Clay!

Clay does another short interview with David Muir.

Clay rocks the house with Ashes!

Intelligent Insight From Clay Aiken

2008-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Finally! There are journalists who know how to ask interesting questions and not cut and paste previous articles. None of the typical questions here. (So was Simon really mean? Are you watching Idol this season? Did you read the card?)

Journalist Rodney Ho of the Atlanta Constitution Journal, and Aidin Vaziri of San Francisco Gate, both had the opportunity to interview Clay before the release of his new cd, On My Way Here, due out on Tuesday, May 6.

It's interesting to me that out of the many reporters who get the opportunity to interview Clay only two or three, in my opinion, have shown any initiative to ask him innovative, inquisitive questions and still show him respect.

Clay is a funny, highly intelligent person who will give a reporter a great interview if they treat him with respect and ask good questions.

Aidin asked Clay some questions that gave Clay a chance to reflect a moment and give some insight to how he thinks and what he thinks about the actions of some people who are hateful and have nothing better to do than say and do hurtful things to others.

Q: Why do so many people hate you?
A: I have no idea why they hate me, and I sure don't have any idea why they love me. I'm completely clueless all the way around. In some ways, I'm sure, to a lot of people I represent that dorky kid in high school and middle school that everybody thought was a loser. And now there are plenty of people in the world who are bitter because that dorky kid became successful and they did not. It's kind of threatening when that nerdy guy you've been making fun of for all those years has somehow become famous.

Q: You've obviously given this some thought.
A: I've been thinking about it for a long time.

Q: Does it make you sad?
A: Ah, I don't care. Whatever. I've been around people who are too cool for me for almost 30 years now. I don't know. I don't think I'm very threatening, but I do threaten the notion that you must be good-looking and athletic and cool in order to be successful. I kind of screwed that up for some people who thought they were going to fly by.

Q: Does this album feel like your real second album, even though it's you're fourth?
A: In a way, it kind of does. Obviously, it's the second album that we've done with original stuff. I've always said the first album was fitting a square peg into a round hole. The songs were picked before they even knew it was going to be me. Now we're putting the square peg in the square hole. I'm definitely square, that's for sure. But at least it fits.

Q: With all the stuff you're doing, are you worried your body is going to give out at some point?
A: I think it already has, are you kidding me? Have you seen the "Spamalot" show? It's killing me. During rehearsals for the show, I really thought I was going to die. There were a few days I would come home to my apartment and lie on the cold floor for like an hour, just because I needed to rest. I've proved to myself that I can do a little more than I thought I could. The truth is that if I were sitting around doing nothing, I would be really miserable. So I don't have any problem working.
I would rather work than not.

For the entire article, go to San
Francisco Gate.

Rodney asked Clay,

What’s the coolest part about doing “Spamalot”?
This deal was for 18 weeks. I really thought I was going to hate it by now. [He then compared it to school and how the third quarter is such a drag.] I’m in the third quarter. And I’m not miserable! I’m not! I’m enjoying it. This show is funny. It’s a little different every night. It’s always fresh. At the same time, the people I work with are unreal… I was worried they’d hate me. I came off a reality show! I didn’t pay my dues. i didn’t have to audition. But they’ve been warm and inviting. I’ve been thrilled. I’m not going to say I’ll shed a tear, but I’ll miss it a little bit. I’ll miss the people. I’ve made friends I’ll have for a long time.
What was the toughest part of doing Broadway?
Everything has to be precise. You can’t change anything. But the hardest thing for me the first few weeks was not looking into the audience. I’m so used to playing for the audience and looking at them. At concerts, you have a spotlight on you so you can only see the first two rows. In this show, you can see the first 15 to 20 rows. And for me, it takes energy to be another person. I think I’ve gotten it down.
But it was some work to be able to do that. The reason we did this show versus others because it was work. Most other shows were about singing, no dancing, less acdting. This one was so far out in left field. I had to earn a British accent! It took some training to go from a Southern redneck to proper British!

So do you sing much at all?
It’s comedic. The song that I do is actually a patter song. It’s spoken though they changed it in a couple of places so I sing some notes and do my thing. Still, it was a challenge to do. That’s why we chose it. I wanted to expand myself, something people wouldn’t expect. Maybe that’s why I’m not bored. It’s so different!

I saw you at Chastain last summer and yes, you interacted with the crowd a lot.
I’m constantly doing that. I stop the show to talk to people.

I remember you commenting a lot about the bugs flying around.
Forget bugs. In Asheville. N.C., we had bats! Those are rodents with wings! And the moths were so big, one flew down the tops of one of my background singers. We had a bit of fun with that!
Why has it been so long since you did a full album of originals?
The record label latched on to me doing a Christmas album. It kind of made sense. It worked beautifully for whatever reason. The truth is, we ain’t radio people. Clay Aiken and the radio don’t happen as easily as Kelly Clarkson or Chris Daughtry. They wanted me to do an album with songs they could sell on TV. Radio is like an advertisement for your album. They thought they could sell Clay Aiken songs for commercials. So I did mostly covers. It ended up being a product I liked quite a bit though there was some resistance from the fans. They call me the next Barry Manilow but at least he has his own music. I wanted stuff that was mine whether it gets played on the radio or not. We went at this saying, that’s not a priority. I don’t want to think about doing radio friendly songs.

Look-I’m not top 40. I’m not cool enough to be on there. If you walk into a nightclub and they put on Clay Aiken music, I hope they’ll run out.

For the entire article, go to the Atlanta
Constitution Journal.

Clay Aiken To CD Debut On QVC

2008-04-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken is set to make his CD Debut, of On My Way Here, on the QVC channel. The show will air on Monday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m.

Chexxxy's Pearls has a link to song snippets so you can have a sneak peek before Clay sings them to you on Monday. Clay told WRAL's Lynda Loveland some behind the scenes info about the new album that can be found at Chexxxy's Pearls.

Webisode 4 - Clay Aiken Talks About The Bubel Aiken Foundation & UNICEF

2008-04-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

In Webisode 4, Clay Aiken talks about the two charities that he is most involved with and that he carries close to his heart. The Bubel Aiken Foundation was co-founded by Aiken and Diane Bubel, the mother of an autistic child he taught in Charlotte, NC. The BAF supports programs and organizations that provide opportunities and activities to children with developmental disabilities by including them with children without disabilities.

UNICEF and Clay Aiken have been partners for a number of years now. Clay is a Goodwill Ambassador and his speciality is in education. He has taken UNICEF missions to Indonesia, Uganda, Afghanistan, and Mexico.

Clay Aiken Video Recording In The Studio Of His New Single, On My Way Here

2008-04-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

This is the video recording of Clay, Kipper, a Grammy winning producer, and a live band recording On My Way Here.

Webisode 3 - Clay Aiken Talks About Monty Python's Spamalot

2008-04-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Clay talks about Spamalot and recording On My Way Here.

