Since 1964 Benihana has defined "Eatertainment." There are 80 restaurants world-wide. (Strangely there are more Benihanas in Venezuela than in Canada! And only one in Japan. Romania also has one.)
Clay Aiken is a longtime devotee of Benihana's. We spoke a lot about the Claymate phenomenon, which extends to Japan, where fans naturally are called Claysians. (Fans in Kuala Lumpur are Maclaysians, which sounds a little fast food-y.)
Much of our chat, which included a discussion of Pan-Claysian cuisine, didn't make it into the video below. Still I hope you enjoy...
Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
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Clay Aiken at Benihana
Posted May 9th 2008 2:30PM by Mo Rocca
Filed under: Mo's Videos, Mo Rocca, Clay Aiken
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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.
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Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 12)
61. I just had to watch this again for the third time.
Clay: I guess you could eat dirt if you tried hard enough.
Mo: There are dirt eaters in GA. Babies eat dirt.
Clay: (laughs) I don't think there are dirt eaters in GA.
Mo: It's not really a cult: it's a lifestyle.
BWAH!! You two are adorable together!
MissThang at 6:09PM on May 14th 2008
62. Mo,
That by far was the best interview yet.....ingenious!!!! You ROCK
P.S. I also NEVER heard anything about all of Clay's fans being menopausal...I agree relax and enjoy a VERY amazing interview.
Marie at 5:55PM on May 9th 2008
63. Fantastic interview Mo!
You captured the charm and wit of Clay like few ever have.
Great job Mo!
Kendra at 5:49PM on May 9th 2008
64. 2 humor filled men for a change. Love Clay's voice, love Clay's laugh, love HIM. A good interview for a change. More, more, more MO!
On My Way Here, I didn't think I was gonna laugh out loud.
Lynn at 5:56PM on May 9th 2008
65. I ate at that New York Benihana last november, and if memory serves me right, I sat exactly where Mo was sitting. Although there was a far larger group of people sitting at the table, specifically a group of Europeans who's language I could not decipher. Nonetheless, good, most affordable food. The chefs are quite comical there.
I had the salmon, it was quite delicious and they cooked it in a air-tight steam cooker plastic bubble. We all adored it.
Oh and, nice Clay Aiken interview. I'm more of a Kelly Clarkson fan though when it comes to American Idol winners.
Blayze at 5:58PM on May 9th 2008
66. very sweet interview Mo!
*******you've made a lot of people happy*******
(have they learned to use tools?.......lol)
ah, Clem at 5:56PM on May 9th 2008
67. Aw man, you rock, Mo!!!!! Great interview...love seeing you two guys enjoying a conversation.
Pat at 5:59PM on May 9th 2008
68. Great interview. Very relaxed and funny! I wish there was more!
Maggie at 5:58PM on May 9th 2008
69. I'm really confused as to why some of you were offended. I never heard anything about middle-aged women. Oh, and by the way Kate, you don't spell angry, "hangry";and you and psbintl need to get over yourself.
genna at 6:01PM on May 9th 2008
70. OMG..that was the funniest interview ever. Dorky, adorable Clay at his gorgeous best! Mo, you and Clay should have your own show - that was classic, off the cuff comedy and perfect in sync timing!
Claaaaay, this is how your fans love to see you..relaxed, funny and totally witty!
Love ya x
Kim at 6:02PM on May 9th 2008
71. Great, fun interview! Clay's laugh is so wonderful. The two of you play well together! LOL! And this new CD is awesome!
aclaymom at 6:08PM on May 9th 2008
72. Love this interview...so funny!
And yeah, I don't consider myself a Claymate AT ALL but I am a Clay Aiken fan, very nomadic and I wouldn't be surprised if my cycle matches my Clay friends :)
I am very much loving the new album. Very eclectic. I'm finding it impossible to choose a favorite song. If I had to though I'd pick Lover All Alone since Clay wrote the lyrics. I hope he tries his hand at more songwriting in the future.
Congrats on the great album Clay. And Mo...interview him again sometime!
PQ at 6:06PM on May 9th 2008
73. Thank you so much MO. You are one of very few interviewers that treated Clay like the adult he is and had some fun to boot. You rock!!!! And enjoy you on CBS Sunday Morning and others.
Connie Weaver at 6:10PM on May 9th 2008
74. justMe? - I agree. I kind of zoomed in on his chewing. lol
Mo, you are a genius. What a great, relaxed venue for an interview. I love the Japanese music that introduces the clip. Nice touch.
Can clay even get more adorable?
Daisy at 6:08PM on May 9th 2008
75. Loved it! Great, witty interview and fresh approach...
Bonnie Ruttan at 6:13PM on May 9th 2008