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Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 07:26:59 AM The Futurist is a publication that has a website but doesn't link their articles because they require a subscription. Someone was kind enough to transcribe this recent article:
CLAY AIKEN'S ADVENTURES IN FUTURING What if you're a college student planning to teach kids with mental disabilities but, in one short year, find you're now a singer whose first album debuts at the top of the record charts? One of the first lessons of futuring is that life is what happens when you're making other plans. Clay Aiken, a 24-year-old special-education major from North Carolina, had already been doing a respectable job of futuring: He planned to teach, then get his master's degree in education administration, and become a school principal by age 50. He carefully weighed his life's goals and drew the paths to reach them. Here comes the wild card, a low-probability, high-impact surprise: Clay also loved singing, so friends encouraged him to audition for "American Idol," a televised talent competition. Told by the judges he had a great voice but didn't look like a pop star, Clay took the experts' advice and improved himself: "I'll do my best." Excellent futuring. Clay's "best" landed him in second place, which was good enough to earn a recording contract. With it came the pressure to conform to the music industry's notions of what a pop star should sing--hip, edgy songs featuring sex, drugs, violence, and foul language. Clay refused to sing things he didn't think children should hear; he stuck to his core values. Excellent futuring. Futurists generally dismiss pop-cultural phenomena such as Clay Aiken's meteoric rise to fame as trivial fads. But trend watchers should feel their antennae quivering. In a recent Time magazine interview, Clay Aiken hinted that his popularity is largely due to his core values. He said we are witnessing a revolution. Here's why he's right: Clay is at the leading edge of the Millennial Generation, a large, influential demographic cohort now coming of age and, according to some observers, rejecting the materialism and self-absorption of their predecessors. Clay's oft-stated goal of using celebrity to do good in the world has inspired millions of people longing for a cultural hero who ennobles rather than degrades. Clay's multiple-generation-spanning popularity is also driven by non- music media--television and, more critically, the fan-rallying Internet--rather than by traditional music-industry media such as radio. The fact that Clay is now selling hundreds of thousands of records with very little support from radio should have music- industry executives questioning their paradigms. (See the cover story in the November-December 2003 issue of THE FUTURIST for more on the subject.) And finally, throughout the television competition, Clay Aiken successfully demonstrated a principle that business futurists have long advocated: Adapt or die. Clay is a great teacher because he is a great learner. That's excellent futuring, and we at the World Future Society wish him well on his further adventures. THE FUTURIST (http://www.wfs.org/futurist.htm) Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 09:03:12 AM It's official! According to Billboard, Clay is again #1 in sales for the week!
Quote Pop Idol Fends Off Rock Vets On Billboard 200 Despite suffering a 64% decline in U.S. sales, Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man" outsold new releases from Rod Stewart and the Eagles to lead The Billboard 200 for a second straight week. Aiken's RCA debut sold 225,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, bringing his two-week total to 838,000. The second-season "American Idol" runner-up has a short lead over Rod Stewart's "As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook Part II" (J Records). BILLBOARD (http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2012595) Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 09:14:22 AM Quote CALGARY -- It was around the end of the second season of American Idol that people started to take notice. Not only was Clay Aiken's CD single, This Is the Night, outselling winner Ruben Studdard's single by a four-to-one margin, it was selling better than any single had in years. Close to 393,000 copies flew out of record stores in its first week of release in June, compared to 286,000 copies of Studdard's Flying Without Wings. Forty-five million American Idol viewers instantly became a buying demographic for the two singles, ensuring the biggest sales week for the single as a format since Elton John's Candle in the Wind sold 3.4 million copies in one week in 1997. VANCOUVER SUN (http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/story.asp?id=2CCAA191-BACD-470B-9A14-C67950A3204E) Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Leveland on October 29, 2003, 09:32:49 AM Great Article. It really catches why we all Love Clay. He is going to be around for a very long time. He is what American's want in a Pop Idol. Thanks for who ever recaped that for us. Terry
Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 12:17:23 PM From the current issue of Rolling Stone:
Quote Claymania Clay Aiken stopped traffic on Hollywood Boulevard on October 11th while filming the video for "Invisible," the single from his debut album, Measure of a Man. "The idea came from the Beatles' 'Get Back' video and U2's 'Where the Streets Have No Name,'" he says. Responding to early estimates that his album would sell 700,000 copies its first week, Aiken says, "Maybe now people will stop calling me 'American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken'." I think Clay is ready to step away from the AI runner title, don't you think? Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 12:18:28 PM Quote Clay Holds Off Rod Blonde crooners battle it out on charts Clay Aiken's Measure of a Man sold 225,000 copies in its second week, according to SoundScan, to best fellow spikey-haired crooner Rod Stewart, whose Great American Songbook, Vol. 2 came in at Number Two with sales of 212,000. ROLLING STONE (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=18893) Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 02:13:49 PM Attn Miami Clay fans!
