With the unveiling of what we believe is the new Album cover, I thought it was time to have a bit of fun.
Below are the CD covers from Clay’s albums. Which one is your favorite?
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
Remember, you are voting for the cover, not the songs…
What is your favorite? Which is your least favorite?
A HUGE Thank you to all of you who introduced yourself yesterday. It was an honor to hear from each one of you!!
I tried to watch the People’s Choice Awards Wednesday Night…but…it just made me feel OLD. I didn’t know many of the people who were winning the awards. It just wasn’t interesting to me. I will watch when CLAY AIKEN is nominated!!
So…Wednesday night was the perfect time to spend some time organizing and cleaning up my computer. I have to be ready for February! Afterall, its 2012 – The Year of Clay Aiken!
I found the following scans from an interesting magazine article about Clay from January, 2006… It is titled Teen Magazine – Singapore. Enjoy!!
I realize it is hard to read….so the following is the article written out so you can read it!
Sheryl: You’ve been under the constant scrutiny of the media and the public lately. How do you cope with paparazzi and gossip tabloids?
Clay: Well, it just gets easier over time. When what’s printed becomes more outlandish and far-fetched, it’s easier to pay no attention to them. After you’re more familiar with tabloids and the industry, you start to realize how ridiculous these rumours and statements are. You have to thicken your skin, and learn to laugh at it. Just let it pass!
Sheryl: Share with us some of your most memorable experiences from high school.
Clay: (Excitedly) Oh, it’s definitely when I’m performing on stage! I’ve always sung in musicals and in choirs during my elementary and middle school years. But when I got to high school, I was cut from my senior musical! It got me really depressed, but I’m more than okay now! (Laughs gleefully) Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team, but look now, he’s the Michael Jordan! (More laughter) I’m not saying I’m Michael, but you know, it works out eventually!
Sheryl: What’s your most embarrassing high school memory?
Clay: (Playful sigh) I’ve had so many embarrassing moments that there isn’t really one that stands out! Oh, when I was twelve, I was not popular at all. In fact, I was kind of a dork. When I was going to school, the cool thing to do was sit at the back of the bus. I was the kid who always sat right in front, and because I lived further away from school, my stop would be one of the lasts. So as more and more kids got off the bus, I’d slowly try to sneak closer to the back of the bus. It didn’t work, I got beat up by the cooler kids for moving too far back! Not cool at all.
Sheryl: Did you have a nickname back in high school?
Clay: Hmm… No, not really. There wasn’t a nickname that stuck. I think that’s a good thing!
Sheryl: Besides appearances, how have you changed since high school?
Clay: Well, I’m definitely ore confident than I was then. (Jokingly) I’ve got a few more friends now! I had friends who were older than I was, and they’d tell me that once you got out of high school, no one really cares how popular you were. I didn’t believe them until I graduated and went out into the ‘real world’. They were right, the superficial things like whether you were popular or cool in school don’t really matter! So now I’m a lot more comfortable with myself, and I know there are more important things that matter.
Sheryl: You have a bachelor’s degree in Special Education. Is this what you’ve always wanted to study?
Clay: Not always. I was always planning to study music! But when I came out of high school, I spent two years working with kids before going to college and discovered my passion for it. I worked with kids who had autism, and I just kind of fell into it. I still have a huge dream for it! (Clay Aiken is on the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities)
Sheryl: What are some New Year’s resolutions that you have for 2007?
Clay: Oh, I’m a ‘never-make-resolutions’ kind of person. I mean, if there’s something you want to change about yourself, you should just change it now! Why wait until next year? I’m a ‘right-now-resolution’ kind of man. (An amused laugh fills the line)
Sheryl: What can fans (aka Claymates) expect from your latest album, A Thousand Different Ways?
Clay: We had a mandate to do an album of the greatest love songs: it’s a test and a challenge in a way! I want to change them in my own way, you know? Deliver it with a spin to make something that’s true to the song and true to me – a sound different enough to be current and original, yet still genuine.
Sheryl: You’ve toured the United States and Canada on various occasions to promote your albums. When can we expect you in Asia?
Clay: (Energetically) I’d love to come to Singapore! I’ve been to Kuala Lumpur, but that’s as close you guys as I’ve been. We’ve actually be considering it in the last year, it’s been a topic that’s ‘floated’ within conversations. But no promises just yet though!
