Aiken Fans Share CD Finds

ON MY WAY HERE -- Amazing_CA's graphic spotlights an image from the photo shoot for Clay Aiken's upcoming CD.

'Sleuths' Share CD Finds

Aiken Fans Track Down Playlist

Clay Aiken often brags about the detective abilities of his fans, never more on display than this week's discoveries of the track list for his new CD, On My Way Here, as well as video and audio demos by songwriters.

Some fans choose to remain "CD virgins." Not me -- I listen to every little snippet and link that comes along because I know these songs will be brand new when Clay sings them.

Saturday morning a news story on the Ace Show Biz site confirmed the playlist CA fans had discovered through a music store a day earlier. From the track listing page, a click on more info takes the reader to OMWH's corner on Amazon.

Photo by Eric Ogden

Clay Aiken Reveals 'On My Way Here' Track Listing

Clay Aiken has unleashed a new promotional picture, which is said to be the advanced version of the cover art, for his upcoming and fourth full-length album On My Way Here. The American Idol runner-up also reveals the track listing that includes a title track and previously revealed track "Ashes."

As reported earlier, Aiken's album will be released on May 6 via 19Recordings/RCA, featuring a production from Kipper (Sting, Chris Botti). His camp now reveals that Jaymes Foster will once again be back executive producing the album and that one of the tracks in the album will be a Ryan Tedder-written.

The OneRepublic frontman wrote the song "On My Way Here" that Aiken "fell in love" with instantly. The lyrics tell how lessons are learned as we grow up and those are what eventually shape us as adults.

"I thought if we could find songs along those lines, that deal with my life over the past five years and what I've learned from my experiences, it would be a great concept for an album," Aiken said.

"Since I got into this business, I've learned so much about myself and about life and the world. I'm nowhere near an expert, but this album has taken on the form of addressing how far I've come in those five years and how I feel like I've found myself."

Aiken who made his Broadway debut in January playing Sir Robin in Monty Phyton's Spamalot, has sold more than six million copies from his three albums, "Measure of a Man", 2004's holiday CD "Merry Christmas With Love" and the 2006 "A Thousand Different Ways".

ON MY WAY HERE Track List

1. On My Way Here
2. Ashes
3. Everything I Don't Need
4. Something About Us
5. Falling
6. Where I Draw The Line
7. The Real Me
8. Weight Of The World
9. As Long As We're Here
10. Sacrificial Love
11. Grace Of God
12. Lover All Alone

WRAL Photo by Geof Levine

Clay Spills Some of the Beans

In February, during Lynda Loveland's special report on WRAL-TV, Clay spilled the beans about his upcoming CD.

From the Raleigh station's video, talented fans promptly assembled a tentative playlist, as well as montages with partial song clips. Two oft-viewed YouTube teasers are New CD Song Cuts 2008 by Yollie950 and Clay Aiken's New Album from The Clay Channel.

From this weekend's findings, these songs or segments can be heard at the following links:

On My Way Here, sung by songwriter Ryan Tedder.

Everything I Don't Have blurb at the 2:09 mark of the web edit for This Is Different on Kipper's My Space.

The Real Me, music and lyrics by Natalie Grant.

Where I Draw the Line from songwriter Clint Lagerberg's My Space.

As Long As We're Here, performed by Brooke Morton.

Earlier in the week, fans discovered pre-order info for OMWH at Amazon International. I stopped saving links after a few countries, but the CD is there. Check out Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, etc.

Here is the link to pre-order OMWH at Amazon.com. The track listing has been added, and clips should soon follow. The CD is currently #8 in Vocal Pop.

It's not too early to register at the CD Release Party Board, central heaquarters for May 5-6 CA fan festivities around the globe.

PHOTO INTERLUDE: The clickable interlude features graphics of pictures from CD photo shoots. Artists include Amazing_CA, 1; Ashes, 2; Cindilu2, 3; DangHesHot, 4; and Ambassador of Love, 5.

Posts Reflect Fan Excitement

According to intermission reports from Broadway Saturday afternoon, the "Spamalot" Playbill contains a full page ad for OMWH. From the many fan recaps shared on message boards and in this blog, many Not.Just.Us folks will be receiving info about Clay's new CD.

After reading the latest news and listening to the newly-located clips, message board posts reflect fan insight, aspirations, and excitement for Clay's new CD:

SMARTYPANTSSUZ: I'm undeniably excited to hear what Clay has decided to record, to hear musical insights into the past five years of his life and the end result of a project that he has been so involved in and is so proud of!

