Chicago Premieres 'Clay Aiken Live!'

BACK IN TOWN -- Clay Aiken returned to his hometown of Raleigh, NC, to tape a PBS Special in March. Tonight the concert premieres on Chicago's WTTW-11, largest PBS station in America. Graphic by Fountaindawg, photos by Jim R. Bounds/AP.

Clay Aiken: Tried & True - LIVE!

WTTW-11 To Debut PBS Special

Whether you live in the Chicago area or not, you can participate in Saturday's debut telecast of the concert special Clay Aiken: Tried & True - Live! through a live chat on PBS station WTTW-11's website.

Fans fortunate enough to reside within PBS station's viewing area can watch the special concert from 7-9 p.m. CDT. WTTW-11 reaches 1.5 million weekly households over a four-state area (all of Chicago and parts of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan), making it the most-watched public television station in America.

Others can share the experience by participating in a live web chat, hosted in the studio by WTTW Manager of Media Relations Julia Maishin, known to CA fans by her PinkArmchair screen name. In addition to a play-by-play of the two-hour program, the chat will be a place people can ask questions and talk about what they are seeing.

Clay To Take Calls on Breaks

Saturday's special premiere of Clay Aiken: Tried & True - Live! will consist of the Raleigh concert taped in March with scheduled live breaks during which fans and patrons can ask questions and make donations to the public television station. Here are the specifics:

LIVE BREAKS (Revised)

Break #1: 7:16-7:24 pm CDT
Break #2: 7:43-7:53 pm CDT
Break #3: 8:13-8:25 pm CDT

PHONE NUMBER: 1 (773) 588-1111

According to Pink, during these times, Clay may circulate and pick up calls from people who pledge. Viewers and those following along can begin calling the station a couple of minutes before 7:16, throughout the broadcast, and afterwards. Calls during these breaks will be especially welcome.

Clay Aiken's Tried & True CD
Double clickable cover photo by Vincent Soyez

Pledge Gifts Feature CD, DVD, Concert

Thank you gifts associated with the pledge drive program include:

Tried & True CD - $55. Clay Aiken's brand new CD features 11 tracks including "Moon River," "Suspicious Minds, and "Can't take My Eyes Off of You." A PBS-exclusive audio track for "Build Me Up Buttercup," physical or digital download, is part of this package.

Tried & True DVD - $75. The special and DVD feature Clay performing 16 songs live including "Build Me Up Buttercup," "Who's Sorry Now," and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," with special guest Ruben Studdard. This DVD also has a behind the scenes documentary on the making of the special.

Tried & True Combo - $125. CD (physical or digital) and DVD.

Special Chicago Premium - $250. On Oct. 14th, Clay will present a special, one-night only, intimate benefit concert in Chicago at a 650-seat (accessible) venue. Seating is general admission. Phone pledges only so the station can track the numbers.

Supporters may group pledges into one call. Pledges for the CD and DVD can also be made online at WTTW-Clay. The station ships to Canada.

Clay Aiken: Tried & True Live! DVD
Double clickable

Local PBS Pledges Important

Other PBS stations will program Clay Aiken: Tried & True - Live! during August fund-raising drives. Fans are encouraged to make donations to their local station. However, to insure that the special makes a good showing in its debut airing, token pledges ($20, $30, etc.) are suggested for those outside the Chicago viewing area.

According to Pink, WTTW pledges, membership or token, will show other stations in the PBS system currently scheduling August pledge drives that there is much of interest in the program. "Nothing communicates that better than a lot of buzz and phones ringing when the hosts and guest are live on camera," she added.

Clay Aiken: Tried & True - Live! was produced by International Media with executive producers David Novik, Senior VP of A&R of Decca/UMG, and Gustavo Sagastume of Intl Media. Musical arrangements are by Chris Walden, Jesse Vargas and Ben Cohn.

PHOTO INTERLUDE: Below are clickable graphics featuring photos from the concert taping. Artists include Fountaindawg, 1, 2, 3, 4, and AmazingCA, 5.

Clay Steps Out on 'PARADE'

Clay Aiken will appears in the celebrity question section of Sunday's PARADE. Ironically, the singer is the third personality down just below Monty Python's Eric Idle, who has been anything but idle since Spamalot.

An Idaho resident asks what's new with Clay and will he be touring soon in the western states. The Tried & True CD, as well as the Timeless Tour, are in the reply. Parade used a photo by David Foster & Friends that is featured in AmazingCA's graphic below.

If you missed Clay on Access Hollywood, you can view the video at the AH website.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

SATURDAY, JUNE 12: WTTW-Chicago PBS, 7 PM CDT
* Preview of Clay Aiken Tried & True Live! at Chicago PBS station ONLY.

SUNDAY, June 13: Chelsea Lately on E! 11:30 PM (rerun)
* Clay Aiken is here, seriously, with his new CD Tried and True. Comedians Ben Gleib, Loni Love, and Gary Valentine also guest.

Monday, June 14: Siriusly Sinatra 6 PM ET
* Clay Aiken stops by to play some of his new recordings along with performances by our stars that he loves. Sirius XM Radio.

