AIKEN NEWS NETWORK AUG 25

[clayMaine-iac]

Good Morning, everyone!!

SEEN ON SCENE: John Mayer was seen sauntering down Michigan Avenue with an unknown beauty -- happily giving fans a thumbs up near the Wrigley Building. ... While in town this week, Halle Berry's ex-hubby Eric Benet sampled the sushi rolls at Blue Water Grill. ... Yes, that was ''American Idol'' star Clay Aiken at the Signature Room atop the John Hancock Center Monday night. ... Fred ''The Hammer'' Williamson delightedly signed autographs while dining at the Broadway Cafe in Merrillville, Ind.

SUNTIMES

[clayMaine-iac]

Clubs And Organizations
Howe Methodist Women

HOWE - Jean Norman will be the special guest at the Howe United Methodist Women's annual salad supper and a book review Aug. 29. This years selection is "Learning To Sing - Hearing Music In Your Life" by Clay Aiken.

Norman enjoys reading and traveling. She has reviewed books and sung for over 35 years in the North Texas area.

Men, women and youth are invited to bring a salad and attend the event which begins at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 810 N. Denny, in Howe. Child care will be provided.

HERALDDEMOCRAT
 

[clayMaine-iac]

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were voted the sexiest stars in a poll made by InStyle, which will be published in its September issue.
By: Entertainment News Staff

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were voted the sexiest stars in a poll made by InStyle, which will be published in its September issue.

The magazine will reveal the sexiest men and women from Sexiest Leading Man and Leading Lady to Sexiest Couple, Sexiest Actors Over 40, Sexiest Crooner and Sexiest Athlete.

Brad Pitt topped the list, for the fourth time now, as Sexiest Leading Man and beautiful Angelina Jolie was voted Sexiest Leading Lady.

Brad’s pall, George Clooney, was voted Sexiest Actor Over 40 and beautiful Susan Sarandon took the sexy prize for an Actress Over 40. Other stars on the "What's Sexy Now!" list include Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (Sexiest Couple), Beyonce(Sexiest Singer), Clay Aiken (Sexiest Crooner).

Tiger Woods and David Beckham, at only two votes difference, were voted for Sexiest Athlete.

SOFTPEDIA

[clayMaine-iac]

Clay Aiken leaving L..A. for N.C.:-
RALEIGH, N.C. | August 24, 2005 5:12:17 AM IST
 
For North Carolina native Clay Aiken, there's no place like home and California just isn't it.

The singer has put his 7,800-square-foot California house -- complete with six bedrooms, six-and-a-half baths, swimming pool and other extras -- on the market for $2.5 million, the Raleigh, N.C., News and Observer reported Tuesday. He bought the house about a year ago.

Aiken, 26, told his hometown newspaper he's building a new house in the Raleigh area.

Whether this ride lasts for one year or 10 years, I want to have a home base, he said.

WEBINDIA 
India???  This story is getting around.

[clayMaine-iac]

Notes from all over
Clay Aiken fans with their hearts set on owning the oh-so-tasteful furnishings in the L.A. house he’s selling are in for a bit of a disappointment. Claymates had been gawking at the 7,800-square foot, 6-bedroom estate that the "American Idol" runner-up is trying to unload for $2.495 million before realtors took down the link. Aiken’s mother decorated the place, the singer says, and he told a paper in his home state of North Carolina he’s taking the furnishings. “All the stuff, curtains, fabrics and whatever else is coming too,” Aiken told the Raleigh News and Observer.  . . .

MSNBC

[clayMaine-iac]

Aiken goes home

The Hollywood lifestyle apparently doesn't suit Clay Aiken. The redheaded crooner is selling his Los Angeles-area home to return to his North Carolina hometown.

"Whether this ride lasts for one year or 10 years, I want to have a home base," Aiken tells the News & Observer of Raleigh.

Of course, people of Raleigh all wish it was someplace else.

