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Newest ellegirl magazine (June/July) just arrived - did everyone else know that Clay's #31 on their 50 sexiest guys list?

They use a black/white version of the publicity pic with hands on forehead. Reference point - John Mayer is #35, Usher's #41. They're a little snarky in their write-up - said Claymates might "beat us up" if Clay wasn't included - hope someone will scan it. I loved seeing him there.

I just noticed - his name is on the cover - only five names included, and he's one of them! Amber Tamblyn on the cover.

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#31

CLAY AIKEN After some office debate, we put Clay on the list for all you Claymates out there. You guys are the ultimate fans.....and we were scared you'd beat us up if we didn't include him.

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Candid Clay

By now, we've all heard the ABC allegations that American Idol is fixed. But we've never actually heard from a contestant who was there -- until now. Tonight, in an exclusive interview, Clay Aiken is talking about what he witnessed. Here's seven's Lynn Martinez with more in this special assignment report.

WSVN -- If there's anybody who has an ax to grind against American Idol it should be Clay Aiken.

Since losing to Ruben Studdard two years ago, he has tried to distance himself from competition -- even hiring a lawyer to get himself out of his contract.

But before ABC announced its investigation, Clay spoke to just one station, setting the record straight about America's favorite show.

Who would have ever guessed the biggest winner from American Idol could be a loser?

Clay Aiken recently in town to support his charity the Bubel-Aiken foundation sat down with 7 news in an exclusive interview to discuss allegations against American Idol.

American Idol Contestant Clay Aiken: "It's an honest program, it's an honest show. If Ruben had lost and I had won, the people who supported him would have said that it was fixed."

But Clay says he knows what happens backstage, he knows the executive producers, and he believes the competition is completely clean.

Clay: "You are in that show, you are around the producers, you are around the people who make the show happen, and you can tell and speaking with someone with firsthand knowledge that goes on and was there."

Clay never talked about the relationship between Paula Abdul and the other contestants but he did comment that any accusations of the show being fixed are completely false.

Clay: "I'm comfortable with the outcome and I really trust and really do trust the executive producers on the show and the network and I think people do have a little too much time on their hands."

As for this year's show, clay really doesn't have a favorite because he wasn't able to watch until last week, when he was actually in the audience.

Clay: "I think I saw one episode earlier in the year before they got into the top 12 and I think I saw some pictures of some kids in the top 12. they all look quite nice, but that's all I know."

Right now, he spends most of his time working on his music.

Clay: "We are slowly getting into the process of working on a new album. We would love to have it out by the end of the year."

And planning for a summer tour which includes a stop in South Florida.

Clay: "Do kind of an American type show, do a musical review of sorts, different music that was big in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, different decades."

And what little spare time he has left he spends working for charities like the Bubel-Aiken Foundation.

Clay: "The purpose of it is to include kids with disability into programs with kids without disability."

Clay even flew to Indonesia to help UNICEF with the tsunami victims.

Clay: "I have the opportunity to come back now and speak to congress about the need for funding for what UNICEF does."

In fact, the only thing clay doesn't have time for is to worry about his image.

Clay: "So far as image goes I just want to keep on being me and well see. Hopefully, people will keep on liking it and if they get tired and I need to reinvent myself then I will probably just hang it up, there is no point."

Clay was in town to honor a volunteer for working with his charity. There is no word on a tour date here in South Florida.

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I haven't seen this anywhere on the board, if it is a repeat, sorry about that. It is an interview from a radio newsletter from Alabama I believe. My friend copied it and here it is:

In our WAY-FM newsletter (the local Christian radio station, based out of Nashville, but our local station does the early AM show live) it featured an interview by Marcia Ware in Nashville with Clay, and the article included a picture of him, too. (Black shirt, chin on left hand with wwjd bracelet prominently showing, he's looking straight into the camera; it's probably from something else, but I don't know what.)

Marcia is the DJ (she's also a singer, and I bet she's a big Clay fan)
She asked him 5 Questions in her feature called Five Questions With...

After the first question, Marcia said her Dad was an special ed teacher and he said "Is he really" and she said "See, we just need to be friends Clay" and then she laughs. She also said "I have to feed you brother!", telling him he was a little thin and "Poor baby, I gotta give you a chicken wing or somthin!" and both laughed.

