AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MAY 23 & 24

[Marilyn]

CLAY AIKEN'S PUBLIC BLOG

05/22/09 Wow! Such influence! ha ha


Who knew I had so much influence and that my words and opinion mattered so much to so many people!?!?! HA HA HA I'll be the first to admit that my opinion is just that, only my opinion, but for as much as some of the bloggers seem to dislike me and care so little about my thoughts, they sure can waste a lot of their space on what I say! If only many of them took the time to pay attention to important things like the US economy and the welfare of the world's children. But... nah... I could blog about that type of stuff anytime and most wouldn't think twice, but let me say something that they can pick and choose quotes and misinterpret me... and it's showtime! I never assumed my opinion mattered so much! I guess I may have been wrong.

That said, since my previous blog got dissected like a biology lab frog, i suppose I should clarify and even retract some of what I wrote.

I am sure that some were upset by my choice of words describing my opinion of a performance I heard from Adam Lambert. I hope no one actually believed that blood truly poured forth from my ears when I heard him. I obviously meant it as a colorful statement to imply that I did not enjoy what I heard. Any performer hopes that their music will appeal to all people, but no singer realistically expects it to. God knows, I am SURE there are PLENTY of people who can't stand to hear me sing either. I wouldn't dream of assuming that, and I am sure that far worse things have been said about my performances than I would even venture to type here. To me, that's fine. I don't expect unanimous, nor even majority support for my music. But, my guess is Adam doesn't either. I would not venture to make judgements on the personality or demeanor of anyone I don't know, so none of what I said in my previous blog was directed as a "slam" on Adam as a person. At the same time, I wouldn't dream of slamming him as an entertainer. He does what he does, because he enjoys it, and he obviously has many fans who enjoy it as well. If what i said in my previous blog regarding my impression of a single performance from Adam upset or offended any of his fans, I expect that the mature ones will realize that it was simply a poorly worded metaphor describing my personal tastes. The only person I would really dream of apologizing to is Adam. And the irony is, if he's smart he couldn't give a crap what I think of his Ring of Fire performance. As an entertainer, Adam knows that one person's opinion of one performance really matters a little less than zero, in the grand scheme of things. He could not have gotten on Idol (nor made it as far as he did) without an immense amount of talent. He surely doesn't need my approval to know he has a gift. At the same time, he realizes that amazing talent doesn't always equal universal appeal. (I could NEVER have the amount of skill and talent that ballet dancers have! that's talent! But, I don't particularly enjoy it!) I am sure that I will have plenty of opportunities in the coming years to hear Adam sing. I imagine he'll be around for years to come. But in the meantime, I definitely don't want to stoop to the level of so many negative freaks on the internet... so, I do apologize to Adam for my colorful (and negative) choice of words. I hope he can forgive me. I imagine he doesn't give a damn! :-) God knows he shouldn't. :-)


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Now, for those of you who are able to comment on this.... lets take bets as to which bits and pieces of this blog will end up mass distributed. Be creative.... they don't seem to care about punctuation or whether or not they use all of the words in a sentence... so, have fun.... ;-)

CLAYONLINE

[Marilyn]

GEE- THIS REVIEW SOUNDS JUST LIKE WHAT CLAY SAID

Tonight, American Idol found its heart.

In all the talk and punditry about this season, there was often a sense that what was missing wasn’t a clear problem with the judges or the rules or the format or the contestants --  even something almost ineffable, beyond the grasp of producers to help it.

By the time the top 13 emerged, few argued about the pure talent of the group -- many said they might be the most talented finalists ever.  But still something was missing. Perhaps it was their very talent that made it seem too practiced, too careful, too easy.  In past seasons, you could count on one or two catastrophic belly flops per episode.  This year we barely had a handful in the whole season.  We were spared the pain, but lost some of the pathos.  And with it the show somehow felt just a bit too slick and polished

LA TIMES

[Marilyn]

It’s well known that an “Idol” victory does not a star make. Kelly Clarkson, the first-season winner, became a pop radio staple; Ruben Studdard, the next year, did not. Fourth-season winner Carrie Underwood is arguably the reigning high priestess of country music; the next season’s winner, Taylor Hicks, is set to play Teen Angel in the Broadway production of “Grease.”

As for the also-rans, Clay Aiken, who lost to Studdard, became a much bigger star. Chris Daughtry, who came in fourth the year Hicks won, sold more than 1 million copies of his self-titled album after five weeks, the fastest-selling debut rock album in history. And just ask Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson, who came in seventh in season 3, if there’s life after an “Idol” loss.

ARKANSAS ONLINE

[Carolina Clay]

Hello, ANN!   

When I came across the movie "The Longest Day" today, I decided to feature John Steele in my Memorial Day blog. The paratrooper who landed on the Ste. Mere Eglise church steeple in the Allied invasion, he is portrayed in the D-Day movie. I wrote a newspaper article about him the summer of 1963. This weekend America salutes all who have served and sacrificed for our country.

A graphic by Ashes accompanies a video of Clay singing "God Bless the U.S.A." The blog is posted at the OFC and at CAROLINA ON MY MIND.

Have a very special Memorial Day Weekend, and thank you for your visits/comments!   

Caro