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The mystery of how 'American Idol' found the legendary Kelly Clarkson on its first try

One of the best singers of all time was just a needle in a haystack.

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Kelly Clarkson has come a long way since her American Idol days.

Kelly Clarkson can literally sing anything. That's simply undisputed fact at this point, as the Pop Princess continues to wow the world on pretty much a weekly basis with her powerful vocals. The woman takes hard songs, makes them harder to sing, and then knocks them out of the park every time. She's more than earned her rank among the world's greatest singers, which is remarkable considering how she initially rose to fame.

Some of us are old enough to remember seeing Kelly Clarkson for the first time 24 years ago, when she was just a 20-year-old aspiring singer and cocktail waitress auditioning for a new TV show in a dress she made herself. American Idol promised to find America's best singer from among the masses, but surely the likelihood of that really happening was slim, right? It's funny now to look back and recall how that first season of American Idol went down. Obviously, people know Kelly Clarkson won, but what people might not know or remember is that she didn't really stand out among the competition at the very beginning.

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She was a very good singer, don't get me wrong. But she wasn't as polished as she is now and there were other good singers (shout out to Tamyra Gray) and performers with a certain "X factor" (hello, Justin Guarini) in that first season that made the show genuinely competitive. As executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told Billboard, Kelly Clarkson didn't really stand out until the top 10 started competing.

“Justin Guarini and Tamyra Gray—we all said right from the beginning—those two. Tamyra was going to win,” said Lythgoe. “Kelly didn’t come through. The only thing that stood out was her humor. It was only when we got into the top 10 that all of a sudden, [when Kelly sang] people would stand there open-mouthed.”

What did stand out was Clarkson's personality. She was funny, likeable, and down-to-earth with a charming Texas twang in her speech. But her voice began to shine more and more as she sang songs that showcased her powerhouse soprano range. We watched her get better and better every week until the top three when it became clear she was going to win the whole thing. Even when she was suffering from laryngitis and could barely talk, she knocked Celine Dion's "I Surrender" out of the park to make it to the top three.

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It's wild to look back now and realize we were literally watching a star be born. But of course, the show was brand new. No one knew whether winning American Idol would really make someone a star with staying power. As we've seen in the decades since, it's not a guarantee. Not even close.

Yet here we are, still marveling at Kelly Clarkson's voice that somehow still keeps getting better and better. With a discography of some 550 songs in addition to countless live performances and her popular "Kellyoke" covers that put every karaoke enthusiast to shame, she's proven she can sing anything. She's sung some of the most iconic and challenging songs like they were nothing.

Watch her hit—and sometimes exceed—other artists' famous high notes for nine minutes straight (or at least skip to minute 8:35 to see how she out-high-notes Celine Dion in "All By Myself"):

- YouTube www.youtube.com

One thing hasn't changed, despite nearly two and a half decades of fame and some very public personal struggles—Clarkson is still the funny, loveable girl with the slight southern accent who makes people feel right at home in her presence. There's a reason she has her own successful talk show. Somehow, through all these years of stardom, she's remained humble and kind, as evidenced by her fangirly reaction to Celine Dion's praise after she sang (and nailed, of course) Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

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How did American Idol find this gem among all the potential singers in the country on its very first try? It's a mystery. But how lucky were they that she signed up for the audition (despite having no idea what she was auditioning for—she told Jimmy Fallon that she didn't even know it was a TV show until the third audition) and gave them a genuine superstar for their first winner. At this point, it's hard to say whether Clarkson should be thanking American Idol for providing her big break or whether they should be thanking her for making the show continuously relevant even when other winners' careers have fizzled.

She really does just keep getting better vocally, and we should all count ourselves lucky that we're here to witness it.

@kellyclarksonshow

Never Let Go 💙 #kellyoke #kellyclarkson #celinedion #titanic #cover

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'Judge me if you want': Kristen Bell on why she allows kids to drink non-alcoholic beer

What do you think?

via Hisakazu Watanabe/Flickr and Myles Kalus Anak Jihem/Wikimedia Commons

A frothy glass of non-alcoholic beer and Kristen Bell

Every family has its own rules regarding children and alcohol. Some believe that allowing their kids to drink before the age of 21 can lead to severe problems and have stringent zero-tolerance policies. Others allow their kids to have the occasional wine at dinner because they believe being too restrictive could make drinking more desirable, so it’s best to take a casual approach.

What do the experts say?

Psychology Today says that a review of 13 studies concludes that young people are less likely to develop alcohol problems if their parents have stricter rules about its use. “On current evidence, parents should be advised not to allow children to use alcohol,” the meta-analysis concludes.

On Monday, July 24, Kristen Bell put her spin on the age-old debate on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” by admitting that her older daughter occasionally drinks non-alcoholic beer. Bell and her husband, Dax Shepard, are the parents of two daughters, Lincoln, 10, and Delta, 8.

The conversation arose after Clarkson noted that her daughter accidentally drank champagne as a baby.

“My kids have ordered non-alcoholic beers at restaurants before, which sounds insane if you don’t know,” Bell admitted.

