Kelly Clarkson Goes Country Again on “Don’t Rush”

Kelly Clarkson recently released her brand new pop single “Catch My Breath” from her upcoming Greatest Hits: Chapter 1 album and it’s already hit the top 30 on Hot AC and top 40 on Pop Radio. Now, she’s coming after the country charts with a brand new duet with fellow Grammy winner Vince Gill called “Don’t Rush”. The ballad is very AC country reminiscent of 90′s Shania Twain and latter-day music from The Eagles. I’ve got your first listen to the sure to be a country smash below. It will be Kelly’s fourth country single following the Grammy nominated # 2 duet with Reba McEntire “Because of You”, the Grammy nominated # 1 smash “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean and her top 20 countrified re-working of “Mr. Know It All”…. Kelly will also be performing the new single with Gill on Thursday night’s CMA Awards where she is a nominee for Female Vocalist. Watch the CMA’s Thursday at 8pm on ABC and head to Kelly’s website here for more info on the new single, her tour and the Hits album which drops on Nov. 19th.

Kelly Clarkson with Vince Gill “Don’t Rush”

ABC Makes Some Big Moves with its 2012 Fall Schedule

Despite the departure of Desperate Housewives after 8 years, Sunday nights on ABC will still be full of soapy goodness as their buzziest freshman series Revenge relocates to that 9pm timeslot next fall. It’s one of a couple of big and interesting moves to ABC’s 2012 Fall Schedule. The other big news has one of my favorite comedies on TV, Happy Endings, moving to Tuesdays at 9 followed by Don’t Trust the B in Apt. 23. That’s one hilarious hour of comedy. Unfortunately, it will be fighting against comedy blocks on NBC (Go On and The New Normal) and Fox (New Girl and The Mindy Project). I have no idea who will win this time battle, but I will have my dvrs in overdrive for sure! … The network also announced that the fall edition of Dancing with the Stars will be an all-star edition of former celebrity contenders, i.e.: one big fascinating hot mess… New comedies coming from the network include the family comedy The Neighbors which gets the plum post- Modern Family slot and Malibu Country starring Reba McEntire. Midseason brings a slew of new comedies as well with How to Live with Your Parents… starring Sarah Chalke, Brad Garrett and Elizaeth Perkins and The Family Tools with Kyle Bornheimer.
New Dramas on the schedule include the country music soap Nashville starring Emmy nominee Connie Britton and Heroes‘ Hayden Panittiere, Last Resort with Emmy winner Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman and 666 Park Avenue with Emmy winner Terry O’Quinn and Emmy nominee Vanessa Williams. All three look great…. Later in the season ABC will serve up the soap Mistresses with Alyssa Milano, the thriller Red Widow and the mystery Zero Hour plus the return of Body of Proof.
For more on all these new shows, head to Deadline Hollywood here…. With all these additions, several new shows got the axe including my beloved GCB.… Also, getting cancelled were Missing, The River, Man Up, Work It, Extreme Home Makeover, Pan Am, Charlie’s Angels and Cougar Town. However, hurrah, the latter is heading to TBS for two more seasons! … With all of that said, check out ABC’s new schedule below.

MONDAY

8 PM “Dancing with the Stars”
10 PM “Castle”

In January

8 PM “The Bachelor”
10 PM “Castle”

TUESDAY

8 PM “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
9 PM “Happy Endings”
9:30 PM “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23”
10 PM “Private Practice”

In January:

8 PM “How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)”
8:30 PM “The Family Tools”

WEDNESDAY

8 PM “The Middle”
8:30 p.m. “Suburgatory”
9 PM “Modern Family”
9:30 PM “The Neighbors”
10 PM “Nashville”

THURSDAY

8 PM “Last Resort”
9 PM “Grey’s Anatomy”
10 PM “Scandal”

FRIDAY

8 PM “Shark Tank”
9 PM “Primetime: What Would You Do?”
10 PM “20/20”

In November:

8 PM “Last Man Standing”
8:30 p.m. “Malibu Country”
9 PM “Shark Tank”
10 PM “20/20”

SATURDAY

8 PM “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY

7 PM “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8 PM ”Once Upon a Time”
9 PM “Revenge”
10 PM “666 Park Avenue”

My American Idol Season 11 Top 4 Buzz Rankings

Last week on American Idol, we saw the sad and premature exit of country firecracker Skylar Laine. It was unfortunate on so many levels, especially considering when all is said and done, she is likely the most commercially viable contender among the top ten. I’m sure she will get a record deal in no time and go on to great success. If Kellie Pickler can land in 6th place, sell around 1.5 million records and have 9 top 40 Country Hits to date, I have no date Skylar can outdo that tenfold. She was a fantastic performer with a great voice who was like the baby of Melissa Etheridge, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert and Gretchen Wilson. So, while I am really sad to see her go, I have high hopes for Ms. Laine…. Now, on to today’s business at hand. It’s time to rank the top 4 contenders as we head into the strangely themed “California Artists/Songs I Wish I Had Written” week. So, just who has the heat? Check out my all new completely unscientific buzz rankings below.