Webisode 2 - Clay Talks About Recording New CD

2008-04-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken talks about the recording of his new cd, On My Way Here.

Hannah Waddingham Talks About Spamalot & Clay Aiken

2008-04-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

London beauty Hannah Waddingham talks about her Broadway role as the Lady of The Lake, her time in New York City, and Clay Aiken aka Elvis.

Clay Aiken & Planet Hollywood In NYC

2008-04-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Clay put his hands in plaster for Planet Hollywood's Wall of Fame.

New CD, Spam, & A Naughty Dog Named Durham

2008-04-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken talks to American Idol Extra about his new cd "On My Way Here", his time on Broadway's Spamalot, and life in New York City. Don't miss this interview!

Clay's Updated Biography From RCA

2008-03-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

When Clay Aiken and his executive producer Jaymes Foster began the search for songs to record for Aiken's first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man, they both fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan "Alias" Tedder called "On My Way Here." The message of the lyrics - how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults - struck such a deep chord with Aiken that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection.

"I thought if we could find songs along those lines, that deal with my life over the past five years and what I've learned from my experiences, it would be a great concept for an album," Aiken says. "Since I got into this business, I've learned so much about myself and about life and the world. I'm nowhere near an expert, but this album has taken on the form of addressing how far I've come in those five years and how I feel like I've found myself."

As Aiken's millions of devoted fans around the world already know, it's been a whirlwind journey. Since shooting to stardom on the second season of American Idol, the 29-year-old Raleigh, NC native with the powerhouse voice has become an international pop phenomenon who has sold six million copies of his three best-selling albums: the double-platinum Measure of A Man, 2004's holiday CD Merry Christmas With Love (which went platinum within six weeks of its release), and the gold-certified A Thousand Different Ways - a 2006 collection of 10 covers and four originals that earned Aiken the distinction of being the fourth artist ever to have his first three albums debut in the Top 5 on the Billboard chart. In addition, Aiken has launched eight live tours, made the New York Times best-seller list by co-authoring the inspirational memoir Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music In Your Life, executive produced and starred in his first TV special, A Clay Aiken Christmas, and won several American Music and Billboard Music Awards. In January 2008, Aiken made his Broadway debut in the role of Sir Robin in the Tony Award-winning musical Monty Python's Spamalot.

If that weren't enough, Aiken also donated much of his time to charity, performing at dozens of concert benefits for causes he cares about. The creator of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which promotes and funds educational and recreational programs for children with special needs, the singer has traveled the world as a National Ambassador for UNICEF. On its behalf, Aiken has visited tsunami victims in Indonesia, villages in Uganda, classrooms and health centers in Afghanistan, and spent this past Christmas in Mexico with children affected by recent floods.

That's a lot of life experience to cover in one album. "It is," Aiken admits, "that's why the lyrics really had to matter this time around. It's the first time I'm singing about things that mean something to me." Which is not to say that every song is about something that actually happened to the star. "What's powerful about a lot of the new songs is that they can mean different things to different people," he says. "It was really important to me that they be interpretable in all kinds of ways, so as not to cloud someone's ability to find their own meaning in them." One example of this is the evocative ballad "The Real Me," written by singer/songwriter Natalie Grant, which is a poignant story about the experience of being in the public eye. "The song really spoke to me about the necessity of having someone in your life who knows you and doesn't really care about the fact that you're a celebrity," Aiken says.

Another track that means a lot to Aiken is "As Long as We're Here," a moving ballad that Aiken chose from a selection of demos he had brought with him to listen to on the plane during a UNICEF visit to Indonesia. "Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was flying over a tsunami-stricken country, but the lyrics struck me as very uplifting," he says. "They're about not waiting until it's too late to tell the people you love that you care about them." Turns out the song had also resonated with Jaymes Foster, who brought it to Aiken not knowing that he had already fallen in love with it. "Out of literally tens of thousands of demos we were sent, she had chosen the same one that I had so strongly identified with, so the song is a great connector between Jaymes and me. We've become really great friends, and it's important that it's part of the album."

Though he's known for his signature ballads, Aiken chose to open On My Way Here with an up-tempo, pop-rock tune, "Ashes," which begins with the following lyric: "Someone told me what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger / Sets you free from all that held you down." "That's a great opening line for an album," Aiken says. "My mom used to say that if things come easy they're not worth having; that there can't be a sunrise with a night. So, to me, that song is about how the most important lessons I've learned in my life have come out of less-than-rosy experiences, and that I'm stronger because of them."

To musically represent the album's lyrical theme, Aiken and Foster enlisted Grammy-Award winning British songwriter and producer Kipper, who has worked with Sting, Chris Botti, and Julia Fordham, marking the first time Aiken has recorded an entire album with one producer. "It's made for a very collaborative environment in the studio," Aiken says. "Every song has been scrutinized by Jaymes, Kipper, and me to make sure it's exactly what we wanted it to be."

It's that commitment that drives everything Aiken does, even if it means recording an album by day and starring in a Broadway show by night. "I guess I'm a glutton for punishment," he says with a laugh. "It's a lot of work, but I've had a great time. Doing both the album and Spamalot at once has kind of been like having two families. I have a family at the theater and we are a family group working on the album in the studio. I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Webisode 1 - Clay Talks About "On My Way Here"

2008-03-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Webisode 1

Clay sat down for an interview about his new CD titled, "On My Way Here."

It's due out in the stores on May 6, 2008.

Is it May 6th yet?

Tap Project

2008-03-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken, Alyssa Milano, and others have joined together with UNICEF to promote and participate in UNICEF's Tap Project.

Beginning Sunday, March 16 through Saturday, March 22, restaurants will invite their customers to donate a minimum of $1 for the tap water they would normally get for free. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days.
As the world's leading children's organization, UNICEF understands the critical role water plays in a child's survival.

Currently, UNICEF provides access to safe water and sanitation facilities while promoting safe hygiene practices in more than 90 countries. By 2015, UNICEF's goal is to reduce the number of people without safe water and basic sanitation by 50 percent.

Great Week On Broadway!

2008-02-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

What a great week on Broadway! Kathy Henderson, of Broadway.com, wrote one of the best interviews ever with Clay Aiken, Broadway's Spamalot had an increase in revenue of 17.9%, and Clay revealed who takes his pants on and off every night.

