Fans Link to Gala Via Cellcerts

REFLECTIONS: Throughout Clay Aiken message boards and blogs, fans are remembering 9/11 in a variety of ways. At the OFC, Galadriel has written about a friend in We Will Never Forget. Featured at Blogspot are "In Memorium: Donna Clarke" at A Southern Girl's Guide to Almost Anything plus "A Tribute to Clay, My Hero" and "The Fifth Anniversary" at Clay's Daily Double. We will never forget.

Amazing_CA's design incorporates "a thousand Clays" in the frame of her beautiful blend.

'Right Here Waiting'

Fans Link to Gala Via Cellcerts

When Clay Aiken finally sang Right Here Waiting at the David Foster and Friends Celebrity Gala 2006 late Sunday night (1:17 a.m. Monday EST), countless fans connected through a labyrinth of cellcerts could certainly relate, for we had been doing just that -- waiting "right here" in front of our computers and praying cell phone batteries would endure long enough for the singer's three tune set.

The cellcert network for Richmond, British Columbia, triumphed; and the River Rock audience, as well as participating CA fans around the globe, listened as Clay performed RHW, the first track from his upcoming CD, A Thousand Different Ways. To standing ovations, he also sang his mother's favorite song, Unchained Melody, and the CD's first single, Without You.

Foster, whose sister Jaymes is the executive producer of ATDW, introduced Clay to the sold-out audience of 900 in Vancouver, Canada, like this:

He's got his own fan base. They're fanatics, with all due respect. The guy put an album out three years ago, and in the first week it sold 600,000 copies. Tonight we were selling a piano; it was at $200,000. I came out and said I'd go with the piano for life, and it went to $205,000. He walks out and says he'll come and sing three songs, and it goes to $500,000. There is only one. What an amazing singer. What an amazing story. He'll tell you some of it. He used to be a school teacher, this kid. Please welcome the FANTASTIC ... CLAY. AIKEN!

Clay Sings at Gala -- Photo by Dee Lippingwell

Sunday night's Charity Gala concluded a two-day event during which Clay also served on a panel of judges for the David Foster Star Search Finals and helped raise $2.9 million to assist families of children in need of organ transplants.

The auction referenced by Foster in his intro of Clay was explained further by Canuck2010, who funneled reports to Clayversity all weekend: When Clay came out and offered to be part of the concert, the piano skyrocketed to $500,000. So they gave two pianos -- one now and one in 18 months after DF gets all the new autographs -- and both bidders get a private concert with DF and Clay! They earned the foundation one million dollars in about 10 minutes! It was fabulous!

In Canuck's OFC blog, you can read summaries of her Star Search Weekend.

Clickable Judge Clay Blend
by Amazing_CA, Galrow Photo

Several CA message boards were represented in British Columbia this past weekend. In this photo taken by Canuck on Saturday, Jaymes Foster proudly -- but briefly -- showed a group of fans Clay's copy of the CD set to be released on 9/19.

Producer Reveals ATDW to Fans -- Photo by Canuck

By most accounts, Monday morning arrived too soon for those who were up late attending or listening to the gala. The sentiment throughout most message board posts, however, is the lack of sleep was well spent!

Sneak Peek Stream Surprises Fans

Another major event in Clay Land this weekend was the discovery minutes before midnight Saturday that Clear Channel Music's Sneak Peek for A Thousand Different Ways had been activated a few days early.

That little news byte sped through CA Cyberspace so fast that in nanoseconds, thousands of fans were streaming the full CD from the CCM site and trying to figure out how to take their computers to bed. This is good because radio and retail determine the popularity of an album or single by the number of hits streaming sites receive.

Streaming ATDW at the Clear Channel site and through hometown CC radio stations is set to run from 9/12 - 9/15. You can search for CC stations at Clear Channel Radio or for all stations in your area through Radio- Locator. Stream away, Clay Nation!

Despite periodic interruptions -- "Sneak Peek; hear it here first" -- in each song, initial reactions to the album can be read just about everywhere in Clay Cyberspace. These Clayversity members are sharing theirs here:

Bamintx: Stunning! Each song has something special about it that grabs me in a different way than the others. There are those power ballads, but there is also an ethereal sound on some of the songs that turns me into absolute mush. The Celtic flavor to "Everything I Do" might be the prettiest thing I've ever heard. This CD is truly special and like nothing else out there. There's really no comparison. Those snippets we've been listening to don't even begin to tell the story of this CD.

Roadnottaken: I don't even know how you pick a single for this album. Each song is an artistic triumph. The arrangements, Clay's voice -- there's something special about each one. And together, Clay has created a masterpiece. This will be an album for the ages.

