http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=1765

Next up: the Clay Aiken CD, entitled Clay Aiken, which will be released on October 14. Presales of this album on Amazon.com continue to rank in the site's top 20. Following on November 11 will be Ruben Studdard's Soulful, which is not currently ranked among Amazon.com's top 300 -- but which released its cover art this week, while the cover art for Clay's album remains in development.

The absence of Clay's cover art is very interesting, as it indicates to us that the decision to release Clay's album first wasn't merely motivated by the fact that it was ready first, as Ruben claimed. Also, BMG issued promotional material for the upcoming Clay and Ruben albums this week featuring the Soulful cover art for Ruben but using the cover picture from the single for Clay. For Ruben, the promo posters read "Your American Idol"; for Clay, they read "Was He Your American Idol?" (the same tag line used for the single).

We're glad we weren't the person given the task of repositioning the Clay Aiken CD package from a secondary to a featured release; it looks like he or she still has a lot of work to do and not much time to do it.

posted by Yee 5:55 PM

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How do you dress your Clay Aiken? by sydstar
Name
Shirt?	Suit Jacket
Pants?	White Pants
Hairstyle?	Wild & Messy
His outfit cost...	$153
What you did afterwards	Made fun of Ruben & Chauncey's "duet"
Created with quill18's MemeGen!

posted by Yee 11:03 PM

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Here is the entire transcript of the Elle Article:

Aching for Aiken

[PART 1]
How did a baby-faced, jug-eared special ed teacher-and American Idol
runner-up -- become the fantasy fodder of sophisitcated women
everywhere? Allison Glock follows the rising star to find out

Clay Aiken smells like fresh laundry. It's the first thing you notice
about him--that he's well-scrubbed, radiant in his cleanliness, a
walking, freckled dryer sheet. The second thing you notice are his
lips, which are plump and ripe and shell pink. Much has been made
about his hair--the whole flatironed, geek-hipster red nest of it all-
-but little, too little, has been made of his lips, perhaps because
most of the world has only ever seen them contorted and trembling in
song.

Aiken, for the uninitiated, was the second-place finisher in this
year's American Idol contest. "I lost," he says, then laughs, which
is easy enough for him to do since his single "This Is the Night" has
already gone platinum. He has also graced the cover of Rolling Stone
(before Idol winner Ruben Studdard did; the issue allegedly sold more
copies than any in the last two years, including the Justin
Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, and Eminem covers to name a few.
His first album, Measure of A Man (RCA) out in September ranked #3 on
Amazon.com back in July. Fans range from Diane Sawyer, who has
adimitted to a serious Clay Crush on Good Morning America, to Neil
Sedaka, who cried on camera when Aiken covered his hit
Solitaire. "His voice is incredible, the pitch, the tone" said
Sedaka "I think he'll be the next Frank Sinatra." So much has
happened in the past nine months that I haven't had time to think,"
admits the 24-year-old, from the back of the van that's shuttling him
from New York City to a concert appearance in Hartford,
Connecticut. "Honestly, last night I was sitting in the hotel room
crying for about an hour. I had to call someone back in Raleigh to
wake them up because I needed to talk. Certain things have just hit
me." Most recently, it was his inability to take a walk. "I wanted to
clear my head, and I realized that if I were to take a stroll in New
York, I'd have to wake my bodyguard, Jerome, and then I'm not really
alone, so what's the point? I felt trapped and miserable. Sometimes I
just want to go back to teaching." That is unlikely because while
Aiken was ??? special ed teacher working with mostly grade school
children. He possesses a voice that's impossible to ignore.

