NBC, the home of the Super Bowl broadcast had more to celebrate on Sunday.  Right after the presentation of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, NBC’s singing competition, The Voice, premiered its second season.  The show scored the highest ratings of any entertainment telecast in six years.

The headlines were all over.  NBC wanted everyone to know that they were successful and that they had a hit show this year.  If you searched The Voice on the Internet, you would find over 41,000 articles about the viewer ship numbers on Sunday night.  The Voice” scored 37.6 million total viewers overall, according to TheWrap.com.

BUT…WAIT…Let’s think back to May 21, 2003, the Finale of Season2 of American Idol.  The amazing show broke all records too.  According to an article by Robert Abele in Variety:

The finale, which crowned Studdard the winner by a narrow margin, was seen by 38.1 million people, Idol’s highest single-episode rating to date. Single-handedly “Idol” lifted Fox to third place for the entire season, a first. Little more proof was needed that the network had a juggernaut on its hands.

It seems that Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard set a great record for viewer ship…38.1 million people!!!  They will be known, not only for their wonderful voices, but also for starring in one of the most watched, non-sports shows in television history.  I wonder how many Internet articles could be found about the AI Finale on May 22^nd.

 Variety Article

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Clay Aiken – His Numbers Make History!

How About: Reach For The Stars!

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Do You Have A Favorite?

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Clay Aiken – Reach For The Stars

In 2006, a new show premiered called American Idol Extra. Shown on the Fox Reality Channel, the show was billed as ”the show that picks up right where American Idol leaves off.”  The show interviewed each week’s eliminated contestant and also interviewed Idol contestants from the past.  The show lasted for four seasons and used former Idols as the hosts for the show, including Ace Young, Mikalah Gordon, and Matthew Rogers.

On April 3, 2008, the show traveled to Broadway to interview Clay Aiken at The Shubert Theater.  Clay was starring as Sir Robin in the award winning musical, Spamalot.  The interviewer attended the show and then sat down to talk to Clay.  The interview was short, but covered many points:

• The announcer said that Clay had a first rate career ever since being on Idol with top ranked CDs, sold out concerts, and now Spamalot.
• Clay said it was important to make the role fresh each night.
• They chatted about having to learn to dance, talk, walk and smile at the same time.
• Clay commented that he did well if he was taught the dance steps but was not good doing something different.
• He took the interviewer on a tour of the wig room.
• They talked about living in New York.
• They also talked about Clay’s new CD.
• They showed short clips of the bus with Clay’s picture plus some of the show.
• Clay mentioned that Simon always called contestants Broadway…when he was trying to put them down. Clay said that Broadway performers are some of the most talented people around and that Simon can kiss his—foot!

It was a fun interview and Clay seemed very relaxed.  It is always fun to see positive interviews with Clay.

Have you seen this interview before?  Did you enjoy it?

Post from: Clay Aiken News Network

Clay Aiken – Kiss His…Foot!

1. New Featured Contest at Clay’s Official Fan Club: The OFC is giving each member the chance to win a pair of tickets to the Reflections of Life event at Carnegie Hall on February 20^th.  There will be 4 winners picked randomly from the members who enter the contest.  If you would like to attend, be sure and check this out and enter by February 13^th.
2. US Weekly Magazine:  The February 13, 2012 issue has a 4-page article titled Mad About Downton.  The article includes The List of 25 Celeb Who Watch Downton. Clay’s name is included on the list.  Not a huge deal, but fun to see Clay’s name in the magazine.
3. Yahoo Music: This popular website is running a poll for the week.  The poll is titled, What is the Best Album by an Idol Alum.  They list only 5 Idols: Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, and Fantasia.  For Clay, they chose Measure of A Man.  So, lets get your voting fingers ready to vote for Measure of A Man.  You can reach the poll at YAHOOPOLL
4. The Christian Post:  This site published an article about Celebrity Apprentice.  It caught my eye because of the title…Clay Aiken to Star in Celebrity Apprentice With Teresa Giudice…love that Clay is considered the “star.”  You can read this short article at CHRISTIAN POST  
5. LALATE:  This popular entertainment site has always supported Clay Aiken.  On Friday, they posted an article about Clay that included a great picture.  The headline reads:  Clay Aiken Excited, But Nervous About Celebrity Apprentice Launch.  Be sure and visit this site and read the article.  It would be great to leave a comment there too.  Leaving a comment lets the site know we want more about Clay.  To read the article click on LALATE.
6. Tweet From Clay:  Clay posted a fun picture within the tweet.  QUOTE:   Just got an advance copy of the first episode of #CelebApprentice ! Excited… and a bit nervous! Let the games begin!

