Clayigraphy

Consolidating...

2010-07-24T20:06:00.004-04:00

Hey folks!

So I've decided to consolidate all my multitudinous blogs into one big mess over HERE.

It's not so "Claycentric"... but much, much easier this way.

And so hey...

How about that "Juke Box Revisited On Crack" tour?...

Okay.. So Now I'm Excited!...

2010-05-23T15:55:00.018-04:00

But I still don't know if I'm a good fan or a bad fan.

Good Fan:
I bought 4 tickets for me and 3 of my friends to the Cluben Concert in Hammond, Indiana for Friday, August 13th.

Bad Fan:
They have to pay me back.

Good Fan:
I just purchased a presale copy of his newest album "Tried and True" from Live Nation which will be released on June 1st and came with a free download of "Suspicious Minds!"

Bad Fan:
I think this is just a "downloadable" $8.99 version with no shipping charge and in which case won't come with either the CD jacket OR this yummy photo...

Good Fan:
I got really, really excited watching previews of his upcoming PBS special!

Bad Fan:
I seriously have NO idea as to when this thing is suppose to air.

Nor do I have PBS...

Line Forms on the Right (Babe)...

2010-05-11T21:39:00.007-04:00

Because Macky's back in town!

Yay

!!!

Twiddling Thumbs...

2010-04-27T19:19:00.004-04:00

Since like... 2008.

It's Just Not Completely Christmas Without Clay...

2009-12-23T12:21:00.015-05:00

I couldn't help it. Had to go back and watch.

I remember the days of the promise. The traditional annual Christmas Tour promise. And I seriously think at the time he believed it. I know we believed it. And it was at least for those brief few years the primary thing that made Christmas for me.

We know now that at the time he was about to welcome a child into the world, but of course we didn't know it then. If we had, would this song have been even more poignant? Would we have wept even more knowning this would be one of the last concert appearances we'd see from him in a very, very long time?

Hindsight...

All I know is that I definitely miss those shell pink lips, that wonky eye and even the sometimes wonky voice...

Shoot, I just miss all of him. And that is all.

Wishing you all a blessed and beautiful Christmas.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Fond Memory of "Ashes"

Scrapples...

2009-11-14T01:53:00.010-05:00

So, it has been brought to my attention that I haven't blogged recently.

Ooops, haha. Didn't mean to plagerize. But I'll borrow whatever I can get...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Table Scraps...

So, it has been brought to my attention that I haven't blogged recently. True! I have been really bad. So sorry. I think sometimes I don't have anything to say, and then by the time I do have something to say there's just so much that I can't figure out what exactly to talk about. So here are the table scraps that have been piling up in my brain for the last several weeks

Thanks SOOOOOO much to all of you who were able to attend the NIP Champions Gala. It was great fun and a real success. I think we raised the bard this year and i look forward to making it a huge hit in years to come.
What happened to Wake County Schools?!?1 Now that i have a kid i am so much more invested and I am EXTREMELY disappointed that so many selfish idiots ran and won seats on the school board. i hope we can get rid of them as soon as possible before they ruin my school system. Idiots.
Been traveling a lot lately to work on the album. I am very excited about it. Recording orchestras in London. Working on song arrangements and such in New York. Will be headed back to london and then on to Germany in the coming weeks to do more orchestra stuff and to do vocals. I am quite happy with what we are doing this time, and extremely satisfied with the direction we are headed in on this album. It is going to be fun.

Looking at trying to do a PBS special for next year to go along with this album. I think it may work out. That will be fun, and it will target an audience that I really hope to target this time. We'll keep you up to date.
While in London last time I went, with Hannah, to see Sister Act: the Musical. I went because I thought it would be a disaster and I wanted to see how bad it would be. I was SOOO WRONG. It was incredible. REALLY great. The sets were some of the most amazing I have EVER seen on a stage and the music was SPECTACULAR. Alan Menken, who wrote Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast and MUCH more, wrote the music for this... it was SOOO good. Makes me REALLY want to do hunchback of Notre Dame (which he also wrote) on Broadway. Anyone know anyone at Disney Theatricals? Wanna pull some strings? ;-)

-I also saw Precious (the movie)... UNBELIEVABLE. It was so real and so gritty and so horrifying. Yet, at the same time, there were amazing glimpses of light in it. Several times the entire audience laughed out loud. It was really great. When it opens in your city, you must go! Mo'Nique MUST win the Oscar for supporting actress. You will NOT have a dry eye when you see this film.

Yippee! The News & Observer is now on my Kindle!

One of my contacts fell out today and it took forever to put it back in. Then, once I got it in, it hurt. So, I tried to take it back out and it didn't want to come out. What is that all about? Why do they fall out when you want them in, and stay stuck in when you want them out? ? ? So now my eye is all red, and I'm on to glasses again for a while.

Did you see Larry King last night? Carrie Prejean is a complete dumbass!
That's all my brain can regurgitate for now. Miss y'all. See ya soon!

c

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Best line of the day... Why do they fall out when you want them in, and stay stuck in when you want them out? ? ?

Discuss?...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken

My Mind Must Be Going...

2009-11-08T19:49:00.006-05:00

Because sometimes I forget how much I love him...

Clay's Surprise Appearance at the "David Foster and Friends" concert... San Jose, CA... 11-6-2009.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, David Foster

Welcome to my Green Place...

2009-10-31T16:09:00.002-04:00

Recycling's good...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A Retro sigh From a Long Time Ago...

2009-09-29T21:36:00.011-04:00

In August of 2003 I flew from Grand Rapids to St. Louis ALL ALONE just to see some wanna-be "Pop Star." At the time I pretty much thought I was crazy for doing it. Little did I know I was definitely not all alone...

And in retrospect... it was probably one of the best frivolously used vacation days I've ever spent in my life!

It was hot though!... really, really hot! Warning: Don't ever visit St. Louis in the middle of August! Unless of course you have a really good reason to! Funny now when I think back on it, I barely remember the heat. Until he rose out of that stage that is...

He was real...

It was just so much fun to have found this video once again and be able to revisit it. I was sitting directly behind all those ladies on the front row waiving their signs! And yet I was totally oblivious to them... if you can imagine.

An out of body experience for sure!

Ah, and I just found this too! My little snippet of a review. *g*

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, American Idol, Season 2 Tour, This Is The Night, St. Louis

I Absolutely Love This Video!...

2009-09-27T19:09:00.007-04:00

... Only because it helps to remind me just how much we don't really know him!

And it also prompted me to call the wedding off... hahahaha

But no, seriously! I truly, truly LOVE that video! I do!!! Each and every single 360 degrees of it!!!

Thanks again jojoct!..

Nobody ever reads my blog so I think I'm good...

2009-09-12T19:35:00.008-04:00

A Q&A Compilation from the OFC...

Originally Posted by ClaymateRn
Clay, I was wondering if the swelling after your surgery effected your vocal cords or your ability to sing for awhile. Do you still have swelling at times, especially when you eat a large meal or chew gum?

Yeah. I think the swelling probably hurt my ability to hit some higher notes at the time. But, I think the real issue now is that I haven't sung in a while. I went to karaoke the other night, just for fun, and I sounded like a dying mule

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Originally Posted by Arielone
Hi Clay,
Is there a place or country that you have not yet visited that you would like to travel to?

I would really like to go to Zimbabwe. I also want to visit all of the "stans".

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Originally Posted by septskyblueeyes
Your biggest pet peeve is?

You know how, on late model cars, the keyhole for the trunk is covered with some sort of emblem that flips up. I HATE HATE HATE it when someone's keyhole cover is flipped up while they are driving. I have been known to get out of my car at a stoplight and fix that.

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Originally Posted by jesse13
Clay

Do you vote for the political party, the candidate or based on issue(s) that you agree with?

I usually just make a pretty pattern with the dots. ;-)

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Originally Posted by RoRizzo
You wanted Ruben to sing at your funeral. Do you want him to sing at your wedding?

Am I getting married?

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Originally Posted by jesse13
What is your favorite "big" word to pull out of your vocabulary when trying to impress people in conversations?

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

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Originally Posted by suereu
Red Eye Flights - love them or hate them?

I actually prefer them, because then you don't waste part of your day on a plane.

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Originally Posted by catherinewalker
Hey Clay

for lack of a better word, a few years ago( not sure how many )there are a couple pictures of you "reclining" on what looks to be a bathroom floor, my goofy question is "why"? was there no other space in the house.

I was drunk and needed to stay near the toilet.

Ha ha.. No... truthfully, the shoot was for all of the top 12 Idols in my season and they were all taken at the same hotel in Hollywood. Some folks were on the roof; some were near the pool. I guess the photographer thought that's where I belonged! ;-)

A fun fact... that photographer was Eric Ogden. It was the first time I had met him, and I liked his shots so much that we used him to do the cover of the book, the Christmas album, and OMWH.

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Originally Posted by luvtigr
Are you a person that really HATES to be alone ?

Or do U enjoy a day here and there all alone?

I actually love it.
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Originally Posted by thankful4clayThere was a great picture of you taken recently in Atlanta with a person who appears to work for the airport. You look like you've lost some weight.

How much weight have you lost and what is your secret?

I have lost negative 5 pounds, and the secret is a Krispy Kreme diet.

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Originally Posted by mitzigill
I've received an e-mail with outstanding photos of you taken at the Atlanta Airport and at The Varsity. Are you planning on keeping this hair style and color? Can you manage it by yourself?

It's already different

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Originally Posted by HeyButterfly
Clay... I was wondering if you've ever actually measured the size of your head. To see how big it is.

You know... for the purpose of buying a hat or whatnot?

I did have to have it measured for the hat I wore in SPAM. I don't remember the exact measurement, but I do remember the wardrobe person saying "Damn!"
Apparently, I have a large skull. :-\

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Originally Posted by mitzigill
Just received an e-mail with this headline: "AEG Live Refuses to Cancel Concert at Nokia Club by Singer Whose Lyrics Promote Murder of Gay People". Why isn't this kind of music considered a hate crime? How terribly disgusting and sad.

Actually, in most states, killing a person because they are gay isn't even considered a hate crime. So, lets start there.

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Originally Posted by claybella
You sure look tan in this recent photo, how did you do it????

I had it sprayed on. :-)

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Originally Posted by jesse13
Clay how are you?
What do you think of this quote from Robin Williams

Living in Hollywood is like wearing fiberglass underwear--interesting but painful.

That literally made me laugh out loud.

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Originally Posted by Hope1
Hi Clay,

Which was your favorite among the decade medleys you performed during JBT? Least favorite??

Favorite single? "Unchained Melody," "Solitaire," "Mandy," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Sailing," or "I Can't Make You Love Me?"

I really prefer the older stuff. So, I would say UM and Solitaire.

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Originally Posted by copingincalifornia
How does JukeBox Tour 2 sound to you?

I'd love it. It was always our favorite.

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Originally Posted by JessMcVargas
Can you talk Decca (or whoever handles it) into selling another Calendar? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

It's not the label. And, we're working on it.

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Originally Posted by claysang
Clay, besides your season, what's you favorite season of American Idol?

There were other seasons?!?!?!

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Originally Posted by rxmom
Have you ever held a pet (other than a dog)? Like a kitten, ferret, hamster or rabbit?

I used to have a pygmy goat

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Originally Posted by hosaa
If someone were born in Alaska or Hawaii before they became states, could that person run for President of the U.S.?

Are you trying to say that YOU were born in Alaska before it became a state? And YOU want to run for president? Don't be shy. It's ok.

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Originally Posted by claylily
Hey Clay,

I know it has not been posted here (YET), but we heard a bit ago that you were writing another book. Fact or Rumor???

Thanks,
Lillian

Twas a rumor. But a good idea.

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Originally Posted by toni7babe
Is there one song that your so tired of singing??

Is there one song you will NEVER get tired of singing??

(A) Invisible and (B) This Is The Night

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Originally Posted by aiken4claysc
Would you ever consider auctioning whatever hockey jerseys you have left from the Idol tour?

To my knowledge, they've all been auctioned off.

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Originally Posted by LuvLifeandClay2
Ok so I'm minoring in astrophysics and this problem was on our first homework! I figured it out, let's see if you can.....

We are located about 28,000 light-years from the galactic center and we orbit the center once every 230 million years.

Using this information (the radius and period) calculate how fast are we traveling around the galaxy? Give your answer in km/hr.
Express your answer using two significant figures.

WendyHint: Conversion of light years and years is involved. The speed of light is also involved in one conversion!

WendyHint #2: Geometry is involved.

Good Luck....

Wendy... I'm not doing your homework for you! ;-)

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Originally Posted by clayluver47
At the end of your runs in Spamalot, was it your idea to greet your fans from the roof?

No. Jerome really likes "splashy" endings.
The exit on the last night of the Independent Tour, the walk out of the back of the theatre on the last nights of the JN tours, the roof of the Shubert... all were Jerome's ideas.
I think if he could figure out how to have me burst into flames and disappear at the end of a tour, he would.

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Originally Posted by Sunshinebear
Clay, I am trying to get rid of a terrible head cold. Do you have any special remedies that you use that I should try?

Powdered milk and root beer with three tablespoons of ketchup.
Try it and let me know how it goes.

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Originally Posted by Clandy
Have you seen this? SO cute!

http://twitpic.com/gvgyp

She says, "sweet mother of all that is good and holy, i finally met clay aiken."

Could you have been in Montreal.....................recording?

Good lord!! What is on my chin!?! It looks deformed! Bad angle!. The girl's cute though.

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Love him!!!

~ ~ ~

Irony...

2009-08-30T14:49:00.009-04:00

Ya know how when you wash your car it rains? And when you don't it doesn't? Or like when you announce you're gonna be shutting down your Clay blog till he decides to come out of the woodwork again... Yes?

Alrighty then... Well I guess you can all have me to thank for the very lovely gift we received this past Thursday...

Clay with David Novak (VP of Decca Records)

This Twitter pic is currently at 25,000+++ hits!

Thank you Decca!

So I guess things are kind of looking up...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Decca Records

My Cat Just Told Me It Was Time to Go...

2009-08-23T18:45:00.008-04:00

And he should know... because he goes a lot! I swear!... I clean out that litter box at least 5 times every morning, before I even leave for work! I have no idea what's going on there.

It's almost funny though. I mean, he scratches like a maniac at the door after being out all night only to rush in to his "scratch heaven." This seems backwards and somewhat abnormal to me somehow...

So where am I going with this?

I know that Clay doesn't care for cats...

I've had such an incredible six years learning THAT and so many, many other things about him and from him. And I still love him, mucho. Can't help it. Always will.

And I'll be keeping this site, don't get me wrong, but it's sort of hard to own a "blogger" that doesn't always quite represent what it's viewers expect from it's title. And I'm not so much into trivia games and rehashing rehashes.

This is really hard.

Please feel free, my friends, to join me HERE during this wistful interlude. Which I'm hoping won't be that much more wistfully long lasting.

Love to Clay and love to you all!

Feeling just a little itsy bit schmoopy right now.

xoxo
Chardonnay/Jannet

Memories for a Rainy Saturday...

2009-08-08T15:19:00.011-04:00

I had planned on doing major yard work today to catch up on the last 7 weeks of negligence, but it's been raining incessantly since dawn.

So instead I decided to wander around YouTube... and now it's nearly 5:00.

This is one of the best sights ever. At least for me. This is the dancing style I grew up with and the one in which I made my living all the years I made my living in dance... and watching it just gives me goosebumps. The memories are astounding. It was especially fun to see one of my "Richies" Eugene Flemming, from my "A Chorus Line" days featured in so many of the clips.

So if you're a Fosse fan, or if you've ever even been at all curious about his iconic genius, please just take a moment to check it out. There will never again be anyone who style equates to his.

And of course I get crazy sometimes over the fact that YouTube wasn't around during my day. I check in from time to time and hoping that someday something will pop up. I wish so much that I could see something I'd done. But just today I found this vid of my "Cassie" which was probably just a private video now surfaced... so things are lookin' up. Cheryl was amazing!

It's funny though that as I'm watching this performance, as magnificent as it is, I'm somehow only able to remember the gratitude of having that 10 minute break mid-show every night. It was a killer!

I think this was probably a performance from the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, early 80's... but in my mind I really want to believe that it's taking place on that little stage on 44th Street in NYC... and at which very moment I am upstairs in that bungalow frantically trying to re-dry my hair...

Technorati tags:
Fosse, Eugene Flemming, Cheryl Clark, A Chorus Line

My Summer In Black and White...

2009-08-06T19:07:00.003-04:00

I guess I'm stronger than I thought I was.

Seven weeks ago I embarked upon an accelerated class towards my Graphics major. Two-Dimensional Design. I thought it sounded like fun, an easy class, and a pretty good alternative to the fourteen week program typically offered during the school year.

Three nights a week, after work, four and a half hours. Totally do-able, right?

OMG...

If this class hadn't finished up last night I don't think I'd still be around to tell about it. Anyone ever had a Professor who thought their class was God?

Anyway, during my much extended absence, my cats got really bored and decided to redecorate... the dustmites took up residency as house-parents, my yard became completely overgrown and unsightly, and anything (and I mean ANYTHING) that could have possibly expired... expired.

I know, I've lost it. But I promise to find it again soon.

To view some of my projects Click Here. (Hover your mouse over the words to read the complete description..)

Please be kind. This is the first art class I've EVER taken. Graphics programs yes. "Art"... no. Prior to this I pretty much struggled with stick figures. It's a whole different world.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate it. But I'd definitely take the extended 14 week course at two nights a week if I could do it all over again. Either that or switch to Accounting...

Meanwhile... where is Clay? Has anyone heard from him lately? I'm completely out of the loop!

Any info is completely welcome.

A Day Late... : (

2009-07-23T22:58:00.003-04:00

And I made this weeks ago!

Sounds like you had a great one!

I'm Not Changing My Blog Name Just Yet but...

2009-07-23T13:26:00.004-04:00

Seriously, my schedule is so absolutely crazy. But I took the time to watch this.

At least twice...

Technorati tags:
Adam Lambert, American Idol Season 8, Tour

So Where In The H*ll Have I Been?...

2009-07-19T20:27:00.012-04:00

A really good question for just about everybody these days...

But anyway... I've been taking this art class. For some reason it's required for a Graphic Design degree...

I hate art.

I mean, I don't really "hate it" hate it. I just hate going to class 3 nights a week from 5:45 until 10:00 after working all day. It pretty much computes to Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. until Friday evening at 5:00 without much time for even a squat.

