Did you watch American Idol last week-end?

If so, did you enjoy it?

Who was your favorite singer?

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Today, we are looking back almost 20 years!!  Oh,MY!!

Season II of American Idol was unique in many ways.  The season introduced the “wildcard”, a top 12, fabulous group performances, great contestant commercials, and an hour show in the middle of the season called “Halfway Home.”

“Halfway Home” was an hour long special hosted by Ryan Seacrest.  The judges stayed away and the entire show was a showcase of the remaining American Idol musicians.

Each contestant had their own segment.  There was a video montage, an interview with Ryan, and a performance of one of their favorite songs from the previous weeks.

The last contestant of the evening was Clay Aiken.  Again, the make-over was the first thing that Ryan brought up and showed in the video clips.   Clay said that the changes were just hair and glasses and he was the same young man.

After a discussion of what Clay was doing before American Idol, Ryan asked Clay if his life was going in the right direction.  Clay’s response was that he loved working with children with special needs and that is where his heart remains.  However, he had already learned how much influence celebrity brings to his projects.  Clay told us that he had learned that the YMCA and Autism Society in Raleigh had been receiving donations from fans all over the country.  He graciously thanked his fans and seemed amazed that this was happening.

Clay sang “Somewhere Out There” and it was an even better performance than the first time he sang it.  His performance seemed to light up the stage.

The following video shows how relaxed Clay was on this night and how extraordinary his voice was. It includes the  Interview & Performance of Somewhere Out There  from the Halfway Home Special, American Idol Season 2 (includes a portion of the interview that was not aired).

Thank you, SiouxRoux for the great video!

I loved the relaxed way Clay seemed to be this night!

No judges!!!