Friday, June 25, 2010

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

Thank you for your blog comments and props for the contributing artists. To leave a remark, scroll to the bottom of that section, click on the "Post a Comment" link, and write in the box provided.

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

18 comments:

Cindy said...

I hope you don't expect too many comments on this one, Caro. It's pretty difficult to type from the floor.

Guh.

SueReu said...

GORGEOUS blog Caro!! I'm so glad to hear Scarlett captured a bit of Terrence Mann, I have developed a little bit of a crush on him....

But the man of the hour looked GORGEOUS and the popeater article and video were amazing.

Glad the ankle is feeling better :) and how fun about Kai - I'll have to keep an eye out.

claysweetea said...

What a wow of a blog. Im on the floor too trying to type. That graphic by cindi is amazing! Thanks

Anonymous said...

Clay does look fine , and happy too.....he never has seemed to be so delighted with a cd. And We love it too! I enjoyed all the pics and video and all. FUN!! Hope he continues to WOW Us!! enjoy hearing how fast that gson is catchingg on to new adventures..LOL...handful I think....but what a great time for family!! :) Too cute! Happy U r doing some better, now do not overdo so U go backwards. Donna in WI.

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro,

I love Cindy's comment, "I hope you don't expect too many comments on this one, Caro. It's pretty difficult to type from the floor." Too funny, but so, so true, what a dreamy blog about a dreamy man. The graphic's, the video......Just Awesome!!!!

Glad to hear your ankle is doing better, just don't over do.

Too cute Kai is into facebook, I'll bet he could teach me a few tricks. LOL

Rest that ankle this weekend and keep cool!

Hugs,
Marlyne

Anonymous said...

Caro
Frozen veggies is your new friend,lets hope it is not a lasting one :). I'm glad you are better.

Awesome blog. I change my desktop everytime your new blog appears. I simlpy pick the cutest one and right click. Have a great w/e

Hugs Margaret

T said...

Awesome blog Caro! It's so good to see Cindilu2's beautiful graphic. Miss & admire her works.

It's so exciting to see the gorgeous photos and video from Popeater. That was great!!

So glad that you're feeling better. :D

It made me smile when you mentioned about Kai and his games in FB.

Thanks so much Caro! Have a wonderful weekend.

((Hugs)) ♥
T

Sandy said...

What a wonderful week the Clay fans had as we were treated to a feast of Clack to behold the eye and the ear! Thanks to all our wonderful Clack gatherers who make this possible! Listening to Clay sing those songs from the "Bring Broadway Home" concert brought my heart to a standstill. His voice is richer and stronger than ever!

So sorry to hear about your great Aunt Lil. Tragic as it was, she is at now peace for sure.

I think Grandma had better start playing Bejewelled so that Kai can have some competition when he plays! (I am sure he would give Grandma a run for her money)

Keep the veggies on that ankle...sounds like they are doing the trick.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sandy

musicfan said...

Caro.......I always love visiting your wonderful blogs. This one is especially great. You have so much information and great graphics.

It's been such a great week for Clay fans. I think Clay gets more handsome every day!!

I am glad your ankle is better...but don't rush it!!

Thank you for all you do to support Clay and his fans.

Sandy said...

Sorry about the mix-up Caro - should have said - "So sorry to hear about your relative Josie".

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro. Thanks so much for the blog. OMG I about fainted with the new pictures.

I think it is so nice that 2 fandoms came together and Terrence Mann fans were able to get them some....

"MannClack" too.

So sorry to hear of your families loss. I hope she is at peace and I will pray for you and your family. I wonder if your family knows how much they have touched us through the journeys you have shared with us. From car rides to the sea shore and even piano, teaching adventures. Josie teaching all the way in Bolivia. I just want to thank you and your family for teaching me through you.

Sending you a ((HUG)) and an order to take care of your ankle too.

PS: I wonder if Kai wants to be my neighbor in CafeWorld. Is he cooking & farming yet? heeeee.

Kathy/Aspiegirl

Anonymous said...

Lots of news. Thx for all the pics too!! Excited as my concert tickets arrived in mail yesterday. Sorry to hear about your Aunt. Cherish your great memories. Bonnie

SueReu said...

Caro, so sorry about Josie - my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Take care an have a good rest of your weekend :)

Anonymous said...

Josie sounds like a wonderful lady, Caro. What a nice tribute.
I'm glad your "turned" ankle has taken a "turn" for the better!

Cotton

deyabird said...

So sorry to read about the loss to your family. Sending many hugs and prayers.

ImGranny said...

Another great blog! Your blogs are always so informative and interesting.

Clay Aiken looks so happy nowadays! He deserves it!

So sorry to her about the loss in your family. Hope your ankle is starting to feel better.

Anonymous said...

I love the picture of Clay and Terrance. How cute. I've been loving all the new pictures of Clay. What a great job they did on catching the best of him.

Sounds like your ankle is healing nicely. Just make sure you don't do that again. Lois

barb 55 said...

Amazing blog, as always! I enjoyed the videos, graphics, and pics and am happy to hear that Clay will be a co-host on The View. He will love that.

Glad to hear your ankle is on the road to recovery and hope it is as good as new soon. I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of your mother's cousin. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Thanks for sharing another wonderful blog. Take care, stay well, and enjoy your week!

Love and hugs,
Barbara