1/29/09 - The Miami Herald had a short item about the 'Golfing for Inclusion' event. Also on the golfing front, poker star Greg Raymer is a supporter of the BAF. he played in another celebrity golf tournament for charity and earned $5000 for the Foundation! While in Florida preparing for the GFI event, Clay took time out to visit ex-Spamalot co-star Brad Oscar who was now working in the play 'Barnum' in that general area.
1/15/09 - One of the organizations that benefited from BAF grants this year was an acclaimed dance group called 'Dancing Wheels'. Their performances include dancers with disabilities integrated with those without disabilities.
On January 17th, fresh from his own stage success, Clay dropped by to see pal Ruben Studdard when 'Ain'f Misbehavin'' swung through North Carolina. Also present were AI2 contestants Trenyce and Frenchie Davis, co-stars in the production.
Mar 22, 2009 7:48 PM
Clay Aiken Kids
ICI and BAF unveil new inclusive learning program View
January 2009 - BAF has been developing a curriculum for schools to encourage inclusiveness in that setting. The first section of that new curriculum is almost ready to launch.
January 17, 2009 saw long-time WRAL TV anchor Lynda Loveland move to a new career in radio. She had been following Clay's career right from the start of AI2 and had become a good friend. He called in to the station on her first day to wish her well.
1/13/09 - Radio and Records.com - Clay was listed as the top person on their AC "Hit Predictor" list /
WHLI, a radio station in New York, had "On My Way Here" on their Top 50 albums of 2008!
Jan. 22/09: Clay's new UNICEF blog was shared on the ONE website. It encouraged people to sign an on-line petition urging the new President to put a high priority on global child survival.
Jan 15/09 - Last year in Somalia, Clay recorded a promo message for the up-coming 2009 TAP project. Sales of glasses of water at restaurants during that period will go to support 'clean water' initiatives in poverty-stricken areas. Ecorazzi was one of the sites that included this video.
February brought news of two BAF initiatives. The Californian had an article about a grant given in support of a Monterey County CA initiative to introduce a 'Let's All Play' after-school program that will include children with and without disabilities. The 'Edupinion' on-line site also put the BAF in its celebrity educational activism spotlight.
February 15, 2009: The 'Broadway Bears' 2009 auction was held. For the second year in a row, the Spamalot 'Sir Robin' bear was the top earner! A grand total of over $150,000 was raised to support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.
Feb. 20, 2009: Clay's representative Cindi Berger confirmed that Clay has indeed left RCA Records after five years and millions of records sold. Changing labels is not uncommon in the music business. What's up next for Clay? We can't wait to find out!
February 4/5, 2009: On-line entertainment news sites reported that Clay would be doing a guest spot on the up-coming season of 'Tyra Banks' show "America's next Top Model". He would be part of an acting challenge and join the judging panel for one episode.
2009 02 26: MENC 'Music in Our Schools' Month: The National Association for Music Education posted a list of the PSAs featuring artists from several genres of music. These were made to highlight the importance of music in a well-rounded education.
March Media - Check out candid Clay at the airport, AI Ultimate Playlist from EW, A promo for 'America's Next Top Model' and AOL's most viewed pics of the week..
Mar. 6, 2009: The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation announced its newest inclusion project, a joint venture with the BAF and the national Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University. The partnership would expand access to high-quality, inclusive summer learning opportunities for young people by developing a curriculum to help summer camps fully include youth with disabilities.
Various on-line news/celebrity sites carried information about the New York City GLAAD awards ceremony at which Clay presented the 'Excellence in Media' award to Tyra Banks.
March Media Part 2: Car shopping, models and golf all made news in the second half of this month.
MSN TV - 3/25/09/
In Touch Magazine - 3/25/09/
Daily Nebraskan/
Wellington - 3/8/09/
Fan picture at car dealership
March Fundraisers: Fans found ways to support the Bubel/Aiken Foundation through charity fund raisers. Every donation helps to fund one of the summer "Let's ALL Play" camps or one of the BAF's other efforts to get out the message of inclusion.