Here's the interview from Broadway.com - http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=560459

Clay Aiken
by Kathy Henderson

Everybody knows that Clay Aiken can sing, but—surprise!—he can also hold his own on a Broadway stage. To be more precise, he can hula, ogle scantily clad girls, discuss flying coconuts in a British accent, pretend to poop in his tunic, do a Cossack-style line dance and perform a lightning-fast patter song ("You won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews") without dropping a syllable. As Sir Robin in Spamalot, the 29-year-old American Idol runner-up appears perfectly at ease in the world of Monty Python—which, he recently claimed, he thought was a person until he saw the show. The "fish out of water" angle of Clay Aiken starring in Spamalot has already led to a couple of snarky magazine articles, including one in New York in which the writer recorded Aiken's quotes in an exaggerated imitation of his North Carolina accent. No wonder his personal publicist now keeps a sharp ear (and a stopwatch) on Aiken's interviews. The truth is, Clay is smart guy who knows what works for him, and he was shrewd enough to realize that Spamalot, in its own nutty way, would be a good match for his talents and his sunny sensibility. "If somebody said to me, 'Who in this cast has never done theater?' he is the last person I would have chosen," says Hannah Waddingham, the Olivier Award-nominated British musical star who joined the Tony-winning musical as the Lady of the Lake the same night Aiken debuted. Three weeks into his run, Broadway's new Sir Robin shared his impressions of life in Spamalot.

How did you feel after your first Broadway performance? I thought, "Well, thank god that's over!" [Laughs.] A lot of people had asked me if I was nervous, and I didn't know the appropriate response. I really wasn't. I don't know if that's bad—to not be nervous. Yeah, it was the first time I was doing this, but the audience thing doesn't freak me out that much. I figured I was going to screw up at some point, so there's no reason to be nervous about wondering when [laughs]. It was actually somewhat relaxing, because the rehearsals are sooo grueling. It's not just the schedule, it's all the information and learning "this that, this that, this that, this that." Having the opportunity to go out and do everything you learned was kind of refreshing and kind of nice.

Had you ever acted on stage? I played Will Parker in Oklahoma! when I was in tenth grade.
That's a good part for you. After that, nothing. I got cut from a high school musical [Guys and Dolls]. I must have done so bad, they didn't want me back! [Laughs.]

Were you a fan of Broadway musicals? I didn't really know much about them. My knowledge of Broadway musicals ended at Oklahoma! When you do a show in high school, it's supposed to be a learning experience, so you learn a little bit about where the show started and who wrote it and where it was produced, etcetera. I saw Miss Saigon on Broadway when I was in tenth grade; I drove up here with some friends from church and we saw that, and it was pretty impressive. But as I've told a number of people, the only other show I remember seeing outside of high school was a regional theater production of Big River when I was in seventh or eighth grade.

And Martin Moran, who preceded you as Sir Robin on Broadway, was the star of that show, right? Yeah, that was kind of neat for me. I still haven't met him, actually!
So, who talked you into coming to Broadway? I wasn't talked into it. My manager is not a pushy person at all; he brings opportunities to me and says, "Think about it. If you want to do it, that's great. If you don't, you don't." We had had...I wouldn't say offers, I would say interest from a number of shows in the past.

Which ones? I'm not telling who I didn't pick! We'd had interest, but it was never something I ever thought I'd do. Nothing really struck me as exciting, but my manager said, "You know what? If you're going to do one, I think [Spamalot] is the one to do." And I was like, "Really?" So I saw the show and then I called him and said, "How do you figure this is the one to do?" He said, "Because of that reaction—because no one is going to expect it. It's not a show where you get to sing huge ballads and moving, soaring numbers. It's something completely different, and if you're going to do something like this, you should do it not as 'I'm bored,' but as 'This is an opportunity for me to grow and learn something new and branch out a little bit.'" And that's the reason I wanted to do it.

You didn't have to audition, or try out a British accent? Well, almost all the people I work with are British; it's been that way for five years, so I just mimic them. I did meet with [Spamalot director] Mike Nichols and we discussed some things and I did a few lines with him. They didn't ask me to sing or dance; they probably should have asked me to dance. We sat down and very casually walked through a few things that they had already asked me to do before we committed to it on either side. I think they wanted to see how they felt about it and I wanted to see how I felt about it too, so we kind of auditioned each other. I didn't audition Mike Nichols—don't say that! But I wanted to get a feel for what this would be like, because I knew it was going to be very different from what I'm used to.

That meeting obviously went well.There was a big concern for me—and I'll speak to you about this because your outlet speaks directly to [theater] people—about what they call "stunt casting." Based on some research I did, I know that a lot of diehard Broadway fans can't stand it, so there was automatic concern that people within the industry were going to be upset that I was doing this because I took [the role] away from somebody else or I didn't earn my way; I didn't audition the way everybody else does. I was concerned about that, not just in terms of Broadway fans but people in the cast who might have wanted to see somebody else get it. And I could not have been more wrong when it comes to the people who work in the industry. There's always going to be some 13-year-old sitting at his computer in Topeka who's bitter. But every person I've worked with has been unbelievably phenomenal and welcoming.

Mike Nichols isn't known for stunt casting. And in any case, you are a natural at this. What's been the biggest challenge for you?It's so physically demanding, which is interesting because [original Sir Robin] David Hyde Pierce is an amazing actor, but he's not a dancer and neither am I. The fact that they would ask us to do this part cracks me up. David Hibbard, who plays Patsy in the show and whose dressing room is next to mine, has become one of my favorite people because he's been so warm and inviting. He was telling me that when he first got to the show, for whatever reason they had him play Robin for two weeks, and he said he was never able to breathe because it's such a hard part. And he was in Cats for years. I said, "How interesting, because I can't breathe either!" Every single night, it just kicks my rear end! It's exhausting. So I'm not to the point where I think I've got everything right. They say that eventually your body gets used to it and it doesn't wear you out as much. I'm hoping that when that day happens, I'll be able to reflect a little bit more as I'm doing it. When I do a concert, I know the songs frontways and backways; I can sing a song and be thinking about something completely different while I'm doing it.

I doubt that! Are you kidding me? When I'm singing a song onstage in concert, I'm wondering what I'm doing for dinner. I'm like, "Oh wow, look at that person in the third row. Does she know her buttons are not in order?" I don't worry, I don't listen to the lyrics, I don't pay attention at all. I know that sounds horrible and I probably shouldn't tell you that, but it's true. I can think, "Oh that sounded good, I did well there." I can critique myself as I go. Here, I'm still thinking about "OK, left, right, jump, left, up, down, left, left, switch switch, flip, turn!" I don't have enough brain cells left over to consider whether or not I'm doing it well.

Is it fun to sing the show's politically incorrect song about Broadway shows needing Jews to be a success? You know, I'm kind of politically incorrect myself. I do worry sometimes, because it's a very fine line between humor and anti-Semitism, so I'm very careful as to how I say it. It's interesting, though—the first time I saw the show, I remember that being the song I laughed the hardest at. Every time I've seen it, it always gets the biggest laugh. I don't know that I'm doing it justice because I can't really get the audience's reaction. I'll watch other people's scenes and listen to the audience laughing and enjoying themselves, but in mine, I can't hear the audience for the amount of breathing that's going on in my ear [laughs].
What are you enjoying most about being on Broadway? I love the people I work with. I really enjoy getting there [to the theater] and talking to them and listening to what goes on backstage. It's kind of nice to have a big group of people to work with as opposed to being by yourself [doing concerts]. I've only been doing this for three weeks, so it's still new.