AZCENTRAL

[clayMaine-iac]

Clay Aiken Says Goodbye To Hollywood
POSTED: 8:32 am PDT August 23, 2005
UPDATED: 10:21 am PDT August 23, 2005

Apparently, Hollywood just isn't for everyone.

Clay Aiken is selling his Los Angeles-area home to return to his North Carolina hometown.

The Raleigh native declined to tell The News & Observer of Raleigh exactly where he's building his new home.

"Whether this ride lasts for one year or 10 years, I want to have a home base," said Aiken, 26.

The pop star who soared to fame as a runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003 has rarely been at the Mediterranean-style, six-bedroom home he bought new last fall for $2.3 million, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The 7,800-square-foot home was new when the singer bought it and rests on more than an acre in a private, rural area of the San Fernando Valley that is zoned to allow horses, the Times said. The house has 6½ bathrooms, a pool, a spa, a gazebo and a sports court.

Aiken listed the house in March for $2.5 million and expects to close escrow next month, the Times reported.

Aiken's mother, Faye Parker, decorated his California home with North Carolina furniture. The work won't go to waste despite the move, he said.

"All the stuff, curtains, fabrics and whatever else is coming, too," Aiken said.

ACCESSHOLLYWOOD

[clayMaine-iac]

"American Idol"-like show looks for local idols
By BILLY DEFRAIN
August 24, 2005

Nebraskans waiting for a chance to be idolized can now do so – without fear of godly retribution from on high.

Omaha Fox affiliate KPTM 42 is once again sponsoring auditions for “Heartland Idol.” One lucky winner will receive paid airfare and hotel costs for a trip to Chicago to audition before the producers of Fox’s “American Idol.”

Contestants on “American Idol” perform well-known songs for a panel of judges, and each week a contestant is booted from the show until a winner is announced.

Past winners include Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, all whom have gone on to fame in the ever-changing pop music industry. Even some of the losers have had a taste of success, including Bo Bice and William Hung.

DAILYNEBRASKAN

Clay won???  When was the vote recount??? 

[clayMaine-iac]

YOUTHFEST 2005
Guam will hold its first youth festival from 1 to 7 p.m. Aug. 28 at the University of Guam field house.

YOUTHFEST 2005 will feature a concert of young recording artists from the U.S. mainland, finalists in a local talent search competition and an islandwide school pep rally competition with the winning schools receiving cash prizes. There will be booths featuring groups and organizations catering to the island's youth.

The highlight of the afternoon event will feature The Beu Sisters -- regulars on the Disney Channel and recording artists -- and who have been described as a "Partridge Family" for the "TRL" generation. They recently opened for the Kelly Clarkson/Clay Aiken Tour.

GUAMPDN

[clayMaine-iac]

Degarmo Veers Off to Theater
Updated: Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005 - 8:20 AM

Diana DeGarmo is parting ways with RCA Records, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's destined to follow in the fading footprints of her "American Idol" predecessor Justin Guarini.

DeGarmo, who turned 18 in June, recently nabbed the lead in "West Side Story" at a regional theater in San Jose, Calif., after passing on the lead role in Broadway's "Beauty and the Beast" so she could finish high school and promote her debut album, "Blue Skies." She just performed a corporate gig on a cruise ship. And she's scheduled to appear at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards next month.

"The good thing about where I'm at in my career, I'm at a place I can do whatever I want," DeGarmo said.

She's done well for a teenager three months out of high school. But it's a long way from the superstar promises "Idol" dangles in front of its finalists. Of the 46 contestants from the show's four seasons, only two have achieved anything like superstardom: first season winner Kelly Clarkson and second season runner-up Clay Aiken. Second and third season winners Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino have found success as well, each selling more than 1.5 million copies of their debut discs. A few other contestants have parlayed "Idol" into TV and stage work or moderate album sales.

