AIKEN NEWS NETWORK AUGUST 28

[clayMaine-iac]

Upcoming Clay Appearances - be sure to watch.
9/15 - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
9/19 - Good Morning America performance
9/26 - Jimmey Kimmel Live

CLAYAIKEN.COM

[clayMaine-iac]

From the Ideal Idol site:

A TRIUMPH OF TALENT

[clayMaine-iac]

Coming soon:

WALMART SOUNDCHECK

[clayMaine-iac]

With six new debuts and the smash success of Christina Aguilera, last week's number one CD, Rick Ross' Port of Miami fell to seventh. The top ten were rounded out by Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 22, Step Up, and Nickelback's All the Right Reasons.

The injection of new life into the top ten is only getting started with Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics. Outkast's Idlewild and Danity Kane's self-titled debut dropped this week and new CDs from Justin Timberlake, Bob Dylan, Jessica Simpson, Audioslave, Beyonce, John Mayer, Clay Aiken, and Fergie will all challenge for the top of the charts in the next month alone. Save some cash. You're going to need it at the music store.

THEDEADBOLT

[clayMaine-iac]

The game starts in the audition room and ends on a finals stage that was created using the blueprints from the show. Players sing into a real microphone that connects to the PS2 and records every nuance of their delivery and compares it to how the original artist sang the track. Judges also will be featured in animated cutaways during the player's performances to bring out their personalities.

Players who earn it will be able to watch selected video footage from the first five seasons' performances, including Clay Aiken's rendition of "Build Me Up Buttercup." There will be 40 licensed songs in the game, including such songs from the first five seasons as "Don't Let the Sun Shine Down" and "Do I Make You Proud," the first single from reining "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks. There also will be such new singles as "Be Without You" and "You and Me."

SHOWBUZZ

[clayMaine-iac]

Lucas: Behind The Media Blitz
John Bunting went on a whirlwind tour of local media Wednesday morning.
Aug. 24, 2006 By Adam Lucas

If you turned on your radio Wednesday morning, you probably heard John Bunting. It doesn't really matter what station you prefer--in the Triangle, he was on almost all of them.

But what really happens when the head coach of the Tar Heels makes a whirlwind tour to 12 different media outlets in four hours? I tagged along to find out. (snip)

6:50 a.m.: Sheri Logan, the other half of Bill and Sheri, arrives at the studio. It turns out that some of that spontaneous banter you hear in the morning is actually previously taped.

Sheri is followed by her two kids, Sydney and Stephen. She informs Bunting that the only other time they've wanted to come to the studio to meet a guest was for Clay Aiken. No one is sure whether this is a compliment or not.

THEACC

[clayMaine-iac]

Despite the power and momentum that surround Idol contestants, history shows it’s improbable that any winner—or, in the case of Clay Aiken, runner-up—will escape the clutches of normal human existence. They can’t, because they’re essentially ordinary, if ambitious, kids who got lucky. None of them has the magnetic, inherent charm and allure—the charisma—of a Jessica Simpson or a Justin Timberlake.

OCWEEKLY

[clayMaine-iac]

Plenty of "American Idol" top-10 finishers have released albums, but a 13th-placer? Make way for Ayla Brown, 18, the basketball-playing almost-finalist from the most recent "Idol" season who announced Thursday — just hours after her "Idol" obligation lapsed — that she is releasing her debut, Forward, on October 17 on the Double Deal Brand Records label. According to the singer's Web site, the first single, "Know You Better/ I Quit," will be released on September 12. The album is slated to feature songs written by Grammy winner Diane Warren, David Eriksen (Clay Aiken, Lindsay Lohan), Ruby Amanfu, singer Jonatha Brooke and Phil Thornalley (Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn"). ...

MTV

[clayMaine-iac]

Small kid boasts big, award-winning voice

   In Frankie Troncoso's living room stands a 4-foot trophy he won two weeks ago in the Middlesex County Idol contest, held at the County Fair in East Brunswick.
   The statue is only a few inches shorter than the 12-year-old Deans Pond Crossing resident, and he got it after winning the under-16 category for a song he sang in the event, which is similar to the FOX television program "American Idol."
   "I'm a little guy with a big voice," Frankie said.
   Frankie didn't sing a song that can be heard on Top 40 American radio. Instead, he reached to his lineage and performed a modern classical Italian tune.
   "I sang Andrea Boccelli, 'Con Te Partino,'" Frankie said, who is an Italian-American. "And I had to sing it in Italian, so I had to learn what each of the words meant so that I could sing it with as much feeling as possible."
   To prepare for the contest Frankie listened to the song several times and sought the help of his vocal coach, Keith Watlington, who is a music teacher at Crossroads North Middle School.
   Frankie said that his grandfather requested the song and he went for it because of the dramatic ending.
   "It ends on a long note," Frankie said. "It gives a big pow at the end."
   However, Frankie is not solely interested in classical music.
   "I like Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong and some poppier stuff, like Clay Aiken," Frankie said. "I sang one of his songs, 'This is the Night,' as a warm up for the contest."

ZWIRE

[clayMaine-iac]

Do you think you have what it takes to be the next American Idol?
      Now is your chance to follow in the footsteps of fellow contestants Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood.
      Once again, Fox 8 is sponsoring the 2006 Keystone Idol competition. Auditions will be held at DelGrosso's Amusement Park this Saturday, August 26. Gates open at 8 a.m. and registration will begin at 10 a.m.
      Be sure to get there early because only the first 200 registered contestants will be heard by the judges.

