AIKEN NEWS NETWORK DEC. 22

[clayharmony]

Every day with Clay...here's news...and 're-news' (recycled Clay articles worthy of another read...) for today's reading pleasure:

Here's another Who Sang It Best (Silent Night)...this one also has the singers already named...however, I think you'll still be entertained listening to each and comparing the performances...

Please rate them from best to last and give reasons. Listen all the way through each one. You don’t want to miss the embellishments!

Updated to add the names of the performers.

http://mjsbigidolblog.com/

[clayharmony]

Some news about another idol...FYI...


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-M4uzO1nkkaUeGA80qSjZygSaFwD9CO5B7G0

Carrie Underwood engaged to NHL player Mike Fisher

By CAITLIN R. KING (AP) – 2 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Carrie Underwood is engaged to Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher, her publicist said Monday.

Underwood wore an eye-catching engagement ring as she sat in Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk's luxury box while watching Fisher and the Senators play Monday night. ...

[clayharmony]

Some more related AI news...

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/simon_out_of_idol_bro_NedN5A0X6zKHbHkNsmtLvN

Simon's out of 'Idol': bro

By MICHAEL STARR

Last Updated: 2:49 AM, December 22, 2009

Simon Cowell is pre paring to announce that he's leaving "American Idol" after the end of next season, according to someone very close to him -- his brother.

And radio host Tony Cowell didn't mince words on his weekly radio show, "Fame Game."

"Meanwhile, Simon prepares for a new season of 'Idol,' or should I say his last season of 'Idol' -- OK, I will [say it], because it is," Tony Cowell said in a podcast recording of the show.

"As I sit here in the sunny Caribbean with my family, a press statement is being prepared which will confirm what everyone expected: Simon will leave 'Idol' at the end of 2010 to concentrate on bringing the American version of 'The X Factor' to US TV in 2011." ...

[clayharmony]

Here's a fabulous new montage by LovesClaysVoice...her tribute to Clay... "Memories of 2009" ...  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnsfD3-QXIM

[clayharmony]

This just in!!  ...from TWoP...woohoo!


http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/decade_in_review/decade_in_review_favorite_real.php

DECADE IN REVIEW: FAVORITE REALITY TV

2. American Idol (debuted June 2002)
Sure, there had been televised talent shows before but never one on the level of American Idol. Putting Star Search to shame, the entertainment industry got a major platform for launching the careers of innumerable young wannabe singers (and even spawning a god-awful movie), all the while keeping viewers hooked with the promise that they were ones deciding who won and went home. And while we initially tuned in to see former pop star Paula Abdul (before we knew just how crazy she was), the real draw turned out to be Simon Cowell. Never had we seen such an abrasive judge laying out harsh criticism to the tuneless masses like this, which of course made his faint praise of actually worthy contestants much more believable. And if it wasn't for Idol, Ryan Seacrest would be a local radio DJ instead of the multi-millionaire Dick Clark for the new millennium that he became. Oh, if only...

Best Contestant: Clay Aiken (Season 2). He may not have won (and we'd still like a recount on that Ruben Studdard victory), and he may not have been as flashy or flamboyant as Adam Lambert, but this nerdy, bespectacled redhead showed the world that talent comes in many unlikely packages long before Susan Boyle.