Are you getting excited to watch Clay on Celebrity Apprentice?  Have you ever watched the show before?

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Clay Aiken – Fun Bits and Pieces!

The issue included a great profile of one of their newest Goodwill Ambassadors, Clay Aiken.  The article included information on Clay’s career and educational background.  But the  center of the article was about all that Clay had done for UNICEF in the short time which he had been a representative for the organization.

The following is a copy of the two page article.  Remember, if you have trouble reading the small print,  just click on the graphic and it will expand to a larger size.

Whenever I read an article like this, it reminds me of one of the reasons I support Clay Aiken.  Had you read this article before?  Do you think Clay will travel for UNICEF again?

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Clay Aiken – Love For Children and Music

This popular old legend apparently came to North America with early settlers from Europe, where it is believed in some parts that bears or badgers behave in the same manner. Although most people recognize that the legend has no basis in fact, it provides a welcome mid-winter diversion, which is usually promoted by the news media. Actually most woodchucks do not come out of hibernation until March, or even later in the north.

Groundhog Day Trivia

• All groundhogs have 22 teeth.
• Groundhogs hibernate one to a burrow, with at least two doorways.
• Males emerge earlier than females each spring.
• Groundhogs can lose 50 per cent of their body weight in hibernation. Their maximum size is 10 kilograms.
• They can both swim and climb trees, and have a top speed of 15 kilometres an hour.
• Groundhog Day was once celebrated by ancient Celts. It’s halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox.
• Farrah Fawcett, Tom Smothers, James Joyce, Graham Nash, Christie Brinkley, and my son were all born on Groundhog Day.

 After reading Clay Aiken’s tweets last night and watching the reaction for a few hours Wednesday night, I feel I should say something…but to be honest, this is one day that I am struggling to find what is appropriate to say.  Right now, all I can say is that I am a fan of Clay Aiken.  I believe that he is intelligent, hard-working and very talented.  I hope that Clay continues to follow his heart and can laugh at the career advice he gets on twitter!

I love these two Clay Aiken quotes:

“This is what I love to do, I love to sing and to be able to perform in front of an audience.  It does not happen often where someone can do what they truly love for a living, so I feel fortunate to be able to have my dream of singing come true. Music is such an important part of my life. The best thing of course are the fans. Being on stage and seeing their smiles and knowing they are enjoying the music is a great feeling.”

“It is not always about performance art, but about receiving positive energy from people with positive spirits. Sometimes we can see someone’s spirit, and those are the people with great energy. Those are the people that get me through the day, especially on Broadway.”

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Clay Aiken – Follow Your Heart!

Kelly was performing Tuesday night at the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC.  The theater that seats 2,700 is a rather new complex that, according to their webpage is

… the largest and most modern Performing Arts Center between Atlanta and Philadelphia and boasts over 2,700 seats. The atmosphere is contemporary yet comfortable with vibrant red carpets and warm wood accents. Seating is intimate with the furthest seat only 135 feet from the stage.

Clay, who was in attendance with his friend, Quiana Parler was seen having a great time and enjoying the concert.  Clay even took a few pictures, however, he needs a few lessons in photography at concerts from some of his fans.  The pictures looked like mine and that is NOT really too good.  However, a huge thanks to Clay for thinking of all of us who loved seeing the pictures even if they were a bit “unique.”

The following are two pictures from the evening fun.  They are great, aren’t they?

Clay in the Audience

Backstage after the Concert

Seeing these pictures reminded me of a few from the Independent Tour…it just reminder of how important friendship is and even if you don’t see each other everyday,  you can still have lots of fun!

Singing Partners

Surprise!

Open Arms

Did you see Clay and Kelly perform together on the Independent Tour?  Do you follow Clay on Twitter?  I do and I am finding it to be so much fun!

