Spotlight Video: The Right Sh-Stuff: A Clay Aiken Mashup

One of these days Clay Aiken will get some projects going, and I'll get my blog up and running on a more regular basis. In the meantime, here is a very well done montage with clips from the film, "The Right Stuff" interspersed with clips from AI2.




~~Montage by hosaa~~

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken montage The Right Stuff AI2

Spotlight Video: Independent

Terrific montage set to Clay singing "Kyrie" during the Independent Tour.

Lyrics:

The wind blows hard against this mountainside
Across the sea into my soul
It reaches into where I cannot hide
Setting my feet upon the road

My heart is old it holds my memories
My baby burns a gemlike flame
Somewhere between the soul and soft machine
Is where I find myself again

Kyrie Eleison
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie Eleison
Where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the light

When I was young I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be

Montage by SueRu

Free at last indeed.


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Spotlight Video: Olympians -- On Their Way

Here is another beautiful montage in honor of the upcoming Olympics featuring "On My Way Here".

Spotlight Video




~~Montage by Hosaa~~

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken On My Way Here Olympics Sports Jesse OwensMuhammad Ali Nadia Comaneci Greg Louganis Mary Decker Kerri Strug

Spotlight Video: Olympic Dreams

~~SPOTLIGHT MONTAGE~~

In honor of the upcoming Olympics, here is a wonderful video photo montage showcasing the journey to the Olympic Dream.



*Montage by SueRu*
*Song: "On My Way Here sung by Clay Aiken, written by Ryan Tedder*

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Hope: Rising from the Ashes

~~Spotlight Video~~

Overcoming Adversity

Montage by IU Gal

Technorati Tags: Olympics Paralympics Wounded Warriors Prosthetics Landmines Assist Dogs Iraq Veterans Jason McElwain Autism



Song by Clay Aiken: Ashes

The Journey

Spotlight Montage

On My Way Here

~By Dreamlarge~



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Unchained Melody: The Five-Year Evolution

Here is a terrific montage that blends various perfomances of the "Unchained Melody" sung by Clay Aiken over the last five years. It begins and ends with the American Idol performances.


~Montage by Rpoppert~


Clay Aiken Unchained Melody Montage YouTube

Clay's Got It Going On

Don't miss this montage by cate:




~~We Got It Going On by Bon Jovi~~


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Where Has That Hand Been

If you have been following Ripagate at all, you know Kelly Ripa made a disparaging comment to Clay after he made the faux pas of placing his hand over her mouth to let him get in a word edgewise. Kelly said, "You don't know where that hand has been". Au contraire, we know very well where that hand has been. If only other hands should be as industrious, as expressive, as helping, as good, as Clay's hands then the world would be a much better place..



For a beautiful montage about Clay's hands don't miss "I don't know where your hands have been honey" by no1tvfan63





For a must-read blogs, please click on links to The ConCLAYve: Giving Thanks: Clay Aiken's Hands and ClaySpots: Kelly Ripa....you're a foolish, foolish woman.

Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken, Hands, Humanitarian, Kelly Ripa

Too Lost In You

Featured Montage by the incredibly talented rcknrllmom of Clayversity.

"Too Lost In You" sung by Cosima


Warning: Hotness factor: Elevated



Lyrics

You look into my eyes
I go out of my mind
I can't see anything
Cos this love's got me blind
I can't help myself
I can't break the spell
I can't even try

I'm in over my head
You got under my skin
I got no strength at all
In the state that I'm in

And my knees are weak
And my mouth can't speak
Fell too far this time

[Chorus:]
Baby, I'm too lost in you
Caught in you
Lost in everything about you
So deep, I can't sleep
I can't think
I just think about the things that you do
I'm too lost in you

Well you whispered to me
And I shiver inside
You undo me and move me in ways undefined
And you're all I see
And you're all I need
Help me baby (help me baby)
Help me now

Cos I'm slipping away
Like the sand to the tide
Flawing into your arms
Falling into your eyes
If you get too near
I might disappear
I might lose my mind

[Chorus]

I'm going crazy with love for you baby
I can't eat and I can't sleep
I'm going down like a stone in the sea
No one can rescue me

[Chorus]



Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken, Montage, Too Lost In You, Lyrics, Cosima

Good Deeds Unacknowledged

Last month Clay Aiken was one among twenty new officers sworn in to serve a two-year term in the U.S. President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. The committee acts in an advisory capacity to the U.S. President and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on matters relating to programs and services for persons with intellectual disabilities.

It's unfortunate not more of the good works done by Clay and other celebrities is reported in the mainstream media, not only media darlings like Angelina Jolie, but the countless others who work to support causes that could use some positive press to bring awareness. Our culture seems to be very tabloid-centered, negative, and often times cruel. Why are not the good things done by celebrities worth a mention? Why do we only hear about punches thrown at paparazzi, drunken outings, car wrecks, break-ups, hook-ups, one-night stands etc? Why don't we ever hear about what might make a difference? Why is it that we only hear about Clay's "crazy" blue-haired fans when with a little research the media could report on how Clay Aiken fans support the BAF, Beads For Life, UNICEF because Clay Aiken brought awareness to the cause? Why not report something positive? I guess it is just too much fun to ridicule what you don't understand. Only one show that Clay recently guested on mentioned the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, and that was Jimmy Kimmel Live. It was a quick mention, but good for Jimmy. It's a honor worth mentioning. I know Clay will do a good job for a cause that is so close to his heart.