I've been listening to every demo we come across. I like getting a feel for the songs; but I know that when I hear Clay sing them, they will be his forever and I will forget the others.

KWHITE1022: I think this is going to be a very powerful, moving album. I cant wait to hear all the songs, and hear what they have to tell me. To know that for whatever reason Clay picked them because they resonated with him is almost more then I could have ever hoped for after ATDW.

I'm curious to see what Kipper and he have created and hope we get to hear Clay talk even more about the journey of pulling the album together.

LEROY1704: One thing I'm so excited about is that "Lover All Alone" is on the list. Finally, Clay will have full writing credit on his album; and the world will be able to hear this amazingly beautiful song.

I also think that it would be strange for Clay not to have a song which reflects his faith on his CD. I think without his faith sustaining him through some of the things he's faced in his life, we might not have any new music from Clay at all. After all, he did say that this CD will reflect his journey for the past five years; and I imagine he feels he hasn't traveled this path alone.

I can hardly wait to hear what he has to say. I've waited five years for this, and I think he has, too.

FIFTY: "Where I Draw the Line" is an earworm kind of song. Clay is going to nail this!

DEEPSOUTHGAL: I look forward to his thoughts and what he wants to share about his journey on his way here.

This man is still standing, unbowed and more beautiful than ever in every way. I would like to see into his heart a bit, and I feel that this CD will give that opportunity. And I am delighted that "Lover All Alone" is included. More people than just.us need to be bowled over by that brilliant song.

To say that I am excited is an understatement!

Graphic links to SueReu's stage door montage.

Notes from 'Spamalot'

SueReu's montage of Toni7babe's "Spamalot" stage door photos is accompanied by Eva Cassidy singing "You Take My Breath Away." The linking graphic by Amazing_CA also features photos by Toni.

New York City's WABC-TV included Clay singing "When I'm up here on the stage, I'll be the idol of my age" at the end of Saturday night's "Broadway Backstage: Spring Preview" special. Here is a Sendspace of the Broadway segment.

Below is a clickable of Amazing_CA's lead graphic:

We are still in the midst of March Madness in NC. Yay, Carolina Tar Heels and Davidson Wildcats!

Have a great week, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, On My Way Here, Spamalot, Broadway, RCA/19 Entertainment, Kipper, Jaymes Foster, Ryan Tedder, Clint Lagerberg, Natalie Grant, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation

Aiken Fans Celebrate CD Promos

ON MY WAY HERE -- The cover art for Clay Aiken's upcoming CD is the basis for Amazing_CA's handsome graphic.

OMWH on its Way!

Fans Embrace New CD Promos

The escalation of new video, photo, and media promotions for Clay Aiken's upcoming CD, On My Way Here, turned a normal spring day into Christmas morning on many fan message boards Tuesday, March 25.

"On My Way Here" is definitely on its way!

New photo by Eric Ogden links to webisode.

Edited by Sally, the above photo by Eric Ogden links to a webisode of Clay discussing the search for and ultimate selection of Kipper as producer for OMWH. The brief video can also be viewed at AOL and PopEater.

New RCA Bio Includes CD Notes

RCA/19 Entertainment posted an outstanding biography of Clay with lots of information about his upcoming CD, On My Way Here. In addition to background on the new album, the singer's achievements in the music industry and through his charitable endeavors are outlined. A high resolution photo accompanies the article.

CLAY AIKEN: On My Way Here

When Clay Aiken and his executive producer Jaymes Foster began the search for songs to record for Aiken’s first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man, they both fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic front man Ryan “Alias” Tedder called “On My Way Here.”

The message of the lyrics — how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults — struck such a deep chord with Aiken that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection.

“I thought if we could find songs along those lines, that deal with my life over the past five years and what I’ve learned from my experiences, it would be a great concept for an album,” Aiken says. “Since I got into this business, I’ve learned so much about myself and about life and the world. I’m nowhere near an expert, but this album has taken on the form of addressing how far I’ve come in those five years and how I feel like I’ve found myself.”