Jade222: The snippets we've been listening too haven't touched in any way, or come close to any way, the sheer beauty and diversity of this CD. Having listened to every song, this CD will blow away anyone who listens. I see a lot of Clayversions on the horizon. These are not covers; these are Clay songs.

GibbGal: At 2 a.m., I'm still listening to the album and just can't pull myself away. It's gorgeous! I love all of the arrangements; there's a lot of beautiful instrumentation. Some are really different from the originals. And Clay's singing is amazing! He really is an ARTIST. He makes the songs his own. Clay has gained so much control over his voice. He can sing with so much vulnerability in one phrase, and with strength and conviction in the next. This is an album that I will be able to listen to over and over, and hear new, entrancing things to love each time.

PHOTO INTERMISSION: This clickable photo interlude includes the creative work of five graphic artists, including Ambassador Of Love (1), Invisible926 (2), ABeautifulMind (3), Clayquebec1 (4), and Amazing_CA (5).

Teens Tab 'Broken Wings'

GibbGal (later in the day): I just played "Broken Wings" for my 14-year old daughter and her friend of the same age. They LOVED it! They got all "swoony" and gasped a couple times. They think that the spoken poem is fantastic, that it really adds to the song. They especially loved hearing "a thousand different ways" at the end of the album. I do think the teens will really like "Broken Wings."

Lolacat: I LOVE the whole CD! The originals don't even cross my mind. To me it's like listening to all new songs!

Cristal Line: With or without radio play, this deserves to be album of the year, the album of the decade. In a sea of sound-alike music featuring collaborations with all the same "hot" producers and songwriters, he's created a project that truly only Clay Aiken could have pulled off with stunning brilliance. This isn't a baby step towards becoming his own artist as I've speculated before. He IS an artist, this is light years beyond MOAM. I was laughing and crying and "OMGing" out loud just from listening to his voice. This is absolutely the work of a true artist with a remarkable, unique talent.

Huuugs: I do believe that there will be a lot of babies born in the last week of May 2007 and the first week of June 2007. Some of these little ones may actually have been conceived with a mate. The others, by a little thing known as natural spontaneous combustion of the female hormones reacting to the VOX! My favorite song is the same as several others have mentioned. It's the one playing at the moment!

EmeraldEyes: The CD is a vocal Tour De Force. It has mega hit written all over it. I wish I were 20 years younger and falling in love for the first time. I can't even decide which song is my favorite. I listened to "Broken Wings" first, and I love the artistry in that song. I have so many favorites, but some of the stand-outs are "Here You Come Again," "Everything I Have," "Lonely No More," "Everything I Have," "Because You Loved Me," and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." WOW, just WOW to the whole album. I can't believe I was ever worried about covers. I barely recognize the songs. Clay is a true artist. I'll never doubt that again.

Husband's Approval Nets Gift

Coopersgirl: I can't believe what he can do with a song. I brought my husband in and asked him to listen to Clay. He usually just puts up with me when I play Clay, but he loved it. He said you can play that in the car any time. I told him it's a good thing he likes it. Since his birthday is Wednesday, I am planning to buy him his own CD.

Yaknelle: This CD could replace hormone replacement treatment. Side effects are extreme, of course.

Barnett: This album sounds amazing. The voice is fabulous, which goes without saying; but the arrangements are so innovative and really beautifully done. Clay has taken songs that were already good and made them truly great. I expected to love the album because it is Clay, but the integrity of the songs are monumental in their uniqueness and execution.

Kellykellyk: I have to confess that while I adored the snippet of "Broken Wings" we had heard, I became very skeptical of the song when I read in Clay's bio that it contained a poet I had never heard of reading parts of a poem. However, the end result is just sublime. It's a completely different song, and the spoken ending of the poem is just the perfect way to end both the song and the album.

Calendar Check

Jaymes and Faye Parker broke the news to the Vancouver fans that Clay will soon grace the cover of People magazine; and a camera crew from ABC's Primetime news magazine followed Clay around all weekend, as did his new dog, Durham, when he was available.

TV APPEARANCES: Jay Leno (9/15), Good Morning America (9/19), The View (9/22), Jimmy Kimmel (9/26), Primetime with Diane Sawyer, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dancing with the Stars, Tyra Banks Show

MAGAZINES: People (cover story), TV Guide (cover story), Details (men's magazine)The Clay Train is really on the move. We in Clay Cyberspace can be grateful that when one group of fans experience an event such as this past weekend, CLACK is not far behind -- no matter the distance. Enjoy the ride!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, Without You, David Foster and Friends Celebrity Gala 2006, Jaymes Foster, Clear Channel Music Sneak Peek