Clay Aiken News Network

Clay Aiken – Are You Ready To Party?

By musicfan123 · Comments (13)

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Many of the fans of Clay Aiken didn’t get a lot of work done on Thursday. They were all celebrating the wonderful preview video for Sunday’s Celebrity Apprentice.

The video was full of ”catty” women, hard working men, good drinks, dreams of summer and, best of all, a song by Clay Aiken.

If you look carefully, you can see some Clay fans at the party and even some of Clay’s Broadway friends. AND…if you look carefully, you can see Ben Cohn at the keyboard providing background music and helping out when Clay entertained by singing Under The Boardwalk.

If you didn’t see the video yet, you can see it at BEACHPARTY

The wonderful ladies at the ClayBoard posted many screencaps from the video. So, lets take a look at some of them. Thanks, ladies!!

I can’t wait to see the entire show on Sunday night. I look forward to seeing how well the men will work together and …well, I guess I want to see the woman’s party too!

Which one of the pictures do you like the most? It’s hard to choose, isn’t it?

Comments (13)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Ben Cohn, Celebrity Apprentice, Clay Aiken, Crystal Lite, Donald Trump, Under The Boardwalk

Clay Aiken – Do You Remember

By musicfan123 · Comments (11)

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

Do you remember what you were doing on March 12^th, 2010? For many Clay Aiken fans, this date will bring back memories of the taping of the PBS special at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. The concert, lovingly called the “OMG” Concert was the beginning of a year of wonderful live music, a new CD and DVD and many PBS specials on TV.

I was lucky enough to attend the “OMG” concert two years ago. I looked up what I wrote about the concert and thought I would share it with you.

Clay Aiken’s back in town and he is better than ever! Tonight’s concert was beyond the wildest expectations of the fans in attendance.

The concert was polished, professional and classy. Clay’s voice was phenomenal on the fresh arrangements of the timeless classics.

Clay opened the show with a rousing rendition of Mack The Knife and closed the show with a poignant version of Moon River. Each song chosen for the program allowed Clay to showcase his wonderful voice. It is amazing how his voice soared on the variety of songs. Each one highlighted his versatility and range.

It was a treat to see Ruben and Clay together again. I had forgotten what a beautiful voice Ruben has. The surprise of the evening was the guest appearance of Linda Eder who is one of the best female vocalists performing today. Linda joined Clay in singing the song, Crying. Clay announced that Linda recorded the song with him for his new album.

The evening was beyond even the highest expectations. I wish that every one of you could have been there to celebrate this wonderful performance.

Attending this concert in Raleigh was one of the most exciting nights I can remember. It is still close to the top of the list. One of the magic moments was hearing Clay sing Unchained Melody. The arrangement by Ben Cohn was amazing and Clay really made the song his own! And I will always remember the wonderful tribute to Clay’s teachers. There is just something special about Clay Aiken. His heart is filled with love and respect of those who have helped him grow into an outstanding young man!

Comments (11)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Ben Cohn, Clay Aiken, Crying, Linda Eder, Mack the Knife, Moon River, PBC, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Ruben Studdard, Tried and True, Unchained Melody

Clay Aiken – Reflections Of Life

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Pictures and videos of Clay’s appearance at Carnegie Hall are coming in. I will try to post them here. Hopefully in the morning we will have more reviews.

Comments (10)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Ben Cohn, Carnegie Hall, Clay Aiken, Reflections of Life

Clay Aiken – Safe Travels To All

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)

Sunday, December 11th, 2011

How are you all doing today after such an amazing event this week-end?

For those of you who were in attendance, is it Cloud 9 or The OMG GALA ? The entire Gala experience was beyond words.

For those of you who experienced the Gala through the wonderful reports and “red messages”, I am sure you are thanking your friends for trying to use words to help you experience the event in a different way.

I am still on my way home and my brain is still working on over-time as I try to recall every little thing that made my smile bigger and bigger. There is so much to say, but today…just a few random thoughts…

I loved…

1. Traveling again with my dear friends and sharing a room, our thoughts and our friendship.

2. Meeting and sharing hugs with internet friends. No one is ever alone at a Clay Aiken event.

3. Seeing so many volunteers that put in hours to make the event run smoothly.

4. Seeing the excitement from the entire staff of the National Inclusion Project. Their enthusiasm is contagious!

5. The bus tour of the Raleigh area. It was loads of fun. A big thank you to Lori Finney for putting this together.

6. Seeing the charming Lynda Loveland again. She has been such a great friend to the Project and to Clay.

7. The presentation on Sunday morning by Aron Hall. He had us all on our feet, learning about inclusion by participating both mentally and physically.

