from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64709-2003Jul29.html
i dunno exactly what this person is trying to say, but there are certain parts that i do like. ^_^

"Each singer came out in order of disappearance to sing a familiar hit -- Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" for the wanly lovely Julia DeMato, "The Way You Make Me Feel" for falsetto specialist Ricky Smith, Stacie Orrico's "Stuck" for the token rocker chick in the bunch, scarily over-cosmeticized Branson blonde Kimberly Caldwell."
(sorry kim c!)

"As the talent level inched upward, so did the quality of the performances. Stalking the stage from side to side gave way to burning the thing up. Trenyce, a female drag queen with a diva's intimidating presence, rolled out "Proud Mary" to the accompaniment of shooting flames and shaking dancers. Hers was the first performance worthy of the stage for something other than curiosity value."
(so do you or do you not like trenyce?)

"Rotund, ever-smiling Ruben Studdard, a crooner whom Gladys Knight dubbed "America's Velvet Teddy Bear," may wear the "Idol" crown, but it was runner-up Clay Aiken, a lanky Southerner with an epic voice and flirty ways, who swanned away with the audience gold. From the number of homemade T-shirts, signs and earsplitting screams that erupted at his slightest peep, Aiken was the night's winner, if not the show's. (Studdard even joked about his own single peaking at No. 5 while Aiken's reigned at No. 1.) He performed the FM-lite "This Is the Night" to the accompaniment of shrieks and swoons, indulging in heretofore unseen displays of emotion -- deep knee bends that brought the vocal lines swooping up from his toes, unexpected moments of stillness that snapped his voice into focus."
(yes, clay's definitely the winner!)

"If Aiken has the charisma, Studdard has the charm. He teased the audience, acknowledged his mom, played to the nosebleed seats and did everything a good performer should do except showcase his voice. A repetitive hip-hop single from his upcoming album turned him into the Velvet Thuggybear, and his signature song, a painfully slow rendition of "Superstar," seems to be mostly made up of the word "baby". "
(uh huh...)

posted by Yee 12:26 PM

. . .

AH! how long has it been since i last blogged? er... hmm... haha, well, here's another article! nothing especially mentionable about the article in particular, but i do like the general tone. it's pleasant. well, here's the link, http://www2.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/idol07282003.htm , and here's the article...
===================================================
Spirited and talented group shows why they are America's Idols
American Idol Live! tour, at the Worcester Centrum, Saturday night.

The "American Idol'' Class of 2003 brought their American Idols Live! tour to the Worcester Centrum Friday and Saturday night. Like a high school yearbook, there was Most Improved (Julia DeMato), Worst Hair (Carmen Rasmusen), Worst Dressed (Kimberly Caldwell) and Most Likely to Succeed (Clay Aiken).

Charles Grigsby, the second singer eliminated, was the first of nine performers. A good dancer, Grigsby was barely audible and is the contestant most likely to be working at the Gap a year from now.

DeMato emerged from underneath the stage lounging on a sofa and sang a surprisingly good rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful.'' The hairdresser from Brookfield, Conn., would have lasted much longer in the competition if she had always displayed this much poise and talent. Taken out of the stress of the contest, they were all more comfortable and entertaining. Still sporting his million dollar smile, Rickey Smith delightfully covered Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel.'' Kimberley Locke and Trenyce commanded the stage like seasoned performers.

Four extraneous backup dancers popped in from time to time. Not that talented or professional (one dancer seemed to be constantly giggling), the dancers were, as judge Simon Cowell might have said, positively dreadful.

Runner-up Clay Aiken sang his single "This is the Night'' before introducing "your American Idol Ruben Studdard.'' Sporting a Red Sox hat and a delightful stage presence, Studdard sang the song that guaranteed him a spot in the final 12 - his show-stopping version of The Carpenters' "Superstar.''

The three-hour show used the same stage, special effects and format as the original tour. But while that show, which featured winner Kelly Clarkson and her cohorts, felt distinctly like a live version of the TV series, this felt more like a concert. That's probably due to the overall level of talent this time around and the fact that "American Idol 2'' produced two idols. With a powerful voice that belies his slight stature, Aiken outsang everyone, even the silky smooth Studdard.

After a 20-minute intermission, Aiken and Studdard did a suave duet of "The Girl Is Mine.'' Polar opposites in appearance and style, their debonair and blithe attitude had a distinct Rat Pack feel. These two could take their act to Vegas and do just fine.

The pacing of the second act was uneven and there were numbers that should be voted off the stage. The nadir of the evening was Caldwell, DeMato and Rasmusen's version of Pink's "Feel Good Time.'' Suffice it to say, Caldwell's confidence still far exceeds her talent.

But these kids are just so darn happy to be there and so darn grateful to the audience who made their success possible, it's hard not to root for them. "Thank you for giving me the chance to follow my dream,'' Studdard told the crowd.

After ending with the appropriate "I Had the Time of My Life,'' the gang returned for an encore. Aiken sang his upcoming release "Invisible,'' which certainly sounds like a radio hit. Studdard sang his current release "Flying Without Wings'' and everyone joined in on the American Idols' version of "God Bless the USA.''
===================================================

posted by Yee 12:00 PM

. . .

sugarpie just graduated... had her commencement today. interesting... lots of people and phototaking. nice... i was practically the cameraman of the day, taking photos all the time. i was barely in the photos. i was, about 5 times. huhuh...

anyway, came across another lovely article from foxes on idol. i like their articles. they're not biased, they're not rude, and they make sense. respectable. anyway, here's the link: http://www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article1292.art&page=1


The Marketability of Clay and Ruben
Simon Cowell may have declared that America choosing Clay and Ruben as the two American Idol finalists was going for talent over image, but Christina would argue that both Clay and Ruben in fact had marketable images from day one. Just what are those images? And who seems poised to be more marketable in the long run?

This past season on American Idol, a big hullabaloo was made out of the whole “talent vs. image” issue. On the Tuesday night finale, judge Simon Cowell, in his supreme wisdom, declared that America got it right by choosing Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken as the top two finalists, thus apparently going for talent over image. Does this indicate a new trend in pop music - one towards quality and away from commerciality? Maybe - but then again, maybe not.

Despite what Simon would have us believe, Clay and Ruben had marketable images from day one, the winner of AI was chosen based on who had the better image, and the real-life winner will be determined by who has more long-term marketability.

In their very lack of the “right” look, Ruben and Clay rediscovered a highly marketable image – that of the lovable misfit. Considering the past popularity of similar personas, from Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp to Ernest Borgnine’s Marty, it’s surprising that everyone was so taken aback by Clay and Ruben’s success. The music industry has been concentrating on promoting brooding bad-boys, simpering sex-kittens, and the like for so long that it’s slipped their minds that people have a need for celebrities they can identify with, relate to, and sympathize with.

