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| January 7, 2010 | Clay was the answer to a clue in the Jan 3rd Boston Globe crossword. Entertainment Weekly included 'Invisible' among their Top 'Tunes From idol Grads'. Clay defeated Chris Daughtry in an on-line poll for the title of 'Best AI Non-Winner'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| January 8, 2010 | This article from January 8, 2010 looks at past Idol contestants who, in the author's opinion, have the diversity of skills required to sustain long-term careers in the entertainment field. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| January 9, 2010 | Music articles on Kris Allen, Elliot Yamin & jazz composer Torrie Zito included Clay references. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| January 11, 2010 | Jan 11, 2010 Idol Season 9 Many articles about the new season of American idol included mentions of Clay. He was often cited as one of the most successful contestants from previous seasons. Billboard did a slide show of past contestants. They used comparison photos to show how their Idol 'look' had evolved post-show. Some had changed a lot; other not so much! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| January 11, 2010 | Jan. 11/2010: Key Club Convention It was announced that Clay would be one of the speakers at the up-coming July 2010 'Key Club International Convention' in Memphis TN. Clay had a short message on the website: "Thanks to all Key Club members for your support of UNICEF. I am looking forward to seeing you in Memphis this summer to share more about the great work UNICEF is doing and how your support is making a huge difference in the lives of children around the world." | FD Recap | 2010 News | Events - UNICEF | Key Club |
| January 11, 2010 | With the new season of 'American Idol' kicking off this week, many sites were taking a look ahead at the new season and back at previous ones. MSN did an updated 'Where Are They Now?' slide show. Clay was among the 15 spotlighted performers. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| January 14, 2010 | Jan. 14th: Career Information Info about Clay's up-coming album began to appear. Decca Tweeted that they were listening to the tracks and that it 'sounds amazing'! International Media mentioned a planned television special in conjunction with PBS. They used the title "Classic Memories". That may be the title of the CD or the special ... or both. They said that the TV special would be taped in February for a air date in June. (June is usually 'pledge drive' time for PBS stations.) | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| January 15, 2010 | Jan. 15, 2010 Clay was announced as a guest speaker at the "2010 Human Rights Campaign Carolinas Gala" to be held in Raleigh on February 27, 2010, | FD Recap | 2010 News | Human Rights Campaign | |
| January 28, 2010 | January 28, 2010: Happy Anniversary Clay Nation!!! On this date in 2003, the Atlanta auditions for 'American Idol' season 2 aired. This was our first look & listen to the geeky redheaded Raleigh guy with the amazing voice! Seven years later, he still holds our attention! January 31, 2010: The weekend edition of the New York Times included a review of the Broadway musical "Fela!", accompanied by a photo of the performers among the audience during one of the show's numbers. Did the photographer realize that the guy in the beige striped sweater was Clay Aiken? There is no identification to indicate that in either the photo caption or article, so perhaps the Times had no idea. However, a sharp-eyed fan spotted Clay!!! | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| February 1, 2010 | Feb. 1. 2010 The Palm Beach Post on-line included an article about the National Inclusion project's 'Golfing for Inclusion' day that was being held at the Mirasol Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, FL that day | Fd Recap | 2010 Golfing for Inclusion | Events - National Inclusion Project | |
| February 1, 2010 | The third annual GFI for the National Inclusion project was held a Mirasol Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Co-founders Clay & Diane Bubel were again joined by golf pro Wayne Player. Though rain drove the golfers off the course early, the rest of the day was a great success. Guests enjoyed a live auction of golf-related goodies and Clay-centric items and a lovely dinner. They were then treated to a mini-concert by Clay, including a couple of songs from his up-coming Decca release and requests made by donors to the foundation. A Florida children's camp run by the Lion's Club was the recipient of one of the 2010 grants. Other groups receiving grants will be announced later | Fd Recap | 2010 Golfing for Inclusion | 2010 News | |
| February 2, 2010 | The goal of the 'Golfing for Inclusion' event is to spread the word about the National Inclusion Project's mission and to raise funds to support its activities. The author of this blog blog came away impressed with Clay and with the work of the organization. Not only did he write about the event, but he added a link to the N.I.P. on his website and promises to let other golfers know about next year's event so that they may also become involved. He was also amazed at the response he got from Clay fans who visited his site to read his blog and who left positive comments. We thank Larry for allowing us to post the two blogs. Drop by his site if golf is 'your thing'! | FD Recap | 2010 Golfing for Inclusion | 2010 News | |
| February 9, 2010 | Decca Music posted a promo for `The Canadian Tenors on YouTube ( Canadian Tenors Sizzle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61d-9LCRyNc). The clip included still shots of `legendary artists` with whom the Tenors have `shared a stage`: David Foster, Andrea Bocelli. Sting, Sheryl Crow. Sarah McLaughlin, Alicia Keys, Donny Osmond and ... CLAY! | FD Recap | 2010 News | Out and about list | |
| February 13, 2010 | The official Fan Club released info about the television concert & taping to be held in Raleigh on March 12th. This is in support of Clay's up-coming Decca CD. The title of the CD was revealed to be "Tried & True". The email to OFC members also outlined a special auction for the 'National Inclusion Project' which would allow the lucky winners a seat at the dress rehearsal for the show, a backstage tour, a Q&A session with Clay and tickets to the actual show/taping. The fan club members would have first access to tickets with any extras going up for public sale. | FD Recap | 2/13/2010 - Get Ready Raleigh | PBS Tried and True | |
| February 16, 2010 | Feb, 16, 2010 Fan Club Pre-Sale Tickets for the concert/taping in Raleigh went on sale for menbers of the Official Fan Club. The general public would be able to purchase tickets the following Friday | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| February 17, 2010 | As AI9 ramped up, items on the successful past contestants often mentioned Clay, with an AOL piece centering on recent Broadway work by AI alumni. He was also referenced with regard to 'Rosie's Broadway Kids" program. His work last year in one of the workshops with aspiring young performers was noted as this year's plans were announced. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| February 18, 2010 | Feb. 10, 2010 N.I.P. GFI Report The 'National Inclusion Project' posted its report on the February 1st 'Golfing For Inclusion' day. The event raised over $150,000 dollars in support of the Project's activities. That would fund a number of inclusive summer camps for this year! They currently have a presence in 38 states. Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America was the Title Sponsor of the 3rd Annual Golfing for Inclusion. American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. continued its support of Golfing for Inclusion by becoming a Platinum Sponsor | Fd Recap | 2010 News | 2010 Golfing for Inclusion | |
| February 23, 2010 | Clay's up-coming speech for the Human Rights Campaign Gala received a lot of publicity around the internets. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Human Rights Campaign | |
| February 26, 2010 | Clay was again among the many musicians supporting MENC's 'Music Now' program. He did not record a new message this year as he already had two Public Service Announcements among their files | FD Recap | MENC - The National Association for Music Education | | |
| February 27, 2010 | Feb. 27, 2010 Human Rights Campaign Carolinas Gala Clay delivered a well-received speech about gay rights and his own personal journey to the Gala audience. He wrote his own speech which gained much positive response from those present and where it was posted on-line after the event. Way to go, Clay! | FD Recap | Human Rights Campaign | 2010 News | |
| February 28, 2010 | Concert/Taping On-Line Promo Some local North Carolina sites (jdnews, Entertainment.MyNC, gogoraleigh) began to carry information about the taping of Clay's PBS special to be held March 12th in Raleigh. Broadway World posted an detailed report while the Idol Chatter blog included it in their 'Monday Morsels' quick listings of upcoming events. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| February 28, 2010 | February Odds & Ends Survivor All Stars? Amazing Race All Stars? Why not American Idol All-Stars? TV Fodder wasn't too impressed with the first round of AI9 semi-finals and suggested their fantasy version pitting the best of each season. It will never happen, but it was a fun idea! The new cast of 'Hair' on Broadway included two AI alumni which led to Clay references in a couple of articles. A Durham Herald-Sun item about auditions for anthem singers for the new season of Bulls games included a mention of Clay's great version during the AI2 Top 3 trip home. An AOL piece on Facebook included a warning that not all celebrity pages are the real deal. Fake Clay sites were noted | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| February 28, 2010 | Grammy's Out-Rate idol: An E! on-line item noted that the last time the Grammy's had higher ratings than Idol was back in 2003, the second season. It's interesting that the article uses Clay, not the winner of the title in AI2 as the reference. Are we sure he didn't win? The 'National Inclusion Project" posted a report on the 2010 'Golfing for Inclusion' event and included a great shot of Clay & some participants. AI Make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy talked about past contestants. She mentioned that Clay r-e-a-l-l-y disliked his freckles and that he wanted to sleep in his make-up because he though he looked much better. A NY Times brief 'Pop & Rock Listings' item on another ex-AI singer referred to Clay among the most successful contestants. Surge's 'Out & About' included a mention of the up-coming "Human Right's Campaign Carolinas Gala". Clay will be one of the guest speakers at the event to be helf on February 27, 2010. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| February 28, 2010 | The PBS special concert/taping was posted on the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts website. The production company, International Media, posted several announcements, also. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 1, 2010 | Fans hoping for any sign of a possible summer tour were ecstatic when a listing for the Biltmore surfaced on this date. It looks like Clay would appear with long-time pal from AI2, Ruben Studdard. Fans hoped that this was just the first of many dates ... that a full-fledged tour was on the horizon. July 23rd was probably circled immediately on many calendars! | Fd Recap | 2010 News | 2010 Timeless Tour with Ruben Studdard | |
| March 2, 2010 | Five special auction packages were posted on EBay to raise money for the National Inclusion Project. On March 12, 2010, Clay would be recording a television special slated to air later this year on PBS. The auctions were tied to the taping. Each of the five lucky winners would win: Attending the dress rehearsal in Raleigh on Thursday, March 11th. A guided tour of the backstage area following the dress rehearsal (hosted by Mary Brennan). An exclusive sit down Q&A with Clay following the dress rehearsal. 2 tickets to the live show on Friday, March 12th. A grand total of $36,500 was raised | Fd Recap | Events - National Inclusion Project | 2010 News | |
| March 2, 2010 | Follow-up to Human Rights Campaign Speech: responses were generally very positive. Clay's combination of personal experience, genuine concern and humor put his message across clearly and in a positive manner. Many on-line sites linked to video of his speech | FD Recap | Human Rights Campaign | 2010 News | |
| March 4, 2010 | Disney announces that Clay to appear on 'Phineas and Ferb', their popular animated children's series. His episode would appear during the summer of 2010 on Disney Channel and Disney XD. CNN included Clay, Ruben Studdard & Josh Gracin in its Idol review of past seasons. The did a follow-up on the Final 2 from each year and a smattering of other successful alumni of the series. Clay was also mentioned in passing for an on-line item about a new app for Mac computers. The app helps users to quickly locate photos in their own files and with on-line sources. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Television Show List | |