American Idol Season 11 Top 4 Buzz Rankings

1. Jessica: ok, ya’ll may think I’m crazy for ranking her this high. However, I have a feeling the superior vocalist in the competition is ready to roll over her competitors. Her vocals are astounding week in and week out and we saw more personality from her last Wednesday too. The scary almost elimination is still on people’s minds, and I’m hoping America pulls their heads out and makes her our next Idol. I mean, hello, she could be the next Rihanna with a Jennifer Hudson voice but without the douchebag abusive boyfriend. (last week~ 2)
2. Phillip: seriously, this guy needs to go home! Oops, wait, I’m not critiquing his latest performance, I’m talking about his chances of winning the race. And those chances are real, real good. He’s never been in danger of elimination despite all of his songs sounding exactly the same. And he’s also had several bad performances lately but glides by unscathed. His winning personality and looks are clearly keeping him a front-runner. (lw~ 3)
3. Joshua: now, you may be wondering why I have dropped Mantasia to third despite one very solid and one incredible performance last week. Well, here’s the reason~ he’s getting boring. We all know he will sing incredibly week in and out taking us to church. However, I still don’t see how he will appeal to anyone outside the R&B or Gospel fan base when the show is over. And his awkward interviews and interchange with Phillip last week could turn people off. Honey, we all know who you are. It’s ok to hug Phillip. No one is gonna think anything they don’t already think. Be proud of who you are and then sang! (lw~ 1)
4. Hollie: I have become a big fan of Hollie’s over the past few weeks and I’d actually love to see her take on Jessica in the finale. Unfortunately, despite two weeks in a row with her best performances and tremendous vocals, she still was in the bottom two. She has far to go in the competition, but she could do it. I’m rooting for our super cute Irish/Texan dark horse. (lw~ 5)

And there you have it. That’s who I think is buzziest this week. Do you agree? Am I letting my personal preference for Jessica cloud my rational thoughts? Should boring blah Phillip be on top? Can Hollie take them all down? Sound off below and watch American Idol tonight on Fox.

Kelly Clarkson v. Britney Spears~ “Til the World Ends”

Last night, I went to the Kelly Clarkson concert in L.A. and it was simply amazing. She was in fine form, so funny and an incredible presence on stage. Her vocals were predictably astonishing and it was possibly one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. And I have I mentioned the girl can SANG?!!!! Her cover of Carrie Underwood‘s “I Know You Wont” was stunning and she had special guests galore. Her friend and season 1 American Idol Tamyra Gray joined her for “When You Believe”. Her buddy Blake Shelton helped her out on “Don’t You Wanna Stay” and her friend Michelle Branch showed up to duet on her song “Leave the Pieces” (by Branch’s group The Wreckers). The final awesome duet was between Kelly and her own idol Reba McEntire on a flawless version of “Because of You”. I’ll post clips as I can find them. I was too busy squealing like a crazy person to film anything. … However, my friend sent me this clip of Kelly’s fan request for the night. (She’s been doing a different one at each show). Last night she took on Britney Spears dance smash “Til The World Ends” and let me tell you, Kelly kicked Spears’ ass. Check out Clarkson’s version and Britney’s original below. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Kelly Clarkson can sing anything… and usually do it better than the original artist. Watch for Kelly on her Stronger tour throughout the year.

Kelly Clarkson “Til the World Ends” (live in L.A. 4/3/12)

Britney Spears “Til the World Ends”

Counting Down Kelly Clarkson

Tonight I have the distinct pleasure of attending the Kelly Clarkson Stronger tour. I am so excited, it’s kinda ridiculous. This will be my fourth time seeing Kelly live and she’s just incredible. Her vocals are as astounding as ever going all the way back to winning the inaugural season of American Idol. Since then, she has sold over 21 million albums worldwide with all of them hitting the top 3 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Her singles have sold over 19 million downloads in the U.S. alone and she has 10 Top Ten Singles and 3 # 1 Songs on the Hot 100. She’s also been nominated for 6 Grammy Awards and won 2 of them. Let’s be honest and just admit, she’s pretty amazing. So, tonight I will have the time of my life at her concert. With that said, I thought I would count down Kelly’s albums and official singles. Take a look at my choices and let me know yours. Then, watch for Kelly’s Stronger tour to hit a town near you soon, plus catch her on The Voice as a mentor, on American Idol next week performing on the results show and on the new singing competition series Duets this summer on ABC.

