andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Clay Aiken has issued an apology in response to the outrage over his comments regarding American Idol runner-up, Adam Lambert.

The Broadway star took to his members-only blog to address his earlier statements about the vocal stylings of Lambert. Explained Aiken, “I obviously meant it as a colorful statement to imply that I did not enjoy what I heard. Any performer hopes that their music will appeal to all people, but no singer realistically expects it to.”

“My opinion is just that, only my opinion, but for as much as some of the bloggers seem to dislike me and care so little about my thoughts, they sure can waste a lot of their space on what I say,” complains the performer.

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Come August, Clay Aiken is going to be a father.

According to TMZ, Aiken knocked up best friend and record producer Jayme Foster–but not the traditional way. Foster was artificially inseminated.

Although the baby will be Foster’s, reports say Aiken will play an “active role” in raising the kid.

This will be the first baby for both Aiken, 29, and Foster, 50.

Aiken was the runner-up in season two of American Idol. He is rumoured to be gay.

Surprise, surprise! Clay Aiken is set to take on Broadway.

After winning over the hearts of TV viewers during his season of American Idol, Aiken aims to win the hearts of theatregoers in the Broadway production of ‘Spamalot’ starting Jan. 18 2008. Playing the role of the show-tune loving Sir Robin in the Tony Award winning side-splitter, Aiken was an easy cast.

Aiken has announced that he will happily be staying with the show until May 4th.

“I really couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful group of people to work with,” said Aiken, according to E! News.

Hopefully Aiken’s Broadway debut will be a more successful than former American Idol loser Justin Guarini – who got booted from the cast of Beach Boys musical entitled Good Vibrations in 2004.

Former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken’s sexuality has been a hot topic this week after People magazine published a story saying Aiken was gay.

The controversy was further stirred during a provocative interview with Good Morning America’s Diane Sawyer. The hype around the interview was that Aiken would come out of the closet.

Instead, though, Aiken defended his sexuality as nobody’s business.

“I’ve gotten to a point now where I, A., am tired of trying, and B., I feel it’s kind of invasive, you know?” Aiken told Sawyer. “What I do in my private life is nobody’s business anymore.”

Aiken also stirred questions about his sexuality when he was accused earlier this year of a hotel liaison with ex-marine John Paulus in the National Enquirer.

“Even though stuff about me that I read in the magazines isn’t true, it still makes me … lose sleep,” he said. “I hurt, not just for my mother who has to watch it happen and who hurts for me. At least when I was in middle school … I understand why they picked on me.”

In interviews with People Magazine and “Good Morning America,” Clay Aiken talks about his battle with anxiety and the pertinent rumours of his sexuality.

The “American Idol” season two runner up says while he has no fears on stage, off stage he is plagued with panic attacks.

“I’d walk into a room and say to myself, ‘I am not going to have a problem when these people stare at me. But then [in] that situation, my heart would start pumping, and I’d start sweating and looking around nervously and shaking. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” the singer tells People.

Aiken says he eventually got the attacks under control with the help of Paxil, a medication with helps to calm down panic attacks. However, he has relocated from California back to his hometown of Raleigh, N.C. to help him relax a bit.

Despire rumours that the singer is gay, he touched on the subject but did not confirm or deny the reports.

“What do you say [to that question]? It’s like when I was eight. I remember something would get broken in the house, and Mom and Dad would call me in and say, ‘Did you do this?’ Well, it didn’t matter what I said. The only thing they would believe was yes… People are going to believe what they want.”

American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken is embarking on a unique tour, one that will have him performing covers from as early as the 1950s.

“I thought it would be cool to sing a bunch of covers, and relate to everybody,” says Aiken. “There will be songs my mom likes and my grandparents like, and there are a lot of people who love the music of the ’70s. I like the ’80s, and we’re going to have a lot of fun with songs from the ’90s.”

The tour will include many songs that Aiken is already associated with, including Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and Neil Sedaka’s “Solitaire.” Aiken’s versions of both songs charted in Billboard. There will also be a medley of Elvis Presley songs that spans the decades. Aiken will also sing the hits of everyone from Sam Cooke to Goo Goo Dolls.

Fans who attend the show will be able to send text messages to Aiken backstage, as well as register to receive a response back from Aiken. In addition, messages will be shown on a screen behind the artist as he performs.

“This started out as a show just to have some fun with, and as I got more excited about singing these songs, it became a bigger show,” explains Aiken. “It’s a summer tour and the production will be simple because the real story is the music. It’s a chance for people to remember where they were when they heard certain songs. I was born in 1978, but I love the music of the ’50s and ’60s and I know a lot of people do. We’re going to have a lot of medleys in the show, including a doo-wop medley and one for all the great Motown hits. I made a prediction that everyone will be able to sing along to at least five songs, no matter when they grew up!”

Aiken will also perform songs from his first album as well as his upcoming album.

Fans can catch Aiken live on ABC’s Good Morning American on July 29th, and on the July 24th Cover of TV Guide.
A Canadian stop is planned for Toronto, Ontario.

DATE CITY/STATE VENUE
7/28 Tom’s River, NJ Ritacco Center/Tom’s Riverfest
7/29 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino
7/30 Darien Lake, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
7/31 Pittsburgh, PA Chevrolet Amphitheater
8/2 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park
8/3 Greenville, SC Peace Center
8/5 Cary, NC Regency Park
8/6 Valdosta, GA Wild Adventure Theme Park
8/8 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
8/9 Columbus, OH Ohio State Fair
8/10 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest
8/12 Rochester Hills, MI Meadow Brooks
8/13 Clio, MI Clio Area Amphitheater
8/15 Kettering, Ohio Fraze Pavilion
8/16 Toledo, OH Zoo Amphitheater
8/18 Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fair
8/19 Interlochen, MI Interlochen Center for the Arts
8/21 Meadville, PA Crawford County Fair
8/23 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theater
8/24 Cleveland, OH Scene Pavilion
8/25 Toronto, Ontario Molson Amphitheater
8/27 Gilford, NH Meadowbrook
8/28 Boston, MA Bank of America
8/29 Essex Junction, VT Champlain Valley Exposition
8/31 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Resort
9/1 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Resort