Clay Aiken – A Gifted Improvisational Comic

By musicfan123 · Comments (11)

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

As Celebrity Apprentice continues, it seems that more and more Internet sites are presenting their reviews an opinions about the show. As I am writing this, it has only been 24 hours since the program was over. I have listed 17 articles about Clay Aiken and Celebrity Apprentice. There are probably at least 20 more that mention Clay but are short and mostly quote the articles I have mentioned. I am sure there will be more published during the week.

I do hope that you are visiting these sites and when you can, comments always make the site feel good. OK…….the following articles are some of my favorites.

Recappers Delight – Funny Television Recaps

by Claire Abraham

This article is a fun review of Celebrity Apprentice. The writer uses humor to get her point across. AND…she mentions Clay throughout the article, giving him credit where credit is due. The following are a few mentions of Clay from this article:

…Lisa comes through the door pumping her fist like a football player who scored the winning touchdown rather than like a person who was in danger of going home after losing her fifth task in a row. Clay questions the glee, as Lou is still a person, but Lisa tears him a new one because that is what Lisa does, pretty much, for a living. Then Aubrey talks trash about Clay in a confessional, because that is pretty much what she does as her only really consistent gameplay tactic.

…In the Forte car, the world finds out something that we never knew. Clay knows how to use puppets. He used to use them in church. Clay tells the camera that he’s not sure how the folks at Forte operate, and he hopes they will all get along. So, of course, that’s the cue that a fight is about to break out.

…It’s rehearsal time at Forte, and Clay and Lisa begin really working with their puppets. Penn has a stunned revelation. Clay is good at this. Clay is REALLY good at this. His squeaky voices and clever connections stay completely up to speed with Ms . Twenty Years in the Business.

…So, how did all this fighting affect the performance? Forte killed it. Penn led the festivities with infectious energy. The first skit was about having the puppets discuss an activity one could do in a foreign country. The result was Bjork ice-fishing in Iceland and Clay, who had the more difficult task of being the lucid one in the skit, was… wonderful. That’s not just my Claymate heart talking. That’s the concensus all over the internet. If he ever decided he just can’t get any decent original songs for his albums, he could join an improv troupe and be just wonderful at it.

There is so much more in this article. You can read the entire review at RECAPPER

Reality Blurred – Clay Aiken Finds His True Calling As An Improv Puppeteer After Lisa Makes Dayana Cry.

by Andy Dehnart

… Clay Aiken surprisingly, offered a sexist read of these events that rivaled the kind of stuff Donald Trump would say; Clay wrote off Lisa’s anger by suggesting it was because Dayana was more attractive (“screw beautiful—stunning”) than Lisa. Please.

… But the big surprise was Clay, who proved himself to be both a good puppeteer and a gifted improvisational comic. He was so funny he caused Lisa to crack up, at least more than she did later…

This article can be found at REALIYBLURRED

The Majors – No Surprise In Celebrity Apprentice As Longshot Paul Teufel is Axed

Celebrity Apprentice Latest Odds 4/16/2012

Clay Aiken (3-1)

We all discovered Clay’s a wiz at improvisational puppeteering! Who knew? (But we should have suspected…)

You have to give Aiken credit for not only being a puppet master, but for knowing exactly when to weasel and when to wait for others to do the weaseling. That’s one smart weasel!

While the former runner-up in American Idol remains the favorite, his odds stay at 3-1 because his strongest competitors are still around.

You have to assume Clay’s strategy is to:

- WAIT for manic/depressive Lampanelli to… a) Have a stroke; b) Get strangled by Mendoza; c) Get put into intensive care after Lou Ferrigno returns with ‘roid-rage and follows through on his previous threat to throw Large Lisa “through a wall;” d) All of the above.

- WAIT for Penn to go over the limit for Celebrity Apprentice Personal Days Off, miss his third show (you figure that bus will eventually pull up), and get let go by The Donald.

- SLYLY PROVOKE Aubrey (shouldn’t take much) into calling him any one of a dozen gay slurs (her choice) and forcing her termination.

- WISELY CONCLUDE that the remaining others are no match for his vastly superior weasel skills.

Weasel??? No…But I am glad they see that Clay is talented!!