March 18, 2009: The rumors have been confirmed! Clay will appear on the season finale of the top-rated '30 Rock' television show. The episode is scheduled to air on May 14, 2009.
Mar 23, 2009 7:03 PM
Clay Aiken Kids
Clay to present Award to Tyra Banks at GLAAD Awards View
March 11, 2009: It was announced that Clay will present the 'Excellence in media' award to his good friend Tyra Banks at the GLAAD Awards which will be held on March 29, 2009.
Mar. 9/09: The New York Post article on the best of Idol music included 'Invisible' at #2 on the singles Top Ten. Clay has two albums among the Top Ten best selling albums of previous contestants on the show.
Mar 22, 2009 7:48 PM
Clay Aiken Kids
People Special Edition: Celebrity Transformations View
In March 2009, People magazine produced a special edition on 'Celebrity Transformations'. Clay had a two-page spread in the music section.
3/31/09 - Sony records announced the release of new entries in their Legacy Playlist series. 'The Very best of Clay Aiken' would be released at the end of March. It would include only material previously released on his other albums.
Apr. 2/09: In an AP Radio interview, David Foster sang the praises of Clay & Jaymes as parents. His description of Clay as a 'spectacular father' was picked up by many celebrity news outlets.
Apr. 8/09 America's Next Top Model: Clay portrayed a very demanding designer while each of the contestants acted as over-the-top diva models. Clay seemed to enjoy the activity and was encouraging to his acting partners. As part of the judging panel, he showed solid insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each contestant. Comments around the internet showed that he impressed many regular watchers of ANTM.
Apr. 14/09 EW on-line's Idol 10 All Time Best Makeovers included Clay at the top of their list. His 'geek to chic' transformation was amazing to watch!
April On-line media was full of references to Susan Boyle's amazing performance on 'Britain's Got Talent'. Comparisons to Clay's AI audition popped up several times. He also was featured on a list of reality television stars who made the most of/cashed in on their opportunities.
Apr. 21/09 'Night at the Tavern': The Family Equality Council hosted an evening that honored Clay for his positive profile as a gay parent, and also Terri Boggis who is the director of "Center Kids" at the LGBT Center in NYC. Entertainment was provided by singer Linda Eder. Clay made a brief speech. He even teased the fans who attended, joking that they must have thought that he was there to sing. *g*
Here are scans of the biographical page from the booklet prepared for the Family Equality Council 'Night at the Tavern' and one of the ads as well. The 'Tavern on the Green' restaurant was the site of the event.
The Family Equality Council blog carried a brief summary of the event, including links to photos and to some fan video that had been posted at various Clay fan boards. FOX 5 television carried a brief segment on their news recap.
American Idol Trading Cards were introduced. Clay has two cards: one for his Mack the Knife Top 3 Performance on AI2 & one for his AI3 special appearance to sing Fantasy with the Top 4.
Apr 27/28, 2009: Broadway Cares sent out their newsletter summarizing the 'Broadway Bears' charity fundraiser. A 'Sir Robin' bear signed by Clay topped the bids for the second year in a row. Also Clay posted a link to a previously unreleased track called 'Just You'. He just asked that fans who downloaded it make a donation to the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. (The song had been one of the new pieces tested out during the 2005 Jukebox Tour.)
'Rosie's Broadway Kids: Passing it On': Rosie O'Donnell has a program which provides children who are interested in theatre with an opportunity to develop their skills. Clay mentored one of the groups as they sang 'Corner of the Sky'. A video of his work with the children was shown.
What a mixed bag! Clay had his own find a Word puzzle in a special Idol edition. He also was included in an on-line slide show about celebrities who were bullied and another about unlikely celebrity best friends, shown with his pal, Tyra Banks).