8. Seeing the smile on Kristys face as she greeted all of us. She makes a person feel welcome.

9. Diane Bubel, Jerry Aiken, and Faye Parker…even after the many hours of preparing for the event, they were charming and friendly to all of us.

10. Ben Cohn…his talent is remarkable. His arrangements are always exciting and he always seems to put a new twist to the songs.

11. Learning about the outstanding accomplishments of Chris Burke, Kevin Connolly, and Walgreens. You all give us hope!

12. Quiana Parler…Wow..this girl can sing. Please come back to another Gala!

13. Clay Aiken…Thank you for being who you are! You put on the perfect concert for your fans. Each song selection seemed to be picked with care and you seemed to sing from your heart. And look at what a huge difference you have made in the lives of so many people. Your work with The National Inclusion Project has changed the world and kids everywhere will feel your love and commitment.

Well…my few comments seemed to grow. Can you tell I am still excited about the Gala?

Safe travels to all. I hope we can share our thoughts together soon. 2012 is going to be a fabulous year to be a Clay Aiken Fan!

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Categories : Clay News

Tags : Aron Hall, Ben Cohn, CHris Burke, Clay Aiken, Diane Bubel, Faye Parker, Jerry Aiken, Kevin Connolly, Kristy White, Lori Finney, Lynda Loveland, Quiana Parler, The National Inclusion Project, Walgreens

Clay Aiken – The OMG GALA!

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Raleigh, North Carolina just experienced an amazing event….For those in attendance it was nicknamed

THE OMG GALA!!

It is very late, but I want to post just a quick outline of the evening. Tomorrow, I will post more.

Words are almost impossible to describe the electricity in the air. The entire event was something I will never forget.

OK…here we go…

Songs:

All Is Well: Great way to start a concert and Clay nailed the “glory” note.
Oh Holy Night: He sang it as beautifully as ever!
Mary, Did You Know: The Aiken Random Lyric Generator was NOT needed.
Don’t Save It All: Ended with thunderous applause and everyone on their feet.
Emmanuel: He went back to the 2005 arrangement of this song.
Invisible: Blue Independent Tour shirt and we got 3 shirt tugs in this rockin’ performance. It was so much fun!
I Survived You: Clay said this was his personal favorite from the album. It was a passionate performance.
A Thousand Days: It was definitely a crowd pleaser!
As Long As We’re Here: Appropriate placement in the program as he sang this after his heartfelt tribute to a wonderful volunteer who is longer with us.
Where I Draw The Line: Great to hear a live performance of the song that Jaymes and Clay wanted as the first single.
Unchained Melody: I will always thank Ben for this amazing arrangement for Clay.
Bring Back My Love: New Song…The snippets do not reflect the total feel of the song. It is a true love song that is magical.
Hallelujah: Another Ben Cohn arrangement for Clay and Quiana which was powerful and emotional. This beautiful song was meant to be sung by Clay.

It was wonderful that Quiana was able to be an integral part of the program. She sang backup for Clay and also sang three solos: Christmas Time Is Here, Grown-up Christmas List, and I Can’t Make You Love Me If You Don’t. She is such a powerful singer and seems to get better with every performance.

The three honorees were amazing and the National Inclusion Project put on an exciting and emotional weekend. I will report more about it when it is not 1AM in the morning.

Thanks for your patience during this past week of travel. I am so glad that I was able to take in so much in the last week.

Clay wore this shirt and tie!

Comments (8)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Ben Cohn, Clay Aiken, National Inclusion Project, Quiana Parler, Raleigh NC

Clay Aiken – So Much Talent In One Place

By musicfan123 · Comments (5)

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Can you imagine seeing Hugh Jackman, Bernadette Peters, and Daniel Radcliff on the same stage at the same time? Well if you were a member of the audience at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Tuesday, December 6^th, you were lucky enough to see these stars and many more as they were a part of The 23^rd Annual Gypsy of the Year, put on by Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids.

I was fortunate to see this amazing show on Tuesday. I can’t remember ever seeing so much talent in one theatre before. The audience was filled with musicians, producers, directors, and fans that are an important part of the Broadway family.

Picture from Playbill

The opening number of the show featured the original cast of Grease. They were together again for a special 40-year anniversary tribute. It was so much fun seeing Barry Bostwick who was the original Danny. He still has the strut and Grease hairstyle. Adrienne Barbeau, who played Rizzo looked amazing. I bet she would still fit in her original costumes. Each actor looked happy to be on stage and it was so much fun to see them 40 years later.

I was thrilled to see Ben Cohn’s name on the program. He was credited as the creator, music director, and arranger of the Grease opening. Most Clay Aiken fans already know how talented Ben is as a musician. He seems to be the “go-to” guy for special shows on Broadway!

