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Clay Aiken – Here, There, And Everywhere!

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)
Friday, January 20th, 2012

There are some days when the name, Clay Aiken, is everywhere.  None of the mentions are huge, but it just seems like his name is everywhere.

Today, I will try to catch many of these fun mentions.  Even if you have seen them before, its fun to see the public recognition for Clay.

On January 18th,  xfinity posted a slideshow titled Idol: Then & Now.  It’s nice that they used two great pictures of Clay.  Under the pictures they say:

Season 2 – Clay Aiken

Aiken is the most successful second-place “Idol” to date. He can next be seen competing in the upcoming season of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” (Photo: Americanidol.com/NBC)
 
Be sure and check out the slideshow.  There are a total of 48 pictures of many of the former Idols.  Visit xfinity
 
 
It was fun to see that Clay made the list of the 7 Top tweets of the Day by Celebrities.  Who knew there was a site that posts this stuff?  Whatever, its fun that the site thought that the following tweet was fun.
 
 
 
 
On January 19th, it was announced that Clay’s episode of Drop Dead Diva  has been nominated for a GLAAD award.  According to GLAAD:
The honorees are recognized for the outstanding images of the LGBT community they put out to the public and you’ll see some familiar faces on the list.
 
Later in the day, GLAAD sent the following tweet:  @iamwandasykes @lancebass @clayaiken Congrats on your #glaadawards nomination! #DropDeadDiva http://bit.ly/glaadawards     I hope that Clay will be able to attend the awards ceremony.
 
 
The Orange County Register, a large newspaper in Southern California sponsors a pop culture and TV blog titled Pedro and the Watcher.  On January 18th, they published their list of the top 30 former American Idols.  They put the list in a count-down slide show that was very nice.  They rated Clay as #5.  You can see the site HERE
 
 
One more Top Idol list was published by Mindful of Music.  There was a twist to their list.  They chose one person for each season.  Clay was chosen for Season Two.  There comments about Clay were nice.  They said:
 
Season 2 – Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken was the smooth crooner on his season, who in the end competed against Ruben Studdard in Idol’s first of three guy vs. guy finales. Though Studdard took the crown in the end, it was no doubt Clay would go far, releasing a total of seven albums including a Christmas alum and a Best of Clay Aiken compilation CD. Now, Clay and his Claymates are still going strong, making him the best and most popular contestant of Season 2.
 
You can see the entire list at Mindfulofmusic
 
 
 
On January 19th, Clay attended a standup performance by Adam Carola, one of the contestants on Celebrity Apprentice.  Twitter was in full use by Clay, Adam and even some of the audience members.
 
Clay tweeted the following message and picture:
 
clayaiken Clay Aiken 
He’s a great guy. Fingers crossed that I escape unscathed!
 
 
Jason Dixon, the Program Director of  Raleigh 99.9 tweeted the following:
 
JDFanBuzzPD Jason Dixon
Sitting in the VIP lounge before the Adam Carrolla show with @bmaloney and Clay Aiken. #bignames
 
When the show was over, Clay tweeted one more time:
 
clayaiken Clay Aiken

Kick ass job tonight @adamcarolla. Glad you liked our NC bathrooms!
 
It was really fun when Adam posted a “keek”  (a video).  It’s very short, but worth it to see the fun.


Backstage in Durham.

Jan 19, 2012 | Source: Keek.com

 
Do you follow Clay on Twitter?  Do you ever tweet him or retweet his messages?
 
 
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Clay Aiken – Meeting A Challenge

By musicfan123 · Comments (19)
Monday, October 17th, 2011

I want to start today with a big:

 

GOOD LUCK, MR. AIKEN!! 

I bet you were up early this morning, ready to meet any challenge head-on!! 

Today is the beginning of the taping of the 2012 season of Celebrity Apprentice.  Although the official list of celebrities has not been announced by Donald Trump or NBC, there have been many articles by “insiders” who think they know who has been confirmed.