Then her 2nd question (first one was what he would be doing if he wasn't singing...hence the special ed teacher comment):
"What is the one job you could never do?"
And his answer: "Ooh, I couldn't be an accountant cause I couldn't sit behind a desk and I can't do math at all...Even with my shoes off, I couldn't count to five."

Question 3: She asked him: "80's hair-bring it back or leave it where it is?"
He answered "Well, I would say leave it where it is, but right now, I need a haircut so I kind've have a mullet going."

Next question: What is the one song you wish you had written?
Answer: "Oh, goodness...you know what, it's probably any of the love songs that Steven Curtis Chapman wrote for his wife or the song he wrote for his children that he adopted "When Love Takes You In."

And last question: And finally, after "Well done my good and faithful servant", what's the first thing God's gonna say to you when you get to Heaven?"
Clay's answer: TAKE A LOAD OFF...
Marcia: Amen!!!!

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Who is the real American Idol?
Although Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood are the two Idol contestants left standing, web users could care less. If web search activity is any indication, former contestant Constantine Maroulis (#18) is the real American Idol from season four. Maroulis continues to be the only contestant to have a consistent presence on The Lycos 50. Neither Bice nor Underwood generate nearly enough online interest to come close to making the list. Of course, it remains to be seen if any Idol, past or present, will have the staying power of web darling Clay Aiken (#4). Aiken, whose search interest peaks again this week as we near the American Idol finale, has appeared on The Lycos 50 for 103 consecutive weeks.

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Feats of Clay

While other alumni of the smash TV talent show have gone on to big careers (Kelly Clarkson) or relative obscurity (everyone else), Aiken has managed to sell better than 2 million albums and also use his fame and fortune to help a group that cannot help itself: children in need.

In 2003, he helped create the Bubel/Aiken Foundation to provide, as the foundation says, opportunities for individuals with autism and other physical and mental disabilities to participate in programs that are typically only available to those without disabilities. The foundation was truly inspired by personal experience, as Aiken, a onetime special-education teacher, used an independent study he had done while a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as the basis for the organization. With the help of Diane Bubel, whose son Mike is autistic and had worked with Clay, Aiken made the foundation a reality.

Inclusion is the key word at Bubel/Aiken, which is creating awareness about the abilities of those with disabilities. The message Ill share, Aiken has said, is that inclusion is extremely important for kids with and without disabilitiesto experience life activities, to participate in change together... with peers who normally might not be able to participate. The exposure to a diverse population helps make them more open-minded; the experience brings new ways to look at individuals and peers.

As an extension of this philosophy, Aiken also helped launch Camp Gonzo as part of the Bubel/Aiken Foundations YMCA initiative. The foundation provided the camp with a curriculum, special-education training and funding to offer children with disabilities the same summer-camp experience as children without disabilities. Thanks to Camp Gonzo, the YMCA now has a model for future programs.

Aiken is not one of those stars who simply give their name to a project and then jet off to party in South Beach. He spends countless hours genuinely involved, whether its getting on the ice with 100 kids (50 with disabilities, 50 without) for a Skate with Clay outing or performing at foundation fund-raisers such as the Florida Voices for Change Gala on April 16 in Fort Lauderdale.

Yet for all the time he gives, he always manages to find more. Aiken is an Ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Charities, for whom he helped raise $15,099,99 last fall when a set of cement handprints hed created was auctioned off on eBay during a World Childrens Day event. Back in November he was appointed a National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, which will give him another platform from which to support childrens educational efforts and programs. That commitment to kids is furthered yet again with the Clay Aiken Able to Serve awards, presented by the Bubel/Aiken Foundation and Youth Service America, which provide up to $1,000 to encourage youth with disabilities to plan and carry out projects for National and Global Youth Service Day. Every celebrity should hope to be a role model to kids, to teenagers, to young adults, he said. I talk about the causes that are important to me now, things that matter to me, and Im in a position to help. Spoken like a true idol. Scott Adams

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Best Western International and Cartoon Network are celebrating the success of Best Western's "Kids Help Out Matching Program" today, recognizing the heroic achievements of American children who have raised $9 million for UNICEF's tsunami relief and recovery efforts.