Calling all Claymates

"I was gonna go to music school but decided against it," Aiken
says, "I didn't see the point." Then I was running an after school
program at the YMCA and I thought, "Forget music, I love this. I want
to work with kids with behavior disabilities. But Aiken still sang at
the Y and when he sang, people noticed. Whenever he belted out a
song, and he is a belter, the whole room quieted, heads lifted, eyes
widened, heart swelled. When American Idol happened along , the
mother of one of his students encouraged him to try out. Reluctantly,
he did. "I liked singing but I never wanted to make a career out of
it," he says with a sigh. When you work with kids who have autism,
they don't reciprocate any affection. You learn to find yourself
worth within what you do, not what people tell you about yourself.
Now with all of this I really have flip flopped. Also I am not much
of a cry person and this is a lot to get used to. Unlike many of his
fellow idols, Aiken didn't grow up a fan. "I never idolized
celebrities or musicians, even now I can barely name one, I like that
guy in The Pianist" he offers one when asked which famous people he
admires. As a boy growing up in a conservative family in Raleigh, NC,
Aiken enjoyed TV but was limited in his viewing options. Even the
golden girls was considered too risque. ?? Aiken is the pop idol who
knows next to nothing about pop culture. "You know who I idolize? Mr.
Rogers. Is there a market for the next Mr. Rogers cause I would love
to do that, I would much rather be quiet and important like him than
live large and be ?? celebrity." Aiken did not ?? pop translate to a
geeky authenticity and a captivating vulnerability. He says I'm cool,
he's cool.? Dress in ? khakis, striped polo star shirt, ?? shoes, ??
and a What Would Jesus Do bracelet, Aiken resembles a slim down
Christian Charlie Brown. His hair is ?mussed but not in a artful,
deliberate way like other idols. His teeth are white, square and
shiny. The only concession to his newfound stardom is a 15,000 dollar
diamond studded ? company watch that was a gift from Idol producers,
but he was embarrassed to wear. I was gonna auction it off for
charity but it is a present so I wear it. It is really a women's
watch, I like it because it wasn't ostentacious, Ruben wears the
men's. He'll probably show it to you". Standing over 6 feet tall but
weighing only 145 lbs, Aiken appears ?, unintimidating. A gentle
giant that consistently drives women between the ages 16 to 60 into a
sloppy puddle? of lust. In Addition to the Roling Stone Cover, there
are websites devoted to all things Clay run by women who call
themselves Claymates and shows? everything from Clay coffee mugs to
Claytionary, dictionary embossed with his face.? And then there are
the panties. "I got seven one night" says AIken with a giggle," and
last night I got 5 thongs and two depends diapers. One had a note
attached that says "Clay we love you too, from your older fans" That
women are so moved by his presence that they hurl their undergarments
onstage as if he were Elvis mystifies Aiken: "Ruben always jokes with
me that I could have any woman out there. He says, 'You need to hook
up with somebody before you leave the tour.' But I try and explain
that that's not what this is about for me. The reason women like me,
I think, is because I don't threaten them. I realize Ruben's right, I
probably could" - he pauses, blushes - "you know, but I respect women
more than that." He wrinkles his brows and shakes his head, "I am
extremely flattered that there are scores of women who are "in love"
with me, but I think taking advantage of that is wrong" Besides,
Aiken is a man who takes sex seriously, I was raised by my mother and
grandmothers and a lot of what I am is because I wanted to be
different from my birth father. He was a womanizer, when I go to
visit him there would be a different woman there everytime and I
thought that was really tacky.


--------------------------------------------------------
When I suggested that there are not many young men who would forego
voluntary, anonymous sex with beautiful ? girls. Aiken trucks? " if
anything, women want to take care of me, being motherly I think that
is partly the reason I sold a lot of records" The other part is that
Aiken can wring the juice out of any song he sings. The vocal
lovechild of Celion Dion and Freddie Mercury, he belongs to the grand
tradition of powerful, high ? singers who own the money note. When
you listen to Aiken, two things happen: You want to hear more and you
want to sing along. It is also the upsurging? intensity of the sound
mixed with the aw shucks innocence who is creating it. That
dissonance is what first captured the judges' attention. "Where is
that coming from" they repeatedly query, staring Aiken down, waiting
for the true source to be revealed. He was a sweet southern mama's
boy who sang like a big bad man. No wonder the panties are flying.

