Author Topic: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 23 (Read 777 times)
Pamela
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AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 23
« on: May 23, 2004, 10:12:47 AM »
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An Evening with Clay Aiken
Date: July 30 - 31
Time: Friday at 10 p.m., Saturday at 9 p.m.
Price: $75.00
Location: Caesars Circus Maximus Theater
PLEASE NOTE: TICKETS ARE NOT ON SALE AS OF NOW. WE WILL ANNOUNCE SHORTLY WHEN TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE.
IT'S OFFICIAL!
CIRCUS MAXIMUS
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Pamela
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AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 23
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2004, 10:14:17 AM »
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From ca.com:
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Just got Clay's song list for the Rosalynn Carter Institute Gala on June 15 at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta (nice small venue, approx 1800 seats).
1. Invisible
2. The Way
3. Solitaire!
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water (with choir)!
Tickets are still available as of tonight...at $25 and $100. This is a very special (dressy) event-- a salute to caregivers--the dedicated people who work in direct care for people with illnesses or disabilities. It is preceded by a silent auction also to benefit the Institute. More info on the event is available at
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Pamela
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AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 23
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2004, 10:16:15 AM »
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As reported earlier, Clay's Christmas CD is tentatively scheduled to be released on October 12.
It appears now that J Records (a division of BMG along with RCA) will be releasing Ruben's next album on the same day. It will be a gospel album.
PAUSE AND PLAY
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Pamela
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AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 23
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2004, 10:18:00 AM »
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"IDOL" runner-up Aiken to help YMCA start camp for disabled kids
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The west Cabarrus YMCA in Concord will receive help from "American
Idol" star Clay Aiken to start a summer day camp program for children
with disabilities.
The Bubel/Aiken Foundation will provide the local YMCA with the
program's curriculum, special education training and funding for the
summer day camp. The foundation works to raise awareness and create
programs for children with developmental disabilities.
Children ages 5 through 8 are welcome to participate in the camp.
The program will be held from June 21 to June 25 and from July 19 to
July 23. The camp will include swimming, arts and crafts, service
and other activities.
The Bubel/Aiken foundation has scholarships available for children
participating in the day camp.
The YMCA and Aiken's foundation ahve similiar goals, said Kimberly
Cousineau West Cabarrus YMCA's executive director, in a release
issued Thursday.
"Both organizations strive to provide quality programs, regarding
less of an individual's limitations, whether their limitations are
financial or physical," Cousineau said.
Special education professionals Mary Ann Bingham, Polly Haselden and
Ellen Jackson are designing the curriculum for the summer program.
Bingham is the chief operating officer of LifeSpan, a nonprofit
agency supporting NC children and adults with disabilities. Haselden
is employed by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where
she is pursuing a doctorate degree. Jackson is an instructor in the
Division of Health and Kinesiology at the Mississippi University for
Women.
Parents interested in the summer day camp can call the West Cabarrus
YMCA at 704-795-9622. To register, visit the YMCA at 5323 Langford
Ave., between I-85 Exit 54 and Poplar Tent rd.
For more information about the local YMCA, visit it's websit at
www.ymcacab.org. To learn more about The Bubel/Aiken foundation,
visit
www.thebubelaikenfoundation.org.
Source to follow.
clayMaine-iac
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Clay's Maine Squeeze
AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 23
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2004, 02:05:03 PM »
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Even though the lovely Bisi has posted this article in the Got Clay Forum, I am going to re-post it here so it can be archived.
This article is by "berkeleylovesourclay" from the Clayboard.
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The NEXT Clay Aiken I had already reached for the remote control.
I had nearly reached my limit for this televised parade of stereotypes and cliches. Yes, there was some talent here, but the “Gong Show” quality of the endless bad auditions was wearing thin really fast.
And then he strode into the room. He was dressed like a typical college student: striped button down shirt and baggy tan cords, with tiny wire frame glasses and a shell necklace that were definitely ‘70s retro. His hair was unfortunate.