| March 8, 2010 | Plans for the March 12th taping of Clay's PBS special in Raleigh were being finalized and posted by International Media. Some great seats for the sold-out concert were available through a last-minute ticket release. Team Clay even tweeted to let fans know that the weather forecast called for rain on the taping date! I guess a dry audience was preferential to a bunch of rain-drenched fans for the televised special! {;-D) | FD Recap | 2010 News | PBS Tried and True | |
| March 9, 2010 | March 9, 2010: 'Tried & True' for Pre-order! Amazon.com listed Clay's up-coming CD, 'Tried & True', for pre-order on its website. Throughout the day, the information changed several times. Was it due June 1st or 9th? Is it a CD, a double CD or a CD/DVD combination? What was the actual price? None of that mattered! It was CLAY! It was available to order! Details? Pffft! Fans were buying. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Promotion | |
| March 11, 2010 | March 11, 2010: WRAL Television Interview WRAL showed a short interview with Clay as he prepared for the taping of his PBS television special. He seemed very relaxed and excited to be back in his hometown for such an important career move. He verified that his CD would be standards from the 1950s and 1960s | FD Recap | WRAL News | 2010 News | |
| March 11, 2010 | The MyNC website posted an extended interview with Clay. Unlike the usual short clips shown on television news & entertainment shows, this 10 minute chat allowed him to expand on his answers. Clay focused on his PBS special that would be taped the following day, clearly showing his excitement over the project and the CD that will be released in the summer. On the political front, Clay commented on the local school board situation and also spoke briefly about his involvement in the Human Rights Campaign Gala at which he spoke about the need for equal rights for all, including those who are gay. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 12, 2010 | PBS Special: the OMG! Concert "OMG!!!" That's what fans who attended kept posting in their recaps. Fans who thought they knew just how good Clay Aiken could be, said he had taken it to whole new levels! They were blown away with the Voice and the band and the lighting and ... well, just everything! Besides Clay own songs which highlighted material from the up-coming CD of standards, Ruben Studdard appeared for a solo piece. He joined Clay & Quiana Parler (Clay's friend & regular backup singer) for a medley of more current material that they transformed into crooner classics. The piece was deemed 'hilarious' by the lucky attendees. Clay was joined by Linda Eder, a popular vocalist, for a duet of the Roy Orbison classic 'Crying'. He was thrilled to have her as a special guest for both the show and on the CD. What a night it must have been for Clay! | Fd Recap | PBS Tried and True | 2010 News | |
| March 17, 2010 | March 17, 2010 PBG Lifestyle magazine published a great article on the recent 'Golfing for Inclusion' event staged by the 'National Inclusion Project'. (PBG = Palm Beach Gardens, site of the Mirasol Country Club which has played host to GFI for the past three years.) | Fd Recap | 2010 Golfing for Inclusion | 2010 News | |
| March 23, 2010 | National Inclusion Project at Work! Carolina Newswire ran a great update article entitled: National Inclusion Project Announces over #700,000 of Support for 'Let's ALL Play' The mentioned that the organization has invested over $1,7 million to expand the inclusive summer camps across the country. One of the organizations that benefited was profiled in the Fort Worth Business Press. Camp Fire USA First Texas Council was given a grant of $12,500 to expand their recreational Camp El Tesoro summer resident camp for children aged 6 to 16 years of age. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Events - National Inclusion Project | |
| March 24, 2010 | Mar. 24, 2010: CD & Concert Items Both 'Pause & Play' and 'New Music Tipsheet' listed 'Tried And True' among the up-coming releases for June. NMT has two items listed, keeping fans hoping for a concert DVD at last! International Media, producers of the PBS taping thanked fans who attended. They used a mock-up of the new CD using an old photo that graced the cover of the 'I Will Carry You' single back in 2004. Raleigh stylist Dustin Patrick Smith posted on his public Facebook page about working on hair & make-up for the special taping. He commented that Clay was great to work with, talented and funny. It sounds like he really enjoyed the experience. | FD Recap | Promotion | 2010 News | |
| March 26, 2010 | Celebrity School Pics This website has a great collection of photos of celebrities when they were youngsters. Included are three pics of Clay that have been used in magazines or on television spots over the years | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 26, 2010 | March 2010 American Idol Magazine The American Idol folks released another issue of their magazine. Among other themes, they took a look back at the post-Idol careers of the Top 2 from each of seasons 1 through 8. Clay had a couple of good write-ups, but the information was very dated. They only mentioned his first run in Spamalot and nothing about appearances or new music since mid-2008, including the whole new Decca CD. They also incorrectly identified his charitable organization. | FD Recap | American Idol Magazine | 2010 News | |
| March 26, 2010 | Music site Last.fm has profile pages for many artists. These are some of the elements from Clay's page. You can check out Clay and many other popular artists at the website. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 27, 2010 | A great article posted at the examiner sites covered the process of the photoshoot for Clay's CD. Clay apparently scouted locations himself, selecting many vintage sites around the Raleigh area. This is an interesting look at just what is involved in producing those great shots that we get to enjoy during the promotion of a new product! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 27, 2010 | Several Idol related article included references to Clay. Variety mentioned the sales bump he brought to Spamalot when he joined the cast. MTV Music listed him as the third most shocking elimination ever on Idol, behind only Jennifer Hudson & La Toya London. Since Clay made the Final 2, he wasn't technically eliminated. He just didn't win the title. Comcast did the obligatory 'transformation' piece, using photo from 2007 as a 'today' shot. Now that's up-to-date research | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 28, 2010 | Concert Updates: While fans basked in the memories of the recent PBS taping in Raleigh, the summer appearances planned by Clay & Ruben Studdard continued to surface. Chautauqua NY on August 6th and Silver Legacy Casino, Reno NV on July 31 joined the Biltmore concert in Asheville NC on July 23rd on the 'summer appearances' calendar. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 30, 2010 | As American Idol Season 9 narrows down to the Top 10 who will tour with the summer live show, many commentators around the web have expressed dissatisfaction with the current crop of contestants. Other than a couple of front-runners, the writers lament the depth of talent and great voices found in some past seasons. Clay is often cited as one of the great contestants/voices from the past years. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| March 31, 2010 | March Bits & Pieces: Clay remains among the top sellers of all ex-Idol contestants with over 4.9 million albums sold! An online site compared the crowds awaiting teen star Justin Bieber at an appearance in NYC with the Spamalot crowds that turned out for Clay during his run on Broadway. A quote from Clay's excellent HRC Gala speech was included among others on a New England GLBT website. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| April 1, 2010 | April 1, 2010: During an 'American Idol' appearance in Los Angeles on March 31st, Ruben Studdard mentioned the up-coming summer tour with his good friend, Clay. Over the next few days, the news made the rounds of many entertainment websites & blogs. The 'Timeless Tour' planned to make 17 stops at the time of that announcement. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| April 1, 2010 | April 1, 2010 "Give a Damn" Campaign Clay was part of PSAs for this new campaign in support of equality for all in spite of sexual orientation. For more information on this movement and/or to join their on-line group, visit www.wegiveadamn.org/ | FD Recap | 2010 News | True Colors Fund | |
| April 1, 2010 | April 1, 2010 The Amazon sales site had posted a listing for the up-coming 'Tried & True' album a few weeks prior to this so that people could pre-order the CD. On this date they added an album cover. The cover photo matched the known information about 50s/60s retro theme & the sites used for the photoshoot. This may be the final cover or a temporary placeholder. Fan reaction ranged from 'love it' to 'hate it' with lots of variation in between! It sure sparked lots of discussion on the fan boards! | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Albums | |
| April 1, 2010 | Clay's Official Fan Club posted information about the 'Timeless Tour', including a list of the planned cities & venues. The two performers would be singing 'classic hits from the past five decades'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| April 7, 2010 | A revised version of the 'Tried & True' cover surfaced on April 7th. Compare this with the previous version and see how many of the specific alterations you can find | FD Recap | 2010 News | Albums | |
| April 8, 2010 | April 8, 2010 Mikayla's Voice This article was written by the mother of Mikayla, the young girls featured in the book "Our Friend Mikayla". A few years ago, her fellow students at Lower Nazareth Elementary School in Pennsylvania wrote about adapting to their new classmate who had multiple developmental challenges and how they grew from fear/uncertainty to friendship as they came to know her. Funding for the book was provided by the 'Bubel/Aiken Foundation', now renamed the 'National Inclusion Project'. Hers is a beautiful story that illustrates how well the concept of "inclusion" can work for all parties involved. The book is available for purchase at the foundation's website: www.inclusionproject.org/ | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Our Friend Mikayla | |
| April 10, 2010 | Apr. 10, 2010 Al Gore Speaks at Duke University, Durham NC Cl;ay was one of the area residents who attended the speech by the former Vice President who addressed environmental issues of climate change. Details for the Key Club Convention, scheduled for this coming July, were posted at the website. Clay would be one of the speakers at the Opening Session on the evening of Thursday July 8, 2010 in Memphis, TN. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Out and about list | |
| April 10, 2010 | Celebrity Activism in Africa Though short on complete information, this site includes an interesting interactive map which illustrates the different was in which various celebrities have connected with issues related to the African continent. Though Clay has visited several locations in Africa in his role as UNICEF ambassador, they only note his trip to Somalia. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| April 13, 2010 | "Bringing Broadway Home" Special Concert on June 21, 2010 This one-night-only special event to raise funds for the North Carolina Theatre was announced on April 13, 2010. The special concert would feature Clay and other area talent that has/had connections to Broadway. Sharon Lawrence is a 4-time Emmy nominated actress, with many television credits and stage appearances. Terrence Mann, was starring on Broadway at the time of this concert. The Tony-nominated performer worked as actor, artistic director and director for many NC Theatre productions, including two in which Clay had minor parts pre-Idol. Clay played small roles in '1776' and 'Shenandoah'. Also included in the cast for this special were Lauren Kennedy & Quiana Parler. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Bringing Broadway Home | |
| April 16, 2010 | A Washington Post item did a retrospective look at the various American Idol seasons. Clay was the focus of the Season 2 commentary. That Finale between Clay & Ruben Studdard still ranks as the highest rated finale over all completed eight seasons of the show! A Patriot-Ledger article about show choirs like the one on the TV show 'Glee', centered on some eastern US groups. One of them performs 'Measure of a Man', the title track from Clay's first CD, in six-part harmony! Recent short items: Apr. 10th: A new Amazon listing shows Clay as the director of the DVD element of up-coming release. Apr. 15th: A Team Cay Tweet confirmed the June 1st release date for the up-coming CD "Tried & True". Apr. 15th: OFC members were told to watch for news the next day! Apr. 16th: The OFC released the first piece of a photo that they would unveil over the next week | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| April 19, 2010 | The April 19 issue of Star Magazine included a couple of nice photos of Clay & Ruben Studdard along with their brief item on the 'Timeless' tour. The photos were taken at the PBS taping in Raleigh. Ruben was one of Clay's special guests for his up-coming PBS special. The 'Best Ad So Far' award for the tour, if one existed, would go to the Lancaster PA venue. They combined fabulous shots of both men in an eye-catching advertisement. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Star | |