WGMS.COM

[clayMaine-iac]

Claymates, your guy's coming home
Singer's L.A. digs are up for grabs

Clay Aiken is keeping his furnishings, all from Carolina.
By MATT EHLERS AND WETA RAY CLARK, Staff Writers

For the connoisseur of Clay, this could be the ultimate souvenir.
Clay Aiken is coming home -- and his 7,800-square-foot California home is on the market. The house in Los Angeles County has six bedrooms, 6 1/2 baths, a swimming pool, massage room and "sports court." He's asking $2.495 million.

Fans got a peek inside this week, by way of a virtual tour set up by the real estate company. On the Web, voyeurs could see pictures of Aiken's bedroom, living room and bathrooms.

But -- sorry, Claymates -- the link was disabled late Monday.

Aiken, 26, who soared to fame on "American Idol," is building a home in the Triangle. But during a backstage interview before his recent concert in Cary, he wouldn't say exactly where.

He hopes his next home is a bit homier. "Whether this ride lasts for one year or 10 years, I want to have a home base," he said.

Aiken's mom, Faye Parker, decorated his California home, which he bought in September. But once a Carolina boy, always a Carolina boy: All of the furniture came from North Carolina, he said, except a Virginia recliner, "which fell apart."

Despite the move to new digs, Mom's work won't go to waste.

"All the stuff, curtains, fabrics and whatever else is coming too," Aiken said.

NEWSOBSERVER

[clayMaine-iac]

Clay Aiken rolls with the punch lines
By JANE STEVENSON - Toronto Sun
 
Clay Aiken knows he's become a whipping boy for late night talk show hosts, who question either his singing ability or sexuality.

But the second season runnerup on American Idol has both a healthy sense of humour about it and a thick skin.

"I spent years and years in middle school getting picked on, so I'm kind of used it," says Aiken, 27, down the line from Chicago this week. He has his solo concert debut in Toronto tonight at the Molson Amphitheatre.

"First of all, I usually don't watch (the talk shows) and someone else will tell me about them. And, heck, half the time, I think it's funny."

But are the shots at his sexuality more hurtful or do they just roll off his back too?

"Heck, it's just as insulting as when someone like you interviews me and asks a question like that, no matter how you word it," says Aiken in a Canadian newspaper exclusive with the Sun. "It's part of the game. You just do it."

And it's not as if Aiken, who hails from Raleigh, N.C., doesn't have a lot of support.

His rabid fans, known as Claymates, attack anyone who would dare sully the reputation of their beloved Aiken, whose 2003 debut, Measure Of A Man, was followed by a 2004 Christmas album, Merry Christmas With Love.

I should know because of reader response when I dared to suggest he should be singing musical theatre on Broadway when I reviewed Measure Of A Man.

"They formed themselves while I was on the show, and have grown in strength and energy ever since, which is nothing but thrilling for us," says Aiken of the Claymates. So who are they exactly?

"I have a feeling they are probably mostly ladies," says Aiken. "We don't get played in gentlemen's clubs," he adds with a giggle.

Aiken says he has no desire to hit the Great White Way although he did see Idol alumna Vanessa Olivarez in Hairspray at the Princess Of Wales Theatre here last summer.

"I've seen some shows and they seem fun," he says. "But in the popular music world that's kind of an insult to say someone belongs on Broadway, so thanks a lot. I mean I've seen people who've done it and I think they're very talented. Maybe one day, but our focus is on something different at this time."

Aiken and his nine-piece band are currently a month into his so-called Jukebox tour -- an overview of pop covers spanning the 1950s to today.

Aiken is working with Canadian producer Jaymes Foster Levy -- sister of David Foster -- on his sophomore effort, which he hopes to have out by next spring.

"She's excellent," says Aiken. "It's really great to have somebody, we see eye to eye, ear to ear, I guess, on a lot of the stuff that we both like. She helps me figure out how to slow down and that we make sure that this next album is as good as it can be."

Aiken knows the pressure is on for him to follow up on the commercial success of Measure Of A Man.

