Pink is the New Blog | Everybody's Business Is My Business » Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken Blogs An Apology To Adam Lambert

It's Trent, Bitch! — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:47:02 +0000

Pink reader Ash gave me the head’s up that Clay Aiken posted an update on his official website in response to all the criticism that has been leveled against him after the text of his American Idol blogpost (where he lambasted both Adam Lambert and the show itself, which he only watched one time this season) made the rounds on the Internets. Aiken is under the impression that he is being maligned by sites that “picked and choosed” comments from his post in order to use his words out of context. On my blog, I reposted the entire text of his post so that readers could judge for themselves … but clearly he takes issue with other sites that did not allow his comments to be read in full. In retrospect of what he wrote, Aiken felt the need to apologize and recant from some of his previous comments … and then goes on to explain to his fans how important he believes his comments to be. Here is the full text of Clay’s latest blogpost (which he generously shares on his site for free rather than for the $29.95 cost of premium access to exclusive parts of his site):

Who knew I had so much influence and that my words and opinion mattered so much to so many people!?!?! HA HA HA I’ll be the first to admit that my opinion is just that, only my opinion, but for as much as some of the bloggers seem to dislike me and care so little about my thoughts, they sure can waste a lot of their space on what I say! If only many of them took the time to pay attention to important things like the US economy and the welfare of the world’s children. But… nah… I could blog about that type of stuff anytime and most wouldn’t think twice, but let me say something that they can pick and choose quotes and misinterpret me… and it’s showtime! I never assumed my opinion mattered so much! I guess I may have been wrong.

That said, since my previous blog got dissected like a biology lab frog, i suppose I should clarify and even retract some of what I wrote.

I am sure that some were upset by my choice of words describing my opinion of a performance I heard from Adam Lambert. I hope no one actually believed that blood truly poured forth from my ears when I heard him. I obviously meant it as a colorful statement to imply that I did not enjoy what I heard. Any performer hopes that their music will appeal to all people, but no singer realistically expects it to. God knows, I am SURE there are PLENTY of people who can’t stand to hear me sing either. I wouldn’t dream of assuming that, and I am sure that far worse things have been said about my performances than I would even venture to type here. To me, that’s fine. I don’t expect unanimous, nor even majority support for my music. But, my guess is Adam doesn’t either. I would not venture to make judgements on the personality or demeanor of anyone I don’t know, so none of what I said in my previous blog was directed as a “slam” on Adam as a person. At the same time, I wouldn’t dream of slamming him as an entertainer. He does what he does, because he enjoys it, and he obviously has many fans who enjoy it as well. If what i said in my previous blog regarding my impression of a single performance from Adam upset or offended any of his fans, I expect that the mature ones will realize that it was simply a poorly worded metaphor describing my personal tastes. The only person I would really dream of apologizing to is Adam. And the irony is, if he’s smart he couldn’t give a crap what I think of his Ring of Fire performance. As an entertainer, Adam knows that one person’s opinion of one performance really matters a little less than zero, in the grand scheme of things. He could not have gotten on Idol (nor made it as far as he did) without an immense amount of talent. He surely doesn’t need my approval to know he has a gift. At the same time, he realizes that amazing talent doesn’t always equal universal appeal. (I could NEVER have the amount of skill and talent that ballet dancers have! that’s talent! But, I don’t particularly enjoy it!) I am sure that I will have plenty of opportunities in the coming years to hear Adam sing. I imagine he’ll be around for years to come. But in the meantime, I definitely don’t want to stoop to the level of so many negative freaks on the internet… so, I do apologize to Adam for my colorful (and negative) choice of words. I hope he can forgive me. I imagine he doesn’t give a damn! :-) God knows he shouldn’t. :-)

Now, for those of you who are able to comment on this…. lets take bets as to which bits and pieces of this blog will end up mass distributed. Be creative…. they don’t seem to care about punctuation or whether or not they use all of the words in a sentence… so, have fun…. ;-)

I’m not sure what kind of criticism he got on other sites but I know my comments on his original post are still valid. He did seem really bitter about the whole American Idol process and very easily threw out his own criticisms when I’m sure he thought no one was was reading (after all, his comments were available only to members of his fan club who paid the fee to read them). It seems to me that now that he is aware that people are reading what he has to say, he’s more willing to temper his criticism of a performer (Lambert) that he only watched perform once before making his critiques. Is he allowed to do that? Of course he is … but the fact that he is a former American Idol contestant (and loser, let’s not forget) the things he says about the show are gonna be of interest to some people. Trust me Clay, you are right to say that your comments aren’t that important at all. Say what you want, whenever you want … once this AI thing dies down, folks will stop paying attention again. It is commendable that he apologized to Adam Lambert, tho. Now if he would just apologize to the rest of us who have been subjected to his singing (and have lived to regret it) we’d be all squared away.

