AIKEN NEWS NETWORK NOVEMBER 30

[Pamela]

In The Polling Place thread, there's a VH-1 poll called 'Big in 2003.'

A companion TV special was taped November 20 and airs Sunday November 30 from 9-11:00 pm EST. It will be broadcast on VH1 and on MuchMoreMusic in Canada.

There is no confirmation that Clay was present at the taping of the show, or that he will appear on the show. However, during ads for the show, they show Clay at least 3 times. He is also currently leading the VH-1 poll on which this TV special was based, and that may be mentioned on the show.

I just wanted to mention this in case anyone wanted to watch!

[Pamela]

REVIEW:  AMERICAN IDOL: THE GREAT HOLIDAY CLASSICS
Various artists
RCA

The Idol machine keeps-a-rolling with yet another compilation of castoffs, winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken. If there's one thing the folks at Idol know how to do, it's how to create the least interesting arrangements of other people's music, and The Great Holiday Classics is no different as producers have drowned the songs in syrupy orchestrations.

Aiken fans will be ecstatic to hear their hero sing solo on The First Noel and duet with Kimberley Locke on Silver Bells. Studdard and Tamyra Gray ease through a laid-back, soulful Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas while the ensemble harmonies blend nicely on an a cappella O Come, All Ye Faithful.

Christina Christian unsuccessfully attempts to purr her way through Winter Wonderland and Studdard's crooning on Donny Hathaway's This Christmas is ruined by a clunky beat and more obtrusively cheesy strings. There's also a ``bonus'' -- first Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's versions of Oh Holy Night and My Grown Up Christmas List.

Appropriate for: Any gathering of American Idol fans. Also useful at a party with no Idol fans as a sonic clue that the shindig is winding down.

LINK

[Pamela]

New show is retro holiday special
From Beacon Journal wire services

Bring on the kitschy TV specials.

The Nick at Nite Holiday Special, premiering at 10 p.m. Friday, is a nod-and-a-wink tribute to the old-fashioned network specials where stars would drop in at a cozy home, gather around the fireplace and sing Christmas carols.

``Our inspiration was thinking about what the modern-day holiday special would be like if Bing Crosby or Andy Williams were still doing them,'' said Larry Jones, executive vice president and general manager of TV Land & Nick at Nite.

``There was always a wonderful, warm feeling about those shows, as well as wondering, `Hey, why is that star showing up? Why are they knocking on the door? Were they just in the neighborhood?' ''

On this program, Natalie Cole, Sarah McLachlan, Vince Gill, Chaka Khan, Blair Underwood and Ted Danson make their way to ``The Nick at Night Lodge'' after the ``Big Blizzard of 2003'' strands them at the airport. Martin Mull appears as the innkeeper, French Stewart is the bellhop and Joyce DeWitt is the housekeeper.

Highlights include American Idol sensation Clay Aiken performing Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth alongside 1962 footage of Crosby.

Then there's Cole performing The Christmas Song, a tune made famous by her father, Nat King Cole. Gill and Amy Grant sing Winter Wonderland, Khan and Lil' Romeo team up on Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald perform On Christmas Morning.

Amazing that they all would have been caught in the same blizzard.

LINK

[Pamela]

Nick at Nite Holiday Special

...Kids in the audience seem to be tolerating what seems to be a special for parents, until Clay Aiken comes in and screams ring out.

It was strange enough when in 1977 David Bowie joined Bing Crosby for a duet of "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth," which has since become something of a standard. It's stranger still to see "American Idol" runner-up Aiken attempting the duet alongside a long-dead Der Bingle, who comes back to life like a shimmering, ghostly hologram.

LINK (registration required)

[Pamela]

Ticket To Aiken's Graduation Sells For More Than $100
POSTED: 2:59 a.m. EST November 30, 2003

RALEIGH, N.C. -- What some people want more than anything is a ticket to a college graduation.

Clay Aiken is expected to graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte next month with a degree in Special Education. Because of Aiken's celebrity status, the school is expecting a larger-than-normal turnout. It has required tickets for entrance but limited the number of tickets to the event.

One ticket sold Saturday on Ebay for more than $100.

WRAL LINK

And now, for the rest of the story.  As you may have read, since Clay is graduation this month, the university has decided to limit attendance to the ceremony in order to insure that fans don't disrupt the proceedings. Many students have protested this decision, even creating petitions in order to demand they receive unlimited tickets.  Then, the ticket to UNCC graduation shows up on ebay.

That ticket on ebay was purchased by a fan.  She bought the ticket in order to give it to Clay's family, and, in order to keep the graduation ceremony fan free for Clay's as well as the other students' benefit.  Someone saw the sale and reported it to ebay.  The seller of the ticket withdrew the sale, the fan didn't have to pay for it, UNCC was notified, and now ebay is on the lookout for graduation tickets being sold for profit.

KUDOS to ebay!

[Pamela]

Clay's picture is on the MTV TRL voting page.

I just thought that was cool.  :mrgreen:

[Pamela]

Britney Spears was the guest DJ on New York's Z100 Reality Radio.
Evidently, the last song she played was....Invisible.

Good choice Britney!

And when I went to find a link (which isn't up yet) I discovered our favorite (not) hand puppet was also a guest DJ a couple of weeks ago.  Yes, Triumph the Insult Dog puppet chose Invisible too.

STRANGE.