I am certainly not an insider…however, I have looked at the names that have shown up almost everywhere and tried to remember who they are and what their special charity might be.  Because I don’t really know these people, I did a bit of research and thought I might share it with you.

George Takei

  1. Known for playing Sulu in the original Star Trek television series and the first 6 movie features.
  2. His family was a part of the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in World War II.
  3. Received a Masters degree from UCLA in 1964.
  4. Has run several marathons.
  5. Was a part of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Torch Relay Team.
  6. In October, 2005, revealed that he was gay and had been in a committed relationship for eighteen years.
  7. In May, 2008, he and his partner, Brad Altman, were the first same-sex couple to apply for a marriage license in West Hollywood.
  8. Was married on September 14, 2008 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
  9. He is a Buddhist.
  10. He is a founder of the Japanese American National Museum and is a huge supporter of the museum.  (Will that be his charity?)

Arsenio Hall 

  1. He is an American actor, comedian and former talk show host.
  2. Started out by being the opening act for many musicians, including Aretha Franklin.
  3. His talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show ran from 1989 to 1994.
  4. Starred in the movies, Coming To America and Harlem Nights.
  5. Received 2 NAACP Image awards in 1991.
  6. He returned to television in 1997 on a short-lived sitcom titled Arsenio,
  7. He has never been married and has one son.
  8. I could not find any mention of a favorite charity or cause,

Adam Carolla

  1. He is an American radio personality, TV host, comedian and actor.
  2. He currently hosts The Adam Carolla Show which is really a podcast on ACE Broadcasting Network.
  3. Adam wrote a book in 2010 called In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks.
  4. He briefly attended a community college where he was placed on academic probation before he dropped out.
  5. He has held jobs as a carpet cleaner, carpenter, boxing instructor, and traffic school instructor.
  6. Carolla says he is an atheist,
  7. Adam stated that he consumes alcohol on a daily basis.
  8. Carolla participated in the 2010 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race where he lost.
  9. Surprise….there is no mention of a charity or cause that he helps.

Adam is known for his controversial statements.  In 2003, he stated on-air that “Hawaiians are dumb, stupid, in-bred retarded people who are among the dumbest people we have.”

On the April 4, 2010 episode of his radio show, Carolla referred to Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao as being illiterate, having brain damage. Carolla said of the Philippines, “They got this and sex tours, that’s all they have over there.” Carolla received death threats over the incident.

In August 2011, Carolla attracted the ire of after a podcast in which, referring to transgendered people, he asked, “When did we start giving a shit about these people?” He went on to say that the LGBT moniker ought to be replaced with “YUCK,” and that LGBT activists ought to “shut up,” and that they are “ruining [his] life.” The GLAAD organization also referred to previous offensive remarks by Carolla, including an assertion that, “all things being equal,” heterosexual parents are better than homosexual parents. Carolla apologized saying, “I’m sorry my comments were hurtful. I’m a comedian, not a politician.” GLAAD responded by identifying Carolla’s apology as “empty.”

So…if Celebrity Apprentice decides to follow the previous years and break into teams by boy/girl…these three will be on Clays team.  For two of the men, that is a scary thought.

I used Wikipedia as my source for the last two celebrities as there were not a lot of other sources about them.  For more information on George Takei, there are numerous sites with more information about this seasoned celebrity.

What do you think?  Have you ever heard Adam talk?

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Clay Aiken – 164 Films!

By musicfan123 · Comments (12)
Sunday, July 10th, 2011

The oldest continuously running film festival in Los Angeles is the Outfest.  Outfest 2011 is running from Thursday, July 7th through Sunday, July 17.  It will feature 164 films, 67 that are feature-length.  The organization expects an audience of about 40,000 for the Outfest this year.

The festival isn’t just for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender niche audiences, says Outfest Director of Programming Kim Yutani.  The majority of the features, documentaries and shorts, hit political hot buttons and will be interesting to all people who are interested in issues such as gay marriage and anti-gay bias.

