Nearly four years ago, Kelly Clarkson declared herself "Miss Independent" in a hit from "Thankful," the 2003 debut released after she became American Idol's inaugural winner. In that time, it seems as though the singer and budding songwriter has absorbed the defiant sentiment of that song.
After feuding publicly with RCA President Clive Davis, firing her management and canceling a much-publicized summer tour, Clarkson is distancing herself musically from her shiny pop persona and moving into harder rock territory with her third album, "My December."
On the album, she is Kelly Clarkson the artiste: moody, inward and dark. She was recently dumped by her boyfriend, a situation that inspired the mostly bitter lyrics bristling throughout the new album. The surging, electric guitar-heavy arrangements echo her angst.
But does this direction work for her?
It could if the songs were better crafted, if the lyrics weren't rife with broken-heart cliches and the music wasn't so predictable. But because Clarkson is a charismatic singer with golden pipes, the album is bearable. Her young female fans will probably respond to all the emoting, especially in songs such as "One Minute" and the first single, the kiss-off "Never Again." The album's sole standout, which is to say the only fully realized song, is the last cut, "Irvine."
Sparsely arranged with nothing more than acoustic guitars and digitized strings over which Clarkson delivers breathy, believable vocals, the ballad is a haunting meditation on loneliness. It is perhaps the album's only memorable moment.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Shrinking Angelina Jolie's body battle
She may have shot to fame as the fearless and tough Lara Croft, but Angelina Jolie is now a fragile shadow of her former self.
The actress looked frail as she returned from dropping daughter Zahara and son Pax off to school in Prague, with her white trousers and t-shirt sitting loosely around her tiny frame.
Jolie has acknowledged her worrying weightloss, saying it is a result of stress.
She has said: "I've always been lean and this year I lost my mom and I've gone through a lot."
"I have four kids and I finished breastfeeding – it's been hard to get my nutrition back on track. Instead of people saying I look like a person dealing with something emotionally, they assume it's because I want to fit into skinny jeans."
"Someone saying to me that I'm thin is not a compliment."
Her partner Brad Pitt has joined the Hollywood actress in the Czech Republic, where she is shooting her latest film, Wanted.
Jolie and Pitt - who are already parents to 5-year-old Maddox, Zahara, 2, Shiloh, 1 and the newly adopted Pax, 3 - plan to continue expanding their family.
Of the number of children the couple want, Jolie has said: "It fluctuates between seven and 13 or 14." "We kind of feel like, 'Damn it, we're up for the challenge!'"
The actress looked frail as she returned from dropping daughter Zahara and son Pax off to school in Prague, with her white trousers and t-shirt sitting loosely around her tiny frame.
Jolie has acknowledged her worrying weightloss, saying it is a result of stress.
She has said: "I've always been lean and this year I lost my mom and I've gone through a lot."
"I have four kids and I finished breastfeeding – it's been hard to get my nutrition back on track. Instead of people saying I look like a person dealing with something emotionally, they assume it's because I want to fit into skinny jeans."
"Someone saying to me that I'm thin is not a compliment."
Her partner Brad Pitt has joined the Hollywood actress in the Czech Republic, where she is shooting her latest film, Wanted.
Jolie and Pitt - who are already parents to 5-year-old Maddox, Zahara, 2, Shiloh, 1 and the newly adopted Pax, 3 - plan to continue expanding their family.
Of the number of children the couple want, Jolie has said: "It fluctuates between seven and 13 or 14." "We kind of feel like, 'Damn it, we're up for the challenge!'"
Angelina Jolie to bed Pierce Brosnan!?
Hollywood stunner Angelina Jolie is all set to bed actor Pierce Brosnan in her next big feature film.
The Tomb Raider actress has been roped in to star opposite Brosnan in the sequel to the 1999 film 'The Thomas Crown Affair'.
And the buzzword is that the sequel, titled 'The Topkapi Affair' will be full of steamy bedroom scenes between the ex-007 and Jolie.
"Pierce is keen to turn The Thomas Crown films into a long-running series of movies. He reckons it can work just as well as Bond or The Bourne Identity sequels," The Sun quoted a source, as saying.
"The Thomas Crown character has the potential to have the same appeal as Bond, especially with a stunning leading lady like Angelina," the source added.
The filming is expected to start next year, with the bulk of shooting done in Egypt and Russia.
The Tomb Raider actress has been roped in to star opposite Brosnan in the sequel to the 1999 film 'The Thomas Crown Affair'.
And the buzzword is that the sequel, titled 'The Topkapi Affair' will be full of steamy bedroom scenes between the ex-007 and Jolie.
"Pierce is keen to turn The Thomas Crown films into a long-running series of movies. He reckons it can work just as well as Bond or The Bourne Identity sequels," The Sun quoted a source, as saying.
"The Thomas Crown character has the potential to have the same appeal as Bond, especially with a stunning leading lady like Angelina," the source added.
The filming is expected to start next year, with the bulk of shooting done in Egypt and Russia.
Paris Hilton released from L.A. jail
It's back to the not-so-solitary-life for Paris Hilton, who walked out of jail early Tuesday into a gathering of cameras and reporters, flashing a beaming smile and waving to the frenzied crowd.
The 26-year-old celebutante wrapped up her three-week stay at the all-women's jail in Lynwood at about 12:15 a.m. She had checked into the Century Regional Detention Facility late June 3, largely avoiding the spotlight, after a surprise appearance at the MTV Movie Awards.
