Clay Aiken – A Class Act Amid the Crass

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)
Friday, December 10th, 2010

On 12/10/03 Clay Aiken appeared on the 2003 Billboard Awards Show. For an artist who was new the professional music scene, Clay played a prominent role in the evening gala. Ryan Seacrest was the host of the evening and he had Clay help with the opening of the show.

The Billboard Music Awards are held annually and are always in December.  Much like the American Music Awards, the winners are chosen on popularity.  The awards are given out based on the Billboard year-end music charts.  Some of the categories are top selling album, top selling artist and top selling single.

Clay was introduced by the irritating Kathy Griffin and performed Invisible to an enthusiastic audience.  After the performance, Clay was presented with the award for the best selling single of the year.

Clay was accompanied to the BMA Award show by his mother, Faye.  They both looked wonderful as they walked down the Red Carpet in Las Vegas and Clay was stopped many times by the press.

It was wonderful to see Clay win the Billboard Award and his performance was amazing.  However, there were some “interesting” things that went on that night.  Pathetic Kathy Griffin thought she was funny in her introduction of Clay, but most of Clay’s fans didn’t find it amusing.  Add to the list of negatives was the vulgar jokes by Dave Grohl and Triumph the Wonder Dog.  They really were “Crass” as they joked about Clay.

The following video shows Clay’s introduction, his performance of Invisible and his acceptance speech…no Dogs allowed!!



Please don’t forget to add your Christmas song choices. We need your input!!

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Clay Aiken – A Defining Moment

By musicfan123 · Comments (6)
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

There are times in a person’s career that become obvious benchmark events.  Some of these events are built up to be career-changing, but some just happen.  Most people believe that March 17, 2004 was a defining moment in the career of Clay Aiken.

Season 3 of American Idol was in full swing.  The final group of 12 contestants had performed on the first elimination show one night before.  Each singer had tried to impress America by singing a song for “Soul Night.”

But March 17th was Results Night and American Idol had invited Clay Aiken, the runner up of Season 2, as their special musical guest.

According to reports at the time, there were many fans who arrived very early in the morning for the 5pm taping.  A reporter from KIIS FM came by the line at about 9am to do a man-on-the-street interview with the line-sitters.  Someone had called Rick Dees for an on-air contest and they were intrigued that there were so many people lined up so early.  They wanted to know what AI3 finalist the people were there to see.  They were completely shocked to learn that most of the fans were there for Clay.

At about the half-way mark of the show, Ryan Seacrest announced Clay.  He strode onto the stage in a commanding way.  He was wearing a black turtleneck and a suit.  Instead of standing in front of the judges table, Clay chose to perform at the side of the stage.  Clay chose to sing Solitaire as it was being pushed as his new single.

The audience in the studio and watching at home were treated to a wonderful performance.  Not only did Clay sing well, he was able to connect with the audience with his eye contact and emotional lyrics.  And I doubt anyone will forget the surreal “glory note.”

It was reported that Debra Byrd was monitoring the show on a TV screen at the front of the audience.  As Clay was singing, she smiled widely and seemed very proud.  Fred Bronson and Julia  DeMato were both a part of the audience that night.

All three of the regular judges were there.  One fan reported: “During Clay’s song, all three judges seemed to not be paying any attention whatsoever.  They were talking among themselves.  There was not one minute of interaction between Clay and those judges the entire time Clay was on the stage – not before, during, or after the song.”

After his performance, Clay chatted a bit with Ryan Seacrest.  Clay said he got a little nervous being in the studio again.  He also said that the tour with Kelly was going well.  Ryan made sure that the audience knew that Clay’s album had gone triple platinum.

The contestants had a chance to ask Clay some questions.  The audience laughed when Matt said he was having nightmares about Simon and wanted to know how Clay dealt with that.  His response was to focus on the goal and to not let anything get in the way.  He also commented that fame is hard when Fantasia asked him if people treated him differently.

At the commercial break, Clay went over to where the contestants were sitting and shook hands and hugged every one of them.  Someone from the audience threw up some panties and also a bear for him.  It was reported that Clay calmly picked up the panties and casually threw them over to Simon.

“My impression of the whole experience was that Clay is the real superstar here – he is just so far beyond American Idol,” reported a fan that was a part of the live audience that night.

It was certainly a night to remember and the entire audience was on their feet and applauding loudly for Clay Aiken, the new pop star.

The following is a video of Clay performing Solitaire on American Idol in March, 2004.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05CgbwjrbTk

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Clay Aiken – American Idol Judges

By musicfan123 · Comments (18)
Saturday, September 5th, 2009

The preliminary rounds of auditions for American Idol, Season 9, will be different from the past seasons.  Because of the departure of Paula Abdul, the producers of American Idol have opted for having celebrity judges at the judges table.

