I can’t believe this but Clay Aiken has an exclusive part of his website that you have to pay $29.95 a year to have access to. Who is paying for this? Aren’t Claymates, like, extinct now? Thankfully, our friends at Gawker saved us the thirty bucks and were kind enough to copy and paste Clay’s latest bitchy entry:
Now that it’s all over, and for the record…. I couldn’t be happier about the way AI ended this year. I only turn the show on once a season, and only to see what the set looks like each year. This year, I happened to turn it during the minute that Adam Lambert was singing “Ring of Fire” and, at that moment, thought my ears would bleed. Contrived, awful, and slightly frightening! I wasn’t really a fan and found myself surprised whenever folks told me that they liked him. Granted, I never saw another performance (and many folks who I trust said that he was great) but I can’t imagine I would have enjoyed it. Just not my cup of tea at all. To each his own. I never saw Kris sing on the show, but whether he was good or not is really relative. It’s usually a matter of taste, right? But Idol is not always a matter of musical taste only. It’s about the person you like. From what little I saw, Kris seemed likable. (That’s not to say that Adam isn’t just as likable as anyone.. maybe more so… I don’t know) When Ruben and I were standing next to each other every night (many years ago) you had two equally talented, equally unlikely, equally unpolished contestants…. so it really was a matter of taste as to who was voted for. While some may argue that one of us was hyped more than the other, I don’t feel that was the case. However, this year, there was an obvious bias. Not even having watched the show, I can tell you that I was WELL aware of the bias from the judges as to who should win. In my opinion, that is awfully unattractive. I don’t think I am alone
In my opinion, it all often comes down to that last night of voting. Until the finale, folks are voting for the contestant that they want to see continue. But, I believe that on that last night, the dynamic changes. No longer forced to choose one person that they want to see win, the audience can effectively vote AGAINST the person that they don’t want to see win. In the case of season two this might have happened. There may have been some folks who voted for myself or Ruben because they didn’t like the other of us. I was the nerdy little girly boy who some didn’t want to see win, so they may have voted for Ruben. I don’t know. .. But again, I feel that Ruben and I were fairly matched. We both had our detractors and negatives, but I feel we were both very worthy of being on that stage in that moment, and either of us would have been worthy of winning. The show was different then, and folks made it in seasons 1-3 because they were “real” people who happened to sing/entertain well. But, somewhere along the way, AI stopped being about real people.
It’s odd that Clay would have such negative things to say about Adam since he wanted to record a duet with him. Aiken also thinks Kris Allen won, not because of a grand talent, but because there were more anti-Adam votes. Isn’t that how Bill Clinton got elected to his first term as president?
I think many voters got sick of being “told who to vote for”. I think many were turned off by the blatant favoritism shown towards one contestant. Therefore, on that last night, they used their votes against a contestant that they were tired of hearing about and for the contestant who had been written off. And, at the same time, I think they voted AGAINST an American Idol that has, for four years now, been more about the slick productions and polished contestants than it has been about finding the raw talent that it did in its first three seasons.
Those votes for Kris were also votes to return the show to its roots of finding “real” contestants with undiscovered talent and giving them the chance to grow and shine. They were votes that said “we’re tired of seeing contestants who already seem to know it all”.
Will American Idol choose to listen to the resounding and clarion call that those voters gave them?…. “Enough with the pretention. More Rubens, more Clays, more Fantasias and Tamyras and Kellys please.” My faith has always been in the voters. I think they have gotten it right every year (mine included). It’s now up to American Idol to decide if it will finally REALLY listen to the folks that keep it on the air.
One thing is clear from this “premium blog.” I may overuse ellipses, but at least I know that, when used in the middle of a sentence, they only consist of three dots. Seriously, Clay? Get it together.
that was quite entertaining… not $30 worth by any means. Maybe 30 cents! :)
How the heck can someone have so much to say about a show they say they only tune into once per season to “check out the stage”. And if he only heard Adam sing once and never heard Kris sing why is he forming an opinion about them?
You want to know what I think sucks about AI? People who watch the show once for two minutes and form strong opinions about the contestants!!! Lame.
No kidding. He says he watches a bit of one ep a season and then goes on to have strong opinions on everything.