TYRONEPA

[clayMaine-iac]

For the six finalists in the Northern Star Contest, it's all come down to this: Tuesday night, they'll sing one last time for local judges before two of them are chosen to win airline tickets and hotel rooms at a site where they can try out for "American Idol."

The chances are slim that either of those two finalists will make it to the blockbuster TV show that launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, among others. In recent "American Idol" auditions at Birmingham, Ala., about 10,000 people who tried out were sent home with dashed hopes. Still, the contest has been a great experience, the Grand Forks contest finalists said.

GRANDFORKS

[clayMaine-iac]

The long wait for Clay Aiken fans is over. RCA Records will release the singer’s third album, “A Thousand Different Ways” on September 19th. The project, Aiken’s first outing since 2004, combines 10 cover versions of well-known songs from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s with four brand-new songs.

The album is a follow-up to Aiken’s debut set, “Measure of a Man,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and is certified triple-platinum, as well as the platinum-selling “Merry Christmas with Love,” the best-selling holiday album of the 2004 season.

For Aiken, the new album’s title has multiple meanings. “This is an album of love songs,” he explains, “but they are about all different kinds of love. Romantic love, Friendship, Unconditional love. There are a thousand different kinds of love; a thousand different ways to tell someone you love them. And, on top of that, since so many of these songs are covers, it’s realistic to say that many of them have been or could be sung a thousand different ways.”

In fact, Aiken has put his own spin on some of the well-known songs he has recorded for his new album. “These are songs I heard growing up. I loved them then and I still love them today, but we decided to do them a little differently. They have new arrangements and we put our own style on some of them.”

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil’s “Here You Come Again,” a No. 3 hit for Dolly Parton in 1978, stands out for Aiken. “I’ve always loved that song,” he says. “But for this album, we didn’t use a country arrangement. It’s a ballad version now. Adam Anders produced the most amazing arrangement and I couldn’t wait to sing it.”

Aiken credits Chairman CEO BMG U.S., Clive Davis for coming up with the concept for the album. “When we first embarked on making an album, my executive producer Jaymes Foster and I started out with one or two covers, then we had three. We slowly discovered that it’s harder these days to come by songs that are as superb as the songs that I grew up on. Based on that, it was Clive’s brainchild that we take classic love songs of the last 30 years and pair them with four new songs. He is a man who not only knows music, but really has his finger on the pulse of what listeners want to hear.”

Those who have come to expect Aiken to belt out a song won’t be disappointed. The album shows off Aiken’s vocals in a big way with songs like the Bad English hit “When I See You Smile” and Harry Nillsson’s “Without You.” But Aiken will surprise fans by singing in a more relaxed style on some tracks than they have heard before, showing a different, sexier side.

Aiken fans will also be glad to know he was personally involved with the selection of every track and that he participated in every aspect of the album. “For the first album, most of the songs were chosen ahead of time. I was less of a participant in the process. The second album was a Christmas album, so we naturally chose songs of the season. This new album has much more of me in it. Right from the beginning, Clive and Jaymes wanted to find songs that were right for me. Jaymes told me, “Stay in your lane, but remember it’s okay to swerve a little and see where it takes you.’ That’s exactly what we did.”

REALITYREEL

[clayMaine-iac]

American Idol: It’s Just a TV Show, Right?
by Ed Hampton -- 08/25/2006
 
American Idol may just be a cheesy reality talent show to some people, but Ed says it’s much more than that – it has changed the face of primetime television. Could it get even bigger? Maybe. Read on to see what Ed has to say.

FOXESONIDOL

[clayMaine-iac]

Here's a link to David Foster's Star Search competion.  Clay is suppose to be one of the guest judges.

DAVIDFOSTERSTARSEARCH

[ANGELA]

GOOD MORNING DEANNA  , & ANYONE ELSE JOINING IN.

THANKS FOR THE CLAYCITING NEWS--I WILL BE BACK AFTER WORK TO CATCH UP ON THE UPDATES.

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE,
ANGELA

[Her]

Good morning M..B.. and Angela!!!

Thanks for the news as always!

[clayMaine-iac]

    Angela and Buddy!!

Here ya go:
 

Why is it Monday already??!! 
 

[lorraine]

GOOD MORNING DEANNA AND FRIENDS.

DEANNA - I DON'T THINK ALL OF THAT COFFEE COULD KEEP ME AWAKE THIS MORNING.  VERY GLOOMY, RAINEY HERE IN CT. BUT I BET MORE CLAY NEWS WOULD.

WILL CHECK BACK LATER FOR UPDATES.

HUGS
RAINEY

[paclayfan]

Good Morning Everyone!

Look for Clay to pop up on E!'s  101 Guiltiest Pleasures. He was featured in the commercials for it.
It could be for American Idol or just him, I'm not sure.
It's supposed to be on  every weeknight this week from 9 - 10 PM ( I think- better check your local listings). The way they usually do it is to show 20 each day, starting with #101.

Gulity Pleasure? ..... Clay?....... Can Anyone Relate?

[lolita]

Good Monday morning, everyone.

Thanks for all the news.

Have a nice day, guys.

lolita