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Como perder peso e acelerar o metabolismo???
VINTAGE CLAY -- Bats and musical notation accompany "Count Clay" in this handsome Halloween graphic by ABeautifulMind, who also created the greeting at the end of this blog.
Halloween Greetings
Goblins Invade Clay Cyberspace
A brief tour of Clay Aiken blogs and fan websites reveals that ghosts and goblins are this Halloween Weekend possessing the Internet landscape as well as real life terrains.
The same talented graphic artists who treat fans to handsome designs year round have taken the lead in decorating Clay Cyberspace for Halloween 2008. Seasonal decor in Clay Land features creative banners, avatars, as well as graphic designs.
In my circle, music students have tried their hand at creating spooky compositions for their instrument. An excellent season for special effects, high tremolos abound in songs by violinists while pianists have utilized the lowest and highest ranges of the keyboard, minor modes, with generous helpings of the damper pedal.
Origin of Holiday Customs Varied
Ever wonder where this October celebration originated? The word Halloween comes from a contracted corruption of All Hollows Eve (or "All Saints Day"), a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. In 5th century BC Celtic Ireland, the holiday marking the official end of summer, Oct. 31, was called Samhain (sow-en), heralding the Celtic new year.
The Romans adopted Celtic practices as their own. In the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of other Roman traditions, among them their day honoring Pomona, Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which may be the precursor for the modern day Halloween tradition, bobbing for apples.
From Souling to Trick-Or-Treating
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated with a ninth-century European practice called souling. On Nov. 2, All Souls Day, early Christians walked from village to village begging for soul cakes. The more soul cakes the beggars received, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the donors' dead relatives.
Though some cults have adopted Halloween as their favorite holiday, it is important to remember the tradition did not come from evil practices. Today many churches sponsor Halloween parties, traditional pumpkin patches, as well as pumpkin-carving events and "haunted houses."
Halloween is as evil or as festive as we choose to make it.
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS: Selected for their spooky themes, these clickable graphics are just in time for this weekend's ghosts and goblins. Featured are designs by Claystruck, 1; Ashes, 2; Clayquebec1, 3; Amazing_CA, 4 and 5, photo by Tasapio.
Ghost Stories a Carolina Tradition
As a North Carolinian, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the plethora of famous Tar Heel ghost stories. Just the titles are scary: Blackbeard's Queen Anne Revenge; A Colonial Apparition; Buried Alive; The Scull Hangs High; Bells, Books, and Rafters; The Headless Haunt; The Peg-Legged Ghost; The Greensboro Hitchhiker, The Devil's Tramping Ground.
Clickable
For a Wilmington native, The Maco Light easily tops the list of favorite ghost tales. Visiting the Maco Light was the theme of many an autumn hayride of my youth. Maco is located in Brunswick County, 12 miles northwest of Wilmington and in the past was a stop along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
Just seconds before the crash, Joe's lantern was hurled away by a mighty, unseen force, landing in an upright position. Shortly after the horrible accident, the Maco Light began appearing along the tracks. To this day, Joe's ghost appears swinging his lantern and searching for his head.
Tar Heel ghost stories have their own websites. For example, see The Maco Light and The Devil's Tramping Ground. Listen to, view, or read Ghost Stories of North Carolina here. For further spooky reading, see John Harden's books on Amazon.
Caro
MUSIC FOR A MONTAGE -- "Something About Us" from Clay Aiken's latest album, On My Way Here, is a popular accompaniment for fan montages. Graphic by Amazing_CA.
Campaign for Computer Space
Clay Aiken, Politics Face Off
Music is all around us. All you have to do is listen.
What an awesome thrill to cast my vote for a new president this past Friday evening!
Following an afternoon of teaching music lessons in a neighboring city, I chose a route home that would take me by an election center. To my surprise, there was a very short line of voters. From start to finish, I proceeded through check-in and seven pages of presidential, state, and local candidates in 15 minutes. I can't remember when I have been so elated.
You would think I could now turn off the non-stop news programs and battleground state TV ads. Political websites still beckon even as I begin to rebuild my CLAY AIKEN ONLY desktop.
As I write this blog, the windows in my laptop tray are evenly divided between Clay and the elections. Meanwhile, my television set has "met the press" and "faced the nation" almost every weekend in recent memory.
In honor of the Nov. 4 presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, here are montages set to songs from Clay's On My Way Here CD, "Something About Us" and "Ashes."
The blog will wend its way back to an all-Clay montage, "August's Rhapsody" by Aspiegirl. Perhaps my life will soon follow suit. Meanwhile, I have apparently become a news junkie like my favorite singer, LOL!
An Obama Love Story - Hotshortie
This is a beautiful song. Clay his a most unique voice, just beautiful. The words, pictures, the family, everything, we can't go wrong. This is real love.
Beautiful, just simply beautiful. Clay you've done it man.
"Honorary Soul Award," with love and respect. Thanks Clay. From a 70-year old Black man.
John McCain Tribute - Lacy704
Thank you for your service to this country Senator McCain! Glad you were strong enough to rise up from those Ashes!
Very nice montage. It was great to see McCain's story in pictures. Very nicely done -- and I enjoyed the song very much. It fit the subject perfectly. Thanks for making it. Great job!
Wonderful montage, shows so much of the life of John McCain. The song Ashes sung by Clay Aiken is terrific and fits the montage so well. Great job.
Finding My Way Back
In the past two months, I have viewed enough political programs via TV or online stream that I could literally give all four major stump speeches.
An intervention won't be necessary, as a "mostly Clay" computer conversion is underway. Throughout all the campaign promises and pundit commentary, I have followed stage door recaps and saved photos. Good fan that I am, I even know Clay missed some shows due to an injury; but he returned in fine form Saturday night.