What's been the biggest surprise? I think I've been surprised at how much of a family the backstage is. David [Hibbard] put together this little quiz about knowing your fellow cast and crew members and whatnot. He got tiny secrets about each person, things that no one would expect about you, and he put about 100 of them into this quiz. You would not believe how much that has occupied everybody in the building. Everybody is running around trying to figure out everybody else's thing. It's really like a family.

How does eight Broadway shows a week compare in difficulty to ten weeks of competition on American Idol? Sixteen weeks! Without question, Idol was harder because there was the rehearsal period, kind of like I was telling you about for this, and the performance period all put together. There were so many different things involved, with eight-hour days, 10-hour days, 13, 14, every day of the week on Idol. Here, it is eight shows a week, but only two and a half hours a night. The weekends are unbelievably exhausting because we do five shows, but Idol does beat it as far as the amount of work. I don't think people understand how much work is involved for the contestants on that show. It's not just showing up on Tuesday and Wednesday night. At the same time, it's different than a touring schedule. On tour, I do five shows a week, and they're not as physically exhausting because I'm not dancing. But I'm sleeping on a bus and traveling to a different city every night, so it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Are you surprised that so many American Idol alums have turned up on Broadway? Not really. My situation is slightly different because I went into a show that was kind of unexpected; it's not a singing show. The other people who have done stage work from Idol have done shows where singing is important, and Idol finds people who are vocally talented. Fantasia was unbelievable in The Color Purple, but we always knew she could sing; we knew she had the ability to perform on stage. And we knew, because she was on Idol, that she had the ability to work hard. The same, I think, is true for everybody who has done [Broadway]. Diana DeGarmo was there with Fantasia, Frenchie Davis, Ruben [Studdard] is about to head out [on tour in Ain't Misbehavin'], so it doesn't surprise me that much. If you can handle three weeks of Idol, you've got the stamina [to do Broadway] because it's very stressful. I will say this, though: If I ever hear Simon Cowell insult someone on the show by using "You belong on Broadway" as a put-down, he can kiss my butt for that!

There you go! People on Broadway are, without question, the most talented people in the country because they're doing seven things at once! They're dancing and they're singing and they're acting and they're speaking in tongues and they're playing piano and tapping. I mean, if Simon uses that as an insult again, he can kiss it! If you think about the people who are most well known for being phenomenal at their craft—Glenn Close as a prime example—the reason they're so good is because they started on stage. If you can do this Broadway thing, you can do anything. I'm considering running for President! [Laughs.]

How do you see your career progressing? Will you continue to do covers or record new music? We did the cover thing last time; it's not a goal to do that again right now. Our next album is going to be all new stuff. That's kind of what I wanted to do last time and we took a detour. We're in the process of working on it. There's not horribly much to say about the next album, but we're hoping it's out in May.

Where are you on the spectrum of, say, a singer like Michael Buble vs. the kind of pop music they play on a top-40 station? I'm not going to compare myself to anybody. I don't know that I want to be on the spectrum. I don't plan to be on the radio. I'm not cool enough to be on radio. I'm still dorky and not relevant enough to some people to be on radio, and it's not a goal of mine. We've got this amazing producer who's going to do the entire album, and one of the challenges for him has been not worrying about radio, because he's been so attuned to trying to make hits. We're like, "Uhhh, nooo," because once you try to cater to the radio stations, you stop catering to (a) the listener and (b) me. I was discussing this very thing with my executive producers the other day and we said, if you try to make the music fit what you think radio is going to want, you're going to miss the mark. But if we just go out and do what we do well, then it's going to be natural and maybe radio will like it. It's not something that I'm averse to; I would absolutely love it if it happens, but it's not something to work toward at the expense of doing what we want to do.

You were a teacher before American Idol, and now you're involved with UNICEF. Do you see yourself performing for the rest of your life, or could you walk away and do something totally different? I'm never really good at answering that question; the answer changes every day. I enjoy what I'm doing right now. As long as I'm having fun, I'm going to continue to do it. When it stops being fun, I'll stop. But right now, it's fun.

See Clay Aiken in Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre.

Clay

Now That's How To Interview A Celebrity

2008-01-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

Clay Aiken recently gave an exclusive interview to americanidol.com and surprise, surprise, he was treated with RESPECT. Other media sources could learn a lesson from this interview, but I digress. To read the full interview - Our Exclusive Interview With Clay Aiken

As Clay so bluntly put it, the rigors of Broadway are "kickin' my butt!" With the debut of SPAMALOT on Friday, his schedule will only get busier. The show will run once a day from Tuesday to Friday and then twice on Saturdays and Sundays! As Clay relayed, having to put together all the acts of singing, dancing, playing piano, and speaking in an accent is more than he ever expected!

Clay is also astounded by the level of talent that has surrounded him during rehearsals. By the end of the day, they have filled his head with so much information that he has trouble remembering his own name!

Clay also discussed two things that are very close to his heart—his charities and his fans. What's interesting is the fact that the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, his fans have helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for organizations in which Clay is involved. The Bubel/Aiken foundation, formed by Clay, helps to include kids with disabilities in things like summer camp and sporting events. He also works closely with UNICEF to raise awareness about poverty stricken areas around the world. As Clay mentioned, his fans were the ones that helped raise over $100,000 in the ten days he spent in Mexico recently, helping those who were devastated by floods. They also helped to raise approximately $250,000 during his time in Afghanistan last year.

"Claymates," as his fans are often called, can expect something huge in return for their loyalty—a new album by Clay! While his last album was something that was desired by others, Clay says that this album contains music that is definitely desired by him. It is also the first time he is having one producer help him to put out the entire album. The result, he says, will be an album of original material that is consistent in its sound and its message to his fans—look for it to hopefully be released this May.

2008-01-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

A Legacy That Will Last

Albert Pines said, "What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for the world remains and is immortal."

I can't help but think of Clay Aiken when I hear this quote. I love to hear Clay sing and entertain thousands of people. The warmth of his smile and the sound of his laughter makes my heart smile with joy. His snarky sense of humor makes me laugh at the obsurdity of others, but that's just Clay's professional career.

Clay has a job as a singer and entertainer at which he earns a good living. His voice is what initially drew me to him, and I will forever adore his voice. Just the sound of his voice makes me feel good, even when the Aiken Random Lyric Generator kicks in or he makes an error in singing, I still love his voice. It does give SOME insight to the person who is Clay Aiken, but something else gives me more insight to his heart.

I did not know Clay before American Idol. I do not know him now. I have only watched him on television and live in concert, so I can only speak of what I've observed since 2003. What I have observed is a man who, before the fame that followed American Idol, cared for the disadvantaged children of the world. This was evidenced in his major at UNC-Charlotte, Special Education. He cared for children with disabilities, who were unfairly excluded from learning and playing with children without disabilities.