The entire article can be seen at THEMAJORS

Television Blend - Celebrity Apprentice Power Rankings: Why Is Clay Aiken So Good With Puppets?

Author: Jessica Grabert and Mack Rawden

Each week, Jessica and Mack rank the celebrities. Each week, Clay moves up in the rankings. This week, Clay is ranked #1 The following is what they say about Clay:

The Celebrity Apprentice Power Rankings are an ordered compilation of weekly lists put together by TV Blend writers Jessica Grabert and Mack Rawden. Each week after viewing the episode, they each rank the competitors in order. Seventeen points are given for a first place vote, and this week, eleven were given for a last place vote. Eleven competitors have already been eliminated; therefore, those people automatically occupy the bottom slots. Here is how this week’s voting panned out, complete with analysis on how the celebrities might fare moving forward.

#1) Clay Aiken (34): If you didn’t watch this week’s episode, find it immediately, if for no other reason than to watch Clay manipulate puppets. I couldn’t even believe some of the sounds coming out of his mouth. If the whole singing thing doesn’t work out, he could easily have a second career in voice acting. Every character he played had a different tone of voice, and some of his off-the-cuff lines were brilliant. I can’t say enough positive things about the American Idol contestant this week.

Here’s a look at how the ballots shook out…

Jessica:
Clay Aiken (17)
Penn Jillette (16)
Aubrey O’Day (15)
Arsenio Hall (14)
Dayana Mendoza (13)
Lisa Lampanelli (12)
Teresa Giudice (11)

Mack:
Clay Aiken (17)
Penn Jillette (16)
Aubrey O’Day (15)
Arsenio Hall (14)
Lisa Lampanelli (13)
Dayana Mendoza (12)
Teresa Giudice (11)

This review is always lots of fun and I love reading about each of the contestants. You can read the entire article at TVBLEND
Thank you to cindilu2 at CV for the screen-caps that she worked with…great pictures!! Don’t forget to click on the pictures to see them in the original size.

Are you surprised that Clay is getting so many positive reviews about his Improv/Puppet work?

Are you still upset with Aubrey for her “gay bullying” of Clay?

Do you think GLSEN is aware of what Aubrey is saying?

Thanks for all your support…I always love to hear from you!

Clay Aiken – So Much Besides Taxes!

By musicfan123 · Comments (11)

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

It is April 15th – Most of us look at this date and think taxes! But…this year taxes are due on Tuesday, April 17. The extra break was granted because April 15 is a Sunday this year, and Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington D.C. that celebrates the freeing of slaves in the district.

BUT…instead of taxes, I would rather think about some of the fun things that Clay Aiken did on April 15th.

April 15, 2003 - American Idol presented the Top 7 performers on Billy Joel Night. Each singer was required to sing a song made famous by Billy Joel.

Clay Aiken was the last performer on this night and the judges remarks from this performance have been quoted many times. Most Clay fans will remember “I just can’t wait till you let loose and dance a little more!” Then Clay’s answer… baby-steps!!

Then, who could forget Simon’s “I prefer you when I shut my eyes.”

Tell Her About It was a wonderful choice for Clay to make. Starting out as a ballad and then, WOW, he changed it to up-tempo. It was the night that Clay changed his whole style and delivery. He never missed a step. When was the last time you watch Clay sing this on American Idol? Enjoy!!

April 15, 2004 – Clay was in Kansas City, MO. Clay and Diane Bubel were at part of Hallmark’s Kaleidoscope. Clay and Diane participated in a private art session. The program integrated children with special needs with their typical peers. They paired up to produce art projects that were based on the theme, How Art Defines Me. From the pictures, it looks like Clay had as much fun as the kids!

April 15, 2004 – After a day of working with the kids on their art projects, Clay performed at the Kember Arena as part of the Independent Tour. This performance was special because it was almost the end of the successful tour for Clay and Kelly Clarkson. This performance produced some fun pictures.

April 15, 2005 – This was National Youth Service Day. Clay was in Hollywood, Florida and he joined a group of Best Buddies kids to plant trees in the area.

National Youth Service Day is a public awareness and education campaign that highlights the amazing contributions that young people make to their communities 365 days a year. As the largest service event in the world, it mobilizes millions of young people to address the needs of their communities, and educates the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders.