For example, Outfest is world-premiering “The Wise Kids,” a coming-of-age story set in South Carolina that only has one gay character. The wacky “Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same” was praised by lesbians, straight women, and gay and straight men alike when it premiered at Sundance in January.

Two short films are getting a lot of pre-screening interest this year.  The first, titled “Thank You For Your Call,” examines the problems of survivors of same-sex partnerships who are not allowed to collect Social Security.  The other short documentary called “Wish Me Away,” tells about the fallout from country singer Chely Wright’s decision to come out.

J.C. Calciano is a past guest speaker at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.  In his role of a producer, Calciano is screening a new romantic comedy called eCupid.  . The film tells the story of Marshall, played by Houston Rhines, who is desperate for a new love life and turns to “eCupid,” an app that guarantees true love.

Calciano said that most young people could relate to the film’s basic premise of technology, but that he also hopes that audiences can realize that all relationships are the same, regardless of sexual orientation.

On Sunday, July 17th, the festival will be featuring the television show, Drop Dead Diva.  This popular dramedy/fantasy series is in its third season.  At the Outfest, fans will have a sneak peek of the show.

This particular episode is inspired by the headline-making true story of Mississippi teen Constance McMillan who was denied access to her high school prom because she wanted to attend with her girlfriend. Guest stars include Wanda Sykes, Amanda Bearse, Clay Aiken, Lance Bass and Constance herself (in a cameo).

According to the Outfest website:

 The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with series creator/executive producer Josh Berman, director/co-executive producer Jamie Babbit, star Margaret Cho, guest stars Lance Bass and Clay Aiken, Adam Waters (GSA Advisor of the Year), and moderated by Ari Karpel.

After the panel discussion there will be a reception for the panel and ticket-holders sponsored by GLSEN –Los Angeles,  GLAAD and WME, a talent and literary agency.

The festival takes place at various theaters across Los Angeles, including the Directors Guild of America, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, the Orpheum Theater, and the Disney/CalArts Theater at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

I am looking forward to attending this wonderful festival.  I will be in attendance to see a sneak-peek of Drop Dead Diva and the panel discussion with Clay Aiken, followed by the   reception.  My friend and I also plan on attending the closing film titled, The Perfect Family.  Starring Kathleen Turner, it asks the question “How far will one housewife go to win the Outstanding Catholic of the Year Award…even when her daughter is about to marry her lesbian lover.  The cast also includes Richard Chamberlain.

So…on a lighter vein…will Clay’s hair be short or long?  Will it be blond or brown or maybe red??  Do you think he will attend the reception after the panel discussion?  Do you think I am excited that I will see Clay in person? (Ha Ha)

 

 

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Clay Aiken – Participant in Outfest’s Film Festival

By musicfan123 · Comments (6)
Thursday, June 9th, 2011

It was announced on Wednesday, June 8th, that Clay Aiken would be participating in Outfest’s 29th Annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in L.A.

Clay will be participating with Margaret Cho, Lance Bass, Josh Berman, and Jamie Babbit on a panel about Lifetime’s show, “Drop Dead Diva.”  The panel  discussion will follow a preview of an upcoming episode of the show.  The episode was inspired by the true story of Constance McMillan, a Mississippi teen who was denied access to her high school prom because she wanted to attend with her girlfriend.

Clay filmed a guest appearance on Drop Dead Diva in May.  It will be aired at a later date.

Outfest’s 29th Annual Gay & Lesbian Film Festival kicks off in L.A. on July 7th and runs until the 17th with 163 films (67 features and 96 shorts) from 25 countries, along with over a dozen panels and special events.

Kim Yutani is the Director of Programing for Outfest.  She said:

This year’s line-up is one of the strongest in Outfest history and we’re excited to be showcasing work that is both exploring and expanding the possibilities of LGBT themes and challenging our audiences through their storytelling.”

