[Beckwith]

Will someone tell me what this crap is doing at Free Republic.

Isn't there a teenie bopper site somewhere that this poster should be spending her time?

[ServesURight]

No one forced you to click on the thread.

[weegee]

This is in CHAT, not news. Lighten up.

It certainly shows what "journalism" standards are these days.

[paudio]

I don't see anything wrong posting Clay Aiken thread in FR, as long as it's in culture/society group. Have you ever heard him sing and read his story of life? He's a Christian kid who's never been ashamed of his faith, and he often got ridiculed because of it. His Christmas CD, for instance, is 'conservative', in a sense, he doesn't want to sing 'Silent Night' in a way that it lost the meaning of the song.

As a result, he got a zillion of fans, and they're not the teenie boppers only, but varies from very old to very young. The variety of his fans can be seen from the ratings of his Christmas Special on NBC last Wednesday. IIRC, in the 'young' demographic (15-59), it was #4 that night. But, overall, it's #2.

In many Clay chat rooms, the talks are more like FR: trying to provide a 'counter' against the mainstream music out there, which many perceived as trash... Many chatters are Christian parents who want to have a good role model for their kids...

That's because his demeanor, his faith, and his interests. Clay was about to become a special education teacher before he entered the singing contest American Idol on Fox-TV. Even now, his concern on disable kids are still there... He established the Buble-Aiken foundation to help those children...

Don't get me wrong. I'm not idolizing Clay. He's still a human. However, i don't see anything wrong supporting somebody who may bring change to current mainstream music with trashy lyrics...

Oh, and he sings well too...