May opened with an interesting combination of items. A flashback from 2003 featured Raleigh, Clay's border terrier, when she was a puppy. On a more recent front, the Davie Brown Index showed where several AI alumni ranked on their scale. This type of research is used by ad agencies and marketing companies when considering how well a celeb might be received as a spokesperson for a product. Clay was the third highest ranking AI-er! Qualities used in compiling the final rankings include: appeal, aspiration, awareness, endorsement, influence, breakthrough, trendsetter and trust.
May 8/09: FOX 5 San Diego briefly interviewed Clay at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay, the site of the up-coming 'David Foster & Friends' concert. Clay credited David's success to being a musical genius, and being down to earth. He said that David puts people at ease because he is so easy to work with.
May 9, 2009 "David Foster & Friends": Clay joined an extensive list of stars at the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay concert hall. During the show, he performed a medley of hits that David recorded with Peter Cetera (singer from the band 'Chicago'). He joined the cast in singing 'America's Song' to close the show. (David wrote that song with Will I Am of the Black Eyed Peas in honor of the inauguration of President Obama.) At the party after the main event, Clay sang 'Unchained Melody' for the guests.
May 13, 2009 Entertainment Tonight aired some backstage and rehearsal footage of the Foster concert. They had exclusive access. It looks like Clay and Donny Osmond hit it off quite well!
May 14/09 '30 Rock' season finale: Clay joined a large group of music stars to sing the parody song 'Kidney Now'. He was one of three performers who had speaking parts in another scene at the offices of the fictional television network. The plot identified him as a cousin of one of the regular weekly cast of characters, so perhaps Clay will drop in again to see his cousin Kenneth!
Reviews of '30 Rock' were very positive. The show as a whole was entertaining and Clay was noted for doing a fine job with his brief role. The connection to the 'Kenneth' character had been predicted in some previews and it seemed to go over well.
May 19/09 Popwrap posted the Forbes list of the Top 10 American Idol earners for 2008. The top 5 positions were filled by female contestants who each had a very successful year. Clay was the top ranking male, earning an estimated $2,2 million from his CD 'On My Way Here', his two runs in Spamalot and his other ventures. It sure beats what he'd have earned if he had skipped the AI auditions in 2003 and stayed with his planned career as a teacher!
May 19/09 Clay returned to his roots. He presented an award in Raleigh at the 'Capital Awards'. These are Raleigh's version of Broadway's 'Tony Awards'. Students are honored for excellence in high school musical theatre productions.
'The King of Controversy' strikes again! At the Official Fan Club, Clay blogged to members about Idol season 8 in response to fan questions, setting off an unexpected media firestorm due to comments about one contestant. Clay blogged again on the public side of the fan club to clarify.
The 'Idol Chatter' blog posted some comparison numbers for the first singles released by the winners and runners-up from the first 8 seasons of Idol.
(Note: Season 1 runner-up Justin Guarini did not have a single released immediately post-series.)
Early June quick mentions: Clay's name came up in a couple of articles in the Raleigh 'News & Observer'. Elvis Costello, one of the other guest stars with Clay on the '30 Rock' season finale, was appearing in concert in the area. The other item references Clay as one of the many celebrities with allergies.
Bubel/Aiken Foundation 'Champions of Change' award winner Dan Habib has received funding from the foundation for the new resources section on his site "Including Samuel'. Working on behalf of his son and children everywhere, Dan is dedicated to the cause of inclusion. Check out his site at http://includingsamuel.com for information about his acclaimed documentary and much more!
June 8/09 The director of a county-wide after-school program in North Carolina shared photos and information about a recent training session for her staff. They participated in a workshop in conjunction with the grant they got from the Bubel/Aiken Foundation through the "Let's All Play" inclusive summer camps initiative. Staff members tried out some typical children's summer camp activities, but with a twist. They used equipment that forced them to experience the activity as someone with a disability might do. Aron Hall of the BAF was commended for his excellent workshop with the staff, leaving them better prepared to interact with children of varying abilities.
