Showing posts with label signature song. Show all posts
Showing posts with label signature song. Show all posts

Montage Spotlights Clay Aiken's Signature Song



Clay Aiken - Unchained Melody 2011

View montage by SueReu full screen at YouTube.

Download the video with this Sendspace.

NIP Swings from #8 to #11



Video Frames 'Unchained Melody'



This blog was supposed to be about the signature version of my favorite Clay Aiken song, "Unchained Melody," which SueRue this week fashioned into a beautiful new montage.



Since she uploaded the video a couple of days ago, links for the montage zipped through Clay Cyberspace and social networking sites faster than the speed of light. Video credits include
ClayIzzaQT, MBlovesClay, dlh7777, Scarlett, canfly172, and goldarngirl.



If you are part of the minority who have not yet seen this montage, enjoy. If you have already played and downloaded it a zillion times, enjoy again. Included are five clickable screen caps SueReu created from the video.

















NIP Supporters Set $50k Goal



With Monday evening's drop to #11, supporters of the National Inclusion Project scrrambled for new avenues to add to the foundation's total votes in the August drive for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant.



For days the NIP has held onto the 10th position, the lowest a charity can be to win a grant in the $50k division. Renewed efforts paid off, and the foundation moved up to slots 8 and 9, slightly safer waters, before slipping back to #11.



What's your latest creative move to round up additional votes? Several of my music students and their parents are texting daily. Some have promised to bring power codes from yellow Pepsi/Diet Pepsi bottle caps.



Remember the wedding
queenmama247 attended this past weekend? Here is her report:
The wedding went off without a hitch. There were 210 guests. The DJ was so sweet when he asked everyone to take out their cellphones. He kept saying, "It's for kids."



We counted approximately 180 votes texted. Some people were having a hard time getting through, but it was a thrill to hear all the phones going off when the thank you messages started coming back!


Power Voting Can Be a Blast



Sunday
afternoon
Scarlett and I enjoyed a Power Voting Party via Facebook Chat with codes from several 20-ounce Pepsi bottles she had purchased at a 99-cent store. Our grand total was 445 extra votes for the NIP and was it ever fun!!!

My friend doesn't drink Pepsi, but she used the liquid remains as a type of Draino in her sinks. This morning she said her tub was a mite bit sticky. I have located at least three "Pepsi suppliers," so I hope to contribute additional codes soon.



One of the NIP's new voting partners, Nerdy Science, seeks to foster an early love for the science through multi-week, hands on programs.



Check out Exploding Soda in the Nerdy Baby blog. The Pepsi geysers provide an excellent science experiment for young children and provide an alternative way to utilize power code bottles for those who don't drink soda.



This week CVS has 2-liter Pepsi bottles on sale for 88 cents. Just be sure the caps are of the yellow power code variety!



See the previous entry, Clay Aiken Fans Pull Out Stops for Inclusion, for detailed voting instructions. Partner links and text numbers are in the NIP Voting Widget now situated in the Carolina sidebar.



Please share your successes for enlisting more voters and gathering power codes in the comments.



Dr. Phil and Clay AikenTake on Bullying.

View 2005 video full screen at YouTube.

Bullying Headlines Google Search



Somewhere there's a workshop ... or teachers are making lesson plans ... or students already have a school assignment related to preventing or stopping bulling.



During an eight-hour period Monday, Feedjit, the tracking tool associated with the Carolina blog, registered visitors who arrived by googling the phrase Clay Aiken End Bullying. The hits came from all corners of the US, as well as Aruba in the Caribbean and the Republic of Mauritius, an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa.



It's heartening to think that individuals from 27 cities wound up at the October 2010 entry: Clay Aiken Shares Insight on Bullying. Even then, the blog was pointing out the relevancy of remarks the singer had made five years earlier on the Dr. Phil Show.

Recent suicides by young people who reached the breaking point from constant bullying, hatred, and harassment have spurred nationwide efforts to bring an end to this epidemic.



On Oct. 28, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, giving the Department of Justice the authority to prosecute hate crimes, including attacks based on sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability.



Paralleling the new legislation, more and more citizens have begun recognizing the epidemic of hate and are choosing to go proactive, becoming informed and getting involved. Too many, however, remain silent.


The information trail continued into the evening. For whatever reason, surfers in these cities were on the Net exploring the topic of bullying: Birmingham, AL; Bessemer, AL; Phoenix, AZ; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Denver, CO; Seymour, CT; Millsboro, DE; Miami, FL; Orlando, FL; Hephzibah, GA; Round Lake, IL; Wichita, KS;



Also Arnold, MD; Baltimore, MD; Genesco, NY; Cleveland, OH; Lebanon, OR; Malvern, PA; Addison, TX; Chatfield, TX; Woodway, TX; Bothell, WA; Ellensburg, WA;
Oranjestad, Aruba, and Curepipe, Plaines Wilheme, Mauritus.



And they were still coming when I uploaded this blog. Hopefully, we are witnessing a nationwide -- maybe worldwide -- movement to end bullying forever!



Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!



