Reactions to the New Clay

There were some big stars on American Idol last night: Al Jarreau, Live, Meatloaf, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, Bert Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, even Prince. OMG Prince was amazing!!!! Oh, and yeah, a new American Idol winner was crowned.

So what was the "wow" moment of the night? Clay Aiken!!!

Here's a round-up of reactions:

rickey's AI blog:

CLAY CLAY CLAY CLAY CLAY CLAY

CLAY!!!! CLAY!!! CLAY!!!!

THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME SHOW EVER!!!!

WOOHOO!!!!

CLAY AIKEN IN THE HOUSE!!!!

The Idols sing Burt Bacharach songs… don’t they do this every year?

But my god, nothing can top the Clay Aiken moment. Next to Kelly he’s the biggest star this show has produced. Go Clay!

San Jose Mercury-News:

syndicated:

LYNN ELBER
Associated Press

Second-season runner-up Clay Aiken, with a slick new look, performed a "duet" on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with his alter ego, a wannabe "American Idol" contestant who evoked the originally geeky Aiken.

realitytvmagazine.com

...there was one shining moment that will likely go down as one of the funniest moments in American Idol history....

Leslie Gray Streeter at the PalmBeachPost.com:

That fake Clay kid who couldn't sing even after a second chance is singing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me." Who's that behind him...Clay Aiken!!! He's almost hot. Did you hear that, Claymates? I said he was hot! Did you hear me? Are you happy now?

People Magazine photo and poll

and article on line:

But the biggest show-stoppers were Clay Aiken, who debuted a jaw-dropping new hipster hairdo, and Prince, who performed two songs solo before an ecstatic audience.

E! News online:

Season two runner-up Clay Aiken returned with an edgy new look to appear alongside an imitator, who was mocked by the judges at his audition for his attempt to evoke the once-nerdy Idol alum.

Yahoo News photo:

caption: Former 'American Idol' winner Clay Aiken performs during the show's finale at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood May 24, 2006. REUTERS/Chris Pizzello

(well we can't expect the media to always get the facts straight, can we?)

www.topix.net:

But the show did hit one perfect note when Clay Aiken surprised an off-key Clay Aiken-wannabe on stage for a wonderfully impromptu duet.

Fox News online:

Perhaps the biggest laugh of the night, however, came during an appearance by Michael Sandecki, a sensation from an early audition episode (sensational only for how bad he was), who did a "surprise" duet with Clay Aiken.

They performed "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and it really was akin to watching a before and after video, with Sandecki playing the role of the younger, naive Aiken, almost too enthusiastically.

From the fan boards:

txblonde, from the Official Fan Club via Clayversity via the Clackhouse:

The local reporter for the FOX station in Houston is reporting live from the Kodak. She summarized the evening with this quote:

"Hands-down the favorite reaction from the 33 media crews watching the live show.......Clay Aiken!

"Then the lady anchor said, "I thought he was great! I like his new hair, too!"

Penny, the Clackhouse:

two separate people on my LJ list called Clay's appearance the "best moment in Idol history". \o/

g35luzzter on the Clayboard:

I was watching MSNBC cover post AI5 show.
The host Rita interviewed a California DJ that hosted Katherine Mcphee's hometown watching party...
This is what I saw and heard.

The DJ (male) said, regarding not winning AI : "Look at Clay Aiken. He was on fire tonight. The crowd was crazy about him."

That's a quote.

Arlitexas, on the Official Fan Club via the Clackhouse:

I'm watching the local Fox News here in Dallas. The female anchor introduced the segment with Clay by saying this was one of the best moments of the show, simply hilarious and fun. The male anchor agreed that it was a great moment!

sharinlilbit, on the Official Fan Club:

From a TV blogger for the Akron Beacon Journal --

"Amazing, though, how eagerly people will show up on TV even if the reason is mockery. Crazy Dave Hoover's being there I can understand since he's, well, crazy. But Clay Aiken wannabe Michael Sandecki obviously didn't get the joke; then again, he got to meet Clay in the second-best moment of the evening.

"Sandecki, a terrible auditioner who tried to exploit a deliberate resemblance to old Clay, was invited to sing -- then was interrupted by Aiken's arrival. Sandecki didn't seem to mind at all. He labored to duet with Aiken, and then, when he was offered a seat, continued to have a look of sheer joy. Aiken, meanwhile, has moved way past his ''Idol'' look -- long hair, nice suit. Still has that big voice."

Ericapl, on the Clayboard:

Our local Fox news (Fresno, CA) mentioned Clay's part as one of the highlights of the night--along with Prince, of course. It was brief, but nice.

nowrite2000, on Television Without Pity:

I missed Season 2, I can't call myself a Clay fan and I've never posted here before, but I must say--if this dude can cause so much heated debate and notice in the press and web over his haircut, he must be in possession of some irresistable cultural pheromone. I've never witnessed the level of hysteria amongst the AI watchers sitting next to me than when that backscreen parted. It was as if Jesus was high-fiving Buddha as Allah popped and locked in the background. Incredible.

Faux Clay's stumble backwards was shared by many apparently.

BLOGS:

Oh what a night...

Clay Aiken...Making an Entrance

Holy crap!

The AI5 Finale... And the Return of Clay Aiken

That's Clay Aiken

THAT'S Clay???!???

American Idol Surprises!

That's Clay Aiken???

He's Baaaack!

I'm sensing a theme here with the blog titles. Heh.

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There's more, but I think you get the idea. So the Clay Nation is kaput, eh?

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