Instant fame can seem like a wonderful dream! Living with that reality can be a potential nightmare as you life is turned upside-down. This article (shown here from the Washington Post and a Brazilian news site) looks at some of the down-side to living in the public eye. ("Thank you" to Brazilian fan, Lucia, for providing the international link.)
Jan from 'The Ideal Idol' posted this lovely tribute to celebrate Clay's first Father's Day.
You can find the original here: http://clayaikentheidealidol.com/Fathers-Day-The-First-For-Clay.html
Take a look around her amazing site while you're there!
Clay was included in an article on 'interesting' Idol hair choices. He looks pretty tame compared to some of the others! His first single, "This Is the Night", was included on a blog listing songs that topped the charts at #1 on Independence Day over the years.
June sure provided a mix of items! This group runs from a comment about how Clay & some fellow AIers contrast with the current state of the music industry, to a recent pic of Clay at an airport prior to his first "Father's Day" and a list of celebrity dog names from a German blog. This mix earned the name 'Odds & Ends'!
Clay's name sometimes pops up in unexpected places. One personal blog mentioned Clay as a child. The writer's husband is related to Clay and they played with toys together as children. Mentions in an article about actress writer (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live) Tina Fey, the Broadway Hounds fundraiser and a general North Carolina references were more expected sitings.
Several summer comments referenced Clay's charity work. Myspacetv noted his work as a teacher and with the YMCA as well as the launch of the BAF in 2004. Two BAF inclusive summer camp projects were noted in Cleveland and Naperville.
July 1/09 Favorite NC State Fair Shows: In this interview, Mike Pleasant (concert manager for the Dorton Arena) lists his five favorite shows over the years. Clay's 2004 double concert ranks second on his list! Check out details about the Raleigh two-fer at the end of the 2004 Solo Tour folder: http://picasaweb.google.com/clayaikenkids/Concerts2004SoloTourFDSSummaries#
July 2/09 The Hounds of Broadway: Monty the Spamalot doggie joins the rest of the autographed Broadway litter for this 'Broadway Barks' fundraiser. Money raised goes to support NYC animal welfare groups through the Picasso Veterinary Fund.
Aug. 5/09: The BAF becomes "The National Inclusion Project"!
The foundation created by Clay & Diane Bubel in 2003 morphed into its new incarnation on this date. On the next page, you can read the open letter written by the co-founders explaining why the change has come to be.
Clay and Diane Bubel wrote an 'Open Letter' at the new 'National Inclusion Project' website in which they explained the reason for the change in name. Check out the site! The organization has accomplished so much over the short time it has existed!
Back in 2004, Clay did some voice work for the 'Arthur' series 'Stories for Heroes'. The new on-line site 'Speakaboos' now includes one of those stories "Arthur's Computer Disaster". You can watch & listen to the story on-line or download it for your collection for a price.
NEW RECORD DEAL SIGNED:
On August 10/09, a notice was posted at the Official fan club stating that Clay had signed a recording deal with Decca records of the Universal group. A new CD in the first half of 2010 would be their first collaboration.
August 21/09: A local Raleigh media site mentioned the foundation name change. This gorgeous photo of co-founders Clay and Diane Bubel was posted on the "National Inclusion Project' website.
Aug. 22/23, 2009 Atlanta Pics: After being MIA for some time, A couple of great pics surfaced from Atlanta. Clay posed with a woman and child at Varsity restaurant, a drive-in style diner popular with locals and tourists. The second photo was taken at the Atlanta airport the following day.
These quick September mentions cover a wide range of topics. One reviewer thought Clay would make a better Teen Angel in grease than Taylor Hicks, Another refrenced his breath! More importantl was the mention of the National Inclusion Project's support to Public Television of Dan Habib's documentary 'Including Samuel'. A blogger who works in media commented about his work on a video for the N.I.P.'s October Gala.
