OMWH Debut Induces 'Aiken Fog'

ON MY WAY HERE - Four Eric Ogden photos from the CD shoot are featured in Amazing_CA's handsome graphic.

Fans Applaud OMWH Songs

Aiken Debuts New CD at QVC

"People smile when they walk by; there's too much magic to deny."

The "Something About Us" lyric from Clay Aiken's new On My Way Here CD capsulizes the sentiments of the singer's devoted fans. Following the QVC debut of five OMWH songs Monday night, the phenomenon known as "the Aiken Fog" has once again overtaken the Clay Nation in epidemic proportions.

Fortunately, there is a "recovery day" in Clay's CD promo rounds between Q Sessions Live and his next TV appearance, the Tyra Banks Show on Wednesday.

After a very harried drive home from a music academy in a neighboring city -- three yellow lights, some formidable quick lane changes, and slightly accelerated speed limits -- I may be ready for racing status. Like many fans, I made the mad dash to my TV set with a couple of minutes to spare.

Pre-show chatter by the QVC crew revealed they were as excited to have Clay performing on Q Sessions Live as his fans. This is a Sendspace download of host Jacque Gonzales with the Coming Up segment.

Q Live Sessions Screencaps

CA Fans Pack QVC Studio

Queensmum of Clayversity, one of the 130 CA fans packing the small studio audience at QVC's broadcast center in West Chester, PA, posted her thoughts in a brief recap at Clayversity:

"On My Way Here" sets the theme for the CD perfectly, and the bridge was great to hear live. "Everything I Don't Need" was one of my least favorites from the snippets. Not anymore -- this is a hawt song. Growls ... yeah!

"Something About Us" showcases Clay's jazzy voice, and it's definitely a wedding song. I really liked it. Very smooth. "Where I Draw the Line" - Hawt but sad lyrics. "The Real Me" is stunningly beautiful. We got to hear the whole song.

The sound system was definitely not built for acoustics, but Clay sounded really good (a few little bobbles but, heck, he was singing live!) and looked great. A little tired and perhaps a little bit tense in the beginning; but once he realized how into it the whole group was, he relaxed.

These songs are grown up songs, not fluff. They also show off Clay's range and ability to sing so many different genres without a ton of glory notes.

There were two boom cameras and a couple of still cameras PLUS a guy walking around with a camera going practically up Clay's nose. It was a tight fit on the stage, and I think that's why he stayed put as much as he did. I was so surprised to see how much was going on around him; it would have driven me bonkers with everything whirring and turning. But Clay knew right where the camera is at all times.

Jacque, the hostess, was a doll and very sweet. I honestly think she loved the songs, not just shilling it. She said it off camera a few times, and she got way too many hugs.

Clickable by Amazing_CA

Video of Monday's show can be seen at QVC. Video and audio downloads are available at Clack Unlimited. Thanks to ChaChaTrusty, they can also be viewed on YouTube. To play all the songs, click on the More from chacha3078 link.

Once a product number for OMWH was listed on the QVC website around midnight Sunday, the shopping channel was immediately swamped with pre-orders for the CD and special five-tract CD/DVD bonus, which includes "When I Need You," "Invisible," "Measure of a Man," "I Will Carry You," and "This is the Night."

Though shipment is now at the delayed status, orders for the QVC combo can still be placed here.

Jasr9203, also in QVC's Live Session audience, provided further insight into the evening:

The woman in charge of crowd warm-up said at the end that "The Real Me" gave her goose bumps. The hostess chatted with us before they went on the air and told us how much she loves the CD and how certain songs really brought her to tears. A man who attended the employee meeting with Clay the afternoon kept telling us what a nice guy he is.

PHOTO INTERLUDE: OMWH photos by have been enhanced in these clickable graphics created by CA fans. They include Claystruck, 1; MNmeesh, 2; Tamm's Exclusives (from a Yahoo PSP forum), 3; Amazing_CA, 4; and Ambassador of Love, 5.

New LALATE Show Plans CA Premiere

LALATE NEWS Monday announced plans to launch a five-minute celebrity news television feature with Clay as the focus of the series pilot.

According to LALATE's release, "the series will take a current newsworthy celebrity, like a musician who has a new album coming out or an actor who has a new TV series premiering, and do a retrospective biopic look at the celebrity’s career through the eyes of a fan and how they are redefining themselves today.

