AIKEN NEWS NETWORK NOVEMBER 11 & 12

[clayMaine-iac]

Clay Aiken reflects on 'A Thousand Different Ways'
 

November 10, 2006 03:47 PM by Christina Fuoco
Though Clay Aiken upcoming December concerts will have a holiday theme, the singer plans to get back on the road next year to support his third album, "A Thousand Different Ways," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 album chart after selling 205,000 copies during its first week in stores.
It was Aiken's third consecutive debut inside the Top 5: his debut, "Measure of a Man," entered at No. 1 and "Merry Christmas With Love" debuted at No. 4.

"A Thousand Different Ways" combines 10 cover versions of songs from the '70s, '80s and '90s with four new songs--though that wasn't the original plan, Aiken said in an e-mail interview.

"It wasn't our intention to do it this way," he explained. "But we started noticing that so many of the greatest songs we were finding were cover songs. Clive [Davis] made the suggestion and thought it would be a great idea to remake the greatest love songs of all time. When Clive Davis has an idea, you have to assume it's going to be great. So we listened to him and gave it a shot."

The album includes covers of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting," Paul Young's "Every Time You Go Away" and Mr. Mister's "Broken Wings." Choosing the songs was a collaborative effort between him, Davis and executive producer Jaymes Foster.

"Clive chose songs; I chose songs; Jaymes chose songs," Aiken said. "Then, from our three lists, we collaborated on the best picks. We really found that we had a great deal of matches on all three lists. Not only did we want to pick songs that were excellent copyrights and stellar songs, we also made sure that each song really matched me vocally and stylistically. I mean, 'I'm Too Sexy' was a big hit ... but seriously ... me singing it wouldn't really fit!"

As it turns out, the original artists and songwriters seem complimentary of Aiken's renditions of their songs.

"A number of the song writers have been pleased with what we came up with," he said. "Diane Warren is usually quite picky about the way her songs are performed and she had only great things to say about 'Because You Loved Me' and 'When I See You Smile.' Richard Page [of Mr. Mister] was very complimentary of 'Broken Wings.' He actually said that he never really thought he would be able to appreciate a cover of one of his songs, but that he was impressed with what we did. Bryan Adams was complimentary as well."

For "Broken Wings," Aiken includes an original poem spoken by Erin Taylor. He said he did so because he wanted "to do something ethereal with one of the songs."

"'Broken Wings' lent itself to that type of production more than anything else. I was going to simply have a friend of mine read the lyrics to the song in the background. But she was in the studio with us while we were recording and came up with this amazing poem that really related the message of the song in a whole new way, so we decided to use it."

Aiken launches his latest holiday tour Dec. 1 in Waukegan, IL. This year, local orchestras will begin the festivities, with Aiken joining them for a set of holiday songs, some of which are found on his CD "Merry Christmas With Love."

LIVEDAILY

[clayMaine-iac]

11/10/06 : Clay to Light UNICEF Snowflake in New York City!
By Team Clay

UNICEF Snowflake lighting ceremony in New York City on Saturday, November 18 at the intersection of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue. The UNICEF Snowflake, designed by Ingo Maurer with 16,000 Baccarat crystal prisms, will be illuminated by UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken to kick off the holiday season.

CLAYONLINE

[clayMaine-iac]

Poll results:

Who is sexier than he gets credit for?

Clay Aiken         66%

T R Knight         21%

Kevin Federline   6%

David Spade      6%

Cisco Adler        1%

PEOPLE.AOL

[clayMaine-iac]

Idol Chartwatch, November 10: Kellie Pickler Debuts in Top Ten
by Donna Reynolds -- 11/10/2006
 
It’s official. Kellie Pickler’s Small Town Girl is a bonafide hit and debuted in the Billboard 200 top ten. CMA winner Carrie Underwood had another good week, but it wasn’t all good news for our Idols on this week’s charts. Read on to find out who ended up where.

Kellie Pickler's Small Town Girl sold 79,000 copies in its first week, ending up at #9 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Country chart. This is the highest placement by any non-finalist in Idol history. Kellie had a "moment" at Monday's CMA award show, serving as presenter for the Horizon award, which went to Carrie Underwood. Maybe next year Kellie!

 Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts returned to the top 20 (#19) on the Billboard 200 this week after having sold 45,000 copies last week. It was #2 on the Country chart. Expect her sales to soar next week in the wake of her stunning CMA win. Next week also marks the first anniversary of the release of her album.

And there’s more. On Wednesday, BMG Nashville announced that Some Hearts has been RIAA-certified as quadruple platinum This makes Some Hearts the highest selling debut album for any Idol and the second best selling Idol album ever (Kelly’s Breakaway has sold five million copies). In addition, this is only the second debut country album by a female artist to hit this mark. Gretchen Wilson’s debut was the first to reach that milestone. Congratulations Carrie.