Top Five Debut Distinction

As Aiken’s millions of devoted fans around the world already know, it’s been a whirlwind journey. Since shooting to stardom on the second season of American Idol, the 29-year-old Raleigh, NC native with the powerhouse voice has become an international pop phenomenon who has sold six million copies of his three best-selling albums ... that earned Aiken the distinction of being the fourth artist ever to have his first three albums debut in the Top 5 on the Billboard chart. [snip]

"What’s powerful about a lot of the new songs is that they can mean different things to different people,” he says. “It was really important to me that they be interpretable in all kinds of ways, so as not to cloud someone’s ability to find their own meaning in them.”

One example of this is the evocative ballad "The Real Me," written by singer/songwriter Natalie Grant, which is a poignant story about the experience of being in the public eye. “The song really spoke to me about the necessity of having someone in your life who knows you and doesn’t really care about the fact that you’re a celebrity,” Aiken says. [snip]

Album To Open Up-Tempo

Though he’s known for his signature ballads, Aiken chose to open On My Way Here with an up-tempo, pop-rock tune, “Ashes,” which begins with the following lyric: “Someone told me what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger / Sets you free from all that held you down."

"That’s a great opening line for an album,” Aiken says. “My mom used to say that if things come easy they’re not worth having; that there can’t be a sunrise with a night. So, to me, that song is about how the most important lessons I’ve learned in my life have come out of less-than-rosy experiences, and that I’m stronger because of them.”

To musically represent the album’s lyrical theme, Aiken and Foster enlisted Grammy-Award winning British songwriter and producer Kipper, who has worked with Sting, Chris Botti, and Julia Fordham, marking the first time Aiken has recorded an entire album with one producer.

"It’s made for a very collaborative environment in the studio," Aiken says. “Every song has been scrutinized by Jaymes, Kipper, and me to make sure it’s exactly what we wanted it to be." [snip]

The bio is in a Word (.doc) format, and the full article can be read at the RCA site or by linking to this special entry at the OFC.

Billboard Article Makes the Rounds

One of the best articles about the new CD appears in Reality TV World. Here is an excerpt from Clay Aiken's New Album To Be Released May 6:

Clay Aiken's new album is on its way.

The American Idol second-season runner-up's fourth album -- "On My Way Here" -- is scheduled to drop May 6 via 19 Recordings/RCA, Billboard confirmed Friday.

With his role of Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre scheduled to conclude May 4, Aiken had previously stated he was "hoping" the album would be out May 6.

"On My Way Here" is being produced by Kipper, a U.K.-based producer best known for working on Sting's Grammy-award winning "Brand New Day" album.

The Billboard article (see March 22 entry) was picked up by Reuters and has been popping up on sites all day. Some of them include The Insider Online, OK! Magazine, and ET Online -- all with a different picture!

Clickable

OMWH is one of two albums featured at the top of the music site Pause & Play.

The countdown to May 6 is on. With all the new media promo, song clips cannot be far behind!

PHOTO INTERLUDE: Featured in this clickable collection are OMWH and Spamalot graphics by these visual artists: j4clay, 1; Claystruck, photo by Ogden, 2; Amazing_CA, 3; Amazing_CA, photos by NCClayFan, 4; and Ambassador of Love, 5.

Warren-Sedaka Songs on AI2 Rewind

Fountaindawg's anniversary wallpapers provide excellent recaps of Clay's performances on American Idol and are great complements to the AI Rewind series. The entire set can be viewed in the Clay on AI section of the Clay Aiken Kids site.

During Dianne Warren Week, Clay sang "I Could Not Ask for More." Randy's comment to Clay was most memorable: "We're trying to find the best in America, and every week you come up with it. You are definitely one of the best in America."

With all the added sports programming, American Idol Rewind was bumped to unusual hours by many carriers. In case you missed the program, here is a Sendspace download of Clay's portion of the Top 6 show in which he sang I Could Not Ask for More.

Dianne Warren Week
I Could Not Ask for More

This week's Saturday-Sunday episode of AI2R revisits the Neil Sedaka/60s Show in which Clay performed "Solitaire" and "Build Me Up, Buttercup."

CA fans remember that on this episode, guest judge Sedaka told Clay, "You sing like Andre Agassi plays tennis - PERFECTION, PERFECTION! And I would kill to write and produce your first CD. I have lost my song forever to you. It will always be a Clay Aiken song."

Sedaka/60s Week
Solitaire

Sedaka/60s Week
Build Me Up, Buttercup

In case you missed them, here are downloads for the Top 8 performance, At This Moment, and the Top 7 show, Tell Her About It.