| April 26, 2010 | April 26, 2010: Photo Analysis For Fun TV sleuths have nothing on Clay fans! It took them mere minutes to realize there was something just 'off' in a new tour ad. When the original surfaced at the photographer's website, it was confirmed that the pic had been 'flipped' for the ad. The photographer, Vincent Soyez, added a couple of new photos from the shoot to his website. You can check out his work at www.vincentsoyez.com Look for Clay under the music section. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| April 29, 2010 | April 29, 2010: Great tour ads from Reno & Lancaster created some excitement on the fan boards. The cover had a final retouching, removing the dark shadow from Clay's face. Clay & his 'Nook' reader were photographed during the 'Golfing For Inclusion' event. The company got a little free celebrity promo! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| April 30, 2010 | April 30, 2010: Clay's performance of 'Solitaire' was among EW magazine's 'American Idol: the 20 Best Performances Ever'. As with all lists, the rankings are very subjective, Many fans would argue that Clay should be well ahead of many other names on the list. Clay was also mentioned as a good choice among previous contestants who would make good mentors for contestants appearing on Idol in the future. An article on Decca records mentioned Clay as one of their new artists as they try to reintegrate some 'pop' music into their stable of artists. Decca is infamous for passing on The Beatles and a coupe of other bands who became huge stars during the 1960s 'British Invasion'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Entertainment Weekly | |
| May 1, 2010 | Promo Pics! During the first week of May, several promo pics from the Vincent Soyez photo shoot surfaced around the web. A series of three shots taken on the train car at the American Tobacco Campus made for a fun game of 'Find the Differences'. A shot at Treyburne Country Club had the photoshoppers trying to decide whether it was an actual shot or a construct. Everybody else just wanted to join Clay for lunch at the Mecca restaurant in Raleigh! I bet that would be a fun meal! | FD Recap | Promotion | 2010 News | |
| May 5, 2010 | May 5, 2010: Billboard.com ranked the 'AI All Time Top 24' Clay was listed as sixth. The criteria used were album sales, radio spins and individual track sales. The rankings could be argued for a couple of reasons. Artists like Clay had their original career success prior to the surge in track sales. The released physical singles. Clay had huge sales for his first singles. Unfortunately those aren't even counted in this analysis. If singles counted like downloads, 'This is the Night' alone would put his total around 1.5 mil. That would be without even counting sales for 'The Way' or 'I Will Carry You'. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 5, 2010 | May 5, 2010: International Media is the company putting together Clay's PBS special. Their web page touting the program is a work in progress. The page updated this week to include some great new photos! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 5, 2010 | May 5, 2010: Media Ads & Updates Linda Eder's Facebook page listed the release date for 'Tried & True' and let her fans know that she performed on the duet 'Crying'. International Media linked their page for the PBS special (see previous page) from their 'Current Shows' page. Host venues for the up-coming 'Timeless' tour continued to use a variety of photos that kept fans happily clicking to save their favorites. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 6, 2010 | International Media posted a clip from the concert taping on YouTube. Their introduction stated: internationalmediatv — May 06, 2010 — With "Tried & True", American Idol Super Star Alumni Clay Aikens first Public Television special, reaches back into the romantic past of the 50s and 60s, featuring many of the most iconic love songs ever written. Shot at the Memorial Auditorium in Clays home town of Raleigh, North Carolina, "Tried & True" features a full orchestra and big band. Clay is joined on-stage by special guest and American Idol colleague Ruben Studdard, along with special guest Linda Eder, who is widely recognized as one of the best female vocalists of our time. This special concert is the world premiere live performance of Clays forthcoming album, "Tried & True", being released on Decca this Spring. Watch the promo clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNsvrMokY5I | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 6, 2010 | Two of Clay's previous successes were noted during the first week of May. He was mentioned as one of only 13 male solo artists who had landed at #1 on the Billboard charts when their debut album was released. This is based on data from Soundscan which has tracked this information since 1991. AI6 winner, Jordin Sparks, was announced as joining the cast of 'In the Heights' on Broadway for a short run. Several sources acknowledged other successful runs from previous AI alumni, including Clay's 'Spamalot' experience. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 7, 2010 | May 7, 2010: Decca Adds Bio Decca records website added some items to their Clay database. This new biography centered on the up-coming CD, giving some backgrounder on music selections. | FD Recap | Promotion | 2010 News | |
| May 10, 2010 | A brief press release posted by Decca Records was picked up by numerous on-line web sites including Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Albumista, ZAP2it, Lifeline Live, MSN Wonderwall, Popcrunch, Skope Magazine and the Seattle Times. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Promotion | |
| May 11, 2010 | May 11, 2010: New Songs on Facebook Audio from the first complete songs from 'Tried & True' was posted at Facebook. The songs were the Frankie Valli 1960s hit 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' and the Johnny Mathis classic ballad 'Misty'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Promotion | |
| May 14, 2010 | The fan site for Linda Eder on Facebook included many posts from fans eager to hear the Linda/Clay duet of 'Crying' from 'Tried & True'. Team Clay had a fun little contest on Facebook. Several recent photos were posted. Fans could 'tag' any one of the pics and a winner would be randomly chosen to receive an autographed photo. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 17, 2010 | International Media posted a second preview clip for the PBS special on YouTube. Fans were very excited to get a prime piece of 'Unchained Melody' as part of this selection. Check out the clips at www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFu1fK0aM10 | FD Recap | International Media | 2010 News | |
| May 18, 2010 | May 18, 2010: Decca Records posted an extended preview clip at their website. This featured not only concert segments, but also backgrounders such as clips from the photoshoot and an interview with Clay about the album. | Fd Recap | Promotion | 2010 News | |
| May 18, 2010 | PBS station WTTW in Chicago announced that they would have the honor of debuting the concert special in their June pledge drive. Other PBS stations will be able to get the special for broadcast for their August fundraising period. Walmart spotlighted the CD as one of the 'Coming Soon' pre-orders available. Arranger Chris Walden commented on the CD in his monthy on-line newsletter. FOX TV announced changes to the up-coming season of American Idol. The 'ivillage' article noted that the AI2 Clay vs Ruben finale still stands as the highest rated episode ever, Clay was also noted as one of the best transformations ever from the series. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 21, 2010 | The 'Give a Damn' initiative posted a new video at their website. Clay and Margaret Cho were two of the celebrities who addressed the issue of harassment. | FD Recap | 2010 News | True Colors Fund | |
| May 25, 2010 | May 24/25, 2010 Los Angeles: Paparazzi Central Clay was photographed by the ever-present paparazzi as he arrived at LAX (LA airport) on May 24th. The following day he was spotted with pal Quiana Parler, on a trip to grab lunch from a Santa Monica bakery. Looks like the rest of the sandwich will be a snack sometime later! Clay suuuuure does love his plaid shirts and his cargo shorts! Lots of pocket room for several high tech toys, Clay? | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 27, 2010 | Forbes posted a list of the Top Idol earners in the time span from June 1, 2009 through the end of May 2010. Clay is estimated to have made $2 mil. Considering the economic downturn and that he was not in an active promotional cycle, that amazing! Clay had finished with Spamalot well before this period and his last television guest spots had been in May 2009, also prior to the start date. The new CD was not to be released until just after the end of this period. Not too shabby, Clay! Wanna share? {;-D) | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 27, 2010 | Idol Wrap-Up Comments AS 'American Idol' ended its 10th season to declining ratings and vote totals, many writers looked back at the high points of past years. Clay was often included as one of the savvy contestanst or for particular performances. "Bridge Over troubled Water' and 'Solitaire' are often cited among the 'best ever'. (Just don't ask Simon Cowell about 'Grease'. It's seven years later and he still can't let go!) His post-Idol successes were also noted, ranking him among the most successful of Idol alumni. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 27, 2010 | May 27, 2010 New fan Club Opened Clay has a new on-line home! His 'Official Fan Club' can now be found at http://www.clayaiken.com Lots of information can be accessed by casual visitors while membership allows fans to access special features and opportunities for contests, pre-sales, etc. Pop over and check out the site! You can even hear three songs from the soon-to-be-released 'Tried & True'. Give a listen to 'Unchained Melody', Mack the Knife' and 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Promotion | |
| May 28, 2010 | "Extra! Extra! read all about it!" But consider what you read very carefully. Twists and turns can create a gulf between what was actually said and what was printed. The title of an item at the tonic site declared that Clay did not want to be on the very popular television show "Glee". What he actually *said* was that he hadn't seen the show! Rolling Stone magazine's on-line site did a fun look at past covers. The matched up pairs with similarities in style/poses. So which cover was partnered with Clay's 2003 one? Mick Jaggar, hard rocking lead singer of longtime rock stars The Rolling Stones! | FD Recap | Rolling Stone Magazine | 2010 News | |
| May 30, 2010 | During the lead-up to June 1st, The new CD was mentioned and sometimes reviewed on numerous websites. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 30, 2010 | May 30, 2010: As the release of his new CD drew near, an interview with Clay was posted at PopEater/Celebenomics Clay discussed a range of topics - the new CD "Tried & True" - the summer tour with Ruben Studdard - his son, Parker - moving to a new recording label - artists with whom he would like to collaborate - 'Glee' (He hasn't watched it.) - the process of 'coming out' | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| May 31, 2010 | "Idol Chatter" is a blog that focuses on the current season of 'American idol' and also tracks the careers of its alumni. The blogger did a track-by-track review of 'Tried & True'. Whether you agree with the comments or not, it's always nice to know that the reviewer listened to the entire CD closely enough to formulate an opinion on each element. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 1, 2010 | Fans on-the-spot at Good Morning America got photos and video 'behind the scenes. Deemer posted a couple of photos of the pre-show rehearsal. Considering they were taken through the studio window, she got some nice pictures! Jack Hanna from the Columbus Zoo was one of the other guests on GMA that day. A New York fan known as 'bigappleforclay' shot some video of Clay interacting with some of the zoo animals off-stage. The graphic includes screen caps from her video. Clay seemed enthralled with the little monkey, spending some moments interacting with it. Judging from the pictures, Clay was a little uncertain about the aardvark's reception, but they eventually made contact. Fortunately Clay's cat phobia only applies to house cats, because Hanna had several zoo felines with him. Clay wasn't bothered in the least by being around them. | Fd Recap | Good Morning America | | |
| June 1, 2010 | June 1/10: As co-host on 'The View', Joy Behar interviewed Clay many times in the past. This was his first appearance on her new talk show on HLN. (Headline News, part of the CNN network) Clay's two segments were very relaxed and covered a lot of territory, albeit very briefly. The rundown of topics reflected the recurring themes from this round of publicity in general: * the new CD, of course * why he doesn't watch Idol (makes him nervous for the contestants) * why he wasn't at the finale (he kind of wandered around this one) * the possible effect of Simon's departure on Idol (thought Paula leaving already would have had an effect) * what he thought of Simon's opinion of his performance of 'Grease' (Simon cracked on him because he knows he can take it) * 'coming out' (wishes it wasn't necessary ... straight people don't have to make declarations.) * raising his son (keeps any replies very general and also a bit on his advocacy for gay rights. It was a very good interview, well worth finding & watching! | FD Recap | 2010 News | CNN | |
