Clayton Holmes Aiken (né Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor and political activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of American Idol in 2003, and his debut album, Measure of a Man, went multi-platinum. He released four more albums on the RCA label, Merry Christmas with Love (2004), A Thousand Different Ways (2006), the Christmas EP All is Well (2006), and On My Way Here (2008). Since then he has released two more albums, both with Decca Records: Tried and True (2010) and Steadfast (2012). Aiken has also had eleven tours in support of his albums. In all, he has sold over 5 million albums, and is the fourth-highest-selling American Idol alumnus.
Aiken co-wrote a bestselling memoir in 2004, Learning to Sing. In 2004, he also had a televised Christmas special, A Clay Aiken Christmas. During much of 2008 he appeared on Broadway in the musical comedy Spamalot, in the role of Sir Robin. In 2010 he hosted the PBS special Tried & True Live! He has also had numerous cameo and guest appearances on TV shows. In 2012 he competed in the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice, coming in second to Arsenio Hall.
With Diane Bubel, Aiken created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation in 2003, which was later renamed the National Inclusion Project. In 2004, he became a UNICEF ambassador, a position he held until 2013 when he gave it up to run for Congress. He traveled extensively in this role. In 2006, he was appointed for a two-year term to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
In 2014, Aiken ran for the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Initially considered a novelty candidate, Aiken won the Democratic primary, but lost to Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers in the general election. In January 2022, he announced a run for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina's 4th congressional district, but he lost in the primary to Valerie Foushee.
Read more...The November 30, 1978 was a Thursday under the star sign of ♐. It was the 333 day of the year. President of the United States was Jimmy Carter.
If you were born on this day, you are 46 years old. Your last birthday was on the Saturday, November 30, 2024, 313 days ago. Your next birthday is on Sunday, November 30, 2025, in 51 days. You have lived for 17,115 days, or about 410,779 hours, or about 24,646,751 minutes, or about 1,478,805,060 seconds.
Date: 30 November 1978
journalists at London Times put together what seems certain to be final edition before suspending publication because of labor dispute; paper's owner Lord Thompson of Fleet comments (S)
Date: 01 December 1978
By RICHARD D. LYONS Special to The New York Times
despite optimistic repts during '78 that Washington Star was at or near financial break-even point, repts are being circulated that substantial losses of previous yrs have started again, at annual rate of about $10 million; Star mgt issued ultimatum to paper's 11 unions demanding that all outstanding contracts, which have about 1 yr remaining in force, be renegotiated by Jan 1 on terms that labor leaders complain are outrageous; Star publisher George W Hoyt refuses to comment; sources at Time, which owns paper, say co wants to make clean sweep at paper, following takeover from Joe L Allbritton; Newspaper Guild repr Ray Dick and Allbritton spokesman Steve Richmond comment (M)
Date: 30 November 1978
By ANDREW H. MALCOLM Special to The New York Times
Andrew MALCOLM
Kenneth R Thomson, head of Thomson Newspapers Ltd, int on fate of London Times, facing strike threat (M)
Date: 01 December 1978
By ROBERT D. HERSHEY Jr. Special to The New York Times
Times of London suspends publication in dispute with unions; paper's mgt announces until all 65 bargaining units accept new production technology and agree to reductions in mgt, paper will not reappear; is also halting publication of Sunday Times and Times Literary, Educ and Higher Educ Supplements; Times managing dir Marmaduke J Hussey says chances of permanent shutdown are extremely remote; Natl Graphical Assn has refused to bargain because Times Newspapers issued ultimatum in April that it would shut down on Nov 30 unless its conditions were met; Kenneth R Thomson, head of owning co, Internatl Thomson Orgn, says he hopes shutdown will be for minimum time; illus of front page of last issue (M)
Date: 30 November 1978
By EDWARD RANZAL
Edward RANZAL
NYC City Council session on homosexual rights bill disrupted by presence of photographer, permitted by Council Pres Carol Bellamy over objections of Councilman Edward Sadowsky; illus; Council, 28-12, overrules Bellamy and orders photographer out; Bellamy sees violation of spirit of open govt (S)
Date: 30 November 1978
By DEIRDRE CARMODY
Deirdre CARMODY
NY Post announces it will suspend publication of its 8-wk-old Sunday edition; publisher Rupert Murdoch comments; vp and gen mgr Byron S Greenberg says since strike, Sunday paper's circulation has been 400,000 (S)
Date: 01 December 1978
By JON NORDHEIMER Special to The New York Times
Jon Special
Deborah Layton Blakey, former member of inner leadership circle of Rev Jim Jones People's Temple, asserts that US officials at Amer Embassy in Georgetown were 'extremely close' to Jones, and she says that 1 of them, Richard McCoy, had told her not to take her assertions of oppression and possible mass suicide to press; warning came in phone conversation; she says few days after call she recd lr, apparently from Jones, that referred to her conversation with McCoy and threatened her life if she took her complaints to press (S)
Date: 01 December 1978
By ADAM CLYMER Special to The New York Times
Adam Special
Ellsberg illus