Ruben and Clay on American Idol represented the common person’s potential to transcend their own personal stereotype and become a success. Thus, for their representative in the music industry, the American public chose the contestant who appeared to be the most successful. It was Ruben who had that “winner” image. Clay may have been the only contestant never to land in the bottom two or three, but Ruben had the overwhelming support of the judges and the media. They told the public time and time again that Ruben was the winner. Of course, the millions of ordinary people voting wanted a winner to represent them. Ruben’s image in the media won him the AI title (DISCLAIMER: I’m not saying that Ruben didn’t deserve to win, or that Clay should have won. But I have read enough critiques of Clay and Ruben’s singing – by musicians, vocal coaches, music teachers, and even an engineer who used audio analyzing equipment to quantify the quality of their voices – to convince anyone that if the winner was chosen based on vocal skill alone it would have been Clay).

So why was Ruben preordained by the judges (read: Simon) and the media?

In Simon’s case – as third place AI contestant Kimberley Locke astutely pointed out to Paula Abdul after being voted off the show – it was because he thought Ruben was more marketable. That is, Ruben had a cooler image. Really, Simon doesn’t seem to have any taste or discerning ear of his own, but he’s able to pick up on signs and signifiers of what will most readily be accepted by the public. It’s an attribute of his that is most vividly depicted by his wildcard pick – cute and bubbly, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Carmen Rasmusen, whose singing has often been harshly criticized. So when faced with the choice between a big, raspy-voiced, jersey-wearing black guy and a gangly, giggly, freckle-faced white boy, Simon didn’t have too tough a time deciding which one he’d support.

The media was likely thinking along the same lines as Simon – that it was cooler to support Ruben. But they probably also found it easier. After all, there really wasn’t all that much to say about Clay. Sure, he was a nice guy, he worked at the YMCA and taught autistic kids, but who really wants to hear about that? Ruben, meanwhile, seemed to come with his own marketing campaign. He was “representin’ the 205.” He was the “Velvet Teddy Bear.” He was “Ruuuben!” Ruben’s gimmicky image was much more marketable than Clay’s within the American Idol framework and led to him winning the popular vote.

The contest is over now, but the comparisons continue. Will Ruben or Clay have more success in the real world? Now that the fans have the opportunity to get to know their idols beneath their gimmicks; whose image has the power to captivate the public for years to come?

Ruben’s image, unless you count the addition of a new nickname (the “Round Mound of Sound”), has been pretty static. He doesn’t say much in interviews apart from the same-old thanks to God and his fans, the awestruck statement about what an amazing experience it’s all been, and the occasional monosyllabic quip. We haven’t learned anything new about who Ruben really is.

Meanwhile, Clay’s image has been getting more detailed and better defined ever since he was unleashed upon the interview circuit. His chatty nature dominates interviews and he always has funny stories to tell and goofy faces to pull. Clay is an entertainer through and through. He’s also made it clear that there are certain principles he stands for. Besides being the unofficial spokesman for the Autism Society and YMCA and his general good manners, Clay doesn’t believe in premarital sex and would never dream of doing anything he’d be ashamed to have his own children know about. And as Clay’s troubled childhood becomes known to the public, he is becoming an even more sympathetic and admirable person.

Not only is the media finding Clay the more interesting and charming of the two AI finalists, but they’re also beginning to recognize that he has a certain appeal that was not shown to its full advantage on American Idol – namely, sex appeal. Some find it baffling and try to deny it, but hordes of screaming girls can’t be ignored – the fact is that Clay has sex appeal, and plenty of it. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that possessing such an appeal definitely gives Clay’s image an edge.

The frenzy surrounding Clay is already being compared to Beatlemania. His enormous overall appeal is reflected in his chart-topping single sales, his making the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, his unnamed album rocketing to the #1 spot on Amazon, and the sheer adoration of the crowds for him at the American Idol concerts. Clay’s genuine, sincere nature is what most fans find so endearing about him. Image is still an essential factor in any celebrity’s success, but Clay has proven that “image” is more than how one looks and that it doesn’t have to be constructed by production executives and publicists. He achieved all that he has just by being himself. Ruben may be the “Velvet Teddy Bear,” the “Round Mound of Sound,”and the American Idol, but it’s Clay – plain ol’ Clay - that people can’t get enough of.



little reminders of how much we love clay... aww...

posted by Yee 11:42 PM

. . .

the stupid thing hang just now... irritating...
anyway i was saying, wanyu came and sleep over last night. after work she went home to bathe, then came over and we watched an entire night's american idol! i think she was too tired though... slept at 3am. if dad finds out i think he'll be furious. but anyway she seemed rather dead, didn't seem to be able to watch anymore of it. and i was like engergetic and bouncing everywhere though i was tired too. i washed the kitchen floor ok, honey.... now my legs are aching a bit. but it's ok. some exercise wouldn't kill. i was hoping we could eat BK breakfst this morning cos she never tried it before. but then since both of us probably wouldn't be able to wake up in time, we decided not to go there. i had leftover breadtalk anyway. made her some nissin mie goreng. she liked it i think. but then everyone who tried that said it's nice... and i think so too! it's not bad you know... talking about 'bad' and 'food', i tell you my dinner was #%$... i bought some chicken meat yesterday and it was spoiled. waste my money... even before marintaing it i felt like it had some weird smell. i was wondering if i'm just being my usual paranoid self. after cooking it turned out tasting weird too. so i decided to forgo it. waste all my efforts... the mushroom was pretty good though. i like it. aiyah, the stupid chicken lah... so i heated up the Q-bite black peper chicken. tasted alright though i bought it by mistake. meant to buy the teriyaki chicken one... stupid... anyway i told wanyu not to eat tohe one i made but she tasted a bit and found it perfectly fine. and she liked it. so she insisted on eating that one. yah she sure did. she said she didn't care, she had to eat it cos she it tasted good. haha... hope she's fine after eating that... oh ya yesterday night we slept without aircon. felt pretty alright... but it rained big time this morning and i had to get up, after about only 4 hours of sleep, to close all the windows in case the rain came in. then i went back to sleep again. hehe...
alright, better go and prepare my lunch now. then need to start on the papers again...

posted by Yee 2:49 PM

. . .

i wanna see if this thing comes true. i hope it does. i hope clay BECOMES a true idol. hey, why should i even have any doubt about that? more than often clay is being compared to the next frank sinatra or elvis presley... from http://www.beaversonidol.com/articles/Claytrueidol.html

American Idol: Is Clay Aiken A True Idol?

American Idol is a Fox television program that is in essence a singing competition. The winner of this competition is given the title, "American Idol." But being given this title does not make one a true singing idol. What is a true idol in this singing/performing context? The answer is a difficult one to arrive at because there have been very few true idols. However, there are some precedents to examine and hereby compare. Does Clay Aiken fit within the definition presented through the precedents given? That is up to the reader to decide. Clay fans already know the answer.