| June 1, 2010 | June 1, 2010: Clay's appearance on Good Morning America provided some great pictures, both on the set and of his arrival. The website 'Just Jared' posted an assortment, including these. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 1, 2010 | June 1, 2010 Good Morning America Clay made his first appearance in support of his new CD on familiar ground ... Good Morning America. GMA co-Host Robin Roberts did a brief intro interview. When asked about his son, Parker, Clay said that he has learned to make do with less sleep after having a child! Clay performed 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' from 'Tried & True'. | FD Recap | Good Morning America | | |
| June 1, 2010 | June 1, 2010 'Tried & True' is finally here! Fans happily snapped up copies at stores and/or downloaded copies of Clays new CD from Decca records The booklet has some nice 'vintage' style photos! The liner notes referenced Clay's journey to this point in his career and his change in musical direction. There were two versions available. CD: Tracks 1. Can't Take My Eyes Off You 2. What Kind Of Fool Am I? 3. It's Only Make Believe 4. Misty 5. Mack The Knife 6. It's Impossible 7. Unchained Melody 8. Suspicious Minds 9. Crying 10. There's A Kind Of Hush 11. Moon River Deluxe CD/DVD: Tracks Disc 1 1. Can't Take My Eyes Off You 2. What Kind Of Fool Am I? 3. It's Only Make Believe 4. Misty 5. Mack The Knife 6. It's Impossible 7. Unchained Melody 8. Suspicious Minds 9. Crying 10. There's A Kind Of Hush 11. Moon River 12. Who's Sorry Now 13. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do Disc 2 1. Behind The Scenes Look: The Making Of Tried And True 2. Build Me Up Buttercup [Live] | FD Recap | 2010 News | Albums | |
| June 1, 2010 | Reuters new agency posted 'A Minute With: Clay Aiken, from "Idol" and beyond' They asked about the 50s & 60s theme for the new CD and his reasoning behind these song choices. When asked about the key to building success post-Idol, Clay said he felt that it was being true to yourself. He confirmed that he doesn't watch Idol, saying that he identifies too much with the contestants and it just makes him too stressed. he loves the live aspect on appearing on stage to perform for a crowd, but doesn't rule out any other aspects of the entertainment business. He likes to stay open to all of the possibilities. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 1, 2010 | With arrival of the new CD on the doorstep, here's a look back at Clay's CD Release History. Included are only the full-length albums released during his RCA era and the first from Decca Records. Excluded are the two compilations of older tracks released by RCA after Clay parted ways with the company. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Discography | |
| June 2, 2010 | June 2, 2010 Clay was interviewed for ABC News show 'The Buzz'. He dicussed the topics that have dominated this round of publicity. He spoke of his love of live performance and how much he enjoyed working with the stellar cast of Spamalot on Broadway. He confirmed that the summer 'Timeless Tour' with Ruben would consist of songs from the past several decades. He says that it's amazing to think they their stint on Idol was seven years ago! Clay spoke in general about being a father, recalling a specific comment of from mother. She said that she bet he never thought he could love anything so much! She was right. | FD Recap | 2010 News | ABC News | |
| June 2, 2010 | June 2, 2010: The View Clay, aka 'Mr Talks-Fast-and Talks-A-Lot!' appeared on the one show where the interviewers can out-talk him! The ladies of 'The View', with guest co-host Mario Cantone, welcomed Clay and tore through the usual topics at light speed! The last time he had been on the show was back in 2008 for Spamalot & the release of 'On My Way Here'. It seemed like they wanted to cover everything interesting from the past 2 years! But it was fun! Then Clay switched gears a.nd sang a beautiful version of 'Unchained Melody' from 'Tried & True'. | FD Recap | The View | 2010 News | |
| June 3, 2010 | Clay participated in the Us magazine on-line site's "Hot Shots" video. Current celebrity items were presented by senior editor Ian Drew and Clay responded to each. His humor & witty responses made this clip a 'must see' for many fans. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | US Weekly Magazine | |
| June 3, 2010 | June 3rd & 4th found Clay doing a series of quick interviews with television and radio stations around the country. While each tended to follow the narrative of this promotional period, some new bits & pieces surfaced and a few specific moments were memorable. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Promotion | |
| June 3, 2010 | Satellite Interviews (continued) The television stations for which Clay did interviews included: 2 CW Denver FOX 5 Atlanta FOX 31 Denver FOX 40 Sacramento FOX 59 Indianapolis MyFOX DC Artisan News | Fd Recap | Promotion | 2010 News | |
| June 3, 2010 | 'Tried & True' showed up in a few more reviews and on sales lists. SOme fans were lucky enough to find both the regular CD and extended 'Deluxe Edition' in stores in their communities. Other fans had difficulty locating copies. Vendors who did carry the CD often only had a few copies. It's a good thing the download is available or there would have been some mighty upset fans! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 5, 2010 | Clay had participated in the 'Give a Damn' video campaign created by singer Cindi Lauper's 'True Colors' foundation. As part of their auction fundraiser, Clay offered a M&G during his summer tour concert stop in New York City. Within hours the bid had climbed to over $1000. Which lucky fan would win? On June 24th, everyone would finally know! | FD Recap | 2010 News | True Colors Fund | |
| June 5, 2010 | June 5/10 Clay appeared on the CBS "Early Show on Saturday Morning". The appearance included a brief interview, an on-line Q&A backstage with fans and, of course some songs. He sang a piece of "There's a Kind of Hush" as a teaser early in the show. He performed a shortened version of "Unchained Melody" as his main song. As the show was ending, he sang "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" as the credits ran. | FD Recap | 2010 News | The Early Show | |
| June 5, 2010 | Some June bits & pieces: 1. Target ran an ad for Clay's CD. Not the new 'Tried & True' album from Decca records, but the 2008 'On My Way Here' from RCA. Maybe Target is in a sci-fi 'time warp' 2. News about Clay's guest spot as a character voice on 'Phineas & Ferb' indicates that he is doing a duet with R&B legend Chaka Kahn. That should be an awesome combination! 3. A great photo surfaced of Clay with Joe from MPH productions who did the satellite series of interviews with a variety of television stations. 4. 'On The Red Carpet' posted a video of advice for the new AI9 grads from Clay and AI7 runner-up David Archuleta. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 7, 2010 | Clay added a new cause to his Fan Club website. GLSEN is the 'Gay. Lesbian, straight Education Network' which focuses on safe schools. fostering respect for all people regardless of orientation or gender identity/expression. The "b-listed" (people building human rights culture) website noted his efforts against homophobic cyber bullying. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | GLSEN | |
| June 7, 2010 | June 7/10 Amazon added a cover photo to its listing of the up-coming DVD "Clay Aiken: Tried & True LIVE". The DVD would be available July 27th. Fans could also gain a copy by meeting a certain pledge level when the television special airs in August on their area PBS stations. (Chicago area PBS viewers would get a 'sneak peek' on June 12, 2010.) | FD Recap | Movies, Books and DVD's | 2010 News | |
| June 7, 2010 | The Associated Press ran an interview with Clay that was picked up by many news & entertainment websites, The article included four photos: two of Clay and two of him with his mother (Faye Parker) looking through some gifts that fans have sent over the years. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 8, 2010 | June 8/10: Chelsea Lately Interview Clay appeared for an interview on this E! Channel talk show, known for tis often crude approach to topics and targeting celebrities with not-so-nice comments. Clay has been a target in the past, yet he met the host head-on with his charm & humor set on 'stun'. The interview covered the uaual topics for this round of promotion. The opening of the show was a cute skit. Clay was shown playing 'Connect 4' with cast regular Chuey who is a 'little person' (dwarf) who claimed to be a big fan of his music. He asked Clay to sign one of his albums and hauled out a Barry Manilow album cover. (Clay has often been called 'the new manilow') Clay corrected him, saying he wasn't Barry, but Chuey asked for him again to sign it. Shooting him an 'Okaaaaayyyy ... fine' look, Clay asked him how to spell "Verne Troyer" (Mini-Me from 'Austen Powers') Oh, snap! | FD Recap | E! Entertainment | 2010 News | |
| June 8, 2010 | June 8, 2010 CNN Clay talked about the songs for this CD & the tour, joking about how similar he & Ruben are, that they are easily confused. He said they are drawn together by music & hoped that the tour would provide music that brings everyone together. Asked if he's tired of being asked about Idol, he replied that while he has this career because of Idol, he does wish sometimes that folks would ask about other things he has done. A follow-up about Simon leaving sent Clay into another zone, cracking himself up, saying HE would make a great replacement. He can be honest, adding that Idol is missing its 3 most important assets: Simon, Paula & him! LOL The interviewer asked if he'd like to work for CNN. "Bring it ON!" the self-proclaimed 'CNN junkie" replied. In Atlanta to audition for Idol in 2003, he did the CNN tour 3 times & sat in the 'Talk back Live' audience both days. He loed it. He suggested they bring back the show with HIM as host, even telling the interviewer "Write it down! Tell the boss! | FD Recap | 2010 News | CNN | |
| June 10, 2010 | June 10, 2010 Canada AM Clay made his first interview appearance on Canada AM since the AI2 tour in 2003. Changing his comment slightly from previous statements, he said that he does like some music on the radio today, but he felt that most didn't measure up to the standards of songs from earlier days. That's why he chose classics from the 50s & 60s for his current album. He made reference to the Windsor, Ontario stop on the summer tour as that is the only Canadian appearance. He explained his Idol answer more thoroughly, saying he followed AI3 because someone from his area was involved. He stopped watching later seasons because empathy with the contestants caused him stress. Asked once again about the Simon situation, he commented that Simon's acerbic comments brought in viewers when the show first started, but it was, and still is, a showcase for talent. He suggested that only time would tell which of those two reasons kept viewers tuning in for the show. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Canada AM | |
| June 10, 2010 | June 10, 2010 First Week Reports: 'Tried & True' Considering the downturn in CD sales, a change of label & a 'new lane' among musical genres, Clay's new album did well in its first week of sales. 'Tried & True' ranked 9th on the 'Billboard Top 200 Albums' chart. That placement made Clay the first AI grad to place five of their albums in the Top 10! This new stage of Clay's career is off to a good start. The album ranked #2 among 'Internet Albums'. It also came in at #21 among 'Digital Albums'. | FD Recap | Music Milestones | 2010 News | |
| June 10, 2010 | June 11/10 Access Hollywood Clay was shown in promo clips the previous day addressing some recent news stories about Ricky Martin & Elton John, but these were not part of the finished clip piece. Instead he talked about things pertinent to himself, including coverage of his career immediately post-Idol as well as his new CD. The cover of 'Tried & True' was shown along with a clip from the PBS special. He was asked about being a father and replied that he was 'phenomenal'! Many people don't realize that he trained as a teacher and as a support worked for children with disabilities. Dealing with a lively 2 year old of his own must be quite different from that! They showed an old paparazzi photo of Parker. Clay & Jaymes have managed admirably to keep Parker out of the spotlight. | FD Recap | Access Hollywood | 2010 News | |
| June 10, 2010 | PBS station WTTW Chicago would be the fortunate one to preview Clay's first special for the network. While other stations could include the show in their pledge drive later in summer, Chicago viewers would see it on June 12, 2010. On June 10th, they added a promo to their scrolling banner at the WTTW website. 'CSN 50 and Better', another Chicago website, posted the biography and information included in the press release from 'International Media', the company that produced the show. The IM blog linked the CSN article to further distribute the information. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 12, 2010 | June 12, 2010 "Clay Aiken: Tried & True LIVE" debuted on PBS station WTTW in Chicago. This 'preview' airing of Clay's special set the stage for future broadcast on other stations in the Public Broadcasting System's network. Those stations would begin to air the show in the August 2010 Pledge Drive. Phones rang steadily during pledge breaks as viewers gave their monetary support to the station and received 'Thank You' gifts based on their level of support. Some viewers went for the CD, others for a DVD of the show while still others sought a combination of the two. The top level of support involved a special one-of-a-kind experience. Viewers could attend an intimate concert by Clay to be held at a small Chicago theatre in October. What a wonderful opportunity to experience Clay up close and personal! | FD Recap | 2010 News | PBS Tried and True | |
