Another Idol Tuesday – Clay, Ruben, and Justin on Oprah

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?

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.

Oprah ended the show by telling the audience that they would get copies of all three CDs and they were certainly appreciative.

Life was good in Idol-land and my appetite was nearly quenched. But there was more! I also recorded After Oprah, a half-hour show that appears on the Oxygen channel and offers a more candid discussion, taped literally after the show. I have never watched this show but couldn’t resist a few more minutes. Oprah started by asking people about their signs while Ruben and Clay talked about the changes Ruben made to “Flying.” Oprah asked them about singing out of their genre and Clay told her that they were all able to find something they enjoyed no matter what the theme. They discussed singing the same songs and how hard it was to get songs cleared to perform.

Oprah wanted to know if they got nervous waiting for Simon’s comments and Clay confessed that he always did. Ruben told us his facial expressions changed after the performance because he was trying to listen. Then they talked about the night Ruben landed up in the bottom two. Ruben told us Clay was crying and Ruben’s mother said everyone in the family was falling apart. She held it together because she had to get the “forces back.” His brother told us he was about to die while Ruben was onstage laughing. Clay also revealed that there was a “buzz” before that particular show and a lot of the production people came down to watch, which was unusual. Ruben’s attitude was that it was all a “game of numbers” and there was no way you could control the way people vote. He was happy enough when he landed up in the top 32.

One young man in the audience stood up and said that he had just graduated from high school and the best gift he could receive was being on the Oprah show and having a picture taken with Oprah and the Idols! His friends also came down and were thrilled to be included.

A member of the audience asked Clay what his first extravagant gift will be for his mother. He answered that he is planning on paying off their house. Ruben didn’t want to tell even though his mother tried to get it out of him the entire time he was home for the video shoot. Another member of the audience asked if any of them play any instruments or write their own songs. Justin answered that he plays piano and a little guitar and writes songs. Ruben jumped in, admitting that he plays the tuba. Oprah loved that, saying he’s “breaking the mold all over the place.” Ruben’s lady fan wanted to know Ruben’s favorite food and Mom answered Chicken Tettrazina and pizza with pineapples. Finally, the question of the day was directed to Justin. A young woman wanted to know if he had any advice for Clay as far as being “second fiddle.” Justin took umbrage and asked her “is this playing second fiddle?” Oprah clarified, they are both runners-up and Justin noted that Clay is very levelheaded and will do fine. Oprah again reiterated that all of the finalists have a platform for success and Justin reminded her that Frenchie Davis was only on for a minute and landed on Broadway. Clay told the audience that he really didn’t think it was possible that he would win until the last night and then he saw the card! Justin said he struggled with the final songs while Kelly nailed them on their final show.

Clay and Ruben admitted that they practiced hearing each other’s names as the winner – even going so far as having Ryan read them one more question, would they like NOT to be noticed. Clay still loves it but Ruben is already starting to go shopping early in the morning to avoid recognition. Oprah confessed that it is a “blast” being rich after having been poor since you can compare the two lives. Ruben could relate saying that he always wanted all the new tennis shoes and now he’s buying all the retro style that he could never afford.

The show ended and now, here I sit, once again, writing about American Idol on a Tuesday night. Thanks, Oprah. I suspect this will be the last “Idol Tuesday” for a while, at least until American Idol 3 starts up again early next year. It’s funny. I was talking to someone at work today about Fame. He’s been watching the show and is really into it, having already picked his favorites. I told him that I have been watching too but, so far at least, I just am not “feeling it.” I like the show but I am just not as invested. This will help me to be more objective in writing the recaps, but the fun really is in the personal involvement.

Seeing the Idols again is like running into old friends you haven’t seen in a while. I guess that’s why the show has been so successful. We really do care about these people. This caring should translate into success for all of them. But we need to put our money where our mouths are and go out and buy their stuff. Buy their CDs and pay to see the movie. Too much of their music is being downloaded and that won’t help their numbers. Listen online to the stuff that you can’t get on CD but buy the CDs. Give them back a little of what they gave us.

You can order any (or all) of the CDs at Amazon.com:

Clay’s Single: “Bridge Over Troubled Water/This Is The Night”


Ruben’s Single: “Flying Without Wings/Superstar”


Justin’s Album

Donna Reynolds is a freelance writer and technical writer from Syracuse, NY. You can e-mail her at dlrturtle@earthlink.net.

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