What is a true idol?
The first bona fide American singing idol was Frank Sinatra. I doubt many would argue this assertion. Sinatra was a singer with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra during the 1940s, and it was soon realized that people were coming mainly to hear Frank sing. The majority of these fans were young girls known as bobby-soxers. This was before the term "teenager" was coined. These girls screamed and swooned to the sounds of "The Voice," later to be known as "Old Blue Eyes." Elvis Presley followed this kind of stardom about 10 years later during the 1950s. Then again it was the teenaged girls who launched Presley into a realm that very few pop performers attain. It is little wonder that if you root around the Clay Aiken fan sites and message boards on the Internet that you will come across icons like this:

==(somebody's siggy on idolforums. the one with clay, frank, elvis and the american flag.)==

The idol-maker of the true idol is found in the fans. The fans will make the true idol and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop it – not Fox, not the 19 Group of Companies, and not RCA. But why should any of those entities want to stop the making of a true idol? Well, there are good reasons for them wanting to tone this whole movement down somewhat.

A true idol presents problems
When a true idol discovers that they really are a true idol, they no longer need to rely so much upon those who helped put them where they are. In other words, their true power comes from the fans and not the record company or their manager, and thus they can become more independent if they so choose. The longer this fact is kept from the true idol, the longer those surrounding the idol retain control. This is a very natural power struggle, and Clay strikes me as a very clever fellow who will catch on to this concept very quickly, if he hasn’t already.

American Idol 2 was known to the viewers as a program that made up the rules along the way. For instance, instead of there being 10 final contestants, it was decided that 12 would be better. Instead of eliminating someone from the program every week, it was decided that when someone was disqualified from the competition, no one needed to be eliminated even though the public was led along to vote. Of course, having the schedule end in an important sweeps month seemed to dictate most of these changes. Instead of there being one final winner who wins the recording contract, there was one final winner but two recording contracts were offered. Well, sometimes changing the rules results in something good happening for the public, but did they really have a choice? The voting margin was just so incredibly slim between Ruben and Clay, and, even then, it was very well known that Clay’s fans were not only great in number but exceedingly tenacious too.

It was thought that releasing the two singles at the same time would enhance sales as the fans of Clay and Ruben competed through purchasing. Maybe this worked in increasing sales, but we will never really know. However, what we do know happened was that Ruben was robbed of having a number one single and he was the one that had the official title, "American Idol." Clay’s single simply held the number one position while Ruben’s went no higher than number two. Did anyone anticipate this? Perhaps they did, but the day of the single really ended over 30 years ago; the album is what counts today. Originally, both albums were to be released at the same time – August 19th. The new plan is that Ruben’s album will be released first, and Clay’s album will come out two weeks later. We have been told that this will occur in September, but don’t hold your breath because it might be even later. However, releasing Ruben’s album first should ensure that Ruben would at least have the number one selling album for a time. Ruben deserves his day in the sun, and everyone knows what would happen if Clay’s and Ruben’s albums were released on the same date. What this shows is that record executives are being forced to react and change their plans because of the number and intense devotion of Clay’s fans. This is one of the highest compliments that Clay and his fans can receive. It shows that Clay’s fans wield power and is a sign that they are creating a true idol.

Clay vs. Ruben
I wanted to do a comparison on a showing of Clay’s versus Ruben’s fans. So, I did some very quick but useful research to illustrate something very significant. I limited my research to the Internet and zeroed in on the Ezboard.com website that allows anyone to set up his or her own discussion board on virtually any topic. First, I did a search on "Ruben Studdard". I found only two message boards set up at ezboard.com totally dedicated to Ruben Studdard. One board had not had a new post on it for almost two months, and both these boards had very few members and were virtually inactive.

Then I did a search to find ezboards on the topic of "Clay Aiken." I found 26 such boards and each one is totally dedicated to discussing Clay. Most are quite active and two of them have so much activity that these must be two of the most successful ezboards ever created – we are talking about millions of page views on these two boards in only a matter of a few months with thousands of members.

I have heard that for some reason, Ruben Studdard fans do not cater to the Internet as much as Clay’s fans. Well, I would most certainly like to hear what kind of reason could possibly be given for such a ludicrous claim. The Internet is not necessarily used by Clay fans more than Ruben fans, but what Internet activity reflects is what is really going on out there in society when it comes to number of fans and the degree of fan loyalty in this particular instance. There are millions of Clay fans and a large portion of Clay fans are fanatical. The word "fan" is derived from the word "fanatic" so if Clay fans are reading, please do not take offence. It is you who are making a true idol out of Clay. A true idol’s fans are fanatical. Ruben’s fans do not appear to take the fanatical route in expressing their "fanship."

I do not want to take away from Ruben anything. I think he is a fabulous singer and he will more than likely have a long and successful recording career. Surely he does have a large fan base. Personally, I listen to Flying Without Wings far more often than I do to Clay’s This is the Night. But interestingly enough, I look forward more to hearing Clay’s new album than I do Ruben’s. I want to see if RCA has responded to the requests of Clay’s fans to fix Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Will the album version of this song subdue the choir and instruments so that we can hear Clay’s voice? What will the other songs on Clay’s album be? Will Neil Sedaka’s Solitaire be recorded by Clay? Will Clay do his version of Unchained Melody that was absolutely fabulous on American Idol? You see, I’m not even a Clay fan but I’m more interested in hearing Clay’s album than Ruben’s. How do you explain this?

Is Clay really there yet?
There are three key things that must happen before Clay becomes a true idol in my opinion. Clay fans might take exception to these items, but I really do not care. If Clay Aiken is following in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, then he must meet certain requirements. I did not set the requirements, but I have identified them through observation. Here are the three remaining requirements:

(1) I am waiting to hear that the security surrounding Clay on the Tour has to be increased because Clay’s fans are more apt to get out of line and tend to mob him whenever they can. I have not read such a headline yet. Will I? If I do, then this is a definite sign of a true idol.

(2) As the Tour progresses, I am also waiting to hear that Clay fans fainted during his performance and had to be taken away by ambulance. This is an effect that a true idol has on some of their fans. It is a true mark of a true idol.

(3) When Clay’s first album is released, I assume that it will turn gold in the first week (500,000 copies sold). I take that as a given. However, if Clay is a true idol, his album by the second week should turn platinum (1,000,000 copies sold). This is a tall order, but if the fans really are there, it will happen.

Personal reflections on Clay (author is James Shepherd)
In writing this article I took time to reflect upon Clay Aiken and his contribution to American Idol 2. Simon Cowell once told Ruben that this competition would not be the same without him. But upon reflection, for me anyway, American Idol 2 would not have been really very much of anything without Clay Aiken. The reason why I say this is that when I think back, pretty well every highlight of the competition involved Clay Aiken in some way.

I recall Clay’s singing that Elton John song in the wild card performance. I was completely blown away by him. All the judges were too, including Simon who said, "Wow Clay, I’m impressed." In my opinion, Clay Aiken actually sang an Elton John song better than Sir Elton John had done it originally. Who would not have been impressed?

I also recall Clay continually making excellent performance after excellent performance on the show, and Simon Cowell continually making some sort of negative remarks with the rare exception. Clay took these criticisms all in stride and never retaliated. And when Clay, in one of the last of the regular programs, performed Unchained Melody and did an absolutely marvelous job of it, Simon Cowell made sure that Paula Abdul’s very complimentary praise was promptly squashed. Regardless, I thought that Paula was absolutely right – it was the best performance of the entire American Idol 2 program to that date.

