When it comes to music, there aren’t too many blatantly wholesome artists I enjoy. The trifecta of nice music that I like includes Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and Miley Cyrus. So when I heard that Kelly Clarkson did a cover of Miley’s “The Climb,” thereby combining two things of ultimate aural saintliness, I had to track it down.

Kelly hung out with her friends, country / Christian singers Jill Pickering and Kate Rapier, and recorded a harmonious cover of the song in what looks like someone’s poorly-lit living room. It’s a good thing those Jill and Kate girls are such good singers because the first 45 seconds of the video where they “ummm” and hair toss their way through the song’s introduction are absolutely excruciating. I also thought that Kelly and the girl on the left couldn’t quit texting long enough to sing the song, but now think maybe they were just reading the lyrics off their phones.

Enjoy.

“The whole airbrushing thing has gone crazy. I was like, ‘Who is that on the cover of the magazine?’ They were obviously not happy with what I look like. I’m not being mean about myself, but I just found it funny. I think it’s just one of those things that people have got so used to doing that they don’t even think twice about it.”

Kelly Clarkson to Britain’s Heat Magazine on the Self Magazine air brushing scandal

(My apologies for this woof-tastic photo, but I simply couldn’t resist)

FREAK OUT TIME! You guys, Self magazine digitally altered Kelly Clarkson’s photo for the cover of their September issue. They changed her body and her face so that she looks thinner and prettier. I think we should all get really upset about this and start bitching about the media’s contribution to unhealthy female body images, because this is the first time ever that anything like this has ever happened.

Self’s editor, Lucy Danziger, weighs in on the controversy on her personal blog:

Pictures are meant to tell a story, express a feeling, convey an emotion or capture a moment. Portraits like the one we take each month for the cover of SELF are not supposed to be unedited or a true-to-life snapshot (more on that in a moment). When the cover girl arrives at the shoot, she is usually unmade up and casually dressed, and could be mistaken for a member of the crew or the editorial team in many cases. Once we do her makeup and hair, and dress her in beautifully styled outfits and then light her, we then set the best portrait photographer we can on a road to finding a pose and capturing a moment that shows her at her best. … Then we edit the film and choose the best pictures. This is done in tandem with the star; the creative director, Cindy Searight; the photographer; and myself. Then we allow the postproduction process to happen, where we mark up the photograph to correct any awkward wrinkles in the blouse, flyaway hair and other things that might detract from the beauty of the shot. This is art, creativity and collaboration. It’s not, as in a news photograph, journalism. It is, however, meant to inspire women to want to be their best. That is the point.

Here’s what I think is interesting: Every single cover photo of every single women’s magazine since the beginning of digital technology has been digitally altered. Every. Single. One. That’s basically what Lucy is saying here. They Photoshop Kate Moss. They Photoshop Angelina Jolie. They Photoshop Jennifer Lopez and Tyra Banks and Gisele Bundchen. They Photoshop their bodies and their faces and their teeth and their lips and their lighting and the color of their clothing and their hair and their makeup. This happens always.

Why is the decision to digitally alter Kelly Clarkson such a big deal?

Because Kelly Clarkson is a big girl with an average face, and every woman who stops short of a size two and doesn’t naturally have Angelina lips and a button nose feels a need to defend Kelly Clarkson’s right to be a big girl with an average face. And that’s just fine, but I think it’s worth noting: We don’t throw hissy fits when they digital alter thin and beautiful women. Aren’t we, if anything, unfairly picking on Kelly’s plainness by causing an uproar over this photo?

Kelly Clarkson has been fighting with her record label in an effort to stop the release of her single “Already Gone”.  She co-wrote the lyrics against a trace provided by Ryan Tedder, a music producer.  Turns out, Tedder gave the same track to Beyonce who used the music as the backdrop to her single “Halo”.  

Clarkson says, “No one’s gonna be sittin’ at home, thinking ‘Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyoncé and Kelly the same track to write to.’  No, they’re just gonna be saying I ripped someone off…I fought and fought”.  In the end, they’re releasing it without my consent.  It sucks, but it’s one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It’s kind of a sh- – -y situation, but . . . you know, you learn.”