His manner was quiet, with perhaps a hint of nervousness, but he seemed determined and assured. He made eye contact. In a soft Southern accent he told the two skeptics before him that he was the American Idol.
“We’ll see,” I said to myself.
“Take time to tell me that you really care...”
I leaned toward That Voice, forgetting the remote in my hand.
“And we’ll share tomorrow together...”
I started smiling.
“Baby, I’ll always love you --- forever.”
“The American Idol?” I said to myself. “Yes, yes you are.”
That was the first Clay Aiken.
When we first saw him, Clay was 23 years old and about to begin his final term at UNC Charlotte, where he was pursuing a degree in special education. (He had already been a teacher for almost five years.) Four months later (seven months in his life), Clay was at the threshold of a remarkable and noteworthy career of a different kind.
He had received some extraordinary accolades along the way from some of the legends of the music industry. He had also received, from lesser lights, more criticism than he deserved, some of it petty, mean-spirited, scripted and pointless. He had been told that he was suited for Broadway, in a tone that implied that that was an insult. He had been told that he was better if one didn’t have to look at him, that he made funny faces, that he was ugly. In a moment that revealed a stunning lack of insight, he had been told that he was not what they were looking for --- a recording artist.
He listened to the criticism without comment, taking any worthwhile suggestions and incorporating them, improving week by week. After a time, he stopped seeking approval from the three who sat before him: he sought a higher and more elusive standard, one that none of them could perceive. He worked so hard that his talent appeared effortless, the mark of real ability.
And now he has reached his final performances. He is deep in concentration. Perhaps he says a prayer. He is ready, in ability and appearance. He is a tall lean man who is quirkily handsome. He wears a dark pinstriped suit, a crisp white shirt and a silver tie.
He has chosen to go second on that Tuesday night, no doubt knowing the impact of the final image, the last note --- he’s learned a lot during his American Idol internship. He steps in front of the seal as we hear the music and he begins to sing:
“When the world wasn’t upside down I could take all the time I had...”
For three minutes and twenty-six seconds, he takes this big old Velveeta cheese of a song and turns it into something thrilling. The adrenaline rushing through him appears in his voice for just a second or two, but his performance is clearly superior to his competitor’s --- he has really sung beautifully. No wonder he sighs in relief when he has finished. One down.
When we see him again, there is clearly something wrong, but it is with the lighting, not with the voice. I keep hoping that someone will fix that ding dang eye light, but it is obvious to me from my film background that the lamp has blown and there is nothing that can be done to repair that during a live broadcast. What a shame. I listen to Clay’s “safe” performance and admire the control he has as he covers an octave and a half in five notes, from rich baritone to pure high tenor, all in a gorgeous, gorgeous tone. That’s two.
Round Three. Ruben has finished, and he’s done a nice job tonight. I have enjoyed his rich voice and his laid back sweetness throughout the many weeks of this show.
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” --- one of my favorite songs. I watch Clay and I wonder where the goofy boy has gone, because the man standing on the stage is a consummate professional. His voice is absolutely beautiful and I think Paul Simon would approve of the gospel inflections --- he had used them himself in his mid-70s solo work.
As he reaches the end of the song, Clay glances off to his right. It is as though he knows that when he finishes this song, his life will be changed forever. Then he turns back to face the camera, tilts his head, closes his eyes and sings the final phrase. Perfect. Round Three, all to Clay.
The audience has erupted into a tumult of joy. Two of the judges are on their feet and for once there is no limit to their praise. Millions of viewers and an ecstatic studio audience have heard this performance and have no doubt what the results will be.
Clearly, with all standards of objective criticism, based on his interpretation of the songs, his vocal quality, his engaging personality and his growth as a performer, Clay Aiken has won this competition.
The next night, by one-half of one percent of the vote, Ruben Studdard is crowned the American Idol.
The recitation of Clay’s achievements since the Anomaly would feel like overkill if I was describing a fictional protagonist instead of a real man.