Hey! I am not even a Clay Aiken fanatic. But there is something very special about Clay Aiken that even I can see. I do not like some of his mannerisms. In fact, Clay and his mannerisms annoyed me throughout the AI2 competition. Nevertheless, Clay Aiken made some of the most extraordinary singing performances I have ever seen. He is a very special performer. Even I can see it and I do not fit within the profile of the average true idol fan. I’m the wrong gender and age, but I must admit that Clay Aiken rocks. If he is not a true idol now, he is scheduled to be one very soon. His fans already know it.

i hope that in time to come, it will be proven that clay IS a true idol. and not just for america. =)
please share him with th rest of the world. we'd be thankful...

posted by Yee 12:35 PM

. . .

clay definitely wasn't joking when he said that all the mania was "frightening" during halfway home... he's really freakin out... but what a dear he is... anyway, look at this article, it's kinda nice... i'm happy with it... from http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/6/057557-3036-009.html

American Idols' tour improves from 2002

If you're the type of person who's waiting for the "American Idol" craze to fade, this report will offer little hope.

The second touring franchise of the Fox television series rolled through Indianapolis on Saturday, and there were notable improvements from the first edition's visit in November.

By actually having top dogs Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken sing current hits and upcoming releases, the show boasted better preparation. Kelly Clarkson had a hit single last time around, but the final curtain fell without the song being sung.

And while the 2002 show featured random Stevie Wonder selections in fits and spurts, the new production pays organized tribute to the Bee Gees.

Of course, the biggest draw for the estimated audience of 9,500 at Conseco Fieldhouse was the chance to see Studdard and Aiken in the flesh.

The concert's first half consisted of solo showcases for all nine Idols. For Studdard and Aiken, the tunes perfectly fit their personas.

Studdard transformed the Carpenters' "Superstar" into a cascading volcano of soul, while Aiken nailed his easy-gliding ballad "This is the Night."

The official competition went Studdard's way this spring, but Aiken is proving to be a bigger seller in record stores. His hot streak continued in Saturday's live setting, where he was quicker with a quip and stronger with a lyric.

After an audience member tossed something past Aiken's face and into the carpet of dry ice that lined the stage, the singer responded with deadpan self-deprecation: "If those are somebody's panties, I'm out of here."

Luckily, the item was a harmless knitted-doll likeness of Aiken himself.

When the duo re-created the roles of Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney for "The Girl Is Mine," Aiken displayed twice the vocal range.

Studdard failed to wow when attempting to generate excitement for his upcoming solo album. A sneak peek of "Live It Up" sounded like "Hip-Hop for Dummies" as written by Carson Daly. The song's best line -- "The party don't stop until we hit the IHOP" -- fell to a backup singer.

For the rest of the "AI" players, this tour amounts to a public parade toward obscurity.

oh dear, how i yearn to go for one of those concerts... i wanna hear them...

posted by Yee 12:15 PM

. . .

wanyu is really, really obsessed with clay... hahaha... and you thought I was obsessed... looking at all these people, hey, i feel normal... at least my desktop wallpaper is still kenshin stuff! i'm still using the wallpaper with soujirou. cool... she already changed hers to a clay wallpaper. how crazy's that! hahaha... *happy* she's downloaded all sorts of clay pictures too. and talking about obsession, let's just put it this way. some people in the forums actually dream of him at night, and some really obsessed stuff as well. so me, i'm pretty normal. at least i don't have those crazy thoughts! i just like his voice, love his voice, and then everything else falls nicely into palce. looks, personality, style... oh! hahaha...

next tueday i'll be meeting the girsl for ktv again. yes, again... i've got tuition in the morning, then since there's a driect bus to chinatown point i might as well go straight there to get papa's tickets. the ktv lounge is just a stop away from chinatown point, so it'll be really convenient (i suppose). the only problem now, is that i don't know what i'm going to do there for all that time. fish will be accompanying me, but honestly what can we do for 2 hours at that place? there's nowhere to shop/ nothing to see there... i'd better change the songs in my mp3 player, and see what other stuff we can do there to occupy ourselves... hope tue will be enjoyable!

posted by Yee 5:26 PM

. . .

Posted by Voltron on Ezboard:
transcript of
Mn radio interview with Clay and Ruben
7/9/03

Hi all! I was lucky enough to have someone tape this interview today (7/9) for me. I didn't see the link to listen to the interview yet on The KDWB Dave Ryan in the morning show site so I thought I would post the transcript. It's very funny. Enjoy!

Dave Ryan goes to interview Ruben and Clay. Crisco the side kick DJ is brought along because his mother is a big fan. He wants autographs.

Dave: How you doin’ Ruben?
Ruben: I’m doin’ good man, just a little bit tired, but we’re getting ready to do the show.
D: That’s what my question is. I was talking with Clay about this earlier. Do you guys get enough rest? I mean, it looks like they’re running you guys ragged.
R.: Oh, we haven’t gotten enough rest in the past 3 days but…
Clay: 3 days?! (Ruben in the bkgd “what?”) What about 3 weeks?
R: Yeah, well it’s been kind of rough these past 3 days though.
D: When’s the last time, Clay, you got decent night’s sleep? Like, all the sleep you wanted, didn’t have someone banging on your door or anything?
C: I think the most sleep I’ve gotten has been on planes in the past few months(laughs).
D: Really?
R: Yeah, a lot of plane sleep. A lot of good American airlines, Delta airlines (ruben and Clay both laugh) northwest sleep.
D: Now, I heard that you guys-now- this has got to be kind of a heady experience. Cause I was reading rollingstone- that you guys- were you both on the oprah show not too long ago? Both on the oprah show, flew probably a private jet out to the oprah show. Is that a heady experience? What? You’re looking at each other-no private jet? They don’t fly you on a private jet?
C: Well, (laughs) well, Ruben you didn’t fly on a private jet.
R: I flew on a nice, comfortable, big Boeing-something.
C: I did get the, you know, opportunity to fly on the private jet, but it was more, really, more of a crop duster, I think (bkgd laughter) It was a crop plane pretty much.
D: Very nice, very nice! So what question-(interruption, Ruben sees something) Oh Ruben saw something here.
R: I see bootleg CDs up here.
D and C: What?
D: Crisco, you have bootleg CDs?
Crisco: No, my mom got em on Ebay.
D: Oh, what is that, does that mean bootleg Ruben?
R: That means they’re bootleg.
D: Do you want to confiscate those?
Crisco: My mom got em, not me.
D: Would you like to confiscate those?
C: (to Crisco) You’re an accomplice.
R: Oh my god.
C: He’s an accomplice.
D: Crisco, Crisco is flashing bootleg CD’s in front of the American idols over here, can we get security over here?
(Crisco says something like “I think she’ll be here tonight, you can get her”)
C: Well, we’re going to talk to her.
Crisco: Yes, definitely.
D: Now, let me ask you guys-
R: I’ll say it was all you Clay, they’re both yours.