But I'm learning alot, I guess. I'm on week four of weekend projects too (in addition to the above mess.) All sorts of weird and funky stuff too that I've never done anything like before. I promise to share it with ya'll someday. Anyway, surprisingly I finished up early tonight. Usually I'm glue gunning things on the poster board at 5:00 on Tuesday in the restroom at work...

So I did this little extra credit project. Worth 10 points. *g* I figured I might need it.

Task: Take a black and white image and scale it up by 50% using a grid...

Here's the random image I chose:

And then I drew it bigger...

And no, I didn't cheat like by tracing or anything... I just took it one little box at a time...

Have I said lately how much I love art?

So Why In The Heck Didn't WE Ever Do Something Like This?...

2009-06-22T17:59:00.010-04:00

I mean, it really does beat all the junk that Jerome always had to haul backstage, especially in the beginning, or all the heavily weighted red and purple bags of Christmas cr*p that he'd receive year after year that he probably had to end up leaving for the stage hands hands to pick through anyway. And remember the Purple Roses project in Raleigh where they actually walked the aisles handing them out to everyone because there was such a frickin' boatload of them?

Makes me sad somehow.

But this really makes me happy... for some odd reason. Especially for Kris.

Ok... enough schmoopiness.

Thinking caps back ON peoples!

ETA: I'm kidding! Shoot, the creativity and love that's been extended to that man could have powered him to the moon and back... 10,ooo times. But STILL what a very, very cool idea this was!

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Kris Allen

Another Obligatory Father's Day Tribute?...

2009-06-21T10:12:00.020-04:00

I mean, when you grow up without one (for all intents and purposes) that third Sunday in June always just sort of sneaks up on you somehow, sort of like a (well, like pretty much anything else in life that sneaks up on you at the most inopportune or inconvenient of times.) I could list several of them as examples but I'll just let you use your imagination.

Disclaimer: Yay, I Finally Got One! Even if I DID have to wait until years after I'd left home. So anyway, I've pretty much always since then thought of it as "Grandpa's Day" or "Son-In-Law's" Day.

But I have this very real sneaking suspicion that Parker will always welcome this day for years and years to come... with open arms.

Ok... so that's about the best I can do for now. But please feel free to check out these links below for some far more inspiring perspectives...

Carolina On My Mind
Clay The Man
Clay Aiken News Network
Clayspots

And a beautiful essay from Ideal Idol!

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Fathers Day

Wasn't That Amazing... Grace?

2009-06-15T19:41:00.067-04:00

And no, that wasn't a comment overheard out in the lobby after the show... But it probably could have been.

Me? Well, I didn't get to see it, or at least not until now. Not that I wasn't invited or anything...

A bit of history.

The Charleston Opera House... the place my kids pretty much grew up in during their summers as kids. Kind of like little tagalongs with their director dad. Mascots of sorts I guess. Though from what I know they loved every single minute of it and have wonderful memories of those times. And seriously, what a way to spend a summer right? Especially with such beautiful beaches so close by. So I never had to feel sorry for them being tucked away in some stuffy old theatre all summer long or anything. And it always gave me a really good break from the six nights a week... carpooling to and from ballet class.... after working ALL day... and then driving up hill, BOTH WAYS. Haha. So, I think it was definitely always a win-win-win.

Anyway, this was also where they met Quiana. Some of you might remember her? Well, back when she was 15 or 16 or something like that she was already 'amazing.' And I remember them coming home after summer breaks and her name already being a household word. But that was back in the "Serenade Show" days, which has long ago since been retired (and which I never saw either) and way before she went on to "other things."

But shows with other names still LIVE ON and are kept fresh and alive with each season! And there's still a TON of talent there! A ton.

But as I said before, I'm typically don't go out there during "dad's week" *mumble mumble mumble*. However, FORTUNATELY since my kids are all SO technologically savvy they always find a way to send me the videos anyway.

And dad's "week" this last time around was really ALL the time they had to put this one together. So I'm really sort of glad I "decided" not to go anyway.

But what a thrill though to finally see her perform on that stage after all these years! And I know it was a MAJOR thrill for her. It must have been like homecoming! And for me to be able to see her on stage with her dad. Well *schmoopies!*

Anyway, I've just included a couple of the numbers here from the many, many good ones. Never much cared for gospel music before. But ya know, it's kind of growin' on me.

The first 2 are just sort of Claycentric.

#1: Anyone?
#2: A pretty obvious connection...

#3: My kiddo!
#4: An incredible piano solo by Tommy Gill!

And a couple more excerpts here.

I never did get any actual permission to post these but I'm hoping it'll still be ok. Because shameless Mom-Ho's with good intentions can pretty much always whine their way out of anything. And isn't it always just SO much easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission... anyway?

And there's something to be said for Positive.FREE.advertising. I mean really. Seems like another win-win-win to me.

Thanks SO MUCH for the videos Aaron!

Technology Baffles My Mind Usually...

2009-06-11T19:30:00.008-04:00

I can't even tell you how many weekends I've spent in an attempt to get a relatively simple thing to play in a format I want it to. Somehow it always works out! But last weekend was way easy!

Because I found this cool tool Fair Use Wizard that allows me to take all those wonderfully special DVD's that my daughter always sends me of her dance performances and convert them into a format that I can actually play with. I know... some of you probably have no need or interest in "playing" with DVD's, but if you do, then that ^^ up there is your tool. Totally free with no gimmicks!

And now, I can fiddle to my hearts content... and then sit back and enjoy.

Here's Whit in a 2004 performance with her Contemporary Dance Team at BYU Idaho. YOU may not be able to pick her out, but me, I have no problem. Not even when I shut my eyes... And besides, I'd be pretty proud to call any one of them mine.

To Where You Are from Chardonnay on Vimeo.

Technorati tags:
Contemporary Dance Team, BYU Idaho

So Who's Idea Was It To Call Me J'nut?

2009-05-31T13:03:00.009-04:00

So here's the deal. I'm in the grocery store checkout line when I suddenly realize that my money is in the glove compartment of my car. So I ask the pretty little checkout girl if she can hold my order while I run out and get it. She smiles and says "sure."

When I come back with the money I completely apologize and tell her how I'm just getting use to all this... being on the Dave Mattthews plan and all... using cash in envelopes instead of just "ching chinging" my debit card.

She stares at me blankly.

The Total Money Makeover? I SO swear it works! ... pause... You've heard of Dave Matthews right?

*Lights on* Oh no, of course I've heard of him!... and I just LOVE him!

We nod and agree. *bonding moment*

I leave the store feeling extremely happy that there are youngin's out there who actually get it...

This seriously happened. And just today! So I'm either suffering from serious dementia or really I AM really that fourteen year old wanna-be that my kids keep accusing me of being.

I have no idea where that came from. But even so... my budget is working great! And so I guess a rose by any other name can still smell as sweet.

I cannot believe I'm admitting this...

Technorati tags:
Dave Matthews, Dave Ramsey

Props To Clay...

2009-05-30T20:23:00.003-04:00

“What are your thoughts on the Prop 8 ruling today?”

Loaded question. Hope I don’t get myself in trouble here again…

I will say that I am QUITE disappointed that Prop 8 passed in the first place. I could argue all day the myriad of reasons that I believe the US Constitution provides for equal rights for all people. And, as much as it is their right to have a differing opinion, I think that some of the arguments coming from the anti-gay side are stupid, hypocritical, and even contradict themselves.

That said, I can’t say that I am too upset by the CA Supreme Court’s ruling. While it is disappointing that same sex couples in CA will have to wait longer to have equal rights, at the same time I worry that a different ruling from the court would have caused far more trouble than good.

The bottom line is… no matter how much I hate it…. Prop 8 passed with the majority of the public vote. I don’t agree with them. I don’t think it is right, but it happened. I don’t think I would be comfortable allowing the courts the power to override the will of the people. Yes, I know the argument can be made that had the courts not struck down segregation in the south we may still have Jim Crow laws in place. However, (A) segregation was instituted by the states based on public opinion and not necessarily by an official vote and (B) the US Supreme Court struck down the practice of segregation. It didn’t overturn a specific vote.

I strongly believe that the next time that Californians go to the ballot box to vote on legalizing same sex marriage, the tides will turn. I truly believe that the majority of CA voters will support the equal rights of all people next time they are given the chance. While the CA Supreme Court may now be composed of justices who believe that same-sex marriage should be legal (remember they are the ones who made it legal in the first place), what happens when the public votes for same-sex marriage to be legalized, yet the CA Supreme Court is made up of justices who feel it should be illegal? Will they then have the power to overturn the vote? Its not a precedent I want set.

As much as I disagree with Prop 8, I don’t want to give the courts the power to ignore the will of the people. Because I expect that one day, even in North Carolina, the majority of voters will allow me the right to get married, and when that happens, I don’t want nine justices being able to change the outcome.

We can’t only agree with the system when it agrees with us.

That said…. Way to go Ohio, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, and (fingers crossed) New Hampshire… and, bring on the next ballot California!

I love that answer... and I love Clay Aiken.

*Unscrupulously Posted* But hopefully, for Good.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Proposition 8

Composing My Thoughts...

2009-05-21T19:40:00.022-04:00

This is how I wanted Season 2 to end!.. *huge snip*

Clay... Ya know I really love ya to death man!.. don't you? But I seriously think you probably could have just left it at that...

Congratulations Kris!

Congrats Adam!

I think we've seen these pictures before...

heh

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert

Clay's Parts...

2009-05-17T10:13:00.032-04:00

So even though we had over six months to anticipate his appearance on the "30 Rock" finale I still don't think any of us could have been completely prepared.

Because just Check THIS out.

But still. I mean, really. For him to have appeared so indiginously alongside the likes of Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blidge, Norah Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle, Wyclif Jean, Moby, Ad-Rock, etc, etc. (of whose names I mostly recognize...) But anyway... and seriously... that must have been quite an honor for him.

In a recent MTV Interview he says that it was.

He also goes on to share his always enlightening and prolific opinion.

'30 Rock' is not only the funniest show on TV now; it's also the smartest," Aiken told MTV news in a statement. "Things that you see or hear on that show start popping up in everyday life all of the time. I don't think any show since 'Seinfeld' has been able to do that."

Like "Seinfeld," these days Liz Lemon and her motley crew leave the "American Idol" alum in stitches every week. " 'Seinfeld' had 'yada, yada, yada' and 'master of your domain.' '30 Rock' has "That's a deal-breaker, ladies' and many more. I find myself saying 'What the what?' all of the time. They've really broken into the zeitgeist like no other show has."

And in case you failed Vocabulary 1001 right along with me... or failed to realize that it was even required...

Zeitgeist is (pronounced ˈtsartɡarst is a German language expression literally translated: Zeit, time; Geist, spirit, meaning "the spirit of the age and its society". The word zeitgeist describes the intellectual, cultural, ethical and political climate, ambience and morals of an era (similar to the English word "mainstream") or also a trend.

So yay, another new scrabble word!

Just Give A Kidney can be downloaded on iTunes... with your 99 cents proceeds going to the National Kidney Foundation.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, 30 Rock, National Kidney Foundation

David Foster and Friends...

2009-05-10T14:50:00.024-04:00

And Family!

Last evenings performance at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas did not disappoint! The Peter Cetera medley was incredible!

And you can listen to the audio of his performance here! While looking at all the pretty pictures!!! Ok, nevermind... iMeem decided that it wasn't that important.

v v v v v

SLIDESHOW

*sigh*

As another fandom collides...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Peter Cetera, David Foster

So... Who's Cuter?

2009-05-10T13:54:00.019-04:00

And trust me, this will be tough!

Him?...

Or Him?...

Ok, let me make it a bit easier...

So Who's Cuter?

Him?...

Or Him?...

Ok, well then... nevermind.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY Jaymes!!!

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Jaymes Foster, Mother's Day

Fickled...

2009-04-26T11:56:00.023-04:00

And I mean totally!

I just can't seem to make up my mind!!!

Ok... so that was a little bit easier than I thought it would be...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Clay Aiken Official Fan Club, Bubel Aiken Foundation,

My Boyfriend's BAACK!

2009-03-29T13:10:00.010-04:00

And is he ever!!!

Clay Aiken presents the Excellence in Media Award to Tyra Banks at the 20th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on March 28, 2009 at the Marriott Marquis. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.

I am so proud of him!

*slurp*

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Tyra Banks, 2009 GLAAD Awards

Idle Idol?...

2009-03-22T18:57:00.015-04:00

Ok, so I'll admit it. The fishing hasn't been that much fun. (see previous post)

And if truth be told, I was really just trying to call his bluff. Like maybe if I said I was going fishing he'd like do some big kamakazee plunge off the bluff, like directly into my fishing hole, and like scare all those fishies away. Like, right...

But I guess we still have a couple of things to look forward to. Like that Top Model stint, and the Tyra award, and that 30 Rock thing... (So thank goodness for the thems. I guess. : )

But really... I just want him to sing. And tour. Again.

So today I tossed my fishing pole and donned my scuba gear and went diving into the depths of the past. And what I came up with was this...

That I really need to cop him a little bit of a break... or two. Cause in truth, he seriously DOES deserve this little time off.

Anyway...This is not so very original, nor is it so very well done IMHO... But it WAS heartfelt. And somewhat a necessity...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, UNICEF, Bubel Aiken Foundation, It's In Every One Of Us

No, Seriously... And This Time I Really, Really Mean It...

2009-02-27T18:43:00.011-05:00

Swear!

Because I've just got just a few more classes (ok a few more than a few) left before I'll FINALLY have my degree and I just hafta do everything I possibly can right now to totally focus.

And besides, it just feels like a rather opportune time to do that, ya know?

So please don't give up on me, ok? I'll be back. Just followin' his lead...

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to leave a "Hey" every once in a while... if you want to. I LOVE hearing from you guys!

*glub glub*

Not Just Us...

2009-02-22T14:58:00.014-05:00

This was just brought to my attention by a good friend who frequently surfs the web. *Not that I don't... but probably just not as frequently as she does.*

And it made me sit up in my seat a bit... and maybe even pout a little. But either way, it for sure took me back to 2003. Big time!

And what a grand time that was!

Anyway, here goes: Courtesy of Bitten By A Cougar...

Arm Porn: - David Cook's arms shown off in a short-sleeved shirt, especially a t-shirt. Can cause 'plosions.
Audition Fauxhawk: - the red-streaked quasi-mohawk David wore at his first audition with the judges.
BAD: - Beleaguered Advocates of Debedazzlement. DC fans who prefer DC wearing less bling.
Bling: - necklaces, crystalline belt buckles and other shiny accessories worn by OABO.
Blingtrance: - Inability to look directly at or speak to David Cook because you are blinded by the shiiininess of his bling.
Bouffantom of the Opera: - Somewhat bouffant hairstyle David wore when he sang Music of the Night on Top 6 (Andrew Lloyd Weber) week.
Bromance: - describing the relationship between David Cook and Michael Johns.
Bus-stalking: – When an Idol fan waits patiently, often for hours, hoping to see and meet their favorite Idol.
Bus-throwing: – Simon Cowell’s gratuitously cruel criticism of David Cook’s performances (especially The World I Know) on Top 2 Night.
Cookified: - (a) What happens when David rearranges a song. (b) David's skills as a hairdresser in the Best Week Ever skit. (c) The assimilation of countless relatives, friends, strangers, nonfans, cats and budgies into being willing adoring slaves of David Cook after having heard/seen him perform.
Cookie Neutron: - David's hairstyle on Top 2 Night and during some concerts on the Gratitewer. So named because it resembles the fabled 'do of cartoon character Jimmy Neutron.
Cooklective: - the collective fandom; those who have been assimilated by David Cook's talent and persona. Resistance is futile.
DC=42: - (Inspired by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams) At the end of the day, everything starts, runs and ends with David Cook. Used when a fan sees direct or oblique evidence of David Cook in everyday life.
DC Drinking Game: - A game in which a David Cook fan must take a drink of an alcoholic beverage any time David says any of the words listed at the end of the glossary.++
Double Boiler: - the Mavid dances or anything involving gawking/ogling David Cook and Michael Johns at the same time.
Elf Boots: - Type of long, pointy-toed, often ornately decorated cowboy boots that have 'uplift' on the toe end. David Cook favors and often wears elf boots.
FlashDance Dave: - a reference to the performance at which David poured a bottle of water on his head and then shook it out of his hair, causing his ear monitors to short out and inducing spontaneous ovulation amongst his female fans. Caused consternation amongst TPTB.
FlexiDave: - David performing a deep bend backwards similar to a yoga move known as "The Fish" while playing his guitar. Responsible for sprained MCL ligament, not to be seen again on the tewer until Grand Rapids, probably due to euphoria from having been on Oprah.
Gratitewer: - gratitude tour; the 2008 American Idols tour, during which David Cook is expressing his gratitude to his fans 165 times (53 tour stops x 5 songs).
Hair Cut Heard Round The World: - the new hairstyle David had for his performance of Little Sparrow during Top 9 (Dolly Parton) Week. Acronym: HCHRTW.
Hairvolution: - The evolution of David's hairstyle(s) through the course of the season 7 Idol competition.
Hollywood Curl: - David's hairstyle during "Hollywood Week" auditions.
HT Flatiron: - The flat-ironed hairstyle David had when he sang Happy Together
Locktopus: - David's hairstyle for several of the earlier finalist rounds, when he sang ARN, Hello, Day Tripper, Eleanor Rigby and Billie Jean.
Magic Rainbow: - Cringe-inducing lyric from David's first single, Time of My Life; now a nickname for that song.
Mavid: - nickname for the duo of David Cook and Michael Johns. Also for The Dance that takes place during Please Don't Stop the Music.
MOABO: - (pronounced moh-AH-boh). M is for Minions. DC fans who prefer him with bling. See: OABO.
Milk 'n' Cookies: - David Archuleta and David Cook.
Our Accessory Bedazzled Overlord: - (a) Nickname for David Cook when he is fully regaled in an array of necklaces, belt-buckles, scarves, sunglasses, etc, especially on the Gratitewer. Acronym: OABO. Original phrase: "I, for one, welcome our accessory bedazzled overlord."
'Plode: - (a) A word David coined when talking about Eta Carinae, a bright star in the galaxy. He wasn't sure if it would implode or explode so decided on 'plode. (b) The effect that David Cook has on women who are charmed by his voice, his looks, and his size 13s.
Size 13s: - (a) the size of David Cook's feet. (b) Innuendo for DC's manly bits.
Snickerdoodle: - A more subtle (heh) reference for DC's manly bits.
Soggy Cookie: - refers to David's tendency to tear up/get emotional onstage or off.
Skittles: - a nickname for David Cook. See Magic Rainbow.
Tewer: - how David pronounces "tour"; rhymes with sewer.
Transporter Accident: - David's hairstyle for Top 5 (Neil Diamond) week (and possibly for HLTW and Baba O'Riley?)
TWIK'd: - Becoming very emotional or soggy in response to David becoming very emotional or soggy.
Wardrobe malfunction: - David losing his belt in Grand Rapids,flashing his belly in KC, and otherwise sending females into various stages of 'plosion.
What Happens in Vegas: - David's hairstyle the weekend the Top 4 visited Las Vegas. Possibly the father of Cookie Neutron.
Word Nerd: - (a) David's own description of himself, as a lover of word puzzles and games. (b) Generically, a David Cook fan. (c) A DC fan who has obtained an "official Word Nerd number" from the Cook forums at AmericanIdol.com.