April 15, 2012 – Clay Aiken will be seen on NBC as a contestant on the popular show, Celebrity Apprentice. The show tonight is episode 9 and is titled Puppets Up. The show should be filled with lots of fun, laughs, tears, and drama. This show is NEVER boring!

Don’t forget to check in on Monday. The reviews, articles and pictures of Celebrity Apprentice will be posted throughout the day as they become available.

Comments (11)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : American Idol, Best Buddies, Billy Joel, Celebrity Apprentice, Clay Aiken, Emancipation Day, Hallmark's Kaleidoscope, Independent Tour, Kansas City, Kelly Clarkson, Kember Arena, National Youth Service Day, NBC, Puppets Up, Tax Day, Tell Her About It

Clay Aiken – Speaks His Mind!

By musicfan123 · Comments (20)

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Clay Aiken held a Live Video Chat on his Official Fan Club on Wednesday evening. After a small technical “blip” at the beginning, most fans that were in attendance thought it was the best Video chat so far.

So…the following are some observations and information that was shared on the chat:

Clay came across as relaxed and happy.
He included his good friend, Cameron, in the chat. Cameron was on-screen and even answered some questions. Cameron’s girl friend was Clay’s roommate in college.
Clay was dressed casually in his PJ’s and no socks!!
He still doesn’t like twitter but will continue even after Celebrity Apprentice is over.
In a strong voice Clay said that everyone needs to quit criticizing his hair…he will wear it however he wants!
Asked if he will ever be on American Idol, he responded..No way in Hell.

Since this was all on the Official Fan Club, I do not feel comfortable reporting anymore information about the chat. Clay and his team have asked us to not copy things from his site unless it is on the public side of the site. Certainly we will honor those wishes. I can share that Clay did not give any information about dates for concerts.

It was such a fun chat. I hope most of you had the opportunity to watch Clay and hear his thoughts.

For those of you who were involved with the chat, what was your favorite moment from last night’s chat?

Comments (20)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : American Idol, Carnegie Hall, Celebrity Apprentice, Clay Aiken, Donald Trump, National Inclusion Project

Clay Aiken – The Favorite Day of the Week!

By musicfan123 · Comments (15)

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

I have decided that Mondays are my favorite days of the week…This revelation came to life on February 20, 2012 when I lived through the first Monday of the new season of Celebrity Apprentice. Of course, I love Sunday night when I get to watch the show on TV, but by the time this Californian sees the show, I have already read the “live” tweets from Clay Aiken and read the comments on-line. It makes for an interesting evening. But Mondays? We all get to read and see the different articles, reviews and interviews about the latest events on Celebrity Apprentice.

According to George Takei, Clay Aiken is “Catty and Back-biting!” Yes…George just decided to be a poor sport and had to put the blame on someone. Of course, if it is posted at one place, it will be posted everywhere. Anyone who watched the show last Sunday knows that Clay was honest and correct in his evaluation of George. It is too bad the other men had trouble being honest from the beginning.

The following are some of the many sites that wrote about Celebrity Apprentice and Clay Aiken.

Television Blend

Celebrity Apprentice Power Rankings: Aubrey O’Day Makes Her Mark

This site posts the ranking of the Celebrity Apprentice contestants on each Monday after the Sunday broadcast of the show. So far, the site is not sold on Clay Aiken. The following is what they said about Clay:

The Celebrity Apprentice Power Rankings are an ordered compilation of weekly lists put together by TV Blend writers Jessica Grabert and Mack Rawden. Each week after viewing the episode, they each rank the competitors in order. Seventeen points are given for a first place vote, and this week, three were given for a last place vote. Three competitors have already been eliminated; therefore, those people automatically occupy the bottom slots. Here is how this week’s voting panned out, complete with analysis on how the celebrities might fare moving forward.

#9) Clay Aiken (17): Clay Aiken is clearly a competent worker and has proven so by contributing each and every week. Unfortunately, thus far, he has lacked the people skills necessary to win Celebrity Apprentice. This week, when asked how the project manager was doing, Aiken just giggled and then gave a cagey answer. He did this awkward, unfair behavior thing twice during the show. Contestants have to dish out criticisms carefully, they have to give respect to earn respect, and they have to act like they are part of the team. Aiken’s got the last part down, but the jury’s still out on the other aspects.