Sept. 20, 2009: "National Inclusion Project' announcement. The change of name for Clay’s foundation was announced through Newswire. No longer known as ‘The Bubel/Aiken Foundation’, Clay chose ‘National Inclusion Project’ as it more clearly identifies the work and ideals of the foundation.
A New York Times slide show about celebrities appearing to sign autographs and meet fans at Broadway stage doors included this great shot taken by a Clay Fan!
September 2009 saw mentions of Clay by Tyra Banks in an interview and in the comic strip "Adam@Home". A Great photo appeared in an online slide show titled 'In to be Out'. Clay posted an interesting profile pic on his Facebook. He looks confused by the tag 'Black Music' in a store. Music is universal so why attempt to classify it by a racial descriptor? We're confused, too, Clay!
The 'Philanthropy Journal' website did an article on the 'National Inclusion Project' called "Clay Aiken's Charity Aims to Expand". 'The Beery Blog' contained a mention about their work on the videos for the up-coming Champions Gala.
Neil Sedaka's on-going tour brought about a couple of Clay references on-line. During Neil's concert, the crowd sees a montage of the many great artists who have recorded Sedaka songs over the years. Clay's rendition of 'Solitaire' is included among them.
BBQ and Allergies? Thank goodness Clay isn't allergic to his much-loved NC BBQ! He was mentioned in a write-up about Cooper's BBQ in Raleigh and a fan spotted his photo on their wall. Clay was also one of the celebrities included in Test Country's run-down of stars with well known allergies.
The 'National Inclusion Project' (formerly the 'Bubel/Aiken Foundation') posted some updated information about the 2009 Wrapping for Inclusion (also included is an item from Carolina Newswire about that) and announced the date for the 2010 'Golfing for Inclusion' event. The organization was given a coveted 4 star rating by 'Charity Navigator', a group which evaluates how well any charity uses the funds they raise to support their specific cause. The N.I.P. should be proud of its accomplishments!
Oct. 7/09 Pediped On-Line Auction - Clay signed a pair of baby shoes for this fund raiser for the 'Make a Wish' foundation. The auction included celebrities from many fields.
America's Giving Challenge: The national Inclusion Project was the first daily winner of bonus money from this new charity fund raising effort. The top two charities daily will win bonus money and the Top 7 overall fund raisers will also win bonuses. Supporters from a wide variety of causes participated.
The Official Fan Club announced the sad news of the passing of Joseph Aiken, Clay's beloved grandfather.
At the Raleigh 2005 Joyful Noise Tour stop, Clay performed a special bluegrass song for him, "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem". Clay's 'Papa' loved country music!
October media references included two comments on the chart success of "This Is the Night" and a random tie-in with a song Clay performed during "American Idol". His name also came up in a review of the opening episode of '30 Rock' on which he made a guest appearance last season
"A Bride's DJ' is a blog centered on choosing music for wedding celebrations. Some of Clay's romantic ballads would be perfect choices according to the blog's readers! Is someone you know looking for that perfect song? Check out http://weddingmusicblog.com/ for suggestions.
Past Idol competitors often get lumped together on some media sites, no matter how varied their styles may be. Clay's name often pops up as one of the successful ex-Idol stars. This month he was mentioned along with
1. a Carrie Underwood Christmas special (Clay was the first to have his own special),
2. with David Archuleta's Christmas CD (Clay released the first),
3. with "Idol Gives Back (the show's charity drive) and
4. with Anoop Desai's stint at the NC State Fair. Anoop remembers Clay's huge homecoming in 2004.
The Champions Gala honored several people for their contributions to the inclusion movement.Cheerleaders Sarah Cronk & Sarah Herr created a non-profit organization called "The Sparkle Effect" which encourages high school students to include children with disabilities on cheerleading squads.At the suggestion of Louisville marching band director Dr. Greg Byrne, Patrick Henry Hughes plays in a marching band from his wheelchair pushed by his father, Patrick John Hughes.Mitsubishi Electric has invested more than $9 million in various programs to help young people with disabilities, their families and communities.