Crisco: No, the magazines’ for you too.
D: Now, let me ask you this-Crisco, Shhh zipit, zipit. Okay, the best part-
C: I think he’s kind of bossy (directed towards Crisco)
R: Mmmhmm.
(laughter by all)
D: Let’s talk about, um, in the last-in the last year, the biggest change, Clay. Obviously, a year ago you could walk into any Mcdonald’s or Burger King or whatever, and nobody would, like you know, look-they’d look twice. Now you can’t go anywhere. Has that been the biggest change? What do you think has been the biggest change?
C: I would say that probably is the biggest change, you know, not being able- I haven’t been home that much, but when I have- when I do go home it’s hard- well, heck when I go anywhere. I went to London and got stopped by people. So, uh, yeah I think that’s the biggest change. Always havin to look around and see who’s looking at you and starin and makin sure that you’re not pickin your nose, because someone’s gonna be watchin, you know, that type of thing.
D: Now, have you heard, Ruben, about uh, Clay actually has a habit –I don’t know if you heard about this- he actually chews his toenails. Did you know that?
R: (feigning seriousness) No, I didn’t know that.
C: Wait, you know- Ruben stopped me from chewing my toenails.
D: Serious?
R: (Laughs)
C: Tell em Ruben!
R: Okay, I just lied. I tried to save face for you (laughter by all) but no, I saw him doing it one day and I told him he needed to quit so…
C: And, not only that, but he’s convinced me-Ruben’s very- Ruben takes good care of himself. I’m not even allowed to touch his arm unless I’ve washed my hands to make sure his shirt is not gonna get dirty (Laughter by Clay).
R: Yeah right (laughs) You lyin’. You Lyin!
C: Don’t even try… (giggle)
R: No, cause you like to play- you like to lay on the stage and stuff but the stage is dirty.
C: But anyway, Ruben keeps- he’s a big manicure, pedicure type person. So he’s convinced me to, to try to do the same thing. So, now I’ve stopped biting the toenails because- because my hands and feet are manicured, pedicured.
D: How’s that coming? I mean, was that a hard habit to break? You know, chewin on the toenails? Cause I mean, let’s face it, not a whole lot of people are even able to get their foot up by their mouths. That’s pretty impressive.
C: It’s not really addictive, you know, or anything. It’s just, I think, it’s a nervous habit and when I run out of fingernail I got to go to the toe-but look, tell the listeners that I haven’t been… (I think Clay shows his fingernails to Dave)
D: Let’s have a look here, hold still. Yeah, they’re not too bad. I mean, you wouldn’t be a hand model or anything. But, you know, you’re alright.
C: Watch it!
D: You’re alright. Uh, any bad habits, Ruben, that we should know about?
R: Naw, not, for real, no bad habits.
C: You do snore. That’s not a habit, that’s not a habit, I’m sorry.
D: He snores?

C: That’s not a habit.
D: Like loudly and keep you awake?
C: Nnnnnnh (thinking) yeah, you do.
R: I do not. I do not!
D: How would you know?
R: Cuz I know!
(Laughter by all)
R: Clay stop lyin man!
C: You do snore!
(Ruben says something that sounds like “the world is going to hell!” Clay shrieks. They all laugh)
D: Now, uh, I also read, a couple of other things here- one of you-self professed shoe whore. Who would that be? Who is that? Who’s-
C: I’m the SELF professed- I have said it about myself, but once again (laughter) Ruben, Tell the man the truth!
D: Who’s the bigger shoe whore. Ruben?
(silence)
R: Pffft
C: Tell them the truth!
R: No comment
(laughter by all)
C: Let me say, that I am a shoe whore because of this man right here!
D: Really? He’s blaming a lot of stuff on you Ruben.
C: I’m sure you still have more shoes than I do but I came to L.A. with two pairs of shoes. A brown pair and a black pair. And now I got sixteen pair. Ruben, listen, we went through the airport the other day (laughter) and Ruben’s got a prize pair of tennis shoes- where are they? Are you wearin them?
D: Tell me about the prize pair of tennis shoes, Ruben. What’s up with that?
R: I just have a lot of shoes.
C: But you have the one pair, and the TSA guy was going through the bag, and Ruben was over there sweatin! Like literally sweatin! He thought that man was going to mess up his shoes!
D: Ruben, say this for me. Say, “my name is Ruben.”
R: My name is Ruben.
D: I am a shoe whore.
R: I am… a lover of shoes.
(Clay laughs loudly)
D: a lover of shoes, Okay. Because so many people who listen to KDWB and the Dave Ryan in the morning show voted for you, Ruben, and voted for you Clay and voted for a lot of people, is there anything you’d like to say? I mean, you meet so many fans all the time. There’s so many people listening to the radio right now that would love to meet you. What would you like to say to the people who are listening to KDWB. Ruben, we’ll start with you.
R: He talks so fast, yall, I mean really!
(Dave laughs)
R: (imitating) blah blah blah…KDWB.

(laughter by all)
D: Is there anything Ruben, that you would like to say… to the KDWB fans, right now. Ruben studdard? Ruuuuben.
R: I would just like to say God bless you all and I really thank you all for all your support and help an just keeping me in the position I’m in. It’s all because of you. And me and Clay both are just really grateful to have the type of fans that we have. We just really appreciate you guys.
D: Awesome. Clay?
C: I think I’d just like to echo exactly what Ruben said because we are in this position- that’s absolutely amazing- we’re able to have an opportunity that we have both wanted for a long time and we’re able to have this opportunity because of the people who have supported us and no other reasons, so, um, so we appreciate it.
D: Awesome. We’re gonna have a little fun. You guys wanna have a little fun? You doing the interviews and working all day, we’ll have a little fun. We’re gonna play the “make me famous” game. I give you a first name- Ruben we’ll start with you- I give you a first name and then you give me a last name the makes the name famous. For example- if I said to Joe, you might say Montana, for example, ‘kay? Crisco’s gonna time us over here. Put down the bootleg CDs. Crisco, he’s gonna time us over here okay? We’ll go with you first Ruben- ten seconds.
(Crisco- ready, go)

D: First name, Tom. R: Banks. D: David. R: Hasselhoff. D: Sheryl. R: Crow. D: Dick. R: Tracy. D: Mickey… okay how many was that, 4? That’s 4. Okay.

(Ruben and Clay play argue about how fast or slow Dave says the names)
C: Who’s Tom Banks? (laughter)
D: Tom Hanks
C: I think he said- I thought you said Banks. I think he said- can we run the tape back?
(laughter by Dave and Clay) Because you said BANKS! And-
D: I got it.
R: Hold up, Hold up let’s start over, cuz you… (Clay laughs) I’m sayin, he, I’m sayin, he’s talking like now he wants to talk slow.
D: Do you want me to talk faster? We can do a really fast round. Ruben, you ready? Alright, are you ready? Do a fast round here. Here we go

D: Cindy R: Crawford. D: Shannon. R: Doherty. D: Liz. R: Taylor D: Nancy. R: Reagan. D: Tina. R: Turner. D: Fred. R: Hammon D: Kathy. R: um, Lee. D: Michael… Dude! That was much better. How many was that? That was, uh, six, seven. Seven in ten seconds. Not bad you’ve got your work cut out for you.