It will be so much fun watching this site each week as they struggle through ranking, not by what they see on the show, but what their pre-conceived ideas are about some of the contestants. You can see the entire article and rankings at TelevisionBlend

Zap2It seemed to be the first site to quote George about his feelings towards Clay Aiken. They said:

Celebrity Apprentice: George Takei says Clay Aiken is ‘backbiring,’ ‘Catty”

George Takei was feeling candid Monday (March 5) morning after watching himself get fired by Donald Trump in Sunday’s episode of “The Celebrity Apprentice” and seeing what his teammate Clay Aiken had to say about him during the show.

The “American Idol” runner-up memorably called the “Star Trek” actor and gay rights advocate “slower” during the window-dressing challenge, insinuating to Eric Trump that Takei wasn’t a good project manager.

“I pegged him immediately as the catty one, despite that molasses sweet accent,” Takei said in a phone interview from New York on Monday, adding that Aiken, who in the boardroom proclaimed to have great respect for Takei, was “backbiting” and “sniping.”

“He is determined to win, and he will do it with little snide snipes,” Takei said.

George…get a grip!! You came across as needy and confused! You can read the entire interview at ZAp2IT

Lifelinelive is another on-line site that reported about Clay Aiken and George Takei

George Takei: Clay Aiken is ‘catty’ on ‘Apprentice’

“I did not live long and prosper there,” said George Takei this morning onToday of his short-lived stint on Celebrity Apprentice.

Even though he seemed to be respected by almost everybody, the Star Trekstar was fired by Donald Trump on last night’s episode. Cheryl Tiegs and Victoria Gotti have exited so far.

Takei, 74, was the oldest competitor this season. He was project manager last night overseeing a task of designing a window at Lord & Taylor to showcase Ivanka Trump’s clothing line. His all-male team lost to the women’s team, and Takei took the fall. “President Truman said the buck stops here. I have to be the man occupying the desk where that buck stops,” he said this morning.

Takei added that Clay Aiken, the youngest member of the team who described Takei as “slower” during the task, was “a little catty.”

And Takei told Zap2it today that Aiken “is determined to win, and he will do it with little snide snipes.”

This particular article was repeated on many sites. Too bad the writers don’t seem to care what happens…they just need hits!

Xfinity. the cable channel posted an article about the last episode. They said:

Over the weekend, we speculated how Clay Aiken and George Takei were going to get along in this week’s“Celebrity Apprentice” task, which was going to be managed by Takei. It turns out that they got along, but Aiken couldn’t help but be a “chatterbox gossip,” as Takei described on a conference call last week, chuckling when adviser Eric Trump came by the worksite to ask Clay how George is as a boss.

So when the men’s team lost the competition to create a “living window” at Lord & Taylor for Ivanka Trump‘s collection, Clay was one of the first to speak up. In fact, he was criticizing Takei’s hands-off management skills in the boardroom even before the teams found out who won.

Even though Arsenio Hall made some pretty severe mistakes in choosing the clothes the models in the window would wear, Clay’s criticism pretty much sank things for Takei, and he knew it. Takei didn’t exactly fall on his sword, but when Donald Trump asked him who he thought he should fire, George gracefully pointed out that all signs seem to be pointing his way.

You can read the entire article at Xfinity

There are at least 15 more articles about Clay and George…too bad…Publicity is important, but George just is in another “fantasy” land!!

Did you hear the Clay Aiken radio interview on Howard101 with Lisa Lampanelli. You can hear the interview on the following YouTube.

Now, I hope this article posts. We are having some technical problems with CANN lately. They are just little things, but make posting a real difficult project.

Did you enjoy the latest episode of Celebrity Apprentice?

Did you think Clay was “Catty”?

Comments (15)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : American Idol, Aubrey O'Day, Celebrity Apprentice, Clay Aiken, George Takei, LifeLineLive, Television Blend, xfinity, Zap2it

Clay Aiken – Tambourine Player!

By musicfan123 · Comments (13)

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Happy Leap Year! Leap years only come about once every four years. Why? Well, in my words…Leap year came about when the creators of the solar calendar realized we needed to add an extra day every four years to synchronize with the seasons and with the astronomical year. February 29 has become known as Leap Day. Since it only comes around every four years, do you have any special Leap Day traditions?