Ranking Kelly Clarkson’s Albums:
5. My December (# 2, 2007) * I admire this record for Kelly getting gritty and making the music she wanted. Alas, it was less pop driven and has become her least successful record to date.
4. Thankful ( # 1, 2003) * her debut album was a smash selling over 2.7 million records. I just wish there had been better singles chosen to maximize its potential.
3. All I Ever Wanted (# 1, 2009) * this “comeback” album was pop perfection yielding several hits and a Grammy nomination for Pop Album.
2. Stronger (# 2, 2011) * her current smash should figure big in next year’s Grammy race and has so many songs with hit potential, it’s ridiculous. Get the extended version too people!
1. Breakaway (# 3 , 2004) *it’s by far her biggest album selling over 6.2 million copies. And how weird that it is her lowest charting record! It’s also her best album with 5 giant hits and it won 2 Grammys for Pop Album and Pop Female Vocal.

My Top 20 Favorite Kelly Clarkson Singles:
20. “All I Ever Wanted” (Top 20 Hot AC, # 96 Hot 100, 2010))
19. “The Trouble with Love Is” (Top 20 AC, 2003)
18. “Because of You” (duet with Reba McEntire) (# 2 Country hit, # 50 Hot 100, 2007)
17. “Low” (Top 40 pop, Hot AC, # 58 Hot 100, 2003)
16. “Up to the Mountain” (*special live recording from Idol Gives Back hit # 56 on the Hot 100, 2007)
15. “I Do Not Hook Up” (Top Ten Pop, Hot AC, # 20 Hot 100, 2009)
14. “Never Again” (Top 20 Pop, Hot AC, Top Ten Dance, # 8 Hot 100, 2007)
13. “Walk Away” (Top Ten Pop, Top Five Hot AC, Dance, Top 20 AC, # 12 Hot 100, 2006)
12. “A Moment Like This/ Before Your Love” (Top 5 Pop, AC, # 1 Hot 100, 2002)
11. “Behind These Hazel Eyes” (# 1 Hot AC, # 2 Pop, Top 15 AC, # 6 Hot 100, 2005)

10. “Miss Independent” (# 1 Pop, Top 15 Hot AC, # 9, 2003)

9. “Sober” (2007, just missed charting but was featured on several TV shows like Smallville. This is one of her best and most underrated ballads. The vocals are just aching and brilliant)

8. “Breakaway” (# 1 Hot AC, Top 5 Pop, # 1 AC for 21 weeks, # 6 Hot 100, 2004)

7. “Mr. Know It All” (# 1 Hot AC, Top 5 AC, Top Ten Pop, # 10 Hot 100, 2011… currently the country version just hit the Top 40 on the Country chart and is available on iTunes today)

6. “My Life Would Suck Without You” (Top 5 Pop, Hot AC, Top Ten AC, # 1 Hot 100, 2009)

5. “Already Gone” (# 1 Hot AC for 8 weeks, Top Five Pop, # 3 AC, # 13 Hot 100, 2009)

4. “Because of You” (# 1 Pop, AC, Hot AC, # 7 Hot 100, 2005)

3. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” (# 1 Pop, Hot AC, Dance, Top Ten AC and climbing, # 1 Hot 100, 2012)

2. “Since U Been Gone” (# 1 Pop, Hot AC, Dance, Top Ten AC, # 2 Hot 100, 2005)

1. “Don’t You Wanna Stay” w/Jason Aldean (2010, # 1 country, top 5 AC, Top 10 Hot AC, Top 30 Pop, # 31 Hot 100, over 2 million downloads sold)

And here are my favorite songs that weren’t released as singles….
“Beautiful Disaster” (2003), “Just Missed the Train”(2003) “Anytime”(2003), “Gone” (2005), “Where is Your Heart” (2005), “Don’t Waste Your Time” (2007), “Cry” (2009), “If I Can’t Have You” (2009), “I’m Ready” (2009)
And from her current album:
“Dark Side” (which is set to be the next single actually), “I Found You”, “You Love Me”, “The Sun Will Rise”, “Alone”, “Standing In Front of You”