OTHER Chelsea Lately Reruns: Monday, June 14, 3 AM; Tuesday, June 22, 12 AM and 3 AM.

SATURDAY, JUNE 21: Bringing Broadway Home, 8 PM
* One Night Only, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium Ticket Info

July 27: Release of Clay Aiken: Tried & True Live! DVD
* Pre-order at Amazon now.

Have a wonderful weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

Clay Aiken 'Spin' Interview Tops

TRIED & TRUE: In this design, SueReu incorporated images
from the album's liner pages . Photos by Vincent Soyez.

Three T&T Songs on Radio!

Aiken, Flick Discuss Album, Life

Since Sunday afternoon, chatter around the Clay Nation has focused on Clay Aiken's in-depth interview with veteran Billboard editor/pop culture commentator Larry Flick, host of Feel the Spin Show on SIRIUS XM Radio.

The popular show, which airs on Sundays from 2-4 pm., features music from the current pop scene to the classics. The 45-minute segment with Clay began with the "Unchained Melody" track from his new Tried & True CD and quickly became the consensus "best interview ever" among his fans.

From album talk -- Clay's new home with Decca Records, producer David Novik, track selections, the recording of 15 songs in Germany in three days -- the discussion turned to Clay's personal life and the path he has traveled.

Fans Upload Interview to iPods

If you haven't already listened to the SIRIUS interview, download it with this Sendspace file. Some fans even have it on the iPods.

On the show, Larry, a former senior talent editor with Billboard, played three complete songs from T&T: "Unchained Melody, "What Kind of Fool Am I," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."

Fan feedback has been phenomenal, surprising the host, who, according to several Tweets, was swamped with appreciative messages from Clay Aiken fans. Here is one of the tweets:

I am blown away by the love I've been shown by Clay Aiken fans. I've gotten hundreds of kind letters after yesterday's interview on Spin.

To email the 'Spin' host at SIRIUS, use Larry Flick.

Clay Aiken

'Spin' Session Still a Hot Topic

Monday morning the interview was still the hottest topic around Clay Cyberspace. BelieveInHim shared her thoughts about the singer, the seven-year journey, and Sunday's interview in a post at the Clay Aiken Fans site. With her permission, here is a reprint:

Is there anywhere you would rather be? Is there anywhere else you could be? I know the answer to that.

Truly, from the moment I heard the first note out of his mouth, it was a compulsion. Not, I think, in a bad, weirdo stalker sort of way. But a need to hear that voice, have it in my day to day. It was like a drug, a soothing one. It elicited feelings and manipulated my senses.

And once I discovered more of this remarkable man, I was in awe. Of not only his talent but his wit and wisdom, his strength of character, his strength of conviction. So much to admire and so much to keep me here loving him unconditionally. I'm still compelled to follow, still happy that I discovered this man that, for me, is magic.

This latest interview gave us even more of a glimpse into Clay Aiken, and it makes me even prouder to be a fan. He was relaxed and confident, open and extremely candid. One of his best ever and I thank Larry Flick for being so genuinely respectful and happy to have the chance to talk to Clay. He is a wonderful interviewer, and I hope Clay will visit his show again sometime in the future.

I'm kind of proud of all of us who stuck by Clay as well. It hasn't been fun and games every day and sometimes there were long stretches where it was downright depressing dealing with all the crap not only thrown at Clay but at us as well.

But really, where else would we rather have been? It's all been so worth it! Boy has it ever!!!

PHOTO INTERLUDE: Premiere week graphics from Clay's Tried & True appearance at GMA, The View, and the Early Show, as well as designs of the CD cover, are featured in this interlude. They include Fountaindawg, 1, 3, 5; SueReu, 2; and AmazingCA, 4.

Clay Aiken: Old Songs, New Life

Making the media rounds is an excellent article about Clay by AP writer Martha Waggoner, Clay Aiken Finds Comfort in Old Songs, New Life. You may have already seen it at Yahoo, a newspaper website, or on Facebook. If not, it's definitely worth the read!

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ― For Clay Aiken, life now is about being comfortable, from the songs he sings to the life he lives.

Aiken's CD "Tried and True," released last week, is a collection of 13 songs from the 1950s and 1960s, all of which predate the 31-year-old Aiken. But Aiken feels intimately familiar with the music that he heard as a child, while riding in the car with his mother.

The songs, including "Mack the Knife," ''Unchained Melody" and "Moon River," are not merely standards, but songs Aiken wants to sing live. And since many singers make their bread and butter from touring these days, Aiken says he never wants to record another song that he won't perform live in concert.

"There are certain songs I've recorded that I've never sung since the studio," says Aiken, who starts a tour in July with good friend Ruben Studdard, to whom he came in second on "American Idol" in 2003. "So every song on this album is a song that I enjoy singing and love doing live." [snip]

His newly redesigned Website still has promotions for his favorite projects — UNICEF and The Inclusion Project. But now it also includes GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which focuses on safe schools for all students.

The entire article can be read at this link.