The showing of the DDD episode and the panel discussion will take place on Sunday, July 17, 1:00pm PDT.  There will be a post-screening reception after the event in collaboration with GLAAD and GLSEN, Los Angeles.  William Morris Endeavor Entertainment sponsors the reception.

According to its website:

Outfest is the leading organization showcasing, nurturing and preserving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film images and artistry. For 29 years Outfest has led the charge, spotlighting emerging talent, creating community between filmmakers and audiences and offering a world-class forum for stories that reflect and often transform LGBT lives.

Outfest was founded in 1982 and has showcased over 4,200 films over half a million people.  The organization brings together film lovers, innovative artists, celebrities, and entertainment industry professionals.

Their website says:

Outfest is also the only nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that the extensive but threatened LGBT film heritage is preserved. Since the beginning of the struggle for LGBT equality, visionary filmmakers have recorded their lives, challenges and triumphs on film. Outfest is committed to saving, preserving and providing access to that precious, affirming heritage for generations to come.

The following sites have more information on the Film Festival and Outfest.  And congratulations to Clay Aiken for being chosen to be a part of this interesting panel discussion.  The organization and the attendees are lucky to hear what you have to say.

BroadwayWorld

Outfest

Playbill

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Clay Aiken – Still Teaching Us All

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)
Saturday, May 14th, 2011

My world has grown so much because I am a fan of Clay Aiken.  I have learned so much about the music business, the pros and cons of being a celebrity, the importance of  “People First” Language, and the fight for equality for all.  I feel comfortable visiting Raleigh, North Carolina, New York City and other cities and know that even if I travel alone, I will always be with friends . I know more about The National Inclusion Project, GLAAD, GLSEN, GIVE A DAMN, UNICEF and BC/EFA.

I remember learning about BC/EFA in 2008.  Clay Aiken was in the middle of his run in Spamalot and worked hard to earn money for the event.  I remember seeing the line-up of fans that donated money to have their pictures taken with Clay and the other cast members.  Clay let his fans know he wanted Spamalot to win, but 2nd place seems to be Clay’s spot! The competition raised a record 3.7 million dollars that year.

The 25th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition was held this year on April 26th.  There were two star-studded, sold-out shows that featured hilarious original skits and songs, amazing dance numbers and, of course, extravagantly elaborate, custom-made bonnets from 17 of the participating productions.

The show started with an exciting Glee-inspired original opening number.  There were the  “Broadway Gleeks” and the “Cheerios,” along with Broadway’s version of Mr. Shue and Coach Sue.  The stage was filled with more than two dozen dancers and singers.  The talented cast battled against each other and their different musical styles.

The multi-talented Ben Cohn directed, arranged and orchestrated the opening number while Shea Sullivan served as the director.

In April, Christopher Sieber was co-star of the current La Cage aux Folles.  In a moving presentation, he shared the history of the Easter Bonnet Competition.

The first Easter Bonnet Competition was presented on the Saturday of Easter week in 1987 by the original cast of La Cage aux Folles between shows at the Palace Theatre. Ten Broadway shows created bonnets that were displayed in the lobby. A few hundred folks paid a dollar to attend and voted for their favorites by stuffing dollar bills into jars representing each show. They raised $17,138. It was an amazing accomplishment.  Sieber said:

Touched personally by the AIDS crisis, the company attacked the fear, the misinformation, and the panic with humor, style and grace.

This year, fifty-two Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies spent six weeks, working to raise the most money for BC/EFA.  They combined audience contributions, memorabilia sales, and exclusive auctions to raise $3,706,085.  The grand total raised was announced by Harvey Fierstein, Sutton Foster, and Daniel Radcliffe.  They also presented awards to the top fundraising show that included:

  • Broadway:  Top Fund Fundraiser How to Succeed in Business…
  • National Touring Shows:  Top Fundraiser Wicked – Emerald City
  • Broadway Play: Top Fundraiser That Championship Season
  • Off-Broadway: Top Fundraiser Avenue Q

According to their website:

Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised over $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund, including The HIV/AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, The Actors Fund Work Program, The Dancers’ Resource, The Stage Managers’ Project and three supportive housing residences.