Anyway, I just don't know quite what to think about all this.

Except that think I like mine better...
Omg! So just how embarrassing is THAT??? hahaha

By the way... I actually saw him in Grand Rapids and really, really liked him! But not nearly enough to try and learn a whole new language...

Preparedness... It's Important!

2009-02-15T15:11:00.014-05:00

Ok, well first of all. I really have no idea what this blog below has to do with Clay Aiken. Absolutely nothing at all really. So I feel kind of bad, in a way, using a blog with a name like "Clayigraphy" to sort of pimp my off topic and utterly random thoughts.

Oh well.

I guess he can't really expect for me to go out of my way and create a whole new blog for that purpose.. just because he decides to take a little time off. Can he?

Alrighty then.

So anyway.

I have this little assignment for my Telecommunications class that I have to do. As if the class itself isn't difficult enough. Trust me! It covers all of the super important techno-savvy things that you will never, EVER need to know to be able to get by in life.

Still, the assignment is, to research what life was like in the 50's and compare it to life in the new millennium, technology-wise, with the suggestion that we interview someone who lived "back then" to get their point of view. Bwah. So luckily I won't even have to leave my house for this one... or even pick up an antiquated phone. But I did browse the internet for a few secs just for schnicks...

And well, I found out a bunch of stuff that I never knew or realized... or more likely just simply didn't remember. The progression of it all came at such a snails pace back then that we could hardly sense it happening. But so much, SO MUCH has occurred in even the past few years in this realm that even reading it made my head spin.

So after hyper-speeding my way through the past 50 years in this one afternoon I'm actually very excited about this project. In fact, it's pretty much already written itself. And maybe I'll even share it with you when it's finished.

But haha... my sharing that with you wasn't really the main purpose of this blog!

What the main reason was to ask... OMG!.. "How did the baby boomers even survive their formative years without just completely committing mass suicide?"

What follows is an actual educationally approved filmstrip which was being shown in schools country-wide right around the time that I was still feeling fairly safe and secure in my snuggly little blankie.

Watch this! You won't believe it!

And now, we're advised to moniter our children's television exposure?

Moral (I guess?..) Advancement is good!

And ALWAYS be prepared and completely ready for anything! As in saving up that little extra stash of cash in that safeguarded cookie jar just "in case" the word "TOUR" should ever flash blindingly across your screen totally unexpectedly one of these days! And also... the fingers should be excercised and limbered to the max at all times, for whatever actions they may ever be asked to perform at any given moment...

Whew...Thank goodness I was somehow able to bring this one back around...

Technorati tags:
Civil Defense, Atomic Bomb, 1950's, Technology

Love Means...

2009-02-10T18:30:00.008-05:00

Never having to say you're sorry... (or at least I heard that once...)

So why do I feel such a need to say it?

Because there has never been, nor will there ever be again such a bright spark of love in my heart for someone who I have never or will ever know. And I don't really see the spark burning out any time soon... or probably ever.

But having said that... I still have a degree to pursue, a job to uphold, a family to re-acqaint with and SO much else that I've let completely slip under the rug these past few years. And trust me, there's a lot of junk under that rug...

(And also... i really can't stand ANTM!!!... I think it's absolutely the most cheeziest show ever!!! ugh! ack! and ok *breaths*)

I am just hoping, in my heart of hearts that, in the meantime, he's having a the most blissfully wonderful and well deserved time off! And though I don't really have much of a knack for fishing... perhaps it's yet another skill I could learn during this yet another down time... or as soon as this dang ice melts.

Or perhaps ice fishing could be a new and interesting challenge as well!

But anyway... *grimaces*

Please trust however that I WILL definitely be back... The very "next" second that he is...

And... look to your left for some wonderful blogs from peoples who are obviously WAY better fans and probably much less fisherman wannabees than I am... and {{{hugs}}} to all of them for taking up the slack...

Anyway... just please don't anyone trout me.

Oh wait! This is MY blog...

*No tags*

In Honor of the Sixth Anniversary of "Take"...

2009-01-27T19:00:00.012-05:00

It's funny, because FOR YEARS I was really confused.

The broadcast and re-broadcasts and montages and videos of the first time he opened his mouth in Atlanta always began like this:

Simon: So what are you going to sing?

Clay: Singin' "Always and Forever"

Simon: Ok..

And THEN when he opened his mouth to sing... out came "TAKE time to show me, Yoooou really care...yada yada"

So yeah... I never really GOT that.

It's all in the editing folks! And what I'd call a major "glitch" in some very important lines of communication...

But Hosaa's Reconstruction of it finally set the record straight.

When I first began making montages, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. So when I go back and watch this second effort of mine I am always pretty much shocked and surprised. Because I think it has to be (hands down) the favorite one I've ever made... or at least my second favorite. I think I was just so completely and hopelessly IN LOVE, yet at the same time realizing the complete futility of those feelings. Remember those days? Crazy.

And even though those feelings have splintered off in many different directions over the past few years they have always circled back (and thankfully on a much more realistic level.) But This One...for me... well, it just keeps continuing to remind of why I came in the first place... why I keep coming back... and why I'm still here.

SO, in honor of this sixth anniversary of "Always"... heh

I just love him, that is all. And will probably continue to do so, well, for a good, long time. Or as long as he'll have me. *g*

**Note: Though posted on the 27th, the actual anniversary date is the 28th.

Enough Water for Children...and well, for everyone.

2009-01-25T17:29:00.019-05:00

This is something I admittedly have rarely had cause to think about.

That there could be people in this world who seriously lack for the most essential and fundamental of needs. Like water.

And I was so touched by this blog from The Clays News Network that I'm gonna try to do something about it too! Please go back and click on that link! I don't want to reinvent the wheel here and there is SO much good information there. So much thirst. Yet so much we can do.

So what can I do?

For starts... I can ask my local restaraunt to participate in the cause. Would you donate $1 for that "freebie" glass of tap water so casually placed at your table if you thought you could save a life? I probably would.

But here's my biggest beef...

I pay something like $20 a month for the mere privledge of just having the service. Versus the $2 a month that I actually consume. So I wonder if they would consider taking $1 of my service charge and contributing it to a very worthy cause which could help attack a serious definciency which exists in so many countries on our planet. I guess ya never know until you ask. Hmmm. I feel a correspondence coming on...

And if you missed the first link, here's yet another one. The TAP Project.

I would never have even known about this effort if it hadn't been for this guy.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, UNICEF, Tap Project

Thoughts... Outside the Box.

2009-01-24T10:55:00.043-05:00

So yes... I realize this may be controversial.

The pictures themselves?.. No. Hopefully the fans, my co-workers, my neighbors, my 12th grade anatomy teacher, my mail carrier, the world and my grandmother have all managed to move way beyond that by now. But just in the fact that they're being posted pretty much ALL over the Internet...

So didn't want to seem behind the times... ya know?

And besides they make me really happy... and make me want to SING!.. and also grin like an idiot.

Especially this one...

And you KNOW they must have both fully realized what the outcome of all this would be going in.

To the box I mean...

So, though perhaps, shame on us for peeking... I'm still just so very happy for them!

No tags for now.

It's Montage Time!... 2008

2009-01-18T14:27:00.006-05:00

Ok.. well, so that didn't rhyme. But it will next year!

I have to admit that I've stopped collecting them obsessively. Life just get's so busy. But here are a couple of last year's offerings that I simply don't want to forget... though I still have a lot more of them on my hard drive!

August Rhapsody ... by Aspiegirl

On My Way Here ... by dreamlarge

There You Are ... by LovesClaysVoice

A 2008 Year In Review ... by dreamlarge

Something About Us - An Obama Love Story ... by Maplestik

Scheduled to be presented at one of the upcoming Inaugural Balls!

Need more? 2006 and 2007

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Montages, 2008 Review, Music

Whitney's MS Walk... 2009

2009-01-15T18:51:00.038-05:00

I am really looking forward, once again, to participating in the annual walk for MS. This will be my daughter's 4th year walking and her 3rd year as a Team Captain for this great cause. She is so amazing! And what's funny is... I am quite certain that even if she didn't have to deal with the disease herself... she'd be right out there in front leading a team for somebody she knew who DID. Because well, that's just her.

Last year, Whitney's team received recognition at the Idaho Falls, Idaho Chapter event for not only exceeding their goal but for having the hightest total contributions. This year, we hope to do the same OR MORE in Boise! Especially since this year it falls on her birthday!

But unfortunately "the walk" isn't just an afternoon event...

Here are a couple of pictures of Whit just a couple of months before she was diagnosed. (She's the one with the joyful appendages.. *g*)

I'm sure that anyone who's ever received news that either they or their child has a debilitating disease will completely understand. It's a difficult bit of news to take in..

But really, she is doing great! And sometimes I even forget that she has it. I mean, she's got the most perfect little family and pretty much a perfect life. And she's still dancing! So everythings good! And normal!

Then, every so often... I remember the REASON that everything is so perfect and normal... and what it is she has to go through in order to keep it that way. But I'm sure she thinks about it all the time.

So anyway... I pray for the day when she, along with countless others, will finally be able to be free from their "normal" routine. The National MS Society is working really, really hard to do... just that.

Thank you so much to family and friends who have already donated to this year's Walk. Your love and support is MOST appreciated!

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't.

And please... Even if not for this... just walk for something. Because well, walking is just really, really good for you!

Technorati tags:
Multiple Sclerosis, MS Walks

Enjoy Your Time Away! Clay.

2009-01-10T12:15:00.015-05:00

We'll be right here.

Waiting.

..with open arms.

And lest we ever forget what we're waiting FOR... Here will always be a little reminder (or at least until YouTube takes it down...)

A huge Thank You to Mariko et al.

And thanks to Carolina Clay and Ashes for showing me how to make it snow in here!

As if I really needed more snow...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, These Open Arms

Break Time...

2009-01-07T12:39:00.012-05:00

If Clay Aiken can take one then so can I.

Except not.

There's still a house to clean, studies to attend to, a job to keep, socks to darn... and miles to mow before I sleep.

But I found a little something to help make the chores a little lighter.

I think it's mindblowing that someone(s)was able to take these random (yet remarkable) songs and string them together in a way to create such a fairly seamless plotline. I applaud the collaboration!

Anyway, one thing I know for sure is... I wanna be Meryl Streep when I grow up... or at least in my next lifetime.

Whichever comes first...

Technorati tags:
Mama Mia, Movie, Soundtrack, ABBA, Clay Aiken

A 2009 Prediction...

2009-01-05T19:31:00.021-05:00

On May 4th 2008 Clay brought down the roof on Part 1 of his Spamalot journey.

Here's a picture of him on the roof...

Six?

And on January 4th 2009 he bid us farewell from Part 2 like this.

Five?

So what do these dates and numbers signify? Apparently they mean something to him!

Parker Foster Aiken was born at 8:08 a.m. on August 8th 2008.

So I guess the question here is... do I need to have these baby booties finished by September 9th 2009 by 9:09... or what?

Just kidding! Sort of...

We'll miss you Clay and hope to see you again soon! But please do whatever it is that makes you the happiest in the meanwhile. You so totally deserve this alone time!...

I just love this interview given by Clay about his Spamalot experience.

Once again... not tagging. Even though the above was, of course, meant for entertainment purposes only...

A New Year's Wish...

2009-01-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

So...

Here are my very meaningful and heartfelt hopes for Clay in the coming year...

May you immensly enjoy this sweet and precious time of diapers and bottles and wonderous firsts... These moments last for such a very short while.

But THEN... as "soon" as you can... couldja maybe just lose the diapers and join us on the road again? *g*

Please?

Ok, so that was teetering on the edge of classlessness, I know. But nonetheless, it just seemed apropos somehow... and was merely a labor of love.

And besides, it made me smile a bit...

Hope it made you smile a bit too.

No Technorati tags on this one... no sireee.

Some wonderful Year-In-Review Blogs:

Carolina Clay

Clay Aiken Ruminations

Truth Rules

Clayspots

...

It's Official!

2008-12-25T11:09:00.024-05:00

Clay Aiken... Broadway Star!

... says Paul Hodgins in the December 24th Arts Blog of the OC Register.

Yesterday he got his framed caricature installed at Sardi’s. That’s the Big Apple equivalent of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

While Matthew Blank of Playbill News says...

"American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken, who currently portrays Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot, was honored Dec. 23 with a caricature that now adorns the walls of the famed eatery Sardi's.

So where's the picture???

Let's see if you can pick it out from the plethora of artistic renderings below.

And before 'those of you' most likely to be reading this blog chuckle... remember that there are actually SOME people out there (like the vast majority of the world's population) who may not actually know! LOL

Click on a thumbnail to see if you're right!

Heh, that was fun!

But I am just SO proud of him!... as this is an honor reserved for only a very select few.

And I am also moved to tears (with an exuberant smiley face) by the way he signed it...

Finally I'm first at something...

For further interesting details and FAR more enlightening information, please check out the following blogs:

**The ConClayve

**Carolina Clay

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Sardi's, Caricature, Broadway

Merry Christmas With Love

2008-12-23T17:50:00.012-05:00

As Christmas Eve dawns... I just want to take a moment to wish all of my family and friends, old and new, a wonderful and peaceful holiday season.

The video is a couple years old... but the message is timeless. The soundtrack is fairly timeless as well. So Enjoy! And again, Merry Christmas... with love.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Christmas Songs, Holiday, Greetings, Merry Christmas With Love

Christmas Present...

2008-12-17T21:27:00.017-05:00

So this Christmas will be a little bit different from Christmases Past. Not that I haven't spent the holidays alone before because I have... But those were in the years where my children would sometimes spend the holidays with their dad and I always knew I'd have them here again with me the next year. And so, I pretty much would just use those times as opportunities to sit back, relax, listen to some music, watch a few videos, all the while thinking of everyone else hurriedly bustling with last minute wrapping or stocking filling and drowning in the mess of Christmas Day clean up, etc, etc. And well, to be totally honest?... I rather completely enjoyed it.

This year, not so much.

So why? What makes this year different???

BECAUSE THIS YEAR, WE DON'T GET A CLAY AIKEN CHRISTMAS TOUR!!!

So yeah, ok, I'm partially kidding here kids... However, this blog IS called Clayigraphy, so it's, afterall, rather obligatory that I mention that fact. And, for sure, it hasn't in ANY way assisted in helping to get me out of this seemingly endless holiday funk. So there you go.

But the REAL truth is... this year I just really kind of miss the mess! Not that there ever WAS much of a mess after we got through all the "Barbie" years, so I guess that's not really it. Or maybe I just miss the traditions. The Christmas Eve Disney movies... or decorating the tree to Amy Grant (which I think in 2004 became the compilation which we now lovingly call "Amy Aiken")... Or hiding Christmas gifts in the most clever places until they could be wrapped secretly in the basement, very late on Christmas Eve after the girls had gone to bed(even when they were teenagers) because everyone knows that though there isn't a Santa Claus, there STILL really IS. I miss the challenge of tiptoeing into their rooms and setting out those packages of jamies and slippers next to their beds without waking them up (though I'll bet sometimes I did, and they just never let on)... I miss the anticipation of their excitement when I was finally able to fall into bed. And I guess most of all, I will miss all of those maticulous and well organized little piles of stuff on Christmas morning. *sniff* I guess I trained them well.

But now, they each have their own wonderful, new little families... and I couldn't be more grateful for that!... but they are so very far away. And so I told them "No, please don't spend your money to travel out here this year"... and "Shoot, my vacation time is all used up!"

Yadayada...

Christmas Future: Let's don't EVER let this happen again!

In the meantime... I made this Christmas Card. Which is something I probably wouldn't have had time to do otherwise. So see? I guess there is always somehow a bright side...

So now, I'm gonna sit back, relax, listen to some music and watch a few videos. Here's one for starts...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Christmas Tour,Family,Traditions

Twelve Days Till Christmas... Redux

2008-12-14T09:27:00.014-05:00

And though I realize that THIS one doesn't really have anything to do with Christmas...

It sorta does...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Christmas Tour

An Early Christmas Present for Daryn and Jon...

2008-12-07T16:39:00.012-05:00

So, I guess this is Jon and Daryn's song now...

Her daddy sang it at their wedding which I guess pretty much solidified it... especially since while they were dancing they realized they didn't even have one yet!.. and so decided this one would probably be as good as any...

And then they asked me if I could make one of "those montages"... and use this song.

It seems to take me a long time to do these things. Daryn and Jon were married in July, so let's see...

Dilemma: I had another idea for a song. So which one do I use? I mean I really love them both! The second one maybe just a teentsy bit more for sentimental reasons... but she prefers the first. And I suppose it was HER wedding...*sigh*

A Wedding Tribute To Daryn and Jon from on Vimeo.

Isn't it amazing all the different things you can do with the same pictures...

Can you choose?

Luckily Daryn and Jon never, ever check my blog, so I think I'm still good to go on a Christmas present... or two.

Technorati tags:
Wedding Songs, Daughters, Sons, Clay Aiken, Steven Curtis Chapman,

Happy Birthday Clay! You're 30!

2008-11-30T11:32:00.012-05:00

Heh.

For some reason that seems to be a difficult thing for him. Or at least that's what he says... But I think he's probably kidding. Because he has grown into it beautifully and wears it so well.

It's hard to believe that it's been only six years since we first saw this young man.

And now he's pickin' out gray hairs...

But in those six short years has given more to this planet in the way of goodness, kindess, charity and joy than most people will ever do in a lifetime. Or fifty.

I can only imagine what his next fifty years will bring us. Acck... I know, don't worry Clay. Just one year at a time.

Heck, when I was 30 I still had a 1/3 of my life to go before I got to the best part...

Anyway, I searched around everywhere and couldn't figure out who created this wonderful gif, but I think it's pretty amazing. And it seemed rather appropo somehow. If somebody can clue me in, I'd really like to credit it.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Birthday, American Idol

I Am Thankful...

2008-11-26T18:00:00.004-05:00

...for so many things.

