Jaymes Foster, Parker Aiken, Clay Aiken

I'm not sure whether or not Clay Aiken fatigue has completely set in or not, but I thought I'd take a chance and post the latest tidbits People Magazine is enticing folks with about Clay. The headline of an interview on People.com with Jaymes Foster, the mother of Clay's son Parker, reads "Clay's a 'Natural' Dad" and my first thought was that it somehow referred to how Parker was conceived, i.e., Jaymes and Foster conceived Parker the "natural" away. But as Jaymes explains in the interview, Parker was actually conceived in a petri dish.

As for the "natural" part, Jaymes simply means Clay is a natural at being a dad. Said Jaymes:

He's an incredible caregiver. As far as changing the diapers and seeing what's wrong with [Parker] and getting him to go sleep, Clay's a natural and he's really, really good with that. On a larger scale, he's the perfect person. He's been a school teacher, we have the same morals, family is very important to him and Parker means everything to us.

She also says she supports his decision to come out.

As for Lance Bass, himself no stranger to coming out this way, he says:

I'm happy for him. It's good to see someone actually being true to who they are. I think it's something that's nice to share with the world, because it really does relieve a lot of pressure off of you.

There are also some unofficial quotes floating around out there as well. I haven't seen the new issue myself yet, but according to the blog Idol Thoughts Aiken discusses his dating status saying, "I've got one man in my life right now and he's crying and he needs formula! And if Jaymes continues to date, she will, but she's not going to date anyone who doesn't understand this is the dynamic."

After the jump, Clay on Good Morning America, discussing his faith and I emphathize with some of those Claymates.

This week's edition of People magazine won't hit the newstands until Friday, but excerpts from Clay Aiken's coming out interview are already surfacing. Here's a few highlights....

On the timing of his coming out.

"It was the first decision I made as a father. I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

On the nature vs. nurture debate.

Says Aiken [of his son]: "I have no idea if he'll be gay or straight. It's not something I'll have anything to do with, or that he'll have anything to do with. It's already probably up inside the code there ... No matter what the situation you're in, if you're raised in a loving environment, that's the most important thing." 

On possible fan reaction.

"Whether it be having a child out of wedlock, or whether it be simply being a homosexual, it's going to be a lot," He adds that he hopes his fans "know that I've never intended to lie to anybody at all. ... But if they leave, I don't want them to leave hating me."

So that brings us to the question: How are Aiken's most ardent fans (often referred to as Claymates) taking the big news? I took an extended tour through various online Aiken fan forums late last night and what I saw surprised me.

Yes, there seems to be a lot of shock among the ClayNation populace. (Remember, this is the same crowd who rabidly proclaimed the singer's heterosexuality and denounced anyone who publicly questioned it.) But mixed in with that initial shock were an overwhelming number of messages of support for the singer. The following was typical....

Note the apparently unironic "big broad shoulders" comment above! These ladies obviously still love Clay Aiken, which as a gay man I am heartened by. The denizens of Clay Nation appear more determined than ever to rally around their golden boy. 

Of course, mixed in with the many expressions of support for the singer there seems initially to be a running strain of self-pity. It showed up in comments like: "I defended him to my friends and family, now I look like a fool!" or "How am I going to hold my head up at work tomorrow?"

Presumably, these ladies will get through a day of good-natured ribbing and I told you so's and then can finally hold their heads up high as Clay Aiken fans now that they don't have to defend his heterosexuality any more. Hey, If you happen to run into a grieving Clay-Mate today — go easy on them.

More Clay-Motional fan comment threads after the break: 

American Idol's Clay Aiken is the latest celebrity to come out on the cover of People Magazine (hitting newsstands tomorrow). More details to follow.

(Something must be in the water: Lindsay Lohan also came out this week.)

French pop sensation Yelle

Every Friday our friend Colin over at NewNowNext tips us off to what's hot in popular music, but due to a flu and some jury duty, we weren't able to share them with you until today. (It's okay, it's not like music goes bad like milk or anything.)

Featured video: Yelle – “A Cause Des Garcons”

No U.S. album and our bloggers are still all over French electro-pop-ster Yelle, and MTV played her “A Cause Des Garcons” track on The Hills premiere. Yelle’s just so adorable and unapologetically spastic – and her video is nothing but ‘80s workout-inspired fun! She’s also not afraid to talk about sex: Her lyrics often touch on matters of “size” and girl-on-girl action. Check it out after the break.

Kimberley Locke, "Fall"

She was right behind Clay Aiken in the show’s second season, and American Idol invited Kimberley Locke to perform her new “Fall” single on Wednesday night. She’s slimmed down, but she still has that voice!

Clay's back for more

Speaking of Clay Aiken, check out the cover art for his upcoming, sophomore album, On My Way Here … and we’ve learned Claymates can’t take a joke…

The Raveonettes perform "Aly, Walk With Me" on Letterman

Watch the dark and dreamy duo The Raveonettes perform Lust, Lust, Lust track “Aly, Walk With Me” on David Letterman.

Yael Naim

That MacBook Air song...

Remember that song from the MacBook Air commercials? Well, that was French-Israeli singer Yael Naim … Check out the music video for her “New Soul” track.

Paramore - "That's What You Get" video

Tennessee power-pop band Paramore isn’t breaking up, got it? And they have a new video for “That’s What You Get.”

• We've heard of "post-gay". How about "post-gay-porn"?
  

• Yes, Clay Aiken is heading to Broadway to costar in Spamalot as Sir Robin. What does this have to do with us? No idea.

• We think it's safe to say that this is not the "Puppy Episode" that Ellen will ultimately be remembered for...

• Anderson Cooper takes his campaign to convince the world that he is utterly adorable to Sesame Street.
  

• Ausiello's gay scoop runneth over, including this one about Jenna from 30 Rock:"A casting call has been issued for Sacha and Patrice — both male, despite the names — who will make up The Girlie Show star's own velvet mafia." Also, a regular character death on Betty and TWO on Housewives? Let's hope they're all straight casualties, because we can't afford to lose any!