When Americans watch television, they can’t miss the talent and reach of Tyra Banks. In 2003, Banks became a true pioneer in reality TV when she created, executive produced, and hosted the tremendously successful “America’s Next Top Model.” The show quickly became a phenomenon and was UPN’s most-watched program for six seasons.
With the launch of her syndicated daily talk show “The Tyra Banks Show,” Banks became one of the few women to be seen regularly on both daytime and primetime television. Premiered in 2005, the talk show quickly became one of the most popular new daytime programs on the air, and continues to boast the youngest audience in daytime.
On November 22, 2006, Clay Aiken was a guest on the Tyra Banks Show. It was a huge hit with the television audience and the live audience reported that it was one of the best shows they had ever seen.
The live audience saw Clay sing at the beginning of the show. He first sang “A Thousand Days.” Then, after a quick set change, he sang “Mary, Did You Know” that would be used on another show.
According to reports from audience members, the director planned on taping 2 segments of Clay and Tyra. However, the two stars just had so much fun together that they just kept filming.
More and more people from backstage filtered in to watch and listen as the show went on and on. The serious man who held the cue cards began to laugh… a lot. Two of the cameramen were grinning ear-to-ear the entire show. The young director talked and laughed with Clay during the breaks. They all seemed to be having a great time.
During one of the breaks, Quiana came out onto the set and stood behind the couch talking to Clay. Clay turned to the audience and told the story of how Quiana had beaten him in his first AI audition. He said he wished they could hear her sing. Quiana acted rather shy and started to leave. The warmup man gave chase and dragged her back out and gave her a microphone. Clay said to Tyra, “If I get her to sing, will you tell her about your hair weave?” Tyra agreed. Quiana then blew away the place with “I Will Always Love You.” The warmup guy commented about what kind of a guy Clay was and how rare it was to see a big star do something like that. He later said Clay was the best interview they had ever had.
Fortunately, we have videos of the show. We don’t get to see the fun backstage antics, but we can see how relaxed Clay and Tyra were as they talked to each other.
If you watch the videos, you will see talk about Clay’s changing looks, his allergies and even a short segment when Clay interviewed Tyra. Oh yes, even a small kiss!!
The three videos take a bit more than 30 minutes, but they are so worth it. We can all hope that there will be another fun interview with these two good friends.
Have you ever watched the television show, The Insider? Considered a news program that has become tabloid television, The Insider covers the news, celebrities and events in the entertainment field.
Clay Aiken has been a frequent visitor to The Insider. According to what I have found, Clay has been featured on the show 45 times. The show appeared to like Clay and it seemed that Clay enjoyed talking to Pat O’Brien, the original host of the show. Lara Spencer also interviewed Clay when he was in New York.
The following pictures are only a few of the available pictures of Clay when he was on The Insider. Do you remember any of these visits?
The Insider always supported Clay when he traveled for UNICEF.
On January 4, 2005, Clay was featured as he talked about how we all could help Indonesia.
On April 5, 2005, The Insider covered Clay’s trip to Indonesia
The Insider visited Clay backstage at the Joyful Noise Tour on October 31, 2005
SMILE…On August 21, 2006 The Insider featured the ATDW photo shoot. They showed many great shots of the photographer and Clay.
Look at some of the screen cap messages from The Insider
These are only a few of the pictures from The Insider. I am certainly glad that they enjoyed having Clay on their program. Those pictures are so much fun to see!! Which one is your favorite?
Do you remember “They Will Be Locked”? Clay Aiken shouted out this phrase when he was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live in September of 2006.
As always, Clay and Jimmy seemed to enjoy chatting with each other. Jimmy introduced Clay as his best friend and Clay presented Jimmy with his Relly award that he took from Jimmy’s office.
Jimmy had collected some items from Clay’s Fan Club store. Jimmy held up 2 different boxer shorts, a thong, a signed pashmina and a paper fan that featured Clay’s face!!
Clay related a story about a presidential motorcade that stopped traffic and made Clay wait for about 25 minutes. He told about the limo driver that was not too patient when Clay was concerned about the door of the limo being locked….so “THEY WILL BE LOCKED!!”
Two young ladies who were a part of the audience were shown having Clay’s signature tattooed on their backs. They came up to the stage to show Clay. However, Clay could not be out-done. He rolled up his pant-leg and showed off his “tattoo” of Jimmy. He even complained that he had to shave his leg for Jimmy.
After the chat, Clay moved to the Pontiac Stage and gave a short concert for the audience. The television audience heard A Thousand Days and a few lines of Invisible. The live audience heard Without You, When I See You Smile and Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word.