A highlight of the program for me was the performance by the Broadway cast of Billy Elliot. The show is closing on January 8, 2012 so this was a farewell appearance at Gypsy of the Year. All the actors who have played the role of Billy were on stage. It was fun to see some of the talented young men who have grown about a foot since their time in the show.

Seventeen Broadway and Off-Broadway companies performed on Tuesday, which means that there were more than 300 actors, singers, and dancers on the stage during the afternoon.

Much like the Easter Bonnet Competition, the Gypsy show is a competition between the different shows. The shows have six weeks to fundraise for BC/EFA. Awards are presented to the top fundraisers. They also have awards for the best presentation during the show.

Picture From Broadwayworld

Hugh Jackman, Bernadette Peters, and Daniel Radcliffe presented the awards for the show.

Seth Rudetsky who is a musician, actor, and columnist for Playbill.com kept the show moving as the host for the afternoon. Judith Light gave a tribute to those people who lost their fight with Aids. It was a solemn tribute that ended with a moment of silence.

Last year, the Gypsy of the Year raised $3,776,720. From all reports, this year topped that amount. All the official numbers will be available soon.

After the performance, I was able to attend the celebration dinner hosted by Playbill Magazine. It was held upstairs in Sardi’s. The first people I ran into were Ben Cohn and Sean McDaniel. Ben shared that they will be in Raleigh for the Gala. I think that we have something very special to look forward to.

So…this was my adventure in New York today. Is there a tie-in to Clay Aiken? Well, the best I can do is say that Clay has certainly supported Broadway Care/Equity Fights Aids. He is the one who introduced me to the very worthwhile organization.

Only a few more days until we meet in Raleigh. Are you packed yet?

Clay Aiken – New York!

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Hello from the exciting city of New York. This Californian is certainly enjoying the city.

I am still in awe of Clay Aiken’s performance Sunday at the Home For The Holidays Concert. No one sings My Grown Up Christmas List like Clay. It was almost prayer-like and everyone seemed to stop and listen to every word. And, another “shout-out” to Ben Cohn. His arrangement of this song was amazing. I am so glad that Ben and Clay work so well together.

I am so glad that there are at least 3 different videos of Sunday’s performance. I know many of you have already seen this You-Tube, but I thought I should post it here too. It is always fun to watch Clay performances and so, just stop and and watch again.

The following pictures are a few that I have taken while walking around New York. I love my new iPhone, even if I can’t crop or edit until I get home.

I tried to take some pictures of places that have been mentioned recently. It seems they were a part of Clay’s project in New York.

Trump Tower

Columbus Circle

Is this the right location?

Lord & Taylor Window Display

What Year Did Clay Sing Here?

Are you counting the days until the Gala? We have so much to look forward to.

Comments (10)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Ben Cohn, Cafe Metro, Clay Aiken, Columbus CIrcle, Home For The Holidays, Lord & Taylor, My Grown-Up Christmas List, New York City, Rockefeller Center, Trump Tower, Youtube

Clay Aiken – A Quiet, Beautiful Moment

By musicfan123 · Comments (19)

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Hello from a very happy person in New York City. I am finally back to report on the Cyndi Lauper – Home For The Holidays. This concert was an eclectic mixture of musical styles and performers. Each entertainer added excitement to the show.

The three – hour concert was full of many rock hits. Between each performance, the staging was moved by some excellent stagehands that worked fast but carefully.

Carson Kressley was one of the MC’s of the program. He certainly knows how to entertain.

About halfway through the concert, Clay was introduced. He walked on stage looking handsome in a new suit. Before he sang, he talked for a moment about Cyndi’s charity and its importance.

Clay introduced Ben Cohn who accompanied Clay on the piano. Clay performed Grown Up Christmas List. It was amazing. It almost sounded like a prayer. The audience was very quiet while he sang and their response was rousing. Clay’s song was a quiet, beautiful moment in an evening of loud and fast. It really showcased his beautiful voice.

After Clay’s performance, Alan Cumming took to the stage and sang an Adele song…I wish I knew the name, but it was a huge hit. Alan dominated the stage with his presence and voice. I hope I get to see him in person again.

I had a wonderful seat among many Clayfans. It was great that so many had the opportunity to another wonderful evening with Clay Aiken.

Knowing that others were taking fabulous pictures, I didn’t even try. Thankfully, Dancer Dad was there with his camera and got beautiful pictures. A big shout out to both Dancer Mom and Dancer Dad for sharing their pictures with the Clay Nation.

Per their request: Do Not Post Their Pictures On The OFC. The following are only a few of the beautiful pictures from the night.