I was just scoping out what is going to be on Dr.Phil this coming week and there's gonna be alot of good stuff! Not the least of which is Tuesday's show about bullies. Clay Aiken "who was picked on as a child, shares how he got the bullying to stop".

Monday's show is about deep debt and how to get out of it. I'm gonna do my best to see both shows!

Just an FYI!

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I'm going to try to watch it too. His book is really good too, if you haven't read that. It's funny, but sad too. Parts of it makes you want to clobber some people! And he's doing a lot of things with his foundation to help kids.

Thanks! I'll have to check that out. He's a real sweetheart.

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Maxanna, did you see the show this morning? It was good, but so sad! Those poor kids are really having a tough time. I thought it was cute how the teenage girl immediately went to Clay after the show and gave him a hug afterwards! lol They talked a lot about his book too. It really is a good read.

We see the show here at 3:00 p.m. CST. I have a TV in my work van and I watch it while I drive back to our offices from my last account. I know...it freaks people out! But, I try to be careful and listen more than I look.

I LOVE Clay Aiken. He is so down-to-earth and sweet. So what if he was the "runner-up" on American Idol? He may as well BEEN the winner. His success has eclipsed Ruben Studdard's by far.

I usually get at least one book for Christmas and/or my birthday, so I will ask for Clay's book. I have his "Measure of a Man" CD and DD and I have almost worn it out!

My sister was bullied alot in grade school (1974-75) and I remember giving those kids money (nickels and dimes) every day to leave her alone. I still remember that feeling of shame and hatred that I had at that time. And the bullies grow up and move on and don't ever think about it again. Sad.

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I'm a big fan too. He has a huge heart and an incredible voice. You will really like his book. Parts of it is so funny (his sense of humor shining through)! Parts of it is so sad and tough and parts of it (esp. things his family's done, etc.) really makes you want to just hit some people! He's had so much hurt in his young life. I have his Christmas cd too, along with MOAM, The Way/solitaire cd, the songs on his cds that he made before Amer. Idol and some other songs that he's sung on tv, concerts, etc. that some of his fans have made mp3s out of and posted on the internet. Do you have those too?

No, I just have the "Measure..." CD. I wanted it for Christmas that year, and everyone was OUT! So, I bought it for myself soon after the new year. My favorite song is "Invisible". I first heard him sing it on The View. It was just a fluke I happened to tune in.....I had just gotten a little TV and I was trying it out in my office at work and there he was!

I don't download music.....I try not to stress out my little pc too much. If it fries, I'll be in trouble!

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Maxanna, here's a couple of websites where you can hear a lot of his songs:

This one: http://www.claytonaiken.com/thatvoice.asp is one where you can WATCH his American Idol performances.

This one: http://www.allthingsclayaiken.com/miscmp3s.html has a bunch of songs from Amer. Idol, concerts, demo cds he did before Amer. Idol, tv shows, etc. You can click on "videos" or "mp3s" on the left & see a bunch of them.

If you didn't see him on Amer. Idol, even though he was great then, he's also grown a lot since then. Since you said that you heard him sing for the first time on tv on The View, I thought that there was probably a LOT of songs & performances that you never got to see!

The season that Clay was on American Idol is the only one I have watched! The first time I saw him singe "Invisible" was on The View.

Thanks for the links! I'm gonna have fun scoping out Clay this weekend! On Dr. Phil, he looked like he had gained some weight. What do you think?

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Yeah, I think he's filled out a little. lol He's still slender though. Did you listen to or "watch" any of the songs on the websites? Have you gone to any of his concerts? I've gone to two. I went to the one that he an Kelly C. had together and then to his solo tour. They were both very good (esp. his solo tour). His singing was not only great but he's such a natural with the audience, funny, relaxed, and really connects with the fans, etc. His back up singers (which he shared the stage with, didn't "hog" all of the limelight, etc.) were REALLY good too. With his solo tour, I was able to get really good seats on the 8th row, dead center of the stage! It was really great being that close. You can understand what he's saying, hear him joking around and see funny expressions on his face, etc. He brought this little 4 yr. old girl from out of the audience up to sing a song with him. It was so sweet! He got down on his knees beside her and was so amazed by her. She knew the whole song! Then when she got through singing, she whispered something to him and he started laughing and said, "she didn't ask me for MY autograph, she asked me for Raleigh's (his dog) autograph!" He told her that if she gave her name to someone at the front of the stage, he'd see what he could do. lol

Wow, what a sweetheart. He is one of those really special people. I can see him doing USO tours and lots of charity stuff. I find it very amusing that he didn't actually WIN American Idol, yet he continues to be more successful than any of the actual winners thus far.

I usually save up and go to a really good concert every other year or so. I got my mil and I great seats to Brooks and Dunn one year. Floor section, about 18 rows back in the middle. She loved that! I though the old woman was gonna take off her bra and throw it to Kix Brooks! LOL!

There's been alot of discussion out there as to his sexual orientation and I really could care less. That's not my or their business. Just let the guy sing and bring "joy to the world".
There is a good little concert venue close to my house called Nokia something. I need to get plugged into their concert schedule to see who's coming and when. Friday night it was Ashley Simpson. Not for me!

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If you get a chance to go to one of his concerts, go! I've really enjoyed the two that I've gone to. I'll give you a warning though. Have all of your information on the computer ahead of time so that the second the tickets go on sell, you'll be able to get in quickly and pay quickly! The last time he came here, he was doing two shows and they both sold out within like 2-3 minutes! You have to really grab them FAST! lol (by the way, that's not just for NC where he's from! That's all over the country! You have to grab them fast!)
It's funny, Simon kept saying that he sounded too broadway, like he thought that was bad. But only the best voices are good enough to sing on Broadway. I've heard Clay sing rock, pop, Christian/or gospel, Disney ("Proud of Your Boy"), country, disco, & R&B (I think that's what it was, what would you classify the song "Chain of Fools"?). He did a wonder job on all of them and sounded like he was "made for each one". He's not just broadway or only good for ballads, etc. He's very versatile.

You're right about the charity stuff. Actually, he just got back from visiting the tsunami hit area not long ago. (He was over there because he's one of the ambassadors with UNICEF.)

As for the other, I don't really think he's gay. I think he's had a lot of people accusing him of it and "teasing" him about it. (esp. comics on tv, etc.) In Rolling Stone mag., he said,"One thing I've found of people in the public eye, either you're a womanizer or you've got to be gay. Since I'm neither one of those, people are completely concerned about me. They're like, "What are you, then?" I'm sure it has to do with being raised by women. I wouldn't want somebody gawking at my mom and grabbing her butt and catcalling at her, trying to hook up with her at a bar. I'm not saying I'm not going to look. Hello! But you know what I mean?" Also, in his book, he talks about girlfriends, etc. Kelly Clarkson, who toured with him, said on the radio that he wasn't gay. There's other stuff like that too. So....for me, I don't think he is gay & will go by that unless he says otherwise.