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ClayManiacs.com  |  Archive  |  Aiken News Network (ANN)  |  2004 AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28 PAGE 2
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Author Topic: 2004 AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28 PAGE 2  (Read 2232 times)

fhmmany2

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2004 AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28 PAGE 2
« on: March 26, 2010, 05:09:05 PM »
clayMaine-iac
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Clay's Maine Squeeze

 
     AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #15 on: May 28, 2004, 12:58:31 PM »   

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Quote
North Carolina Town Cheers 'Idol' Winner

Thu May 27, 5:18 AM ET
   
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM, Associated Press Writer

GREENSBORO, N.C. - North Carolina has raised its second "American Idol" — a teenager with a voice that made her TV judges reach for the thesaurus.

Fantasia Barrino, 19, earned the "Idol" title and its guaranteed record contract Wednesday, winning the majority of the 65 million votes cast, plus the admiration of "Idol" judges.

Randy Jackson complimented her with giving the best performance in three seasons, while his colleague Simon Cowell told her she was the best contestant of any "Idol" show around the world.

Fifteen miles outside of Barrino's hometown of High Point, some 8,000 fans watched on as the vocal powerhouse beat out Snellville, Ga., native Diana DeGarmo, 16, in the two-hour finale.

Raleigh native Clay Aiken, who finished second last season and went on to sell more than 2 million copies of his debut CD, hosted the event. Aiken even told screaming "Clayniacs" that the night was not for him: "Tonight is about Fantasia."

Family friend and Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis said he knew this moment would come when he heard Barrino sing at her grandparents' anniversary party when she was only 10 years old.

"My wife said to me 'I have never seen you stand up for anyone who sang for you,'" Davis said. "But Fantasia's voiced just moved me. I just knew what a powerful voice she had."

Barrino's immediate family, including her 2-year-old daughter, Zion, joined the Southern siren at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Teenage motherhood didn't stop Barrino from achieving her dream to be a singing sensation. Her cousin, Cynthia Price, said the tough times in Barrino's life were well worth the tears.

"You can't have sunshine in your life without the rain," said a teary-eyed Price, who had clasped her hands, closed her eyes and prayed as the "Idol" finale came to a close.



YAHOO
 
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clayMaine-iac
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     AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #16 on: May 28, 2004, 01:07:31 PM »   

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Quote
America loves 'Idol' but will record buyers?
History says at least one contestant will enjoy music success
   
COMMENTARY
By Eric Olsen
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 10:17 p.m. ET May 26, 2004

Season three of Fox’s spectacularly popular “American Idol” series concluded live Wednesday  from the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles as 19-year-old Fantasia Barrino claimed the top prize, and the record contract.

The astonishing and assured earthiness of Barrino’s church-derived Aretha Franklin-meets-Macy Gray voice and charismatic, natural stage presence is in a different — and higher — universe from DeGarmo’s spunky, “Annie”-on-steroids showbiz appeal.

When “American Idol” first imposed itself upon the cultural landscape in the summer of 2002, I, like many others, was deeply skeptical of the concept and resentful of the brash audacity of a show that vowed to mine gold from open singing auditions and pyramid-structured competition. How could something as ineffable and fragile as pop music stardom be generated by such a gross and unsubtle process?(snip)

Giving viewers the vote on finalists and the ultimate winner has encouraged audience investment in the contestants, and having viewers vote to keep their favorites on the show keeps the process positive rather than punitive. Despite sharp-tongued judge Simon Cowell’s reputation for verbal cruelty, he’s really just honest, upholding his vision of the show’s integrity. (Okay, so sneered adjectives like “pathetic,” “tragic,” “abysmal” and “malodorous” may go a tad beyond the bounds of descriptive necessity, but why not work on the old vocabulary while he’s at it?)

The reality on the ground is that the show is very respectful of its contestants (at least once they are out of the preliminary rounds — the show does revel in the awfulness of the worst auditioners, but such is the penetration of the show into American culture that the worst of the worst, William Hung, has become a novelty success in his own right), seeks to present them in the best possible light, and sends them off with warmth and regret (before bringing them back for the 52-show live summer tour, of course, and guest appearances on subsequent shows when their records come out, and…).

Recording success each season
Even more astonishing — to me, anyway — is the recording success of at least three of the show’s alums: season one winner, former Texas cocktail waitress Kelly Clarkson; season two winner Studdard, the enormous Alabaman with the angelic smile and buttery R&B voice; and the show’s biggest recording star thus far, season two runner-up Clay Aiken, the skinny special-ed teacher from North Carolina with the big ears and even bigger voice, who has inspired a legion of wildly dedicated fans known as “Claymates.” Season two finalist Kimberley Locke recently released her debut album, and season one finalist Tamyra Gray not only saw her debut album, “The Dreamer,” come out Tuesday, but Wednesday’s results show featured Barrino and DeGarmo both performing Gray’s co-written song “I Believe,” which will be the winner’s first solo single.