Caro



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Clay Aiken T&T Tour To Spotlight Signature Song


Clay introduces signature 'Unchained Melody' version.
View 'Tried & True LIVE' PBS performance full screen at YouTube.

'Unchained Melody' on Tour

Aiken Programs Signature Song

For many fans, the highlight of Clay Aiken's February-March 2011 Tried & True Tour will be the nightly performance of "Unchained Melody, a song in the singer's repertoire for years but now with his own spectacular signature arrangement.

Clay's new interpretation of "Unchained Melody" was scored by his friend Ben Cohn, arranger, musical director, keyboardist, for the 2010 Tried & True album and PBS Special.

For many, UM became a favorite during Clay's American Idol 2 run in 2003. Most CA fans have external hard drives that chronicle the UM saga dating back to his teen aged years in Raleigh. Below is the singer's Top 3 AI performance of the song.


Clay singing 'Unchained Melody' during AI Top 3 Finals.

Fair warning -- once you link to YouTube for the above performances, be prepared to also view the Hollywood Week montage by Wowzers4Clay, which includes the a Capella/pitch pipe version; DWTS Season 11, UM montage by LovesClaysVoice; and ... and ... Have fun!!!

UM Boasts 500+ Versions

Unchained Melody, 1955 popular song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret, has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned more than 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.

Theme music for the 1955 prison movie "Unchained," the song was recorded by various artists prior to the July 1965 version by the Righteous Brothers that became the jukebox standard.

Featured in the 1990 blockbuster movie Ghost, the song is slated for GHOST The Musical this year.


Photos by Jim R. Bounds from the Tried & True ~ LIVE Special
complete this graphic design by Fountaindawg.

Since the Ben Cohn chart debut at the March 2010 PBS Special taping, Clay's "Unchained Melody" has made an impression on many. Below are four examples from previous Carolina blog entries.

Moonhead: Clay's own version of "Unchained Melody." Wow, he owns this song!!! And he really changed up the last third of it. His own version indeed! What he did with this was quite spectacular. -- March 15, 2010 (just after the PBS taping).

The next two appeared in the June 9, 2010 Carolina blog: Clay Aiken CD Charts in Top 10.

adrienne1954: My husband, who is not a fan, went to work out in our home gym. He put on the TV, and it wasn't working. He called me downstairs and, with panic in his voice, asked me to fix the TV. I tried to figure out what the problem was and couldn't.
Instead, he decided to listen to a CD. While fiddling with the cable remote, I jokingly asked, "Do you want to listen to Clay's new album?" "OK." (Words I never thought I would hear in a million years!)

I can't tell you how fast I ran upstairs to grab the CD before he changed his mind. In the old Bose CD player, Clays T&T went right to "Unchained Melody." I waited for his reaction.

"I love this song. This is one of my favorite songs," he said. (Who knew?) "He really does have a great voice. Oh, and shut if off."

I reached to turn off the CD, not wanting to push my luck or Clay's voice.

"No," not the CD player -- the TV! I want to listen to the whole album."

amazed_in_nj: I let my second graders listen to TnT today while they were working. After "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," I had to replay it again for them ... and again and again. By the third time, they were all singing along.
They loved "Unchained Melody," would wait the THE NOTE, and then take their hands from low to high in the air as Clay went up on that note. Again, when it was finished, they said, "Play it again!" So, of course, I did.


CLAY IS BACK -Graphic by Fountaindawg, photos by Jim R. Bounds.

Couple Plans Valentine Concert

During Houston's PBS Special debut, several CA fans assisted with phone pledges. This incident was retold in the Sept. 9, 2010 entry, Clay Aiken Dazzles Houston PBS Audience:

jtgranny: One of the most amazing calls I received was from an older gentleman planning a special Valentine evening. When I asked him how much he wanted to pledge, he said "Well, I guess I'm going to have to pledge $300 so I can go see this Clay Aiken and take my wife."
After I took all of his information, I was informed by him and his wife, who had by this time picked up on the other line, that they had followed Clay when he was on American Idol and thought he was great.

They have been married for 54 years, and "Unchained Melody" is their song. When Clay sang it on the TV special, they both sat on the couch and cried because it was so beautiful. She also told me she thought that was the best version she has ever heard.

By this time I was trying not to get all weepy myself, so I just told them I hoped they had a wonderful evening, thanked them for their donation, and said I would pass along this information to Clay.

I wished them a Happy Valentine's Day. This call definitely made my night even more special!


Clay Aiken: 2011 Winter Tour Preview

Tried & True Classics To Tour

"Unchained Melody" is not the only song that will be heard during the February-March Tried & True Tour. Get ready to experience the incredible pipes singing "Mack the Knife," "It's Impossible," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," "Suspicious Minds," and other classics

Sample tour selections from the Tried & True CD and Tried & True ~ LIVE DVD at Amazon. Below are the tour dates with links to the venue or ticket sales.