His final project before graduation from college was to develop an charitible organization whose mission was to include children with disabilities into activities with children without disabilities. He named his charity project the Bubel Aiken Foundation, based on the relationship he had developed with the Bubel family, who had a son with autism that Clay had worked with in college. After Clay's run on American Idol, his fans became aware of the "organization" and they began to donate money to the BAF in support of Clay and in support of the cause that was important to him. There was so much money that was donated, that it was decided to form the "real" Bubel Aiken Foundation. As the fans were educated and informed of the mission of the BAF, they discovered it was something they believed in and supported - not because of Clay, but because it was a good and right thing to do for society's children with disabilities.

As Clay's fame grew, so did his humanitarian endeavors. UNICEF recruited him, based on his character and his previous work with disadvantaged children, to join them in their efforts to help children of third world countries who needed their help. Clay became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador of Education. Clay's degree in Special Education certainly helped this endeavor, but UNICEF saw past the degree and looked at the whole man, the man who had a heart to help children.

UNICEF and Clay have made a great team together. They have sent him to Indonesia after the tsunami that killed so many Indonesians and destroyed their schools. Clay's job was to use his celebrity to draw attention to the plight of these children and to the work UNICEF has done.

UNICEF has sent him to Uganda to observe the "Night Commuters" who are forced to journey to town to sleep at night, inside the guarded walls, so that they won't be kidnapped, sexually abused or killed by the members of the Lord's Resistance Army. This is the only war in history aimed solely at children and it has been going on for more than 20 years without any intervention from the "Developed" countries of the world, including the United States. Their lives have been totally disrupted by the violence in Uganda waged against them.

Clay journeyed with UNICEF to Afghanistan to draw attention to the plight of the children of that country who's schools have been distroyed by war and the Taliban. He witnessed children who came from miles around to sit outside their demolished school and attend classes there. He also witnessed many girls that were allowed to attend school for the first time ever.

Most recently, Clay, his mother and brother, who is on leave from a second tour of duty in Iraq, went with UNICEF to the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco. Recent floods have destroyed homes and schools where the children would have attended. The floods also took many lives of relatives of the children in the area. Clay spent the Christmas holidays with these children, bringing them a song and a smile, and hope for a better tomorrow.

What an honor it must be for Clay to be chosen to go to four different countries with UNICEF to "Use His Voice" to help disadvantaged children, not only on a local level in Raleigh or Charlotte, NC, not only on a national level in the United States of America, but on a worldwide level. Fame and fortune may eventually fade for Clay. I hope that never happens, but if does, the good work he leaves behind will outlive fame and fortune. Long after Clay Aiken, the singer/entertainer is forgotten, the legacy of Clay Aiken, the man, the humanitarian, will remain and will never be forgotten.

2008-01-02T01:13:00.000-08:00

UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken And UNICEF Surpass Goal

The lofty goal of $100,000 was set for December 31, 2007 a few days before Christmas by UNICEF officials and Clay Aiken, for the flood victims of Chiapas and Tobasco, Mexico.

I wasn't sure it could be achieved so close to Christmas, but
I was thrilled to watch the UNICEF thermometer steadily rise over the next few days after the announcement.

On December 31, the thermometer began it's final uphill rise and topped the $100,000 goal and to my amazement, continued to rise. As of January 1, the donations had totalled over $109,500. This amount does not include all the donations that were mailed to UNICEF, instead of being donated online. Simply AMAZING!

Great job UNICEF, Mr. Ambassador, members of the Clay Nation and others members of society who care for the world's children. BRAVO!

2007-12-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

Clay Aiken & Family Celebrate Christmas With Survivors of Mexico's Floods

UNICEF Ambassador Aiken visits flood affected states of Tabasco and Chiapas

CHIAPAS, Mexico, Dec. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- UNICEF Ambassador and critically acclaimed recording artist Clay Aiken today wrapped up the first leg of his trip to the flood affected areas of southeast Mexico by participating in a gift exchange and "sing along" with over 300 children and their families at a camp erected for flood victims.

Aiken, who is traveling in the region with his mother and younger brother, a Marine on leave from Iraq, will also be part of a UNICEF delegation scheduled to visit the state of Tabasco over the next two days.

"The situation in Chiapas and Tabasco has really become a forgotten emergency," said the U.S. pop star who became an ambassador for the children's agency in 2004. "Telling the story of these brave people, especially the children, to a U.S. audience is the reason that I am here. Sharing this experience with my family during this time of year makes it even more special."
In one weekend last month torrential rains in Tabasco and Chiapas produced the worst flooding the region has seen in more than 50 years. More than one million residents of the two states have been affected, one third of which are children.

While an integrated humanitarian response lead by government and U.N. agencies has stabilized the emergency in Mexico, thousands remain homeless and displaced. According to UNICEF officials in the region, children are the most vulnerable in these situations. Hundreds of them are at risk of psychological trauma and many more are out of school due to extensive structural damage to school buildings.

Today's event, also attended by Hon. Isabel Aguilera de Sabines, First Lady of the state of Chiapas, was held in the city of Ostuacan where 19 deaths were recently reported after a series of mudslides engulfed the small mountain community of Juan de Grijalva and the search for six missing residents is ongoing.

Chiapas is bordered on the north by the state of Tabasco, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by the Central American nation of Guatemala and on the west by the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. Chiapas has 111 municipalities. Its capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez, lies near the center of the state. Tabasco is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Mexico, to the south by the state of Chiapas, to the east by Guatemala and Campeche and to the west by Veracruz. Villahermosa is Tabasco's capital city.

How To Help: Please visit: http://www.unicefusa.org or call 1-800-4UNICEF Attention Broadcasters: Hard copy b-roll footage available.

About UNICEF

For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading international children's organization, working in over 150 countries to address the ongoing issues that affect why kids are dying. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition, clean water, education, protection and emergency response saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions of children die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upper respiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partnering organizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reach to give children the best hope of survival. For more information about UNICEF, please visit http://www.unicefusa.org.

Website: http://www.unicefusa.org/

2007-12-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Sir Aiken The Courageous

Clay Aiken will take up the role as the cowardly Sir Robin, in Spamalot in January, but Clay has courage that I have rarely seen in most individuals. Last night he effectively put one of the scam artists in her place in Morristown, NJ. She's had an active role in scamming many of the fans and has now been exposed by Mr. Titanium, himself.

All the details are still emerging, but here's what we know so far. The screen names have been altered to protect the ones that might be possibly innocent. This recap has been posted with permission.

1. Jessie/Kristin has been spreading stories for well over a year, claiming that Clay is the father of one of her illegitimate children.

2. Jessie/Kristin has collected a lot of gifts, money, and a free car from other Clay fans who believed her.

3. Jessie/Kristin arranged for a Fake Clay to telephone, and send instant messages to several fans, including H*****, M*****, and G*****.

4. H*****, M**** and G***** believed every word that Jessie/Kristin and Fake Clay told them, even though none of it ever panned out. Every Single Time Fake Clay told them he would meet up with them it fell through. Yet none of them ever put 2 and 2 together.

