A rather wild and wonderful day in ClayNation took place yesterday with the news of Clay joining the cast of Spamalot for a limited run in January. Not only did we get a wonderful press release with glowing words from director Mike Nichols, but the official fan club got the news first along with a wonderful blog from Clay. He must have been excited since he hung out reading his message boards on and off during the day, and even posted that he had gotten misty-eyed in response to one of post (see below). Clay then capped off the evening by participating in an impromptu chat at his OFC. Finally he signed off at midnight. I think it was quite a thrilling and tiring day for everyone.
I thought it would be fun to see some of the fan reactions from across ClayNation. It's not often there has been this level of excitement, perhaps not since the release of
Measure of a Man.
From the giddy first moments~OH MY GOD!!!!! I AM SO PUMPED!!!!
~Lord help me! I am buying Spam for dinner tonight to celebrate!
~Just bought my Spamalot tickets.. COULDN'T RESIST!!!!
~NEW YORK CITY......HERE WE COME!!!!
~I can not wipe this grin off my face!!!!!!
~I'm all verklempt. Is it just me? I'm so beyond excited for Clay. I've always wanted him to unexpectedly surprise the world with all of his talent - and Spamalot seems to be the perfect vehicle to do so. I'm trying to imagine what our boyfriend is feeling like, if I'm such a mess!
~I haven't been able to wipe this smile off my face ever since I saw the words He Blogged and read the fantastic press release. It is so damn much fun being a Clay Aiken fan, and I'm so very proud of him I could burst!!!
~Well, I leave for an hour for PT and ALL CLAYALOT BREAKS OUT!!!Wow!I am so excited for him because he sounds so excited!!!You Go, Clay!
~I love Spamalot... I love the cowardly Sir Robin, and I can't wait for Clay to kick ass on Broadway!!!!
~EEEEEE!!! Clay seems so happy. He does love a challenge, and he thrives on variety! He will meet so many new people, people in the business and others who will come to know and appreciate him (and maybe give him new opportunities down the road), plus lots of fans-to-be will see him too, some for the first time. It should really give his career a nice boost and maybe impact his new CD sales too!
~BEST BLOG EVER!! Well, today anyway!! Brought tears to my eyes, and that surprised me. I love him so, and I'm so happy for him. He sounds ecstatic!!
~I've got the SHAKES so bad from my excitement, and I am not lying!
~OMG - OMG - OMG!!!! I'm so freakin' excited!!!!
~Nichols + Idle + Aiken = The Trifecta of Funny.
~This just feels like the perfect move for him at the perfect time. I seriously couldn't be happier.
~You go, Clay! I am so happy for him (and us) and reading the quotes from Mike Nichols and Eric Idle made me cry! Those kind of comments from these two show business legends are pretty ding dang impressive.
~I am so frikkin' excited I can't calm down!!
~I am shaking I am so excited and thrilled for him. Wow, we knew he was multi talented, now it's time for a lot of not just us's to see too.
~put your seatbelts on! ClayNation is coming!!
~I'm there in a New York minute!!!!!!
~Spamcerts...here we come!!!
~Have we crashed any websites yet?
~Eeeee!! Working sucks today
~Trying to plan a trip into the city now.
~I'm not a huge Monty Python fan either, but I know if anyone can get me to like it or at least entertain me while watching .... its CLAY!!!!!
~Wow I hope Clay is taking his vitamins, and perhaps a quick vacation, as this train he is on is about to pick up speed and doesn't show many signs of stopping! It all starts in 10 days with a slow rolling boil, till it roars through the Christmas tour and ends with his run on Broadway!! (how cool does that bolded part look in writing!!)
To the news sinking in and reflection~I think this gig is going to have so much positive impact on his career. Many of us have been wanting others to see Clay's talent, to see his great sense of humor, his charisma, his beauty, his versatility. Well, now they will! And he will still be singing, so the rich and gorgeous voice will be ringing out as well.
~The way I see it, the residuals from this could be enormous. Directors, writers, etc. from other mediums will notice his acting ability. Producers will notice how he fills seats and generates buzz. He could really expand his entire field of opportunity with this, not to mention having great buzz leading into the album release, which I suspect will be right after, hopefully to capitalize on May sweeps.
~BUT this role, in THIS show is unexpected and goes against the unfair, ignorant preconceptions about Clay -- YES it is Broadway, but it's snarky, bawdy, irreverent Broadway -- not a "glory note" fest, not a "dramatic" play ... lots of physical humor, lots of fun, the audience gets involved ... it could be eye-opening to those who have Clay pegged as a white-bread, nicey-nice Southern boy who can't act or do much of anything but stand in one spot and belt out songs like "Solitaire". And it sure doesn't hurt to have the support of people like Nicols and Eric Idle (who I LOVE!!!!).
~ Clay is seizing the moment. It's a great opportunity for him. His 15 minutes has lasted a lot longer than the naysayers predicted and has taken him a lot farther than they ever imagined. They can eat crow as the rest of us enjoy another facet of Clay Aiken!!!!!!!!!!!
~Clay loves to try new things. I am beyond overjoyed that he will get the chance to try musical comedy. I think that the more variety he has in his career, the less bored he will get and the longer he will continue. I want to continue to see and hear him, so this is important to me. I think singing and touring will always remain his core, his staple, and he will take on other gigs for the challenges and fun they can bring.
~Spamalot is a perfect fit for him, one that would allow him to demonstrate his very real comedic talents. And if he can prove himself on that stage, to the satisfaction of industry vets like Eric Idle and Mike Nichols, who knows what other opportunities might arise in the future? I think this will allow him to expand his skill set and grow as an actor and singer. It will take hard work, focus, and stamina, but the rewards could be huge in the long run.
~I am so very excited for Clay. My only regret is that I won't be able to get to NYC to see this but I will enjoy all the press and promo and hopefully many appearances on TV. I think this will help Clay to maintain a viable career and will expand his influence as a major entertainer. I also agree it will push album sales because I have no doubt Clay will BRING IT! He always does when given the chance and he is a Sag. which means he needs to expand and keep raising that bar for himself. This should do it!
~I know we fell in love with him for his voice initially, but I've watched him mature into a well seasoned entertainer. And he is just that, not only a singer, but an entertainer. With that comes all kinds of avenues for him to take. This is just the beginning for him. Who knows? Maybe a film role after this? I think that music will always be in his life, and I am so excited about his blog knowing that he is still working on the kick ass CD. It's going to be a great year for him. I feel it.
To the post that made or almost made Clay misty~We all had dreams for Clay after AI and during his first brush with success after MOAM, and disappointment was inevitable when some of those dreams did not pan out and imagine even was Clay disappointed at some point. Clay has grown tremendously in the last 5 years, found out how strong he and his fanbase was in the face of adversity; learned to trust his instincts when planning a concert tour or writing a new show; grew up before our eyes from that shy, country boy with the big voice to a young man with his feet firmly on the ground and a new sense of self-worth.
If you love someone, sometimes you have to let them go and let them follow their own dreams; those of us with children, know that too well...by giving Clay the freedom to develop into the performer that he is destined to be instead of trying to confine him to what we want or need him to be; that love will be returned and while he may not be just ours at some point and the family will grow larger and widespread, we can still hold in our hearts that we were here from the beginning, through the joys and heartaches, laughter and tears and no one will ever be able to take that away from us.
Yup it was a very good day.Clay AikenSpamalotFansMike NicholsBroadwayLabels: Theater
