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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Clay Aiken

  • American Idol All-Stars

    As Lee DeWyze or Crystal Bowersox are revealed as the next American Idol during the next 36 hours, we’ll also reveal the winner of our Sonic Spring Singing competition.

    Here’s what I can tell you.  If Lee wins, then our winner and top finishers are a trio of folks.  If Crystal wins, then two of the three people get swapped out.  I want to give a special shout-out though to two people who predicted the Top 3 based solely on the Top 12.

    WTG, Michelle and Shantel!   Each predicted a Top 3 of Lee, Crystal and Casey James.

    Most people went a safer route and chose Siobhan or Michael over Casey.  One person went for the Duke-like upset and picked Aaron, but these two ladies showed they know their stuff!

    Your Task Now Is Important

    GG came up with the idea of American Idol All-Stars in honor of  the show’s 10th season next year and to hopefully allow a Simon-less panel to find its way.   In the interest of that notion since Idol will never do this, we’re going to pick our own All-Stars and have Idol Madness.  For every Kelly or Carrie, there was a Taylor Hicks.  And speaking of Taylor Hicks, anyone still amazed that he beat Daughtry and Yamin in the same year?

    Here are the rules:  anyone who didn’t win (that means you, Bo Bice) and also didn’t become popular later on.  Just answer in comments and tell us as many names as you want in the Idol All-Stars.

    We’re not going to pick obvious people:   Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, Elliott Yamin–artists who have had hits don’t count.

  • Clay Aiken & His Babymakin’


    For the past day and a half or so, I’ve tried to figure out how to discuss this while a) not being boring and b) not being completely obnoxious.

    Personally, I don’t care if a star is gay or not. It really doesn’t make aifference to anything or anyone. Will your enjoyment of Luther Vandross’s music suffer because of the fact that he was (by most accounts) gay?

    I also don’t like the fact that there often seems to be a witchhunt to out celebrities. We don’t own them. They’re allowed to have private lives, and who they sleep with is none of our business. People like Village Voice columnist Michael Musto, who delights in grade-school innuendo and borderline name-calling, strike me as bitter queens who either spent their childhood being bullied for being gay and/or are spending their adulthood being bullied for being gay and want to pull someone else into their misery.

    Truth is, none of us really knows if Clay Aiken is gay. He’s never said as much, simple as that. We all might have an opinion (and I’ll admit that my gaydar goes off whenever I see him), but there are straight dudes who act like sissies the same way there are gay dudes who don’t have stereotypically “gay” mannerisms.

    The fact that Clay (by artificial insemination, apparently) impregnated the 50-year old sister of music producer David Foster (who’s 30+ year career has seen him work with everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire to Whitney Houston to Josh Groban) is…a little strange, and it rings ever-so-slightly of a publicity stunt. However, I (like plenty of other people) am a cynic. If Clay wants a kid and this is the means he chose to have it, then God bless him. If it is indeed a publicity stunt, then boo on Clay and his handlers for bringing an actual live human being into this mess (although what would having a baby by artificial insemination do for his career, considering it would just seem to compound the gay rumors…). It doesn’t matter to me, because I have no interest in Clay Aiken’s music and probably never will (unless he gets hip and walks away from trying to be the 21st century Peter Cetera).

    What happened to the days when the music mattered and people didn’t really care what musicians did in their personal lives?

  • Chart Chat 5/25/08: Duffy, Keith Sweat & More!!


    Y’all know what it is…here are this week’s Top 20 Singles & Albums, courtesy of the folks at Billboard.

    Top 20 Singles:

    1) “Lollipop” Lil’ Wayne feat. Static Major
    2) “Bleeding Love” Leona Lewis
    3) “Take a Bow” Rihanna
    4) “Love in This Club” Usher feat. Young Jeezy
    5) “No Air” Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
    6) “Sexy Can I” Ray J. feat. Yung Berg
    7) “4 Minutes” Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake
    8) “Pocketful of Sunshine” Natasha Bedingfield
    9) “Touch My Body” Mariah Carey
    10) “Damaged” Danity Kane
    11) “Love Song” Sara Bareilles
    12) “Leavin’” Jesse McCartney
    13) “Bust it Baby Pt. II” Plies feat. Ne-Yo
    14) “What You Got” Colby O’ Donis feat. Akon
    15) “Say” John Mayer
    16) “Low” Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain
    17) “With You” Chris Brown
    18) “Love in This Club Part II” Usher feat. Beyonce & Lil’ Wayne
    19) “Bye Bye” Mariah Carey
    20) “Forever” Chris Brown

    Top 20 Albums:

    1) “Narrow Stairs” Death Cab for Cutie
    2) “Nothing But the Best” Frank Sinatra
    3) “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things” Jason Mraz
    4) “Rockferry” Duffy
    5) “Spirit” Leona Lewis
    6) “E=MC2” Mariah Carey
    7) “Home Before Dark” Neil Diamond
    8) “Hard Candy” Madonna
    9) “35 Biggest Hits” Toby Keith
    10) “Just Me” Keith Sweat
    11) “Taylor Swift” Taylor Swift
    12) “Division” 10 Years
    13) “Now That’s What I Call Music 27” Various Artists
    14) “Greatest Hits: Every Mile a Memory” Dierks Bentley
    15) “Gavin DeGraw” Gavin DeGraw
    16) “Awake Live” Josh Groban
    17) “Lyfe Change” Lyfe Jennings
    18) “On My Way Here” Clay Aiken
    19) “Juno” Soundtrack
    20) “Sleep Through the Static” Jack Johnson

    *So…um…who the hell is 10 Years? Not that I profess to be the beginning and ending of all things music, but it’s a bit rare for me to have never once heard of an artist in the Top 20. Oh,well.

    *A nice cluster of newbies in the Top 4, including a well-deserved bow at the top from Death Cab for Cutie.I’d imagine the biggest surprise would be from British soul singer Duffy at #4. Her single “Mercy” also rockets up the chart, landing in the Top 30 this week.

    …and is it me, or does this song sound suspiciously like…

    *As tipped off last week, Usher cruises into the Top 20 with his “Love in This Club” remix, which features the beyond-ubiquitous Lil’ Wayne as well as only slightly less ubiquitous Beyonce. Personally, I think it’s time for *both* of them to take a vacation.

    *Clay Aiken, I think it’s time to say bye-bye to your career, eh?

    *Keith Sweat is in the Top 10 of the album charts for the first time in almost a decade (and hits the #1 spot on the R&B albums chart for the sixth time). Proof that begging will *never* go out of style!

    Let’s take it back!!!