Clickble Clay at Roast
(Hamaraphotos)
On Friday, the singer joined a star-studded gathering for The Friar's Club Roast of Matt Lauer in The New York Hilton.
Among those present besides the honoree and Clay were Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira, Diane Sawyer, Joy Behar, Bob Saget, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vanessa Williams, Aretha Franklin, Eric McCormack, Tony Shaloub, Tiki Barber, Jerry Stiller, and Mario Lopez.
To view more pictures, see the Jamd and Hamaraphoto sites -- thumbnails and photos.
PHOTO INTERLUDE: These clickable graphics by Amazing_CA feature photos from the recent Champions of Change Gala, as well as her opening "Something About Us" blend. Photographers include KarenEh and Thankful4Clay, 1, and PermaSwooned, 3.
Rhapsody Traces Clay's Story
As a musician and a CA fan, I can't think of a more beautiful montage to close with than August's Rhapsody by Aspiegirl. Adapted from the movie, August Rush, the exquisite, artistist montage lives up to the definition of a rhapsody -- a dramatic, improvisatory musical composition.
You can view the video at YouTube and download August's Rhapsody with this Sendspace. The file is 99 MBs but well worth the wait.
Music is all around us. All you have to do is listen.
August's Rhapsody - Aspiegirl
THE VOICE -- Clay Aiken thrilled his fans with several songs at Saturday's Bubel/Aiken Foundation Gala. Graphic by Amazing_CA.
Lopez Pens Clay's Playbill Bio
Fan Boards Replay Aiken Gala
Fresh from last weekend's very successful Champions of Change Gala in Raleigh, Clay Aiken returned to the Great White Way as Sir Robin on the Spamalot stage Tuesday evening.
Clay Aiken as Sir Robin in Spamalot.
Clay Aiken, currently starring in Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, has announced the “Write Clay’s Playbill Biography Contest” winner. The contest offered members of his fan club the chance to write his official Playbill biography.
The contest winner is Jo-Anne Lopez [Claybella] of Carlsbad, CA. Her bio is currently appearing in the SPAMALOT Playbill at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street). Jo-Anne’s winning bio is below:
Clay Aiken was born southwest of Finland, in Raleigh, NC, a little more than 29 years ago. Although his younger years were spent belting out tunes from atop piles of Sears carpet samples, his mature teenage years saw him cast in musical theater roles such as Singer #2 in his high school production of The Music Man which was met with enough success not to get him cast in his final high school production.
His ego thus bolstered, he had more than enough incentive to audition for “American Idol” Season 2, the outcome of which (in the prophetic #2 spot) has made him arguably the most beloved and successful contestant ever to have irritated Simon Cowell.
A best-selling book, UNICEF Ambassadorship and multiple platinum recordings later, six or seven sold-out nationwide tours notwithstanding, and after a first very successful run in Spamalot early this year, Clay is currently finding his second grail, on Broadway, right here at the Shubert. For his next project, he plans to teach a modern Torah class.
Clay Aiken delivers an amazing Halloween idea for Spamalot fans. The Clay Aiken Halloween costume idea is relatively economical and funny.
You Need:
1. Hair
2. Glove
3. Rope
4. Belt
5. Rooster and makeup
Read the complete story here: Clay Aiken Halloween Costume.
PHOTO INTERLUDE: This clickable interlude features graphics by Amazing_CA recalling the Champions of Change Gala and Shubert Alley autograph sessions following Clay's Spamalot performances. Photographers include Toni7babe, 1; Dancerdad, 2; PA4clay, 4; and RhonnaR, 5.
Gala Recaps in Heavy Rotation
Whether tour concerts, Spamalot performances, TV shows, or other appearances, CA message boards thrive on recaps long after an actual event. Saturday's gala, therefore, remains in heavy rotation throughout Clay Cyberspace.
Karma4Clay, who decided to attend the gala two weeks prior to the event, penned a very special report that transports readers to the Saturday's session at the Marriott in Raleigh. Slightly edited, here is the performance part of her recap:
The speeches were incredibly moving, the auction was hilarious and fun, and the blackout and chatter during the reboot was priceless. There were so many great moments already at that point, and then Clay began to sing.
You can’t hear it on the clack, or see it. But the minute he started singing "When I See You Smile," some of us had tears streaming down our faces.It was OUR Clay, singing to us again. The room seemed to expand with love and emotion in that moment and it never stopped until the last note.
If Clay ever had any doubt that his “reveal” would change our reactions to him, we vanquished that with the first growl of “well now” and the squeals that ensued. He was so ON ... so sexay!
The moments in "On My Way Here" were very emotional and of course by the time he had finished "Right Here Waiting" (the song whose status changed drastically for a lot of us), we were both exuberant and drained and oh so incredibly grateful.I remember thinking over and over how fortunate I was to be there and literally said to myself after every song that that one alone had been worth the ticket price.
Special Meeting with Faye
The icing came for me when I realized that I’d left my jacket on my chair some good time later (nearly an hour or more I think—but it’s a bit fuzzy) and went back to retrieve it.I ran into Faye coming out from somewhere, carrying some things and just started talking to her about the evening and how special it was. She then said to me:
“Y’all make him feel so special.”
I said something to the effect that I hoped so and something about all the emotion in the room and how fortunate I felt to have been there.She talked about all the tears she’d seen (she looked a bit like she might have had a moment or two herself).
I verified that I’d experienced the same and then we smiled at each other for a second and said good night. It was the perfect thing to hear at the end of this incredible evening. “Y’all make him feel so special.
I hope so with all my heart. Because he is special, after all. So very special.
Miracle of the Moment - LovesClaysVoice
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