"There's natural pressure with it being the second album. I think that's considered to be the most crucial one. There's pressure, not necessarily just from everybody else, but from myself too. The last one did well. I don't want to come out of the box with something crap, right?"

UNICEF post humbles Aiken

Clay Aiken, who was an elementary school teacher for autistic children before his success on American Idol, has beome a UNICEF Ambassador for education.

He has travelled to Indonesia after the tsunami tragedy, and to war-torn northern Uganda to bring attention to the plight of children abducted by rebels.

"It really makes you take a look at what you are, and who you are and how small you are in this world," he told the Sun. "You go to another country and you realize there are definitely people who have never heard of you and they don't care, because all they want to do is rebuild their houses or stay safe from these rebels.

"It really puts things in perspective and makes me stop complaining about traffic in L.A., you know?"

 

JAM.CANOE

[Her]

Morning Miss D...have a great day and hope all is happy at home!

[stargazer]

GOOD MORNING ALL, 
THANKS FOR THE NEWS. 
LOTS GOING ON THESE DAYS.

WELL SEE YOU ALL LATER A LURKING I MUST GO.

[lorraine]

GOOD MORNING DEANNA AND JAYNE.

I AM GETTING SO EXCITED ABOUT SEEING MY HONEY IN ONE MORE DAY.  I WON'T COUNT SATURDAY BECAUSE I WILL BE IN NEW HAMPHSHIRE AWAITING HIS ARRIVAL.

DEANNA - I AM HEADING UP YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS.  WELL KINDA OF.  MISS YOU AND SEE YOU FOR THE CHRISTMAS TOUR.  I AM HOLDING YOU TO IT.

WILL BE LURKING AS ALWAYS.

HUGS
RAINEY AIKEN

[Pamela]

"Heck, it's just as insulting as when someone like you interviews me and asks a question like that, no matter how you word it," says Aiken in a Canadian newspaper exclusive with the Sun. "It's part of the game. You just do it."

He has learned so much since day one.  Take everything with a grain of salt, roll with the punches, don't let the b*stards get you down.  Good job Clay.

Aiken says he has no desire to hit the Great White Way although he did see Idol alumna Vanessa Olivarez in Hairspray at the Princess Of Wales Theatre here last summer.

"I've seen some shows and they seem fun," he says. "But in the popular music world that's kind of an insult to say someone belongs on Broadway, so thanks a lot. I mean I've seen people who've done it and I think they're very talented. Maybe one day, but our focus is on something different at this time."

That's pretty clear to me.  "So Thanks A Lot."  You tell 'em Clay. 

I actually like this interview.  Thanks for the good news Ms D!

[Pamela]

This radio station 680 NEWS in Toronto is supposed to air an interview with Clay today.

We'll post whatever we can find later!

Also, I moved the JBT picture thread from the Concert Connection into the JBT Forum, but I forgot to leave a marker.  Sorry!

The JBT picture thread is now in the JBT Forum for posterity, so you can find it there!

[Marilyn]

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE- THANKS FOR THE NEWS

WHO KNEW THAT CLAY MOVING WOULD MAKE ALL THE PAPERS!!TAKING HIS CURTAINS WITH HIM 
AND ARE THE PEOPLE OF RALEIGH UPSET? WHY? HE WONT BE THERE MOST OF THE TIME- JUST LIKE HE WASNT IN L.A.

TOO BAD HE DOESNT WANT TO MAKE LONG ISLAND HIS HOME BASE!!!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT DAY!! ALMOST THE END OF THE WEEK

[LiftClayUp]

AND ARE THE PEOPLE OF RALEIGH UPSET? WHY? HE WONT BE THERE MOST OF THE TIME- JUST LIKE HE WASNT IN L.A.

I think the folks in Raleigh will be glad to have him home.  They are pretty proud of him.

[grammaof6]

I can find a nice little 6 1/2 bathroom mansion right here in my home town for him. Could even have a nice waterfront view of Lake Michigan. I'm sure the city officials would love having his income to tax!