How has “Idol” succeeded (the franchise is in dozens of countries including the original “Pop Idol” in the U.K.) in producing recording successes where other talent shows have failed? Two things: as Cowell wisely noted in an interview last week, the show was not created by a television company using music as the basis for a TV show, but by a record company (19 entertainment) looking for new talent via a TV show. The show is, in fact, a launch pad from 19’s perspective (if not Fox’s) for the music careers of the show’s stars, er, idols.

I think it more likely than usual that some combination of Aiken, Clarkson, Studdard, Barrino, DeGarmo, London, Gray, and others spawned by the series will have lasting careers because 19 has the motivation, the promotional outlets and clout, and the stable of writers and producers to keep the material coming and the performers in the public eye. It won’t always work — season one runner up Justin Guarini has bombed out already — but the odds are better for the Idols than for most.

There most certainly is a dark side to this rosy picture: for all the “synergy” created by 19 providing management, marketing, merchandising, touring, recording contracts and TV exposure to its chosen few, this holistic approach also leaves the artists totally contractually wrapped up, at 19’s professional mercy, and yielding up to 50 percent of their income to the company. If you are Aiken, Clarkson, Studdard or any of the others in 19’s good graces, this would appear to be amply worth it, for Guarini and others who fall out of favor, much less so.

For this week anyway, as a fan, I will choose to see the glass a half full.

Eric Olsen is editor of Blogcritics.org and a regular contributor to MSNBC.com.

MSNBC
 
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clayMaine-iac
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     AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #17 on: May 28, 2004, 01:21:57 PM »   

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THIS ARTICLE IS FROM A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, BUT I LIKE THE "CLAY" MENTIONS:


Quote
Idol' losers winning contracts, stage roles
   advertisement

May. 26, 2004 12:00 AM

Tonight, another person will join Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard in the American Idol winners' circle. But judging from the way a lot of the also-rans are faring, losers to the throne may have little to complain about. Granted, few have achieved the huge success of Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, but a bunch are still bobbing around the entertainment industry. Some notable former contestants:
(snip)
>> SEASON 2


• Clay Aiken: The second season's second winner instantly became America's sweetheart, selling millions of records within weeks of his album's release.


• Frenchie Davis: The Howard University student's past (modeling for an adult Web site) was exposed, and she was unceremoniously dumped from the show. Since then, she's rebounded as a Broadway darling, performing in Rent and hitting the road with Dreamgirls. She also was negotiating a record deal.


• Joshua Gracin: The Westland, Mich., native warmed viewers' hearts and souls with his country-flavored crooning. A U.S. Marine, his single I Want to Live is doing well on the radio, and his self-titled album is to be released June 15.


• Kimberley Locke (right): The girl from Hartsville, Tenn., put her stamp on the classic Judy Garland ballad Somewhere Over the Rainbow, on her debut album, One Love (Curb). Her first single, 8th World Wonder, became a radio hit.


• Trenyce: An old shoplifting charge may have cost her the chance at being America's idol. But since then, the Memphis, Tenn., native auditioned for the lead in Broadway's Aida before joining Emmy Award-winning sitcom actress Jackee Harry in the national tour of Not a Day Goes By.


• Vanessa Olivarez: The chanteuse with the multicolored coif is playing the lead in the Toronto run of the Broadway musical Hairspray, based on the John Waters' cult classic film.

>> SEASON 3


• William Hung: The Hong Kong-born karaoke king recently released his debut album, Inspiration, which neared 100,000 copies sold in a month.

AZCENTRAL
 
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cjrmax
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  AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 28
« Reply #18 on: May 28, 2004, 02:16:12 PM »   

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And look Clay he is referred to in this bit from an article about who is coming to Delaware this summer!


Quote
When it comes to famous performers, the small wonder has become a big destination.

There was a time when Delaware's concert stages had to settle for sloppy seconds when it came to national entertainment. Those days are long gone.

"American Idol" mega-star Clay Aiken will appear in Dover June 5-6, and then Harrington on July 27.


http://www.delmarvanow.com/debeachcomber/stories/20040528/525503.html

He's not just a star, not just a Super Star.  He is now a MEGA-STAR!!!  :D
 
 
 
 
 

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