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During the campaign, Cartoon Network, a long-time UNICEF partner, created and aired "Kids Help Out" public service announcements that featured on-camera performances from some of the music world's top musicians, including UNICEF ambassadors Clay Aiken and India.Arie, and Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik, singing the "Give A Little Bit" theme. The PSAs also presented original animation depicting the joy of kids helping other kids, and pointed viewers to the www.kidshelpout.org Web site that encouraged kids to raise funds for UNICEF's tsunami relief efforts.

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Sony BMG Music Entertainment is entering its busiest period for new releases in its brief history.

The next six months will see projects arrive from acts that include Santana, Martina McBride, Franz Ferdinand, the Strokes, CLAY AIKEN, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Gretchen Wilson, Pink, Eros Ramazzotti, Dixie Chicks, Outcast, Modest Mouse, Whitney Houston, Evanescence, Anastacia, and Kenny Chesney Sony BMG Music Entertainment is entering its busiest period for new releases in its brief history.

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30. Clay Aiken, 26

Written by NICK POWILLS

Never in a million years would I have thought that the word cool and Clay Aiken would go hand-in-hand, however, after the last year, the cute little southern boy has grown on me, and seemingly, on many other people across the U.S. of A. No longer do people call him gay, but as each album and each TV appearance passes, people seem to become fond of him. But the transformation from hated to loved and dork to stud was not easy.

Aiken was born Clayton Holmes Grissom, before shortening his name to Clay and taking on his Mom's last name. Anyone with the middle name Holmes is cool in my book. Cool step No. 1.

Then, he got an amazing physical makeover. Cool step No. 2. Cool step No. 3 would have been getting a sexier, male voice, but his metrosexual dressing does the job.

Ultimately, Clay made being a dork cool. Millions of fans have jumped on the looney Claymate band wagon, so he must be doing something right. And girls and boys alike love this guy.

I have a feeling Aiken's 15-minutes of fame are starting to dry up, but I am along for the ride. If it's movies, or extreme dodgeball that he tries next, I am ready to support the coolest dork in the world.

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For Aiken, a $2.3 million house is not a home

LOS ANGELES - Clay Aiken is looking more mature these days since dying his strawberry-blond locks brown and getting a short haircut, but he apparently isn't quite ready to settle down - at least not in the San Fernando Valley home he bought for $2.3 million last fall.

The 26-year-old singer, who gained fame in 2003 as a runner-up on the TV show American Idol, is already selling the house. He listed it in March for $2.5 million and expects to close escrow next month.

The Mediterranean-style home was newly built when the pop singer bought it.

On more than an acre in a private, rural area of the valley, it has plenty of room for Aiken and a number of his friends and family.

The 7,800-square-foot house has six bedrooms, 6 1/2 bathrooms, a family room and a bonus room.

The grounds, zoned for horses (although Aiken has none), include a pool, a spa, a gazebo and a sports court.

It's like a small resort yet comfy. The master suite has a private study. There's a fireplace in the family room. And an open floor plan.

So, why is Aiken selling?

In a TV Guide interview, Aiken voiced concerns about living in what he has described as "lonely" L.A. and said he would like to go home to Raleigh, N.C., where he was a special-education teacher before being "discovered" on national TV.

But, since buying the house, Aiken has been busy and hasn't spent much time in L.A.

Aiken has been on his 25-city Jukebox Tour, which ends Sept. 1 in Atlantic City, N.J., and is expected to follow it with a Christmas tour.

He's also been working on a follow-up to his 2003 debut album, Measure of a Man.

Since performing on American Idol, Aiken has enjoyed sales of more than 3.9 million CDs, running just behind Kelly Clarkson, who is the biggest-selling participant in the show.

Aiken is also a UNICEF ambassador, and he has been helping raise funds for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which he co-founded in 2003 with activist Diane Bubel to help children with developmental disabilities.

It was Bubel who persuaded Aiken to audition for American Idol after she heard him singing while he was caring for her autistic son, Mike.

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Claymates, your guy's coming home

Singer's L.A. digs are up for grabs

Clay Aiken is keeping his furnishings, all from Carolina.