| June 13, 2010 | Parade magazine (on-line and in the Sunday newspaper supplements) did a 'what's new with Clay' segment, mentioning both the new CD & summer tour. People on-line picked up on his comment that the tour would be 'like Sonny & Cher, but Clay & Ruben' with a pair of cute pictures of the pairs. The People print edition ran their brief review of 'Tried & True' which gave it 2 1/2 stars out of 4 ... a better rating than they gave his last albums. Clay would be hosting a segment on 'Siriusly Sinatra on satellite radio. he would be playing some songs from his new CD as well as old favorites. 'Tried & True' popped up on the 'United World Chart' at #32 for its debut week. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 14, 2010 | As mentioned previously, 'Tried & true' opened with solid placements on several Billboard charts. Thanks to fan NY4Clay for the scans of the print edition of the magazine. These charts can be found in the issue dated June 19, 2010 which hit the news stands early that week. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Music Milestones | |
| June 15, 2010 | June 15/10 This edition of "The Voice", a fan newsletter for supporters of Linda Eder, focused on her duet with Clay on the Roy Orbison classic 'Crying" which appears on "Tried & True" and is featured in Clay's PBS special. It included a short Q&A which centered on his connection to Linda & the duet. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 16, 2010 | Artisan news posted a third installment of their interview with Clay. This segment was included on Verizon's "Central Newsroom" web page. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Artisan News Service | |
| June 17, 2010 | June 17/10 "The Insider" entertainment news show included a short interview clip on air & posted a slightly different version on-line. Though short, they covered a lot of territory! Clay talked about the impact of becoming a father and briefly addressed his 'coming out' process, even getting in a quick plug for the 'Timeless Tour'. While promoting 'Tried & True', Clay spoke about connecting to this music and said he is an 'old soul'. He has a solid comfort level with this genre. A few short clips from the PBS special were shown. A 'then & now' photo comparison showed that someone at the show was 'asleep at the wheel'. In most markets, the photos showed Clay in Idol and Clay now. However, a few locations saw a comparison shot of 'Clay now' with AI5 contestant Michael Sandecki, the not-so-talented wannabe-lookalike that Clay surprised on-stage during the finale that year. Time for a new 'fact checker', Insider! | FD Recap | The Insider | 2010 News | |
| June 17, 2010 | June 17/10 "The Insider" entertainment news show included a short interview clip on air & posted a slightly different version on-line. Though short, they covered a lot of territory! While promoting 'Tried & True', Clay spoke about connecting to this music and said he is an 'old soul'. He has a solid comfort level with this genre. Clay talked about the impact of becoming a father and briefly addressed his 'coming out' process, even getting in a quick plug for the 'Timeless Tour'. A few short clips from the PBS special were shown. A 'then & now' photo comparison showed that someone at the show was 'asleep at the wheel'. In most markets, the photos showed Clay in Idol and Clay now. However, a few locations saw a comparison shot of 'Clay now' with AI5 contestant Michael Sandecki, the not-so-talented wannabe-lookalike that Clay surprised on-stage during the finale that year. Time for a new 'fact checker', Insider! | Fd Recap | The Insider | 2010 News | |
| June 17, 2010 | June 17/10 WRAL welcomed Clay for a brief interview. Clay spoke about his new CD, but forgot to bring along a copy to be able to show! He referenced the PBS special & a short clip of 'Mack the Knife' was shown. With regard to the 'Timeless Tour', Clay used his 'Sonny & Cher' comparison, pointing out that he & Ruben work well together in spite of being such opposites in many ways. He continued to deflect questions about his child, saying that he wants Parker to grow up away from the limelight. He joked that he was looking forward to Father's Day because now it's about *him*! The hosts & Clay chatted most about the up-coming benefit concert for the North Carolina Theatre, "Bringing Broadway Home". The event was slated for Monday. Clay said that he had been visiting the theatre headquarters & mentioned that he'd be happy to do something for them, Within a week, area talent with connections to NCT & Broadway were lined up & a date set. Clay joked that he was practicing the songs while driving around! | FD Recap | WRAL News | 2010 News | |
| June 17, 2010 | While on his round of local promotion for "Bringing Broadway Home", the benefit concert for the North Carolina Theatre, Clay spoke briefly with Channel 10 outside. He told about his first exposure to musicals, a touring production of 'Big River', the stage version of the Huck Finn story. He said it was the first time he realized that you could sing and actually be paid! That seems to be working out quite well for grown-up Clay. | FD Recap | Bringing Broadway Home | 2010 News | |
| June 21, 2010 | Clay & fellow performer Lauren Kennedy appeared on ABC11's "Heart of Carolina Perspectives" program to promote "Bringing Broadway Home". They shared the background of each of the five performers and their connection to NCT. The host surprised Clay by having a list of the roles he had performed while a teen working with the group. In 'Shenandoah, he died on stage. In 'Annie', he was an apple seller. His first production was '1776' in which he was directed by Terrence Mann, Broadway star and co-performer in the special. He had one line. After delivering it the first time, Mann told him to 'stop acting'! Not quit theatre, just don't over-act. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Bringing Broadway Home | |
| June 21, 2010 | June 21, 2010 "Bringing Broadway Home" This special benefit concert for the North Carolina Theatre featured five local alumni of its productions over the years. Clay was joined by Terrence Mann, star of many Broadway productions including 'Cats' and 'Les Miserables'. Also on stage were Broadway vets Lauren Kennedy and Sharon Lawrence. The fifth performer was Quiana Parler, well known club performer in the area and regular backup singer for Clay, who had gotten rave reviews for her first musical, playing 'Effie' in the NCT production of 'Dream Girls'. A simple staging of five comfortable chairs allowed the performers to chat between songs, sharing their experiences with the NCT. A mix of solos, duets, trios and group numbers entertained the appreciative audience! | FD Recap | Bringing Broadway Home | | |
| June 23, 2010 | The "North Carolina Music Hall of Fame" is expanding it exhibits and its list of honored local talent. At the next induction ceremony in October 2010, Clay will be among the new names added to the group. He will join such illustrious performers as John Coltrane, Roberta Flack, Randy Travis and James Taylor. Season 3 Idol contestant Fantasia Barrino will also be among the new inductees. | FD Recap | NC Music Hall of Fame | 2010 News | |
| June 24, 2010 | June 24/10 PopEater "Clay Aiken: A Day in the Life" Photographer Diana Levine followed Clay around on his publicity stops the day after the release of 'Tried & True', documenting his day for the AOL PopEater website. The article included a video and a slide show of 63 candid photographs. Levine produced an amazing group of pictures! Check them out at http://www.popeater.com/2010/06/24/clay-aiken-a-day-in-the-life/ Also check out a few other pics and her comments at her own website: http://dianalevine.tumblr.com/ She comments, "Clay is really a funny guy, and is a devoted musician, father and friend." | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 29, 2010 | Interviews from BOTH Sides! New interviews from Us magazine and Zap2it covered the usual promotional topics for this round. Attempts to bring in his personal life were deflected. Clay likes to keep his private life just that ... private! It was announced that Clay would take the other side of the interview mic when he would join the panel of 'The View' as one of their summer co-host substitutes! | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| June 29, 2010 | June 29/10 "Bringing Broadway Home" Review Robert W. McDowell posted a review of the North Carolina Theatre benefit concert at the 'Triangle Arts & Entertainment' website. "Last Monday night, the North Carolina Theatre, whose gala home-grown productions of big Broadway musicals compare favorably with many of the bus-and-truck tours that play the Triangle, staged BRINGING BROADWAY HOME: CELEBRATING 27 SEASONS OF BROADWAY, a spectacular benefit concert last Monday night, featuring effervescent performances by NCT alumni Clay Aiken, Lauren Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann, and Quiana Parler and a splendid orchestra led by frequent NCT musical director and conductor Edward G. Robinson." Check out the full review at http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2010/06/bringing-broadway-home-review-by-robert-w-mcdowell/ | FD Recap | Bringing Broadway Home | 2010 News | |
| June 30, 2010 | The 'National Inclusion Project' is staging several auctions through 'Celebrity Buzz'. The coveted prizes are 'Meet & Greets' with Clay and Ruben at several cities during the Timeless Tour'. As of July 1st, there were two M&Gs available for each of the following stops: Asheville, NC Jacksonville, FL Melbourne, FL Clearwater, FL | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 1, 2010 | The 'National Inclusion Project' received a grant from 'CVS Caremark Charitable Trust'. The money will help support the Project's on-going efforts to provide inclusive experiences for combined groups of children both with and without disabilities. | FD Recap | Grant Info | | |
| July 1, 2010 | UNICEF released another in their 'Believe in Zero' videos in support of their efforts through various programs to reduce, and eventually eliminate, worldwide child mortality. This was not a new recording, but was taken from material recorded in 2008. | FD Recap | Believe in Zero Campaign | | |
| July 2, 2010 | A brief interview posted by Billboard caught up with Clay's plans for the summer tour with RInterviews! Interviews! Interviews! uben. A quick comment was made about the search for a replacement for departing Idol judge Simon Cowell. Clay said an ex-contestant would understand the process from a contestant's point of view. His funny 'Call me' got picked up & showed up all over the net. In typical fashion it went from a quick comment tossed into an interview to a wildly exaggerated 'Clay is campaigning for the job' thing. An interview with local radio Mix105's Bill & Lynda (long time friend Lynda Loveland) plugged the usual items, but had a few extra funny bits. In reply to a question about his beard, Clay clarified that it *wasn't* a beard, it was "stubble"! Commenting on his attire during a UNICEF trip to Afghanistan, he laughed that he went with traditional clothing, only to discover when he got there that no one else wore that stuff any more! "TV Replay" covered the 'Chelsea lately" TV interview. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 9, 2010 | July 9, 2010 Key Club Convention, Memphis TN Clay appeared in his role of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to accept a cheque from Key Club USA. In past years, the organization has provided funds to support various UNICEF initiatives. This year, their focus was on Uruguay. Clay gave a short speech about the work done by UNICEF while a slide show illustrated their activities. | FD Recap | 2010 Key Club International Convention | | |
| July 11, 2010 | July 11, 2010: 'Stoop River' During his big publicity push the week that 'Tried & True' was released, Clay was interviewed for the NY based show 'Talk Stoop'. His segment was scheduled for later in July, but during a 'clip show' of musical guests on July 11th, he was included. Fans got a sneak peek as Clay sang 'Moon River' a capella! | Fd Recap | Other Local News Shows | | |
| July 13, 2010 | July 13/10 The View Co-Host Clay joined the ladies of 'The View' as co-host for the day. Struggling with a raspy voice, Clay was more subdued that he usually is as a guest. However, he did get some pertinent points in during several 'Hot Topic' discussions. A segment on the military 'Don't ask. Don't Tell' policy was picked up by several sites after it aired. He did get 'bleeped', though!!! He sneaked in a term that isn't acceptable on TV. Naughty boy! It did crack up the panel, especially Whoopie Goldberg who has always wanted to be able to use that word. He seemed to really enjoy the 'Happy Hour' segment, sampling an assortment of food & even sipping different drinks. he stayed faaaaarrrrr away from the mushroom dish, though. (Not taking any chances with those allergies!) | FD Recap | The View | | |