C: (unintelligible) (laughter by all)
D: What was that?
C: (giggles) I don’t want to lose again to you Ruben!
(Dave laughs)
D: Here we go, I actually have to go to my second supply of names here in the palm pilot. Then we’ll get right out there guys. I know we have to hurry and get you guys out of here


but this is too much fun, Okay hold up a second here- It is. It’s too much fun, I want you guys to have some fun here. Don’t have too much fun though. Okay, ready? Okay here we go, you ready? Clay? Pay attention Clay, tell me when to go.
R: Hold up, no no no.
C: Wait, he’s gonna time it because he doesn’t wanna… Oh he’s putting money on the table (laughter by all).
D: What you get?
C: He put a dollar down. I think- hold on, I don’t think I have a dollar.
R: I got seven.
D: oh, they’re makin a bet on this, okay, I gotcha. Alright.
C: I don’t wanna bet Ruben!
D: Makin a real bet. Here we go, seven in ten seconds. Ready?

D: Steve. C: Pffffffftttt (laughter) I don’t know. D: Robin. C: Gifford (laughter) D: Adam. C: Smasher- I don’t know! D: (laughs) Christie. C: Brinkley. D:Angela. C: Take your dollar Ruben!

D: There he goes, Ruben wins again!
C:… I’m makin up names here!
R: I can still do it, dude, give me another round! Say some more names!
D: Next time we see ya.
C: You put a dollar down, you made me nervous!
D: You wanna do some more? It’s up to you.
R: Right now, 5 names!

D: Alright, here we go- Vanessa. R: Bell. D: Kim. R: (can’t think of one) hahaaaaaha
Clay jumps in: Coles. D: Linda. C: Ronstadt. D: Pam R: Grier. D: Justin. R: Timberlake. D: You should have said Guarini, huh? What’s with that huh? Huh? Jake. R: The Snake. D: John R: (laughter) D: Ed. R and C: Mr. Ed. D: Now, see, that doesn’t count. That doesn’t count. Ruben you did great. Thank you very much. You won the dollar. Clay Thank you very much!

C: I didn’t do so great, I know. Thank you though!
D: It’s fun talking to you guys. Thanks man.

posted by Yee 1:02 AM

. . .

tomorrow going fishing! eh no, sorry... tomorrow going swimming... at first i'll have 2 tuitions tomorrow, but then mrs tay just called and said sean cannot have tuition tmr. the boy fell down from the bed and had a deep cut on his lips. doubt he's in any mood to have tuition anyway... so tmr only malinda in the morning. then after that i'll go swimming in the afternoon. ok... then after that i shall have dinner with them. wonder if i should have something before going, in case i get hungry you know... then will feel cold... see how tmr... maybe i'll get a pandan cake or something... hah!

you know what? they had the first AI tour concert at St Paul already!!! aaaarrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhh............... I WANT TO GO! I WANT TO GO I WANT TO GO I WANT TO GO... I WANT TO GO AND SEE CLAY! AND TRENYCE! AND JULIA! and ruben! lemme show you what they were saying...


QUICK SUMMARY:
The Stage was set up just like the American Idol TV show, with two ramps curling down to the stage from the giant AI video screen in the center/back. The big, center, AI video screen is set higher up than it is on the show, so the ramps are steeper. The band sits in the middle of the two ramps, on the main stage level.

There were four dancers that really rocked, they were incredibly energetic and limber, complete with gymnastics training. These people knew how to move. There was also a live band with five members, one of which (a guitar player) played with Ruben for his band in Alabama. They were an excellent band, two guitar players, two keyboard players (one official keyboard player and another who was introduced as the music producer), and a drummer.

They went in order of first eliminated to winner of AI. Each performer introduced the one after them, and after they introduced the performer, a short AI clip would air on the big screen. Since Charles was first, a video clip of Randy Jackson talked about him and introduced him.

There is definitely something here for fans of every performer, because they all get ample stage time.

Every one of the performers looked like they were in love with performing. They had natural smiles on their faces the whole time. They were all extremely comfortable on stage.

They sang a lot of “new” stuff at this show, including some major new releases that are currently playing in the Top 40 charts.

Most of them complimented St. Paul and it’s hospitality because they’ve been here rehearsing the tour for a week or two. Most of them found ways to insert this stuff during the songs.

Clay was extremely chatty, definitely the most chatty of the group, or I should say he was THE chatter of the group, most everyone else made a few quips and then sang, but he really took time to wander the stage and chat to people. He took time out to make little jokes during introductions and to tease some of the other people, and in general had fun with the audience. He was just beaming throughout most of the show. The man was born to be on stage. He looked amazingly comfortable.

Tons of choreography during the show. And the truth should get out: Clay can really dance (and so can everyone else). He snapped his head and body perfectly to different beats of each song, and even improvised some moves. He’s a natural. (Seriously, I dance and was part of a dance troupe, and he does not look stiff or thrown together, he’s got natural rhythm.) Ruben can move too. Just because the guy’s big, doesn’t mean he’s gonna suffer on stage, or that he can’t move. Even though it was hot up there on that stage, the boy really got involved in each song. He also spent a lot of time motivating the crowd and making sure he paid attention to every section of the auditorium.

FIRST HALF OF THE SHOW:
Charles Grigsby – upbeat song I didn’t recognize.
Julia Demato – “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilara
Rickey Smith – “The Way You Make me Feel” by Michael Jackson
Kimberly Caldwell – “Stuck on You” by Staci Orico (sp?)
Carmen Rasmussen – “Up” by Shania Twain
Trenyce – “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner (and CCR)
Kimberly Locke – “Band of Gold” by I don’t know
Clay – “This is the Night”
Ruben – “Superstar”
Ruben – “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross

20 minute intermission

2ND HALF OF THE SHOW:
All the boys in white – “the Lady is a Tramp”
The women in black – “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child
All the boys and all the women – a “fight” between “Bootylicious” and “The Lady is a Tramp”
Clay and Ruben – “The Girl is Mine” by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
Kim L. – “Inseparable”
The whole group – Bee Gees medley, with some starring roles
Ruben – new song, “Pretty Toes” or something like that
Rickey – “Crazy” by Prince. I think Charles joined in on this one too.
Carmen – “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” – from the Footloose soundtrack
Clay – “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John
Kimberly Locke – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Kimberly Caldwell – “Feel Good Time” by Pink
Rickey Smith and Julia Demato – beautiful ballad I can’t think of the title of, with the lyrics, “If I never knew”
Trenyce – “I have nothing without you” by Whitney
Trenyce in the lead with all the girls – “Every Woman” by Chaka Khan
Kim L. and Ruben – something about “the best things in life are free”
Clay starts and then the whole group sings, “Time of my Life” from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack
Clay – new single, “Invisible”
Ruben starts, Clay and Kim L. join in – “Imagine”
Last number – “God Bless the U.S.A.” – the whole group sings this one.