By MATT EHLERS AND WETA RAY CLARK, Staff Writers

For the connoisseur of Clay, this could be the ultimate souvenir.

Clay Aiken is coming home -- and his 7,800-square-foot California home is on the market. The house in Los Angeles County has six bedrooms, 6 1/2 baths, a swimming pool, massage room and "sports court." He's asking $2.495 million.

Fans got a peek inside this week, by way of a virtual tour set up by the real estate company. On the Web, voyeurs could see pictures of Aiken's bedroom, living room and bathrooms.

But -- sorry, Claymates -- the link was disabled late Monday.

Aiken, 26, who soared to fame on "American Idol," is building a home in the Triangle. But during a backstage interview before his recent concert in Cary, he wouldn't say exactly where.

He hopes his next home is a bit homier. "Whether this ride lasts for one year or 10 years, I want to have a home base," he said.

Aiken's mom, Faye Parker, decorated his California home, which he bought in September. But once a Carolina boy, always a Carolina boy: All of the furniture came from North Carolina, he said, except a Virginia recliner, "which fell apart."

Despite the move to new digs, Mom's work won't go to waste.

"All the stuff, curtains, fabrics and whatever else is coming too," Aiken said.

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Sexy, sassy, beautiful Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) has been kidnapped, survived a plane crash, stared down a grizzly bear, posed as a nun, driven a race car and attempted a daring helicopter rescue of one of her lovers from prison. Now she's about to face her biggest challenge -- conquering the competitive world of daytime talk, as Pine Valley's most famous resident gets ready to launch her first talk show, "New Beginnings," on September 14 and 15, 2005.
<snip>
The premiere episode of "New Beginnings" will be a salute to New York City. Erica will set foot in the big apple to publicly launch her company at NASDAQ. She will then head uptown to get hosting advice from Regis Philbin and the co-hosts from "The View," after hanging out in Bryant Park with Clay Aiken and Whoopi Goldberg. Erica will step into the athletic arena and learn to pitch in her Manolos at Yankee Stadium with Al Leiter. She'll also play hoops at the NBA store with Allan Houston of the New York Knicks and visit the home of NY Giant Tiki Barber. Politically, Erica will meet with Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion, hit tennis balls with former Mayor Dinkins, takes a stroll through Battery Park City with former Mayor Ed Koch and visit the office of former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

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Clay Aiken, Regis Philbin and the The View vixens vist the soap to help Pine Valley Resident diva Erica Kane (Susan Lucci)christen her new talk show (its title New Beginnings). Aiken "was so incredibly gracious to speak with Erica Kane," Lucci dishes to Us.

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Attending his first fashion show, American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken didn't seem impressed at what he saw.

"All these models looked like they were upset," he said. "They should smile more."

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Clay stylin' at Fashion Week

Spring 2006 Fashion Week got off to a very Raleigh start. The first celebrity sighting was of Raleighs own Clay Aiken, who was being treated like quite a star in a front-row seat at the Kenneth Cole show -- the first one of the week. Or perhaps it was more like how he was treated back in the good ole days, being mobbed by the television cameras and print photographers.

He was his typical cordial self. Big smiles. And gracious comments. He seemed to be delighted with the attention and the show.

After, he was kind enough to take a few minutes for his hometown paper. Yes, he enjoyed the show. His first time ever to Fashion Week and to a fashion show, he said.

"I was impressed," Aiken said. "It was kind of neat. I feel like an insider seeing the clothes before they come out in stores."

Thats Fashion Week.

He said hes a fan of Kenneth Cole. So much so, he was dressed in Kenneth Cole for the event - a dark tan blazer and jeans.

More shows for Clay? Nope. The show was for him just a taste.

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In Touch has a picture of Clay and Lee Ann Womack at Kenneth Cole Fashion show...this is the September 26, 2005 issue and the photo appears on page 30...and may I say it is a very cute picture.

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Clay Aiken wore head-to-toe Kenneth cole as he sat in the front row next to Lee Ann Womack at designers' show.

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IDOL MOMENT
American Idol star Clay Aiken (with country singer Lee Ann Womack, right) watches the action on the Kenneth Cole runway Friday. "I didn't take enough medication because this is freaking me out," said Aiken about the Fashion Week frenzy. "It is a little hectic."

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