March Madness Steers Schedule

In the past few days, I have watched Sports Center more than anytime in my life, and that's saying a lot because I really enjoy college basketball. When games don't fit my teaching schedule, I usually call my basketball buddy Terri to check afternoon scores between lessons.

March Madness resumes full speed Thursday and Fridaywith the NCAA Sweet Sixteen games. The high-powered offense of the Carolina Tar Heels, who scored an average of 110 points in their opening two victories, will meet defense-oriented Washington State on Friday.

Around here, the big story last weekend was the "David and Goliath" wins by tiny 10th-seeded Davidson College over established powers Gonzaga and Georgetown University. The small NC liberal arts college of 1,700 students is located near Charlotte.

Led by sophomore Stephen Curry, who averaged 35 points in his team's two victories, Davidson and its sharpshooting guard have been a major topic in the sports media most of the week. My nephews lucked into a couple of tickets and spent part of Sunday cheering for the Carolina teams in person.

As the Davidson squad entered the arena to watch the Carolina game, they were given a standing ovation by thousands of blue-clad Tar Heel fans - in Raleigh, as well as living rooms across the state.

It was a great weekend for Wildcat and Tar Heel fans. Here's hoping this one is, too!

Below is a clickable of Amazing_CA's opening graphic:

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation ... and Go, Carolina and Davidson!!!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, On My Way Here, Spamalot, Broadway, Eric Ogden, webisode, RCA/19 Entertainment, Kipper, Ryan Tedder, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, UNICEF, Billboard, Dianne Warren, Neil Sedaka, American Idol2 Rewind, Clay Aiken Kids, March Madness, Carolina Tar Heels, Stephen Curry, Davidson College, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation

Fans Rejoice Aiken's CD News

On My Way Here - Cover art enhanced by Sally

Album in the News

Clay Nation Celebrates CD Cover

It's official -- Clay Aiken's new CD is "On My Way Here," and the date of arrival is currently set for May 6.

The initial step towards "officaldom" came at 12:20 p.m.Friday when Jonathan Cohen posted his Billboard story: Clay Aiken Heads 'Here' On Next Album.

Just as his stint starring in the Broadway hit "Spamalot" concludes, Clay Aiken will return with his first album of entirely new material since 2003's "Measure of a Man."

Due May 6 via 19 Recordings/RCA, Aiken's "On My Way Here" was produced by Kipper, best known for his work with Sting and Chris Botti. The album will likely include the title track and a song called "Ashes," but no other details about the project have yet been made available.

Aiken is expected to tour the U.S. this summer, beginning in July. He will also be visible on TV shows such as "Good Morning America" and "The View."

"Measure of Man" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200. Aiken has since released 2004's "Merry Christmas With Love" and 2006's all-covers "A Thousand Different Ways."

Excitement was already escalating when members noticed the new album cover had supplanted "image unavailable" at Amazon. Within nanoseconds, word bounded from board to board, site to site, throughout Clay Cyberspace. In no time, banners for most CA websites reflected the new CD cover.

PHOTO INTERLUDE: The handsome album cover has already become a favorite motif for many graphic artists. Below are clickable designs by Amazing_CA, Artquest, BettyJean, Claystruck, MNmeesh, Ambassador of Love, and Clayquebec1.

EEEEEEE's Express Elation

Dancing emoticons and EEEEEEE-filled posts dominated message boards across the Net, no doubt stretching band width to capacity. Some fans waxed poetic about Clay's journey, while others maintained a close vigil on Amazon's best-selling listings.

Since Friday's announcement, OMWH has led several tabulations and remains near the top of Hot New Releases and Movers and Shakers.

A late night screen cap by SmartyPantsSuz shows the CD at the top of the bestselling new and future releases in Vocal Pop:

Clickable

Clay's page at Amazon displays his complete discography of CD's, DVD's, and books. This compilation by Goood Baby Brush displays the singer's four main albums in chronological order: Measure of a Man, Merry Christmas with Love, A Thousand Different Ways, and On My Way Here.