5. H*****, M***** and G***** are full of lame excuses as to why the "Clay" they are supposedly talking to bears no resemblance to the REAL Clay, in either actions, or deeds. Their version of Clay is a cybersex addict, communicates with JP, never keeps to his word, and whines all the time.

6. The REAL Clay asked a certain special fan (who is apparently a member of Chexxxy's) to provide him with information as to who was spreading the Fake Clay stories.

7. When the perpetrator of the Fake Clay stories (Jessie/Kristin) had the GALL to sign up for, and win a M&G, Clay no longer remained silent.

8. Clay brought documentation of Jessie/Kristin's lies, made sure there were plenty of witnesses, and videotaped his confrontation of the fraudster.

9. Clay was in good spirits the rest of the evening, and put on a marvelous show.

10. Jessie/Kristin was in a BAD mood the rest of the evening, and left the show at intermission.

11. Fake Clay is now on the run. It remains to be seen as to whether or not his Cybersex girlfriends will wake up and smell the coffee.

If you want to read more, just go to Chexxxy's Pearls and start reading from the September archives.

2007-11-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome To Our World

Tears are falling
Hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised
We've been waiting
Welcome, Holy Child
Welcome, Holy Child

Hope that You don't
Mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace
Into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking
Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger
Sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart Whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

Welcome To Our World

Oh Holy Night

2007-11-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Clay Aiken's Christmas In The Heartland Tour
aka Joyful Noise '07

Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here.
Merry Christmas if even just one.
May the joy of the season surround you.
Merry Christmas with love.

It's the eve of a new tour, a new Christmas tour, and the excitement in the air is electric! This is Clay's fourth Christmas tour in four years. It's almost a tradition for Clay and his fans now, as we gather with old friends and make new friends on this new Christmas adventure.

Clay's set list will include selections from Merry Christmas With Love and maybe a few surprises along the way. Nothing helps me get into the spirit of the season more than gathering with a few thousand friends to kick back and hear Clay sing to us.

My favorite song is the title track from Clay's Christmas CD, Merry Christmas With Love. It seems to encompass the wonder and magic of the season from the young at heart to the very old at heart.

11/26/07, Wichita, KS, US Central Christian Church

11/27/07, St Louis, MO, US Fox Theatre

11/28/07, South Bend, IN, US Morris Auditorium

11/29/07, Waukegan, IL, US Genessee Theatre

11/30/07, Kalamazoo, MI, US Miller Auditorium

12/02/07, Washington, DC, US Warner Theater

12/04/07, Wilkes Barre, PA, US FM Kirby Center

12/06/07, New Brunswick, NJ, US State Theatre

12/07/07, Albany, NY, US Palace Theatre

12/08/07, Poughkeepsie, NY, US Mid-Hudson Civic Center

12/09/07, Uncasville, CT, US Mohegan Sun

12/11/07, Red Bank, NJ, US Count Basie Theatre

12/12/07, Easton, PA, US State Theatre

12/13/07, Morristown, NJ, US The Community Theatre at Mayo Ctr for the Performing Arts

12/15/07, Williamsport, PA, US Community Arts Center

12/16/07, Erie, PA, US Erie Civic Center Complex

12/17/07, Cleveland, OH, US Playhouse Square Theater

12/19/07, Minneapolis, MN, US Orchestra Hall

12/20/07, Minneapolis, MN, US Orchestra Hall

12/21/07, Omaha, NE, US Orpheum Theatre

12/22/07, Merrillville, IN, US Star

2007-11-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and this has caused me to slow down and take a few moments to reflect on what I'm thankful for this year.

I'm thankful to God for my good health, a good job, my family and friends, and friends that I've never met, but communicate with on the message boards. I'm thankful for Clay Aiken, his voice, his character, his life, and his devotion to inclusion of all children into activities where they can play and grow together.

I'm thankful for those people in this world who fight for what's right and good and fight against injustice. Although I miss our troops and want them to come home, I am thankful to those who are away from home and are fighting for our freedom. I'm thankful that I live in a country where I am free to speak about whatever is on my mind and worship freely.

As we push back from the turkey and ham this year, let's all stop and take a minute to give thanks for all that is good in our lives.

2007-11-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

Clay's Making A Difference

Clay Aiken, co-founder of the Bubel Aiken Foundation, joined the students of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader to try and win money for the many children his charity supports.

The Bubel Aiken Foundation serves to bridge the gap that exists between young people with special needs and the world around them. They support communities and programs in creating awareness and opportunities for full inclusion where barriers break and doors open. It is their goal to create an environment for children where inclusion is embraced.

Clay and the Bubel Aiken Foundation have set a goal of raising $1 million dollars to fund 100 Let's All Play summer camps throughout the country in 2008. In July, they were approximately 20% there ($200,000), but still lacked the 80% needed to reach the goal. Clay took a huge step towards meeting that goal on November 1st by playing on the game show with Jeff Foxworthy and the children. He showed his great acting skills, comedic timing, and fantastic rapport with the children as he answered question after question. Clay won $300,000 and his efforts gained the Bubel Aiken Foundation funding for 30 additional summer camps.

Clay had the option of trying for $500,000 if he knew the answer to the question, "Published in the 1780's, the Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and what may would later become a U.S. President?" Clay narrowed it down to James Madison or James Monroe. His gut told him it was Madison, but Clay wasn't 100% confident in his answer. The fact that if he missed the question, he would drop from 30 summer camps down to 2, helped him decide to "drop out" and keep his winnings of $300,000. That showed Clay's great character and wisdom that he placed the kids his foundation supports over his pride or competitive spirit. Jeff noted that as well. Just for fun, they played out the answer to the question and determined that Clay would have been right with his answer of James Madison if he had chosen to go ahead and risk it all, but he was still happy with his winnings.

My favorite part of the show was when Jeff said, "You're a quality human being and a man of character." It's nice to see other people finding out and acknowledging what we've known all along. I've included a clip of Jeff complimenting Clay at the end of the show.

2007-10-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Amazing Clay Aiken Performance At Neil Sedaka Celebration

I know, I'm a little late in posting this blog. To be honest, I thought other bloggers did such a great job, that I didn't really didn't need to say the same thing over again. However, Fox News "columnist", and I use that term lightly, Roger Friedman wrote a review of the Neil Sedaka spectacular that occurred in NY last week that I didn't agree with.

It's no secret that I like to hear Clay Aiken sing and entertain audiences in concert. I have no problem with the media not liking Clay's singing style or his music. But what I don't understand is the media's need to attack Clay's fans and bash his music, voice, and character, without obviously ever listening to him perform.

I have favorite sports teams, NASCAR drivers, and performers that I love to watch, and along with my favorites, I have those teams, drivers and performers that I don't like. I don't have to like them or their performances, but what I do owe them, is the respect they've earned. Why doesn't the media afford Clay the same courtesy?