Inside the Idol Bus

It is 4 hours before show time and crowds are already forming at the
Hartford Civic Center. Many of the fans hold cardboard signs with
Clay's name written in big bubble letters. Other fans wear t-shirts
printed with his photo. Once beneath the stadium, Aiken emerges from
the van and brushes the remnants of his Burger King fries off his
pants. "I prefer Wendy's but they aren't as popular up here." He then
explains how much he misses sweet tea, fried chicken and all the
other familiar ammenities this ? southerners long for when they ?? I
have never left the state of NC before American Idol, he reveals. I
knew what I was going to be doing when I was 50. I was going to
teach, then get a masters and get married and get into administration
and be a principal somewhere. Now I don't know what I am going to do
next week. Even when Aiken talks, his voice is difficult to contain.
The words rush out from his mouth in torrents, pitching and rising,
quiet and loud. "I want to live in Raleigh but I know I can't. I
tried to go to the ATM the one day I was home last year and people
swarmed my car." I was like "people please, I just want to check my
balance." Ironically, the only place I can live? is LA because people
there just don't care. Just then, Studdard pulled up in a white
Cadillac Escalade. He emerges in a white sweatsuit, his diiamond
watch gleaming on his arm. He gives a friendly ?? to Aiken and ?? at
his publicist. ? ?? "Don't look at me that way," she chides, patting
his shoulder with a familiarity suggesting that this isn't the first
time she passed a ? of annoyance. Aiken pulls me aside. He wants to
show me the tour bus, something I was told was off limits to
reporters. Aiken disagrees and confronts a tour manager.

"Ned, you're a lying sack of crap. Don't lie to the lady in front of
me." "I guess I forgot," Ned says sheepishly. "You didn't forget for
squat. Now we're going to have to have a fight. That burns me up."
Aiken turns to me and says through his teeth, "You know what? You are
SO going on that bus." Aiken is nothing if not chivalrous.
Considerate, Polite. He is the guy who asks you questions and
actually listens to the answers. Even after ?/ question hours
later, ??thereby proving he finds you more as a ?? and he notices
things, like the empty Burger King fries that is lying at your feet
on the floor of the van so he picks it up, or the air conditioner is
too cold, he turns it down. It is this empathy and inherent
graciousness that is evident at every press appearance and
performance that leaves many to speculate that Aiken is gay. He has
denied it. And even more women who say "who cares." "I don't think
people know what to do with me", Aiken says, "I am interesting
because they don't know what to do with me."

The American Idol Bus is just like a nightclub. There are black
leather lounge chairs, plasma tvs, marble floors and the ? alcohol-
free minibar complete with privacy curtain. As we open the bus lounge
door, Kimberly Locke, who came in third, lifts her head from the
couch. "Clay!," she whines," I am having a crisis, I need you and I
need you now." Aiken apologizes and steps inside the lounge and
says "what is it honey?" then shuts the door. Outside the bus, the
other Idol girls walk around in skinny jeans and mascara, alternately
complaining and striking poses like they are on MTV. In time, Aiken
emerges, apologizes again and sits down at the ? for a dinner of
peanut butter and jelly and a glass of, yes, milk. He playfully
pulls? a staff member for ?. Idol Kimberly Caldwell who ?? joins the
table wearing a handwritten T-shirt that says "Quit staring, I'm
her". While she picks apart a cinnamon bun, Aiken tries to articulate
his agenda. "Am I going to turn into a diva or tries to make sure
that I do something valuable with my influence" Caldwell chews and
look far into the distance. "That's why I am starting a foundation
for individuals with disabilities." The charity named The Bubel/Aiken
Foundation is named for the woman who encouraged him to try out for
the show. "I would be more than happy to do this for three years and
have enough clout to make a difference, I don't need to win a grammy.
Still for some people who who say I turned into a diva already."
Caldwell laughs. Aiken proceeds to give an example for the last time
he went to KFC. "It was half an hour before closing and they said
they were out of chicken. It is KFC, how can you be out of chicken?
Well I am sorry, I was probably crankier than I should have been. And
I said, you don't have any chicken in the building somewhere? She
said, "we have some wings (?) if you want." I said I don't want
wings, I want chicken. She maintains that she doesn't have any so I
say, 'you can't tell me that every morning, you go out and kill some
chicken then make it fresh. I know you got chicken back there so why
don't you go back in the kitchen and cook it up" Now the whole table
was laughing. "The point is I would have said the same thing before
American Idol but I wouldn't have been considered a diva. I just
would have been considered myself".

"Where did you learn to sing, Clay?" Caldwell asks, flipping her
shoulder-length extensions behind her neck.

"At church, like everybody else."

"I learned at a bar," scoffs Caldwell, pushing back her chair and
heading to makeup.