Clay Aiken Does It His 'Way'

Reuters picked up Chuck Taylor's excellent Billboard interview -- Clay Aiken doing it his 'Way' with new album -- and the story was posted in countless media markets Sunday. Here is a snip, and the article can be read in its entirety at the Reuters link:

NEW YORK (Billboard) - During its six previous seasons, TV juggernaut "American Idol" has launched countless music careers -- but the caveat is maintaining staying power.

Season-two runner-up continues to beat the odds. He is gearing up for the May 6 release of "On My Way Here" (RCA), his first album of original material since his 2003 double-platinum debut, "Measure of a Man."

In May, he'll wrap a five-month Broadway stint in the Tony Award-lauded musical comedy "Spamalot."

On the new album, Aiken worked with Grammy Award-winning British producer Kipper (Sting, Chris Botti). The singer talks about the road ahead and his journey to this point.

OMWH Graphic by ACA

Famous Shirt Tug an Accident

Clay talks about the music of OMWH -- and a whole lot more -- in an interview with Emma Loggins at Fanbolt. One of the many interesting gems appears near the end:

Your fans miss the "Tug."! So I have to ask since we all love it so much, do you intend to use it again?

Oh Lord, no. That has its mark. If I sing that song again, I'll do it again if I'm in the mood. That was actually an accident that happened, it... it became a phenomenon! So when I do it, I do it for the fans and not naturally. We kind of joke around backstage sometimes when I'm about to sing "Invisible", and I'm like, "Oh crap where am I supposed to do that?" I can never remember where it's supposed to be [laughs], so we do it on purpose now. I think that has its place.

Austen360 at Idol Chatter

At Idol Chatter, you can read the new Austen360 interview -- From Clay Aiken's Mouth to Your Ears -- as well as listen to the 10-minute audio on the website.

CD countdown clocks on websites throughout Clay Cyberspace continue their steady march toward May 6. OMWH will be here in under six days!

CALENDAR CHECK

April 30 Tyra Banks Show (syndicated). Download Clay's Tyra segment, or watch it on YouTube.
May 6 Virgin Megastore (CD signing)
May 6 Satellite 30 Tour (media interviews)
May 7 Good Morning America (ABC)
May 8 The View (ABC)
TBD New York's CW 11 - Morning News
May 9 The Today Show (NBC, 10-11 a.m. EDT)
May 9 Nightline New York (ABC, 8 p.m. EDT)
May 12 Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC)
May 13 AOL Sessions Live (taping)
May 16 The Rachael Ray Show (ABC)
May 16 Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
May 20 Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)

Memorable Moments To Ponder

This past Sunday I accompanied my brother-in-law's choir on oboe and flute. The minister's sermon was a very interesting recap of the trip he and several church members made to the Holy Land, fittingly followed by a very inspiring rendition of the anthem, "The Holy City."

As BIL and I embraced following the service, he stated he thought the music had gone well. He was astounded when I told him there had been a standing ovation after the last anthem. His back had been to the congregation as he prepared for the final hymn, so my BIL had no idea of the extra recognition.

Life is not made up of the number of breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away.

This provocative thought from the sermon has popped up many times in the days since ... when I think about the special little grandson I will meet in a few weeks, the singer so many of us admire, the students whose lives I touch, the music we share.

Does Clay do Disney?

I'm relatively certain grandson Kai skipped the QVC excitement, but a Disney theme would have caught his attention immediately. Special thnx to "Auntie ACA" for the above graphic.

Below is a clickable of ACA's opening graphic:

Have an awesome week, Clay Nation!

Caro

P.S. Here are a couple of audio Sendspace downloads: the newly-released Walmart OMWH Snippets (with bonus) and Tuesday's Broadway Cares performance of The Prayer by Clay and Hannah Waddingham.

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, On My Way Here, Everything I Don't Need, Something About Us, Where I Draw the Line, The Real Me, QVC Q Sessions Live, Tyra Banks Show, Entertainment Tonight, Clack Unlimited, LALATE NEWS, Austen 360, Spamalot, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation

Aiken OMWH Promos Everywhere

ON MY WAY HERE - Amazing_CA includes two photos by Eric Ogden in this handsome graphic.