After voting over a period of weeks at the Christie Cookies website, 'The National inclusion Project' took first place and the $10,000 prize! Sue O'Donnell, representing the company, appeared at the 'National Inclusion Project' Gala on Oct 17th to award the prize to co-founders Diane Bubel & Clay. That amount will fund one complete inclusive summer camp where children with varying abilities can share activities and fun.
Reuters News Agency picked up the National Inclusion Project's win in the Christie Cookies contest. CITGO's Facebook page featured an opportunity for charities to win a gas card to help with their expenses. The N.I.P. won that as well. While it wasn't a contest, Clay's name came up in an item about famous people who attended or worked with the YMCA in their past.
On Oct. 21st, Amazon.com listed the 10 albums that had the highest number of pre-orders in its history. Clay's "A Thousand Different Ways" was #10 on that list. Back in January 2007 they had listed "Measure of a Man" as one of the Top 10 at that time. It was ahdea of ATDW which had been released the preceding September. The two lists contradict each other with regards to Clay's pre-orders. MoaM outsold ATDW by a huge margin, so the 2007 list seems to be more accurate with regard to his CDs.
Reuters News Agency picked up the National Inclusion Project's win in the Christie Cookies contest. CITGO's Facebook page featured an opportunity for charities to win a gas card to help with their expenses. The N.I.P. won that as well. While it wasn't a contest, Clay's name came up in an item about famous people who attended or worked with the YMCA in their past.
AT the end of October, Sony Music Canada released a series of Christmas CDs. Each had 10 tracks and focused on a specific theme. (Favorites, Classics, Country, Jazz, Classical & Pop) The "Superstar Christmas Pop Hits" edition included Clay's version of 'The First Noel'.
A few October odds & ends:
A photo of Clay at the North Carolina Governor's office was posted.
A review of David Archuleta's Christmas CD Praised Clay's version of 'Mary Did You Know'.
A new mat-type video game called 'American Idol Mat Dancers referred to Clay & Kelly Clarkson as stars of the series.
Cool shades, dude! Clay stopped at SF Optics in San Francisco to pick up some new sunglasses. The business posted this great photo with Clay wearing one of the two new sunglasses that he purchased.
Nov. 6th brought a surprise appearance by Clay at the San Jose stop of the 'Foster & Friends' tour. He sang 'Unchained Melody'.
As reported by a fan names 'moonriver919': "David Foster had a shtick going on (which I'm sure you guys have heard about by now). After singing a note, David would ask a member of the audience in the front row to come up to the microphone and sing it back to him. The first two times, the audience members were normal audience members. But the third and final time, it was Clay!
David sang a note, and Clay sang it back but the note was too high. David said something to the effect of what he can do when he produces and then sang another note. Clay sang it back perfectly. David then introduced Clay as his brother-in-law, mentioned that his sister and Clay had a baby together, and invited Clay to come up on stage."
Nov. 10th: The National Inclusion Project posted a report on the October 'Champions Gala'. Supporters helped to raise over $465,000. The funds raised will be used to give children with disabilities the opportunity to experience life along side their typical peers.
Nov. 23/09: 'Yule Be Merry' was a compilation CD available at 'Pier 1 Imports' stores across the USA. Twelve Christmas tracks by various artists included Clay's version of 'Sleigh Ride'.
This CNN slide show looks at the careers of 'American Idol' contestants who have made successful careers in the business in spite of not winning the title during their season.
Nov. 23/09 "It Pays to Be an Idol Loser" was the title of a slideshow at the CNN site. Successful 'American Idol' non-winners were spotlighted for their accomplishments. The photo used is from a 'Foster & Friends' concert performance earlier in 2009.
The National Inclusion Project was the topic of two items.
The http://examiner.com website noted the Christie Cookies charity contest win by the organization.
The creator of the video used at the 2009 Gala in October posted a blog comment about their production. (The Beery Blog.)