Aiken looks around, lowers his voice and whispers "I'll bet she did."

The Hartford show was sold out, 15,000 people came to watch the 9
touring (?) idols sing and dance. The set resembles a beauty pageant
with dual staircases descending in a heart shape to center stage.
There are three giant screens that simulcast the show. The tour's
sponsored by Poptarts. Backstage, Aiken gets his hair ironed. He is
wearing a dark suit and ?? Kenneth Cole shoes. Next to him, all the
idols are piling on makeup and hairspray. Aiken rolls his eyes. "You
know, Ruben and I were at the radio show Zootopia in a giant stadium
and 60,000 people showed up. I just laugh because I don't get it.
People will chase the bus and sometimes I laugh because you know, we
probably aren't going to stop honey.

From the makeup mirror, idol Julia Demato announces that she and
Aiken have been dating for six months.

Uproarious laughter all around.

Aiken says, "You wish."

"I do wish," she coos and kisses him on the cheek.

Aiken smiles and wipes away the lipstick. "I think I'm probably not
as innocent as I seem."


"Have you ever done anything you regret?"

"When I was fifteen before I got my license, my dad bought me a car
and it was sitting in the yard so I took it out. I drove it all
around the city. I got caught and they sold(?) the car. Okay, how
about I am starting to regret this interview?"

The show has started and it's Aiken's turn to sing. Kimberley Locke
is on stage ?? but you can't hear her because of all the wooing? A
look at the audience reveals that it is not a bunch of pre-teens but
groups of women in their twenties and thirties who are ?? and raising
their arms in anticipation. "We love you Clay!" ?? a platform from
beneath the stage, Aiken is emerging like a mirage from a cloud of
smoke with microphone in hand. "When the world was up side down, I
could take all the time I had, but I am not gonna wait when a moment
can vanish so fast, lift me up." By the time Aiken hits the second
chorus, the screaming makes him all but inaudible. He gamely keeps
singing but a smile slips through. It's clear he can't believe what
is happening. ? loud gasp "This crowd is crazy." Aiken finishes his
number and proceeds to introduce "Ruben Studdard, your American
Idol." The crowd yells again but the enthusiasm is different, more
appreciation than hysteria. Studdard is a terrific singer but Aiken
has it all. Backstage, calm and happy, Aiken holds Locke's jacket
while she ?? pants, tightening them up a little?? "This is my real
life now," he says, dancing a little. "I am not going to change who I
am, but I am concerned about how I handle myself. Will I be able to
stay open and friendly?" His smile drops and he looks for a moment
genuinely sad, but he smiles again. "You come back in five years, if
I have become someone else, you can look me up and slap me in the
face." Back in the van before the show and the fans and the
shrieking ??, Aiken was stuck in traffic. He didn't complain, he just
told stories. About how he was approached for the lead in Rent and
Urinetown, about how he can't dance, about how Justin Guarini's
smoothness kind of gives him the willies. Then he told stories about
London where he recorded his album. "It was funny, the whole time I
was there, I was recording all day and everything closes at six. So I
sat in the hotel room all night. I was only recognized once when two
south Africans who were still watching the show back home stopped me
on the street. They said "who wins?" I said, "do you really want to
know?" and they said "yes, yes, yes." So I said "ME" and then took
off running down the street. Aiken laughs for a minute and then he
exhales, " for one brief moment, I hadn't lost yet."

posted by Yee 9:28 PM

. . .

though this was an article for kim locke, nevermind! haha, look at this...

“Which leaves us with the three who truly can sing, and who deservedly finished as the top trio on TV: Kimberley Locke, the best pipes of the three; Clay Aiken, the most accomplished performer and most likely to have a long career; and Ruben Studdard, the so-called ‘Velvet Teddy Bear’ whose soulful delivery almost makes up for his limitations as a stage presence.”

muahahaha...

posted by Yee 9:14 PM

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I HAVEN'T BLOGGED FOR A LONG LONG TIME ALREADY!!! sob... so damn busy, didn't even have the time to come and blog... not that i got nothing to say, but relly... haiiiii..... sshhh... i'm getting my EW mag this saturday, haha! looking forward to it! =p okok back to work. must do my CZ lab. bye bye!

posted by Yee 9:05 PM

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