Here, There, and Everywhere

CD Promos Fill Clay's Calendar

No doubt about it, Clay Aiken will be "here, there, and everywhere" over the next few weeks.

Promotion for his new CD, On My Way Here, not only permeates countless crooks and crannies of the Internet, but it has soared into other media markets.

A couple of interviews not to be missed are Thursday's Billy Bush Show on radio. You can listen on the Westwood One site or with this Sendspace download.

Also, be sure to read Mary Colurso's column for Friday's Birmingham News: Feet of Clay? Not for Aiken, who's proved to be a malleable singer, Broadway actor.

CA fans are hanging onto their hats as their favorite singer begins a busy round of promotional appearances on TV. Meanwhile, he will continue to portray Sir Robin in Broadway's "Spamalot" through May 4.

Season 2's runner-up and Tamyra Gray, finalist from Season 1, were featured in a musical theater segment on American Idol 7 Wednesday night. With Andrew Lloyd Webber in the house, no less!

Clickable cap by Gerwhisp

Not only were their Broadway shows -- Spamalot and Rent -- highlighted, but Clay also talked about the May 6 drop of his new CD, OMWH. You can view the Broadway segment on YouTube and with this Sendspace download.

Wednesdays would probably win "hands down" as the favorite day of the Clay Nation as one new headline, stream, appearance, or photo after another has been the norm for the past two weeks. "It's raining Clay" has been the byword both Wednesdays.

A highlight this week were the new OMWH promo photos appearing on the singer's MySpace page. The clickables above advertise the CD at K-Mart, iTunes, and WalMart, respectively. K-Mart's CD will include a poster of the upper left picture as long as supplies last.

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! Just to be fair, Thursdays are pretty cool, too. We now have snippets at Amazon. Here is a Sendspace download.

Mark Those Calendars!

DVR's are being set as we speak. Many fans have already secured tickets to the appearances listed below. Here goes:

04-28-08 QVC, 7 p.m.

Clay Aiken has been capturing the hearts of music fans everywhere since he shot to pop superstardom nearly five years ago. Since then, Aiken has sold more than six million CDs, authored a best-selling biography, performed on Broadway and has left fans "Aiken" for more. The multi-platinum artist will once again be exciting fans when he makes his QVC debut on Monday, April 28 at 7 PM (ET).

Aiken is scheduled to perform songs from his much-anticipated new album On My Way Here, giving viewers exclusive insight into the inspiration behind the album. QVC shoppers will also have the opportunity to order On My Way Here, with a bonus CD/DVD created especially for QVC, eight days before its scheduled release.

Clay and Tyra - People Magazine

04-30-08 Tyra Banks Show (syndicated)

Clay stops by The Tyra Banks Show Monday to help Tyra celebrate her 500th episode at the show's New York studios. His segment involves surprising a fan who has never met him with tickets to "Spamalot" and a meeting with Clay.

05-02-08 Entertainment Tonight

ET's in the studio as Clay lays down tracks for his latest album.

05-07-08 Good Morning America (ABC)

05-08-08 The View (ABC)

05-12-08 The Tonight Show (NBC)

05-16-08 Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)

05-19-08 Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)

TBD: Rachael Ray

Big events and contests are only part of "Rachael Ray's" biggest May Sweep ever. The show is also welcoming V.I.P. celebrity guests; including, Barack and Michelle Obama, Regis Philbin, Maria Shriver, Patrick Dempsey, Valerie Bertinelli, Clay Aiken, Mario Batali, Ty Pennington, Michael Buble, Gordon Ramsay, "Ugly Betty's" Eric Mabius, Mary J. Blige, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Carrie Ann Inaba, the Jonas Brothers' mother and chef Ming Tsai.

And that's just what we know now. Hang on - the Clay Train is in for an awesome ride!

PHOTO INTERLUDE: OMWH is the central theme of this clickable interlude, both with CD photos and screen caps from an album webisode. Included are graphics by Amazing_CA, 1, 2, 3; ClaytonAikenFan86, 4; and Claystruck, 5.

OMWH Covers the World

Three weeks ago SmartyPantsSuz began creating personalized CD covers for the hometowns of Clayversity members. When I posted about the new countries hitting/reading Carolina On My Mind, she offered to complete the international collection with our current 60.

