Thank you for your comments! (My blog is here; http://www.myspace.com/satorumusicdiary)

(3) (Originally written on Feb.21, 2007)

All three pictures of him seem to show a different person. I searched for more information online. Then I found some notes written by US fans in their blogs. "I couldn't believe that was him! Great voice and he was such a good sport! His new look is HOTTTTT!" "Clay Aiken has emerged with a new look that has 'Claymates' all over the world rolling with glee." There is also a web poll asking "Do you like Clay Aiken's new look?"

I realized that the American Idol 5's appearance was the first day of his new look. I also found that many notes about him mentioned rumors about his sexuality.　 People argued whether he was gay or not.　Some news reported that nine former Clay Aiken fans had filed a Federal Trading Commission complaint about being duped by the singer's sexuality....Argument about his sexuality!? I am a sociologist who studies gender and sexuality. My curiosity was awakened. I did not care about his sexuality, but I was interested in people's reactions. I thought that Clay was really loved by many women to be debated about his sexual orientation. I talked to my friends about my new-found knowledge. A friend told me, "The phenomenon is definitely interesting, but YOU are more interesting researching such a thing in English."　

(4) (Originally written on Feb.21, 2007)

I wondered, "Why do American people talk so much about Clay? Who is Clay Aiken? What do people see in him? "I had a feeling that there was some kind of American social phenomenon around "American Idol Clay".

One fall day in 2006, I found a website called NEW CLAY AIKEN which was written in Japanese. It is designed by NCA. The richness and detail of information was incredible. Through the website, I learnt a lot of information about Clay. I could see his look in AI2,2003. I could follow the process of how he had become a star. My wish came true; I could listen to his "Don't let the sun go down on me" again on his demo album. With NCA's guidance, I had come to understand Clay's biography and personality.

Moreover, I also knew a lot about his enthusiastic fans. I could imagine how some people had pushed him on the way to stardom. It is very interesting that his face kept changing rapidly throughout the audition. Furthermore, it is amazing that all the recorded materials relating him (sounds, photos, videos of TV appearance, concerts and events, etc) are available from fan websites.