Posts Tagged ‘Spamalot’

Clay Aiken’s New Life

December 1st, 2008

While the rest of the world might not have been too shocked when Clay Aiken came out to the world a few months ago, the American Idol alum struggled with his sexuality for a long  time before he was ready to stop avoiding the topic.

 

"I’m from the south and we don’t talk about our problems," he tells Entertainment Tonight in an interview airing this evening.  "We sweep them under the rug. We avoided discussing things beforehand."

 

However once fame came knocking on his door, due to his exposure on Idol and his subsequent singing career, Clay says he didn’t have a chance to sweep up anything anymore.

 

"There was no more opportunity for denial," the new dad admits.

 

These days Clay is busy, reprising the role of  Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway and caring for his three-month-old son Parker, whose mother is his good friend Jaymes Foster. .

"It was probably a week before [Jaymes] had to change a diaper at all!" the devoted dad admits. "I’m trying my best to be the one who doesn’t always let him get what he wants, but he owns us."

 

Be sure to tune in to ET tonight for more!

Clay Aiken Spams a Lot

April 18th, 2008

Clay Aiken challenges me to a trivia game he’s reading off the menu when we meet upstairs at Planet Hollywood in Times Square. (Help! I only had a free movie pass from 2005-2007.)

He’s moments away from getting his handprints to celebrate his role in Monty Python’s Spamalot when he admits this is his first time in the eatery.

“I’ve never been before, but is that Spamalot on the TV now? Look at that! It’s very busy. It’s a very excitable place. There’s a lot of memorabilia that I’ve never seen before. I didn’t really know the importance of it, but now that I see everything else they have hanging here, it’s an interesting honor to have my hands put beside some much bigger names than mine.”

The North Carolina native, 29, is in work mode now that he’s wrapping up his run in the Tony-award winning musical May 4. His fourth album, On My Way Here, will be released two days later on May 6.

 

Poor Clay. He tells me he hasn’t had any free time to enjoy life in NYC, and he shakes his head “no” when asked about his plans to vacation this summer. (He also squelches a roundup question about Madonna.)

Since Spamalot is the topic du jour, why did this American Idol finalist have to have this role?

“Well, the reason we chose to do this show is because it was so different from any other Broadway show out there,” he tells me. “It’s silly, it’s more about acting than it is about singing, it’s about pushing me out of my comfort zone. That’s what made it exciting.”

How does he compare to his zany character Sir Robin?

“Oh gosh. Hm. Probably in more ways than I care to admit. I’m very timid in a lot of situations. I don’t think I’m quite as dumb as he is, and I’ve never soiled my own pants, but [coughs] I’m timid in some ways but the character of Robin is very cartoonish in general. All of them are.”

Moments after we chat, Clay sticks his hands in wet concrete. With mouth agape, he poses for photos with sticky residue on his hands.

“I’m blind!” he exclaims after flashes pop. “Am I going to fall?” he says, as he stumbles into the Spamalot sign.

Should he tumble, hundreds of Claymates are clamoring to catch him — including one former OK! staffer who stepped out to greet him during her lunch hour.

Clay is grateful for the love of his fans.

“They’ve been very supportive. Some of them have been many times, and still laugh at it every single time.”

Catch Clay in Monty Python’s Spamalot, which takes place at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre now through May 4.

Clay Aiken: “I Haven’t Watched Idol in Four Years”

April 10th, 2008

One-time American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken has found his niche now that he’s playing Sir Robin in the Tony-winning musical Monty Python’s Spamalot.

“It’s very much a small tight-knit community and it’s very much a family backstage at the show,” he tells OK! during the Planet Hollywood Handprint Ceremony to commemorate his accomplishments. “People get along very well, and that’s different from a lot of things that I’ve done in the past.”

Though none of the American Idol judges have been able to see his performance because they’re not allowed to travel while the show is taping, Clay certainly acknowledges that the show made him the star he is today.

“Being able to make a career out of something that used to be a hobby is a big difference,” the former special education teacher says.

Still, the season two runner-up doesn’t tune in to root for his favorites. “I haven’t watched it in four years,” he admits.

Indeed, the 29-year-old singer has been too busy focusing on his own career. “I don’t have any free time,” he says. This busy bee has sold six million copies of his first three albums, and is readying his fourth, On My Way Here, for release May 6.

In the meantime, the North Carolina native is doing his best to adjust to life in NYC.

“I’ve had to live without my dogs because it’s really not a dog city,” he tells OK!. “I had them when I was up here for awhile, and one of them couldn’t really handle it so he went back and the other one was really lonely so I sent her back to be with him. I guess that’s the only real adjustment. I’ve stayed really busy, and I’ve been to New York a number of times so I’m really used to the cab situation and getting around. There’s not really an adjustment, except for never having any quiet whatsoever.”