The list of guest judges is excellent.  They include Tony Award winner, Kristin Chenoweth and this years Tony Awards host Neil Patrick Harris.  Other announced judges are Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Joe Jonas, Katy Perry and Shania Twain. Each one of these guest judges is active in the entertainment industry at this time and should be able to add some suggestions and advice to the contestants.

The guest judges will join Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi at the judges table.  Ryan Seacrest will still be hosting the show.

Although the guest judges are all highly qualified, many people believe that Paula Abdul will be missed on the show.  Although she has always been a bit “flighty”, she played an important role in the 8 years of American Idol.

What do you think?  Do you think the celebrity judges will be good?  Will Paula be missed?  Please share your thoughts!

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Clay Aiken – Is Paula Gone?

By musicfan123 · Comments (28)
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

American Idol has been around for eight years.  It has produced many talented performers.  Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and Carrie Underwood are arguably the most well-known and talented performers from the eight year run.

But what about Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest?  Certainly, they were not household names before American Idol hit the air-waves and now they are stars in their own right.

American Idol has shown in the past that the idols are expendable.  They seem to support their talent until another contestant comes along the next year.

But on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, American Idol showed that their judges are not that important to the show……..just ask Paula Abdul.

After weeks of negotiations with the producers of “American Idol,” Paula Abdul said Tuesday evening that she was leaving the top-rated singing competition.

Paula’s contract expired at the end of season 8 and she had been negotiating for a substantial raise from the estimated $2 million that she earned last year.  Unfortunately, she has included the public in her contract negotiations with Fox.  It is usually a bad idea to try to push your boss in a public arena.

There is some sympathy for Paula as she said she just wanted a fair deal.  Judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson are already locked into a contract for season nine so they are set.  Then it was announced this week that Kara DioGuardia, the newest of the judges would return for another year.  They all were signed for the year, but Paula and the show were stalled in the negotiations.

And then there is Ryan Seacrest who has signed a three-year deal worth some $45 million to stay as host of “American Idol.”   American Idol must think he is far more important than Paula Abdul.

Paula announced her decision on Twitter saying, “With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to Idol.  I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all … being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 to become an international phenomenon.”

Within an hour, FOX, FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment issued the following statement. “Paula Abdul has been an important part of the ‘American Idol’ family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show. While Paula will not be continuing with us, she’s a tremendous talent and we wish her the best.”

What do you think?  Do you think Paula was asking too much of American Idol or do you think the show just wanted to let her go?  Will her departure make a difference??  Do you even care??

Personally, I am not a huge American Idol fan.  But I will always be thankful that they introduced the world to Clay Aiken.

Below is a video of Clay Aiken singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” on the finale of Season.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC9SKjdoTXg


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Clay Aiken – The Finale

By musicfan123 · Comments (18)
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

With three performances each, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard showed the world their singing prowess on the Finale of American Idol, Season II.  The competition, held on May 19, 2003 was the last chance to swing the final votes over to their side. Their performances blew the roof off the place.

The performances for the night were:

Round 1
1. Ruben Studdard–”A House Is Not A Home”
2. Clay Aiken– “This Is The Night”

Round 2
1. Ruben Studdard, “Imagine”
2. Clay Aiken–”Here There and Everywhere”

Round 3
1. Ruben Studdard– “Flying Without Wings”
2. Clay Aiken–”Bridge Over Troubled Waters”

Ryan Seacrest started the show by stating that it started with 70,000 contestants and came down to two southern boys who are the most unlikely people in the world to be there.  He also reminded the audience that they would have 3 hours to vote and how important the vote is this evening.

After a video journey of Ruben’s American Idol trip, Ruben sang “A House Is Not A Home.”  Paula and Simon were excited about the performance, but Simon only said “it was good.”

Clay’s video journey was shown and then he sang his new single, “This Is The Night.”  The judges were impressed with Clay’s singing; however, Randy thought the song was terrible.

In the second round, the audience got Lennon and McCartney performed by Clay and Ruben.  Ruben’s interpretation of “Imagine” was all positive to the judges; however, no mention was made of the microphone malfunction that lasted throughout the entire first verse.

Clay sang “Here, There and Everywhere.”  The judges comments ranged from …you are still the bomb to very pretty to not blown away.  The lighting for this song was odd and many people thought it made Clay look “scary.”

The final round of the night was amazing.  Singing “Flying Without Wings,” the judges and the audience delivered an outstanding performance.  The judges commented that it was the best performance of the night.