For my family and friends, my home, my job, my kitties... for the many new hobbies I've found lately to fill up all that free(?) time.

Oh, and also, I am very thankful that my Photoshop class is now over. So, I have only like 20 more credits to go!

clickable

Have a wonderful holiday everyone!

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Thanksgiving, Spamalot

They Found A Beautiful Way...

2008-11-15T10:27:00.037-05:00

I adore this new family picture.

And Parker is getting to look more and more like his daddy every day!

But I have to be honest.

I guess I really didn't think this family of his would ever happen quite so suddenly or in exactly this way. And I'm trying to go back to the place where I was when I very first imagined exactly what or when it would be.

And I'm not sure what I expected. I just love that word... expected...

What I do remember easily enough though is how my hormones would twitch a bit at times and my overies would all but scream out to me "Dagnummit! Don't you dare dig us this grave quite yet!!!" when I would see various and sundry pictures of him, like these...

But, of course, I'm navigating perilously close to off topic here...

So yeah, at risk of being reduntant... I really don't know what I expected. Until now. Because hind site is always 20/20 of course. And I think I can honestly say, now, that this is all really sort of perfect. As David Foster said on the Dr. Phil Show the other day... "They found a beautiful way." And they did.

I can't imagine a human being better suited or deserving to be a daddy. In fact my eyes tear up, and yes my ovaries still twitch, at even the thought of it.

I believe they will be the most wonderful family, even through any of the thicks or thins that may cross their paths which I imagine may be many. Still, I think that baby Parker may just be one of the luckiest little boys ever.

And anyone who doesn't agree with me must not know Clay. Not that I know him that well, per se. But I think I know him, well... enough.

Just found this and really enjoy this montage. Thank you to mariedrummond for creating it...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Family, Daddy

Clack-O-Lantern

2008-10-30T17:36:00.009-04:00

I know... same ole, same ole... You'd think I could be a little more inventive than to just revert back to the "same ole" Halloween pic I've used every year since... well, back in the day.

But it was just so hard that I figured it was worth a couple of repeats.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Last Song Maybe. But Definitely Not Last Call...

2008-10-23T23:47:00.014-04:00

It’s been a whole week now since we were blessed with the magnificent Champions for Change gala and I have still not yet fully recovered.

And I wasn’t even there…

But thanks to the many, many tireless Clackgoddesses I felt like I was.

And so… of course, (of course) I had to make this montage… Or perhaps I should say "this compilation." Because there were so many great videos of this song that I just couldn't make myself choose between them.

But there’s a disclaimer to it. Which is... that Clay does not lipsynch. Never has and he never will. So please don’t let any of my video editing fool ya.

See, the problem is that I’ve never made one before where I actually had to ‘synch’ the singing. And trust me… It was Hard!!!

Hee, I said Hard.

Again.

So I guess some things... like being a Broad, or like Clay still just being Clay... will simply never ever change.

Beautiful Song. Beautiful Man.

And though there have been SO many incredible comments across the boards during the past week, in fact way too many to mention... I just wanted to include two of them that really got me.

I did read Brightstar's recap which was brought over. Her recap IMO is right on in all aspects--the emotions (love being the predominant emotion of the night, I think), Clay's cognizance of the message boards (fugly...too funny!), the still and forever indescribable beauty of his voice, the intimacy of the message conveyed and received in his rendering of "Right Here Waiting". I too will be wrapping my mind, heart and soul around the depth and beauty of last night for many weeks to come. Not to mention the sheer fun and joy. Yep, he done did it to us again! (Please don't ever stop, Clay, 'k ?! )

Just a couple of (disjointed) thoughts I wanted to share.

About midway through "Right Here Waiting for You", I thought I was the only one with tears streaming down my face and sniffling, but then I realized I was hearing sniffling and sobbing all around me. In case you're wondering, the little ripple of laughter at the very end of "Right Here Waiting" was slightly embarrassed laughter at ourselves as the sobbing was just as audible as Clay's tender voice as he sang the last phrase of "Right Here Waiting" without the mike. (And the beauty, purity and texture of his unamplified voice...truly every bit as beautiful and transcendent as the finest instrument ever made).

For me, it felt like we had gone back to our roots. Clay even looked so much like he did back in 2003/2004 when he first mezmerized us and cast us underneath his spell. I saw so many of those early gestures and nuances and passion. It reminded me of why I first fell in love with him. (Yep, I said, "in love"...deal with it!). It was so eerie but so right. Whatever the degree of wondering each of us may have gone through about "is Clay still Clay", I say the answer is a blessedly, resounding YES! Even for those who didn't have that doubt or concern, what a treasure it was to be reminded and be able to relive that magic again. Last night was like the perfect mixture of Clay of the past AND present...old look, new songs. Totally cool, freaky and somehow right.

Personally, I've given up the battle of trying to find the words which accurately describe the emotions Clay, both the man and the voice, evokes from the very depths of your soul. In total seriousness, I don't think the words exist in the dictionary. Maybe because he makes me feel so much. Maybe because when your heart is that full to overflowing, no words could ever be adequate enough. The closest I can come, broken down into the simplest terms, is: He's back. We're back. We're home again.

How lucky are we?
posted by Micky7129 from the CDB

The icing came for me when I realized that I’d left my jacket on my chair some good time later (nearly an hour or more I think—but it’s a bit fuzzy) and went back to retrieve it. I ran into Faye coming out from somewhere, carrying some things and just started talking to her about the evening and how special it was. She then said to me:

“Y’all make him feel so special.”

*Karma is now all kinds of verklempt of course* I said something to the effect that I hoped so, and something about all the emotion in the room and how fortunate I felt to have been there and she talked about all the tears she’d seen (she looked a bit like she’d might have had a moment or two herself) and I verified that I’d experienced the same and then we smiled at each other for a second and said good night. It was the perfect thing to hear at the end of this incredible evening. “Y’all make him feel so special.” I hope so with all my heart.
Posted by Karma4Clay at the Clackhouse

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Bubel Aiken Foundation, Champions for Change

In Honor Of National Coming Out Day 2008...

2008-10-13T19:22:00.004-04:00

Ok, so I'm a couple of days late...

I love him. I do.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken

Sorry P.E.T.A... But It Had To Be Done..

2008-10-05T10:40:00.052-04:00

So Clay Aiken has at long last finally laid them to rest. In a blog which he says may travel...

• "Killing The Elephants In The Room" ~ 10/3/2008

What a week or so this has been. In fact, it's just been two weeks since I started back to the Spam. Jerome and I were just talking the other day, though, about how the past two weeks have felt like a month. So much routine to get back into and yet so much routine and consistency to break. No doubt, many of you have been going through quite a bit over the past week or so yourselves. What a bunch of headline news we have had in the past 10 days! Wall Street falling to it's knees. Congress propping it back up. Two debates. Hijackers in Somalia. New leaders in South Africa and Japan. You'd think with all of the important events going on in the world, there would be plenty to fill up the pages of America's newspapers, websites and blogs without the need for information on the private lives of the country's singers and entertainers. But, alas, thats never the case. In fact for the last five years, I've found what seems to have been an inordinate amount of interest (not from the public, but from the media) in my own personal life. The questions never seemed to stop. Oh sure, they die down for a period, but they resurface. The wind blows another direction, and I do yet another interview worried that my personal life will become a topic of discussion. No doubt the birth of Parker would bring the same scrutiny, just heightened. It's an interesting time we live in. Gone are the days when entertainers could go about their lives without the invasion of privacy that we now see everyday in the form of paparazzi and internet tabloid bloggers. So, in the hopes of being able to sing and act (and dance poorly) and do what I love to do for a living while raising my son in a hopefully more private and accepting environment, I chose to go ahead and confront things head on. Yes, I would have preferred to separate my personal life from my professional life. I would have been just as happy to go on without discussing my orientation. But, it seems like that was not an option. Make no mistake, its not because I am ashamed. No, not for a minute. I haven't always been as comfortable as I am now, but I am without a doubt, proud of who I am and make no apologies for it. Instead, I would have been happy to have kept my personal life private for that very reason. Because it's personal life and I have always considered myself a private person. But, living as myself without discussing my sexuality publicly would have been as impossible. One chance to expose the truth would have been a payday for any greedy opportunist.

I went to American Idol, much like many of us did "back in the day". Naive. Unlike the contestants who join up today, we had no idea of the power and pull of Idol when we signed on. (I'm sure many of us season two folks like to think we are the reason the show got so big!!! ;-) ) There I was two months off of the biggest show in the country, sitting at a table with a reporter from Rolling Stone who was asking me every single question I would never think of. Twenty-four years old in the rest of America is a LOT younger and more naive than twenty four years old in the media business. So when this guy started asking me about things that I didn't really know how to answer for myself... things that I was not yet ready to admit to folks like my mother and my family.... things that I found intimidating and invasive, I responded in what I assumed was a benign way at the time. I attempted to "out spin" a professional. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. But, I have no regrets. The truth is, I don't apologize for the responses I gave to that reporter or any reporter over the past five years. I did make every attempt I could after that one interview to never say "I am not gay" or "I am straight". And I never said either. (some interpreted my vague answers to mean that... but I never said either) Some will say thats misleading. In truth, it might be defined that way. But, a better definition and a more accurate way to describe it for me, is a redirection and an attempt to change the topic to something that matters more. For some of you it won't be enough, but I can't apologize for keeping my personal business to myself. If someone feels that they were mislead, I can totally understand that viewpoint and apologize for that feeling, but I can't apologize for how I handled questions that affected me and my right to privacy.

In my opinion, sexual orientation is ALWAYS a private thing. I think the OVERWHELMING majority of people agree with that. Why in the world should someone's sexual orientation be a news item? Why should anyone care? Yet, for all we espouse as a society about tolerance and open mindedness we forget to allow folks the opportunity to be who they are without judgement. Making a decision to come out to family is a difficult and heavy decision. But, for every young man or woman who is struggling with it, it should be a decision that is made on his or her own schedule ONLY. It's never acceptable for anyone to make such a decision for anyone else nor to coerce someone to take such a significant step before they are ready. Not a friend, not a stranger, not the media. So, I waited until the time was right for me. For that I can't apologize either.

There are plenty of you who have anticipated this blog in hopes that I would "set the record straight" or "admit to lying for five years and apologize for it". For that small group of people, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. My decisions over the past five years have been made with lots of deliberation and at times even heartache. Always with concern for folks who might feel mislead. Don't doubt that. But they have also been made as an attempt, not to hide my true self, but instead to allow myself the same liberties and rights that every single gay man and woman in the world should have... the right to determine for myself when I was ready to discuss my personal life. In as much as that, at times, was interpreted as misrepresentation, I feel badly. But I reserved that right for myself and I can't say I regret it.

I have endeavored over the past several days to allow folks to vent and express themselves as freely as possible without restriction on these message boards. There is no way to change a person's mind when you tell them they are wrong. We all, when backed into a corner, have a human instinct to swing. Having different feelings and opinions and viewpoints are only natural. The only way to deal with that is to accept everyone's right to disagree, and allow them to discuss their feelings. I always have, and I always will. That said, it hasn't been, nor do I imagine it will be, my intent to make the message boards or the OFC a clearinghouse or discussion zone for sexuality or such topics. I hope we can always continue to discuss the same things we have always found important. The need for inclusion for children with disabilities. The desire to make sure every child in the world has access to their basic needs for survival. And any other topics that will make our neighborhoods, our regions, our country and our world a better more acceptable place (where that relates to issues involving sexuality, I hope we are able to advocate, at those times for the acceptance of others)... and I hope we will all still use the message boards for the lively discussion of the need for better entertainment and music in the world!!!! ;-) That said, as of this posting, I have asked the moderators to archive the thread regarding the People magazine article and close it from discussion. For those of you who are still struggling, I encourage you to continue to talk to your friends and neighbors and fellow OFC members in the thread devoted to such support. It is not going to be as easy as accepting something over night, but I believe that we are on the right track. The moderators will resume their regular duties of moderating the boards in the fashion that they did prior to last week, and I (and hopefully all of us) will resume our routines in the same fashion as well. Talking about music, talking about potential tours and other performances and appearances, talking about me forgetting my lines of tripping on stage in Spamalot, and discussing with our friends how many times we have seen the show and will see it! (And... looking forward to the announcement of out Playbill contest winner!!!)

Finally, I will say that, also representative of most every other gay man and woman in the world, that I am not defined by my sexuality. No more so than each of you are defined by your sexual orientation. No more than a man or woman is defined by race or ethnicity. It is, simply, a small facet of the same person I have always been. Most of you realize that nothing has changed. I hope to continue being able to entertain you in the same way I have for the past five years. And I hope you will allow me to continue to inform you of the causes that I find important and entertain you with the music and performances I love. For I love and cherish you all. Yesterday, now and forever.

c

Wow. I don't believe I've ever respected anyone more in my life than I do right now.

So... Rest in Peace Mumbo and Jumbo. But good and safe travels, ok? Wherever you're headed.

As for the young'un. He seems to be doing just fine. In fact, I think you would be simply amazed.

And rest assured... your legacy will not falter in your passing but will only continue to thrive for very long time to come. Who knows... perhaps forever. Due in part to a very simple little song passed down... which he's already been working on a little bit by the way.

So thanks for that...

Also, thank you for instilling in him so many other good traits such as tremendous courage and compassion and a love for humanity. Nevermind about the memory thing. It's rather endearing that it sometimes lapses.

And the unconditional love you've always shown him, is a trait which I'm sure he must have inherited. One, which has somehow also proven to be contagious... So we really owe you guys a lot.

But still... Godspeed. And buh bye for now. So long and Happy trails. Don't call us... yadayadayada. Yeah... and all that stuff. *sniff*

As for you Clay...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken

Perceptions... Part 3

2008-09-30T18:54:00.043-04:00

And right after this, I promise to move on to other things... like the state of the economy or somethin'.

Neither of which, to be quite honest, will ever be quite as distressing to many of us as this was...

::I assure you::

But yeah, we all see things so differently. So many, many variations on the same theme... even though I may have already expressed that thought... as in, perhaps, ad nauseum?

So here are a couple of things that we can probably ALL see the same way on. Even if what we're seeing isn't really what we're seeing. But still, since we think we're seeing it... it still kinda works.

*click for the better illusion*

Somehow, in a funny sort of way, this makes sense to me.

Anyway...Best Blog on the subject so far. IMHO.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Perceptions

Perceptions... Part 2

2008-09-28T12:05:00.049-04:00

We all see things differently. And generally the way we see them first sticks out in our minds as the only way to see them. But then, sometimes, if we can just let our minds relax and look a little closer, the other way becomes a bit clearer.

Here are a couple of other examples you’ve probably seen before… and so have most likely already trained yourself to see them both ways.

An initial view of something is usually more difficult to compromise.

So that’s what I’m working on now.

The reason for writing this blog is a bit puzzling to me in the first place, because my initial reaction was like.. Yeah, ok… so let’s get on with it. I thought it would probably take about a day or two for everyone to get over it and then all would all just have some big collective “Yeah, ok” too.

I was really wrong.

There are two parts to this Part Two. The first being the ability to try and understand opposing viewpoints and the second being what caused me to see it my way in the first place. I’ll start with the second one first…

I remember that day during college when my, at the time, bf told me he was gay. I was shocked. Completely! Gay people didn’t even walk the streets. Did they? Didn’t they all just hoard out together in some sort den of iniquity somewhere or something? Keep in mind, this was in the early 70’s. But anyway, despite it all, we still (somehow) ended up remaining really good friends…

It wasn’t long after that that I met another bf, who btw soon became my bff and still is to this day. (haha, you know who you are and I know you are lurking) Anyway, this time I didn’t feel a great need to ask.

Fast forward and with major [snips]… being in collegiate and then professional theatre for years brought me some of the greatest friendships I have ever known. Not to be stereotypical about the profession or anything, but face it, it is rather abundant in there. Still, many of them were women, some of them were straight men (in fact I even ended up marrying one, or two)… but the majority of the friends I've had in my life have been gay.

So during those weeks of watching Clay on Idol (long before I’d ever known about message boards or before I began diluting my mind with delusions and other perceptions) I just pretty much took it as fact. I was completely comfortable. Didn't think much more about it. He was to me, simply awesome! That was all. And it was more than enough.

“Rolling Stone” sealed the deal for me in regards to his candidness. His self-assurity. The b&w picture of gah!.. But I did have to read that one sentence over and over again to be completely sure he’d said what I thought he’d said.

But then… I started “Googling” and came across the LBFCA (Lecherous Broads For Clay Aiken) and it was then that I think my initial perceptions shut down and my pheromones kicked in.

My delusions continued for about a year or so… and then little “things” started making me scratch my head. Even though I kept reverting back to that dang R.S…

And then I remembered how hindsight is 20/20. All of these men who I was bf’s with back in the day, hadn't always been completely convinced of it at the time. There were a lot of struggles with the concept as I remember. I mean, they probably totally knew they “were” looking back, but at the same time sometimes struggling somehow to be “not.” I also lived through a seven year relationship which proves to me this epiphany could be valid. As well, I have witnessed the very mixed blessing of seeing the tremendous freeing that occurs with final realization and acceptance. More than once.

And so, though I haven’t spoken of it much to anyone but my closest and newest friends, I have been feeling fairly comfortable with this possibility for a few years now. But have also been sensing a true holding back from him. For me, I just had this sensation that something wasn't quite real. That there was something he wasn’t quite saying. But it didn’t seem to be within my right to know what that was. So I continued to focus on the beautiful voice, the snarky wit, the wise-beyond-years soul and the awesome humanitarian. And well, that just still totally worked for me.

But then when I saw those headlines, my heart about burst. For him.

Do I wish it weren't true? Yes, sort of. But that’s only because of my own selfish perception of my own perfect world… The one in which I would have lots and lots of his babies with him. The normal way… haha (but omg, I’m SO far past that possibility!... even WAY long before this past week's news flash.)

And I just can't make myself believe any intentional lies were involved... But of course, then again, that's just me.

If I'd had a different life experience... I might not be writing this. I'm not sure where I'd be. It's possible that I never would have found him to begin with. And that's a thought I don't even want to think about.

And I know I probably could have found more appropriate pictorial examples to illustrate my points …

Still... to me, one of the most ironic things is that he seems even more like the lion now.

As for the second part…

I think the first part was probably enough.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Perceptions

Perceptions... Part 1

2008-09-27T16:02:00.024-04:00

It’s been a really interesting week in the Clay Nation…

And now that my retinas have been utterly burned and rendered useless by the 7,000 posts I’ve just read over at the official fan site… well let’s just say how very glad I am that one doesn’t need one's eyesight to type. (I love that little raised thingamabopper they always put on the keyboard J key…)

The posts have pretty much run the gamut of A – Z in regards to emotions and opinions, with several finding comfort (or discomfort) zones at the very opposite extremes. But of course there have also been the many voices of reason... with one of the very gentlest being the voice of Clay.