I have an opinion on that very question that spans not only Clay Aiken and his fans, but to journalism, in general. I think today's journalists do not know how to research a story, get out of the office, and report the news. There are entirely too many "cut and paste" news articles that appear in newspapers around the United States and on multiple internet news sites. I guess if you're on a deadline and have empty space to fill, then it's all right to cut and paste news articles from Reuters, The Associated Press, and other news or entertainment organizations. The problem emerges when one person makes a mistake in their report, then the mistake is multiplied exponentially as many times as it is "cut and pasted" into other articles. I guess that's what Mark Twain meant when he said, "If you don't read the newspaper, then you're UNINFORMED. If you read the newspaper, then you're MISINFORMED."

Now I'll get off my soapbox about journalism in general and go back to the question I asked above, "Why doesn't the media afford Clay the same respect given to other entertainers?" I think it comes down, in a large part, to lazy journalism again. I have some tips for those lazy journalists who can't seem to write a good review and insist on continuing on the same road they have traveled down, for the last four years, making fun of Clay and his fans.

1. Don't "cut and paste." Instead of cutting and pasting your current review of Clay's performance into the template from four years ago, actually take time and listen to his performance. If, after you actually ATTEND a concert or LISTEN to a performance, you still don't like his performance, then fine, write your review. It's okay to not like a certain performance, but out of professional courtesy and at a minimum, actually attend and listen to the performance or concert before writing your review.

2. Report the facts. Report the facts, not the theories, rumors, or whatever runs through your imagination. Over the past four years Clay has successfully released three full albums, two single releases, an Christmas EP cd, co-authored a best selling book, and co-founded the Bubel Aiken Foundation that works to create communities where ALL children can learn, live, and play together. With autism affecting 1 in 150 children, it is an epidemic that affects us all. The Bubel Aiken Foundation is helping children with autism and other disabilities to be integrated into activities with children without disabilities, noting that all children benefit greatly from this inclusion. He is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF - my previous blog explains what it takes for someone to be CHOSEN by UNICEF to be an ambassador. He's served UNICEF in Indonesia, Uganda, and Afghanistan. Clay also serves on the President's Committee for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. He has successfully toured seven times in four years. Clay will be raising money for the Bubel Aiken Foundation when he tests his wits on Fox's Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader. He will be embarking on his next Christmas tour in late November and will begin a stint on Broadway in Mike Nichol's, Spamalot, starting in January and ending in May. BRAVO Clay!

3. Stop bashing Clay's fans. Clay appeals to fans of all varieties. The media seems to be hooked on the fans of Clay Aiken that are middle age housewives. There ARE Clay fans that are middle aged and are housewives, but that's not all his fans. I, for one, am not middle aged, nor am I a housewife. Clay has fans of all ages - from 6 to 106 years old. What's wrong with that? NOTHING. In fact, that is a pretty rare occurance for any entertainer. Clay has a lot of male fans too - again NOTHING wrong with that. Male or female fans, black or white fans, married or single fans, American or International fans, young, old or in between fans - Clay Aiken has them all. Deal with it and get over it.

Clay fans are not blind sheep following their "leader." They know Clay is not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, however; they see what's important to them and choose to overlook or forgive any flaws that Clay has. I mean seriously, who among us is perfect? NO ONE. They like Clay for different reasons, including his voice, character, entertaining skills, personality, intelligence, charitable endeavors, and all combinations in between. Many fans feel like there's something in Clay that touches a part of their heart, that no other person's music can touch. I love this quote which sums up what I'm trying to say, "Music is what feelings sound like" - author unknown.

Clay fans are definitely unique and don't fit the mold for any other particular artist and for some reason that seems to threaten the media, but then again Clay doesn't fit any mold either. When and if financially and physically able, many Clay fans travel to more than one concert. They are technologically advanced and intelligent, they have made lifelong friendships with other fans over the internet, and they have, arguably, one of the best and most extensive communication networks of any fan base in the world, all in support and love for the man and entertainer, Clay Aiken.

Clay Aiken's Performance of Neil Sedaka's, Solitaire - October 26, 2007.

2007-10-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

Celebrity Activists - Helping Others or Helping Themselves

There's been a recent article on ABC News.go.com about celebrity activists and their involvement in humanitarian and charity organizations that raises the question, "how involved are celebrity charity activists, and do they have ulterior motives?" It's a great question that deserves a second look; however only part of the question can truly be answered.

As much as we would like to have a magic way to look at a person's heart and discover their true motives, it's an impossible thing to do. However, we can look at their past involvement with humanitarian causes and their current involvement and try to use that data to discern if this person and their cause is trustworthy and deserving of our time, participation, and money.

Blair Soden with ABC News.go.com interviewed UNICEF's, Lisa Szarkowski, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Clay Aiken, to get some more information about how celebrities are chosen, how they are trained, how they get involved and how they can help by using their celebrity status http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=3748792&page=1. Aiken has been on trips, representing UNICEF, to Indonesia, Uganda, and Afghanistan and has helped raise thousands of dollars in support of UNICEF and the programs they administer in developing third world countries.

"Celebrities have the ear and attention of the public," said Szarkowski, who heads the ambassador program for Unicef. "They tend to command more attention than talking heads from our organization."

Attention that leads to big bucks. Aiken asked fans to donate money to Unicef to help the children in Lebanon and raised more than $75,000 in 24 hours.

So getting involved in causes may help celebrities draw attention to a specific need in some other part of the world as well as get their names in the spotlight -- but just how involved are they?

How Do Celebrities Get Involved?

It's not easy to be selected as a Unicef ambassador. The group sets high standards for celebrities to live up to.

"In terms of becoming an ambassador, it's definitely a process," said Szarkowski. "We like to work with people who are committed to the cause and the mission and to align themselves with us for the long term."

Clay Aiken made the cut when he was named a Unicef ambassador in 2004. The organization approached Aiken after hearing of his involvement with his own charity, the Bubel/Aiken foundation that helps young people with special needs.

Aiken said he felt obligated to help those in need.

"One of the most important responsibilities that you have if you're answering to the public is that you try to use that position in a way that serves the people you're trying to entertain," said Aiken. "I think you have a responsibility when you realize you have kids watching you. ... You can set an example to have kids doing drugs, or you can set an example to have kids helping their communities or their world."

Preparing for a Trip

Despite some common misconceptions, celebrity representatives don't just jet set off for a photo-op; they prepare for months before taking a trip.

"We prepare them pretty well," said Szarkowski. "People don't become ambassadors or supporters of ours unless they go through a process of learning about us and engaging with us." Celebrities sit through classes to learn about Unicef and all the various issues that threaten children's survival around the world.

"We study as much as we possibly can before we go," said Aiken. "And I study after I go, because I want to be an expert on it. I think it's a disservice to the country you're going to and the children you're trying to help if you don't know what's going on and can't speak knowledgably about your experience.'

Aiken said the preparation is necessary in order to meet with health ministers and other officials on these trips.