After last weekends broadcast of Celebrity Apprentice, the news, the speculation and the insults continue. Did you read these articles?

From Television Blend:

Celebrity Apprentice Power Rankings: Lou Hulks Up In The Boardroom

This site ranked each contestant. The following is what they said about Clay Aiken:

#11) Clay Aiken (16): Clay Aiken has been fairly effective thus far this season. He gets plenty of screen time each episode, due to his singing skills and his energetic presence. This week, he jumped around with a tambourine, he sang to get the crowd pumped up during the challenge, and he kept the men’s team on track to ensure the lighting and sound guys got the right cues. Clay Aiken knows what he has and how to make use of his own skills. However, he does not always fully understand his teammates personalities or what skills those teammates possess. Expect him to stick around for a while as the helpful dude with some good ideas, but do not be surprised if a run at project manager ends up being a disaster for Aiken.

Hmmmm!! I don’t think these people know much about Clay! You can read the entire article at TVBlend

Digital Spy wrote a review of the entire episode of Celebrity Apprentice. It was somewhat accurate, but had little to say about Clay. This is all I found in the article:

Penn – who narrates with George Takei - admits the whole piece doesn’t really have a plot, it’s more to highlight the celebrity team.

Their idea is two knights - Lou Ferrigno aka Sir Lou of Hope and Paul Teutul aka Sir Paul, The Orange County Senior – jousting over the hand of a beautiful maiden (played by Dee Snider in drag) who is accompanied by her trusty sidekick Clay Aiken, who introduces her by singing. Sir Lou ends up winning but when he sees his prize up close opts to kill himself rather than kiss her.

The men seem to work well together during rehearsals, with the only real mishap being Snider breaking his finger, however instead of going to the hospital he soldiers on with the show.

The entire article can be read at DigitalSpy

The NewsObserver.com, from Clay’s hometown of Raleigh, wrote am interesting article about Celebrity Apprentice.

Lampanelli Goes Mid-Evil on Gotti

Our homeboy Clay Aiken was at the center of some of the early drama, as his tambourine shaking during rehearsal spooked a horse, which threw Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider. Snider’s finger snapped at the base and will require surgery to repair.

But Dee wasn’t mad, even when Clay danced by after the accident singing, “She broke a nail, how that sucks.” Dee, who was dressed as a woman at the time, shouted: “No, finger! FINGER!” So Clay sang, “She broke a finger, damn that’s worse!” Clay didn’t realize at first that Dee’s finger was broken, or how bad it was.

An aside: Here’s the crazy thing about this challenge (to me) as far as Clay is concerned. The teams had to put on a show at Medieval Times and Clay has actually starred on Broadway in Spamalot — and no one ever mentioned that! At least not as far as I caught. If I’m wrong, I’m confident some Clay fans will not hesitate to correct me. But from the beginning, I expected Penn to give Clay a larger role in the show. I do realize Penn needed to spread the attention around and I can’t argue with how he ran the show, because his team won. But if I’m Penn and I’m handed a Medieval show, I look around and see Clay and I use the heck out of that.

-Clay wrote the script for his team’s show, and he brought the hammer down on George Takei when his reading of the script fouled up the cues for lighting folks. Takei finally agreed to just read the script and not try to “perform” it.

-We got to see Clay’s claws come out a little. As the men sat safely in another room watching the women fight for survival via a TV monitor, Clay psychoanalyzed Aubrey O’Day. Clay said Aubrey was “so insecure, I don’t think she likes not being the prettiest one on the cast.” Arsenio: “Are you saying Dayana is prettier than Aubrey?” Clay (laughing): “I’m saying Victoria is prettier than Aubrey.” Snap. (NOTE: As soon as that aired on TV last night, Clay tweeted this: “I have a lot of respect for @AubreyODay Showed my ass 2nite by saying something stupid 2 try 2 get laugh. I love Aubrey and apologize!”)

It’s nice to finally see the News-Observer write something nice about Clay! To read the entire article visit NewsObserver .

