Saturday, January 01, 2011

Clay Aiken Fans Celebrate 2011


GREETINGS to 2011! - New Year's graphic of Clay Aiken expands
to wallpaper size. Design by AmazingCA, photos by Tasapio.

Inclusion Project Wins $50k Grant

What Were You Doing NY Eve?

Taking liberties on the tense of a longtime Clay Aiken holiday favorite ... What Were You Doing New Year's Eve?

Members of the singer's fan club not out partying spent the evening watching festivities on TV, listening to music, and casting final votes all the way to midnight ET so that the National Inclusion Project would land a Pepsi Refresh grant.

Maybe this doesn't register very high on the "fun chart," but it certainly is gratifying after a four-month long campaign.

The Pepsi board closed promptly at midnight and will remain silent until January's campaign begins on Monday. From final 2010 postings, it appears the foundation wound up in first place and will receive a $50,000 grant so more children with and without disabilities can participate in Let's ALL Play summer camps.

At the stroke of midnight, unofficial grant celebrations immediately joined New Year festivities on message boards throughout Clay Cyberspace.


Pepsi grant assures inclusive programs for more children.

Inclusion Project Celebrates Success

Special thanks to Inclusion Project directors Jerry Aiken, Aron Hall, and alliances; Royalle, who guided supporters with additional charity partnerships; Scarlett, who kept the plan in view with daily widget updates; and all who helped vote, enlist new supporters, teach others to text, etc., to put the foundation over the top in December.

The final day of voting was made much more enjoyable by EZ Does It Net Radio, an Atlanta-based station dedicated to memorable music from the decades of the last half-century. The clickable is a cap of of a 10-song span that included "Here You Come Again" from On My Way Here and "Unchained Melody" from Tried & True.


New Year's Eve Playlist
HYCA and UM in one set!

Turns out Lane and Martha Wells, EZ Radio owners, became fans of Clay during American Idol 2. They were delighted when CA fans discovered their site and began requesting music. On New Year's Eve, the station incorporated a steady lineup from the singer's albums dating back to Measure of a Man in 2003.

Grateful listeners from several countries (Scotland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates) and states have posted platitudes and thank you messages to the station. See the latest comments here.

Contact EZ Radio and make requests via email --
EZDoesItRadio@aol.com -- or on the station's Facebook wall.


Clay Aiken: 2010 Recap
View montage by SueReu full screen at You Tube.
Download with this Sendspace file.

Montage Recaps Aiken's 2010

Before the first strains of Auld Lang Syne were sung in the continental US, SueReu uploaded one of her special montages recapping Clay Aiken's 2010 season.

The video, which begins with the Tried & True preview at Golfing for Inclusion 2010, spotlights the PBS Special taping in Raleigh, Phineas & Herb, the Timeless Tour with Ruben Studdard, the Gala, TV appearances, the Chicago benefit concert, Bringing Broadway Home, the VOX, the impeccable comedic timing and laughs that natural components of a CA concert.

A Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 set to a traditional folk tune, "Auld Lang Syne" is the song most frequently played and sung to celebrate the start of the New Year.

Carolina readers, be sure to click on the Happy New Year banner above for a special Jacquie Lawson greeting card featuring the song and its Scottish heritage.


Bidding 2010 a fond farewell and welcoming the infant 2011, the lyrics of the first verse and chorus of "Auld Lang Syne" are printed below. Learn more about the song's background here.
Auld Lang Syne (Old Long Since)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.


WORLD WELCOMES 2011: Photo links to a slide show of New Year celebrations around the globe, from Australia to Time's Square to Hawaii. Shown above are London, Japan, Scotland, and Brazil. (From The Daily Beast).

Wishing the Clay Nation a blessed 2011 filled with happiness, health, and many magical Clay Aiken concerts!



Signature by Linda/A Beautiful Mind

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro,

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!!! and a BIG Thank You for all you do for us.