Berkeley Captures Moment

Amidst all the festivities, berkeley, one of the CA fandom's master wordsmiths, encapsulated the pulse of the moment. With permission, here are her thoughts:

"On My Way Here" --- having sold 6 million CDs, won an AMA and a BMA, set sales records that still stand, toured eight times to around $30 million in box office, made friends with some powerful people who really count and remained friends with people who knew him before this whirlwind of fame, graduated from college, established his own foundation, selected to be a UNICEF Ambassador, maintained his integrity, his sense of humor and his faith, survived being forged in the fire, become a star on Broadway, and is now about to release his fourth album with a Grammy-winning producer and featuring the best song Clay has ever done --- the one he wrote? Five long years that have passed in an instant.

And in the process of becoming this incredible man, he hasn't lost ...

Clay Aiken.

A very Happy Easter to you and yours! Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, On My Way Here, Billboard, Spamalot, Broadway, The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, UNICEF, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation

Aiken Talks 'Tap' for UNICEF

Stage Door Design - A Shubert Alley photo by Toni7babe inspired this graphic by Amazing_CA.

'Spamalot' Marks 3rd Year

Clay Talks 'Tap' for UNICEF

He sings, he dances ... he drinks tap water.

Longtime UNICEF Ambassador Clay Aiken is urging New Yorkers to participate in The Tap Project — a US campaign to help UNICEF provide safe drinking water to children around the world.

That's the lead for the Ecorazzi website's story, "Clay Aiken: Drinking One for the Team."

Last year, hundreds of restaurants and thousands of customers supported The Tap Project on March 22, United Nations official World Water Day. This year the Tap Project has been expanded nationally for an entire week.

At thousands of restaurants across America during March 16-22, patrons can donate a minimum of $1 for the tap water they normally receive at no charge. For every dollar donated, a child in a Third World country will have 40 days of clean drinking water.

Clay Talks 'Tap' on ET - Screencap by Gerwhisp

Clay also discussed the project with ET this week. The Clay Aiken Talks 'Tap' video can be viewed at ETonline. Also participating in the campaign is UNICEF Canada.

UNICEF estimates over 1 billion people worldwide have little or no access to safe water. Every 15 seconds a child dies from thirst or water-related disease. That's nearly 6,000 every day.

Drought Causes Unexpected Problems

Ironically, I am having water problems right here in the USA. Because of the extreme drought in my area, tree roots desperately seeking water have infiltrated the terra cotta pipes leading from my house to the main sewer line at the street.

For months, my plumber and I have been on a first name basis. To the tune of a backhoe, replacement pipes, and some big bucks, Good Friday will mark the emancipation of my home's water problems, as well as a chunk of my bank account.

Surely there's a winning lottery ticket in my future!

'Spamalot' cast celebrates in style.
Photo by Joseph Marzulo/WENN

'Spamalot' Anniversary Goes 3-D

The madcap Broadway cast of "Spamalot" celebrated its third anniversary in fashion by going 3-D on March 18. The sold-out audience members were given special glasses for the event, along with a special edition collectible certificate of achievement.

According to a story at Playbill, two milestone markers are ongoing:

Theatregoers can get one free ticket with every two tickets purchased at regular prices through April 11 by calling (212) 947-8844 or by visiting www.broadwayoffers.com and using the code SPAM3PK.

For a limited time, all triplets get in free when all three attend the show together.

Anniversary photos are featured at Broadway World, Broadway.com, and Theater Mania.

PHOTO INTERLUDE: This clickable interlude spotlights stage door moments of Clay and his fans from the past three weeks. Fountaindawg's three graphcis (1, 3, 5) feature a variety of photographers while Amazing_CA's designs (2, 4) include photos by ClayChristina, 4, and Toni7babe, 5.

Audience Accolades Fill Recaps

Like most Clay Aiken fans, I read lots of "Spamalot" recaps at the message boards, parts of which find their way to my running stash to share in blogs. These vignettes cover everything from AI Clay fans to brand new aficionados plus a "mid term" observation from one who has attended several shows.

LJPARISMAMA: I sat beside a a NYC woman who I don't think had any idea what the show was about. I didn't say anything about Clay; but when he first came on, I overheard her inform her friend on the other side, "Look! That's him!" I think maybe they came because of Clay.

The 30'ish man on the other side of my daughter seemed like he was going to "soil his pants" he was laughing so hard. It really was a Broadway crowd, much different from a Clay concert crowd. Clay was wonderful and really sold the role.

CRAZYABOUTCLAY: After the show, we grabbed some dinner at Juniors. We left the restaurant around 6:45 and were walking up 44th street when we saw very large groups of high school students coming towards the theater.