This project is barely out of the starting gate. Ron Kanipe, the blog's geography advisor, keeps an eye on the red dots/countries on the Carolina On My Mind ClustrMap. Accordingly, Suz has created many additional OMWH covers for Carolina/OFC readers and is working through the current list of 60 countries.

The large cover photos (450 x 450 pixels) are being posted at Carolina Special, this blog's extension site, with countries arranged by continent: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

If you would like a cover from your area or city, just give us the information in a comment at the Carolina or OFC blog. Membership is not a requirement for leaving comments on Blogspot, but be specific about your location. The ClustrMap only identifies your computer's location with a small red dot.

These are clickable examples of Melbourne, Australia; Singapore; London, England; and Thunder Bay, Canada:

After you request your city, state, or province, a cover will be added to the appropriate continent entry at the Carolina Special site as soon as possible. Those who live in smaller, more remote locales may want to submit a link to a background photo. Our lucky graphic artist is headed to New York City for a weekend of "Spamalot," so be patient.

Many thnx to Ron and Suz for their assistance. I know we two gals have learned global lessons from the project. Even the "geography prof" has had to research more detailed maps to identify some countries.

No doubt Clay would be proud of the geography lessons he has inspired. Soon he will indeed be "here, there, and everywhere"!

Taking a Break

Although grandson Kai seems to be taking a break from packing his bags for his upcoming NC visit, his grandmother has a full calendar of rehearsals, gigs, student spring recital, and spring cleaning before the arrival.

In fact, the first of two Brandenburg-fiddle tune medley rehearsals took place Thursday afternoon. The teacher is glad we have three more weeks to practice!

Below is a clickable of Amazing_CA's opening graphic:

Have a great weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, On My Way Here, Spamalot, Clay Aiken MySpace, QVC, Tyra Banks Show, geography, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation

Aiken Fans Share OMWH Virally

ON HIS WAY HERE - ABeautifulMind highlights memorable moments of Clay Aiken's journey in her handsome graphic about his new CD, On My Way Here.

'AI Rewind' Spotlights Top 2

Clay Nation Celebrates CD Finds

With the exciting rush of CD snippet premieres and the final bow of Spamalot's tremendously successful Sir Robin just around the corner, Clay Aiken fans this weekend also took a look back via American Idol 2 Rewind at the events that set everything in motion five years ago.

Think about it. The Clay Nation located song previews from the singer's upcoming CD, On My Way Here, on Slovenia's Vodaphone website. At the same time, further info about album promo appearances emerged.

The clock continues to tick - less than two weeks until Clay's celebrated Broadway run comes to a close and his new CD drops.

LALate News, which broke the story of the Slovenian snippets, posted this Sunday:

... Those Vodaphone online snippets have spread across the Net like wildfire. Why? Because the songs are a-mazing!

Clay Sings DLTSGDOM for 'Rewind'

The Top 2 Special, telecast the night before the 2003 final competition, was featured on AI2 Rewind this weekend. The show, which focused on Clay and eventual winner Ruben Studdard, was a mix of performances, video clips, and in-studio interviews.

Clay sang "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," and Ruben selected "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do." A fan asked three questions of Clay, and the season's finalists came together to perform "God Bless the USA" and "What the World Needs Now."

Graphic by Fountaindawg

Clay won the coin toss and said he elected to sing second because of his experience in Group 2 when he came in third, was sent home, and returned via the Wildcard Show. In the 2007 interview for Rewind, he said he also figured the audience would best remember the person singing second. "Guess not," he shrugged with a laugh.

Here are two Sendspace downloads from the show: Ruben and Clay and Clay performing DLTSGDOM. To retrace Clay's journey on AI, see the Clay Aiken Kids site.

Talent + X-Factor + Makeover = Success

Back in Oct. 14, 2007, Richie of the very popular Rickey.org blog wrote:

Clay Aiken is one of the greatest success stories on this show. Clay proves that, yes, if you have the talent and the x-factor, you are just one makeover away (or a couple) from becoming a pop celebrity.

Clay Aiken fans (who call themselves the “Claymates”) are a force to reckon with. I think they have their own eco-system over there.

When this was quoted at Clayversity, Lovethatguy quipped, "We have gone from being a nation to an entire eco-system."

