Clay News!

Hi Janice!! Good to see you!

I just read the transcript from Chat! How sweet of him to answer a few questions for the fans. He is such a sweetheart!

I agree Frazz. I think it is a great career move for him and I think he can handle it. He is so comfortable on stage and he is funny as all get out!

I am thrilled for him if he is doing well off Paxil. Nothing to be ashamed of taking it, but anytime a person is able to be off meds and be OK is wonderful. I hope this means he is really happy and well adjusted. I wonder how much all "the mess" had to do with him needing meds. I don't know if that sort of thing can cause issues, but I can only imagine how upsetting that whole business had to be for him.

I woke up in the morning to hear my morning radio tell me Clay Aiken had joined the cast of Spamalot.

It is officially a News Story. Clay Aiken in the news, and John Paulus/nasty innuendo is nowhere in sight. Yay!

I would not be surprised if the media beating was a major cause of the anxienty attacks. I know the media can be rough on celebrities, but seldom have I seen them be this savage on somebody whose "scandals", if true at all, (and I'm no Aiken hysterical hyper-worshipper, but I think John Paulus is a liar) are so totally benign.

Even if he was meeting strangers for sex, you know, (and I question those rumors) that's kinda sad and pathetic, but it's not criminal activity, and not really anybody elses' business.

Since it's not even scandalous to be gay anymore, (this may be true) I think they've been brutal without cause. Of course, that putting his hand over Ripa's mouth thing? Clearly a hanging offense.

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The voice is spectacular, but his funniness is, too.

Yes. I think AI generally manufactures a lot of dirt level "stars" who don't really have that much to offer; for all that I defended Sanjaya, who I thought was horrifically mistreated, I don't think there's one truly outstanding talent to come out of AI6 (which is one of the reasons why I threw up in my mouth when they brutalized Sanjaya for outlasting all these imaginary spectacular talents.) Some of the very best from other seasons: Carrie, Daughtry, Taylor, I think even Elliott - are at best ABLE TO KEEP UP in their genre with all the other people who were already there.

And yes, I think Constantine is having mighty, mighty trouble keeping up.

Clay not only keeps up, he brings something unique to the table - not only a singular, world class voice, but humor and personality to spare. I can't believe the AI brass didn't just gobble him up and embrace him the moment he won the Wild Card Round.

The AI treatment of Clay Aiken will always go down as one of the most puzzling decisions they ever made. Why actively work against a superbly talented guy who has the audience eating out of his hand?

In favor of a big walking pillow with the personality of a sleepwalker? Who sings well, but certainly not better, than Clay?

Agree. I will NEVER get why the AI PTB went so gaga over Ruben. Nice fellow. Seems like a sweetie with a good voice. NO star quality IMHO at all. Not a lot of personality or banter during his concerts. Clay had it all on AI that season. All I can think is Simon just didn't like him for some reason and it is all about who Simon wants to win.

Somebody suggested that they just thought Ruben could replace Luther Vandross, (who was dying) and Barry White (who was already dead) and they they did not know what to do with Clay. They did not consider that he didn't have to be a clone; he could be an original.

I remember Jane "Malcolm in the Middle" Kaczmarek said during Season 2 that she wanted Ruben to win because of how great he was in interviews and she couldn't wait to see him on the talk shows. A real headscratcher since Ruben had barely uttered a word at all.

I do think the questions around Clay's sexuality did color Simon's opinion. He was very unhappy when the first British Pop Idol Will Young revealed he was gay after he won. I don't think it's necessarily homophobia because the image of a pop star is that they're supposed to be "available". In the old days, pop singers weren't even supposed to be married according to their record companies.

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I remember Jane "Malcolm in the Middle" Kaczmarek said during Season 2 that she wanted Ruben to win because of how great he was in interviews and she couldn't wait to see him on the talk shows.

Error. Error. Does not compute. Does not compute. Desire to see silent, personality-free bunch of blubber mumble his way through interviews instead of bubbly motormouth with wisecracks to spare is illogical.

Look, I will lay off anybody who just says they liked his singing better, or preferred his style of music, but preferring Ruben because of his wonderful interview skills is like saying you think Jeff Foxworthy is smarter than Stephen Hawking because he hosts a quiz show.

You aren't kidding about the mumble mouth. I downloaded a vid of Rube talking about Clay at his concert the other night and I did not understand ONE SINGLE FREAKING WORD of what he said until the last sentence "Love ya man" and Clay nodded back to Rube. Like I said, I sense he is a really sweet man, but no way a fun interview. I think it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk back then. Don't know if it is any better now or not. He does have cute dimples though

Badger, I think that was the problem also. I know they said Simon was very upset about the first Pop Idol winner (though I really like his voice and think he is a cutie pie) and I fear Simon didn't want a repeat of that. It is true about the record companies and even movie studios, wanting their "idols" available. Remember when Davy Jones had to keep his wife a secret for so long?

