Clay Aiken Fans Celebrate Clack

TRIED & TRUE - Graphic by cindilu2 incorporates a Flavia Weedn quote with visual from Clay Aiken's new 'Tried & True' Decca release. Photo by Vincent Soyez.

Mann, Aiken Fans Share BBH

Week Tenders Clack Overload

With new uploads of Bringing Broadway Home clack and Popeater's A Day in the Life of Clay Aiken multi-media feature, the past two days have provided a virtual visual feast for the Clay Nation.

Fans at mann_power, a LiveJournal blog dedicated to Terrence Mann, provided a link to Curtis Brown Photography where a slide show spotlights the five featured performers at Monday's NC Theatre benefit -- Clay, Terrence, Lauren Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, and Quiana Parler.

Terry sings from Clay's lap at Bringing Broadway Home.

Interaction between the two fandoms has produced much sharing of "clack," even to the point that some Mann fans are contributing to Clack Unlimited.

There was much celebrating in the Mann blog when it was learned that Scarlett capped "Stars," one of their singer's songs. The fans are hoping she also captured "Where's the Girl," playfully sung by Mann from Clay's lap.

Popeater Follows Clay for a Day

The biggest news Thursday came when Clay Aiken - A Day in the Life, a feature story by Ashley lasimone, accompanied by video and and a 63-photo slide show by Diana Levine, hit Popeater's corner of the web.

It's the morning after Clay Aiken released his new album, 'Tried and True.' Backstage at 'The View,' the singer sits on a plush green sofa in his dressing room, surrounded by others but in his own world, eyes glues to his iPad as he waits for his call to set.

Aiken starts his day out in a solitary mode, but perks up when he and his crew mull over which cover he should choose for an upcoming DVD release.

A long day of 'Tried & True' promos begins for Clay.

In addition to the singer's appearance on The View, June 2 also included promo stops at ABC and CNN, concluding with an interview for Talk Stoop with Cat Greenleaf. For this episode, Clay traded in his coat and tie for a plaid shirt and suspenders.

The article provides insights into the long hours an artist puts into promotion, the down time on his iPad between interviews, and a lot of information about the T&T CD, as well as the July-August Timeless Tour with Ruben Studdard.

A Day in the Life video was edited by Tristan Waldrop. Double click on the photo below to view the video portion of the Popeater feature.

Clay chats with Cat Greenleaf on the Stoop.

Via Twitter, CA fans have passed along props for the incredible photos Diana Levine took of Singer Man. If she toured the countless message boards dedicated to Clay, she would be amazed at how many fans now have a Diana Levine avatar. You can check out her website here.

A Day in the Life is currently the third of nine stories on the AOL home page news slide.

Below are samples of the 63 photos. All are clickable, and some are larger than others. The first two are graphics by cindilu2 and the last two are wallpapers by Fountaindawg, all using Diana Levine photos. Enjoy!

Family Loses Special Lady

Thursday our family lost a very special lady. Josie Tomlinson, my mother's cousin, died from head injuries sustained in a car accident on Memorial Day. She is now at peace.

Josie, who taught Spanish in public schools and at Queen's College, began as children's librarian for Wilson County in 1962 and served as library director from 1971 until her retirement in 1985. She was an active volunteer in her church and the community.

Her mother, my Great Aunt Lill, was my mentor. She taught piano until age 96, and has been the subject of a couple of Carolina blogs: Aunt Lill's Potato Rolls and Musical Heritage Passed Down. Josie didn't inherit the family's musical strain, but she put her own gifts to good use. I was a school girl when she went to Bolivia to teach English.

She kept tabs on Clay's performance dates on TV. Many a morning I have received an email to be sure and watch him on The View or GMA. Josie always delighted in new photos of Kai, Lia, and her other "grand" cousins. She was 84, and, although sad about her loss, our family is glad she is at peace.

Ankle Takes Slight Turn

Knock on wood, but I believe my badly-sprained ankle, which the doc predicted would be "better in a week," maybe got the message on the 10th day. There is slightly less pain, but I am still sticking to the frozen corn-elevation routine.

In fact, the mother of Ora and Jeremy, violin and piano students taking makeup lessons today, brought the teacher some groceries and a new package of corn to replace the first batch, which has seen better days.

A note to all you Facebook users: watch out for grandson Kai. I understand our two-year-old (3 in September) loves playing "Bejeweled" and "Family Feud." So much so that one of his mother's friends commented on her wall that she must really love "the Feud"!

Below is a clickable of cindilu2's opening graphic:

Have a wonderful weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

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Visitors have come to this site from 153 countries. Many thnx for stopping by today! - Caro