Richie recently attended "Spamalot" and had his picture taken with Sir Robin/Clay as he made an after-show donation to Broadway Cares. This is his April 19 lead for Always Look at the Bright Side of Life:

Clay Aiken is so popular it’s unreal. Did Clay Aiken dance? Yes. Did he sing an irreverent Jew-related song on Passover? Yes. Was he funny? Yes. Did I clap with reckless abandon? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Next weekend on AI2 Rewind: The Final Two!

PHOTO INTERLUDE: OMWH is the the theme of this handsome clickable interlude. Featured are graphics by by Amazing_CA, 1, 2, 3; Claystruck, 4; and MNmeesh, 5.

Fans Share CD via Networks

On My Way Here is really on its way, thanks to the organized promotional plan of the singer's management team, as well as the successful forays into viral marketing by countless clever Clay fans. This is Clay44mate's experience:

I downloaded the snippets and burned them onto a CD right before I went to teach my Powerflex class at the gym. After class, there were 18 people just standing around; I threw caution to the wind and decided to play the snippets for them.

I was quite thrilled by the responses. Everybody was asking, "Who is that singing?" I told them it was Clay Aiken and that what they had just heard were snippets of his new CD to be released May 6. Almost everyone knew who Clay was, but only one actually owned any of his music -- and that because of me.

After a few more plays by request, I spent the better part of 15 minutes talking about Clay. I believe I actually "clayverted" about eight of those 18 people! The eight told me in no uncertain terms that they would be purchasing the new CD. Two of them are in their early 20's.

If the little snippets of Clay's new songs can attract new fans, think what the entire album will do!

Portrait of Viral Marketing

With the Click of a Mouse

In Fans Explore Viral Marketing, Clayversity member Yaknelle, a former journalism teacher and now an advertising consultant, discussed ways the Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives. Printed in part, this post shows how one's network can be utilized to share Clay's new CD with the people we know.

You and I are exchanging words and thoughts on the Internet. I bet you weren't on here too often before Clay. I wasn't.

In the real world, newspapers and magazines are closing. In many areas of media, it's change or die. The Internet is a vortex of information. It needs to be constantly fed. News is old almost immediately.

My son in LA is a diehard Bears' fan, he gets all his information from the Internet, which includes reading both Chicago papers.

Every major news source has an Internet site. Google stock went up more than 30% in the last quarter.

Today I sent the Amazon video to 17 people all over the country with the click of a mouse. THE CLICK OF A MOUSE.

We can't feel it, or taste it or fathom it, but the Ethernet exists. Not too many years ago iTunes was just starting, and the iPod was in its infancy. How fast have we learned to download, upload, and share.

The Ebay auction we are following is on the Internet. I bank on the Internet. Many of us are setting up QVC, WalMart, and Amazon accounts on the Internet. We use YouTube and MySpace and Facebook as social networks.

My kids text more than they call their friends. My daughter runs her business with the help of her Blackberry. The majority of young home buyers search the Internet before they call a realtor. I have met you on the Internet. And so it goes.

It's hard to let go of the familiar, and I take a deep breath and a leap of faith in my belief that the viral part of Clay's promotion will have a very positive effect on his sales. I'm sending the Amazon link to my friend in the south of France after I post this - with the click of a mouse.

I inserted the Amazon link in Yaknelle's piece above. Links for sharing the "On My Way Here" single, and the webisodes are included in both the April 10 and April 16 blogs.

The latter also contains several links for OMWH song samples, a set of which is located at You Tube.

ChaChaTrusty has created a virtual "viral paradise" of a page with the song snippets, webisodes, and pre-order links all in one place. See her Claymatized website.

Greetings to 5 New Countries!

The Clay Nation has no borders in Cyberspace. Many of us interact daily with Clay friends in countries around the globe. Just as Yaknelle emailed the Amazon video link to a friend in France, others are taking similar steps within their network of acquaintances.

The Carolina blog today welcomes readers from the five newest countries to visit the journal: Madagascar, Slovenia, Switzerland, Scotland, and Seychelles (an island country in the Indian Ocean).

Note the Carolina ClustrMap in the blog's sidebar. Currently, the Gupta Media webisode and "OMWH" are playing at the link.