[Source, thanks Ash]

Clay Aiken Offers His $0.02 On ‘American Idol’ For The Low Price Of $29.95

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:52:38 +0000

Clay Aiken, the runner-up for the American Idol title who lost out to Ruben Studdard back in 2003, appears to no longer be a fan of American Idol. Clay posted a message about this season of American Idol on his official website (a site that charges a $29.95 annual fee for access to “ultimate membership”) that makes clear that he no longer watches the show (except for “once a season”) and is clearly not an Adam Lambert fan (who he described as “contrived, awful, and slightly frightening!”). I suppose it could be argued that he is not a Kris Allen fan either since Clay confesses, “I never saw Kris sing on the show, but whether he was good or not is really relative.” Thankfully, someone at Gawker/Defamer pays for the access to Clay Aiken’s deep thoughts (I suspect it’s my friend Brett who wrote their item for the site) so they can be disseminated to the rest of the Internets free of charge. Here is the full text of Clay’s nutshell commentary of this season of the American Idol:

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.

In a battle between David and Goliath, my money is on David!

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.

HMMM. While Clay does make some valid points, the overall tone of his rant seems awfully negative. He deffo sounds like he’s been noshing on some sour grapes. Why you gotta hate Clay? While I agree with his point that American Idol seems to really come down to a popularity contest (after all, Kris’s home State of Arkansas, with a population of 2.8 million, reportedly generated 38 million votes) I absolutely do not agree with his assertion that the show needs, “More Rubens, more Clays, more Fantasias …” On the contrary, what I think it needs is to limit voting to one vote per person … and it deffo needs more controversy cuz that’s what makes everyone talk about a show they don’t even watch (including former contestants, like Clay Aiken). I don’t personally believe that Clay’s commentary is worth the $29.95 annual fee, especially if most of his posts read like this one. It’s some funny shizz, tho, to read for free.

[Source, Source]

Clay Aiken & Reed Kelly Pose For Cute Photobooth Pictures

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:44:10 +0000

Early last month, we learned that Clay Aiken started up a romantic relationship with fellow Broadway thespian Reed Kelly … his first boyfriend since coming out of the closet on the cover of People magazine last September. Once we found out who Clay was dating, we also were treated with a few photos that gave hints as to what attracted Clay to Reed in the first place (bendy = good). Today we get to check out a batch of really cute photobooth pictures of the couple in all sorts of adorable poses which were taken at the closing night party for Spamalot (the Broadway musical that brought the lovebirds together) in NYC:

Firstly, I’m glad to see that the boys are still happily together. These pics are really very cute … even tho they don’t really look that well-matched to me. The cardigan and bow tie combo would look hawt on most guys … on Clay, well, it’s not hot. The kissy photos are just sickeningly adorable. But, I think the most telling photo about the relationship between these two is the last photo … Clay is on top. Yeah, I don’t think we really need to discuss that fact any further, wouldn’t you agree? In any event, I do like this set of photos … it’s really great to see Clay looking so happy. He finally looks truly happy — and I am happy for him.

[thanks Ashley]

Clay Aiken Has Got A New Man In His Life

It's Trent, Bitch! — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:07:08 +0000

Aww … good news for freshly out of the closet Clay Aiken … Star magazine is reporting that homeslice has got himself a hot new boyfriend! As you may recall, Clay became a father to his son Parker Foster on August 8 (08.08.08) and bravely came out of the closet as a gay man on the cover of People magazine a little over a month later in September so this news of his new love interest is just the latest chapter in his seemingly happy life. Here is a pic of Clay and his new Broadway actor boyfriend Reed Kelly:

The stars have aligned for Clay Aiken. In the Dec. 22 issue of Star — on sale Wednesday — we report that along with his new baby and new life out of the closet, the former American Idol star has a new boyfriend to enjoy it with! The lucky fella? Broadway dancer Reed Kelly. “Everybody knows Reed as Clay’s guy,” a Broadway insider says of the Wicked ensemble member. “Clay met him when he was doing Spamalot in early 2008, and that’s one of the reasons he came back to the show again.” They even appeared together at Rosie O’Donnell’s Building Dreams for Kids gala last month. “It was obvious they were a couple,” a partygoers says.