I would love so much to be able to quote his post here, but that’s not within my rights. However, the gist of it was that we should all try to keep an open mind in regards to the many differing opinions and how he knew this would be very, very difficult for some. That we were allowed to say anything we wanted to about him, but that we should more continue to support each other. He also said that as much as he appreciates the intentions… we do not need to defend him. He’ll be okay.

So, why is all of this just breaking my heart? I truly feel it should be a cause for celebration. He’s still the same person he’s always been... except for probably a little happier... eventually. Nothing else at all has changed. Not for me. So I’m confused. I didn’t realize this would merit an upheaval of such great magnitude.

Here are a couple of things I posted on the day the ‘big’ announcement… So just for memrie's sake.

I felt socked in the gut for about 5 seconds, just because that FONT was so big, but then I just felt such a tremendous sense of relief for him. The timing is about as perfect as it could ever get... with the support of his cast right now. And thank God it would all just be over and done with. It just completely makes sense. So much lead up to this...[snip]

Anyway, I really don't know what to say! But whatever it would be... it would be positive.

Gawd, I'm just really happy for him right now. Can't explain it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I know I just posted... But also, just had an epiphany.

I have about 150 comments on my YouTube account which include the word Gayken. So I'm hoping that maybe they will cease and desist a bit now.

Wasn't it he who said "They can’t laugh at you if you laugh at yourself first... blah blah blah." Could somebody help me out with that quote? I'm too lazy right now to dig to the bottom of my tupperware box. It's in "Learning To Sing" I think.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I am just hugely relieved that he finally did this. I think it was about 3 years ago when I just felt that this was the authentic Clay, but I didn't know if I'd live long enough to see him to finally take the step. I think having his precious little baby boy probably sealed the deal for him. I'll bet he feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

I don't think I've ever loved him as much as I do right now. The way I look at it, is that when he came off of Idol, he was a "green" nobody from Raleigh who suddenly got thrust onto the national stage with no preparation for how to deal with the media, etc. He probably was given "advice" about how to field certain questions but didn't think about the long-term ramifications of his chosen words. I’m sure he's regretted some of the things he's said over the years in interviews and wishes he could go back and rephrase them a bit. Which I'm sure we've all wished we could do at some point time. In a perfect world…

We just all see things SO differently… It doesn't mean anyone's wrong. Not at all.

Next up… My own E-True Story. hahaha

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Perceptions

Windows...

2008-09-24T22:47:00.014-04:00

That's all I got for now.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken

I Wish I'd Known...

2008-09-21T20:52:00.011-04:00

This story starts with a little walk down 44th Street on a rather drizzly night. I'd just finished seeing Spam for the third time and me and some friends had met up with my BFF who still lives in Manhattan and we were just running over to her apartment for a while to catch up on some quality time and a little QVC... And somehow the question came up, "So, have you ever seen the movie Billy Elliot?" Out of the blue. Just like that.

"Huh, wuzzit, who?" I asked.

"You're a dancer... and you've never seen it? Seriously? Well you just HAVE to! You'll love it! Trust me!" she said.

Well, that was like six months ago and for some reason it's continued to haunt my mind because of that little dig and everytime I pass a video store I think... "oh gawd, I probably should just rent the dang movie, just so that I can tell her I did."

So yesterday I finally caved... It cost me a about a buck fifty plus tax.

Wow!

Anyway, I'll just let you meander through these videos that I found on YouTube. Luckily, you can pretty much find just about anything these days on YouTube...

Billy Elliot ~ The 2000 film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daltry ~ Movie Trailor

Another scene from the movie...

A scene from the West End theatre production 2006:

"Electricity" performed by Elton John:

Billy Elliot ~ Opens on Broadway October 1st 2008!!!

I SO Wish I'd Known! If you get my drift. And some of you probably do...

Technorati tags:
Billy Elliot, Spamalot

Spam... Reheated!

2008-09-19T19:56:00.024-04:00

Ok... so I have to admit that I'm a wee bit upset with myself for not making plans to be there tonight. And why do I always do this? Wait too long to move on things! I mean, I thought I was marginally ok with the idea of just logging onto the message boards and getting tonight's scoop. But now, it is such a beautiful night here where I am and I'll bet even a more beautiful night in New York City. On 44th Street in particular.

And then he blogged... on tonight of all nights. Saying that he was FOREVER, FOREVER in love with us!... and then farted in our general direction. And sigh, I guess you just have to kind of understand Clay to realize how he probably thought that would be endearing... And ok, I guess it kind of was in a Clay sort of way. Because I think he knows that we will always love him FOREVER, FOREVER too. Regardless of pretty much anything else... or whichever way the wind blows.

As for the latest contest... The one about him wanting one of us to write his bio? I'm also a little behind on that as well, since today was the deadline. I at least started one though, and it went sort of something like this...

Clay Aiken's talent of turning his feet around has finally paid off... Because he's headed back to Broadway! Best known to the world for his American Idol fame he is also a multi-platinum recording artist with albums such as "Measure of A Man", "Merry Christmas With Love", "A Thousand Different Ways", and "On My Way Here." To his fans, however, the measure of the man (ahem) at times exceeds his many professional accomplishments.

As a U.N.I.C.E.F. Ambassador and advocate for children with special needs and disabilities, Clay spends a good deal of time... away from blogging on his fan site. But we're all cool with it... because when he DOES blog we're all like *SaWOON* and it makes all of the long and endless periods of silence so totally worth it!

Oh yes, and Also, as a much accomplished author, he co-authored the book "Learning To Sing - Hearing The Music In Your Life" which not only gave his fans a huge insight to young Clay but also provided them with a bunch of new yummy recipes. I tried one out last Thanksgiving, but I obviously don't have that southern "touch."

And he's also been on pretty much every TV show imaginable,except "Sex And The City."

As well, Clay loves to issue challenges. Haha, like these. And he knows we'll always at least attempt them, even if we don't always make the deadlines... Remember The Christmas one? I didn't submit it. And there've been a whole lot more of them too.

Anyway, welcome back Clay! We've missed you! And dontcha know there's gonna be a whole new edge to those poopy pants parts this time around?

Yeah, for sure I'm not gonna submit that one either...

Break A Leg Clay!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And this just in!

Spamalot Crowd Crowns King Clay

While he may be playing a “Sir” on Broadway in Spamalot, it is safe to say that he was King Clay Aiken at last night’s opening. Of course, Spamalot has an excellent new king in Michael Siberry, and an awesome Lady in that lake with Merle Dandridge too. The new additions to the cast of Spamalot all seemed to walk on air, and this up close look at the celebratory curtain call can’t help but put a smile on your face. American Idol star Clay Aiken is a natural on Broadway. This is the excitement that happens on those rare occasions on Broadway. At the moment, forget Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in Equus, and Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise and their entourage of Scientology protesters at All My Sons, or even forget Entourage’s Jeremy Piven in Speed-The-Plow, or Ace Young in Grease. The big story on Broadway today is Clay! He is back on Broadway, and the fun has begun.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken,
Spamalot

A Contraddiction?... Maybe.

2008-09-12T19:50:00.052-04:00

And I'm not sure which one of them would be the most... baffled, perplexed, bothered/bewildered... Mortified?... or just plain "squicked out" by this association. Me? Well I completely get them both. But I guess I'm just a diversified kind of gal... And well, I guess you probably couldn't get much more diversified with your addictions if you tried.

Anyway, hopefully neither one of them will ever see this...

Nic Sheff... Beautiful Boy. I can SO understand his father's pain and all he must have gone through to help bring him back to the living. He really was a beautiful boy! Still is. Alive and well... getting better.

Yet he struggles... And he talks about those struggles here. Daily. And I've somehow found myself addicted. To him? His story? His writing? I'm not sure.

Caution... there's a wee bit of adult content in there at times. *g*)

But I adore his honesty. I'm so proud of him and bow to his courageous and raw ramblings.

And then there's Clay Aiken...

Who I would still follow to the ends of the earth if I had to. And I kind of HAVE, I mean if Houston counts...

The voice of an angel, UNICEF Ambassador, Advocate for Children with Special Needs, perfect son, indispensable friend, wonderful father, magnet to millions, funny as h*ll, as good as it gets. But who has also been known to be a bit reckless and irresponsible in his day as well. He just doesn't like to talk about it.

So why do I always fall for the bad boys?..

But seriously. There's really nothing at all that I can find to explain why I would be so riveted by two such opposite ends of the spectrum, and yet I am. They both move me. They are both brilliant communicators. With really big hearts. Both on this very earth... at this very time... and each doing his best in his own way. It's just that one of them really likes to blog and the other one really...doesn't.

Clay returns to Spamalot on September 19th!

Nic continues with his writing and recovery.

While I just keep looking forward to incredible things...

Technorati tags:
Nic Sheff, Clay Aiken, Tweak, Spamalot

The Ubiquity of YouTube...

2008-08-10T17:20:00.041-04:00

Sounds Funny... What Is It?

Well, unless you’ve been entombed or something over the past couple of years you’ve probably heard of it… Headquartered in San Bruno, CA, just a hop, skip and a jump away from Silicone Valley, YouTube is that wee little, I mean, massively popular and dominant Kleenex brand of the video sharing community. It is also one of the most trafficked sites on the web.

Why Is It So Popular?

I’m not completely sure, but a “Google” of its name will yield you about 1,100,000,000 possible explanations…

With its extremely easy to use interface being available in 18 languages and its endless supply of weird, cool, inspiring and at times even educational content, it is positioned pretty much smack center of the new phenomenon referred to as the Web 2.0 Generation of Technology (the creative and sharing branch of the Web.) Unregistered users can watch every video on the site and a registered account allows a user to participate in all of the many interactive and social networking functions available, as well as upload any work of their own as if he or she was a television producer. (But we’ll get into more about that later…)

In line with the whole reality TV era, users can jump at the chance to share their every little thought, idea or creation with the entire world at only the click of a “submit.” One would be hard pressed to find a topic or public figure lacking an associated video on YouTube. Hobbies, newly developed products or services, expertise, events, clips of one’s family, friends or pets and well… a whole lot of other stuff that I’d probably better not to get into right now...

But best of all, it’s absolutely FREE. That is, except for all those minutes it may cost you at your computer, when you really ought to being doing something else… But who doesn’t have 60 seconds to watch a seven-year old play an amazing piano rendition of… The Minute Waltz? Although the September 11, 2001 home captured video might take you a bit longer.

And then, of course, there’s the unobtrusive advertising, which is also a huge plus for many (but we’ll get into more about that later as well.)

Technical Info (which is probably why we’re here I guess…)

Uploaded using formats such as .wmv, .avi, .mov or .mpg, videos are then converted to Adobe Flash, the standard format supported by most browsers and which can typically be viewed by anyone without having to download any specific software.

Its functions allow users to post text or video responses, subscribe to their favorite videographers, receive automatic content feeds and even embed videos on their own site.

YouTube’s original format made it possible to only view videos on a standard PC or Mac, but recent codecs and applications have now made them available for viewing on Apple TV, iPhone and iPod as well as on many 3G mobile devices.

A recent feature also allows videos to be viewed in High Quality Format. A user has the opportunity to select the “always show me higher quality when available” option from their video settings located in their account tab. YouTube determines which videos are capable of being upgraded based on the standard of the original upload.

There’s a ton more technical information out there which could be discussed, but with only four pages allotted, I better get moving…

Its Founders and Early History

YouTube was founded in a garage in San Mateo, CA by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley; then 27; current CEO, Steve Chen; then 26; current CTO and Jawed Karim; a past advisor who’s recently returned to grad school to pursue his Masters in Computer Science.

Chad: Raised in southeast Pennsylvania, the middle child of a financial consultant and a school teacher, this slightly introverted kid found his artistic interests colliding with technology and business. In ninth grade he won third place in a national electronics competition for building his own amplifier. The hours on-line during his college years dappling in web design, animation and gaming still allowed him to earn a degree in graphic design in 1999. “Computer science was just too technical and mechanical for him” says his dad. Shortly after graduation he landed an interview with a new company called PayPal and after demonstrating his skills by designing a company logo was hired as the company’s first designer. The PayPal logo remains to this day.

Steve: Born in Taipai, he moved to the States with his family when he was a toddler. After completing four years of High School at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (a state funded boarding school) he moved on to the respected Computer Science program at the University of Illinois Urbana, however left a semester and a half before graduating. A secured position at PayPal was the catalyst, where he soon became known as the person who could find the shortest yet cleverest route from point A to B.

Things picked up further for the two of them,along with their co-worker Karim during times on the job when they would kick back and kick around ideas.

There seems to be some debate over Karim’s involvement in the project though both Chad and Steve agree that much of the original goal stemmed from his idea to create a video version of the brutal singles site HOTorNOT.com. He felt it was an incredible pioneer of a website where anyone could upload content that everyone else could view. The idea was eventually debunked for being too narrow and it moved on to the broader spectrum of allowing people to share videos for on-line auctions of anything. But it seems the project really took seed after Chad and Steve had problems with the logistics of sharing a video on-line of footage taken at a dinner party one night at Steve’s San Francisco apartment.

Fast Forward

On February 15, 2005 the domain name www.YouTube.com was legally registered.

On April 23, 2005 the first “official" video was posted on the site when our friend Jawed shared his commentary Me At The Zoo.

In May the official public beta was launched with the promise to give away one free iPod Nano to one particularly noteworthy upload every day until the end of the year.

It was around this time that a slight scuttle occurred when users inadvertently shut down the website of a company called Universal Tube and Roll Form Equipment (http://www.UTube.com) unsure of the spelling of the name. That company has long since changed its URL…

And after that, the site just pretty much took off as a free-for-all as the founders could do little more than sit back and watch. Until October when the site hosted a video that would prove to become a huge copyright issue and one of the first of many brought to light. A CNN “Crossfire” segment with Jon Stewart received millions of views before it was finally taken down. But not before Sequoia Capital realized the potential goldmine in user numbers and invested $3.5 million to the cause.

By year end and with only a staff 20 employees, viewers were watching 25,000,000 videos per day and uploading 20,000. As bandwidth costs approached $1,000,000 per month, which was more than what was consumed by the entire Internet in 2000, Sequoia Capital came to the rescue once again with another $8,000,000.

Second Year

On April 6th 2006 comedian Judson Laipply uploaded what would soon become YouTube’s “Most Watched Video,”
Evolution of Dance. To date this video has been viewed 95,326,047 times and retained the title until July of 2008 when Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend tipped the scales. This due, some say, to Avril’s fans setting up automatic refresher pages to game the system. Who knew that 14 year old girls could be so savvy? But I digress.

May of that year brought an even greater upsurge in popularity even surpassing daily views on CNN.com and outpacing MySpace. And in July its daily unique hits reached 100,000,000 with roughly 65,000 videos being uploaded every 24 hours. This is equivalent to approximately 10 hours of video footage being uploaded every single minute.

Google Purchase

The announcement came within only hours of YouTube unveiling three separate agreements made with media companies countering threats of copyright infringement lawsuits, but still Google bought in, and for only a mere $1.65 billion dollars. On October 9, 2006 co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen announced the buyout via, what you would expect, a home video.

Despite its huge user base, YouTube still remains an unprofitable startup even though the price was by far the most expensive purchase made by Google in it’s eight year history. Yet it was probably cause for Google to celebrate when two months later Time Magazine named YouTube the “Invention of the Year” as well as naming “You… Yes You!” the Person of the Year in recognition of the importance of user driven sites such as YouTube.

How Does YouTube Make Money?

It doesn’t. Right now, they say, it’s still more about building a community. Don’t expect me to understand that, I’m not a “Business Model” scholar, just a humble Graphic Design student doing this project for a required course.

The founders made a decision early on to not force viewers to sit through pre-roll advertisements and so far they have held firm to their commitment, which seems to have proved to be an element setting YouTube apart from its competitors. As of now there is little advertising on the site or at least not enough to be annoying. The video in the top right section IS, although it doesn’t always seem like one. It feels less like a commercial and more like a piece of entertaining content created for the viewers or more recently innovative contests as in the ones I’m about to share.

Chevrolet recently had a success story after asking users to create their own Chevy ads and placing them on YouTube, Chevrolet received over 4 million hits above normal on it’s home site.

Crest did the same thing.

Similarly, Sprint Nextel Corp invited young filmmakers to “sell out” their families by “shamelessly plugging” the Samsung Instinct into their next home movie. For this they paid $20 to the first chosen 1000 and $10,000 to a grand prize winner. And they didn’t even have to own the phone! The Sprint website offered a tool that would allow entrants to embed the image directly into their video.

Then there’s the 2006 clip that appears to be a home video showing a famous soccer star practicing his moves. But close-ups of the Nike Gold Shoes have now been marketed to viewers 24,624,517 times.

YouTube is also looking into major strategies for advertising with the creation of independent “channels” where official sources can sell their products, wherein YouTube then cashes in from the company’s purchase of the channel. Meanwhile, the public retains the privilege of watching all their favorite clips pre-roll-ads free.

According to one article, if even 10% of the annual $54 billion spent annually on TV advertising is directed towards viral marketing in the next few years, the $1.65 billion Google paid for it may end up feeling more like pocket change. It really could end up being a win-win situation for everybody right? Maybe…

The Larger Issue; Copyright (this could be it’s own research paper)

YouTube’s biggest liability is and always has been it’s seeming inability to control the content uploaded to the site. It’s slogan, “Broadcast Yourself” seems almost laughable at times since a huge part of the site’s popularity stems from users being able to re-broadcast videos on other sites and even more ironically, broadcasting material that doesn’t legally belong to them.

Copyright infringement is an issue of mammoth proportion. The site doesn’t prescreen uploads due to the insurmountable task, and because of that they are frequently criticized for not being more proactive in the enforcement of copyright laws. The site still remains an unmediated free-for all.

“Lazy Sunday,” a music video featuring Saturday Night Live cast members Chris Parnell and Any Samburg and which aired in the month the site went live was uploaded and then very shortly removed by NBC, but not before being viewed and forwarded millions of times. If you do a search for Lazy Sunday it’s not too difficult to find the remake of the acclaimed video which, though featuring unknown performers, is so close to the original that you might think it was the real deal. Perhaps many of the 709,780 folks who’ve viewed it DID.