Special thanks to Ron Kanipe, husband of OFC member Barb55, for keeping me up to date on the geography of this journal, bringing our total to 60 countries. Ever the educator, Ron included this link about the Seychelles Islands.

Thnx to all for stopping by the Carolina corner. Hope you come again!

A sure score for Kai!
Graphic by Sally

When your "fairy godmother" is a graphic artist, you are a shoe-in for a royal straight flush and all the chips you might need for a big haul in Vegas. Sally said grandson Kai's poker face in the midst of a saltine cracker break inspired the Bellagio background and tray full of winning chips.

Below is a clickable of ABeautifulMind's opening graphic:

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro

RELATED TAGS: Clay Aiken, On My Way Here, Spamalot, Broadway Cares, American Idol2 Rewind, Rickey.org, Clay Aiken Kids, viral marketing, Official Fan Club, Clay Nation

Aiken Shares Spring Calendar

ON MY WAY HERE - Cindilu2 created an exquisite graphic of this Clay Aiken photo from the OMWH album shoot.

Spring Calendar Overload

Recital, Visit Vie with Aiken Blog

NOTE: Site links and Sendspace downloads for OMWH snippets added!

For days I have been receiving little hints suggesting my calendar might be a bit off. Anyone who reads here regularly knows that a new blog usually uploads every 3-4 days.

Real life and my Clay Aiken fan membership, which normally co-exist in parallel accord like the musical harmony I teach, have suddenly collided in consummate calendar gridlock.

Not only are there five weeks remaining before my students' annual spring recital, but three days later my house has to be immaculate and rid of my many "living alone" habits for my grandson Kai's very first visit. The trail of boxes I walk around daily must finally relocate; and the kitchen table, for years a repository of this and that, will need to once again see the light of day.

You could say that staying in tune with the latest news about Clay Aiken's upcoming CD, On My Way Here, and his final days as Sir Robin in "Spamalot" have met their match in my corner.

Graphic by Amazing_CA

Fan anticipation for the May 6 arrival of OMWH, Clay's first CD to feature original material since his debut album, Measure of a Man, is off the charts.

With the announcement of May promo appearances on the horizon, Internet fans are engaged in various forms of viral marketing (see previous entry). Not only are they sharing the lead single and webisode links with others, but they are also hitting each site as part of their daily "buzz" routine.

Amazon and Walmart Cover Photos (clickable)

Mark Your Calendar

April 28: Clay will perform and take album pre-orders on QVC at 7 p.m. EDT, hosted by Jacque Gonzales. New info on QVC's five-track bonus CD can be read here.

April 29: Digital download of "OMWH" will be available from Amazon as the single goes to radio.

Now: Preorder OMWH at Walmart to receive an exclusive bonus track ("Forget I Ever Knew You").

May 6: Album goes on sale in brick and mortar stores.

May 12: Jay Leno Show

May 16: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC).

OMWH #1 Song at AOL Music

Fans Stream, Share Sites

Internet fans are doing their part by sharing and streaming the lead single and webisodes from a variety of sites. The 57k Popeater streams gave OMWH the #1 position at AOL Music for the week of 4/4 - 4/10.

Here is a list if you would like to add the sites to your daily routine:

OMWH Single - Clay's My Space, Gupta Media, Popeater, Clear Channel Radio

OMWH Album Snippets - OMWH (Slovenian website). Special thanks to CV members ncwannabe and Invisible926 for the originals of these Sendspace downloads: Snippets (WAV) and Samples (mp3).

Here are Sendspace downloads from ClayIzzaQT with longer mp3 excerpts from Canada's Fido Music Store arranged in the Walmart CD order: Excerpts 1 (loops twice, includes Slovenian LAL) and Excerpts 2 (twice through, all Canadian).

SONG LIST: On My Way Here, Ashes, Everything I Don’t Need, Something About Us, Falling, Where I Draw the Line, The Real Me, Weight of the World, As Long As We’re Here, Sacrificial Love, Lover All Alone

YOU TUBE SNIPPETS: The OMWH excerpts have also been uploaded to YouTube.

OMWH Recording: Video of Clay in the recording studio at Amazon.