| July 13, 2010 | The View Extras! Two clips were posted at the show's website. In his exit interview, Clay apologized for 'cussing', but explained that it was a set-up. He tried to show that the word was in his cue card notes, but of course he was bleeped again and the card was blocked out so we'll never know what was really there! It was a good set-up for a joke with Whoopie, though! The second clip was pre-show. The producer used a hand-cam to do a brief interview, catching Clay in the make-up room getting his hair styled for the show. To improve the volume, the stylist had put large rollers in his hair. Clay joked that he only used smaller ones at home! When told to jump right in with the panel, Clay said he'd just put his hand over someone's mouth if necessary ... poking fun at his last appearance on another talk show. | Fd Recap | The View | | |
| July 13, 2010 | 'Tried & True' Tidbits 'The Boot', a country blog, explored the 'Unchained Melody' connection between Clay & LeAnn Rimes. TheaterMania posted a very nice review of the CD. Universal Music Indonesia announced that the CD & DVD would be available in August! Some lucky fans received the autographed sleeve inserts that were available for the first group of buyers from one of the on-line ordering websites. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 14, 2010 | July 3-14, 2010 GLBT Issues On July 3rd, Popdirt ran a short comment that dated back to 2008. Clay admitted that he was nervous at his first Spamalot appearance after his 'coming out' story appeared in people magazine. He was afraid that people would boo him and was gratified that it didn't happen. Two other sites posted follow-up discussions to the "Don't ask. Don't tell." segment from the 'Hot Topics' segment on 'The View'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 14, 2010 | Phineas & Ferb Update July 6/10 An item on local ABC 7 News website referenced the up-coming special and the Clay/Chaka Khan duet. July 14/10 The website 'Just Jared' confirmed that the first airing of the hour-long special would be on August 2nd on Disney XD. The song is called 'I Believe We Can'. | FD Recap | Phineas and Ferb | | |
| July 15, 2010 | Animated Clay!!!! Finally, we had a picture that showed the animated versions of Clay & Chaka Khan as they would appear in the 'Phineas & Ferb' summer special. Animated Clay seems to enjoy hanging out with the kids! Source: Entertainment Weekly magazine Two other sites provided additional information as to the storyline and production of the show & series. (Stitch Kingdom; Blazing Music + Sound) | FD Recap | Phineas and Ferb | | |
| July 15, 2010 | UNICEF posted information and a great photo from the recent Key Club convention. They provided background on the long-established connection between the two organizations. A press release officially announced the grant from CVS Caremark to the National Inclusion Project to further its inclusive programs. | FD Recap | 2010 Key Club International Convention | | |
| July 16, 2010 | The View Extras! Two clips were posted at the show's website. In his exit interview, Clay apologized for 'cussing', but explained that it was a set-up. He tried to show that the word was in his cue card notes, but of course he was bleeped again and the card was blocked out so we'll never know what was really there! It was a good set-up for a joke with Whoopie, though! The second clip was pre-show. The producer used a hand-cam to do a brief interview, catching Clay in the make-up room getting his hair styled for the show. To improve the volume, the stylist had put large rollers in his hair. Clay joked that he only used smaller ones at home! When told to jump right in with the panel, Clay said he'd just put his hand over someone's mouth if necessary ... poking fun at his last appearance on another talk show | FD Recap | | | |
| July 16, 2010 | UNICEF released another in their 'Believe in Zero' videos in support of their efforts through various programs to reduce, and eventually eliminate, worldwide child mortality. This was not a new recording, but was taken from material recorded in 2008. | FD Recap | | | |
| July 19, 2010 | PBS Promo Ads, clips and televised dates continued to surface on PBS sites across America as stations added "Clay Aiken: Tried & True Live" to their pledge schedules. During his stop at PBS in Atlanta, Clay posed with Ed Slott whose financial special 'Stay Rich Forever and Ever' runs on the network | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 21, 2010 | July 21, 2010 Return to Asheville Interview Citizen Times On-Line | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 21, 2010 | Rodney Ho posts a blog based on Idol & its alumni for the Access Atlanta website. He solicited questions from fans for his interview with Clay who was in the city for tour rehearsals. Video of the interview was posted in two parts. Check them out at the website. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 21, 2010 | "Tried & True' and PBS Promotion Clay's Broadway connections brought about some nice promo from the TheaterMania & Playbioll websites. Both gave positive mentions to both the CD & up-coming PBS airings of the special. The list of PBS stations adding the show to their pledge schedules continued to grow daily. Some like WPBT posted the great press release on their sites for patrons to see. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 22, 2010 | Attendees at the 2010 Comic-Con got a sneak preview of the 'Phineas & Ferb' special, 'Summer belongs to You'. A radio site item looked at Chaka Khan's contribution. The blog 'GEEKDAD' featured an interview with the show's creators. Concerning Clay's inclusion the they said: "Swampy Marsh: ... there’s also things like getting Clay Aiken and Chaka Khan to sing a duet for the summer special. <snip>" Dan Povenmire: "We wrote a song that would only be funny if Phineas and Ferb hired Clay Aiken and Chaka Kahn to be their stunt singers and we thought we had written ourselves into a corner because if we don’t get Chaka Kahn and Clay Aiken, we have to rewrite this bit of the episode, but luckily they both said yes." wired.com/geekdad/2010/07/geekdad-interviews-phineas-and-ferb-creators-dan-povenmire-and-swampy-marsh/ | FD Recap | Phineas and Ferb | 2010 News | |
| July 23, 2010 | A pre-tour interview with Ruben & Clay made the rounds of a number of celebrity information sites including 'OK magazine' & 'Playbill'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 23, 2010 | July 23/10 Entertainment Tonight ET aired a cute interview with Clay & Ruben on the opening day of their 'Timeless' Tour. Recorded during the rehearsal phase, the friendship & respect they share was clearly evident. A short version aired on the TV show and a longer one was posted at the show's on-line site. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Entertainment Tonight | |
| July 23, 2010 | July 23/10 'Talk Stoop' Aired The taping was seen in photos from the PopEater 'Day in the Life' article and a short segment had aired showing the a capella 'Moon River'. The NBC morning show included a segment, but now the whole item aired on 'Talk Stoop' itself. The final product was a bit of a let down for many fans as it covered a lot of 'ancient history' as far as Clay's story goes. It did show a few clips from the PBS special and mentioned the new CD, but the focus seemed to be more on Idol in 2003, 'coming out' in 2008, his book from 2004 "Learning to Sing", and a lot about the fans, including their special 'terminology'. The host concluded that it's "so weird being you'. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Other Local News Shows | |
| July 23, 2010 | The Timeless Tour On July 23, 2010 Clay hit the road for a short summer tour with his good pal, Ruben Studdard and back-up singers Quiana Parler and Casey Thompson. Comprised of solos, duets & group numbers they group performed classic hits from the 1960s through the 1990s, both as individual songs and within decade medleys. A strong comedic element made the tour part variety show and gave both men a chance to show their funny sides. | FD recap | 2010 Timeless Tour with Ruben Studdard | | |
| July 25, 2010 | Disney posted a preview clip for the 'Phineas & Ferb'' summer special "Summer Belongs to You". The segment from the hour-long special centered on the Clay & Chaka Khan duet. Clay was a 'stunt singer' for one of the regular characters! | FD Recap | Phineas and Ferb | 2010 News | |
| July 25, 2010 | The Indonesian website 'Creative Disc' had a few Clay mentions during July 2010. They reviewed the 'Tried & true' album. 'It's Impossible was ranked second on the 'Fresh Top 11' for July 25th. Clay was also mentioned in reference to the search for a replacement judge on American Idol. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 26, 2010 | Tweets & Music Beats A fan on a flight Tweeted: "I just wanted to tweet from 20,000 feet in the air. I'm on my way to Florida and the Clay Aiken/Ruben Studdard concert threefer! Imagine her surprise when Team Clay answered: "Hello up there!" ******************* Several sites that cover items of interest (concerts, special events, etc) in their local markets included positive mentions of the 'Timeless Tour' 'Hollywood Outbreak' posted a short audio clip. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 27, 2010 | The website 'Stitch Kingdom' posted a 'first look' at the 'Phineas & Ferb' summer special "Summer Belongs to You". Cartoon Clay is the cutest 'stunt singer' ever! Be sure to check out the huge full-sized version of these scenes at their website. http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-news/television-disney/clay-aiken-phineas-ferbs-summer-belongs-you-disney-xd/ | FD Recap | Phineas and Ferb | 2010 News | |
| July 28, 2010 | The Decca Music DVD "Clay Aiken: Tried & True Live' became available in late July 2010. The DVD features most of the songs performed by Clay at the taping in March 2010 in Raleigh for his PBS special. The televised version on PBS contained the song 'In My Life' from the Beatles catalog, but the number does not appear on this DVD. Thanks to 'dancermom2' at 'Clayversity' for the scans of the booklet & case images. The DVD could be attained as a pledge bonus through PBS stations that were airing the special. It could also be ordered through sites like Amazon and was available in some stores as well. Available | FD Recap | Movies, Books and DVD's | 2010 News | |
| July 29, 2010 | Clay's special got great visibility in the WFYI Indianapolis August program guide which was sent to all station supporters. Thanks to Karen4Clay for the scans! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| July 30, 2010 | July 30/10 N.I.P., PBS, Phineas & Ferb The National Inclusion Project announced its fall gala date. Mark October 16, 2010 on your calendars! WSJT and 'Disney Dreaming' included features on the 'Phineas & Ferb' special featuring Clay & Chaka Khan which would begin airing in a few days. KNME PBS noted Clay's 'Tried & True' television special among their August highlights. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Phineas and Ferb | |
| July 30, 2010 | July Odds & Ends On Independence day, "More Musically" revisited the AI2 group number 'God Bless the USA'. An ESPN football blogger is quick with a quip! When a post attributed to a 'Clay A.' appeared, his response was "OMG ... Clay Aiken reads this blog????!!!!!" Hollywood Outbreak posted a brief audio clip of Clay addressing the loyalty of his fans. Blogger 'GregInHollywood' did an item on the release of the 'Tried & True' DVD. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| August 3, 2010 | Fans who pledged support to their PBS stations had a variety of 'thank you gifts' which they could receive, depending upon the amount donated. *A CD or digital download of the album 'Tried & True' * A DVD copy of the PBS special * a combination of the above two items In some areas, another higher level was available. Concert tickets!!! Clay would be doing a tour in support of the CD/DVD/PBS special in early 2011. | FD Recap | PBS Tried and True | 2010 News | |
| August 3, 2010 | "Summer Belongs To You" Phineas & Ferb TV Special Compilation CD Disney Music Features the Clay Aiken/Chaka Khan duet "I Believe We Can". | FD Recap | Compilations and Duets | Discography | |
| August 5, 2010 | Most PBS stations aired the 'Tried & True Live' special on its own. Memphis station WKNO aired a half-hour interview with Clay as an extra bonus. The host had done extensive research and covered many areas. Unlike many interviews in which Clay has limited time to address any topic, this interviewer accorded him the time to thoroughly reply. Clay's responses, along with some UNICEF clips that fans had not previously seen, made this one of the best interviews in a long while. | Fd Recap | PBS Tried and True | | |
| August 9, 2010 | Timeless: On Tour Articles appeared in some local papers as their tour dates neared. During the show at Foxwoods Casino on Connecticut, fans were surprised by this Tweet from performer Deborah (Debbie) Gibson: "This show is brilliant! OMG! If you haven't seen Clay & Reuben, RUN do not walk!" During the Reno tour stop, Clay posed with Murray Valeriano for a picture. The comedian was also performing in Reno. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| August 10, 2010 | Phineas & Ferb: Ratings & Reactions Part 2 The special episode 'Summer Belongs to You' did very well in the ratings, both on the original and repeat showings. | FD Recap | Phineas and Ferb | 2010 News | |
