Tonight, American Idol says good-bye.  The show will present a grand finale that will showcase many of the wonderful musicians that made the show a huge success.

I look forward to seeing the early contestants and hearing them sing again, even if it is just for a moment.

There has been a lot of promotion for the Grand Finale…and the name, Clay Aiken, is right there as an important person in the history of the show.

On Wednesday, there was an article on Yahoo Music that is an interview with former judge, Simon Cowell.  He mentioned Clay.

Simon Cowell: ‘American Idol’ Was a ‘Fun Moment in Time’

Simon Cowell is about to return to U.S. airwaves on America’s Got Talent– his first Stateside judging job since The X Factor USA went off the air in 2013 – but of course, he will always be associated with American Idol. So as American Idol comes to an end this week, Yahoo Music’s Reality Rocks thought this was the perfect time to reminisce with TV’s original “mean judge” about Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Tamyra Gray, Jennifer Hudson, that World Idol debacle…

…Look, trying to find stars is actually really difficult, no matter how many people turn up [to audition]. There’s no exact science to this. You either get lucky, or you find someone with potential. But the idea that the judges don’t play a part in that is crazy. As an example, I don’t think any other show would have backed Clay Aiken. And I think Clay was really important to the show, because he wasn’t a typical type of singer you’d see in the charts, but he was popular and he was fun. I think most people would have dismissed him from his first audition, but I had a feeling that there was something about him that the public would like. But that’s what I do in my day job. If you don’t have that experience, then you won’t find a star….

I don’t know about you, but I am glad they gave Clay a chance!!  If you would like to read the entire article, click on YAHOO

~~~~~

Broadway World published an article about the American Idols who have performed on Broadway.  The following is what they posted about Clay:

The finale of IDOL’s second season would go down in history as the smallest margin of victory by a champion. In fact, Ruben Studdard triumphed over runner-up Clay Aiken by just 134,000 votes out of the 24 million votes recorded. Aiken would go on to star in Broadway’s SPAMALOT in 2008. Check out his appearance in the musical below!

It is fun to see this video again!!  To see the entire article, click on SPAMALOT .

~~~~~

Time Magazine published an article titled:

12 People Who Can Thank ‘American Idol’ for Earning Them a Fortune

The following is the section about Clay:

Clay Aiken:

He may not be the most successful “American Idol” contestant, but Clay Aiken certainly has had the most unique career since becoming famous on the show. After earning second place in the show’s second year on the air, Aiken went on to have a much more successful singing career than the performer who won, Ruben Studdard. Aiken has also starred in a Broadway show (“Spamalot”) and come in second in two other high-profile contests—the 2012 season of the reality TV show “Celebrity Apprentice” and the 2014 Congressional election in North Carolina. His net worth has been estimated at $6 million.

The 12 people that Time Magazine chose are very interesting.  I hope you will read the article at TIME

~~~~~

Besides the rehearsal for the Idol show tonight, Clay was busy.  He sent many tweets during the day.  Two of them were special and include pictures.

So glad my bestie @qparler gets to spend the ‪#‎idolfinale‬ with me. There at the beginning; here… https://t.co/EF7UOiw6Ih

It is so nice that Quiana could be with Clay for the exciting, but emotional time.

Glad @BrookeBCNN is back to @CNNnewsroom – Joining her today at 12:10. Tune in @CNN

Again, Clay did an excellent job talking about Sanders and Clinton and their primary run for the democratic presidential candidate.  I have not been able to find a video of the discussion.

Clay was also on Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight.  The shows were featuring American Idol and both gave Clay a bit of time.

I am not able to include all the Clay mentions from Wednesday, but I hope you enjoyed seeing these events.

Since tonight is the Grand Finale of American Idol, I can imagine we will see lots of articles and TV and radio mentions and I would think that Clay will be mentioned in much of the PR.

Do you plan on watching American Idol’s Grand Finale tonight?