I hope that Clay will have the opportunity to visit Jimmy again. The two men really entertain the audience when they chat together…its great TV!!
Have you even seen Clay live at a TV taping?
Clay Aiken was in the “blender.” It was September 22, 2006, the fourth day of his frantic spin through the talk-show circuit to promote his new album, A Thousand Different Ways
Clay was greeted warmly by the entire panel of ladies on The View. They all commented about his new hairstyle.
Rosie O’Donnell took the lead role in the discussion with Clay. She related that she had her roots in Star Search and could relate to his experience on American Idol and how overwhelming the whirlwind was after the show.
Rosie said that Clay is just a kid who was pushed into the top of the celebrity world. She commented that it is hard to stay grounded, but that he was a good person and deserves the very best. Clay commented that he had no idea how big the AI show was while he was on it. He realized it when he went to Fantasia’s show and saw the press. He was told that night that in his year, it was much bigger.
There was some talk about panic attacks and how common they are in the world. In describing his panic attacks, Clay explained that he would feel like everything was whirling around him, that the walls were closing in and then it would hit! Clay also said that the panic attacks are not over, not 100% under control yet.
The ladies were very supportive and wanted to make sure they conveyed the fact that the panic attacks were nothing to be ashamed of. They all agreed that getting help was the right thing to do. Rosie said to the fans that Clay knows you love him, but love him from a distance…that is what a true fan would do.
The audience was excited to see Clay and hear him sing. Clay performed Without You. It was a strong performance and there was lots of applause and cheers for the performance. Rosie’s parting comment was “I admire you.”
Two videos are available for this appearance and the first one includes the positive interview. The second video is Clay’s performance of Without You.
It is hard to believe that it has been 5 years since Clay Aiken released the album, A Thousand Different Ways. After many starts, twists and turns, this album, filled with love songs, revealed some real gems.
Clay started the promotion for A Thousand Different Ways with an appearance on The Tonight Show. Sometimes you just remember certain Clay Aiken performances more than others. Clay’s visit with Jay Leno on September 15, 2006 is one that is remembered and popular with many fans.
Howie Mandel was the first guest on the show. He was very funny and his comedy relaxed Jay and the audience. But the audience was waiting for Clay and he certainly didn’t let them down. He seemed very relaxed and chatted about many different topics. All three of the men seemed to have a good time together and kept the audience entertained.
Clays engaging interview featured his European vacation. He chatted about passing out in McDonald’s while in Slovenia and getting so ill that he started planning his funeral. He even mentioned that he wanted Ruben to sing at the service!!
But this visit to the Tonight Show was really remembered more for the stunning look that Clay had that night. There was just something special about the gray suit that made Clay look amazing. The pictures from that night are some of the best and the two videos are pretty awesome too.
A BIG Thank you to all of you who participated in the Song Poll this week. It was fun to see some names I didn’t recognize. I hope you will comment again!!
I found the results of the poll to be very interesting. Of course, this is just a small group of fans that voted, but it still showed a trend. So…here we go!!
Measure of A Man
Every song from this album received votes. This Is The Night received the least votes.
10 points – The Way
8 points – Measure of A Man
6 points – Touch
5 points – I Survived You
Merry Christmas With Love
Four songs received no votes
18 points – Mary, Did You Know
13 points – Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day
8 points – O Holy Night
A Thousand Different Ways
This was very close…there didn’t seem to be a huge favorite from this album.
7 points – Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
6 points – A Thousand Days
5 points – Because You Loved Me
5 points – Here You Come Again
5 points – Broken Wings
On My Way Here
The only song without any vote was Weight of The World.
9 points – Something About Us
8 points – Everything I Don’t Need
4 points – Ashes, As Long As We’re Here, Sacrificial Love
Tried & True
Every song received at least one point…but this wasn’t even close!!
24 points – Unchained Melody
7 points – Suspicious Minds
5 points – It’s Impossible
There were lots of comments that mentioned All Is Well and wanted to vote for it. Also, Lover All Alone received votes for two albums…if you put them together; people seem to really enjoy it!!
Are the results surprising to you? Did any of your favorites win??
Thanks again for participating. I think this was fun!!
A quick apology for the Wednesday Blog. I need to proof-read a little better. I did know that August 24th was not Clay’s birthday…I just didn’t write it clearly. I did change it when I checked in the morning!!
Follow Us!