I’ve posted both tracks above.  Which is better?  I’m sure all the Evil Beet regulars know my vote.

Kelly Clarkson appeared on Late Show with David Letterman last night wearing dark denim flare leg jeans, a floral tunic and horizontal stripe cardigan.  Thoughts?

Do we just love Clarkson for her “I don’t care” attitude or would it be nice to see her in some garment, any garment, with structure?

Poor Lady Gaga’s chest exploded whilst performing at the 20th Annual MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Canada.

Also there was Audrina Patridge in a cheap and ill-fitting dress, my fiance Bradley Cooper and the pure Jonas Brothers.  Oh, and I’m totally willing to support Kelly Clarkson in this whole body-acceptance thing she’s got going on, but there must be compromise.  No.  More.  Scarf.  Tops.

Rumer Willis appeared with her chin and Tila Tequila was positively stumped over the one-button operation of the Flip Mino HD camera.

Finally, in an admirable effort of frugality, Kim Kardashian fashioned her dress out of one of the extra costumes used by Fergie’s backup dancers.

Kelly’s in Australia doing some promotional work, and this is the outfit she selected to do a television appearance.

What do we think? I quite LOVE it. Sexy and fun and creative and she looks fantastic. I love everything Kelly Clarkson touches.

America has spoken, people, and Kelly is #1 on the charts once again this week with her new album, All I Ever Wanted. I, for one, love the album, but I’m one of the rare people who actually loved My December, too, which flopped because it lacked strong singles. At the time, Kelly insisted on sticking with material she’d written herself, even though her label begged her not to release the album without some more radio-friendly material. I still think it was a damn good album. But I’m glad to see Kelly back on top, one way or another. I voted for you, Kelly!

Congrats to Kelly Clarkson, who’s dethroned Taylor Swift as the reigning queen of the charts. Kelly’s latest album, All I Ever Wanted, sold 255,000 copies this week and landed her the top spot. Taylor’s slipped to the #5 spot, which is totally understandable, because she’s been at the top of the charts for the past geological era.

Meanwhile, Taylor Hicks, another Idol winner, sold a totally embarrassing 9,000 copies of his second album, The Distance. Tickets for his performance tonight at The Roxy have been reduced to zero dollars — that’s right, free — and the show still hasn’t sold out. Simon Cowell must be doing a happy dance right now. I have no idea how that guy won American Idol. It’s probably why they’re fixing the results now and allowing for a judge’s save. They want cash cows, not old gray-haired cows.

“Oh, my God, I have no desire. I would not be a good mother. I mean, I love being an aunt to my niece and nephew. And I used to want to, like, adopt 10 kids — because I had friends who were adopted, and I thought that was the coolest thing, to be chosen. But again, my job is too selfish”

Kelly Clarkson in a USA Today interview speaking about how she doesn’t want kids.

I love Kelly Clarkson.  I’ve already come out of the Clarkson closet, but it cannot be overstated-I think she’s great.

It seems that motherhood is just expected of women and I really respect a woman who is brave enough to be child-free by choice.  Speaking of which, I’d like to be CFBC for, like, a day or two.  Does anyone know of a good kid kennel?

In the interview, she talks about life lived on a ranch and how she hasn’t changed, her attitude about being true to her music, and how she had to change managers to find someone who supports her vision of holding fame at an arms length.  You can read the whole thing here.  I find her so impressive and self-aware.  It makes me not even want to say anything about her dress.  That’s power, folks.

“Lesbians tell it to me all the time. I’m like, ‘I’m glad it works for you and I wish I liked women like that because often times men are very hard for me, but I happen to like boys.’ I could never be a lesbian. I would never want to date [someone like] myself, ever. I’m a crazy person. I need some kind of stable, quiet man.”

Kelly Clarkson, when asked about rumors that she’s secretly a lesbian.

Kelly’s kind of a notable celebrity in that she seems to never date anyone, and has mentioned in the past that she’s never been in love. “I recently got back from this European promo tour,” she said, “and every interview kept focusing on that … I’m like ‘Well, maybe ya’ll just fall in love too quickly. Have you ever thought about that?’”