2011 Tried and True Tour

2.10.11 Miami, FL Arsht Center, 7:30 pm
2.11.11 Orlando, FL Hard Rock, 8 pm
2.12.11 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 8 pm
2.14.11 Houston, TX Jones Hall, 7:30 pm
2.16.11 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Center, 8 pm
2.17.11 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre, 8 pm
2.18.11 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall, 8 pm
2.19.11 Cleveland, OH Playhouse Square, 7:30 pm
2.20.11 Waterbury, CT Palace Theater, 7:30 pm
2.22.11 Baltimore, MD Kraushaar Auditorium, 7:30 pm
2.23.11 Charlotte, NC Blumenthal Center, 7:30 pm
2.24.11 Greenville, SC The Peace Center, 7:30 pm
2.26.11 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 8 pm
2.27.11 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre, 7:30 pm
3.01.11 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre, 7:30 pm
3.02.11 Fort Wayne, IN Embassy Theatre, 7:30 pm
3.04.11 Waukegan, IN Genesse Theatre, 8 pm
3.05.11 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre, 8 pm
3.07.11 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall, 8 pm
3.08.11 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie, 7:30 pm
3.10.11 Mesa, AZ Mesa Arts Center, 8 pm
3.12.11 San Francisco, CA The Warfield, 8 pm


Decca, My Space Herald T&T Tour

Concerts through March 1 are mapped on the Decca Label Group site in Clay's Events column. The singer currently holds the Decca site record for most CD/DVD comments/reviews/page views. You can add to them in the Releases column. The same goes for comments at the linked You Tube videos.

If you haven't visited Clay's My Space page lately, you are in for a treat, as it is loaded with tour dates/links, T&T photos, music to stream, videos, an excellent bio, info about the National Inclusion Project, etc.

"Unchained Melody" is a great accompaniment for Pepsi Refresh voting. You can link to the National Inclusion Project's alliances and partners via the NIP Thank You Widget in the Carolina blog sidebar. The alliances can be accessed at the Vote For Kids link.

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro
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Aiken Songs Impart Holiday Message


Don't Save It All for Christmas Day - Montage by SueReu

Don't Save It All for Christmas Day

Montages Give Season Meaning

One of the most meaningful messages of the holiday season is located in what has become a signature song for Clay Aiken -- "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day."

The montage Four Years of Don't Save It All for Christmas Day by SueReu highlights CA performances of the song from 2004-07 with video credits to American Idol, Spotlightlover, LauraQ, and Jojoct. Download the montage with this Sendspace link.

Co-written by Celine Dion, the single was covered by Clay on his popular Merry Christmas with Love CD of 2004. Following the DSIAFCD lyrics, a new montage by Aspiegirl continues the year-round theme.

Don't Save It All For Christmas Day

Don't get so busy that you miss
Giving just a little kiss
To the ones you love
And don't even wait a little while
To give them a little smile
A little is enough

How many people are crying
Some people are dying...
How many people are askin’ for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...

How could you wait another minute
A hug is warmer when you're in it
Oh Baby that's a fact
And saying "I love you's" always better
Seasons, reasons, they don't matter
So don't hold back
How many people in this world
So needful in this world
How many people are praying for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Give love…..

Let all the children know
Everywhere that they go
Their whole life long
Let them know love

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh [sung over Don't save it all for Christmas Day]
Yeah, and give a little love everyday

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
Cause holidays have come and gone

[fading]
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
Cause holidays have come and gone

Montage Focuses on Children in Need

In her new montage, Aspiegirl featured Clay's "duet" with Bing Crosby from the 2003 Nick at Night Holiday Special. In the preface at YouTube, she shared some of the research that preceded the creation of this Little Drummer Boy montage.

The video opens with children forced to beg for money in the streets of New Delhi, India. Their enforcers profit greatly from the young beggars.

The young boy at the end of the montage is from America. As the video shows, many people walk by, turning a blind eye to what is going on.


Little Drummer Boy - Montage by Aspiegirl

In addition to the CA clips, Aspiegirl credited YouTube videographers Radiationzzzz, neoguri808, and InflationUS. You can download the Little Drummer Boy montage with this Sendspace.

Mother Nature Ushers in Cantata

This weekend (Saturday morning rehearsal and two Sunday morning services) I am playing oboe in the annual Lessons and Carols program at Jamestown United Methodist Church. As always, it's a family affair with my sister and niece on flute and my brother-in-law conducting the 72 choristers, 32-piece orchestra, and 16-member handbell choir.

The program includes the rhythmic and spirited ("Carol to the King," "Rejoice and Be Merry," "Masters in This Hall"), the quiet and expressive ("How Far Is It to Bethlehem," "What Child Is This," "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"), and even a West Indian carol in calypso style, "The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy."

The only damper on this program is the fact that Mother Nature seems to have saved all the rain for cantata day. The weather forecast Sunday morning registers at 90-100% chance for an all-out downpour. Performers and congregation will start the service somewhere between drenched and damp.

POSTSCRIPT: Despite the weather obstacles, the dampened musicians presented a program of glorious, uplifting music. The large sanctuary was packed with extra chairs added in the vestible, but the second service was still standing room only!

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

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