BC/EFA also awards annual grants to more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

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Clay Aiken – Articulate and Knowledgeable!

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Did you have a chance to see Clay Aiken on TV last night?  He was a guest on HLN’s The Joy Behar Show. Clay was there to discuss the escalating rise in bullying, especially for gay and lesbian people.

Clay was articulate and knowledgeable and added new insights about the problem.  Clay was on for almost 10 minutes and he and Joy seemed to enjoy the conversation.

The Joy Behar Show just celebrated one year of broadcast.  The show has increased viewership of HLN’s 9pm timeslot by 14% over last year.

If you missed Clay on the show, the following video should help you out.  It is Clay’s part of the Tuesday night show.


Playbill is a magazine in the United States that covers the field of performing arts.  Established in 1884, Playbill now serves theatre in most major American cities. In recent years, Playbill has added many of the nation’s prestigious performing arts organizations including Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, and the San Francisco Symphony. Playbill is one of the largest consumer magazines, distributing an average of over three and a half million copies each month.

Playbill Fun Facts:

  • Circulation is 3.9 million a month. Playbill is in about 100 theatres in 24 cities across the country.
  • Playbill is a family business-it was founded by Frank Strauss and remained in his family for over 70 years. Bought by Arthur Birsh in 1974 it has remained in the Birsh family ever since.
  • Playbill.com was founded in 1994 they celebrate their 16th anniversary this year!

On October 19, 2010, Playbill.com published an interesting article featuring Clay Aiken and his work with Trick or Treat For UNICEF.  The well-written article covers some history of the Trick or Treat For UNICEF program.  Did you know that it is 60 years old?

Clay also recounted one of his favorite Halloweens in Raleigh.  When Clay was in 4th grade, he had a haunted house in his backyard.  There were hundreds of visitors who came to see the ghouls and ghosts.  Clay said that he was the greeter and because he was not of fan of ghosts, he wore a clown costume.  Even in 4th grade, Clay did his own thing!!

The article is full of lots of fun and loads of great information about the UNICEF program.  I hope you will read the entire article at Playbill.com


Today is Spirit Day.  Created by Brittany McMillan in memory of the young adults and teens that have committed suicide after gay bullying, GLAAD is sponsoring the day.  Brittany got the idea of the day by mirroring “Spirit Week” which is held in many schools.  The saying for the day is……Everyone Rally Together.

It’s really easy to participate…..there is no meetings or rallies….just:

Wear Purple on October 20 for Spirit Day!

For more information, visit GLAAD

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Clay Aiken – New Videos

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)
Sunday, April 5th, 2009

It’s been another great week of positive news clips of Clay Aiken and his busy life.  To make it easier to see it all, we are posting a few at this time.

A new video of Tyra Banks acceptance speech at the GLAAD Awards surfaced this week.  It shows Clay as he watched Tyra.  The part with Clay is posted here. Read More→

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Clay Aiken – It Just Keeps Rolling In

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Clay Aiken seems to attract more news than most people.  He has had many mentions on Google and every other news list for days.  It is so great that most of the press and bloggers  have covered all the Clay news in a positive way.

Here are two more videos that showed up this afternoon.

America’s Next Top Model released a Promo-clip of Clay’s visit to the show.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FggeerZtvA8


A new video showed up of Clay and Tyra on the Red Carpet at the GLAAD Awards.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXTv3kiCSFI


Hopefully, as days pass, we will get more and more videos, pictures and mentions of Clay Aiken as his career continues.  And, we will continue to bring them here for your enjoyment and convenience.

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It is not always about performance art, but about receiving positive energy from people with positive spirits. Sometimes we can see someone's spirit, and those are the people with great energy. Those are the people that get me through the day, especially on Broadway. -Clay Aiken

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