Radio station Y100 in Miami announces that Clay Aiken will join Kenny and Footy tomorrow morning. He's calling in to talk about his upcoming Y100 Jingle Ball performance. Make sure you're tuned in to hear it. We'll try to snag the download if it's possible! Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 02:15:13 PM Quote A vast improvement over fellow American Idol runner up Justin Guarini’s disastrous debut disc, but Clay Aiken’s album Measure Of A Man (RCA) ought to have been much better than this. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Aiken’s way with classic pop songs, including “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Solitaire,” indicated a smart move for the material on his first major label album. I can understand the desire to cover a Desmond Child song, but why not something from his abundant back catalog, say something written before Aiken was born? Several of the songs sound like recycled versions of other hit songs (“Shine,” for instance, resembles a Chicago song). Aiken comes closest to hitting his stride by “I Survived You,” more than halfway through the disc. “Perfect Day,” co-written by former child actress turned singer/songwriter Danielle Brisebois, gives Aiken the perfect opportunity to stretch a little, and the “bonus cut” hit single “This Is The Night” is the kind of Celine Dion-esque power ballad that might make the diva drool a bit. But then the Cathy (“Move To This”) Dennis co-compositions are disappointingly dull. Sadly, Aiken simply doesn’t measure up to his full potential on Measure Of A Man. WINDY CITY MEDIA GROUP (http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/article-35883.html) Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 02:17:21 PM Quote Clay Rams Rod on Chart By David Jension Call it Revenge of the Nerd, Part II. Geeky American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken proved to be second to none, holding the top spot for a second straight week. For the week ended Sunday, Aiken's Measure of a Man sold nearly 225,000 copies, according to SoundScan numbers released Wednesday. The only artist making a run at Aiken was Rod Stewart (news), whose old-time pop cover album As Time Goes By...Great American Songbook: Vol. II opened at number two. Stewart, clearly an idol in his own right, moved 212,000 copies due in part to a recent Oprah appearance. YAHOO (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=795&ncid=689&e=11&u=/eo/20031029/en_music_eo/12804) I just can't seem to get past that headline. :roll: Title: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK - OCTOBER 29 Post by: Pamela on October 29, 2003, 08:12:28 PM Quote Clay's new video for Invisible will debut on MTV's TRL this Thurs. Oct. 30. at 5pm EST. Help get Invisible to # 1 on TRL ! Join Clay's official TRL Team here: http://www2.fanscape.com/clayaiken/signup.asp By joining the team you'll get weekly voting reminders, tips for helping Clay climb the chart, AND have the chance to win MANY prizes straight from Clay himself! CLAY'S SITE (http://www.clayaiken.com) Title: Headline for the ages Post by: outthereforclay on October 29, 2003, 08:19:08 PM Pamela, I'm with you! I first just cracked up laughing, then I started thinking..... :oops:
oh, never mind :wink: Title: The Futurist Post by: Jexter on October 31, 2003, 05:59:46 AM I LOVE the article in the Futurist. Clay has is all, doesn't he???
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