I loved SueRue's "Clay Aiken: 2010 Recap" It is awesome! Awwwww the memories. Looking forward to the memories of 2011.

Sure hope the $50,000 goes to the NIP.....what a great way to start the New Year.

Hope all is well with you and all Clay Aiken Fans.

Hugs,
Marlyne

SueReu said...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

WONDERFUL graphic by AmazingCA featuring the very expressive face of one Mr. Clay Aiken.

I'll be back to check out the Jackie Lawson card, I'm getting an error, and it looks like maybe it's their site? I'm sure it's lovely, they're always so pretty.

Very cool New Year slideshow - here's a toast to an amazing 2011 - filled with good health, happiness, lots of love, lots of laughs and lots of Clay ;)

Hooray for National Inclusion Project!! Whether it's #1 or #10, it matters not to me - in the hands of National Inclusion Project $50K can do an amazing amount of good.

T said...

Happy New Year Caro! I just want to thank you for all the joy you bring in your blogs and keeping me updated with Clay Aiken. I appreciate your friendship and really salute you for everything you do in your blogs.

Awesome video from SueRue! What a good way to end the year and see the 2010 Recap.

Again, many thanks and hope 2011 will be a continuing year of good friendship and more Clay blogs.

Cheers!♥

((Hugs))
T

Sandy said...

Happy New Year Caro!

A big congratulations to The National Inclusion Project for their first place finish in the Pepsi Challenge! A job well done by everyone involved!

What a fantastic job Sue did in making the "Clay Aiken: 2010 Recap". She is so talented! Thanks Sue!

Loved the Jacquie Lawson "Auld Lang Syne" card.

Welcome 2011...looking forward to what you have in store for us!

Sandy

Unknown said...

The Inclusion Project's thrilling first place finish is a fantastic way to start this new year. Kudos to all of the voters, and the worker bees; Royalle, Scarlett and you, Caro. As your friend I know about the countless, hours, days weeks and even months the three of you devoted to this project. Thank you so much!

ACA's 2011 graphic is gorgeous! I'm so happy that she continues to delight us with her unique creativity.

SueRue's "Clay Aiken: 2010 Recap" is pure joy to watch. Clay Nation is blessed to have so many talented artists.

Happy New Year to you and to all of your readers!

kta said...

Happy New Years! Congratulations to the National Inclusion Project. Good job to everyone who worked so hard and kept voting!

katy said...

Looking forward to a wonderful 2011 for Clay Aiken and his fans. Looking back though, 2010 wasn't all that bad. Loved the 2010 Recap.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful Yr and look forward to more Clay for 2011..thanks Caro for all U do for Us...Happy New Yr.!! to ALL. D. in Wi.

ImGranny said...

Another great blog! Thank you for including SueReu's Clay Aiken 2010 Recap! That was amazing! Congratulations to the NIP for the $50,000 win in the Pepsi Refresh contest and to all who were so diligent in working to help make it happen.

anaturegirl said...

Caro, A vary Happy Happy New Year to you.

Thanks for the new Widget for January voting to thank those who helped NIP reach #1 in December.

clayam said...

Thank you caro for the widget you have posted here to vote for and thank our partners in the Pepsi Refresh, they helped us so much in December...Now it is our turn to thank them.
Happy New year!

Anonymous said...

Dear Caro,
a bit late for a New Year wish ...anyway ...Happy New Year for you & all your family..
hope 2011 will be another splendid year for all of us.
Thank you for all your blogs which help keeping me updated on all about Clay..thanks again & please...please keep your wonderfull blog alive .. :)

Would like to say something to SueRue through your blog, hope she read it.
Sue please keep feeding us with your clacks... that's the only way I can relieve my thirst of Clay performance ..

Hugs from Indonesia ...for all Clay fans & for a wonderful 2011 to come ...
***Puteri

SueReu said...

Hi Puteri *waves from US to Indonesia*

Thank you, and everyone else, for the nice comments!! Here's hoping for lots of Clay in 2011 so that we can share his talent via video.