| August 10, 2010 | Phineas & Ferb: Reactions & Ratings Pt 1 The 'Phineas & Ferb' soundtrack that included the Clay Chaka duet quickly climber the iTunes chart. 'The Morning Meme' blog cited an addition point about Clay's appearance that was important to some viewers. "It was an opportunity for gay families to see a gay dad integrated into regular children's programming'. | FD Recap | Phineas and Ferb | 2010 News | |
| August 18, 2010 | August PSAs Clay stopped by 'Constant creative' studio to record video segments for inclusion in UNICEF's new PSA series. The organization was raising funds to assist the people of Pakistan who were facing the results of the worst flooding in their country in a century. Clay & other Goodwill Ambassadors participated in encouraging public donations. An August article about performer Cindi Lauper discussed her new album and also her 'Give a Damn' campaign which centers on GLBT issues. Clay was mentioned as one of the celebrities who had been involved with their PSA program. | FD Recap | Give A Damn Campaign | Pakistan | |
| August 22, 2010 | PBS Continuing Promotion Individual PBS stations do their fundraising during different time frames. Therefore Clay's PBS special would air as early as August in some areas and as late as December in others. If it proved successful in the individual market it could be shown repeatedly. (Some programs have aired for years if they proven popular.) Stations in areas that were scheduled for tour stops in February & March 2011 had blocks of tickets that were available for top level pledges. The rest of the venue seats would go on general public sale later. | PBS Tried and True | 2010 News | | |
| August 23, 2010 | Individual PBS stations do their fundraising during different time frames. Therefore Clay's PBS special would air as early as August in some areas and as late as December in others. If it proved successful in the individual market it could be shown repeatedly. (Some programs have aired for years if they proven popular.) Stations in areas that were scheduled for tour stops in February & March 2011 had blocks of tickets that were available for top level pledges. The rest of the venue seats would go on general public sale later. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| August 27, 2010 | Aug. 27/10 Normalizing Non-Traditional Relationships Normalizing the view of non-traditional relationships within society is an issue close to Clay's heart. Two articles looking at different aspects this month mentioned Clay. Clay was one of t5 featured in "The Semantics of 'Coming out'" slide show by the Daily Beast. Also included were Melissa Etheridge, Elton John and Rosie O'Donnell. Clay was also mentioned in some articles about Neil Patrick Harris and his partner who announced that they are expecting twins! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| August 27, 2010 | Aug. 27/10: Politics & Profiles On August 27th, Clay was a special guest at a fundraiser in Durham, NC the event was held in support of Elaine Marshall, the Democratic candidate for for the US Senate for that area. Clay's presence was noted in the 'Under the Dome' political blog of the News & Observer. A bio for Simon Cowell on the 'X Factor' website (British edition) listed only three Ex-Idol singers as examples of those who were partially under his 'SyCo Music' company. The three performers included were Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Clay. On a totally different topic: Clay was included among 'the daily Beast' slide show on celebrity men who wear mandals. | FD Recap | Out and about list | | |
| August 27, 2010 | Aug. 27/10 UNICEF: Pakistan Flood Emergency The PSA series that featured Clay and several other Goodwill Ambassadors began to air. raising addition funds to assist the people of Pakistan was an urgent issue. Four million children & their families had been dealing with the aftermath of the worst flooding in a century. | FD Recap | Pakistan | 2010 News | |
| August 27, 2010 | On August 27th, Clay was a special guest at a fundraiser in Durham, NC the event was held in support of Elaine Marshall, the Democratic candidate for for the US Senate for that area. Clay's presence was noted in the 'Under the Dome' political blog of the News & Observer. A bio for Simon Cowell on the 'X Factor' website (British edition) listed only three Ex-Idol singers as examples of those who were partially under his 'SyCo Music' company. The three performers included were Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Clay. On a totally different topic: Clay was included among 'the daily Beast' slide show on celebrity men who wear mandals. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Out and about | |
| August 29, 2010 | The PSA series for UNICEF was noted by many entertainment sites. The goal of such work is to bring greater awareness to the problem, in this case the Pakistan flood relief. Celebrities like Clay, Pete Wentz and Alyssa Milano help to expand that awareness to a wider audience. | FD Recap | Pakistan | 2010 News | |
| August 29, 2010 | "Tried & True" Sales Go International Fans in the far east finally had a chance to buy Clay's new album. Information from Japan, Korea & Indonesia came in via Twitter & Facebook postings, Some North American fans like to collect international versions of Clay's CDs. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| August 31, 2010 | August Entertainment Odds & Ends Clay's name popped up in some unusual places: * on a baseball scoreboard on NESN television (Clay Achin') * in casting news about an Asian edition of Spamalot * in an update on Steven Tyler joining 'American Idol' * in an article on Emmy Award upsets ('The Amazing Race' unexpectedly beat Idol for best reality program for the AI2 season, still the highest rated finale of the show's history.) | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| August 31, 2010 | DVD Sales & International Song Charting "It's Impossible" was charting on Indonesian Radio. The 'Tried & True live' DVD placed in the Top 5 in its first week on sale. The New Zealand Herald site posted a video interview with Clay: "Time has been good to Clay Aiken". | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| August 31, 2010 | The PSA series for UNICEF was noted by many entertainment sites. The goal of such work is to bring greater awareness to the problem, in this case the Pakistan flood relief. Celebrities like Clay, Pete Wentz and Alyssa Milano help to expand that awareness to awider audience. | FD Recap | Events - UNICEF | Pakistan | |
| September 1, 2010 | September Musical Connections Clay was mentioned briefly in the following items: 1. A bio of Neil Sedaka from 'The Jerusalem Post'. 2. The addition of ex-Idol contestant Jordin Sparks to 'In the Heights' on Broadway. 3. An X-Factor (Britain) item on Storm Lee. 4. An item on the newest winner on 'America's Got Talent' | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| September 3, 2010 | 'National Inclusion Project' Gets Top Rating 'Charity Navigator' evaluates charities based on how efficiently they utilize the funds that are raised. For the second consecutive year, the N.I.P. earned their top 'Four Star' rating. | FD Recap | Events and News - National Inclusion Project | | |
| September 3, 2010 | September 3, 2010 FWIX Detroit PBS Interview Clay did a lengthy interview for Detroit Public Television. The 'DPTV Showcase' was posted on-line in a series of short segments. Clay said that PBS is the place you can find better music programs than anywhere else. The audience is more mature, more cultured. With regard to 'Tried & True', he described the songs as 'safe' and 'comfortable', saying they were easy for him and music he loves. People know these songs and can sing along or recall a fond memory associated with them. | FD Recap | PBS Tried and True | | |
| September 6, 2010 | 'Tried & True' International Sales & Charts A fan in Korea snapped pictures of the album well stocked on store shelves. "It's Impossible" was getting airplay on several Indonesian radio stations and showed up as high as #5 on area charts. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Music Milestones | |
| September 8, 2010 | Sept. 8/10: Houston PBS Live Pledge Appearance Clay appeared in-studio for the first airing of 'Tried & True' on the Houston PBS station, He seemed to have a blast with the volunteers who were answering phones, even taking a few calls himself! He joked with the show's hosts, saying at one point the that concert seats available as pledge gifts were so close to the stage that they would probably be able to smell him ... and that spit might FLY on them. Clay had previously recorded an interview with one of the hosts will air & also be available to view on their website. He said it was probably the best interview he had ever done and was most appreciative of Ernie for making it such a great experience. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | Houston | |
| September 11, 2010 | Sept. 11/10 UNC-TV Pledge Drive Clay appeared in-studio for the North Caroline PBS debut of 'Tried & True: Live'. He was on familiar turf as the station is affiliated with the university he attended in Charlotte NC. The station used social networking to include fans from far & wide. Tweets were posted on Twitter and pictures on Facebook throughout the evening. The station got calls from 18 different states and from four countries! | FD Recap | 2010 News | Charlotte | |
| September 13, 2010 | PBS stations have different schedules for Pledge Drives. Some hold four sessions annually, while others use only three periods. Therefore, Clay's PBS special debuts and replays during a wide range of the year. Some stations used the show during their summer fund raising period, others booked it for September, while som | Fd Recap | 2010 News | PBS Tried and True | |
| September 21, 2010 | FOX All Access posted an audio interview centered on Clay's fans aka Clay Nation. More Miscellaneous Mentions 1. Rick Astley's new single was described as "very Clay Aiken". 2. The Legacy site's Song of the Day was "Invisible". 3. Clay & Carrie Underwood were referenced in a brief item about the new round of auditions for American Idol. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| September 26, 2010 | Sept. 26/10: "Tried & True" Tickets for the up-coming 2011 "Tried & True Live" tour were available at varied sources. Fan Club pre-sales & PBS pledge drives allowed fans and PBS supporters to purchase tickets ahead of the general public. While the PBS special continued to air on some stations like WLIW21 In New York, others held it (and tickets) back for later drives. (Some stations would hold drives in December.) "The Scoop" from Fort Wayne and The Dallas News both promoted Texas area tour appearances and the "Go Guide" posted notice of the Miami concert. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| September 28, 2010 | Sony Legacy released a special CD package called "X2: Clay Aiken." This included a copy of Measure of a Man and a copy of A Thousand Different Ways. These CDs are the same as the individual CDs. There were no CD notes included with the package other than a track list. | CS Recap | Albums | 2010 News | |
| September 30, 2010 | September Wrap-Up Here are four wide-ranging mentions from late September 2010: 1. Two fan photos were featured in Newsday's on-line "Your Celebrity Encounters" 2. "Who Sampled" did a 'cover details' side-by-side comparisons between Clay's version of "Right Here Waiting" and the Richard Marx original. 3. 'Culturemap' website from Houston posted information about up-coming concerts, including those headlined by Clay & Tony Bennett. 4. A brief item about Angelina Jolie's visit to Pakistan referenced Clay's video plea for flood assistance in that area. | Fd Recap | 2010 News | | |
| October 7, 2010 | Clay? On the Subway? With Tyra? Riders on the NYC subway on October 7, 2010 must have been surprised to find themselves sharing the ride with Clay and his good friend, supermodel Tyra Banks ... and a member of the ever-present NYC paparazzi! | FD Recap | Out and about list | | |
| October 11, 2010 | Around North Carolina: AikenStandard.com posted an article identifying 10 famous people & /things associated with the surname 'Aiken'. Clay topped the list of interesting items. The Raleigh landmark restaurant 'Mecca' hosts a signed 'Tried & True' "Thank You" message from Clay The site was one of the local attractions used as a backdrop for the album photoshoot. A sharp-eyed visitor snapped a picture of Clay with some friends at the Duke University Chapel. Clay attended UNC-Charlotte so this area of the state is like a second 'home turf' for him. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Out and about list | |
| October 11, 2010 | The up-coming 'National Inclusion Project Gala' was mentioned on three sites. 'My NC' covered it in their Wake County section. It was also featured at two sites which focus on celebrity philanthropy: 'Look to the Stars' and 'Jolly People'. | FD Recap | 2010 Champions of Change Gala - Raleigh | | |
