Today, an interesting article was posted at the Smithfield Herald.  The reporter, Colin Campbell also writes for the NewsObserver.com

The article is titled:

CCAMPBELL@NEWSOBSERVER.COM

The article is about Clay’s cousin, Jamie O’Branovich who recently opened a new salon in Smithfield called Salon 29:11.

Clay was in the salon last week for a haircut and was visited by Campbell.  He wrote:

While Aiken was a runner-up on the show, he’s had one of the more successful careers among its former contestants. He tours the country regularly, and he’s often brought O’Branovich along to keep his hair in shape. Aiken even introduced her to some of his friends in the music industry.

She’s since been on tour with David Foster and others, getting the chance to do hair and makeup for a number of celebrities. These days, though, she’s busy with the new salon and a new baby, and she’ll miss Aiken’s coast-to-coast Christmas tour later this year. He had to let others handle his hair during his recent stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” too.

Did you read that?  Did you see the bolded comment above?  We can only hope that a Christmas Tour is really going to happen and that we will get news about the tour soon.

If you want to read the entire article, visit HAIRCUT

It was nice to see a new article about Clay Aiken and the National Inclusion Project Champion Gala at Idol Chatter.

Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard back together for a good cause this fall

Clay Aiken has announced the guests who will perform at the National Inclusion Project’s 9th annual Champions Gala.

And the list includes his former rival on Season 2 of American Idol — Ruben Studdard.

The event is set for Oct. 20 at the National Theater in Washington, D.C.

Clay and each of the guests will perform that evening as part of the fundraiser.

In addition to Ruben … well, I guess you could call the other guests former rivals, too.

Those guests include Debbie Gibson, Arsenio Hall and Dee Snider, all competitors with Clay on the recent season of Celebrity Apprentice.

For those who didn’t follow along, Arensio won; Clay finished second.

The National Inclusion Project — Clay is a co-founder — pushes for the inclusion of children with disabilities in community activities.

For more information on organization and the gala, including ticket information, head here.

Oh, and this will hardly be the first time Clay and Ruben have worked together since Idol.

Back in the summer of 2010, after the release of Clay’s “Tried and True” album, they toured together.

Please visit the site and leave a comment for Mark Franklin who wrote the article.  We want him to know we like to read positive news about Clay.  Click on IDOLCHATTER

June 20st is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. This is the day when the North Pole is tilted closest to the sun and nightfall is late in the evening. After the 20th, the days will get shorter by about a minute or so each day until we reach the autumnal equinox, when day and night become even. That means that celebration is in order because after today, summer, as quick as it began, will be slowly coming to an end. Times ‘a tickin’ so let’s get the party started.

Summer Solstice is the meteorological start of summer. It’s time to enjoy vacations, great weather, pools, baseballs, and everything else that goes along with the favorite season of kids and most adults. Grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the season, because for many of us it is all too short.

Fun Facts:

• Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John’s Day, or the Wiccan Litha.
• The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun’s energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.
• Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids’ celebration of the day as the “wedding of Heaven and Earth”, resulting in the present day belief of a “lucky” wedding in June.
• Today, the day is still celebrated around the world – most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.
• Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.

 Are you excited about the possibility of a Christmas Tour?    Do you have a special holiday song you would like Clay to sing?