Clay Aiken: Tried & True Live! cover design
Double clickable enhanced by cindilu2

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

TUESDAY, JUNE 8: Chelsey Lately on E! 11 p.m. EDT
* Clay Aiken is here, seriously, with his new CD Tried and True. Comedians Ben Gleib, Loni Love, and Gary Valentine also guest.

THURSDAY, JUNE 10: Canada AM (check local listings)
* Canada AM cathes up with American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken in New York. See canadaam.

SATURDAY, JUNE 12: WTTW-Chicago PBS, 7 p.m. CDT
* Preview of Clay Aiken Tried & True Live! at Chicago PBS station ONLY.

SATURDAY, JUNE 21: Bringing Broadway Home, 8 p.m.
* One Night Only, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium Ticket Info

July 27: Release of Clay Aiken: Tried & True Live! DVD
* Pre-order at Amazon now.

Summer music lessons begin Tuesday, and the teacher sure hopes there's some practicing going on in the Triad. Meanwhile, A/C relief arrived Monday afternoon!

Sly Kai Emails Grandma

Grandson Kai, who will be 3 in September, sent me an email Monday night; but he didn't type a thing. Everyone else was otherwise occupied, so he REPLIED to his sister's Jacquie Lawson birthday card.

I thought it was strange that there was no message, so I dialed the phone number to see what was up. Sure enough, his mother was feeding Lia and didn't even know he was on the computer!

Kai knows how to log into the sites of his favorite kiddie shows. Now to get him to press some keys when he "writes" to Grandma, LOL!

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro

Clay Aiken Montage Rewinds 2009

Memories of 2009 - Montage by LovesClaysVoice

Fans Anticipate 2010, Decca Decade

Montage Bids 2009 Farewell

The old year is winding down; and, like everyone the world over, Clay Aiken fans are recalling highlights of 2009. Even more pronounced, however, is the immeasurable anticipation of 2010!

"Memories of 2009" by LovesClaysVoice replays the departing year with a parade of events including Clay's final performance of "Spamalot"; Golfing for Inclusion fundraiser of the National Inclusion Project; GLAAD presentation; judging stint on "America's Next Top Model" with Tyra Banks; Family Equality Council Award; guest performer with "David Foster & Friends" Concert; "30 Rock"; Capital Awards; Champions for Change Gala; and a second surprise appearance at another DF&F Concert.

BULLETIN: In his capacity as UNICEF Ambassador, Clay posted an excellent essay at 6:23 a.m. 12/29/09 on The Huffington Post: Progress in Somalia Despite Difficult Circumstances. Readers who click on Clay's byline are taken to his UNICEF bio.

The 2009 montage plays to the beautiful song "Shine," performed by William Joseph, pianist-composer. LCV has provided a Sendspace link for those who would like to download the video. Memories of 2009 can also be viewed at YouTube.

William Joseph was the opening act for Clay's 2005 Joyful Noise Tour, covering 36 cities in the US and Canada during November and December. His latest album, Beyond, is in stores now.

The song "Shine" is from the multi-artist album EFY 2009 - Be Thou an Example. Originally produced for Especially for Youth participants, the CD was released to the public at the end of the summer. Individual songs can be downloaded at the site link.

PHOTO INTERLUDE: In honor of 2009's "Very Best of Clay Aiken" compilation, the clickable overview begins with the artistic cover and features graphics by cindilu2, 1; Fountiandawg, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10; AmazingCA, 3, 5, 7, 11; and Ashes, 9. Photographers include Katy4Clay, 5, and BigAppleforClay, 10.

New Decca Chapter Blasts Off

During down time, Singer Man's fans reminisce about past performances, stream, vote, chat, share favorite videos, photos, graphics, even recipes.

All the while, alert sentries maintain Internet vigils via Google, Twitter, and other news/social networking sites for any hint the tide might be turning. In the late afternoon of Aug. 27, a simple tweet -- Just met Clay Aiken! -- sounded the alarm throughout Cyberspace.

Within minutes, message board sleuths knew the twitterer's name, rank, and serial number: Drew Farrar, music publicist for Decca Records in New York City. Ten minutes later Clay's new label posted a photo via TwitPic of the singer with David Novik, head of A&R for @deccalabelgroup.

DECCA JOURNEY BEGINS - Clay met with Decca vice president David Novik in late August. - Photo from TwitPic.

Global Fan Response Surprises Decca

Views at the TwitPic site, which hit 10,000 by midnight, are closing in on 32k. Fans discovered YouTube video blogs in which Novik was interviewed about the music business. Twitter and TwitPic were flooded with excited comments from fans from around the globe.

Faithful Japanese fans chimed in at TwitPic: All the Clay fans from Japan are looking forward to his new music. Please get him to come over to Japan!

Apparently surprised with the outpouring of excitement from CA fans worldwide, Decca at Twitter responded with this tweet:

With apologies to VP Novik, visual artists immediately converted Clay's portion of the pixels into graphics, banners, avatars, and other designs. The clickables are by AmazingCA, Fountiandawg, and cindilu2.

The Clay Nation bids 2009 a fond farewell and knows the best is yet to come! Bring on 2010!

Caro