Kelly Clarkson goes Country Again

Kelly Clarkson is currently riding high with another gold album, Stronger, and a new smash single “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” which just went gold as well and hit the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100…. However, her record company is not done with her previous smash “Mr. Know It All”. The song is currently top 5 at AC and previously went top ten at pop radio and # 1 on Hot AC. It’s also sold over 1.2 million downloads. And now, it’s going country… Yes, there’s a new country version of the song that just hit the web and will be sent to country radio programmers. We’ll see if they go for it. I, for one, kinda love it. While they just added some country instruments, the song seems to work in the genre. It could give Kelly a third hit in that field. She previously went to # 2 on the country charts with her duet with Reba McEntire on “Because of You” and her #1 megasmash “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean recently won her a CMA Award, is up for a Grammy and just nabbed 2 ACM nominations. So, clearly the country folks like this Texas gal…. But what do you think? Do you like the countrified version of “Mr. Know It All”? Take a listen below and let me know.

Kelly Clarkson “Mr. Know It All” (country version)

American Idol and the Grammy Awards

Earlier this week, three former American Idols received Grammy nominations bringing the total nominations for the franchise to whopping 38 and four of the singers have won the Award. Original Idol Kelly Clarkson won twice while season 4 champ Carrie Underwood has five trophies. Both ladies grabbed nominations this year along with season 5 singer turned Christian powerhouse Mandisa. We’ll see if any of them can take home the Grammy on Feb 12th, but I’d say Kelly has the best shot for her duet with Jason Aldean “Don’t You Wanna Stay” in the Country Duo/Group Category…. With this week’s nominations, I thought I’d take a look back at the history of the Grammys and American Idol…

American Idol Singers and the Grammys~

Kelly Clarkson, season 1 (6 nominations, 2 wins)
Best Pop Vocal Female-”Miss Independent”
Best Pop Vocal Female- “Since U Been Gone” (WIN)
Best Pop Album- Breakaway (WIN)
Best Country Vocal Collaboration- “Because of You” with Reba McEntire
Best Pop Album- All I Ever Wanted
Best Country Vocal Duo, Group, Collaboration- “Don’t You Wanna Stay” w/Jason Aldean (pending)
* Of note, Kelly’s latest album Stronger was not eligible during this year’s voting period (ending Sept 30) and it should be in the running next year.

Ruben Studdard, Season 2 winner (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best R&B Male Vocal “Superstar”

Fantasia, Season 3 winner (8 noms, 1 win)
Best R&B Album- Free Yourself
Best Female R&B Vocal- “Free Yourself”
Best Traditional R&B Vocal- “Summertime”
Best Female R&B Vocal- “When I See U”
Best Contemporary R&B Album- Fantasia
Best R&B Vocal Collaboration- “I’m His Only Woman” w/Jennifer Hudson
Best R&B Album- Back to Me
Best Female R&B Vocal- “Bittersweet” (WIN)

Jennifer Hudson, Season 3- 7th place (4 noms, 1 win)
Best Soundtrack Album- Dreamgirls
Best R&B Female Vocal- “Spotlight”
Best R&B Vocal Collaboration- “I’m His Only Woman” w/Fantasia
Best R&B Album- Jennifer Hudson (WIN)

Carrie Underwood, Season 4 winner (9 noms, 5 wins)
Best New Artist (WIN)
Best Female Country Vocal- “Jesus Take the Wheel” (WIN)
Best Female Country Vocal- “Before He Cheats” (WIN)
Best Country Vocal Collaboration- “Oh Love” w/Brad Paisley
Best Female Country Vocal- “Last Name” (WIN)
Best Country Vocal Collaboration- “I Told You So” w/Randy Travis (WIN)
Best Female Country Vocal- “Just a Dream”
Best Female Country Vocal- “Temporary Home”
Best Solo Country Vocal- “Mama’s Song” (pending)

Chris Daughtry (of Daughtry), Season 5- 4th place (4 noms, 0 wins)
Best Rock Song- “It’s Not Over” (songwriter)
Best Rock Vocal Duo/Group- “It’s Not Over”
Best Rock Album- Daughtry
Best Pop Vocal Duo/Group- “Home”

Ace Young, Season 5- 7th place (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best Rock Song- “It’s Not Over” by Daughtry (songwriter)

Mandisa, Season 5- 9th place (3 noms, 0 wins)
Best Contemporary Pop Gospel Album- True Beauty
Best Contemporary Pop Gospel Album- Freedom
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album- What if We Were Real (pending)