Clay then performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and did a tremendous job.  Accompanied by a choir, Clay knocked the song out of the park.  It left all three judges with big smiles on their faces.

The night produced beautiful performance, two very different vocal styles, and both performers left it all on the stage.

The next night started with a red carpet and ended with the crowning of a new American Idol.  The last night was a 2-hour show so there was a lot of “filler.”  Ryan joined Ruben in his dressing room and showed both Ruben and the audience the cheering throngs in Ruben’s hometown.  Ruben was his cool self.

Ryan dashed across the hall to visit Clay in his dressing room.  He introduced Clay’s fans in Raleigh.  There were over 8,000 people in the RBC Center to cheer and support Clay.  Clay seemed shocked and amazed by the support.

The evening was filled with celebrities who had to give their opinions, former idol performances, goofy films of the judges and much prattle from Ryan.

A medley of songs was performed by all the finalists which included songs originally performed by the celebrity judges.

Then Ruben, Kimberley Locke, and Clay performed a medley of “Superstar,” “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” and “On the Wings of Love,” respectively.

Ruben performed “Flying Without Wings” with the choir again. Then, Ryan took us back to Birmingham, at Ruben’s church. They were very proud.

Clay performed “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”.  Then, it was back to Raleigh. They were proud, too.

Finally, Ryan said “it’s the closest vote in American Idol history, the American Idol is…….Ruben Studdard.”

In all reality, there were 2 winners that night.  Both of the singers were talented young men who were ready to step into the world of pop music.  And, as we all know, coming in second just didn’t matter.

Enjoy the videos of Clay’s performances and then watch the group numbers from the finale.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGDyy6VadFs

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rfo4rXr3t0

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4MR20y0QAw


Watch videos at Vodpod and more of my videos


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Clay Aiken – Six Years Later

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

One can only wonder if there is anyone reading this article that thought on May 19, 2003 that they would be reading and writing information on the successful star, Clay Aiken.  Little did the audience of American Idol II know that they would be watching the rise of a true musical star.

May 19th was a Monday on 2003 and it was a special night before the finale that focused on Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, the two American Idol finalist of Season II.

The judges were there and so were all the Season II final contestants…..well, Josh was not there since he was back on duty with the Marines.  Corey Clark was not even mentioned.  All the finalists sang together one more time to “What The World Needs Now” and they sounded fantastic.

Ruben’s journey on American was featured next.  Ruben talked about going home, seeing his band, his friends and his former teachers.  Ryan also talked to Ruben’s brother, Kevin who gave Ruben a bad time.  Ruben performed “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.”

After Ruben, Clay walked out and we got to see Clay’s journey on American Idol. Ryan and Clay talked about Clay being a wildcard entrant, his hair and appearance, and how the entire experience was surreal.

Ryan pulled a Claymate from the audience and Clay commented on her “Clay-mate” shirt.  Erin was asked 4 or 5 questions about Clay and she seemed to know each answer.  Clay seemed shocked that she knew so much about him.

Clay then sang “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me,” the song that helped him advance from the Wildcard Round.

After a bit more chit-chat, Ruben and Clay met Ryan in the middle of the stage for the coin toss to see who would sing first in the finale.  Clay won the coin toss and chose to let Ruben go first.

To end the program, the finalists performed “God Bless The USA.

There are two videos of this night.  The first is Clay’s performance and the second is the coin-toss.  Do not miss this fun video.  It shows a bit of Clay’s humor.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2YgYrFrz3E

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

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Clay Aiken – The Final 4

By musicfan123 · Comments (16)
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

May 6, 2003 and it’s the final four!  And for Season 2 of American Idol, that means Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Kimberley Locke, and Josh Gracin. All four singers have survived many weeks of singing, dancing, humility and hard work.  Which ones will be going on and which one will be going home?

The show starts with the group of 4 on stage with Ryan Seacrest as he introduces each singer.  Ryan then announces that all the songs tonight are courtesy of the BeeGees and that Robin Gibb is the guest judge for the evening.

The idols and their songs were sung in the following order:

First Song:
1. Josh Gracin – “Jive Talkin”
2. Clay Aiken – “To Love Somebody”
3. Kimberley Locke – “I Just Want T Be Your Everything”
4. Ruben Studdard – “Nights on Broadway”

Second Song:
1. Josh Gracin – “To Love Somebody”
2. Clay Aiken – “Grease”
3. Kimberley Locke – “Emotions”
4. Ruben Studdard – “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”

Josh started the performances with a country-styled, “Jive Talkin”.  He roamed through the audience as he tried to please the crowd and the judges.  The judges all agreed that the performance was good.