Yeah and Bobby Sherman too. Of course, the fact that Bobby's wife was only 17 when they got married wasn't something they wanted publicized either. She later married David Soul who played his brother on Here Come The Brides. And Bo Bice wasn't allowed to talk about his wife and/or her pregnancy long after it was pretty obvious that he was married and that she was pregnant. I remember his main fanboard at the time actually used to substitute "wonderful" for "pregnant".

However, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these "secret marriages" were couples who had been living together and the girlfriend got pregnant so they got married.

firecracker, did you ever see the show TVLAND did with Davy -- they did similar ones with Barry Williams and William Shatner among others -- where they kind of followed them around and caught up with what they're doing now? It was really good. It showed him with his two oldest daughters and fishing and riding a tractor with his little grandson. It was really cute.

I wonder if Clay will be doing the rounds of the New York talk shows and maybe talking with some of the columnists while he's out there.

No Badger, I didn't see that. I wish I had. It is so hard to think of Davy Jones as a grandpa! He was such a cutie!. I bet his daughters and grand kids are beautiful!

I didn't know that Bo was really married before he said they got married How sad they are told to keep it a secret.


Back to Clay!

He is news in CHINA!!

http://usstock.jrj.com.cn/news/2007-10-17/000002793076.html

He is listed on the Spamalot page!

http://montypythonsspamalot.com/index.php

They got married about a month after the show ended. In fact, Bo said that he got married and the next day he left for Florida to rehearse for the AI tour. The reason anyone knew is because someone found the marriage certificate on the internet. I think the marriage was officially announced a few weeks later But it was already all over the internet and Bo kept getting asked about it in interviews.

Has anyone seen Bo's new video? It's pretty good.

I haven't seen Bo's new video, but would like to. Got a link?

Re: Jane "Malcolm in the Middle" Kaczmarek...she is pretty sharp with snarky comments. I can't imagine she meant it in any way but ironic comment ( not as nasty as sarcasm, but still saying the opposite).

frazzle wrote:

I haven't seen Bo's new video, but would like to. Got a link?

Re: Jane "Malcolm in the Middle" Kaczmarek...she is pretty sharp with snarky comments. I can't imagine she meant it in any way but ironic comment ( not as nasty as sarcasm, but still saying the opposite).

I put a link in the Former Reality Stars thread. I didn't think it belonged in the Clay thread!

Thanks for being so considerate of Clay's thread! I really appreciate that! I will go check out Bo's vid!

I never would have posted any off topic in this thread, but I think I forgot it was a Clay thread because it went off topic. Clay's thread is CLAY'S thread.

Here is a longer commercial for Clay on "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" He is adorable in this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmbRtnAGomo

An article about Unicef Ambassadors with comments from Clay.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=3748792&page=1

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"Celebrities have the ear and attention of the public," said Szarkowski. "They tend to command more attention than talking heads from our organization."

Attention that leads to big bucks. Aiken asked fans to donate money to Unicef to help the children in Lebanon and raised more than $75,000 in 24 hours.


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It's not easy to be selected as a Unicef ambassador. The group sets high standards for celebrities to live up to.

"In terms of becoming an ambassador, it's definitely a process," said Szarkowski. "We like to work with people who are committed to the cause and the mission and to align themselves with us for the long term."

Aiken made the cut when he was named a Unicef ambassador in 2004. The organization approached Aiken after hearing of his involvement with his own charity, the Bubel/Aiken foundation that helps young people with special needs.

Aiken said he felt obligated to help those in need.


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Celebrities sit through classes to learn about Unicef and all the various issues that threaten children's survival around the world.

"We study as much as we possibly can before we go," said Aiken. "And I study after I go, because I want to be an expert on it. I think it's a disservice to the country you're going to and the children you're trying to help if you don't know what's going on and can't speak knowledgably about your experience.'

Aiken said the preparation is necessary in order to meet with health ministers and other officials on these trips.

"It wouldn't behoove anyone if we just went in to take pictures and came back," said Aiken. "The goal of all these visits and the reason we sit through extremely long sessions sometimes is so when we come back we know what we're talking about."


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In her eight years at Unicef, she said she's never had a celebrity refuse to go where they were asked to go. And the places they're asked to go certainly don't come with luxe accommodations.

"It's usually a tent somewhere.That's our standard accommodation," said Szarkowski.