Jordin Sparks, Season 6 winner (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best Pop Vocal Collaboration- “No Air” w/Chris Brown

Adam Lambert, Season 8 runner-up (1 nom, 0 wins)
Best Male Pop Vocal- ”Whataya Want from Me”

Those are some pretty great stats. Looking at other singing competitions, only Nashville Star has produced a Grammy contender in Miranda Lambert who took home her first award last year. I highly doubt any of this year’s X Factor singers will wind up in Grammy’s good graces and the finalists of The Voice are already a memory. However, this year’s Idol winner Scotty McCreery could be a big contender next year as he is having a hugely successful post-Idol career with a #1 album that just went Gold and two top 30 country hits so far… And we’ll see if Idol can produce more Grammy winning superstars when season 11 begins on January 17th next year.

And before I go, please enjoy Kelly Clarkson’s wonderful Grammy performance of “Because of You” from the 2006 ceremony where she became Idol’s first Grammy winner.

Kelly Clarkson “Because of You” (live at the 2006 Grammys)

Another Amazing New Kelly Clarkson Song!

We are still waiting for the official new single from Kelly Clarkson’s highly anticipated 5th album due in the spring, but the Grammy winner gave us another hint of what’s to come with a brilliant new song she performed at the benefit A Night for Hope (which benefited the Houses of Hope orphanages in Nashville, TN). The new song is called “You Still Won’t Know What It’s Like” and I can’t get enough of it. If it becomes the first single of the new record, she’ll have another smash. Check it out below… And here’s a little FYI: Kelly just got her second top 25 Country hit as her duet with Jason Aldean “Don’t You Wanna Stay” just flew up to # 25. Watch for it to become her second top 5 (and hopefully first #1 country hit) following “Because of You” with Reba McEntire.

Kelly Clarkson “You Still Won’t Know What It’s Like”

Reba v. Beyonce “If I Were a Boy”

Grammy Award winning superstar Beyonce hit the top 5 of the pop charts two years ago with her gender bending hit “If I Were a Boy”. It was a great song with an interesting story of the woman putting herself in her man’s shoes to teach him how to treat a woman right. The sentiment and the lyrics always felt like it could’ve been a country song in my opinion, and now, it is one, as fellow Grammy Award winning superstar Reba McEntire has just covered the track for her new album All the Woman I Am. Reba’s take is fantastic and I might even like it more than the original~ it’s just that good a fit. (This is the second big pop hit Reba has taken on recently following her # 2 reboot of Kelly Clarkson’s smash “Because of You” which Kelly guested on and nabbed them a Grammy nomination). We’ll see if Reba’s “Boy” can become her 60th top ten country song further extending her lead as the female artist with the most country top tens in history. (Her current single “Turn on the Radio” hit the top ten last week). I’m pretty sure it will land in the top ten much like her new album should on next week’s charts. Take a listen to Reba’s new version of “If I Were a Boy” below and Beyonce’s original and let me know which “Boy” you’d rather take home with you.

Reba McEntire “If I Were a Boy”

Beyonce “If I Were a Boy”

It’s Kelly Clarkson Duet Day!

As you all know, I’m a little obsessed with the best American Idol winner ever, Grammy winner and multi-platinum superstar Kelly Clarkson. And it’s been entirely too long since I posted about her. Well, recently she tweeted about recording a duet for her new album that will be out at the end of the year. She was mysterious about just who she would be singing with, but I’m thinking it may be fellow Idol fave Chris Daughtry. There were rumors of a Kelly/Daughtry duet to be included on his band’s second album, Leave this Town. However, that song never surfaced. Perhaps we’re getting an even better treat on Kelly’s 5th album… Regardless of who it is, they better step up to the plate because we all know Kelly can wail big time. As soon as I hear who that guest performer is, I’ll let you know. In the meantime check out these great Kelly duets below and let me know just who you think she will be recording with. For more on Kelly, go here.

Kelly Clarkson & Reba McEntire “Because of You” (a top 40 pop and # 2 country smash that netted them a Grammy nom for Best Country Collaboration)

Kelly Clarkson & Daughtry “Fast Car”

Kelly Clarkson & Melissa Etheridge “Bring Me Some Water” (from VH1′s Divas Live)

Kelly Clarkson & En Vogue “Free Your Mind”

Kelly Clarkson & Martina McBride “Does He Love You”

Kelly Clarkson & Rascal Flatts “What Hurts the Most”

Kelly Clarkson & Fantasia “Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child”