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Clay Aiken – Supporting His Friend!

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Clay Aiken – New From Celebrity Apprentice

Sponsored by the Distinguished Concerts International – New York, the concert is titled Reflections of Life.  Billed as a special guest, Clay will be working with well-known, ASCAP award-winning choral composer and arranger, Greg Gilpin.  What a great honor for Clay to work with such a distinguished musician.

Although this is a somewhat serious musical experience, I thought we might have a bit of fun today….This is all in good fun!

The concert at Carnegie Hall will be a classy affair.  So… What should Clay wear?? (I told you its all for fun today!) Here are a few looks that might be appropriate. What do you think?

PBS Special Photo Shoot

GLAAD Awards

Christmas 2007

Tonight Show - Leno

Nick at Night

Emmys

American Music Awards

Billboards

There are so many other great outfits. I probably did not post your favorite. But, I did the best I could. I left out great outfits when I didn’t have a wonderful picture to show it off.

Which outfit is your favorite for Clay to wear on February 20th?  Do you think he might wear a tuxedo instead?

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Clay Aiken – A Classy Affair!

If one looks at the numbers closely, the figures are even worse.  Among young adults, ages 18 to 49, the number of viewer dropped 26%. The young adult viewers are the group that Fox and the advertisers care about the most.

The numbers were even worse the second week of the season. The show was down 13.5% from the premiere and 30% from an equivalent show last season.

It might be a bit too soon to predict real trouble, but American Idol was knocked off as the time leader on both Thursdays by the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory.

So…what is wrong with American Idol?  Can this problem be fixed…or is it too late?

The writer, Charlie Toft, felt that there were very clear reasons why Idol is in decline.  He suggested the following problems.

Age. Simply put, Idol is in its eleventh season. Very few series make it to that length, and it’s rare to find any that still have significant ratings momentum after a decade… Even the best contestants and the most heartbreaking personal stories can’t help but remind viewers of those who have come before.

The Glut of Music Competition Shows:  TV now has The X Factor, The Voice, and the music-dominated America’s Got Talent in the summer. The competition makes the level of anticipation rather low.

Other Networks aren’t Afraid Anymore: The fact that CBS moved its most prominent younger show to Thursdays at the same time as Idol, is proof that the fear factor is gone.

There’s no drama behind the scenes to attract viewers. This is the first time since Seasons 6 and 7 that Idol has had consecutive seasons with the same lineup of judges. There was particular curiosity going into last season, the first without Cowell. This season, there’s no need to see how things have changed with the new judges.

Idol isn’t keeping up with broader trends in music. The original Idol formula was simple enough: stand there and sing. The show has expanded to include singer-songwriter types and those who play musical instruments. According to Toft:

“Idol has not yet found a way to channel the dominant sound of today’s pop charts, with its guest rappers, use of Autotune, and its emphasis on producers, dance, and electronics.”

Too many recent winners have not become stars.  It’s gotten harder for viewers to buy that there’s anything major at stake in an Idol title.  I am sure most readers could name many winners and runner-ups that just don’t seem like winners.

The Nicey-Nice Judging panel makes for a more boring show. According to Toft:

“Some liked Simon Cowell and some hated him, but people definitely paid attention. When he issued a compliment, it had weight because they were so rarely doled out. But the problem with the lack of Simon goes beyond no one wanting to be mean – it’s more than there’s no nuance at all. Mediocre singers and the very best are treated equally. The current panel agrees on almost everything – either three yes votes or three no votes. Serious differences of opinion, or even the sense that someone is being advanced with great misgivings, are almost unheard of now. As The Voice has discovered, a panel where the judges have both credibility and differing sensibilities can be entertainment in itself.”

To be completely up-front, I haven’t watched American Idol for many years.  I loved it when it was a show that looked for the best talent and didn’t allow professionals to be contestants.  And, I will always be thankful for Season II that introduced Clay Aiken to the world.  I am sure that many of you still watch and so I would love to hear from you.

Do you think that Mr. Toft was correct in his list of problems or do you have other ideas about the decline in viewers?

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Clay Aiken – American Idol Suffers Rating Problems