From NBC/Celebrity Apprentice: Pick a celebrity and download a message for your phone: Clay’s message is cute…some of the others…well, maybe heir fans will find them interesting. Clay’s voice for free…not a bad thing. You can hear the messages at NBCCelebrity

Billboard.com published an article titled: American Idol’s All-Time Top 24

This article has placed Clay Aiken in 5th place. This is the write-up about Clay:

Clay Aiken

Album Sales: 4,997,000
Track Sales: 610,000
Radio Plays: 201,000
YouTube Plays: 664,445

Clay Aiken may have lost to Ruben Studdard in 2003, but he’s still the season two favorite in the minds of many longtime “Idol” fans — and he has the sales and a No. 1 single to prove it. With a stint on Broadway’s “Spamalot” and five Top-10 albums under his belt (plus one reportedly on the way), Aiken has had his time to shine. His Claymates will be the first to tell you that.

The entire list can be seen at Billboard

It is interesting to see the different topics that Billboard uses to rank the Idols. Perhaps we all need to click into Clay’s Vevo page and play a few of his official YouTubes. It’s fun to see the videos and it certainly helps Clay.

So… what do you think? Are you enjoying all the news about Clay? Who do you think are 1-4 on the Billboard list?

Comments (13)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : American Idol, Billboard.com, Celebrity Apprentice, Clay Aiken, Dee Snider, Digital Spy, George Takei, Leap Year, Lou Ferrigno, NBC, News Observer, Television Blend, Vevo

Clay Aiken – “Put You Money On Him”

By musicfan123 · Comments (16)

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

The second episode of the current season of Celebrity Apprentice was broadcast on Sunday, February 26. The entertaining show had a medieval theme and both teams were responsible for putting together an entertaining 15-minute performance at the Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

At the end of the evening, it was Victoria Gotti who, after a “cat fight” with Lisa Lampanelli, earned the Donald’s “You’re Fired!”

In her post-show promotional tour of the talk shows, Gotti was pleasant and had some wonderful things to say about Clay Aiken. Gotti visited the Wendy Williams Show. The following was written about the interview in the Huffington Post:

Victoria Gotti was fired Sunday night on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” cutting short her stint on Donald Trump’s reality show. Her elimination was a shame for viewers who hoping to see some major drama erupt between Gotti and “Real Housewife” of New Jersey Teresa Giudice. But stopping by “The Wendy Williams Show” (weekdays on Fox) Gotti was gracious about her time on the show, and offered up a surprising prediction for who she thinks could end up winning it all.

On the much-ballyhooed rift with Giudice that never really materialized, Gotti explained that, “Teresa and I had a kind of mix-up in the beginning. But then we clear the air and become good friends,” she said. Gotti was also diplomatic about comedian Lisa Lampanelli, who she butted heads with on the show. “I don’t have any thoughts … If you want to win that hard, take it, go for it, I’ll give it to ya.”

When Wendy asked Gotti who her pick was to win it all, her answer seemed to surprise the audience. “Definitely Clay Aiken,” she said, as the crowd gasped in surprise. “You know what guys, you have to understand, you’re seeing the mean side of people and you’re thinking, ‘You have to be the meanest to win it.’ In the end, that gets you so far, then you have to use your brain.”

After reading her kind remarks, I decided to learn about Victoria Gotti. I found a biography about Gotti at Biography.com The following are some facts about this interesting lady.

Her birthday is November 27, 1962, making her 49 years old.
She had four siblings and she was the shiest of them all.
At age 15, she was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, a condition that makes the heart race, causing dizziness and palpitations.
When Victoria was 30 years old, her father, John Gotti, was convicted of racketeering and five counts of murder.
Gotti is the author of seven books. Some are cookbooks and other novels.
She is an editor-at-large for Star Magazine.
Gotti is a former New York Post columnist and channel 5 reporter.
In high school, Gotti was a straight-A student. She skipped two grades in high school.
She entered St. Johns University at the age of 15.
In 2000, Victoria’s husband was arrested for using extortion and arson to frighten a Queens business competitor.
Gotti and her teenage sons starred in the reality show called Growing Up Gotti for two years.

It certainly seems like she has lived a complicated life. The following paragraph is an interesting chapter in her life:

In March of 1980, Victoria’s 12-year-old brother, Frank, was hit by a car after he steered his motorbike into traffic. The accident devastated Victoria, who referred to her brother as her “little doll.” Soon after the incident, her mother reportedly hospitalized the driver of the car, John Favara, after she bludgeoned him with a baseball bat. Four months later, Favara was abducted and never seen again. Victoria says she knows nothing of the incident, or her family’s relation to Favara’s disappearance.