Within a month of the time some bemoaned as a tragedy, Clay had captured the sales record of most sales by a debut artist in the initial week --- ever --- and he had joined an elite group of ten, the only artists ever to debut at Number 1.
In a few more weeks, he would grace the cover of Rolling Stone, featured in an article that would introduce the wider world to his compelling personal story and quirky personality, and break years-old sales records by appearing on the cover as the complex man he is, a dichotomy of the sensual and the spiritual.
Before the summer was over he would steal the show on the national AI2 tour --- actually, we would give it to him.
He would take his passion for service to children and use it to establish The Bubel / Aiken Foundation.
Jerry Lewis would compare him to Frank Sinatra.
He would keep company with Spongebob Squarepants --- and with Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Senator Tom Harkin, the author of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
He would bring down the house when he sang at the Miss America Pageant.
Entertainment Weekly would call him a “Guilty Pleasure”.
Elle would call him a “thinking woman’s heartthrob.”
Time magazine would give him a feature story which would delight some fans, enrage others, energize the fan base and give the non-fan something to think about.
Diane Sawyer would conduct an interview with Clay which would be remembered for its painful frankness. A few cynics laughed. Hundreds of thousands of people held Clay even closer to their hearts.
He would appear on his first of many funny, appealing interviews on “The Tonight Show”, rocking the house with “Invisible”.
“Measure of a Man” would become the top selling album by a debut artist in ten years and after only ten weeks in release, would make Clay the top selling artist on the RCA label for the entire year.
He would complete a week of high profile and successful media appearances by singing The National Anthem at the inaugural game of the 100 World Series.
Clive Davis, head of RCA and its subdivisions, would present Clay with a plaque for shipping double platinum in its first week. It would take just 20 weeks for MOAM to go triple platinum.
Clay would appear on The Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America, The View, Ellen, Wayne Brady, CNN, Headline News, Fox, MSNBC.
He would be featured in People, US Weekly, TV Guide, In Touch (and other tabloids), In Tune, Beautiful Girl, Country Weekly, Blades on Ice, Teen People, M, Bop, Wow!, Twist, Tiger Beat and many others, as well as newspapers across the world.
Clay would received the Fans Choice Award on the American Music Awards.
Clay would be both host and performer on that great big fondue of an American Idol Christmas special and he would thrill us with his performance of “Don’t Save it All for Christmas Day”, complete with stork stance and church hop.
He would win a Billboard Award and receive a standing ovation with his friend Ruben for their performance of “Jesus is Love”.
He would go into the lion’s den by appearing on Jimmy Kimmel, and prove to a chastened Kimmel that Clay was both the lion and Daniel.
There would be Sideburns Wars and a Great Glasses debate.
He would sing on David Letterman’s show --- and Dave would, in a rare sign of respect, let him sit down.
He would make a little television acting debut on “Nick at Night Holiday Special” and he would reach into a time before he was born to sing with Bing Crosby, two great voices blending across eternity.
Clay would graduate, on a day that should have been all about celebration instead of controversy, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in special education. The “mock foundation” that was the subject of his independent study to complete his degree, the very real Bubel / Aiken Foundation, would announce major alliances with government and the private sector.
We would spend Christmas with Clay for the first time, as he performed “The First Noel” on GMA and several songs, capped by a rousing “Joy to the World”, at Walt Disney World. (Almost unbelievably from his appearance and performance, he was reported to be quite ill, as he was through half of the shows on the Jingle Ball mini-tour.)
He would end the year on dozens of “best of” lists, but the year would not be without controversy. A so-called animal rights group would launch a libelous campaign against him, certain late night hosts would mock his appearance and question his sexuality, strangers would discuss his personal life and family dynamic, and some arrogant music snobs would dismiss his talents. In the end, none of that would matter.
We would close out 2003 with Clay on MTV and he would show us “The Way” in the early minutes of our second year with Clay.
