|
|
Another Idol Tuesday – Clay, Ruben, and Justin on Oprahby Donna Reynolds -- 06/11/2003
View Printable version of this article It’s been three weeks since the American Idol finale and I really thought that I was “cured.” Tuesdays have settled back into their dull-dreariness and I am even able to focus on doing Fame recaps for RealityNewsOnline. I knew, though, that Tuesday, June 10 would be a big Idol day with the release of CDs from Ruben, Clay and Justin as well as their appearances on Oprah. I had my recorder ready to get it all down for my viewing pleasure. We did have a little “teaser” on Sunday with Kimberley Locke’s appearance on “100 Greatest Songs of Country Music” on CMT. Kimberley was incredible, singing the Willie Nelson/Patsy Cline standard, “Crazy” which came in at #3 on the list of the top 100 country songs of all time. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of country music but watched the entire two hours waiting for her appearance. When they announced the song “Crazy,” I knew this was going to be hers. I could hear it before she sang it. And Kimberley did not let us down. She looked great and the song was perfect for her voice. The audience loved her, giving the hometown gal a standing ovation. I was grinning from ear to ear, enjoying her moment. And it wasn’t just her fans that thought she was awesome. I popped into the CMT website to see if there were any pictures and was pleased by their recap of her performance: “Crazy,” a front-runner for the top slot, arrived at No. 3. Any female vocalist in Nashville – famous or not – would have been happy to sing the Patsy Cline hit, but the honor fell to American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke. A technical glitch forced Locke to sing it twice, and it’s surprising that nobody tugged at a camera cord just to hear her perform the Willie Nelson composition again. Controlled and poised, Locke stole the show. But one question lingered: Ruben who?Ruben who, indeed! On Tuesday, we were reminded once again of all that magic! I have to confess, it was great having one more Idol Tuesday. The day zipped by and I rushed home in “Idol mode,” quickly taking care of a few chores before settling down to watch Oprah. It felt so “normal.” Oprah’s audience was more than ready and when she introduced Ruben, the signs came out and the crowd went crazy. He seemed completely in awe of this icon of daytime TV and told her, “I can’t believe I’m on Oprah!” She played with the audience, focusing on one young woman in the front row who had written a letter to our “Velvet Teddy Bear” telling him that she would “do anything” just to get a hug from him. Ruben blushed and Oprah brought her up onstage to realize her dream. This girl was wearing an evening gown! She got her hug and Ruben and Oprah continued their chat. The segment was great and included a little guided tour through the Idol house and some scenes of their rehearsals. We also got to see Ruben in Birmingham doing the video for “Flying Without Wings.” Police estimated that up to 10,000 people showed up to see him and he truly has brought people together. Oprah mentioned how amazing it is that all this happened in Birmingham where, only forty years ago, this type of unity would have been unimaginable. That certainly is true. Finally, Mr. 205 had a chance to sing “Flying Without Wings,” his single. Oprah sat in the front row with her hands on her heart and sang right along with him. He changed it up a little and it sounded really good. After Ruben’s number, Oprah introduced Clay, who received a similarly enthusiastic response from the audience. Clay was equally awestruck and also remarked about their being on Oprah. We got to see some footage of Clay preparing songs and rehearsing as well as a peek at his photo shoot for Rolling Stone magazine – that’s right, Clay is going to be on the cover of the June 20 edition. Clay Aiken on the proverbial “cover of the Rolling Stone.” I had to repeat that one because all of this is so hard to believe, not just for me, but even Clay is amazed by this particular turn of events. Oprah brought Clay’s friend Diane, the woman who was responsible for his auditioning in the first place, to Chicago and Clay was genuinely surprised to see her. We also got to meet three “Clayby Boomers” who translated some Clay-speak phrases for us. Clay still can’t believe this adoration and wondered if there was medication for their OCD – Obsessive Claypulsion Disorder! Clay had a chance to perform his newly released single, “This is the Night,” and Ruben sat in the front row next to Oprah, singing right along with him. Again, the audience went crazy and one woman appeared onscreen wiping away her tears. Clay-mania strikes again. After Clay’s performance, Oprah introduced Justin Guarini, who also had his CD drop on Tuesday. Justin is still blown away by his instant fame and told us that he has done more in a year than most people ever dream of. He talked about going to “Quincy’s” party – I am assuming Quincy Jones – and meeting Stevie Wonder. “I kept thinking, what am I doing here,” he told Oprah. He also graciously discredited those who would have these three in some kind of competition with one another, telling Oprah that there is room enough for all of them. Justin sang “I’m Sorry,” a cut from his self-titled CD, and, while I have heard better from him, he did manage to play to the audience, at one point kneeling in front of one young woman, holding her hand and singing to her. He’s really got it, that’s for sure. View Printable version of this article
| Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook! On Twitter, get up to the minute notifications on article postings and other reality TV news. And become a fan on Facebook, join discussions, and more! |
and 
and you can also 