| October 14, 2010 | On October 14, 2010 the pledge reward concert offered by WTTW PBS Chicago was held at the Park West venue. The set list mirrored the original Raleigh taping of the "Tried & True Live" special, with the exclusion of the medley. Clay performed 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" which was sung by Ruben Studdard at the taping. Casey Thompson, who toured with Clay during the previous summer, sang back-up and replaced Linda Eder for the duet on 'Crying". | FD Recap | Chicago PBS Pledge Drive Concert | | |
| October 16, 2010 | National Inclusion Project 2010 Gala The Raleigh Gala was a rousing success! Attendees were treated to a lovely dinner, Live & Silent Auctions, special presentations to the night's three honorees and a performance by Clay. Honored for their work in expanding inclusive access were PepsiCo EnAble, "I Am Norm" and the group behind "Darius Goes West" | FD Recap | 2010 Champions of Change - Raleigh | | |
| October 17, 2010 | Anti-Bullying campaigns ramped up after a series of teen suicides caused by bullying. The 'Give a Damn' campaign, headed by singer Cindi Lauper and the new 'It Gets Better' campaign sought to provide encourage to youth who were being subjected to bullying. Clay was already involved with 'Give a Damn', having been part of previous videos with the group. | FD Recap | Give A Damn | GLSEN - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network | |
| October 19, 2010 | Oct. 19/10 The Joy Behar Show Clay was a guest on Joy Behar's talk show on HLN. The discussion was centered on current issues affecting the gay community. A Raleigh incident was the instigating event for his appearance, but a number of recent suicides among teens due to bullying broadened the topic. | FD Recap | CNN | Television Show List | |
| October 19, 2010 | Playbill magazine's on-line site hosted a short interview with Clay about 'Trick or treat for UNICEF'. As one of UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassadors, Clay is well informed about the program and the uses of the funding it raises. | FD Recap | Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF/School Visits | Playbill | |
| October 20, 2010 | iTunes Essentials The iTunes website added Clay to their 'essentials' files. His music is sorted into three categories: The Basics Next Steps Complete Set: combination of both above groups Both individual groups include songs across the spectrum of his albums, including both RCA & Decca releases. | FD Recap | 2010 News | Music Milestones | |
| October 20, 2010 | October 20/10 National Spirit Day In the aftermath of a series of teen suicides due to bullying, the first 'National Spirit Day' was held. Many celebrities showed their support through their Facebook pages, websites and TV/radio appearances. Purple was the color chosen to represent the movement. Clay was noted among the supporters. His recent appearance on the Joy Behar Show to discuss the bullying and other gay issues was also noted on blogs. | FD Recap | 2010 News | GLSEN - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network | |
| October 27, 2010 | "Melodies of Christmas: Men of Christmas" Compilation CD Released Oct. 27, 2010 Includes Clay's version of 'The Christmas Song'. | FD Recap | Compilations and Duets | Discography | |
| October 31, 2010 | Idol References for October 2010 1. 'This Week in Idol History' noted the 2003 opening week sales for 'Measure of a Man'. Happy MoaM-iversary, everybody! 2 TV Guide posted a list of the "25 Most Shocking reality Moments of All Time". The finale between Clay & Ruben was listed as #8. They list Clay as the front-runner, though at the time uben seemed to hold that position in the opinion of many viewers. 3. A comment on 'Good Day' about the new idol season's auditions mentioned the many 'winners' who came from the south ... including Clay. I guess they forgot that he didn't win! | FD Recap | 2010 News | TV Guide Magazine | |
| October 31, 2010 | October 2010 Music & TV Bits 1. FOX All Access released more audio from their 'Tried & True' release interview. This segment referenced Elton John. 2. A Pittsburgh billboard advertised the 2011 'Tried & True' tour. 3. The retiring NC State fair organizer recelled the Raleigh pair of concerts from 2004 as one of the highlights of his career. 4. A summary of top celebrity winners on quiz shows indicated that Clay remains tied in second spot for the 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader' show. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| October 31, 2010 | October Mix Four unrelated items to wrap up the month: 1. An item on solar panels referenced Clay's version of 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me'. 2. Clay's 2007 video for UNICEF about Malaria Nets reappeared. 3. The SciFi fans who receive the DragonCon newsletter were encouraged to support 'The National Inclusion Project' in the 'Pepsi Refresh' challenge. A random Tweet spurred cartoonist Greg Williams to envision a world were all babies are Clay's off-spring! | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| October 31, 2010 | "Tried & True" Concert Plans As the date for the Chicago pledge reward concert approached, dates for the February-March 2011 tour were shaping up. Notice of specific cities & venues began to appear. | FD Recap | 2010 News | 2011 Tried and True Tour | |
| November 6, 2010 | Nov. 12, 2010 The National Inclusion Project posted a report on the 2010 Gala which was held on October 15th & 16th.. Over $370,000 was raised to support the activities of the Project! | fd recap | 2010 Champions of Change Gala - Raleigh | Events and News - National Inclusion Project | |
| November 9, 2010 | Sony Music Special Products has a "Super Hits" series featuring hits from various Sony artists. They released a Clay Aiken CD in this series. | CS Recap | Albums | 2010 News | |
| November 18, 2010 | Anti-Bullying Bills Clay joined other supporters of GLSEN (The Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network) in Washington to speak in support of two bills that were coming before the government: The Safe Schools Improvement Act and The Student Non-Discrimination Act. Other speakers at the press event were: Sirdeaner Walker & Tammy Aaberg, both mothers who lost sons to suicide after bullying incidents Senator Bob Casey Senator Al Franken Representative Jared Polis Representative Linda Sanchez Dancer Louis Van Amstel | FD Recap | GLSEN - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network | Other Charities, Committees and Foundations | |
| November 18, 2010 | Christmas Music: Opinions, Airplay & Sales Susan Boyle finally toppled Clay's record for first week sales of a holiday album. 'This Week in Idol History' acknowledged Clay's fabulous November of 2004: topping music charts with 'Merry Christmas With Love' and the New York Time Best Sellers List with "Learning To Sing". A David Foster interview referenced Clay. David prefers classic Christmas songs over new ones. 'Idol Chatter' noted Clay's return to the charts as AC radio switched to their Christmas format. | FD Recap | 2010 News | | |
| November 20, 2010 | November: Broadway Connections On Nov. 14th, Clay joined the touring cast of 'Billy Elliot' as they celebrated the start of their run in Durham, NC. Back in New York, Clay attended the Nov. 20th performance of the musical 'Promises Promises' on Broadway. He had met the star, Kristen Chenoweth on previous occasions and went back stage after the show. Kristen Tweeted, "He's so adorable!" In an interview about his work, renowned composer Alan Menken was asked what his favorite memories of working with Disney were. he mentioned recording of 'Proud of You Boy' with Clay for the special edition of the DVD "Aladdin". | FD Recap | Out and about list | 2010 News | |
| November 22, 2010 | More sites who covered the anti-bullying appearance. | fd recap | GLSEN - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network | 2010 News | |
| November 22, 2010 | Nov. 22, 2010 UNICEF Ebay Auction UNICEF ran an auction for 'an ultimate VIP experience' with proceeds to benefit the US Fund for UNICEF. Included were 2 tickets to the up-coming 'Tried & True Tour' concert of the winner's choice, a Meet & Greet with Clay and an autographed CD. The winning bid was $2575. | FD Recap | Events - UNICEF | 2010 News | |
| November 29, 2010 | 1. As radio stations turned to Christmas music, Clay’s ‘plays’ began to rise. Several songs from the 2004 release ‘Merry Christmas With Love’ appear regularly on the seasonal charts. 2. ‘Tried & True’ was noted among the ‘master’s choice to relax’ albums in the Hindustan Times on-line. 3. Clay’s successful early sales were contrasted with the dismal sales of the most recent Idol grads. | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| November 29, 2010 | 1. Pictures of the winners of the ‘dinner with Clay’ auction were posted. 2. A new auction for tour tickets & a meet & greet was posted at the Kompolt charity auction website. 3. Clay was mentioned in an article about UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors. (HGTV star Vern Yip was being announced as the newest ambassador.) 4. A blogger noted that she organized a tour for another auction winner & Clay. | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| November 30, 2010 | A number of sites noted Clay’s 32nd birthday. Many happy returns, Clay! | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| November 30, 2010 | Clay appeared in a video promoting the new GLSEN ‘Safe Space’ kits for schools, stressing how important it is for children of all orientations to see their schools as safe places for all, free of bullying for any reason. | fd recap | GLSEN - Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network | 2010 News | |
| December 1, 2010 | Dec. 1, 2010: “Guideposts” magazine offered a huge 4 CD Christmas compilation called “The All-Time Greatest Hits of Christmas”. It was only available through their website and was advertised as “Nearly every original Christmas hit you can think of is included by everybody from Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Burl Ives & Glenn Miller to Amy Grant, Clay Aiken, Elton John and John Lennon.” Clay’s version of ‘Mary, Did You Know’ was included on disc one. | fd recap | Compilations and Duets | Guideposts for Teens | |
| December 3, 2010 | On December 3, 2010, the National Inclusion Project posted an album full of photos from the October Gala at their Facebook page. The pictures captured many aspects of the 2-day event | fd recap | Events and News - National Inclusion Project | 2010 Champions of Change Gala - Raleigh | |
| December 12, 2010 | Clay spent some personal time in Texas in December. Photos posted at Twitter and on Facebook showed him at performances of two plays: the musical ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and the play ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ | fd recap | Out and about list | 2010 News | |
| December 15, 2010 | ‘Team Clay’ made use of “twtfm”, Twitter Music. They posted ‘O Holy Night’ as their first musical offering through the site. | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| December 19, 2010 | 1 ‘Merry Christmas With Love’ remains one of Amazon’s top-rated Christmas albums. 2. In an interview ‘Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman praised some idol alimni, including Clay in his list. 3. With idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox outselling winner Lee DeWyze, references to previous runners-up who outsold the winner were not unexpected. Clay was among those who outshone the winner of their respective seasons. | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| December 27, 2010 | While Clay’s Christmas music has always been played on stations that switch to seasonal music during November & December this year proved to be exceptional! As shown on these summaries by a fan named ‘moonhead’, 2010 had the highest number of spins in ANY year since ‘Merry Christmas with Love’ has been on the market. ‘O Holy Night’ topped the list with over 2000 plays. | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| December 29, 2010 | As sales results for American idol Season 9’s Top 2 came in, Clay was referenced for his stellar first week sales. With the decline of CD sales across the market, it seems unlikely that his first week sales record will be eclipsed. 2. As a new season of American Idol begins promotion, Season 2 is often mentioned with respect to its talent base (The Top 3 of Clay, Ruben, Kimberley Locke) and for the drama of the close competition and final vote result. | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| December 30, 2010 | 1. Some radio stations were posting and doing on-line promo (ticket give-aways) for the up-coming ‘Tried & True Tour’. 2. Songs from Clay’s ‘Tried & True’ album continued to get airplay in Indonesia. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” slid into #18 for the final chart of the year on the ‘Imelda Top 20’. | fd recap | 2010 News | | |
| December 31, 2010 | 2010 Moments in Time: Here is a quick visual look back at Clay’s activities in 2010. How many pics can you identify? | FD Recap | 2010 Year at a Glance | 2010 News | |
| December 31, 2010 | After coming very close to a Top 10 finish and a $50,000 award from Pepsi Refresh in the previous couple of months, the National Inclusion Project pulled in enough votes to finish in the top spot in its category for December! That money is enough to fund five summer camps where children with and without disabilities can share experiences & fun together. Clay thanked all who voted in support of the Project in his blog at the Official fan Club. | fd recap | 2010 News | Events and News - National Inclusion Project | |
