| Just found a neat news article that i thought id share with everyone, enjoy! 
No feet of Clay for this `Idol'
Aiken sticks to same gentle demeanor he's expressed all along
COURTNEY DEVORES
Special to the Observer
In a nation racked by war and fearful of terrorism, where teen-pop stars parade about MTV nearly naked, and where a veteran diva reserved a shocking act for the biggest television event of the year, one humble pop star has emerged as the voice of decency and morality.
If Clay Aiken was in charge of this crazy world, it truly would be a kinder, gentler place.
"He is a role model, someone who has standards, which is different from most of the pop stars out there today," said Diane Bubel, co-founder with Aiken of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which benefits disabled children.
Aiken, the UNCC graduate who shot to fame last year on Fox's "American Idol," kicks off his tour Tuesday in Charlotte, where area fans have supported him from the beginning. The show, also featuring original "Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson, begins at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Coliseum.
In the year since Aiken became runner-up on the second installment of "American Idol," the singer has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, recorded a No. 1 album and released two Top 40 hits. All the while, Aiken has maintained a squeaky-clean, aw-shucks image, professing his love of his mom, singing what he calls "clean songs" and working to raise money and awareness for children with special needs.
"I didn't expect to do this at all," he said in a phone interview earlier this week from his new home state of California. "I was going to be a teacher."
Aiken has called his tour-mate Clarkson "the girl next door that everyone could relate to." To millions of his fans, Aiken is the quintessential boy next door.
Dianne Barasa, an 18-year-old senior at Clover High School, said she relates to Aiken's transformation from a show-tune singing geek into a pop star. "I watched Clay go from a nerdy kid to heartthrob," she said. "Magazines (now feature) him on the cover, but he seems to stay the same while famous."
Well, sort of.
The rabid following that found Aiken having a tough time talking over shrieking fans recently on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" has taken a toll on the 25-year-old singer.
"I don't go to the grocery store by myself anymore," Aiken said. "I stay at home a little more than I used to."
In January, before an appearance on "Saturday Night Live," he told the Observer he sometimes gets so bored being by himself that he'll drive to his record label just to be with people who don't care about his celebrity.
"It's hard for him to go out in public, especially in Charlotte or Raleigh," said Bubel, who stays in touch with Aiken by phone and e-mail. She recently received calls from fans asking whether Aiken was in town after an area radio station reported a "Clay sighting" on I-85.
"That's what has been difficult for him," said Bubel. "He's lost his freedom, like many big stars, but (for him) it happened all of a sudden. I guess it's something he's going to get used to."
Aiken said he's adjusting to the annoyances and for the most part enjoys the new attention. "That's part of the fun," he said. "It makes it more exciting. That makes you want to do it more, to hear those screaming fans."
Music critics may poke fun at his old-fashioned style, but the former student of special education's work with the handicapped is taken very seriously.
"There hasn't been a public figure in the entertainment business as popular as Aiken, who's out there saying, `These people have just as much right as anyone else,' " said Meredith Stallings, co-founder of the Charlotte chapter of Claymates, an online message group.
Stallings is paralyzed from the waist down due to spina bifida. She and two area mothers, Rebecca Nolan and Penny Rogers, whose sons suffer from autism and ADHD respectively, get together with other area Claymates to discuss Aiken and fund-raising.
"He's given new hope to handicapped people," Stallings said. "He's willing to speak up for us."
Aiken worked with Bubel's autistic son, Mike, long before the "American Idol" hubbub. Despite the singer's loss of anonymity, Bubel said he hasn't changed.
"He seems to be the same person he was when he left a year ago." PREVIEW
Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson
Two American idols kick off their tour in Charlotte.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday.
WHERE: Charlotte Coliseum 100 Paul Buck Blvd.
TICKETS: $35-$45.. | |