It is hard to imagine her life. Her personal history certainly plays an important part in who she is today.

I loved Gotti’s interview on Tuesday with Access Hollywood. Again, she had wonderful things to say about Clay. The following is what she said:

Victoria Gotti got the axe on Sunday’s “The Celebrity Apprentice,” but while she didn’t make it very far in Donald Trump’s celebrity reality competition on NBC, the mob daughter said she has an inkling of who is going to win.

“Clay Aiken — put your money on him,” she told Access Hollywood on Monday.

But why the “American Idol” Season 2 runner-up for her pick?

“Clay is smart. Clay is good,” Victoria said. “He’s strategic… He can be b****y if he needs to be, but thankfully he doesn’t have to be… He focuses on the game, but he holds his stuff for the end.

“He’s gonna take this,” she added.

Well…I guess I can forgive her some of the nonsense of Sunday night and only hope she is right about Clay.

You can read the entire article at AccessHollywood

Did you know about Victoria Gotti before Celebrity Apprentice?

Comments (16)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Access Hollywood, American Idol, Celebrity Apprentice, Clay Aiken, Donald Trump, Growing Up Gotti, John Favara, John Gotti, Lisa Lampanelli, Medieval Times, NBC, St Johns University, Star Magazine, Teresa Giudice, Victoria Gotti, Wendy Williams Show

Clay Aiken – So Many Fabulous Minutes

By musicfan123 · Comments (5)

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Sometimes things that you look forward to just don’t happen the way you want.

Right now, I am in my hotel room in New York. I am supposed to be in a nice seat in Carnegie Hall. I guess that’s what happens when you get hit with a bout of “food poisoning.”

Now, it will be your job to let me know all about the concert tonight.

I just now signed on to read and see all the exciting pictures, articles and comments about last night. It is going to be so much fun seeing Clay on TV for the next few months….and I loved his tweets and blog.

Entertainment Weekly-TV Recaps had a great article about the show. The following is what they wrote about Clay:

But he’s not my early favorite on the men’s team. That would be Clay Aiken. While Arsenio and Adam Corolla were busy working on their comedy routines — always a danger when you have comedians on the program — Aiken came out as smart, savvy, and super competitive. This bodes well for future freak-outs involving the former American Idol runner-up. And even if he doesn’t go on to be one of the more entertaining contestants, he’s already proved his casting value for the one scene alone where a busty half-naked woman decided to “make it rain” and showered Aiken with dollar bills while she bounced up and down and the singer held his breath and imagined himself to be anywhere but there at that very moment. (“It’s for charity. It’s for charity. It’s for charity,” he no doubt kept murmuring to himself.)

Be sure and visit the site…the entire article is fun.

TVRECAPS

The Newsobserver.com also had an article on Celebrity Apprentice…

QUOTE: Clay Aiken made his debut on “Celebrity Apprentice” tonight, and we’re happy to announce he survived his first boardroom showdown.
In fact, Clay proved himself a savvy player in the night’s first challenge, which was running a sandwich shop in midtown Manhattan. The teams (men vs. women) were judged on how much money they could raise in one business day. Notice I said “raise” instead of “earn” because the only way to win these types of “Celebrity Apprentice” challenges is for the celebs to get their rich friends to come and donate thousands of dollars.
Clay ran the register for his team’s shop and did a great job of up-selling to people checking out. We posted the clip earlier of Clay getting $1000 from a man offering $500, and he worked hard on every single person checking out, getting as much as he could from them.

AND…

QUOTE: Early thoughts on the season:
After this first episode, the men do seem to have the stronger team. Please let Adam Carolla stay for a long, long time, because that guy is hilarious. Penn Jillette also looks like a very strong player, and you know he has a lot of rich Vegas friends who can carry him through. Victoria Gotti is going to be trouble. She has a terrible attitude and probably won’t win any friends.

You can see the entire article at Newsobserver

The New York Daily News wrote a review of the show. The following was the part about Clay:

The men and women brainstorm their respective team names, with Adam Carolla leading the “frat pack,” as Clay Aiken pointedly calls the men’s team. The comedian and radio talk-show host suggests “Honey Badgers,” which the Clay adamantly poo-poos.