The success of Susan Boyle's first Cd spotlighted Clay's excellent sales for 'Measure of a Man' in 2003. He remains #2 on the list of reality show runners-up for first Cd sales.
TV Guide included Clay in their list of favorite singers to emerge from reality television/singing competition series.
An item about 'Operation International Children', the organization headed by actor Gary Sinise, mentions Clay's fans among contributors to their cause.
Being a celebrity has definite advantages! At special events & on special occasions, they sometimes receive gifts from companies looking to promote certain products. Clay & his family were among the list of celebs who got a Christmas 2009 gift package from Distinctive Assets. Baby & daddy can now wear bow ties together (a bow-tie onesie was included) and Parker can even have his hair spiked with special baby hair gel!
Dec. 8/09 Even a comment on a private blog can quickly become public on the internet. Clay's off-the-cuff remark about his disappointment with a local election result brought the 'King of Controversy' into the open media again.
Rather than allowing what he saw as a ridiculous 'investigation' into his voting status to continue, he blogged a response and announced that he would change the location of his voter registration. While he may vote elsewhere in the future, he vowed to continue to speak out about issues close to his heart no matter where they occur.
Decade-End Charts: Billboard magazine produces annual lists of the best sellers in a wide range of musical genres. Since 2009 is the end of a decade, they also produced the 'End of the Decade' lists for sales from 2000 through 2009. Clay appeared on six of those lists! Considering the number of albums released over the past ten years, that's a great accomplishment.
Singles (Physical CDs. Downloads not included.)
Singles Sales Artists: Clay Aiken # 7
Single Sales: This Is the Night/Bridge Over Troubled Water # 5
Albums:
Holiday Albums: Merry Christmas With Love #10
Christian Albums: Merry Christmas With Love #12
Billboard 200 Artists: Clay Aiken #120
Billboard 200 Albums: Measure of a Man #170
The National Inclusion Project announced an opportunity for young people to become more involved in the field of inclusion. They are participating in a national summit with the goal of "developing an advocacy campaign that builds awareness and support for the full social and educational inclusion of people with disabilities".
'The National Inclusion Summit'
was being organized by the N.I.P in conjunction with its partners:
The 'Including Samuel' Project', a program of University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability
Imagination Stage &
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
Each December supporters of the Bubel/Aiken foundation have set up wrapping stations in malls to raise funds & awareness of the foundation's goals. This was the first year under the new name 'National Inclusion Project'. reports from those involved indicate a positive response to the new name!
Clay's story about a rather chilly trip to get the family Christmas tree was among a group of celebrity Christmas tales posted at a website.
Clay's cousin Jamie posted a great pic of herself with Clay & good pal, Ruben at the David Foster at which concert they both sang.
Another Clay friend posted a picture of him with Clay in Hamburg, Germany. Clay has been in Europe working on the up-coming CD.
Dec. 29/09 Clay posted a blog/article on developments in Somalia for the Huffington Post on-line news site. Having traveled to the country in his capacity as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he had personally seen the conditions in the country and knew of progress made and improvements still desperately needed.
The UNICEF website posted Clay's Huffington Post blog in their 'Field Notes' section the following day. They included a great photo of Clay with Somali children taken during his visit to the area.
Year & decade end commentaries on music & television often included American Idol references and mentioned the most successful alumni. Clay was usually among that list. On well-known television forums website named him as the best contestant ever on the show, saying "this nerdy, bespectacled redhead showed the world that talent comes in many unlikely packages long before Susan Boyle."
At year's end, Billboard did a comparison among the sales for debut CDs from all of American Idol's first & second place finishers. Clay still sits at the top of the heap. In accumulated sales to date for initial CDs from that same group of contestants, Clay's 'Measure of a Man' is second only to Carrie Underwood's "Some Hearts" album.
In their look back at the decade from 2000 to 2009, Billboard ranked the Idol television show third among the 50 Top moments because of its continuing impact on both television rankings and music sales. Only the death of Michael Jackson & the iPod were ranked higher.
01 - January