No encore.

NOW FOR THE DETAILED PLAY BY PLAY.

Charles Grigsby – entered from behind the video screen, sang a fast uptempo song I didn’t recognize, and he sang it well, this boy can really dance, he moved well with the dancers, was very cheery, sounded much better in person than he did on the show

Julia Demato – Rose from underneath the stage on a platform, on top of a white reclining couch, sang “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilara, sounded excellent, wore black I think, but I was distracted by the white couch and her voice, which was excellent, she looked bigger in person too, but still very good, her hair is much longer and looks like it has some highlights/streaks in it, her voice was very pure and clear, and her tone was wonderful, I was highly impressed, she really could hold her own with Christina

Ricky Smith – Entered from video screen (I think) – sang the Michael Jackson song, “The Way you make me feel” and had a female dancer accompany him just like the woman in the video, he wore a jeans ensemble, he really can sing in that upper register

Kimberly Caldwell – “Stuck on You”, by Staci Orico, entered from a platform, wore a red see-through top, belly exposed, belly button ring, jean capris, curly hair, she looked bigger in person also, but still great, this song was perfect for her, I’m surprised they gave her copyright permission to sing a song that is currently being played on top 40 radio stations, but it was perfect for her, she did a great job with it

Carmen Rasmussen – Sang “Up” by Shania Twain, entered from the side?, she can dance, and this is definitely her genre, she did a good job with it, she was all over the stage, made heavy use of it, was wearing a pink top and black silk capris and extremely high heels

Trenyce – Sang “Proud Mary”, there were heavy pyrotechnics (big jets of fire shooting upwards during different crescendos in the song), white 70’s top and short jean mini skirt, entered from the side, this girl was born to perform, she was all over the stage, she looked like she was raised there, she held her own with the dancers, never got breathless, and sang beautifully and powerfully. She was charming, knew how to work the crowd, (she could easily handle her own tour), said she “loved it here” (in St. Paul) and said she had to “make sure” she worked that comment into the night

Kimberly Locke – sang “Band of Gold”, entered from video screen, wore a really long jacket, black, looked great in person, looked smaller and more trim to me in person, introduced Clay as “I love him. You know what’s going on here. I love him and you love him too.” Her hair was in a pony tail. She looked so good. She sounded so crystal clear and perfect. That girl can saaaannng.

Clay Aiken – entered from a raised platform wearing a suit, sang “This is the Night”, total performer, standing ovation, said “MN nice” is true, I believe he said that he heard all these rumors about Minnesota nice, and he wondered how a state could be nicer than another state, but found out it’s true. Clay’s hair was excellently spiked. It looked as good as it did on the disco night, very uniform and good. He was very chatty and just owned the stage before introducing Ruben. The man looked like he could be Anthony Robbins, just relaxing on stage as if he regularly hung out with thousands of people all staring at him on a day to day basis.

Ruben Studdard – entered from the side, sang “Superstar”, and then sang “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross, jean suit, looked smaller, had a smooth voice, sounded great live, he definitely deserved to be up there. When I heard him sing I knew why so many people voted him through to the top 2. He really was excellent. I was so impressed with his voice in person, it is just so smooth, and he’s so creative with his styling. Really stellar performer and so charming. He paid attention to every last inch of that auditorium. You know why people love him and why his fellow AI contestants love him. He’s a sweetie.


20 minute intermission

Second Half of Concert

A bar complete with stools rose up from the stage with Charles Grigsby sitting at it, then Rickey was there, and Clay and Ruben were there, and they sang “The Lady is A Tramp”. They were all in white outfits, all different from each other. Ruben, Charles and Rickey were in similar type polo-esque shirts from what I can remember, but Clay had this sleek, very cool zipper front jacket with no collar. It looked very good on him.

Then the women entered from the video screen at the top of the stage, all dressed in black, and sang “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child. They really had some major choreography here. And they looked great, i.e. their dance moves were awesome.

After/during the Bootylicious number, the men in their white competed with the women in their black in kind of a dance off/sing off in which the men tried to sing their song, “Lady is a Tramp” and then the women tried to “steal” the show by singing “Bootylicious”.

Then Clay and Ruben were the only ones on the stage, and they sang “The Girl is Mine” by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. Clay had the surging part of the song with the lyrics, “But I love her anywhere,” and then the high pitched Michael part of the song where he really sings it, “But we both cannot have her, so it’s one or the other, and one day you’ll discover, that she’s my girl forever and ever”. They both sounded absolutely excellent. Ruben really is the velvet teddy bear, and Clay is just as gorgeous (IMHO) in person as he is on TV. Also noteworthy: these boys can act. The way they “played” with the song was great, acting as if there was a real girl they were fighting over. Ruben at one point lifted Clay off the stage, but in a gentle way.

Then Kim L. comes on the stage, from up top and sings “Inseparable” – the song she sang on her last night on the show. The crowd goes nuts. She sounds like she’s been in the business for 40 years.

After that, Kim L. announces that the American Idols all really wanted to sing one of their favorite numbers, and that was the Bee Gee’s medley, with old (from the show) and new (not sung on the show) songs. Clay sang his “to love somebody” song, and everybody sang a bunch of the numbers, including, “Jive Talking,” and Ricky with “Stayin’ alive” and everybody had a little part in one or another song, but they mostly sang together with hits like “Dancin’”.

A lot of choreography with that one.

Then Clay introduced Ruben, saying that his album was coming out soon and it’s really good. Again, he was incredibly chatty and comfortable with the audience. He said that Ruben would be singing the new single off his upcoming album, soon to be released. It was something like “Pretty Toes”, and it was really, really, really, good. Based on that song alone, I’m buying his album. If you like r&b and hip hop, you’ll love this. He has that Mary J. Blige quality where he free-styles over a really exciting beat. This song was cool, and it had the same kind of mellow but up-tempo speed as Whitney’s “One of those Days” or Ashanti’s “Rock with U (aww baby)” song. There was a strong beat underneath the song, I found myself rockin’ in my shoes. Also, there were cute lyrics in the song, like, “But you think Rube’s kind of cute now”. Made the whole audience laugh and smile.

Rickey then sang and air-guitared to “Crazy” by Prince. I don’t know if that was in the show because of the Minnesota connection, or if it will be in all the shows. Charles joined in for some of it I think.

Carmen then sang “Let’s Hear it for the Boys” and did a bunch of dance steps on a bench, similar to the dance steps in the movie, “Footloose”, where this song is from. She did an excellent job, she sounded really good, and proved that she can do more than country.

Then Clay sang, “Can you feel the love tonight”. The crowd went absolutely insane. Standing ovation etc. Pretty much whenever Clay came on stage the crowd went bananas and rose to their feet. At one point he took out his ear piece to try and hear what some of the crowd was saying, but they deafened him. You could tell Clay absolutely adored being up on that stage, because he literally beamed his way through every single number.