In the spring of 2008, Viacom demanded $1 billion in damages claiming more than 150,000 clips of their unauthorized videos had been viewed an astounding number of times, including their documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” They also felt they were within their rights to be supplied with data regarding those users video habits in order to “compare the attractiveness” of videos that infringe upon content copyrights vs. those that don’t. Privacy advocates nipped that one in the bud but not before questioning why Google would retain all that information in the first place. (But that’s yet another paper…)

And big companies such as Viacom are not the only ones feeling incensed. In August 2006, an independent photographer sued YouTube for distributing his footage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Still, YouTube insists that it goes well beyond its legal obligations, leaning on the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which states that a company classified as an “On-Line Service Provider” retains safe harbor for simply transmitting information over the Internet and only needs to respond properly to a content owners claims of infringement. And YouTube delivers.

A copyright holder, or in fact any user at all, can issue a report of infringement directly on the site and a video will be taken down immediately, at least for review.

It also limits video lengths to 10 minutes to deter users from uploading television episodes.

As well, it has recently employed a back end tool from Audible Magic which allows a copyright owner to “digitally fingerprint” their material , thus preventing any duplicate “fingerprint” to be uploaded to the site to begin with.

And finally, though they feel that the rules regarding copyright are clearly posted some users don’t always realize that the content they are uploading is infringing. So an “educational” text is now sent to the user as well as being posted at the site of the removed video which has proven to sharply reduce the number of infringing videos being uploaded.

But face it, if all of the forbidden is removed, will the site still remain as attractive to the public? Not to mention, what would they do with all the material which is enhanced by copyrighted music, photographs or video clips. I mean, this brilliant and innovative offering of Where The Hell Is Matt? wouldn’t be nearly as joyful or inspiring without its soundtrack. Don't forget to view this one in High Quality...

On the other hand, what about the challenge for advertisers having their ads placed alongside infringing videos? I guess figuring all this out is the reason Google makes the big bucks.

Meanwhile, the executives of YouTube continue to strike deals with such companies as NBC, CBS, Warner, Universal Music Group and Sony to legitimately share their content on the site, in exchange for a portion of its advertising revenue.

Its Future

That will all depend upon YouTube’s ability to increase profits while at the same time decreasing liability. That is by convincing the major media as well as advertising executives of the huge benefits of connecting with the growing number of people who spend the majority of their free time on the Internet.

Will YouTube, as it continues to grow, become as important to the sharing of information as perhaps television and radio did back in their day? With the difference being in that the uncanny amount of information being shared in video clips is able to be accessed on demand. Any time of the day, 24/7. And all that is required to view them is an internet connection and a bit of an interest in just about anything.

According to Alexa, YouTube remains the 3rd most popular website.

Final Note

Although I realize that this may have not been the most “technological” subject I could have chosen I do have a great interest in multimedia and I found this research very fascinating. And besides, if I should ever find motivation enough to ever want to build my own computer or set up my own home network, it’s really good to know that I will always be able to find any of those step by step instructions on YouTube…

Resources:
Associated Press. “Google Buys YouTube for $1.65 Billion.” MSNBC 10 October 2006

Bangeman, Eric. “YouTube’s Future (or lack thereof). ARS Technica 3 October 2006

Boutin, Paul. “A Video History of YouTube.” Slate 18 October 2006

Cloud, John. “The Gurus of YouTube.” Time in Partnership with CNN 16 December 2006

Coyle, Jake. “Users Wonder About The Future of YouTube.” MSNBC 11 October 2006

Fisher, Ken. “YouTube and the Copyright Cops Safe For Now.” ARS Technica 16 July 2006

Holahan, Catherine. “YouTube’s New Deep Pockets.” Business Week 10 October 2006

Neumeister, Larry. “Viacom Alleges YouTube Copyright Infringement.” USAToday 27 May 2008

Press. “NBC to Test YouTube Copyright Monitoring.” Marketing VOX 24 April 2007

Robertson, Mark. “History and Detailed Overview of Google’s YouTube Video Sharing.” Ezine Articles 29 September 2007

Teeling, Erin. “YouTube:Show Me The Money!” The Bivings Report 19 September 2006

UCLA Online Institute for Cyberspace Law and Policy – The Digital Millenium Copyright Act

Vijayan, Jaikumar. “Privacy Advocates Question Google’s YouTube Monitoring.” Network World 7 July 2008

Wikipedia.

YouTube.

Whew!

Submitted for CO 110 on 8/12/2008

Technorati tags:
Youtube, History, Trivia

Parker Foster Aiken!

2008-08-08T20:27:00.030-04:00

I know.

I know!.. Legitimately I shouldn't be sharing the exact words from a membership only site. But they just came in as being so honest and direct from his lips, as opposed to all the skewed and spewed ones from the Pooparazzi. So I just can't allow myself to feel guilty.

But okay... second thoughts...

From Clay...

Welcome To Our World!

Hello All...

I know it's been a while. I'm sure you know, it's been a (blank) summer. Sorry we haven't (blanked) in so long. But, I'm sure you know... I hate putting the (blank) before the (blank). Not my way to tempt (blank). But I wanted to stop by, if only for a (blank), so you could be the first folks I (blanked). HE'S HERE!

My dear (blank), Jaymes, and I are so excited to announce the birth of Parker Foster Aiken (No hyphens. One first name. One middle name. One... last... name.)

Parker was born at a hospital in (blank) just this morning at 8:08 AM. Wow... 8:08 ..08/08/08

Weighed in at (blank) lbs (blank) oz and measured (blank) inches

The little man is healthy, happy, and as (blanked) as his daddy. Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also.

The Aiken family, the Foster family, and the Parker family are all (blanked)!

We'll share more at some point in the future.

(Blanks)... to you all!
C

*sighs* and apologies... As this beloved auntie has still not been sent any (blank) pictures of him to share at this point...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Jaymes Foster, Baby Parker

A Wedding...

2008-07-26T16:15:00.045-04:00

Not sure I was ready for this...

Because the door to D's bedroom has been closed for over a year now. She adores her kitties to bits but at the same time has such terrible allergies around them. So I like to try to keep her room as dander-free as possible whenever she's away.

But anyway, I opened the door to her room today just to peek in... and it still smells like her! Clean... and with no scent of kitty at all... *sigh*

Anyway... On the bright side!

She and Jon looked SO happy! They were married on July 18th. Just one week ago last night.

It came as a bit of a surprise to ALL of us, but they managed to pull it off beautifully!

I'll wait until we get the rest of the pictures before making a montage.*g*

*saves space for montage*

And here are a few more. They include the engagement pictures (even though I didn't realize they even WERE at the time), pics from the shower that Whit gave her the week before, and the wedding itself.

And of course, it wouldn't be a proper wedding without a proper wedding song...

Apologies for all of the motorcycle and baby sounds in the background...

I Will Be Here

Clay Content?: Um...

Technorati tags:
I Will Be Here, Wedding Songs

Dancing 'round The World...

2008-07-15T21:06:00.006-04:00

Ok, so I needed something to fill in the gap between now and the time that I get back from my daughter's wedding sometime next week... when I'll put up all the wonderful pictures and the montage of their wedding OF COURSE...

But in the meantime, I couldn't think of anything better to ease the stress or to put a smile on my face... In fact, I may call on this one when I need it for a long time to come!

Hope it makes you laugh, cry and smile as much as it did me!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Clay content?: He can dance with that very same unabandoned bliss when he wants to... and also, I think he's been to a couple of those countries.

Beautiful Boy...

2008-06-29T11:04:00.046-04:00

In 1980, David Sheff, on behalf of Playboy Magazine, conducted the very last significant interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This blog has nothing to do with that. Except that it somehow does.

I'm sure at that time he never imagined that 25 years later he'd be writting a memoir entitled "Beautiful Boy... A Father's Journey Thru His Son's Meth Addiction."

I know. This was totally not a book I would have ever expected to pick up off the shelf on my own. It was just one of those things where Amazon gives you one of those sci-fi heads up that if you enjoyed "that" book you might enjoy "this" one? And so I just went with it.

First of all, I'm not a book critic. I wish I had that talent. All I know is that I know what touches me. And this one touched me big time. Have you ever read one of those books that when you finish just keeps you longing for more? I so much needed to know the "end" of this story and yet, as I assessed while reading it, there IS no end to this story. And since I am so behind the times I discovered that it took me only a tiny bit of researching to find that his son, Nic had written an account of his own.

And so I read Tweak... Growing Up On Methamphetamines In fact I read it twice and I'm not sure why I have been so drawn in by this family's struggles or even more by their eventual coming to terms. I can't explain it. All I know is that these two books coupled together empowered me somehow and left me with so much more capacity for the understanding of self awareness and forgiveness.

I read the dad's book first and I would suggest doing it in that order, but who knows? Seeing both sides of this unbelievably heartbreaking story was most powerful... though I probably wouldn't recommend it to the squeamish. But then again...

There is no lack of information out there regarding these books. Just google David Sheff, Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy or Tweak.

And if after reading the books, you feel a need to learn more, here are two more in-depth interviews with David and Nic. They will both move you and startle you and yet leave you with so much more understanding. Or at least they did me.

Memoirs of Meth Addiction From A Father and Son

A Son's Addiction, A Father's Agony

Nic at nine...

A few years later...

Nic's MySpace

And "A Book Review" by Nic's little brother, Jasper.

Clay content?:.. Well, I guess all I can say about that is that with all this time off I've somehow gotten back to reading. But also rumor has it that he's soon to have a beautiful boy of his own...

Technorati tags:
David Sheff, Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy, Tweak

CANstruction...

2008-06-21T13:40:00.028-04:00

Every year Fifth Third Bank of West Michigan (my employer) sponsors a food drive. But it's so much more than that! We get together on different teams and 'canstruct' things out of non-perishable food and household items that we afterwards donate. And we have a lot of fun in the process! Even more than you can imagine!

This year we provided ACCESS of West Michigan over 8,000 lbs. of food benefiting seven different food pantries. The judges for this year's competition included Catherine Behrendt from WZZM-13 Marsha DeHollander of ACCESS of West Michigan among other's from Fifth Third's management team. We were on WZZM's nightly news but I think the link was only good for a week...

This years trophy winners are as follows:

Gold:

Withdraw Hunger was constructed with a whole lot of boxes of mac & cheese and vegetable cans and a dozen jars of peanut butter. The display surprised some who thought it was a "real" ATM! A PowerPoint presentation depicting the dire situation in our inner city ran on a loop.

That was MY team. *g*

Silver:

Just Another Day In Paradise complete with coconut flavored marshmellows hanging from the palm trees and jumping starkist tuna...

Bronze:

Carting Away Hunger - Love the baby made out of packages of pinto beans...

Other Mentions:

Strike Out Against Hunger

Every Second Counts

Buying A Home: $300,000
Building A Home: $250,000
Feeding A Home: Priceless
(The Mortgage Department)

Torch Hunger

Food Pantry

You Can Be A Lifesaver

Pot of Hope

And from 2007:

Gold:

Imagine Life Without Hunger

Silver:

Shine A Light On Hunger

Bronze:

Solving The Hunger Puzzle (My Team)

Why Should Anyone Go Hungry?

Self Explanatory

Clay content?... Well, Clay, me and the ATM have somewhat of a history...

It's Father's Day... again.

2008-06-15T06:00:00.003-04:00

I guess I'd have to say that I really never knew my father much, nor did he know me.

Although when I was about ten I distinctly remember submitting an entry for the "Father of the Year" contest at school and I also distinctly remember him being there for the awards... or maybe he was just picking me up. But then that would have been mom...

My dad passed away in 1994 and we were luckily able to spend some time together near the end but at that point, though I know he wanted to, I think he was just too weak to be able to come up with the right words by then. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't a "bad" father and in fact he was a very good man, he just wasn't there very much... except for maybe holidays. But he always had a good joke to tell... Unfortunately I don't remember any of them. He loved to take us out to dinner... and always to the very best restaurants. And later when I was on my own he'd call on occassion and want to make up for time lost, but unfortunately I was usually right in the middle of putting a baby to bed.

I KNOW he loved me, and I loved him too. In fact, until I was about 10 I believed he ruled the planets. (See first paragraph) I just don't think he realized how quickly the planets turn. Hopefully the place he's at now has internet because I would love to be able to tell him "I love you dad" again. And I wouldn't even necessarily need for him to answer me back because I know that he does. In truth, he said the words to me plenty.

Meanwhile, Happy Father's Day to all of the Fathers in my life!

My Own... who loved me and my sisters with everything he knew how.

David... who has always loved us unconditionally even though we weren't his own.

Brad... who, in spite of it all, is still hands down the best dad ever.

Aaron... who rivals the above and who's love of being a father moves me to tears sometimes.

Rohn... who raised son above.

Ackkk... this has gotten to be WAY all too schmoopy and sentimental!

Please enjoy this "Father's Day" entry on my other blog Schnoogles

Clay content?... If it be true, I believe he'll make an awesome one.

Technorati tags:
Fathers, Father's Day, Clay Aiken

a...5...6...7...8..!!!

2008-06-02T18:05:00.069-04:00

I just needed to post this... because if I don't do it now I probably never will. It's been 25 years already.

A Chorus Line... Broadway's longest running show!... (oh wait, that was the first one) will close it's doors on August 17th.

Please don't get me wrong, this is NOT a case of sour grapes. NOT a case of wishing I could still be back there looking as fit, skinny and gorgeous as all of those youngin's up there and doing it all over again. And not wishing at ALL that it had never been revisited. Because seriously... if it hadn't been, just think of the generation that would never have had the opportunity to see Michael Bennett's incredible masterpiece. Because, trust me, the movie didn't count.

I never made it to see it this time around. I wanted to, and tried when I was in New York this past April, but they wouldn't sell me a standing room ticket unless the entire show was sold out, which it wasn't.

I feel really bad saying this...

But, from those I've heard from and whose opinions I trust, they've all pretty much said the same thing... which was that there was something... lacking. Even though I can't imagine it lacking anything... in remembering back to the night I first saw it in May of 1976, before it had even moved to Broadway. At the time I was moved beyond anything I had ever previously experienced. And I wasn't alone.

It must take alot to win every Tony award imaginable and then continue on to be the longest running show ever. Whew... I was just so relieved not to have been all alone in all my fangirliness. Never dreamed, but hoped, that I would someday be a part of it.

Someday... maybe?... later?... we'll see.

So what's the deal? Dunno. Perhaps it speaks volumes about allowing some things to rest in peace. As if some things should just not attempt re-creation. There are other shows which have fared quite well as revivals but perhaps this particular one just surfaced at the right time and in the right place back then. Even though the show was dedicated to "anyone who has ever danced in a chorus or marched in step... anywhere", so it seems it should have remained relevant. But remember, this was back in the day when those stuck in those roles were pretty much destined to remain there forever.

I don't think it's any coincidence that since that time, chorus dancers have become more ambiguous... and that pretty much anyone with a decent amount of talent and wherewithall can now become a star. Those anomolies no longer strike us with the same consternation they used to. And I think Michael, unknowingly, somehow and singlehandedly paved the way for that...

And that's why I don't think this show should have reimmursed. It was all about timing. A one time deal. As if it should be a moot point.

But to continue...

I still don't think that my life would have ever been quite as complete if I'd have had to remain forever on the outside looking in on this one... never having had this incredible experience. I remember singing and dancing all those songs to myself in the mirror for ages. And still, never really... believing I'd ever really be a part of it. And so this next part is mostly for me. Just in order to keep things organized in my mind and all... and of course simply to remember.

I wrote this once. A Simple Twist of Fate....back in the day when all I pretty much knew was how to dance... and didn't know a THING about resizing pictures.

And then after that there was pretty much nothing else to show for it, except for a couple of black and white glossies like this one...

And this one...

Remember, that this was 1979-1983... and right on the threshold of the video age. So unfortunately, I just missed it. But there was ONE professional video taken that I somehow lucked into...

You can find it here.

I guess my personal sadness is that the age of technology just came too late. And though I'm not whining for myself neccessarily, this blurry capture of the orignial cast in the Opening Number just does NOT do it justice! It was just so incredible to see it first hand back in the day, especially with my 23 year old eyesight! Still, I'm so grateful to have it now! It was special. Very.

That's not me in front, in the lavender leotard, even though look alot like Trish which is what everybody always said... which is also pretty much the reason I probably got the part... Oh well.

Anyway, thanks Whit for finally capturing this next one, even though I didn't know you were doing it at the time... You weren't even born when I danced it originally...

Keep in mind that my knees are now completely shot and my flexibility hammered. Not to mention I am now 53 years old and I was attempting to do it in a kitchen between a fridge and a table...and a high chair. So please be kind. But I still surprised myself. It was fun. And my kids are so cute!

Though I can't EVEN remember the tap combination...

Clay content?: Well, I'm pretty sure he could never have learned that tap combination to begin with...

The Longest Line...

...*sigh*

Technorati tags:
A Chorus Line

Sessions. Don't I Wish...

2008-05-27T20:48:00.021-04:00

Forgive my seemingly lack of ability to "embed" these at the moment... But I am just too busy, tired and spent to try and figure it out right now.

Here are 5 songs from Clay's latest album "On My Way Here" performed live for AOL's "Sessions." You can navigate to each one using the "next" button.

"The Last of a Dying Breed"... I'm still trying to figure out what those lyrics mean. But watching these videos gave me some clues.

Enjoy!

After the break...

Sessions...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, On My Way Here

Dig This

I Cannot Tell A Lie...

2008-05-26T14:37:00.022-04:00

I really, really, really enjoyed these guys... each in their own way. Today reminded me of a Saturday in May of 2003. Downloading... downloading.... downloading.

I will more than likely tuck this away into my "discreet boyfriends" file very shortly. But in the meantime... please enjoy, enjoy, enjoy as much as I have!

David Cook

David Archuleta

Jason Castro

I truly hope each one of them soars!

Technorati tags:
David Cook, David Archuleta, Jason Castro

Idaho? I dunno...

2008-05-25T15:02:00.012-04:00

My daughter arranged an appointment with a real estate agent in Driggs for me last Monday. I didn't make it. I just couldn't. I'm not ready!

Even though, I guess, Idaho wouldn't be the most horrible place to live...

The potato fields are beautiful this time of year! And the rivers and streams, praries and mountains? Gorgeous.

And just 30 minutes away from my assigned plot I saw this!

And did you know that in the fall the elks shed their horns and people collect them and do all sorts of interesting things with them?

I didn't.

I could TOTALLY get with that decor but I still have to give it some time to think about it.

But then, of course, there's Jade... Who's not slowin' down at ALL in order to let me think about it...

A couple of other pictures taken in that beautiful place...

.
.
.
Clay content? Well, last Sunday night I caught my 21 year old daughter #2 uploading the OMWH tracks to her iPod. But I won't tell...

