ClayManiacs

Clay-mation: Bespectacled cutie Clay Aiken looks good in green at a book-signing for Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life.

Tops in contemporary Christian
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  

Here are the top contemporary Christian albums as they appear in this week's issue of Billboard magazine:

1. "Merry Christmas With Love," Clay Aiken. RCA.

2. "The Beautiful Letdown," Switchfoot. Sparrow. (Platinum, signifying more than 1 million copies sold)

3. "WOW Hits 2005: 31 Of The Year's Top Christian Artists And Hits," Various Artists. Word.

4. "Healing Rain," Michael W. Smith. Reunion.

5. "MMHMM," Relient K. Gotee.

•In conjunction with “Operation Christmas Spirit,” The Stories for Heroes Arthur Celebrity Audiobook featuring Clay Aiken, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, Kelly Ripa and others can be purchased at a reduced price of $10 and donated directly to the United Service Organization, “Toys for Tots,” St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the “Polar Express Reading Challenge.” Those interested in buying an audiobook for themselves can purchase it at its regular price of $14.99 through Friday and Stories for Heroes will donate a second one to the organizations on their behalf. Seventy percent of each audiobook purchased will continue to benefit Stories for Heroes’ three original charities: the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the National Education Association-Health Information Network. The audiobook is an enhanced CD with stories, pictures, music, games and educational content for children, parents and teachers. To order, visit www.storiesforheroes.com on the Web.

30) Clay Aiken - MEASURE OF A MAN
The debut album by the American Idol star proved a CD could be a hit without major radio play.

Reasons show why songs are real winners
Tom Angleberger's What's On Your Mind?

Readers, I've had a great time this Christmas reading your votes and notes about your favorite Christmas songs. My thanks to everyone who wrote in.

In the end, some of the songs I selected received only a handful of votes. Meanwhile, readers nominated about 50 other songs. Some new, some old, some weird. A tiny sampling turns up: "Christmas Time's A'Coming" by Bill Monroe, "White Christmas" by Otis Redding, "Tender Tennessee Christmas" by Amy Grant, "Little Saint Nick" by the Beach Boys, "Rebel Jesus" by Jackson Browne.

A song that I had never heard of, "Mary Did You Know?" got a surprising number of votes, but for different artists: Mark Lowry, Clay Aiken and the superstar team-up of Kenny Rogers and Wynonna.

Who is the 'Idol' with the most success?
Norma Cavazos TV Q&A

Q: Of all of the finalists and winners on "American Idol," who has had the most successful career since being on the show?
-- R.C., Grand Prairie, Texas

A: There are several ways to gauge the success the Idol stars, but much credit is being given to Clay Aiken these days for breaking out of the Idol mold.

He was recently voted the "American Idol" alum who will have the best long-term success by participants in an msnbc.com poll. He has a loyal fan base and is often compared to Barry Manilow, whose fans have rallied around for more than three decades.

Aiken's recent successes include a best-selling holiday CD and a network Christmas special of his own that didn't do too badly, considering it aired opposite a new episode of "Lost."

When it comes to holiday music, it's the most wonderful time of the year

"American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken has seen his "Merry Christmas With Love" rank as high as No. 4 on the Billboard chart. The best-seller includes "Winter Wonderland," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and, yes, "The Christmas Song."

"These timeless classics have been recorded by artists in every genre all over the world, yet each song retains the original stamp of its creators,"said Marilyn Bergman, ASCAP president and chairman of the board.

My 106.3 (KLMY 106.3 FM) — which targets women ages 25 to 54 — won't know until the beginning of February when Arbitron releases its fall ratings if two straight months of playing holiday music has paid off.

But gauging from listener phone calls, she has a hunch the lite rock station will do OK.

"We get so many calls asking what the last song was," she said. "It's that kind of thing. The phones are always active."

Valentine said Aiken and Taylor have been popular with listeners this season as has local favorite Mannheim Steamroller.

CLAY'S HOROSCOPE FOR DECEMBER 26:
Quickie:
There are some things money can't replace. Preserve them carefully.

Overview:
Every emotion you experience today will be a passionate one, no doubt about it. And since that kind of thing is famously catchy, expect everyone you come into contact with to be equally enthusiastic, for better or worse. Ready?

Extended:
You waste no time, mostly because you can't afford to. You have a million things to do and everyone wants more of your attention than they already have. While it's nice to feel this popular, you may have to put some boundaries into place. You'll need to spend some time alone in order to concentrate on the tasks at hand. You'll be better off if you close the door and turn off the TV and telephone while you try to get your work done. Socializing should be secondary to other responsibilities right now.

Daily Flirt:
You are just not the kind of person who gets bored -- at least not these days. The world is constantly in flux and you never know who's around the next corner. It's exciting!

Daily Couples:
Argue over big ideas, but don't expect to triumph just because of your winning smile. Your partner has some wise advice, if you'll just slow down and listen.

Daily Singles:
Look forward to scintillating conversation and a real intellectual connection. You may or may not want to pursue it further, but the interest will be there.

Career and Finance:
Everyone around you seems to be excited and talking up new possibilities (maybe the very ones you just opened up), but they're not actually doing much. Inspire them with your example.

The world is constantly in flux and you never know who's around the next corner.

It's exciting!

Ghost posting for aikenseeker since she is vacationing today!