I'm not sure if they were going to see the show, but as they walked past Clay's picture displayed outside the theater, all of the girls kept pointing at it, saying, "Ooh, there he is!" and "Oooh, I can't wait to see him!" They were very excited.

RANDOM BLOG NOTE: My friend Pat and I decided to see Spamalot; I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the completely silly humor of Monty Python. Trust me when I say that I'm surprised to admit this: I totally enjoyed Clay Aiken's performance! The guy was really GOOD! Actually, everybody was really good. See it, see it, see it!!!

Aiken Charm, Talent Win Fans

AMAZED_IN_NJ: My daughter and I had seen "Spamalot" the previous weekend before; she loved it and wanted to go again. She asked if I could get seats for her and her friend. I happened to have amazing seats for Saturday's show, so I gave them my third row center seats.

At intermission, the friend, who only knew Clay from AI, said she was loving the show. She was very surprised by Clay's height and how wide his shoulders are.

The stage door was packed, but both my daughter and her friend got autographs. They couldn't stop talking about the show the entire bus ride home. Later, the friend said to tell me that if Clay has a summer tour, she wants to go. That Aiken charm does it again!

LINDYGAL: Sitting next to me was a lovely couple, who had driven up for the show from from Washington, DC. The woman was so excited. She had only seen Clay at Wolf Trap, as her work prevents her from traveling to shows.

She is not a member of the fan club or on the boards. She is just a fan who loves Clay and has bought all his albums and watches him on TV. She did not know about the new album, but she does now!

SCARLETT: What a joy it's been to watch Clay/Sir Robin grow by leaps and bounds over the last two months! Opening weekend was impressive; and if things had stayed that way, I would have been simply happy and proud of his being on Broadway.

But more than that, these past couple of months Clay/Sir Robin wasn't just learning; he was coming into his own. It was like watching Harry Potter after he realized that he was a wizard. Clay tinkers, experiments, explores his characters. Sir Robin started off as an innocent sweetheart of a knight and now is more of an enthusiastic, though still easily scared, performer.

For an interesting first person peasant account, see Suereu's Blogspot entry -- "On Stage with Clay!!!!!" -- at Clay Aiken Journey.

Kai ponders place in family band. - Graphic by Sally

Musicians are the norm in our family. Many can sing; four have taught band/orchestra; one is a minister of music; and the majority have performed in orchestras, bands, and various ensembles.

Our instruments include flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, cello, string bass, piano, organ, and all matter of percussion.

Kai's great-grandmother, Mama Mac, was a choral music teacher who loved singing harmony all her life. She also played the trombone.

Already, Kai enjoys playing his grandfather's marimba. Whatever instrument he chooses, there is bound to be a "cousin" nearby.

Below is a clickable of Amazing_CA's opening graphic:

Have an Eggstra Special Easter, Spring, and March Madness Weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, Spamalot, Broadway,UNICEF, World Water Day, Tap Project, 3-D Anniversary, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation

'Spamalot' Green for St. Pat's Day!

Graphic by Amazing_CA, photos by Joan Marcus

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, this blog is celebrating in "Spamalot" green, signature color of Sir Robin, one of Clay Aiken's roles in the Broadway hit musical.

For an edition, readers will get a reprieve from Tar Heel blue cheers, the usual plethora of links in a similar shade, as well as the stage door pictures of Clay in those lucky Carolina hoodies. I hope you enjoy the photos, blessing, and the pot 'o gold at the end!

Wishing you and yours a very special St. Patrick's Day!

INTERLUDE IN GREEN: Sir Robin's signature color lends itself to a clickable St. Patrick's Day interlude. Included are graphics by Amazing_CA, Claystruck, and Ambassador of Love. The three by ACA feature photos by Betsy, 1; Scrpkym, 2; and Toni7babe, 4. Claystruck's graphic includes a photo by Disneydeb84, 3.

Sally's graphic of the Irish blessing below is a rerun whose timeless message is just as current for St. Patrick's Day 2008.

You may have guessed that grandson Kai, six months old on St. Patrick's Day, is our pot 'o gold.

On the 17th, this little tyke had to endure the requisite round of shots; so we are celebrating St. Pat's Week. In the photo below, he is intrigued with the mobile on his new swing.

Our clan's pot o' gold, a priceless treasure.

Have an awesome St. Patrick's Week, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, Spamalot, St. Patrick's Day, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation