Kelly Clarkson: Totally Cool If My Daughter is Gay!

The week her new album hits stores and computers around the country, Kelly Clarkson has gone on record with comments some might find controversial.


Speaking to Pride Source about her impact on the LGBT community, the original American Idol said she doesn’t even comprehend why there's any kind of debate or divide around the country.

"I think it's silly that we're still talking about gay rights," Clarkson told the publication. "I just live in this world where people are accepted, so it's very hard for me to even realize that that still exists.


"It's hard for me to wrap my brain around it."


Clarkson is mother to an adorable eight-month old named River Rose and was asked for her reaction if her child eventually came out as gay.


"Oh, I don't care," she replied. "I mean, here's what I hope for her: I just hope she finds love. It took me a while, man. And there was a lot of heartache throughout those years.


"You know, as long as she's happy, I don't care either way, and neither does my husband. And we have two other kids as well, and we don't care either way for all of them."



Kelly serves as a stepmother to her husband Brandon Blackstock's two kids, Seth and Savannah, from his previous marriage.

32 Gorgeous Kelly Clarkson Photos

Someone dared to recently call Clarkson fat, but allow us to amend that and say: Kelly Clarkson is phat!


Here is a look at the artist going through the history of duets on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:

Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Fallon Sing Duets

 The Hollywood Gossip

Kelly Clarkson, 'Duck Dynasty' Christmas Albums Set for Top 10

Kelly Clarkson

Jeremy Cowart

New Christmas albums from Kelly Clarkson and the hit TV show "Duck Dynasty" are on course for top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 chart.

Clarkson's new "Wrapped In Red," which is her first holiday effort, may sell around 60,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, Nov. 3. That could result in a top five debut for the pop star -- and her sixth top 10 effort overall.

No. 1 next week should be the also-arriving Arcade Fire with its new album, "Reflektor." Sources say it will sell perhaps 135,000. Katy Perry's current No. 1, "PRISM," will likely fall to No. 2, with maybe 90,000.

The new Billboard 200's top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Also on tap for a possible top five debut is the "Duck the Halls" album from the Robertson family, of A&E's reality series "Duck Dynasty." The Christmas set may move 55,000 to 60,000 copies. The album features the cast of the show singing familiar holiday favorites, with a few new original tunes in the mix. It also boasts guest turns from country stars like George Strait, Luke Bryan and Alison Krauss.

The rest of the top 10 next week should see bows from Toby Keith's "Drinks After Work" (35,000), Thomas Rhett's debut full-length set "It Goes Like This" (35,000) and Linkin Park's remix album "Recharged" (30,000). For Keith, "Drinks" could mark his 14th top 10 set on the tally, and would be his 12th studio album in a row to reach the top 10.

On SoundScan's Building chart (below), Arcade Fire is No. 1, followed by Perry and "Duck the Halls" at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. The Building tally is a precursor to the final Billboard 200 ranking -- reflecting the first four days (Monday through Thursday) of SoundScan's tracking week as reported by six major merchants.

As for the rest of the top 10: Linkin Park, Rhett and Keith are found at Nos. 4-6, while Clarkson's "Wrapped In Red" sits at No. 7. Drake's "Nothing Was the Same" is No. 8, Lorde's "Pure Heroine" is No. 9 and Miley Cyrus' "Bangerz" is No.10.

Nielsen SoundScan Building Chart
Rank	LW BB 200	Artist	Title
1	NEW	Arcade Fire	"Reflektor"
2	1	Katy Perry	"PRISM"
3	NEW	The Robertson Family	"Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas"
4	NEW	Linkin Park	"Recharged"
5	NEW	Thomas Rhett	"Pure Heroine"
6	NEW	Toby Keith	"Drinks After Work"
7	NEW	Kelly Clarkson	"Wrapped In Red"
8	3	Drake	"Nothing Was the Same"
9	5	Lorde	"Pure Heroine"
10	4	Miley Cyrus	"Bangerz"
The Building Chart reflects the first four days (Monday through Thursday) of SoundScan's tracking week (which ends Sunday) as reported by six major merchants: iTunes, Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, Starbucks, Target and Anderson Merchandisers. Billboard estimates that they make up about 85% of all U.S. album sales.

Kelly Clarkson gets ‘Wrapped In Red’ for debut Christmas album

There are two types of people in this world: those who love Kelly Clarkson and those who haven’t been blessed enough to see her light yet.
But thanks to the release of Clarkson’s first Christmas album, the number of unfortunate souls in the latter category is about to shrink rapidly. Hitting stores on Tuesday, Wrapped In Red is that rare record that you know is an instant classic before your first listen is even over.
“I’ve been dying to make a Christmas album,” Clarkson told Billboard for the magazine’s current cover story. “The thing about Christmas is that it almost doesn’t matter what mood you’re in or what kind of a year you’ve had—it’s a fresh start. I’m going to clear the air and take stock of the good that’s happened.”
That feel-good sentiment dominates Clarkson’s sixth studio album. Wrapped In Red also perfectly celebrates the artistic versatility that has made Clarkson one of today’s greatest pop stars. The record finds Clarkson belting out her signature pop/rock sound while also highlighting her country and musical theater talents. Then, of course, there are her unstoppable takes on American standards – something that lent itself heavily to her winning the inaugural season of American Idol eleven years ago.
A collection of brand new songs (all co-written by Clarkson), a breathtaking contemporary cover and an array of gorgeous renditions of Christmas classics, Wrapped In Red has all the makings to be an evergreen holiday season essential. And if your inner Grinch needs a little more convincing, you can tune into Clarkson’s upcoming Christmas special on NBC this December to melt your icy heart. Titled “Kelly Clarkson’s (Cautionary) Christmas Tale,” this one-night (but forever on my DVR) event will feature the singer performing selections from the new album, and will tell a full narrative story—while simultaneously continuing to demonstrate why Clarkson is the gift that keeps on giving.
Wrapped In Red reunites Clarkson with songwriter and producer Greg Kurstin, the man behind some of the singer’s finest tracks on her album, Stronger, and recent single, “People Like Us,” from Greatest Hits – Chapter One. In addition to producing the entire record, Kurstin also co-wrote its lead single, “Underneath the Tree.”
One of the album’s five original offerings, “Underneath The Tree” is that type of smash that comes around once every 10-15 years and immediately becomes a timeless holiday anthem. Not since Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has a new Christmas song been so explosive, unforgettably catchy and radio-friendly. The sugary, up-tempo track not only guarantees Wrapped In Red’s addition into the holiday album hall of fame, but will also keep the paychecks coming to Clarkson year round for decades to come. I mean, those infectious vocals mixed with sleigh bells, a soaring chorus and a saxophone solo?! You couldn’t go wrong with that formula if you tried.
But while “Underneath The Tree” may be the album’s golden ticket, the other four original songs don’t exactly pale in comparison. “4 Carats” is a cheeky “Material Girl”-esque jewelry wish list that Tiffany’s would be remiss to not use in their next holiday ad campaign. Clarkson’s lyrics are seldom this playful, and the song’s glittery chorus is sure to imprint itself into your shower setlist. “Every Christmas,” a bluesy throwback to the big band era, goes down like a full-bodied glass of red wine by the fireplace. The album’s title and opening track is an adorable ode to new love, and smoothly sets the warm and festive tone for the remainder of the record. And “Winter Dreams (Brandon’s Song),” featuring a 50-piece orchestra and written for Clarkson’s new husband (as of last weekend! Mazel tov!), serves as that fuzzy, romantic fairytale ending to the tumultuous love life that the singer’s been writing about for the past ten years.
Another standout from Wrapped In Red is “Just For Now,” a stunning rendition of a track from Imogen Heap’s immaculate 2005 album, Speak For Yourself. In typical Clarkson fashion , the songstress makes the song completely her own, and the result is the most somber and hauntingly beautiful track on the album. While the lyrics, “it’s that time of year,” are the only blatant qualifying markers for the song’s inclusion on a Christmas record, Clarkson’s equally vulnerable and powerful vocal delivery make it clear that to her, the song is about putting aside differences with loved ones in the spirit of the holidays.
Through her brassy twist on the showtune classic, “My Favorite Things,” Clarkson channels the inner jazz house sensation that she’s previously exposed on tracks like “Walking After Midnight” and “Lies” (from her flawless The Smoackstack Sessions EPs). This unique and masterful take on the Rogers & Hammerstein staple is sure to give fellow Idol Carrie Underwood a run for her money when she tackles the song in her upcoming starring role in NBC’s live Sound of Music telecast. It also serves as a nice preview of Clarkson’s rumored 2014 Broadway album.
With the exception of two tracks, Wrapped In Red is a largely secular release. The only exceptions come in the form of the chilling, almost mystical “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel,” and the country-tinged rendition of “Silent Night,” featuring mother-in-law Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood.
As far as the classics go, Clarkson takes a fairly conventional approach. There’s of course some of her signature flair sprinkled into places—like a deliciously unexpected octave leap in “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”—but for the most part, the songstress knows that people like to sing along to these songs the way they know them. That being said, I dare you to try to find a more gorgeous version of “White Christmas” or a toastier take on “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”
In fact, certain songs sound so authentic and timeless that it wouldn’t be difficult to believe that they were recorded back in the 1950’s and ‘60s alongside their original counterparts. Clarkson’s rendition of the immortal “Blue Christmas,” for example, breathes new life into the country holiday essential, while her energetic spin on Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run” effortlessly shows off just how rock-and-roll the singer can be.
Meanwhile, “Please Come Home For Christmas (Bells Will Be Ringing)” feels like you’re watching the heart-tugging climax of your favorite holiday movie. And even though Clarkson’s inevitably angelic vocals make for a nice distraction, the Ronnie Dunn-duet, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” unfortunately remains as date-rapey and uncomfortable as ever…so it, too, is just like you remember it!
While Christmas may still be two months and two other major holidays away, it’s not difficult to be instantly transported into the mistletoe mindset with Clarkson’s new seasonal masterpiece. What else will you find under your tree this year? The answer: it doesn’t matter. With the release of Wrapped In Red, Clarkson has bestowed the greatest possible gift upon all of us.

Wrapped In Red is available for pre-order from iTunes and Kelly Clarkson’s official web store .

 

Clive Davis "bullied" Kelly Clarkson?

Kelly Clarkson has posted a blog in response to Clive Davis’ memoir which was released this week. She accused Davis of spreading false information about her and her music — and calls it “bullying.”

Read the full text:

 

February 19, 2013 Hey y’all,

So I just heard Clive Davis is releasing a memoir and spreading false information about me and my music. I refuse to be bullied and I just have to clear up his memory lapses and misinformation for myself and for my fans. It feels like a violation. Growing up is awesome because you learn you don’t have to cower to anyone – even Clive Davis.

First, he says I burst into “hysterical sobbing” in his office when he demanded Since You Been Gone be on my album. Not true at all. His stories and songs are mixed up. I did want more guitars added to the original demo and Clive did not. Max, Luke and I still fought for the bigger sound and we prevailed and I couldn’t be more proud of the life of that song. I resent him dampening that song in any way.

But, yes, I did cry in his office once. I cried after I played him a song I had written about my life called “Because Of You.” I cried because he hated it and told me verbatim that I was a “sh*tty writer who should be grateful for the gifts that he bestows upon me.” He continued on about how the song didn’t rhyme and how I should just shut up and sing. This was devastating coming from a man who I, as a young girl, considered a musical hero and was so honored to work with.
But I continued to fight for the song and the label relented. And it became a worldwide hit. He didn’t include that in the book.

He also goes on to say My December wasn’t successful because I co-penned the album and it didn’t have “pop hits”. Well, first let me say, I’ve co-penned many of my “pop hits.” Secondly, My December went platinum (It sold 20,000 less than All I Ever Wanted which followed My December.) Hardly a huge failure. Never Again, the ONLY single they released in the US from that record was a Top 10 hit. I am very proud of that and I have my fans to thank. But, again, what’s most interesting about his story is what he leaves out: He doesn’t mention how he stood up in front of his company at a convention and belittled me and my music and completely sabotaged the entire project. It never had a chance to reach it’s full potential. My December was an album I needed to make for myself for many reasons and the fact that I was so completely disregarded and disrespected was so disheartening, there really aren’t words to explain….

Anyway, I love my job. I love my music. I love my fans. I love my label and all of my professional relationships… now. And I am grateful for Clive for teaching me to know the difference.

Cheers to another amazing year! And, as always, thanks for listening!

KC

via rickey.org

 

Kelly Clarkson's 'Stronger' Becomes Best Selling 'Idol' Single of All Time

via buddytv.com

Kelly Beats Carrie

Ever since Carrie Underwood won season 4 of American Idol, there was no question that she could very well rival the biggest Idol star at the time, Kelly Clarkson. Since then, both have soared to the top and stayed there, with Underwood overtaking Clarkson in total album sales (13,205,000 and 11,664,000 copies sold, respectively). But now the original Idol can claim the top spot in a different area.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kelly Clarkson's single "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is now the best selling American Idol single of all time, having now sold 3,510,000 copies, overtaking Carrie Underwood's massive hit "Before He Cheats" (at 3,509,000 sold). (The previous runner-up was Jordin Sparks' "No Air.")

This is especially impressive, considering "Stronger" has only been available for less than a year, while "Before He Cheats" was first released five years ago.

The Singing Battle Continues: 'Duets' Judges and 'X Factor' Sound Off on Rival Shows

For a long time, there was one major singing competition show: American Idol. Then last summer, NBC's The Voice joined the U.S. screen with relative success and later in the fall, Idol's Simon Cowell attempted to bring his British franchise The X Factor stateside. This year Idol and The Voice went head to head, inspiring comparisons and an inevitable rivalry for the top spot in the reality singing genre. With ABC joining the popular category with its new show Duets (premiering tonight) and Cowell rebooting X Factor with new judges Britney Spears and Demi Lovato for its second season, the competition amongst the competition shows is getting heated - and the new judges on the block aren't afraid to defend their latest crop of shows.

Duets' John Legend on The X Factor:
For one of the newest celebrities to join the singing competition game (Legend replaced Lionel Richie two weeks prior to production), John Legend seems to have a lot of confidence in his show and some not-so-nice things to say about The X Factor and its judges Spears and Lovato. The smooth crooner told E! Online, "It's interesting when people, you know, are judging singing competitions when they aren't really singers."

Though Legend seemed to be passing some negative judgment on the new judges, his fellow celebrity mentors had kinder words to share - Kelly Clarkson said she's "a big fan of both of them," and Robin Thicke said he's confident "they'll do nothing but make the show a lot more fun to watch."

The X Factor's Simon Cowell on The Voice:
Boosted from the hype surrounding his two new female judges, Simon Cowell was not shy about sharing his thoughts on competitor The Voice. After hearing the show was "all about the voice," Cowell's first thought was, "Why isn't this on radio?" Cowell told Radio 4's Today Show. "Then suddenly I'm watching it a week or two weeks ago and it's the same as The X Factor. They've got dancers behind them, graphics, lights. Same show." And according to Cowell, "If you try and rip somebody off, it always looks like a bad copy."

America's Got Talent's Howard Stern on The X Factor:
Though not a singing competition, America's Got Talent did gain a new judge this season in radio personality Howard Stern, who also felt compelled to share his opinion on Spears joining The X Factor. "As far as any real criticism, I think Simon and L.A. Reid will be doing that. I think Britney is going to stand there and eat a lollipop and wear a sexy outfit," Stern told Access Hollywood. "I don't anticipate great opinions out of her."

Stern then went on to include American Idol's Jennifer Lopez in his criticism, saying, "I think she's going to sit there like J. Lo and [say], 'Oh, you're wonderful. You're terrific. Do you think I could get a perfume endorsement out of this?'" Nevertheless, Stern said he'll still be watching The X Factor this fall - "to see what kind of train wreck [Britney] is."

Kelly Clarkson on the superiority of Duets:
Though not on the offensive like Legend, Clarkson did have some thoughts on how Duets differs from its competitors. "You could take everyone who has won Idol or The Voice and you'd find maybe three who could harmonize," the pop singer told New York Daily News on the difficulty of being on Duets. "It's an art to know when to shine and when to pull back." Clarkson also claimed her show was harder for its celebrities than other shows, saying, "It's a lot more work than people have to do on Idol or The Voice!"

Watch the Duets promo below, where the Superstars boast their contestants will be "more than just a voice." With all this talk comparing rival singing shows, do you think Duets or Cowell's rebooted X Factor will live up to their words? Only time (and ratings) will tell.

Kelly Clarkson’s ‘album gets weaker sales with Ron Paul endorsement

The sales impact of Kelly Clarkson’s controversial endorsement of Republican candidate Ron Paul has led to its own controversy. Although several sites (yep, including us) reported that Kelly’s digital sales saw a sales bump after she posted pro Paul sentiments on Twitter, Billboard claims that Kelly’s album Stronger actually declined in overall sales in the week following her comments.

According to Billboard, which gathered its information from Nielsen SoundScan data and “sources in the know at Clarkson’s label, RCA”:

“Stronger sold 40% fewer copies than it did the previous week (25,000, as opposed to 41,000 in the week before Christmas). And while it moved from No. 39 to No. 17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, its upward momentum this week was caused by it having a less-steep decline in sales as compared to the rest of the titles on the chart (the overall album market was down 49% in the week after Christmas). Its total sales stand at 451,000 after 10 weeks.”

As far as the increase of digital sales, Billboard believes that it was the promotion of Kelly’s LP on the front page of iTunes and the lowered $7.99 price on both Amazon and iTunes that caused her sales on those outlets to go up, not pop-music-loving Republicans’ support of her endorsement of Ron Paul.

The lesson from this story? There’s no point just yet for Beyonce to slap a Rick Santorum bumper sticker on her car to boost sales of 4.

via idolator.com

Kelly Clarkson Makes 'Strong' Social 50 Chart Debut

With the release of Kelly Clarkson's latest album "Stronger" on Oct. 24, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week, the singer also edges her way into Social 50 tally and debuts at No. 45.
 
In the days following "Stronger's" bow, she made appearances on sites like Idolator and CelebBuzz, where she named her favorite albums and answered various questions that pertained to her career successes.

 

Kelly Clarkson, 'Stronger': Track-By-Track Review

 

Then on Oct. 27, she asked for fans to submit questions for her MTV interview. The next day, on Oct. 28, she notified fans that if they mentioned their favorite song from the album on GetGlue -- an entertainment-based social networking site -- they would gain access to a "Stronger" sticker.

Billboard's Social 50 chart ranks the most active artists on the world's leading social networking sites -- YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and iLike -- using a formula blending weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with weekly artist page views and weekly song plays.
 
Aside from these few instances, though, no other attempts by Clarkson to  engage with Facebook fans. That's odd, considering album releases are usually when Facebook pages burst with status updates. To be fair, she stayed rather active on Twitter through the week, which seems to be her go-to social network.
 
The other interesting thing to note is that Clarkson's video for the single "Mr. Know It All" premiered on Sept. 25 and had a successful run, pulling in 7 million Vevo plays so far. Yet, that fairly substantial momentum proved to be insufficient at bringing her into the top 50. Week-to-week, Clarkson grew her audience by 52,000 fans and also saw a jump in her plays, raising her Vevo play count up to 3 million.
 
The next eye-catching debut comes from dubstep act Nero at No. 48, who break into the tally thanks to iTunes making their song "Promises" off their latest album "Welcome to Reality" the free single of the week on Oct. 25. This assisted in boasting the amount of fans they gained week-to-week up to 12,200 and nudge their weekly play gain by 1 million. Over on the Heatseekers Albums chart, "Reality" re-enters at No. 28 with a 110% sales gain, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
 
Justin Timberlake continues his ascent up the Social 50 chart, charging 36-20. His latest movie "In Time" was released on Oct. 26 and in support of this effort, he's been keeping his Facebook page heavily updated with extra movie content, photos, and interviews. Since then, the singer-turned-mostly-actor made appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman," NBC's "Today," "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and the cover of "Esquire" magazine, among others. This buzz helped Timberlake grow his audience by 162,000 fans and kept his near 3 million week-to-week.

 

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Spit 'History of Rap, Vol. 3'

 

Back in the top ten, Coldplay makes a nice 18-9 push, after the release of their latest album "Mylo Xyloto" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the group crossed the threshold of 15 million Facebook fans.
 
On Oct. 26, Coldplay performed in Madrid, as part of an American Express sponsored music series called Unstaged, which was simultaneously streamed live on YouTube and in New York City's Times Square. Week-to-week, this raised their Vevo plays from 6.2 million to 8 million.
 
As for the rest of the top ten, Justin Bieber (No. 1) and Adele (No. 2) hold down their respective positions while everyone else shifts a bit. Rihanna (4-3), Shakira (5-4), Lady Gaga (8-5), Katy Perry (9-8) and Pitbull (13-10) rise up the tally. Meanwhile, LMFAO (3-6) and Eminem (6-7) tumble.

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via billboard.com

Stronger | Album Reviews

Kelly Clarkson's fifth studio album is based on a simple formula: 1) Put Clarkson in a room with a microphone; 2) Give her a solid pop song to sing; 3) Get the hell out of the way. It's a sound strategy. From the walloping breakup anthem "Mr. Know-It-All" to the closing roof-raiser, "Breaking Your Own Heart," Stronger is as deft as any Clarkson album, with 13 catchy songs that hover between pop rock, R&B and Nashville – all of them showcases for one of music's most remarkable voices. Clarkson remains a slightly wearying one-note artist – she's a wounded lover, bellowing her pain and scorching the earth. But wow – that voice.   

Listen to "Mr. Know-It-All": 

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via rollingstone.com

Listen To Kelly Clarkson's New Song "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)"

via huffingtonpost.com

Kelly Clarkson continues to tease us with singles from her upcoming album, which drops on October 24th. First came the "Mr. Know It All," which features the "American Idol" winner reminiscing sweetly-softly about an apparent ex-lover. But for those who yearned for the angry, fist-pumping anthems in the spirit of "Since You've Been Gone", Kelly has something for you too: the shake-your-head-back-and-forth ditty "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," bound to be an instant classic for the single female set.