Clay Aiken's Bio posted on the committee's website is as follows:

Clay Aiken became an international sensation in the wake of his appearance on the hit television show, ‘American Idol.’ In spite of his growing stardom, Aiken has remained steadfast in his desire to remain true to the simple values he learned as a child in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I still live in the town where I grew up,” he says. “I like surrounding myself with people I know and love.” It is this authenticity that his millions of fans have responded to, an almost supernatural earnestness that feels unconventional in the cynical world of today. While the accolades that followed his stunningly close second-place finish on the second season of American Idol have validated him in ways that he never could have dreamed of, it is the charitable work that his musical career has enabled him to do that means more to him than anything else these days. Mr. Aiken created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation in 2003, an organization that promotes and funds educational and recreational programs for children with special needs. “I worked with Mike Bubel, who has autism, when I was going to school at UNCC,” says Mr. Aiken. “His mother was very instrumental in encouraging me to get into this business.” The Foundation remains close to the singer’s heart at all times. “My music career has allowed me to do the same thing I was doing before—work with kids with disabilities,” he says. “It has given me a big stage to talk about the same things I always cared about. I don’t get to be as hands-on with the kids anymore, but I do get to work toward enacting change on a much larger scale.” Also important to Mr. Aiken’s life as a humanitarian is his work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Since 2005, the singer has been passionately committed to supporting the organization’s education programs. Not only has Mr. Aiken testified before Congress urging the government to allocate more funds for UNICEF’s global work for children, he has also traveled to Indonesia and Uganda to see the devastating conditions affecting millions of the world’s children first-hand—disease, malnutrition, kidnapping, and war, chief among them. “You just cannot believe how some of these kids are forced to live,” says Mr. Aiken. “It’s truly heartbreaking, yet many people don’t even know these conditions exist. I am hoping to shed light on some of these problems and so that more resources can be allocated to help make things better.” Mr. Aiken’s upcoming album A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS expresses the many different kinds of love in the world, including his deep love for his fellow man, particularly the littlest ones among us. Where did such a driving need to help others come from? “The need for help!” he answers matter-of-factly. “You know, my mother has always been someone who urged me to help people in need. Maybe that’s it. I don’t think it’s something you can learn. It’s just something you do.”

The bio used by the government site is from the RCA Press Biography, but it is nice to see that some people will read some good things about Clay Aiken because God knows we won't be reading them in the press. **click the link for the whole biography**





Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken, Biography, President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Jimmy Kimmel, Media

Here You Come Again

The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.~~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

~~Blend by AmazingCA~~



This week we were lucky enough to hear 30 second snippets of the songs on "A Thousand Different Ways". You can hear them stream at Marhaven Musings.
That they are fabulous is a given, after all they are sung by the Aiken Vox. I can't really say it better than Calliek. If I were honest, I couldn't even say it as well so I will just post her quote.

This is not an album of covers. This is a vocal sculptor whose every musical nuance is an emotional original. I know these songs--just as we all do--but I found myself drawing into their nucleus as he sings...because he puts something there that is totally unknown. Then he builds on it, going places that singers just don't go. ~~Calliek at the Clack House and Clayversity

In other news, an appearance on Jay Leno has been confirmed for September 15th.

Here is a look a back at some past Leno appearances:

10/03 Interview/Performance



1/04 Interview



6/04 Interview



12/04 Interview



Technorati Tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, Snippets

Transformation--It's Not Just the Hair!

Hair doesn't really make the man, but from all the talk in the media about Clay's look you would he was a model not a singer. The consensus seems to be that he is a great singer. No need to discuss that anymore, at least not until the new CD is released. This is why Clay appearing on AI at this time was brilliant. Focus on his new look, and get all the attention to that out of the way before the promotion for the new CD, whenever that may be starts. Let the focus of the promotion be the CD not "the look", Not that I don't expect it to be mentioned , but the shock of will have worn off. Clay's hair style certainly has changed, but is much more than that. Hair is the tangible change, but only a small part of what is different. A poster at the Clackhouse said it perfectly:

It really isn't "just the hair", IMO, that is making people sit up and take
notice. The hair is a gimmick people can remember and talk about as a
conversation starter, but in my opinion, it is Clay's confidence, his matured
good looks, his swagger and smile that are "new" to people who really did
remember AI2 Clay as someone resembling Michael Sandecki. The Clay Aiken who
strolled onto the stage last night was shockingly confident and not at all
"geeky". He was always handsome, but those who dismissed him because of his
self-deprecating demeanor may never have looked at him all that closely before.
They see the hair, a far cry from the spiky do of memory...and then take a
closer look at the whole package...maybe for the first time. And then he sings
and they are caught off-guard with their resistance down. They trip over their
own expectations of him and fall right into that voice. But when ASKED what they
noticed, they will search their minds to get a handle on "why" and come up with
"the hair". They might not even realize that the hair was just some interesting,
shiny bait...the real danger lurks in that face, in those eyes, in that
smile...and of course, in that voice. Resistance is futile. ~~00lsee at the Clackhouse

There is no doubt that Clay Aiken's look has evolved in the three years since he first came to our attention in the Atlanta AI2 auditions. He's gone from a slight geeky, but still cute college boy to a mature self-confident man. Everyone was able to see the transformation at the AI5 Finale where he commanded that stage with grace and assurance. Not only has Clay matured physically, but now carries himself with a self-confidence that was missing in his AI days. The media has fixated on the hair as the big change because that is a tangible change. The bigger change is Clay's demeanor. He has faced my challenges, worked hard, and expanded his view of the world in the last three years. He is now a Star-- with all the confidence of one.

A lovely illustration of the transformation comes in a montage by the talented Clay Aiken fan and Clayversity poster, Aspiegirl. Enjoy!




"What a Feeling" Montage by Aspiegirl


Blogs to check out:

• Clay Aiken Hangover!


• Hair & There: A Look At The British Invasion

Related Tags: Clay Aiken, American Idol