"It wouldn't behoove anyone if we just went in to take pictures and came back," said Aiken. "The goal of all these visits and the reason we sit through extremely long sessions sometimes is so when we come back we know what we're talking about."

What Really Happens on Field Visits

Aiken didn't know what to expect during his first visit to Uganda. He walked into the minimalist community center, where he expected nobody to know his name. Suddenly, he was greeted with bows from the crowd.

"When we walked in, they kept calling me your excellency," laughed Aiken. "I think both visits we've been on there have been misconceptions about how important I am."

All joking aside, no matter how famous -- or infamous -- a celebrity is, celebrity support is essential.

But with so many problem areas across the globe, how do celebrities decide which country they want to visit? For most, the decision is made based on where the greatest need is at that time.

"The celebrities we work with want to go where they can be most helpful," said Szarkowski. "We're fortunate to have that caliber of people who basically say to us, 'Tell me where you want me to go.'"

In her eight years at Unicef, she said she's never had a celebrity refuse to go where they were asked to go. And the places they're asked to go certainly don't come with luxe accommodations.
"It's usually a tent somewhere.That's our standard accommodation," said Szarkowski.

Aiken and others pay their own way when they travel on behalf of Unicef. However, once they reach their destination, they don't have the need for many expenses. Most nights they're sleeping in tents on the ground.

In addition to the bare bones travel accommodations, celebrities must cope with extremely dangerous situations. In order to avoid conflict, Prendergast said every minute detail of the trip must be mapped out.

"These trips have to be planned very well to ensure maximum impact and security," said Prendergast.

Security is something Hilton has expressed concern about regarding her upcoming trip, which has some people questioning her motivations.

"I'm scared, yeah. I've heard it's really dangerous," she said. "I've never been on a trip like this before."

All Attention Is Good Attention

Hilton will be filming scenes for her new reality TV show while she's in Rwanda, which has left some questioning the genuineness of her visit. But not everyone is upset about celebrities like Hilton lending their name to causes without much further involvement, if that is so in her case.

"I wouldn't judge people for what their motivations are," said Szarkowski. "We need everyone with a voice to help us get behind that and change that reality."

But, Aiken cautions, a focus on one organization or charity is important to the public.

"I get requests from every organization to come and do this or that," said Aiken. "It's not that I don't have a passion for kids with cancer, because I do. I feel like you can dilute your message if you talk about too many things."

While it remains to be seen how involved Hilton will be with her organization of choice, one celebrity who no doubt has stolen the humanitarian aid spotlight is in it for all the right reasons, according to Aiken.

"I look to Angelina Jolie as a prime example of someone who is doing an amazing job," said Aiken. "She really has a passion and she goes in and makes a point to educate herself about what's going on and that's the only way to do it."

2007-10-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken joins The Funniest Show on Earth January 18 – May 4, 2008 on BroadwayClay Aiken, who became a music superstar following his success on the American Idol television series, will join the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, making his Broadway debut in the role of Sir Robin, at the Shubert Theatre, New York, from January 18 to May 4, 2008.

Tickets are available online now at telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200/(800) 432-7250.

Directed by Mike Nichols, who won his eighth Tony Award for his direction of the new musical, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT has a book by Eric Idle, "lovingly ripped-off" from the screenplay of the Pythons' best- loved film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The music is by Eric Idle and John DuPrez.

Clay Aiken, who has sold more than 6 million albums; co-authored a best-selling book; and, played six sold-out concert tours, said "I really couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of people to work with. Let’s not lie, the chance to work with legendary creative minds like Mike Nichols and Eric Idle is, on its own, a reason to jump at this opportunity. But, that's not all. The producers and creative folks I have had the chance to meet and work with so far have been unbelievably welcoming and wonderful. They've really made me feel at home already, and I haven't even started yet!"

Director Mike Nichols said: "Clay Aiken is amazing beyond that glorious voice. Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character. People will be surprised by his wide ranging talent, since the first impression is of great country charm and a singer to remember. This guy is not only a star, he is a lot more. We are lucky to get him for SPAMALOT."

SPAMALOT author and original Python Eric Idle commented: "This is great news. I have been a Clay Aiken fan ever since I took my daughter to see him live on the second season of American Idol and she held up a big sign of his name. Maybe now it should read 'American Idle.'

"Other members of the SPAMALOT creative team include Casey Nicholaw (choreography), multiple Olivier Award-winners Tim Hatley (sets and costumes) and Hugh Vanstone (lighting) and Acme Sound Partners.

Winning more awards than any other show in the 2005 Broadway Season, including the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Cast Recording, SPAMALOT has set box office records since opening on Broadway to critical acclaim in March, 2005 at the flagship Shubert Theatre.

Monty Python's SPAMALOT celebrates one year in London’s West End at the Palace Theatre this week. SPAMALOT is also on National Tour around the US and is playing at Wynn Las Vegas. An Australian production will open in November in Melbourne.

Monty Python's SPAMALOT is produced by Boyett Ostar Productions, The Shubert Organization, Arielle Tepper, Stephanie McClelland/Lawrence Horowitz, Elan V. McAllister/Allan S. Gordon, Independent Presenters Network, Roy Furman, GRS Associates, Jam Theatricals, TGA Entertainment and Live Nation.

2007-10-10T14:12:00.001-07:00

Give Honor Where Honor Is Due

I want to take a moment to thank and honor Fresh Bread Weblog. They have seen an example of how Clay Aiken has both supportive fans and destructive enemies. They have taken the man at his word and have chosen to ignore the lies spoken about him. They have witnessed the extent that "evil" hates "good" and will go to any length to try and destroy goodness in the world. I appreciate their blog and support.

Fresh Bread Weblog featured Clay Aiken again today.

"Monday, I featured Clay Aiken on my "Fresh Bread" blog. Today, I bring him into focus one more time. Not because he is a product of my "hero worship." Only Jesus fills that bill for me. However, I discovered on Monday that Clay has even more fans than I realized. He also has more harsh detractors. So, today...I give honor where honor is due to one I consider a brother in Christ. I believe Clay is actively pursuing the passion of his heart and consciously demonstrating his faith...to bring healing to special needs children. Something he began BEFORE he became famous.Who is my family? As Jesus said, "He who seeks to DO the will of My Father." The video montage pictures Clay's heart. The music is one of my favorite songs, "The Prayer" by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church:"

2007-10-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Paulus's Recant

Big surprise - John Paulus said, "this was all a lie."

Why would he do this?

Who is involved?

What about the supposed evidence?

Was he paid?

What about his complaint to the FBI concerning the death threats?

"It was turned down by the U.S. attorney, and the FBI determined there are no federal statutes that have been violated," an FBI spokesman tells us. "It is a little strange." Side Dish - NY Daily News (Rush & Molloy 7/31/06).

... an evil scheme

... talking to the real Clay?

Maybe in his dreams (September 28, 2007)

... intergrity? Proven by running to the National Enquirer to repeat a story he said was a lie? Denying he ever said it was a lie?