“To Love Somebody” is a beautiful song and when you add Clay Aiken to it, you have perfection.  His voice was full of emotion and it was soft when needed and when needed, he belted out the song with passion.

All 4 of the judges were so complimentary to Clay and his performance.  The words, fantastic and brilliant were used more than once.  Simon even said it was one of the best performances he had ever heard throughout the entire competitions in both the USA and England.

Kim Locke, looking good in black, got mixed reviews from the judges.  Simon called her performance “sweet and ordinary – nothing special.”

It was Ruben’s turn, but before he started, Ryan let the TV audience know that the audience members had thunder sticks that had Ruben’s name on them.  Somehow, that didn’t seem too fair to the other contestants, but……it was Ruben!!

The judges were excited about Ruben’s performance of “Nights on Broadway.”  Each judge had only positive remarks to make.

The second round started with Josh singing “To Love Somebody.”  The judges loved the touch of country Josh added to the song and thought his second round song was better than the first round.

The most “out of the box” performance of the evening was the second song by Clay Aiken.  Singing “Grease”, Clay dressed the part with tight jeans, a tee-shirt and a red leather jacket.  AND, who could forget the “hip shake.”  Clay had fun and took a risk which worked with the audience and three of the judges.  However, Simon was not happy.  Leave it to Simon to say “HORRIBLE”!!

Kim was next, singing “Emotions” and the judges were pleased with her performance although Simon thought it was just not her night.

The words, brilliant and fantastic were back when the judges critiqued Ruben.  Simon even threw in a “sensational.”

Ryan started the results night by announcing that there were 22 million votes last night.

The group performance of the evening was a medley of BeeGee’s hits.  Each contestant had one song that they were featured on……the harmonies were great.

The bottom two for the night were Kim and Josh.  But, before the results, there was a Ford Commercial.  Remember the one where Ruben is dressed like a pimp and “Nerd” Clay joins him at the end?

When the time finally came to announce who was going home, Ryan didn’t waste words.  It was a quick “Josh, you’re out. Kim, you are safe.”  And, the Final Four is no more.

We have 3 videos for this night.

1.  To Love Somebody
2.  Grease
3.  Group Performance

Click here to see the videos: Read More→

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Clay Aiken Is Halfway Home

By musicfan123 · Comments (8)
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

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.

Carmen Rasmussen started the program.  After the short video clip, Carmen talked about how difficult it was to recover from some of Simon’s harsh comments.  She said that she just decided to realize that you do the best you can and just hope that you can prove yourself another week.

“Can’t Hurry Love” was the song that Carmen chose to sing and she looked happy and comfortable during the performance.

The next contestant was Josh Gracin.  Ryan tried hard to get Josh to say some negative things about Simon, but Josh didn’t fall for the bait.  Josh said that Simon was an honest man who sometimes is too honest.  He also said that Simon is true to himself and to others.  An audience member asked Josh what luxury will he miss that he has gotten used to.  Josh said being able to sleep later than usual.

Josh chose to sing “Amazed” and it was a good song for him.  He sang it very well.

The evolution of style was the theme for Kim Locke.  Her video showed her many looks throughout the episodes.

Kim chose to sing “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”  She did a good job.  She told Ryan that she wanted to sing it to him, while sitting with him on the couch but the producers would not go along with that idea.

The next contestant journey was with Ruben.  Ryan had fun teasing Ruben about his love of manicures and pedicures.  Ruben said he had them every two weeks and was doing this before he started American Idol.

Ruben admitted that he was sad that Rickey was voted off.  He said that they became close and that he felt Rickey was very talented.  He said he hoped that everyone would buy Rickey’s album when it came out.

“Superstar” was the song that Ruben chose to sing.  It was the song that Ruben performed in the Hollywood rounds and eventually was recorded for the AI2 Love Songs CD.

Following Ruben in the show was Trenyce.  Ryan started the conversation by reminding everyone that Trenyce was a wildcard contestant.  She said she found out she made it by reading her name on the TV.  She said it was posted before anyone called her.

Trenyce chose “I Have Nothing” to perform.  The powerful singer did a good job.

Finally, 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.

Before the program was over, all the contestants gave one of their classic group performances.  They repeated their favorite group performance, “All Night Long.”

The entire hour was filled with wonderful music and interesting back stage tidbits.  It was an enjoyable evening without the tension of the judges and the possibility of being voted off.

The following video shows how relaxed Clay was on this night and how extraordinary his voice was that night.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnB15E1a2Pw

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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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