Lincoln developed a fondness for non-alcoholic brews at a young age because her father would drink one when the family went on walks.

“He’s a recovering addict, but he likes non-alcoholic beer, so he’d pop one open, he’d have [our oldest daughter] on his chest, and we’d walk and look at the sunset,” she recalled. “As a baby, she was pawing at it, and sometimes she’d suck on the rim of it. So I think it feels to her like something special, something daddy, something family.”

Lincoln’s taste for non-alcoholic beer has made for a few uncomfortable moments for her mom and dad.

“We’ve been at restaurants where she’s said, ‘Do you have any non-alcoholic beer?’ and I’m like...maybe we just keep that for home time,” Bell continued. “But then I’m also sort of like, you can judge me if you want. I’m not doing anything wrong. Like that’s your problem.”

Czech researchers found parents should avoid giving their children non-alcoholic beer because they’ll become accustomed to the bitter, hoppy taste, which could lead to abuse later in life.

Bell and Shepard’s casual approach to non-alcoholic beverages feels like an extension of their overall parenting philosophy. "I hate the word 'taboo.' I think it should be stricken from the dictionary," Bell told Real Simple earlier this year. "There should be no topic that's off the table for people to talk about."

Shepard has been open with his daughters about the dangers of alcoholism.

"One of the cuter moments was, I wanna say, my oldest daughter was 3—back when my daughters really wanted to be with me 24 hours a day—and she said, 'Where are you going?' I said, 'I'm going to AA,'" Shepard recalled. "She said, 'Why do you have to go?' I go, 'Because I'm an alcoholic and if I don't go there, then I'll drink, and I'll be a terrible dad.'"

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Kelly Clarkson surprised unsuspecting lunch-goers with a gorgeous a capella flashmob

Can you imagine sitting at lunch and suddenly having Kelly Clarkson singing in front of you?

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Kelly Clarkson brought her powerhouse voice to an outdoor dining area in Los Angeles.

Kelly Clarkson surprised unsuspecting lunch-goers with an impromptu performance of a song from her new album with the help of some friends.

The singer and talk show host started walking toward an outdoor dining area in Los Angeles, and soon other voices began joining her in harmony. Her beautiful, powerhouse vocals quickly drew the attention of the diners, who were surely stunned to see that it was actually Kelly Clarkson singing in front of them.

The song, "Favorite Kind of High," wasn't one most people would have recognized immediately, as it's from Clarkson's new album, "Chemistry," which was released in June 2023. That didn't matter, though, because Kelly Clarkson could sing the phone book and make it sound Grammy-worthy. And the group of singers who sang with her sounded amazing, too. What a treat.

The pop star shared a video of the pop-up performance in a Facebook reel:

Music adds so much joy to our lives, and getting an impromptu serenade like this one would surely make almost anyone's day.

"This is EVERYTHING…Keep filling spaces with your beautiful voice/s, smiles, joy and positivity! I hope you continue to give these joyful moments & spiritual uplifting EVERYWHERE…EVERYONE NEEDS THIS," wrote one commenter.

"Awesome!! How cool would that be to have Kelly Clarkson singing to you while at lunch & had no idea it was gonna happen!!" wrote another. "So cool!!"

A commenter who shared that she's "83 1/2 years old" told Clarkson to "Keep on singing and filling the world with beauty"—sage advice we can all appreciate.

Many people also asked Clarkson where she got her dress, which is a long-sleeved, ankle-length green wrap dress with pink flower details.

Can we formally request that every artist promote their new songs and albums this way? Random, unannounced public performances are a win for everyone.

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Kelly Clarkson and Carol Burnett sing her famous send-off song 'So Long' and fans are seriously choked up

Viewers were so glad they had this time together.

"The Kelly Clarkson Show"/Youtube

Kelly Clarkson and Carol Burnett singing "I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together."

Carol Burnett is a living legend. Kelly Clarkson is a national treasure. Put those two together to sing, and we basically get the duet of our dreams.

On the April 26 episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the pair performed “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together,” a classic sign-off song from the long-running, wildly popular and critically acclaimed “Carol Burnett Show.”

Clarkson traded her normal powerhouse vocals for a softer, gentler sound (acing it, of course, as always). And Burnett paid homage to the signature move she used to make at the end of each episode—a playful tug of the ear.

All in all, it was a beautiful nostalgia-fest that hit just the right place in people’s hearts and left them wanting more.

"Wow.. this was so amazing to watch. Best duet ever," one person commented.

"Imagine if they did this at the end of the episode instead of Kelly's usual sign-off, but I still love this!" another added.

One fan wrote, “I hope they make a CD album together.” Wouldn’t that be something.

Watch:

This song is just one item on a very, very long list of all the ways Burnett has put a smile on people’s faces. The woman’s not only funny (with a bajillion comedy awards to prove it) but also has endearing charm and an open-heartedness that inspires generosity in others. It’s this powerful combination that’s made her work truly timeless—no easy feat for any comedian.

In honor of her 90th birthday, NBC is releasing a special commemorating her life and career, aptly named “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love.” It airs April 26 at 8 p.m. ET.

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