He would add “Lift me up --- on the stage” and pounding on a Coke machine (”HELLO!!!”) to a growing list of Funny Moments with Angry Clay (though the chicken-less KFC remains a personal favorite.)
He would act on “Ed” and the storyline would be dominated by references to Clay Aiken --- Star.
Fans would retire Clay’s first (released) video for “Invisible” at #1 on TRL.
The NEA would announce Clay as the national spokesperson for Read Across America, and Clay would be asked to be one of the celebrity readers for the Arthur audio books.
Rumors of a solo tour would turn into a confirmed co-headlining tour with AI1 winner Kelly Clarkson. Clay would appear on “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” and sing “The Way”.
He would return to “The Tonight Show” and Jay Leno would be amused and delighted with their conversation.
The Clay lexicon would grow to include the word “Frankenfugly” and the Internet would light up over the appearances of a fedora and a beard.
Ninety percent of the reviews for the Independent Tour would say that Clay Aiken was the star of the show. He would thrill hearts by entering through the audience singing “Kyrie”, melt hearts with an exquisite acoustic set and make hearts race with a performance of “When Doves Cry”.
Clay would return to “American Idol” and sing “Solitaire”. He would give the contestants the perspective of a rising star. He would be judged by no one.
A CD single of “The Way / Solitaire” would be released. Radio games would kill “The Way” in its cradle. Fans would retire it on TRL.
Shortly after the conclusion of The Independent Tour, Clay would announce that he was going to spend the summer appearing at a variety of venues, from arenas, to casino showrooms, to state fairs. There are fifty dates to the Not-a-Tour, but sadly Clay seems to hate the West and Canada.
He is invited to the prestigious White House Correspondents Dinner and the even more exclusive Bloomberg after party.
“Solitaire” would make real gains on AC radio.
Looking back over this year of celebration, of challenge and of controversy, can anyone tell me exactly what it is that Clay lost?
The shadow of the show once known as “American Idol” ends its third season, with high ratings but little buzz. This season’s break out star is, quite literally, a joke. The media is loudly questioning the voting system and even the concept of the show and, for months, the press and the judges have made references to finding the next Clay Aiken and largely ignored the winners.
The next Clay Aiken has already been found. He is the continuing evolution of the first one we saw, sixteen months ago.
The next Clay Aiken continues to gain the respect of the music industry which is now his home. He has not changed to accommodate them or anyone else, but he has grown.
He has grown into a man who is confident enough to leave behind an onerous management in favor of one that champions the needs of the artist.
He has grown so confident that his goodbye to American Idol ends with the words “I am free, I am on my way.”
The next Clay Aiken will continue to be an object of controversy, even among his own fans. He defines himself and has said that, even as he tries to be a good role model, he is ultimately responsible only to himself and his God.
The next Clay Aiken is secure enough in his identity that he is embracing the opportunity to appear --- on Broadway.
He has gained enough respect as both a performer and a philanthropist to have been asked to host the Rosalyn Carter salute to caregivers.
The Bubel / Aiken Foundation continues to gain high profile support in its mission of inclusion.
He is considered a career artist by the people at Disney, who chose him out of all of the singers in the world to record a deleted song from “Aladdin” as a special feature of the movie’s DVD release.
He will write a book and he will release a second album, a Christmas album produced by a Grammy winner for Producer of the Year. It will have a unified artistic vision, as will Clay’s work in the future, rather than being a CD released in order to release a CD.
It has been a pleasure to chronicle the career of this man, to try to look at him with eyes clear and heart wide open and to rigorously avoid pedestals, at all costs. This journey with Clay has been thrilling, inspiring and occasionally exasperating --- rather like my relationships with all of my friends. Though I rarely have the chance to write about him anymore, I will never stop saying “Clay Aiken, I love you and I mean it.”
The next Clay Aiken will be, like the first one and all of the ones we have seen along the way, a man, a miracle, a mess and an unique work of art.
And as we move on to many tomorrows with Clay, I thank the Artist for this work in progress. I have no doubt that He is creating an unquestioned masterpiece.
