Big Nate

And just because its out there, because it really was one of those moments and because I apparently CANNOT.STOP watching it. Clay Aiken on the American Idol 5 Finale. The hair is hot and so is the voice. I thought Clay was good looking before, but this, well he just got really hot. Can't wait for the new CD this Fall.

Seriously, I'm a big puddle of goo right now.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol

Found this on the blog There Was A Man.


Love it!

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol

This wonderful blogger put together a great collection of what is being said about Clay Aiken's participation in the American Idol 5 Finale.
Idle-wandering

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol

Wow what a night. First off, congratulations to both Taylor and Katherine. I have to admit for someone who likes the talent on AI, but not AI in particular, I thought last nights show was pretty darn entertaining. It was fun seeing all the finalist again (especially Bucky squish). Although I could have done without the tribute to Simon's moobs. I had to bleach my eyeballs.

I think the biggest surprise of the evening was Clay Aiken. Yeah, the fans knew he was going to be there but we had NO idea what was going to happen. There were so many rumors flying around. The anticipation and extrapolation was hilarious.

Was he singing? Was he presenting an award? Was it to be a duet with Carrie Underwood? Would he sing something from his upcoming album? Would we get a drop date?

When I saw Michael Sandecki hit the stage, I knew Clay was coming up. Not knowing what to expect (this is AI, after all), I braced myself. Sandecki, while being presented with an award for an impersonation of a former idol, began to sing Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. Badly. Then it happens. The backdrop opens and out walks.......Wait, who is that? Zoom in DAMMIT!! What? OMG! Oh My Freakin' God. That's Clay Aiken! I think when the initial shock wore off, I was smitten. Oh, yes, very smitten. The boy can really morph. I thought he was hawt before but last night he turned into one big bucket of YUM! And that voice. Beautiful. Soaring. I am so hungry for his sophomore effort. I think we are in for a surprise. I am beginning to really like surprises.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks, Katherine McPhee, Michael Sandecki, American Idol

Wonderful article by Berkley.
Three Years Later, Clay Aiken Is Too Popular to Be Idle

Clay Aiken remains the Anomaly.

He is The One Who Didn’t Win, But Enjoys Record-Breaking Success.

The finals of American Idol, Season Two, seem so long ago, and three years is a long time in terms of pop culture. I’ve long since stopped watching the show, but I’m forever a fan of one remarkable singer.

Clay endures, creating music industry-stirring buzz with the mere possibility of an appearance on the AI5 finale

Read complete article at The ConCLAYve

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, ConCLAYve, American Idol

BroadcastBuyer.TV

The prestigious SABRE Award for best video production has been presented to Medialink for its work promoting Amazon.com's "Special Deliveries" as part of the company's 10th anniversary celebration for customers.

The SABRE Awards recognize superior achievement in branding and reputation for the public relations industry. Along with capturing the award in the competition's category that recognizes outstanding communications techniques, the Amazon.com project was a finalist for best public relations program.

The Amazon.com project involved a series of more than 20 video shoots produced over a 10-day period when celebrities, including Harrison Ford, Anna Kournikova and Clay Aiken, personally delivered orders to unsuspecting customers across the United States. The video segments were distributed to television stations nationwide and archived on the Amazon.com website. The anniversary celebration culminated with a concert headlined by Bob Dylan and Norah Jones, which was made available as a live webcast that opened with an exciting montage of the award-winning video.

Video of Clay Aiken delivering his book "Learning to Sing" to an unsuspecting fan.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, Amazon.com, marketing, advertising, public relations, Medialink, SABRE Award, special deliveries, Learning to Sing, American Idol

Katharine and Taylor Battle for the 'Idol' Title

May 22, 2006

The moment of truth is almost at hand. On Tuesday night, KATHARINE McPHEE and TAYLOR HICKS will compete -- each singing three songs -- in the last round of performances to determine who will be the next "American Idol" -- and CLAY AIKEN and CARRIE UNDERWOOD will be on hand for the crowning moment!

A lot of celebrities will also be in the audience, including TERI HATCHER, DAVID BOREANAZ, JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT, EMILY DESCHANEL, MIMI ROGERS, CAMRYN MANHEIM, BRIAN WILSON, ADRIAN GRENIER and SHANNON ELIZABETH.

But first, PEISHA and DAN McPHEE and BRAD and LINDA HICKS, Katharine's mother and father and Taylor's dad and stepmom, will visit the ET set to give our viewers the inside scoop on how their kids are faring, how their lives have changed since the competition began and what they were like growing up.

"I got a quick call from Katharine," Dan tells ET's JANN CARL. "She said Taylor and she have been spending a lot more time together, obviously, this last week since they are the Final 2 and they are becoming so much closer. They have come to be the best of friends, and they are looking out for each other. It is a great thing."

Dan also shared when he was asked to reveal something about his daughter that only her family knows: "Katharine makes funny voices. She does three or four cartoon voices that are just brilliant. I can't even tell you what they are. She has these funny, quirky little things she really hasn't had an opportunity to reveal to the world, that she is more zany than she may appear."