The men finally settle on Team Unanimous, which is pretty ironic given that already, some of the men are taking issue with one another – Adam calls Trekkies alcoholics, Arsenio Hall can’t understand what Paul Teutul is saying, and Clay Aiken feels like he’s above the “childishness.”

Interesting thoughts!!

What did you think of the first episode?

Comments (5)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Adam Carolla, American Idol, Arsenio Hall, Carnegie Hall, Celebrity Apprentice, Clay Aiken, Entertainment Weekly, Paul Teutul, Penn Jillette, The New York Daily News, The News Observer, Victoria Gotti

Clay Aiken – When Clay Speaks, People Listen!

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Another day full of great promotion for Clay Aiken. I know I can’t get it all, but I will do what I can.

There seemed to be two different topics of comments. First, Clay’s comments about North Carolina’s proposed Amendment 1 seems to be everywhere. And, of course, there is a great deal of promotion for Celebrity Apprentice that starts next Sunday.

Here are a few of the mentions about North Carolina’s Amendment 1.

• The Advocate.com:

Clay Aiken Speaks Out Against Marriage Ban
Entertainer Clay Aiken is speaking out against North Carolina’s proposed Amendment 1, which will ban same-sex marriage, say it will hurt children by potentially taking away their health care.
Aiken, who came out publicaly as gay in 2008 and lives in North Carolina with his 3-year-old son, says the amendment goes too far, changing the state’s constitution to deny recognition to any union other than a heterosexual marriage….

You can read the entire article and see the video at ADVOCATE

• Charlotte Observer – Opinions

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Idol’s Clay Aiken blasts gay marriage amendment
Raleigh’s Clay Aiken, who rose to stardom on “American Idol” in 2003, is speaking out against the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in North Carolina.

In a video posted to YouTube on Monday, Aiken says there’s no one right kind of family.

“Families look different. They always have looked different,” Aiken says. “You have single parent families, you have families with parents of different races, you have families with parents of different religions. And no matter what we might want a family to look like, we can’t put into a constitution — a document that’s supposed to protect our rights — one narrow definition. And I think that an amendment like this goes way too far.”
Aiken, a UNC Charlotte graduate, announced he was gay in 2008 and has a son with his friend, Jaymes Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster. Aiken recorded the spot for a group called The Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families.

Amendment One will be on the ballot on May 8. It would define marriage in the N.C. Constitution as being between one man and one woman. Gay marriage is already illegal in North Carolina.

We can’t name a single song Aiken sings, but he’s using his voice well on this issue. While other states, such as Washington, are moving toward equality, North Carolina could move away from it.

I have found at least 30 more articles that have posted Clay’s comments and the video. When Clay speaks…people listen!!

• Celebrity Apprentice  Global TV.com:
If you can’t read the small print, be sure a click on the picture to increase the size.

• Bloomberg.com

This is an interview with Andretti. The following is the Clay info!

Trump’s Hair Is Real, Says ‘Apprentice’ Racer Michael Andretti: Interview

When Michael Andretti started taping the “Celebrity Apprentice” season last October, he did so on 24 hours’ notice.

He was a stand-in for his son, Marco, who the day before, Oct. 16, was involved in a 15-car crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway that claimed the life of 2011 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon.

Marco, 24, was too shaken to travel to New York, so his dad stepped in.

“I was thrown to the lions,” says Andretti, 49. “It was literally off the plane, put on a mic and ‘Here ya go!’ I didn’t even know what the task was.”

<snip>

Fans won’t know how Andretti’s luck plays out until the U.S. television season starts, as secrecy is paramount, but from a conversation with the racing driver and IndyCar team owner, it’s clear that he survives the first episode, airing on Feb. 19. Other contestants in a cast of 18 include Clay Aiken, Cheryl Tiegs and Arsenio Hall.

<snip>

Clash: Which contestants did you get along best with?

Andretti: You watch personalities change as time goes on. Some are fakes, then the real stuff comes out. I didn’t go in with a facade, so what you see is what you get. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Penn (Jillette) from Penn & Teller and Arsenio (Hall) are all cool guys. Clay (Aiken) was good, but he had his own mission so you had to watch him. Lou Ferrigno to your face was nice, but he’d throw you under the bus in the boardroom.