Catch Clay in Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Shubert Theater through May 4.

By Valerie Nome

Clay Aiken: “I Haven’t Watched Idol in Four Years”

April 10th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

One-time American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken has found his niche now that he’s playing Sir Robin in the Tony-winning musical Monty Python’s Spamalot.

“It’s very much a small tight-knit community and it’s very much a family backstage at the show,” he tells OK! during the Planet Holllywood Handprint Ceremony to commemorate his accomplishments. “People get along very well, and that’s different from a lot of things that I’ve done in the past.”

Though none of the American Idol judges have been able to see his performance because they’re not allowed to travel while the show is taping, Clay certainly acknowledges that the show made him the star he is today.

“Being able to make a career out of something that used to be a hobby is a big difference,” the former special education teacher says.

Still, the season two runner-up doesn’t tune in to root for his favorites. “I haven’t watched it in four years,” he admits.

Indeed, the 29-year-old singer has been too busy focusing on his own career. “I don’t have any free time,” he says. This busy bee has sold six million copies of his first three albums, and is readying his fourth, On My Way Here, for release May 6.

In the meantime, the North Carolina native is doing his best to adjust to life in NYC.

“I’ve had to live without my dogs because it’s really not a dog city,” he tells OK!. “I had them when I was up here for awhile, and one of them couldn’t really handle it so he went back and the other one was really lonely so I sent her back to be with him. I guess that’s the only real adjustment. I’ve stayed really busy, and I’ve been to New York a number of times so I’m really used to the cab situation and getting around. There’s not really an adjustment, except for never having any quiet whatsoever.”

Catch Clay in Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Shubert Theater through May 4.

By Valerie Nome

Is Clay Aiken’s Love Life Really Dead?

January 28th, 2008

In a new interview with New York Magazine, Clay Aiken speaks openly about his personal life. Well — sort of.

The famously private Clay not only admits he isn’t dating anyone, he also claims to not have carnal matters on his mind right now. “I just don’t have an interest in… any of that at all,” the Spamalot star explains. “I’d rather focus on one thing and do that when I can devote time to it, and right now, I just don’t have any desire.”

And when it comes to him having those very human "urges," Aiken claims he’s immune. “I don’t! I mean, not really. I’ve just kind of shut it off, maybe. Is that bad?”

But OK! has confirmed that the singer has dated at least one person in the past six months — and that there isn’t anything wrong with the Idol alum’s sex drive. The source tells OK! that Clay met a special someone who he dated a handful of times last summer when visiting Los Angeles.

The source also reveals to OK! that Clay was so taken with this particular person, he offered to fly them to his home in North Carolina, and was making plans for the two of them to then drive across the country in Aiken’s car.

So why would Clay not tell the truth about his love life? "He doesn’t like to talk about these things," explains an industry insider. "Saying he doesn’t date or have a sex drive is probably his way of trying to end the conversation."

Calling All Claymates

October 17th, 2007

My best friend Aaryn and her husband came from San Diego to NYC to visit Sunday. Aaryn is from Maryland, so an East Coast girl who’s made several trips to the city in her lifetime, and her boyfriend Bryan is from our college state of AZ, but also been to NYC before. Nonetheless, although they used an iphone rather than carry around a subway map, and used an iphone rather than tote a camera around their neck, when they got here – they were tourists.

But, this was a conscious decision on their part. Tourist is a term with a bit of a derogatory feel, but they quite enjoyed playing the part. When they asked me for suggestions of touristy things we could do together, we agreed on the compromise of a Broadway show. I love shows and Broadway is something to see for artistic-minded people like Aaryn and Bryan. Aaryn’s seen her share of shows, but Bryan was into the idea so we headed to TKTS, where you can purchase half-price tickets the day of a show (although you run the risk of what will, and will not, be offered that day) and we chose to see Spamalot, a Tony Award-winning comedic musical based on the cult film Monty Python’s Spamalot.

We all exchanged looks throughout the performance. The second act was better, but the play wasn’t really our thing. It was a lot of guys in tights singing and dancing but a lot of dumbed down humor.

Funny that the very next day after seeing the show (yesterday), it leaked that former American Idol Clay Aiken is heading to the Great White way to star in Spamalot! He’s going to play the part of Sir Robin, which even Spamalot’s Wikipedia site describes as “The Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot: A cowardly knight well versed in the world of musical theatre.”

The play’s director Mike Nichols released the statement, “Clay is amazing beyond his glorious voice. People will be surprised by his wide ranging talent since his first impression is of great country charm…This guy is not only a star, he is a whole lot more.” He certainly is.

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