Whitney's Walk For Multiple Sclerosis

2008-05-25T08:47:00.011-04:00

And they're off!

Whitney's MS walk was a smashing success! I am so proud of her for all of the hard work she put into this and grateful to all of our friends and family for being so generous in donating their time and money. Team McKee was able to raise $3,526.62 towards the fight to end MS, which was over a third of the total money raised for the Idaho Falls walk!

Team McKee...

Daryn and Baby Jade...

And even the 80 and 90 year old grandparents joined in!

It was so awesome to have this time to visit with my family!

Me and my girls.

Oh, and there were lots of other people there too...

Walk MS is the signature fundraising event of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society which funds more MS research than any other private organization. For more information on Walk MS go here.

~ MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn't. From the website.

Spamapalooza and On My Way Here.. late again.

2008-05-10T13:10:00.046-04:00

I am behind. WAY behind.

But still, I was able to catch the funniest show on earth in NYC on April 26th and 27th.

I didn't take this picture but I wish I would've. Even just wish I'd been able to SEE him in the alley once. My old alley. *sniff*

But quick recap... 4 gals in a room, 8 traveling together. Not an easy venture logistics-wise. But we had the time of our life.

*Saves space for pictures* Wow that was quick...
*clickable*

On Monday, Cheryl, Karen and I went to see the Easter Bonnet Competition for Broadway Cares which is the annual culmination of the six-week fundraising project to raise money for aids and awareness. We had no idea what to expect and the premise of the show sounded sort of silly. Casts of thousands putting on 'skits'...

We missed him by a day. (See upper right of program.)

He was WONDERFUL... we hear. Still, the show was lots of fun on Monday too, in it's own right. Oh, and I got to see my bff Connie who was stage managing a couple of the the numbers.

*saves space for video of Tuesday*... Oh, and here it is.

Fast forward. I came home and then he closed last Sunday. And of course Shubert Alley was absolutely packed for the final farewell, though the rest of us weren't there... but Julie was.

He surprised everyone by climbing out a window and coming out onto the roof above the alley. There was no way everyone would be able to see him otherwise and I guess he knew that. He's funny. And it's good to know he has one less phobia.

And then he left, but not before reminding us to buy 6.

I only bought 3. I'm a bad fan! Can somebody else pick up the slack for me? You won't regret it. Promise.

You can hear the title song and more here.

And for much more comprehensive information on the past week check out Caro's blog.

Or just for fun... you can watch him eat. *g*

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Spamalot, On My Way Here

It's Been A Vera Vera... Tough Winter

2008-04-22T22:31:00.022-04:00

But YAY I'm done with my classes!

And I learned SO much! But it was really stressful!

In addition to doing major book assignments we had several projects to do on our own. Here is one that I did.

Pamphlet and Inserts for Whitney's MS Walk (Adobe InDesign):

Then we had to make some silly replica's of advertisements from our favorite restaraunt... (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop) and TRUST me... these were not scanned!

The PowerPoint projects were the least of my troubles. And they were huge!

But it's SPRING now!... And on April 27th!... I get THIS!

Life is good...

Technorati tags:
Adobe InDesign, Multiple Sclerosis, Spamalot, Clay Aiken

I'm Out of My Mind Doing Homework!...

2008-04-05T22:36:00.005-04:00

But classes end April 25th! Just in time for N.Y. and Spamalot.

And then this...

Seriously, I don't even have a second to blog. But I just couldn't resist the pretty... Cannot WAIT for this album!

I Believe "The Better Story"...

2008-03-15T14:24:00.016-04:00

You'll have to read the book to understand my meaning.

And it's a funny thing. I checked this book out of the library a total of four times. The first three times I brought it back, unread. I am just too overly voracious when it comes to grabbing books off the shelf I guess. My eyes are always too big for the capacity of my schedule. Silly me.

Anyway, I finally read it.

And it was one of the best books I've ever read!!!

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

I wouldn't even know where to start in the realm of literary critique. All I know is that I loved it and that I've got an absolutely huge crush on Pi. And isn't that enough?

Yay to Yann!

But here's what others had to say:

A book by an extraordinary talent. - San Jose Mercury News
A fantastic tale. - USA Today
Each chapter is a well-polished pearl... - Seattle Times
If this centruty produces a classic work of literature, Martel is surely a contender. - The Nation
Beautifully fantasitical and spirited. - Salon
It may not make you believe in God, but it will make you believe in literature. - San Diego Union Tribune
Nothing short of miraculous. - Denver Post
One of the strangest but most approachable novels in years. - The Economist
The world for the reader for a time consists only of a young boy, a lifeboat, a tiger, and the wide blue ocean. - New Orleans Times
Think: comic strip 'Calving and Hobbes" with an overt religious theme. - Wall Street Journal
A fabulous romp through an imagination by turns ecstatic, cunning, desparing and resilient... - Publishers Weekly
A work of wonder... He's a storyteller, and a brilliant one. - Book
Luminously written... - The Times Literary Supplement
Fresh, original, smart, devious and crammed with absorbing lore. - Sunday Times
This is a novel, says the jacket blurb, that will make you believe in God. I am not sure about that. but it is a story so magical, so playful, so harrowing and astonishing that it will make you believe imagination might be the first step. - The Times of London
A story to make you believe in the soul-searching power of fiction - Los Angeles Times

Run, do not walk to read it!

Clay content? I unashamedly admit that it was him who I pictured throughout the whole ordeal. Naked, and with some bronzer...

Adding it to the top of my BookClub now!

Technorati tags:
literature, Life Of Pi, Yann Martel

We Had A Wonderful Time!...

2008-02-17T19:05:00.033-05:00

As you may know... I just returned from the beautiful isles of Hawaii. Well, not "just." It's taken me quite a while to navigate my way in through this slushy white junk that seems to be inhabiting my subdivision. But enough of that.
Seriously...

Hawaii was wonderful... s'marvelous. I don't remember ever feeling so rejuvinated.

My plan is to make a big old picture montage to music which will include everybody's pictures... of which we took alot of! But until then...

Here's a picture of the members of my wonderful family who were able to share in this awesome vacation.

And here are just a few other pics...

Embarking

Peaceful

Peaceful too

Sunrise

Sunset

Afternoon

Rainbow

Green Stuff

Ship in Kauai

Rainbow Over Maui

Waimea Canyon

North Shore Oahu

Cropped...

Love You Too D!

And I didn't even think about Clay at all!

OK, well maybe just once...

And here it is:

Technorati tags:
Family, Vacation, Hawaii, Clay Aiken

Sad... and Happy... yet pretty much torn...

2008-01-14T21:15:00.000-05:00

January 18th 2008!!!...

Because he'll be embarking on this...

At precisely the same moment I'll be embarking on this...

And I really didn't plan it that way... when we planned it two years ago. It just sort of happened.

But we do have some conn-ec-tions! As in:

~ We will both be sitting in toilet stalls which are way too cramped for our knees. (I wonder if he was referring to MY old toilet seat in his last blog... because that would really make me cry... but in a good way.)

~ We will both end up being really hot and sweaty for most of the time.

And those are pretty much the only ones I can think of for now...

But 'Break a Leg' Clay!

And mucho Aloha...

Whoevers gif that was up there please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due!

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Spamalot, Shubert Theatre

Yep, Definitely A Diverse Fandom...

2008-01-04T13:51:00.001-05:00

MIDLAND COUNTY (WJRT) -- (01/02/08)--Three banks in three weeks. That's how many times police say a Midland County woman robbed local financial institutions...

JamTrac found it first and brought us this...

Ok, people. I peed out loud, I busted a gut, I BWAHed.

We've had a string of bank robberies around here (Mid-Michigan), by an unarmed woman passing notes about bombs. They finally caught her yesterday and today there's a picture on the front page of the paper of her. Are you ready for this?

My first reaction was OMG... No!... Clay's fans don't need any further press. And I stuck to my guns all night! Even posted that I thought Clay would be absolutely mortified if he were to see this (which he will) even though I continued laughing quietly to myself at all of the responses this story elicited.

Then, in spite of myself, in the middle of the night I woke up with THIS thought...

How IRONIC it is that Clay gets dragged through the muck for even the simplest... most insignificant of 'crimes' and then, while having probably one of the most stressful afternoons ever, rehearsing his new show and all and being absolutely clueless... THIS happens. And he wasn't even THERE! But 'somehow' he still WAS.

And I finally peed out loud... right there in the middle of the night. oops.

Can't wait to see the lemonade he makes out of this one! Even though he's got some pretty full pitchers to compete with...

Miscellaneous posts from the refreshment stand...

auntdementia:
OMG!! BWAH!!

Ya think she was trying to raise money for the "Dinner with Clay" auction?

DeepSouthGurrl:
That is hysterical!!! So....does she look like anyone we know?

Bless her heart. I wonder if she tried the "kidney on ebay" thingy first.

Clem231:
And, they think we're not a diverse fandom...

ellenpoppy:
I don't think that's the best haircut for her. Doesn't flatter her face at all.

Kupkake:
Has the whole world gone mad!?

she wasn't texting anyone was she?

sugrbugr:
Please, please, please, no one show that to my husband! I may never get to party with you people again!

eta: She was upset and hiding from the cameras, too. What a cruel irony that the shirt she wore today is going to broaden the publicity for her case beyond her hometown to the entire Clay Nation.

Leroy1704:
I wonder if she'll try to Clayvert the other jailbirds?

maikenaiken1:
Ya think when they took her mug shot she said, "NO FLASHES PLEASE"

Fountaindawg:
Soooo will she get booked to appear on Martha's show? They have at least two con.nec.tions.

berkeley:
I imagine Johnnie Cochran is texting from heaven:

"In the pricy front row she must sit, so you jurors have got to acquit!"

Divayenta:
Alas the poor Michigander
A librarian , we must understand 'er
She's robbing for Clay
"He" texts her each day
"Clay-shirted" she sits in the slammer!

Good Baby Brush:
The article next to the video says "Midland police said they know what motivated the woman to rob three banks, but won’t comment."
Wouldn't it be a hoot if... nah *g*

ellenpoppy:
Yep, Clay's new castmates are going to get a quick introduction to his crazy... er, enthusiastic... fans.

Whatever:
Wait 'til the prison matron gets a load of her Clay Aiken thong.....

BellyAiken:
I'm guessing Jerome's "List" just got a little longer.

Jemock:
Gosh, it was nice to see Clay on primetime TV. He looked GOOD.

w00T.

ncgurrl:
Right now I am really hoping this woman did not send any of her loot to BAF or UNICEF. That would make the news.

kiermar:
I checked all the registered members from Michican on the OFC. The only one from that town is, as she said, Jam Trac. Maybe the alleged bank robber stole the shirt? *g*

spotlightlover:
Time for another M&C - Meet & Convict.

ficus:
*runs to check the names on the Michigan fan board and see if any members are suddenly MIA*

Fountaindawg:
According to ET Canada, her accomplice made it to Canada in an attempt to escape, but those Mounties always get their man!

maikenaiken1:
How do you get dressed for a bank robbery anyway? Do you just get up and say, hmmmm, let's see, First Union robbery, hmm....let me wear Clay Aiken! At least put Ruben's shirt on...less recognizable.

*ducks*

anntherese54:
Kimmel has always teased Clay that his fans would "kill" for him....maybe now Kimmel will tease Clay that his fans will "rob" for him, too. I wonder if there is a way to watch clack in prison?

Michifan4Clay:
Not that I am in the business anymore (Corrections, not bank robbing) but I wonder if I would have been able to keep a straight face if I had to book this lady. I know I would have gotten grief anyway because some of my co-workers knew of my obsess, er, fondness for Clay. I can just imagine asking her if she had any stressers in her life lately and her answering that she was outbid on stub hub tickets *g*

yaknelle:
This now gives an entirely new meaning to "cellcert"…

WinkyDink: faux blog
Great Krispy Kremes, people!
ROBBING BANKS?!
Now, I realize that the prospect of watching me masticate is SOOOO enticing to some of y’all that payin’ $5000 for the chance is a sore temptation, but….
ROBBING BANKS?!

As my Mama used to write with her red Sharpie on my lunch-bag: “Thou shalt not steal.” (She usually wrote that when I PRAYED for someone to swipe it! HAHA!)

And it’s not that I’m unhappy with the free publicity (because at least I know my Official Tour T-Shirt has my name spelled correctly!); it’s just that I prefer my PR not to include a major felony charge! I do wonder why this cra…enthusiastic fan didn’t wear a more recent T-shirt, though (available at www.clayonline.com)? [Memo to Mary: E-mail the jail with this info. Thanx!

ellenpoppy:
That was probably the only Clay Aiken tee shirt in the booking cell... okay, I think I can definitely say that it was the only Clay Aiken tee shirt in the booking cell. I do wish she'd had on one of the more recent shirts. Maybe a family member could bring a shirt from a more recent tour for an upcoming court appearance? Does anyone in Michigan have one to donate?

dreamlarge:
This woman is in a world of hurt...I hate to laugh. But I just can’t help it. Ironically, she is the perfect demographic. S'ok. Her "bad" paints the fandom in a ....different light. A total WTF. I like that.

ellenpoppy:
Well, Clay DOES need some street cred. So there ya go.

xoaustin:
So I guess I need to go back and rewatch the tape, but is it clear whether or not she was actually wearing the shirt during one of the robberies, or just when she was arrested? Like it matters, somehow. *g*

ressamac:
Sadly there were surveillance cameras at each scene.

nunu:
She'll have no choice but to plead "no clontest".

Pink Armchair:
CLAY AND KIMMEL: YOU CAN BANK ON IT

(Kimmel’s iPhone rings. He squints at the display, grins and answers.)

Kimmel: Hey, Svengali!
Clay: Oh, geez...
Kimmel: I see now you’ve got the Claymates robbing BANKS for you. Nice work! Well, I guess it was inevitable, though...buy seven CDs, contribute to your charities...rob banks. A logical progression, really. What’s next? Stage a coup and overthrow the government? Broker a peace deal in the Middle East? Track down Osama bin Laden?
Clay (major eyeroll): Oh, fer cryin’ out loud.
Kimmel: Well, you really should be using your power for good, y’know. So, tell me your secret...is this some kind of Vulcan mind meld or something?
Clay (indignantly): Hey, jest becoss the wacko was wearin’ one o’ mah tour shirts in court--
Kimmel: Hey, nothing like free advertising, right? Too bad the handcuffs were covering your face. While you were sending your super-secret subliminal messages, you might’ve told her not to obscure your identity.
Clay (sourly): Ah’m jest as glad she did! And anyway, it was an OLD tee-shirt.
Kimmel: Well...I think the whole thing’s a hoot. Maybe you should start thinking about a line of signature prison garb. Lots of room for your name on those orange jumpsuits.

webcat:
I feel badly for that bank robber and her family. Really, I do. So how come I can't help laughing?

Lewd:
I guess that old tee-shirt really did bother him. There's a new item up on Clique.

And finally…

Ilbun:
I was thinking about this bank robber this a.m. and put together a little Faux Skit of my own.

Scroll at will but here it is.

Why do I have this sneaking suspicion that the whole Clay Nation is going to be on trial?
I can see this woman on the witness stand now.

Prosecutor: Can you tell us why you think it’s possible that a woman such as yourself would resort to bank robbery?
Clobber: I didn’t rob any banks but if I did it would not be my fault.
P – Explain that for the ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
Clobber – It’s those Claymates.
P - Claymates????
Clobber – (Pointing to her Clay Tee Shirt and Rolling her eyes) Fans of Clay Aiken.
P - Oh, I see.
Clobber - You have no idea the pressure of being a fan of this man. First it’s just buy a cd and you’re good. Then they show videos his concerts, they’re evil I tell you.
P – Because they show video and that’s illegal right?Clobber – (looking at him like he’s the stupidest man she's ever met) No, no, no, because when you see the video, then you know you have to see him live again, and again, and again, and again….
P – So you’re saying you robbed the banks to go to concerts.
Clobber – (again rolling her eyes) No, no, no…..I can afford to go to concerts if that was all there was to it but after you see him live you have this (breaks into sobs) uncontrollable urge to own everything he has his name on. Oh and not just one of everything, you have to own 2.
P – Why 2?
Clobber - I’m not sure but I think it has something to do with Claying it forward.
P – Claying it forward?
Clobber – (Again the eyeroll) Having extra Clay stuff in case someone shows an interest in him, you give them something to increase their interest, preferably a DVD of a live concert performance.
P – So you robbed the banks for merchandise?
Clobber - (Totally in melt down mode) No, no, no…..I can afford the merchandise. It’s the travel, and the new cellphones for good cellcerts (don’t even ask), and the multi media players, and lap tops, and charitable donations, and then there’s Stub Hubs, Golf Outings with a chance to have dinner with him for a minimum bid of only $5,000.00, Spamalot , and a new CD coming out, with more touring and……..
P – Ladies and gentlemen I think we should take a break but I have passed out copies of said DVD’s for the female jurors to watch of Mr. Aiken performing.

Clobber leaves the courtroom with a knowing gleam in her eye.

***OMGosh... *breaths!*

Yet I still feel so bAd for this woman! What made her go off the deep end? She's somebody's daughter. Perhaps somebody's mother. I mean, it could've been any of us!... but I guess not. Not really...

But still so sad!

(No tags... for now.)

Years Go By...

2008-01-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

I'm looking at my snow covered yard. Never DID get the leaves up this year. Spring is gonna be a blast!

Not sure what I want to say here except that I've been staring out at that snow covered yard for what seems alot of years now. I left work early yesterday. I actually freak out at the prospect of a blizzard warning. Hope I don't end up getting fired after 15 years! Or maybe they'll just send me to the Florida affiliate. Could work!

What the heck am I doing in Michigan???!!!

Anyway... resolutions. Hmmm. Don't have any really, except to eventually move away from this place. Don't get me wrong, I love it here!... except just not in November, December, January, February or March.

Ok.. I lied. I have resolutions a plenty. For starts... I wanna:

Blog about the day to day and my kids more.
Somehow get over this driving thing.
Clean up my hard drive.
Clean my house.
Make a new montage.
Get some of my VHS on digital.
Complete a couple more classes towards my degree.
Figure out what I wanna be when I grow up.

There... I think that's enough for one year, don't you? It's all about having practical and attainable goals.

So I guess having Clay Aiken's baby will have to be pushed back yet another year...

Technorati tags:
New Years, Resolutions, Clay Aiken

My Favorite Montages of 2007

2007-12-30T15:03:00.001-05:00

I love montages!

Not only because a really well made one can be so incredibly enjoyable/soothing/healing and just so much fun, but because I totally recognize all of the time and hard work that goes into making one.