Kim Locke then sang, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” It was a different version, more uptempo, but really good. I don’t care how sick people are of hearing the song, when you see it in person, you almost come to tears because her voice is so pure and beautiful, it just takes your breath away. Standing ovation for her.

Then Kimberly Caldwell rose up from the stage on a motorcycle with Carmen and Julia, and she sang the new Pink song, “Feel good time”. It was absolutely perfect for her voice, she did such a great job, and her and the girls all really, really “got down” with some really cool choreography. You could tell they really worked hard to move like the hired AI dancers. The moves were really fun to watch, and Kimberly sounded sooo good.

Rickey Smith then sang a beautiful ballad, the title I can’t remember, but a lot of people would probably know it, it was a popular song. Sort of Brian McKnight-ish, although I’m not sure this was a Brian McKnight song. He sounded beautiful and powerful on this song. Midway through the song, Julia DeMato joins in and makes it a duet and it’s just amazing. They sound so clear, so beautiful, bringing their own styling to the notes. No over-singing. Some of the lyrics are, “If I never knew”

Every time you hear any of the top 12 sing, you wonder why they don’t all have record deals, and then you also understand how they made it to the top 12.

Trenyce then sings “I have nothing without you” She blows it out of the stadium. The crowd goes insane for her.

Trenyce is then joined by all the girls and they ask the women in the audience if they’re independent women, and all the women sing “Every Woman” by Chaka Khan. Trenyce leads the song while the others join in.

Kim L. and Ruben then pair up to sing “the best things in life are free”. They sound amazing.

Clay then starts one of the last few songs of the night by singing, “I’ve had the time of my life,” and then the rest of the AI’s join in.

Then the lights shut off. You’re waiting a minute, and then you hear Clay from somewhere say, “You didn’t think it was over yet, did you?” and he rises up on a platform in a “Minnesota Wild” hockey jersey to introduce himself. He makes jokes about how he’ll be cheering for the Wild….pause for comic effect…and then really fast, “unless they’re playing the Ravens.” He says he’s going to sing the new single off his upcoming record, the single is called, “Invisible.” It is sooo, sooo, good. It’s uptempo, and he has a couple of parts in the song where his voice goes ‘techno” ala Cher in her song, “Believe”. But he only does that twice, and the other 3.5 minutes of the song are spent showcasing his incredible range, with big crescendos, long-held notes, and …dance moves! The boy can dance. He really can.

Then Clay introduces “your american Idol” Ruben Studdard. He sings “Flying without Wings”. It’s excellent, of course, and though I’ve never been big fan of the song, I start to like it when I hear his smooth voice in person.

Then Ruben starts singing “Imagine, “ and eventually Clay and Kim L. join in.

The last number of the whole show is “God Bless the U.S.A.” complete with pyrotechnics, and dancers running with the flag, and fireworks.

Overall, it was a great show. It started at 7:10, and finished up at 9:40. I really wanted more. I had such a good time that it felt too fast.

We all think there’s going to be an encore, but instead we cheer and cheer and they turn on the house lights and immediately start back with the intermission music and the stage crew starts tearing down the stage and they push us out of our folding chairs (for the floor seats). Those people are on the MOVE to their next concert stop.

posted by Yee 11:51 PM

. . .

wanyu's actually surfing for clay sites! she went to clayaiken.com (the official clay site from RCA records) and claytonaiken.com. she thinks he's cute too! she asked me for all the video clips of his performances! haha, good taste! videos even better than audio, cos can see him... hehe... oh ya she commented that BOTW sounds even better live than studio. like what every other claymate has been saying. oh yeah... she says she can finally understand why i like clay so much. yes! all you need is to listen with your heart... aww... *dreamy look*

lap told me that she went surfing for more clay pics, then she says he doesn't really look that bad one lah... haha, i'm glad... frankly i don't think clay's dongs are her style, so i dunno if i should let her listen or anything... try lah! no harm. if she likes him then we can go into some obsession again! i like that feeling!...

posted by Yee 12:29 AM

. . .

hahaha! wanyu's clayverted!

wanyu: thanks alot cat, i love every single song in e cd... hee... i will treasure the cd alot! ?

wanyu: hi cat! i think i'm hooked on clay's voice already... how come the stereo recorded and the live versions sound so different? nevermind, i like both... so smoothing...

wanyu: clay's cd has become my daily dosage too... i think i prefer his live songs... especially somewhere out there... aww... *melted*
me: haha! yeah.... this is so sweet... (something like this, i don't remember what i said...)
wanyu: Haha... but if only e songs are longer... it's a wonder how his wide his singing range is... the song victor is fantastic too... hee... ok i go zzz liao... nitez
me: goodnight! yup, i like vincent too... nah, make it everything. i like all his songs! sweet dreams!
wanyu: oh ya vincent... haha... yeah everything is so nice. if only he has a concert... tsk tsk... k sweet dreams to ? too! by the way i think he's quite cute... hehe...

but of course!!! see...

posted by Yee 4:54 PM

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how low must your IQ be if you can't even push a trolley? what if you bang into the same person twice?
yesterday uhan and gavin went back to jkt. they took philippine airlines. there were so many many people at the check in counters... the best thing is, several of the counters were facing system failures. and those that are working were so slow at doing their job. our queue was quite short (comparatively, mind you) but it progressed real slow. i got pretty fed up so i went to this other counter that seemed to be faster. then this stupid indochinese rich woman queued behind me with he stupid zero IQ maid and an irritating kid. that woman kept standing beside me like as if she wanted to jump queue. ok, nevermind, i just stand where i am and ignor her. then that stupid maid behind kept pushing the trolley so close to me like as if any inch of distance in the queue would lead to a disaster or what. the problem is she kept pushing the trolley into my leg. when she did that the first time, i just turned behind and took a glance before advancing a little in the queue so as to leave more space between us. then she pushed te trolley into me again. that happened about three times before i just made some noise and told her to stop that. then the rich woman realised too and told the maid not to keep pushing it. anyway i was pretty pissed with the stupid maid and the trolley. i stormed back into our original queue (it started moving a little more at last). irritating... when it was our turn, the counter did it quite fast. makes you wonder why on earth the people before us took such a heck long time.
talking about stupid maids, the one at grandma's house just ran away and stole mom's t-shirt too. oh damn her. i hate these kind of maids. what was wrong with her? i hate it...
should i buy the rolling stones mag? the one with clay? i dunno... i don't really like those pictures inside cos the pose is just so not him. but then i just feel like owning anything clay. but nah, it's too expensive. the single was $9.95 and i bought it. now the mag is $10.90 but i can't bear to buy it. funny huh? but then it's different... i love clay's voice and i just wanted to support him. these pictures are secondary compared to his voice. as a matter of fact, i don't even like the pictures that much. maybe i should just save money and not buy it. spend it on somethng more useful right?
talking about saving, i dunno if i should go back to jkt. yup, i still haven't called mom and dad. was too tired yesterday and was in a bad mood. so, nah... later... later... hee!

posted by Yee 12:59 PM

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