On the flip side, Ruben's The Return continues its downward spiral, selling only 18,000 copies for a total of 111,000. Ruben ended up at #54 on the Top 200 and was #11 on the R&B/Hip-Hop list.

Here’s how the rest of the Idol-related albums charted this week:

Clay’s A Thousand Different Ways held its own this week, ending up at #89 on the Billboard 200.

FOXESONLIDOL

[clayMaine-iac]

The main reason why people decide not to vote is because they believe that their vote won’t make a difference. Well it certainly won’t while they sit on the coach and frantically call in every two minutes to vote for Clay Aiken. If we want to see change in our country, in our leaders, and get out of this political rut, the solution is quite simple: Vote! Vote, campaign, contact your officials, make your voice known. I remember a teacher frequently telling our class that the main difference between those with power and those without it is the volume of their voices.

COLLEGIATETIMES

*I must not have gotten enough sleep, because the fact that it says "sit on the coach (not couch) made me laugh out loud*  

[clayMaine-iac]

Tuned in or turned off?
A list of reality TV's all-time most annoying 'reality' stars (snip)

4. Clay Aiken, American Idol, Season 2 (2003): This runner-up from America's favorite karaoke show makes Barry Manilow look like he belongs in Metallica. Thus, this sexually ambiguous songbird has sold millions of recordings.

SCN

[clayMaine-iac]

Kellie Pickler hoping fame won't elude her
Country singer trying to become first 'Idol' semifinalist to succeed on charts

NEW YORK - As a contestant on “American Idol,” Kellie Pickler was a magnetic entertainer whose country charm and bubbly (if not bubble-headed) personality earned her millions of fans.

But when Pickler was voted off the show after reaching the final six, she fretted about whether her fame would last — and she had good reason to worry.

Though winning the nation’s most popular TV contest has guaranteed platinum-plus sales for the champs, it’s a different story for those who come in second, third or 10th. Except for Clay Aiken, each of the runners-up have had pitiful album sales. And most of those cast aside even earlier in the competition have faded into D-list celebrity oblivion.

MSNBC

[clayMaine-iac]

American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks to Sing National Anthem
Press release Source: Glenn Lehrman

After winning the American Idol competition on television’s biggest stage last spring, Taylor Hicks will now perform on one of NASCAR’s biggest stages by singing the national anthem prior to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Ford 400 on Sunday, November 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:00 pm ET on NBC)..
Hicks, the 29-year-old Birmingham, Ala. native, captured the hearts and minds of more than 63.4 million people who voted for him in the American Idol competition, which has had a history of producing some of today’s greatest singing stars including Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Previous Idol winners and runners-up have sold a staggering 33 million records, which include music from Clarkson, Underwood, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Fantasia and Bo Bice.

MODERNGUITARS

[clayMaine-iac]

COVER OF SOAP OPERA WEEKLY

*photo credit to the Ideal Idol site*

[clayMaine-iac]

CLAY TRIVIA GAME FROM THE ROLLINGSTONE SITE

[paclayfan]

Here is another article from Singapore (brought over from the CB)

Aiken's not breakin'

American Idol alumnus takes the media frenzy and gay rumours in his stride

Weekend • November 11, 2006

Juliana June Rasul
plus@newstoday.com.sg

Plucked from suburban North Carolina to become the unexpected darling of middle-aged women who christened themselves Claymates, Clay Aiken's near-overnight success on the American reality TV show American Idol has come with more than its fair share of harsh realities.

When his latest CD, A Thousand Different Ways, was released in September, the media flurry was not only over the album of 80s covers but also over rampant rumours that Aiken is gay.

The 27-year-old singer had to address the issue twice in interviews with top US news figures Diane Sawyer and Larry King.

In the end, Aiken told Today over the phone from Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday, the attention is part and parcel of having a career in entertainment.

"I've always known that I'd have to handle things, certain things that come with the territory of being in this business," he said.

"I don't necessarily pay attention to it, but I will address it when other people talk to me about it."

Indeed, this pragmatic attitude does lend weight to Idol judge Simon Cowell's claims that Aiken was the most "grown up" of his fellow contestants in 2003.

Then again, Aiken's squeaky-clean image is an anomaly in an entertainment business preoccupied with bad boys and sexpots.

"There's a misconception about the kind of pressure you get once you're in entertainment," he said. "I've never felt pressure to do things that I never wanted to do."

Although Aiken mentioned no names, he acknowledged that people's misconceptions of celebrities have been based on the conduct of "some people who prefer to go with an edgier image".

As for the singer himself, it was clear during the phone conversation that he is sick of the media's unblinking focus on his personal life and was more than happy to talk about A Thousand Different Ways.

Initially meant to feature only a few cover tunes, the record ended up including a selection of classic love songs at the urging of label boss Clive Davis.

"I was a little apprehensive because as a brand new singer, it's risky to pretend you can sing other people's songs," Aiken admitted.

In the end, he and album producer Jaymes Foster were intent on "changing up the tunes and doing something special with each one of them".