You know, I’m not a Clay Aiken fan by any stretch of the imagination but I really do commend the guy for coming out of the closet and openly admitting who he is to the world. Coming out is never an easy thing for anyone and I imagine it is especially difficult for people living in the public eye. For that reason, he gets my respect. I am happy to know that Clay has found himself a nice-looking guy to share his life with … it sounds like he got himself a winner. It’s unclear what ensemble part Reed plays in Wicked but I hope he gets to be a flying monkey at least. In any event, I wish nothing but happiness for the new couple. The new issue of Star magazine hits newsstands tomorrow and promises to have all the deets on this budding new romance … including how Reed the boyfriend gets along with Clay’s babymama Jaymes Foster. Sounds juicy! Can’t wait to read :)

UPDATE: Pink reader Vero gave me the head’s up that there are a few very interesting photos of Reed Kelly posted on his IMDB profile:

After the jump, check out two more photos of Reed that were published in New York magazine back in February of this year … he is wearing much less clothing than you might expect and is snapped performing pretty extraordinary feats of agility — they’re not to be missed …

And now you can see why Clay would be so interested in the lad. My question is, what talents does Clay offer Reed? UGH, on second thought … I don’t wanna know.

[Source, Source]

Checking In With Parker Foster Aiken

It's Trent, Bitch! — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:01:32 +0000

Pink reader Ash gave me the head’s up that Clay Aiken and his babymama Jaymes Foster made a quick appearance on Dr. Phil this week during an episode devoted to famed music-maker David Foster and his 40-year career in the biz. Despite the fact that I hate everything that Dr. Phil stands for (ie. his misguided charlatan psychobabble and meddling), I thought that it would be worth sharing to show the photo of Clay, Jaymes and their newborn baby boy Parker that was featured on the show:

You may recall that Clay Aiken became a father on August 8 of this year (08.08.08) when his friend and music collaborator, Jaymes Foster, gave birth to his child by ~~artificial insemination~~ in vitro fertilization. You may also recall that just over a month after the birth of his son, Clay came out of the closet and admitted his sexuality on the cover of People magazine. That was the last time we saw what Parker Foster looked like … until now. The little guy is getting so big … and is still SOOOO cute! Again, I’m not much of a Clay Aiken fan but I do commend him for coming out and being honest about who he is … and I do think his baby boy is ADORABLE. Glad to see that this little family is doing so well :)

[Source, thanks Ash]

Clay Aiken Opens Up, Comes Out To ‘People’ Magazine

It's Trent, Bitch! — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:18:48 +0000

People magazine has finally updated its official website with their exclusive Clay Aiken coming out interview (after news of this development spread like wildfire on the InterWeb late yesterday). Here are portions of Clay’s monumental interview with the mag, the full interview can be read in this week’s issue of People which is due to hit newsstands today:

Following the Aug. 8 birth of his son Parker, singer Clay Aiken is following through on a promise he made to himself as a new dad: to publicly acknowledge that he’s gay. “It was the first decision I made as a father,” Aiken, 29, tells the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m not going to raise a child to do that.” Aiken says he expects the news may overwhelm some of his fans. “Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it’s going to be a lot,” said Aiken, who returned to Broadway last week as Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot. He adds that he hopes his fans “know that I’ve never intended to lie to anybody at all. … But if they leave, I don’t want them to leave hating me.” The born-again Christian singer also reveals how he told his mother Faye he’s gay four years ago. After dropping off his younger brother Brett, who was being deployed to Iraq, at Camp Lejeune, “I started crying in the car,” Aiken remembers. “It was dark. I was sitting there, thinking to myself. I don’t know why I started thinking about it … I just started bawling. She made me pull over the car and it just came out.” So what was his mom’s reaction? “She started crying. She was obviously somewhat stunned. But she was very supportive and very comforting.” Even now, Aiken admits, “She still struggles with things quite a bit, but she’s come a long way.” As for his own child, Aiken tells PEOPLE that Parker – who was conceived via in vitro fertilization with his best friend, music producer Jaymes Foster – will be raised in an environment that is “accepting and allowing him to be happy.” Says Aiken: “I have no idea if he’ll be gay or straight. It’s not something I’ll have anything to do with, or that he’ll have anything to do with. It’s already probably up inside the code there … No matter what the situation you’re in, if you’re raised in a loving environment, that’s the most important thing.”