"Someone asked me about Taylor's dance moves," Ben volunteers. "I said, 'Actually he looked like he did when he was eight years old and doing his movements.' He was always playing sports, catching and running, so he was always in constant movement. You still see that on stage."

In addition, ET also spoke with both of the Top 2 to get their reactions to their competitor!

"Katharine has amazing vocal runs," Taylor admits. "She has had some great moments on the show. She is a very talented girl. I wish the best for her and I can't wait to hear her album."

Katharine also has kind words for her competition. "I think Taylor is just free on stage," she says. "I get nervous a lot of times. I clench up. I can't be as spontaneous. We are both so different. It is just going to depend on what America wants."

Win or lose, both "Idol" hopefuls already are safe in the knowledge that they have a record deal.

"Of course, you want to win," Katharine admits. "I would love to win. Still, look at Clay Aiken. He has done well for himself and he didn't win. I don't know if it really matters when you are in the Top 2. [Taylor and I] looked at each other and said, 'It doesn't matter.' We are going to be able to do things we couldn't do otherwise."

As for Taylor, one of the things he is most looking forward to is riding the "American Idol" bus during the tour.

"As a struggling musician before 'American Idol,' I would always be on the road traveling at night from place to place," he explains. "I would always see buses on the road in Alabama going to their next destination. I would always dream about being on one, and now I have the opportunity."

Also as part of the finals, the other 10 members of the Final 12 will join Katharine and Taylor onstage.

For all your "Idol" updates, tune in to ET!

I noticed one my fellow bloggers has a great video of Clay during a Jaded Journalist interview. Very funny stuff.
TechnoGeekGirl's site
Great video of Clay singing Solitaire on American Idol 3
Something That Really Happened

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Katharine McPhee

I was reading The Clayblog this morning and was surprised that I had forgotten the date. It is this anniversary of the ANOMALY. It was 3 years ago today.

I remember watching the finale for AI2 and getting a feeling at one point, that it wasn't in the cards. I braced myself and heard Ryan say Ruben Studdard. I felt pretty deflated and even worse after a co-worker called to rub it in. Mature....only not. My husband, a very understanding man, didn't laugh at me for being a little emotionally invested. He wouldn't dare. I sat through several soccer events, with him dressed in full color, shouting in german at the TV screen. This could be at any hour of the night depending on where in the world the event was being held.

It looks kind of like this, but in my living room.
He understood how it felt to root for someone and not have the end result you were hoping for. As it turned out Clay, along with Ruben were both given contracts by RCA and their debut albums would be released later in the fall.

On June 10, 2003, RCA released The single "Bridge Over Troubled Water"/This Is the Night". It was RIAA certified platinum July 15, 2003. Debuting at #1 on both the "Billboard Hot 100" and the Hot 100 Single Sales Chart, it was the fastest-selling single since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" and the best-selling single of 2003. It was the first CD single to go platinum since 2002, when Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" sold a million copies after being out for over a year.

When the album Measure of a Man hit shelves in October of 2003, it debuted at #1, selling 613,000 copies it's first week and was certified double platinum soon after.

He didn't need the title afterall.

This is a video of Clay performing This Is The Night on Good Morning America, the day after the finale. It is my favorite vocal performance of the song.

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, This is the Night, American Idol, Measure of a Man

So you show up at the BBC to apply for a job as an IT Specialist. The next thing you know you are on air answering questions. Dream or Nightmare? Well probably a bit of both. This is absolutely hilarious and just reinforces my opinion of the current state of broadcasting. Check your facts people. Try a little due diligence. Sheesh.

I especially love the the look on the guys face when he realizes he is on air and he hasn't a clue as to what he should be talking about, although for being put on the spot, he handled himself fairly well.

BBC apologizes for on-air interview mix-up

The BBC has apologized to viewers after conducting a live interview with the wrong man last week.

"We interviewed the wrong person," a British Broadcasting Corp. spokeswoman said Monday. "We apologize to viewers for any confusion."

The man was mistakenly ushered into a BBC television studio on May 8 for a reaction interview about the verdict in the legal dispute between Apple Corps Ltd. and Apple Computers Inc.

The man, who appeared startled at first, said: "I'm very surprised to see this verdict to come on me because I was not expecting that. When I came, they told me something else."

However, he soon warmed up to the interview and answered several more questions about the state of music downloading on the internet.

The real guest, technology expert Guy Kewney, watched the mix-up unfold as he sat watching a monitor at reception. On his website, Kewney wrote that the man "seemed as baffled as I felt" when asked about the consequences of the lawsuit.

What made the mix-up more unlikely is that the show producers had previously seen a photo of Kewney: a fair-haired, bearded, Caucasian man. The mystery guest the BBC host interviewed is a clean-shaven black man.

The short TV segment is now being circulated on the internet, including on the website of the Daily Mail newspaper.

Kewney added on his website Monday that the mystery guest has been discovered to be a Congo-born IT specialist named Guy Goma, who was at the BBC that day waiting to apply for a job and thought the on-air bit was an initiation gag.

The Interview.

Technorati tags: BBC, journalism, Apple Corps, Apple Computers, Guy Kewney, Guy Goma