"We weren't trying to be competitive or anything, but we did want to do things a little differently," Aiken said.

Most of the songs are reminiscent of the kind of power ballads the singer specialised in during his stint on Idol: Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is is given the Aiken treatment, as is Bryan Adams' Everything I Do (I Do It For You), which received the thumbs-up from Adams himself.

"Yeah, I got some email from Adams as well as Diane Warren, who said they enjoyed my take on their songs," Aiken said with a laugh.

"I'm fine with being the guy who sings the songs that everybody likes. Now, that's different."

As pragmatic as Aiken is, he is fully aware that fame in the pop music game is fleeting.

"I don't really know whether I'll be around forever," he said. "I'd be second-guessing myself right now if I thought about it too much, but I know that once I get tired of this, it will be time to stop."

He gamely recounted a recent incident on board a plane when a mother tried to point out Aiken to her four-year-old son.

"He was all: 'I don't know who that is!'" said Aiken with a chuckle.

"He was probably only a year old when I was on American Idol. That's when I realised that soon there'll be all these kids who'll grow up and not know who I am." 
 
  Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/153951print.asp

[clayMaine-iac]

IT'S A HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA WITH THE DSO!

More Than a Dozen Different Holiday Programs,
Including Classical, Pops, Jazz, Gospel, YPC … and Clay Aiken!

All Concert Tickets Discounted by 20% on Nov. 20

Holiday Festival Presented by UBS

DETROIT, (November 2, 2006) - Holiday cheer comes in packages of all shapes and sizes this festive season at the Max M. Fisher Music Center as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra presents its multi-faceted UBS Holiday Festival, November 28 through December 31.  This season's array of holiday concerts promises the most diverse line-up ever offered by the DSO, with more than 12 different concert programs and events and nearly 30 performances to choose from.  From the DSO's annual Holiday Pops series (Dec. 14 -17) and Young People's Concerts (Dec. 23) to a Mexican "Fiesta Navidad" (Dec. 12) to a one-night only celebration with pop sensation Clay Aiken (Dec. 18) to a New Year's Eve party featuring "Detroit Legends of Electronic Music," there is a holiday concert for every age and musical taste.  All concerts take place in Orchestra Hall at The Max unless otherwise indicated.

DETROITSYMPHONY

[clayMaine-iac]

This Week's Promosquad Top 20 Countdown

LW TW artist song
4 1 Clay Aiken Lover All Alone
5  2 Clay Aiken A Thousand Days
2  3 Clay Aiken Lonely No More
1  4 Clay Aiken Without You
9  5 Ace Young Scattered
6  6 Hinder Lips Of An Angel
7  7 Justin Timberlake My Love
-  8 Nickleback Far Away
3  9 Clay Aiken If You Don't Know Me By Now

PROMOSQUAD

[paclayfan]

Here's the cover of the Count Basie Theatre brochure


http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=njconcertqj2.jpg

[paclayfan]

Last night Clay went into the chat room at the OFC and talked to some fans!

He did give permission for one line to be posted everywhere about how he loves us and thanks us.

According to the CH

Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
summery: basically he said thank you for all your support, we are amazing and he doesnt know what he would do without us. He gave permission to post on the message boards one line...if a mod says its ok ill post it, but that was the gist..he corrected some girls grammer, poor girl lol...um..said he could only stay a minute....he was in bed with raleigh and durham was in the other room..he was wearing his jammies and was gonna leave to let the gals talk about them lol...he was very cute, but didnt say much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the girls said she would be at the snowflake lighting and he said he would be there. Asked the girls what they usually talked about in chat. He also told one not to have a heart attack because she was so excited. Also said he would leave so they could "hypothesize" about his pajamas. What a cutie. 

Also said to tell everybody on the message boards thank-you and he loves us and we are amazing.

From the CB

[clayMaine-iac]

The Billboard 200

89 82 Clay Aiken A Thousand Different Ways RCA   |  78846   |  RMG   Peak:2 RIAA Wks On:7 

BILLBOARD

[clayMaine-iac]

Top 100 Videos

65   --    Clay Aiken   Without You: Live@Yahoo! Music... 

YAHOO MUSIC
 

[WilsonClaymate]

THANKS FOR ALL THE NEWS THIS MORNING LADIES.  I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FIND ALL THIS SO EARLY IN THE MORNING BUT I'M AWEFULLY GLAD YOU DO.

LOT'S OF POSITIVE THINGS TODAY AND THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.

EVERYONE ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND.  IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE SUNNY AND WARM IN EASTERN NC TODAY.

SEE YOU LATER.

[lorraine]

GOOD SATURDAY MORNING EVERYONE.  JUST STARTING MY DAY AND NOW I CAN BEGIN.

YEP LOTS AND LOTS OF NEWS ON OUR HONEY.  SURE MISS THAT GUY AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM FRIDAY ON REGIS & KELLY.

HUGS
RAINEY

[Mary]

Good morning all.

I'm addicted to ANN.