People magazine will publish the full text of Clay’s interview as well as the first photos of his newborn son Parker Foster Aiken in their new issue on newsstands today. Again, I must commend the man for stepping up and acknowledging his homosexuality to the world. It is not an easy thing for anyone, professionally this may hurt him, but I think he will be able to live a more happy and fulfilled life now that he is being honest, not only with himself, but with the world at large. Well done Clay … as I mentioned previously, I think his son will be a much better person now that his father is being totally honest about who he is :)

[Source]

Clay Aiken Comes Out Of The Closet

It's Trent, Bitch! — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:33:25 +0000

In news that is prolly surprising only to his most loyal Claymate fans, Clay Aiken has decided to come out of the closet and admit his homosexuality on the cover of the new issue of People magazine. Under the headline, Yes, I’m Gay (which is the same headline that Ellen DeGeneres and Lance Bass used when they came out of the closet on the cover of People), Clay also gives the world the first really good look of his newborn son Parker Foster Aiken who was born via surrogate mother (best friend and producer Jaymes Foster) on 08.08.08. Here is Clay and Parker’s new People magazine cover:

People magazine has yet to update its own site with this breaking news but the Huffington Post is all over it:

People hits newsstands on New York and LA on Wednesday, and there new cover is a doozy. American Idol alum Clay Aiken and newborn son Parker pose for their first photos AND Aiken officially comes out. Parker Foster Aiken was born on August 8 in North Carolina to Aiken’s good friend Jaymes Foster, 50. The pair met when Aiken was a contestant on American Idol. He was in “Spamalot” on Broadway earlier this year and is returning now. Aiken has long remained silent about his sexuality. While he has legions of female fans called Claymates, but has also been referred to for years as Gayken by Kathy Griffin and has been allegedly solicited gay sex online.

Even tho I am not a Clay Aiken fan (in the least, I don’t like an thing that he does actually) I must commend him for taking this step into brave new territory for him and his family. This People magazine cover quotes him as saying “I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things” and I have to admit that he gets major props from me for coming to that conclusion. Parker can only benefit from his father’s honesty … I wish them well on their life’s journey together. So … thoughts?

[Source]

Clay Aiken And Son Leave The Hospital

It's Trent, Bitch! — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:39:16 +0000

Despite my difficulty coming to terms with the notion that a Claybaby was born at exactly 8:08 on 08.08.08 the fact remains that such a child does exist … and has been released from the hospital. Here is one of the first pics of new daddy Clay Aiken with his newborn son Parker Foster Aiken yesterday as they made their way out of the Durham, NC hospital where the child was brought forth into the world:

To be quite honest, I still have no words for … this. Anyone?

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Clay Aiken Is A Father

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:34:17 +0000

Disturbing news out of North Carolina today … the day that pretty much everyone on Earth never thought would come — has come. Clay Aiken has become a father:

Clay Aiken became a father Friday morning with the birth of a baby boy, his mother told WRAL’s Lynda Loveland in an exclusive interview. Aiken’s best friend, producer Jaymes Foster, gave birth at 8:08 a.m. at an undisclosed location in North Carolina. Parker Foster Aiken weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long. Aiken’s mother, Faye, said the baby has dark hair and that her son is smiling from ear-to-ear. Mom, dad and baby all are doing fine. Aiken and Foster will raise the child together. They met when Aiken appeared on American Idol. Foster has produced several of his albums.

Um … not only is this disturbing news in absolutely every way possible but doesn’t this whole scenario sound exactly like the plotline on Will & Grace where they planned to have a baby and raise it together? Er, except that was fiction and this actually came to fruition … and now the apocalypse will prolly be upon us in no time. I suppose congrats are in order for the new parents … um, yeah, I’m sure that someone out there will be happy to give those congrats. I’ll be over here trying to keep the image of a Clay baby out of my brain.

[Source, thanks Kelly]