Unfortunately, I didn't get around to making one this year simply because of all the time and hard work that goes into making one... *g*

But I have thoroughly enjoyed all those that we have been blessed with this year... and I thank each and every one of you who has sacrificed your time to bring them.

At the end of each year I always try to come up with a collection of my favorite montages. There's no rhyme or reason really. Some are more elaborate than others... some include video techniques that I could only dream of incorporating. Others just have a way of putting the right pictures/clips with the right songs perfectly. Anyway, I guess I just I base my "favorites" simply upon their ability to move me, touch me in some way or make me smile.

But anyway, here you have it... my gamut. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

Sweet:

The Many Facets of Clay...by Goldarngirl...sung by Sheena Easton

Inspiring:

Anyway... by Windtalker... sung by Martina McBride

Thought Provoking:

Falling Slowly... by dreamlarge... sung by Glen Hansard & Marketa Inglova

Sexy:

Black Velvet... by cindilu2... sung by Alannah Myles

Haunting:

The Luckiest... by Windtalker... sung by Ben Folds

Retrospective:

Happy Birthday Clay (Movie of Your Life)... by dreamlarge... sung by Spencer Day

...and Just Plain FUN:

Born With A Smile... by Sylvie... sung by Bobby Rydell

Again... thanks SO MUCH to all who share. I wish I could have included them all!

Favorite Montages From 2006... you'll have to scroll down a bit to see these since they're preceeded by a really long-*ssed blog... But they're really good too! And what else did you have to do tonight?...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Montages, Fans

Prospero año y Felici...yada yada

2007-12-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

I've been reading some stuff lately. Ok... I've been reading A LOT of stuff lately and for a long, long time in fact. And frankly?... I haven't been inspired to add ANY of those reads to my Book Club... People like to talk. And they like to talk a lot! I guess it probably makes them feel they have a 'connectshun' in some way 'or another'... I guess. If you're wondering what I'm rambling about... please don't ask me to point you in any particular direction. If you wanna read the shyte badly enough... it's all out there. Plenty of it. But how silly it all is. Hey, I work in H.R. so trust me I've seen it, and pretty much ALL of it. There are people out there who are just... well, funny, ya know? That's all there is to it.

And I don't mean funny "haha"...

Meanwhile...

I'm just gonna keep on enjoying all the things about the man that 'make sense' to me...

And now on to a brand spankin' shiny New Year...

Por Favor and Muchas Gracias!

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, UNICEF, Mexico

The Twelve Days of Christmas...

2007-12-20T20:32:00.002-05:00

Only twelve? I don't think soooo. But *toots pitch pipe* and *clears throat*... anyway.

On those "twelve days"(ha) of Christmas our boyfriend gave to Weeeeee...

(stuff like...)

Twelve Drummers Drumming ~

Ok, so that wasn't Christmas exactly... but it kind of was...

Eleven Pipers Piping ~

Ten Lords A-Leaping ~

Nine Ladies Dancing ~

Eight Maids A-Milking ~

Seven Swans A-Swimming ~

Six Geese A-Laying ~

Five...'Golden'...Riiiiiiiiings ~

Except that, um, there are ten of them, so oops! But anyway...

Four Calling Birds ~

Three French Hens ~

Two Turtle Doves ~

**cues little drummer boy for the 'ba dum bum'**

...And A Partridge In A Pear Tree ~

Heh

But seriously...

Wishing you ALL a beautiful, safe and very meaningful Holiday!

And with that, I'll leave you with this.

The reason we celebrate in the first place...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Christmas Tour

Clay Does The Heart(land) Good...

2007-12-16T10:13:00.000-05:00

As Clay wraps up his 21 city tour (well, really only 20 since he loves Minneapolis so much) I thought I'd take a minute to reflect on not only how grateful I am that he does these each and every year but also what I'll ever do with myself if he ever decides to stop! He has become such a holiday tradition for me and for so many countless others.

I'd have to go back to burning candy probably...

...and erecting christmas trees.

Wrapping packages...

...lots of them.

Fumbling with decorative lighting...

...and all those pesky wires.

Sending out Christmas cards to people who don't even remember me...

Braving those icy roads to the mall...

...the 'musak'...

...and all the good cheer of the holiday shoppers...

And of course... cleaning my house. shut up!

So nope... I think I am just MORE than content with the 'present'...

Clay will be spending his Christmas 'vacation' this year in Mexico with UNICEF kids.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Christmas Tour, UNICEF

We Are SO Lucky!

2007-11-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

Is it too early to give thanks?

Because seriously, what other object of affection does THIS within a span of two weeks time? I ask you gurrfriend!

Not only did he appear as a special guest in a tribute to pop icon Neil Sedaka...

...Produced by music industry legend David Foster...

But then... he also remembered to take a moment to kiss us!

And then only a week later he took us back to the classroom (Such a rarity! *g* Unfortunately no corporal punishment was involved...) and proved to us that, though he MAY not be smarter than a fifth grader (as if) he is still definitely smart enough to know when to take the $300,000 for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation summer camps and run!

And wasn't it only the very next week when he "slipped and slided" in that very sweet, humble and self-deprecating way of his for us (after blowing the roof off in his soon to be nationally televised version of "All Is Well?")

But only after hugging... (oh gawd)

THAT BLOND? (!!!!!)

**lalalalalala... I can't HEAR you!** **Sticks fingers in ears and squeezes eyelids together tightly!**

And yet, HaHa!... wouldn't ya know that he'd still figure out a way to make it up to us somehow?...

And I guess, after that, he figured that we'd all just be so spent by the quantity of him, that he'd allow us to just sit back, relax and enjoy taking in this...

Yes, he is such a grand boyfriend... and we ARE so lucky.

Thanks to all who provide the Clack always, and in this instance, particularly to dreamlarge for having such a good eye when it comes to these sorts of things.

Submitted as a Main Page at LBFCA... 11/11/07

The Best of Times... The Worst of Times...

2007-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Best...
The note of the century is NAILED and witnessed by a mere 3,400 in Merrilville, Indiana.

The Worst...
A hand is placed most inadvertently... and within seconds is witnessed 'round the world.

**Shivers**

And isn't THAT just the sort of thing that 'scary things' are really made of?...

In the meantime...

**dodges kitchen knives and other various and sundry sharp flying objects**

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE AND... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Rich in Irony… not to mention Sodium Nitrite…

2007-10-20T10:44:00.000-04:00

So anyway… I just have to share a funny little story here.

You see, I’m kind of on this funky budget these days (and have been for the past four years, four months and like four days… coincidental? possibly...) But at any rate, my weekly trips to the grocery store have become pretty much non-existent.

And my mother likes to worry about me because, well, that’s just what mothers do. But just a few weeks ago I assured her once again not to… because I still had quite a plentiful food supply in my basement and how one night, even though the thought of it almost made me want to toss my four-year-old cookies, I made myself open one of the twenty cans of Spam that were just sitting there amidst the twenty cans of Vienna sausages, fruit cocktail and Chef Boy-Ar-Dee. (Because that's just the kind of things people have sitting in their food storages, right?… for all of those nuclear holocausts and whatnot still to come?... yet never thinking you’d ever actually be forced to eat them.)

And then I told her how shocked I was that how thrown together nice portion of canned carrots and applesauce along with some homemade Bisquits that I had really actually ENJOYED the Spam... alot! Well, she thought that was the probably one of the funniest thing she'd ever heard and told me that I should definitely consider writing that one down in my blog..

Except that I’m a procrastinator at heart and probably needed a much more persuasive motivation…

Irony Rich Ingredient #1:

Clay Aiken, who became a music superstar following his success on the American Idol television series, will join the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, making his Broadway debut in the role of Sir Robin, at the Shubert Theatre, New York, from January 18 to May 4, 2008.

Tickets are available online now at telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200/(800) 432-7250.

And then of course I just HAD to “photoshop” something for those who could not wait…

~Clickable~
Now, not to allude to the fact that I’m making any plans AT ALL to travel to New York to see this silly show (mother) because heaven knows the hotel taxes in New York City alone would set me back another six month’s on this Spam diet.

(How lucky though that there’s pretty much six months worth of variety…) out there. But shhh.

Irony Rich Ingredient #2:

I wonder if he will shower in the same shower stall that I use to shave my legs in... or nap and dream on the same cot that I once did on matinee days. And now, I almost wish I would have left all those fangirly Clay Aiken pictures and messages of endearances taped to my dressing room mirror for him to be able to see years later… except that there is probably no way I could have done that... since I don't believe he was even born yet. Ok, so maybe he was five...

Still though, I am rather upset with myself right now for not being able to see into the future. Because seriously… what a missed opportunity THAT was.

Thanks to whichever Broad it was who 'Photoshopped' the Shubert Spamalot marquee. Mine was just shot through a dinky little Kodak instamatic on an overcast matinee day sometime back in October of '83.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Spamalot

Two Bits of (Good) News...

2007-10-11T17:52:00.000-04:00

First of all...

I'm finished with my CO162 class (Intro to Desktop Publishing aka Adobe InDesign)... and it was FUN!... Although I couldn't, for the life of me, figure it out in the beginning.

But now I've got another class under my belt and only about another eight to complete before I get my Graphic Imaging degree. Now if I were in my 20's that'd probably be in the spring. But since I'm NOT, I'm more than likely looking at somewhere around 2010... of course if the planet is still in existence by then.

Anyway, here are a couple of my final projects which included filling text with graphics. We actually only had to do one but I couldn't decide between the two. And I'm one of those anal, extra credit sort of people anyway...

And they are OF COURSE clickable.

Some of the other final projects we had to do included a graphic travelogue brochure as well as a five-star restaraunt menu which, amusingly, ALSO featured Clay as the subject... They pretty much "wrote" themselves...

It's just always so funny to see my Professors' reactions when I turn in these final projects...

Oh yes!... And the second bit of good news is that Clay will be introducing himself on this weekend's American Idol 2 Rewind and we'll get to see him all over again... for the first time. So don't forget to watch!

Technorati tags:
American Idol Rewind, Adobe InDesign

A Christmas Memory... in October.

2007-10-03T18:33:00.001-04:00

AKA... "No More Trees Torn Apart"...

So, Clay has announced his latest contest! And we should all write down our favorite holiday memory in twenty sentences or less and submit them. The winners will then be invited to present their special and unique memories on stage during his upcoming Holiday tour.

Is this for real?

And more importantly… do I even have one?

Growing up... Christmas in my home was always magical. My mother spared no expense or effort in providing my sisters and I the total experience of the season. Christmas mornings were like Disneyland, only better. Presents would cover every square inch of carpet and furniture; the spread of candy and goodies on the dining room table would go on for miles. And of course there was always music. Thinking back, I’m not sure AT ALL how she afforded it. She was just (for all intents and purposes) a single mother living on a modest teacher’s salary in the 60’s. I can only imagine how much she, herself, must have had to budget and sacrifice during the year to be able to make that happen for us each and every Christmas and sometimes the memory of it all humbles me greatly.

And here I am only sacrificing sentences…

Because as wonderful as those memories are to me, would they be worthy of a public presentation or even at all interesting to anyone else? Probably not.

But hang in there… Because the year after I moved away from home, mom met ‘dad’… and two peas in a pod were never better paired. I don’t know if it had something to do with them both having grown up during the depression or them both having to raise up children pretty much on their own or what. Or if it was just that once having finally met their soul mate all of those latent, frugal tendencies just kicked into overdrive. Who knows? But you could definitely call them penny pinchers nowdays… or even tightwads if you must. Though that's not neccessarily a bad thing... since they've also been around the world a couple of times...

Still, neither of them would ever hesitate to help out anyone in need, or volunteer their time or money to their church or to charities at all. But at the end of the month, when the money's gone from the “envelope” it’s gone. Even though, more often than not, it’s gone on others long before it’s gone on themselves. I don't get it at all, but somehow they've cracked the code.

Now be patient, because this is where the story starts to get good... and maybe starts to explain itself.

In the early 1980's they somehow decided to start saving trees. Now, I'm not talking about recycling paper or printing double sided, or anything like that... I'm talking about saving whole freakin' conifers!

Mind you... this all happened several years after I'd left home...(thankfully).

I think the idea must have first sprung up a few days after Christmas in maybe 1982 or something... when they went to toss that Christmas tree out onto the curb and then said to themself... "Self… (because they are ONE you know)... this tree still looks just perfectly fine! Do you think we could maybe save it and try to use it again next year?”

And so the tradition began!!! It was wrapped up in plastic and hoisted upside down among the rafters of the garage that I grew up in (except that I actually lived in the house when I use to live there.)

I think it must have been the next year or the year after that when I came home for Christmas and they were so very proud of their tree! And you'd have to admit it still looked beautiful! I mean, you couldn't even tell! It was pretty darn perky from being hung upside down for all that time and all! And all they'd had to do, really, was to spray a little refresher flocking on it each year and add some tinsel and ornaments... and voila!

Except that, unbelievably, this went on for the next couple of years as well... until, it must have been around Christmas of 1987, I think, when they finally decided to go visit a branch of our family who lived out of state.

(I can just imagine the conversation...)

"What do you think? Will it last till next year?"

"Well, it might... but again, maybe not."

"And it could also prove to be a fire hazard as well don’t you think?.. while we're away?"

"Very true. Maybe we should… dispose of it?."

...And so they did. And so here’s this Christmas tree just ‘disposed of’ on the curb outside their house... the week before Christmas!!! I mean, can you just imagine it? Seriously… just stop and close your eyes and think about it. Because I can hardly even write this story without tears of laughter streaming down my face!.. let alone imagining verbalizing it in front of a cast of thousands.

But... it gets even better!

Because just a couple of days after that, while driving home from their Christmas visit and heading up the road to the house, that they happened to spot this perfectly good, yet discarded, Christmas tree just laying there so 'disposed of' alongside somebody's curb. And so they did what any frugal and environmentally responsible individuals would do... they just got out of the car, walked right up to the door… and knocked.

And if you only knew how really classy and normal they are... normally... this story would just about kill you even more!

So there you have it, my favorite Christmas memory! And you know what? I feel like I just won the lottery or something. Because one of the rules of the contest was that it had to be limited to twenty sentences and this was way longer than that! Even without the... ellipses! So I guess there is just no way I'll be able to submit it and hope for any opportunity at all to be up on stage sharing this very "special" story with thousands upon thousands of... riveted fans...

However... on the off chance that he decides to add O Christmas Tree to the set list, I guess I could maybe still be in trouble…

...being how he likes to bend his own rules from time to time and all.

Anyway…

My parents are treating (all 20 something of us!) to a cruise for the new year. It’s been in the planning stages for many years and I can only imagine the budgeting that’s been going on there! I guess some things never change. But I know how important it is to them to have us all together in the same place… for perhaps one last time perhaps. They’ve even reserved a meeting room for one of the evenings where we can all get together to reminisce and share all of our old childhood stories and memories.

And so now, thanks to this, at least I have ONE pretty good one to share so far…

That's not exactly my mom, but I still had to do a double-take...

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, Christmas Tour, Holiday Memories

Back to Clayigraphy Home

Invisible???... Never.

2007-10-02T22:01:00.002-04:00

'American Idol Rewind' Returns in National Syndication on Saturday, September 29th.
Quote: LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- American Idol Rewind is back, and this time the popular syndicated series will highlight Season 2, the year that put American Idol on the map with legendary talent and unprecedented ratings. Premiering Saturday, September 29th in most syndicated markets nationwide, American Idol Rewind will feature an introduction from Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard, narration by runner-up Clay Aiken and the best never-before-seen clips and interviews to-date.

This year on American Idol Rewind, viewers will get to see all-new, exclusive interviews with over 30 contestants from Season 2 as they sit down and reveal what it was like to be a part of the American Idol experience. American Idol Rewind will catch up with Top 12 contestants -- Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Josh Gracin, Trenyce (Cobbins), Carmen Rasmusen, Kimberly Caldwell, Rickey Smith, Corey Clark, Julia DeMato, Charles Grigsby and Vanessa Olivarez -- as they reveal their personal take on what really happened during Season 2 and how they felt during the audition process and Hollywood Rounds. Rewind will also highlight other Idol contestants who made it through to Hollywood, along with those who failed "spectacularly," and will recap the episodes that helped secure everyone's favorite series into television history.

In the September 29th premiere, viewers are greeted by Idol winner Ruben Studdard as he introduces the new season. Viewers will then hear from runner-up Clay Aiken, as he guides us through all seven audition cities and looks back on where American Idol Season 2 began its new search for the next music superstar. In New York City, Simon, Paula and Randy have high expectations, hoping the city that never sleeps will provide a wealth of talent. Between the bad and the very bad, it doesn't take long before the judges let the contestants know what awaits them in the audition room if they can't deliver. Some will make it through, others will head home and, in the tradition of American Idol, everyone will walk away with something to say.

American Idol Rewind is nationally syndicated and premieres on Saturday, September 29th. Airtime varies by market; check local listings or visit tvguide.com for more information.

American Idol Rewind is produced by American Idol producers FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment and distributed by Tribune Entertainment.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now...

There are some who have expressed concerns over the fact that we will only be able to hear Clay's voice during this series and will miss out on seeing his beautiful... entity... each and every week.

Nonsense, baloney, hogwash, falderal, malarky, tommyrot and poppycock! ~ heh, I FLOVE this thesaurus!

Because any warm blooded Broad, and particular those of us with 20/20 hindsight, (Karen Eh™) will remember that the very first thing that was ever fallen in love with was The Vox... The rest of it has always just been a thick slab of delicious frosting.

And besides... there isn't one among us who doesn't picture him uberly on a daily basis... in our Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Mac and Cheese, Spaghetti w/sauce (minus the mushrooms and green peppers) and in either the Pineapple Casserole or the Cherry Yum Yum...

...Or in our beds.

But we digress...

Anyway... "picturing him" has never been that terribly difficult, we've discovered.

And we cannot wait to hear what he has to say! To hear his reflections... his perspective. Nor can we imagine anyone better suited, given his aces on quick witted communication, to narrate this.

We just hope he throws in a tad or two of the signature bawdy and wicked... Just because it'll just help out SO much more with the visuals...

But... Invisible?

Well, guess that'll just have to completely depend upon your 'insight'... and we'll let you check your own thesaurus for all of the multiple meanings of that one...

Thanks to MsMarmalade from the Clackhouse and to a Generous Anonymous Donor for the screencap.

~Posted by jannet aka Chardonnay~ with a wee bit of inspiration from Nelle...

Submitted as a Main Page at Lecherous Broads For Clay Aiken on 9/29/07.

Technorati tags:
Clay Aiken, American Idol Rewind, Season Two