I have to say I totally agree with what he was saying about people voting for Kris because Adam was the “obvious choice” and they were probably sick of hearing that Adam was defiantly going to win.
I knew Kris was going to win just for that reason. Every wants the big shock factor.
Wow. If people put this level of thought and effort into, oh I don’t know, global warming or affordable health care–or even decent looking haircuts–we’d all be in a much better place.
What an arrogant prick. Charging $29.95 to read his opinions? Ugh. I think not.
I paid it. A lot of people pay it. It’s a fan club, and we don’t just pay to read Clay’s blogs. Lots of performers have fan clubs that charge dues. I use to run one for a local performer, and even we charged dues.
Clay was responding to a question asked by a fan. He has been asked over and over and over what he thought of Adam, and he remained silent. Now, after the show is over, he states the same opinion that many, many other people have and is trashed for it? Ridiculous.
His point was that Idol started out as a search for a completely unknown raw talent and has turned into a slick, overproduced joke with a group of judges that make proclamations from on high and expect the world to bow down and obey. People do not like being told what to do and who to vote for, and they responded by voting in large numbers for the person the judges did not pimp.
Clay has been more than gracious about Idol over the years, and they have responded by dissing him at every turn. As far as I’m concerned, he owes them nothing after the way they have treated him.
The story about Clay showing up at the Idol studio to strike a deal with Adam is a total fabrication. It did not happen. It was started by a creepy stalker who has made up lies before. Clay has taken the high road for six years, and I think it’s high time he spoke his mind.
He did not say he hates Adam. He said he did not enjoy his performance of Ring of Fire. Neither did Simon. I think he said that to point out that he would not have any interest in teaming up with Adam for a duet since their styles are different. Apparently, the media peeps have trouble getting that connection. He went on to point out that Adam is probably a nice person.
Clay has been picked on, insulted, and trashed by the media for years. He has had more lies told about him than any other celebrity I’ve ever heard about. Frankly, I don’t see how he has remained silent this long. Anyone else would have spoken up long ago. I do think his remarks were a bit blunt, but if I were in his position, I likely would have said a lot worse.
I don’t love Clay Aiken, but I sure like his fans. I think I visited the site once, right after he came out, and everyone seemed really supportive. I think he’s outspoken to a fault (hence the $30 fee? To guard his words from, say, Gawker?), but I also think he’s taken more than his fair share of shit. Which is sort of sad, because in reality he seems like a normal dude who was never really prepared for AI celebrity. :/
i wont even waste my time looking at the book, much less spending 30 bux and reading it.
clay aiken= gross
Where have you guys been ? The official fan clubs of most singers or groups have an annual membership fee and with many of them the members get a nice swag bag of goodies plus a message board and special chances at concert tickets and contests .
Why the outrage over a membership fee ? At least it seems that Clay Aiken talks to his fans .
Jealosy!Jealousy! Aiken is so jealous for many reasons. Not only Adam can sing way better than him but also way more good looking than him. Claiken did not have the praises Adam had from the judges. Nor can reach the high notes, falcetto, crescenso Adam has. Did he get a standing ovation from Simon? No. Even Kris did not get one from Simon and Smokey. Sorry, Simon’s SO is for ADAM only. And how dare him to judge Adam for just hearing one song. Who the hell he think he is?
He’s a fag. Enough said.
Initially, I didn’t like Adam’s rendition of Ring of Fire, because I was distracted by the visuals, which were a little over the top, but when I just listened to the audio replay, I found it a brilliant rendition. Clay has the unfortunate Sagittarian tendency to speak off the top of his head without thinking of long term consequences.
The real gist of his blog was lamenting the judge’s hype of favored contestants (and lamenting their professional credentials – in the early years of AI the contestants were really amateurs) – and applauding voters’ refusal to be manipulated. It’s unfortunate that he made a rash judgment based on a single performance and did not take the time to listen to both performers extensively before venturing an artistic opinion.
In a couple of weeks he will be hosting his annual gala to raise money for his Foundation, the National Inclusion Project (formerly the Bubel-Aiken Foundation which he wanted to rename to take the focus off the celebrity associatoin and to give the foundation a national focus – so much for those who think he is just a publicity whore).
Raising money to include kids with special needs in activities with “typical”kids such as camp and educational experiences is a lot more important than any American Idol comments – give the guy a break!