OMWH Webisodes - Clay's YouTube Page, Producer/Creating the Album webisdoes; Popeater, Producer webisode; MP3, Creating the Album webisode; Gupta Music, Producer/Creating the Album webisodes; Broadway World, Spamalot webisode

Clear Channel radio video vaults contian the Producer/Creating the Album/Spamalot webisodes, so check your local station's website.

OMWH Widgets - ClayAiken.com Widget to be added to My Space or other web pages; CD Countdown Widget by Roseviolet; and Pixieglitter's countdown widgets for PC and MAC.

Miscellaneous - Mozes: Link to receive mobile phone text updates and content from Clay.

Dial 919.883.5111 with your cell phone, and you will hear Clay with a reminder that the album is coming out May 6. The site will text you back. If you join, you will be directed to Mozes for further messages.

From bamintx at Clayversity, here's a result to applaud:

One of my coworkers listens to our Top 40 station all day. She liked Clay on AI, loves his voice but lost interest after that. Today I let her listen to the snippet of "On My Way Here" that plays when you dial "Clay"'s number.

She loves it and listened several times! She said, "Well, finally I'll get to hear him on the radio." I told her they were going to release it to AC, and she said, "Why? It would be great on Top 40." From her mouth to RCA's ear!

Slide Show Features Fan Art

A slide show of 34 handsome graphics created by Clay fans provides this blog's interlude of art. Both links feature designs by Sally, Amazing_CA, Ambassador of Love, Clayquebec1, ABeautifulMind, j4clay, Cindilu2, Claysmelody, MNmeesh, DangHesHot, Claystruck, BettyJean, and Artz11.

The graphic by Sally links to the show in a fading view, and the closing graphic by Amazing_CA links to a gallery view.

Graphic by Sally links to slide show/fading view.

Graphic by Amazing_CA links to slide show/gallery view.

SPAM Fans Support 'Broadway Cares'

"Spamalot" is pulling out the stops to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

According to Jaymes Foster-Levy, Clay's executive producer, the "Spamalot" cast hopes to win Broadway's "Easter Bonnet" competition for the most money raised this time around. The Jersey Boys Touring Company won the previous challenge during which a total of $3,345.997 was raised. "Spamalot" has never won.

Sir Robin's Chickens Net $7,000

In her OFC post, Jaymes hinted there would be "surprise opportunities" at every performance for the next two weeks. Following Tuesday's performance, for a $200 donation, credit cards accepted, several audience members had their picture taken with Clay and Rick Holmes (Sirs Robin and Lancelot) and Tom Deckman (Prince Herbert).

On Wednesday night, the photo price was up to $300. Clay auctioned off two autographed Sir Robin chickens (plus a hug and kiss) for $3,500 each.

Several items are being auctioned at Ebay, including Clay's "Spamalot" costume, tickets to the show and a champagne toast with Clay, dinner with Clay and "Spamalot" cast members, and a walk-on role in "Spamalot."

Additionally, supporters can make a donation through Spamalot's Easter Bonnet site. The goal there is $2,500, and the gage is currently registering 66%.

Something tells me these folks have yet to comprehend the fundraising gusto of Clay's fans and Sir Robin's innate skills in this arena!

Spring Alters Practice Routines

With its pleasant, inviting temperatures, Spring is annually greeted by young sports enthusiasts and all who enjoy being outddors. At the same time, the season can play havoc with music practice routines.

Keeping 20 students in full rehearsal mode through our May 18 recital has this teacher making deals, pulling strings and tactics out of mid-air, maybe even a few strands of her own hair.

Ever the optimist, I am sure all solos, duets, and ensembles will be polished. Our program will include compositions from the four main periods of music -- Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary -- with performances by pianists, violinists, a violist, flautist, and an oboist. One piano student will perform his own composition.

The string-wind ensemble will open the program with Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. They will be joined by younger string students for a concert trio and Dona Nobis Pacem. We will close the recital with an Irish fiddle tune medley and, hopefully, some toe-tapping by those in attendance.

Kai kissing Kaimana
Graphic by Sally

Three days after the recital, grandson Kai, accompanied by his mother, will take his first airplane ride. The NC branch of our family is excited, and spring cleaning is well underway. The Kaimana duck, a gift from a friend in Hawaii, means "ocean" and "strong," just like my grandson's name.

Below is a clickable of Cindilu2's opening graphic:

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro

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