Aiken and others pay their own way when they travel on behalf of Unicef. However, once they reach their destination, they don't have the need for many expenses. Most nights they're sleeping in tents on the ground.


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While it remains to be seen how involved Hilton will be with her organization of choice, one celebrity who no doubt has stolen the humanitarian aid spotlight is in it for all the right reasons, according to Aiken.

"I look to Angelina Jolie as a prime example of someone who is doing an amazing job," said Aiken. "She really has a passion and she goes in and makes a point to educate herself about what's going on and that's the only way to do it."

Hey, trivia question.

Does anybody know how much money Clay Aiken has made? We have gotten into a debate in one of the off-topic boards over at Clackhouse. I read somewhere that he had grossed 28 million in tours. Now, this was not net, but one of the other girls on the board said that after promotional costs and everything else, he was only worth one or two million dollars. Does anybody have a ballpark idea of his real worth?

I have no idea, but I think it is more than 2 million. He did gross 28 mill in concert sales so far, plus some from recordings, book sales, other appearances, and I have a feeling he is into investing his money. He just seems smart that way.

Yeah, I would think the 1 or 2 million might be somewhat low, and I do think he probably has some investments, etc.

From TV Guide!

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Spamalot-Rolls-Red/800024839

TVGuide.com

Spamalot Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Claymates

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Following in the footsteps of American Idol alumna Fantasia, Tamyra Gray and Diana DeGarmo, Clay Aiken is Broadway-bound. On Jan. 18, 2008, he'll appear for the first time in Monty Python's Spamalot as Sir Robin the Chicken-Hearted. For those unfamiliar with the character, lily-livered Sir Robin "nearly fought the dragon of Angnor" and "nearly stood up to the vicious chicken of Bristol," thus making him the perfect counterpart for Aiken, who "nearly beat Ruben Studdard." — Ben Katner

ETA:
New York Magazine mention:

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Hold on to your hats, folks, because in the topsy-turvy world of entertainment labor unrest, today's news is about as exciting as it gets: On the left coast, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers may have just averted a strike by the Writers Guild by withdrawing a proposal that would allow them to withhold residual payments (!) to writers until they recouped the cost of a movie or television show.

And in local news, Mayor Bloomberg offered to mediate labor talks between Broadway producers and stagehands, but the president of the stagehands' union Local 1 said no. A lot is at stake here, people! If the stagehands strike, Clay Aiken could have to move his own props and scenery!

Denver Post

Clay Aiken replacing Moran in "Spamalot"

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George Washington High grad Martin Moran, who has played Sir Robin in Broadway's "Spamalot" since April 2006, will be succeeded by "American Idol" crooner Clay Aiken beginning Jan. 18.

Moran had been asked to stay through June, but he declined. He's been chosen for a month-long writing residency at The MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire (that's the oldest artist colony in the country). And opening Jan. 28, he will perform his play, "The Tricky Part," at The Signature Theater in Washington, D.C.

"It was a great run, but it's time to go," Moran said. I wish Clay well. He really seems like a sweet guy."

Aw, that is so nice!

I've had tickets to the touring version of Spamalot for awhile and was ecstatic to hear that Clay was going to be in a Broadway show. I saw the play on Friday evening couldn't help paying a little more attention to the Robin character. The actor also plays the characters of one of the guards and Brother Maynard which are both comedic roles.

I think this is a wonderful opportunity for Clay and with parts of the Robin character, he will probably learn some new skills. In the "How to Succeed on Broadway" performance, "Robin" plays a short spirited bit on the piano and it is far more challenging than the few slow chords of Love Me Tender he played during one of his tours. In the same piece, the character is participates in a dance that looks like one of those Russian dances that the men perform in a linked line.....I don't know the name of the dance.

The play is irreverent, bawdy and, after watching videos of some of his banter from his tours, includes humor he likes, e.g. guy humor about bodily functions.

I'd REALLY like to see his Broadway debut!! It's a good excuse to get back to NYC and see some of the new shows.

Hi Janice!

I so hope you get to go see Clay in the play! Be sure and report back every little detail if you do!!

I saw that scene on You Tube and the thought of Clay doing that Russian dance with those long, long legs and great big feet just cracks me up!!

The humor is right up his ally and I am so THRILLED for him to get this chance!!

I'm happy for you that you got to see the play the other night! What fun! There isn't a snowball's chance in hell I am going to get to go see Clay on Broadway - so as wrong as it is I am praying for at least the tiniest little bit of Clack I simply must get a glimpse of him in this role!

I think he will be beautiful and amazing and I am not the least bit blinded by love!!

You can watch two "out-takes" from Clay's "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" at this site!

They are both cute, especially the one where he sings with the little girl!

http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/