Hilton smiled and waved as she filed past sheriff's deputies and the media, her blond hair pulled back in a braided ponytail. Her parents, Kathy and Rick Hilton, waited in a black sport utility vehicle. Hilton hurried to the vehicle, where she hugged her mother through the SUV's window.
The hotel heiress, who was wearing a sage jacket with white trim over a white shirt and skinny jeans, didn't respond to reporters' questions.
"She fulfilled her debt. She was obviously in good spirits. She thanked people as she left," said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Chased by photographers in the air and on the street, Hilton eventually made her way from the jail to her grandparents' home in Los Angeles' ritzy Holmby Hills area north of Sunset Boulevard.
"What I think is funny is every single news person here apologized to me," said 50-year-old retired attorney Martha Karsh, out for a stroll with her college-age daughter, Katie.
"It's not real news. What's the story here?" asked Karsh, adding that she wasn't aware that any Hiltons lived in the neighborhood until TV satellite trucks and other news vehicles crammed the street.
There was little sign of activity at the house, which was shielded by large, wrought-iron gates, a block wall and tall shrubs. A few people in cars drove in and out, including one young man who arrived in a red Mustang convertible, quickly punched in a code to the gate and roared up the driveway.
Just before her release, Hilton's lawyer, Richard Hutton, reportedly slipped a note to Harvey Levin, managing editor of celebrity news Web site TMZ.com, that included a penciled-sketch of Hilton in front of cell doors in the Lynwood jail.
Hilton thanked Levin for his "fair and unbiased reporting of the events in my case," according to the note posted on the Web site. It was signed "Paris Hilton" — each letter "i" dotted with a heart.
While Hilton was in custody, Levin repeatedly belittled the judge for the length of her sentence, saying anyone else would have served less time.
Hilton will complete her probation in March 2009 as long as she keeps her driver's license current and doesn't break any laws. She can reduce that time by 12 months if she does community service that could include a public-service announcement, the city attorney's office has said.
During her stay at Lynwood, Hilton was mostly confined to a solitary cell in the special needs unit away from the other 2,200 inmates.
After spending only three days there, she was released to home confinement by Sheriff Lee Baca for an unspecified medical condition that he later said was psychological.
The following day, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer, who had sentenced Hilton, called her back into court and ordered her returned to jail, saying he hadn't condoned her release.
Hilton left in tears, calling for her mother and shouting, "It's not right!"
She was then taken to the downtown Twin Towers jail, which houses men and the county jail's medical treatment center, where she underwent medical and psychiatric exams to determine where she should be confined. Eventually she was returned to Lynwood.
Her early release caused a firestorm of criticism over whether she was getting special treatment because of her wealth and fame. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was to meet with Baca on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
Hilton's path to jail began Sept. 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her car on what she said was a late-night run to a hamburger stand.
She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.
In the months that followed, Hilton was stopped twice by officers who discovered her driving with a suspended license. The second stop landed her in Sauer's courtroom, where he sentenced her to 45 days in jail. She was released after three weeks for reasons including good behavior.
The 26-year-old celebutante wrapped up her three-week stay at the all-women's jail in Lynwood at about 12:15 a.m. She had checked into the Century Regional Detention Facility late June 3, largely avoiding the spotlight, after a surprise appearance at the MTV Movie Awards.
Hilton smiled and waved as she filed past sheriff's deputies and the media, her blond hair pulled back in a braided ponytail. Her parents, Kathy and Rick Hilton, waited in a black sport utility vehicle. Hilton hurried to the vehicle, where she hugged her mother through the SUV's window.
The hotel heiress, who was wearing a sage jacket with white trim over a white shirt and skinny jeans, didn't respond to reporters' questions.
"She fulfilled her debt. She was obviously in good spirits. She thanked people as she left," said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Chased by photographers in the air and on the street, Hilton eventually made her way from the jail to her grandparents' home in Los Angeles' ritzy Holmby Hills area north of Sunset Boulevard.
"What I think is funny is every single news person here apologized to me," said 50-year-old retired attorney Martha Karsh, out for a stroll with her college-age daughter, Katie.
"It's not real news. What's the story here?" asked Karsh, adding that she wasn't aware that any Hiltons lived in the neighborhood until TV satellite trucks and other news vehicles crammed the street.
There was little sign of activity at the house, which was shielded by large, wrought-iron gates, a block wall and tall shrubs. A few people in cars drove in and out, including one young man who arrived in a red Mustang convertible, quickly punched in a code to the gate and roared up the driveway.
Just before her release, Hilton's lawyer, Richard Hutton, reportedly slipped a note to Harvey Levin, managing editor of celebrity news Web site TMZ.com, that included a penciled-sketch of Hilton in front of cell doors in the Lynwood jail.
Hilton thanked Levin for his "fair and unbiased reporting of the events in my case," according to the note posted on the Web site. It was signed "Paris Hilton" — each letter "i" dotted with a heart.
While Hilton was in custody, Levin repeatedly belittled the judge for the length of her sentence, saying anyone else would have served less time.
Hilton will complete her probation in March 2009 as long as she keeps her driver's license current and doesn't break any laws. She can reduce that time by 12 months if she does community service that could include a public-service announcement, the city attorney's office has said.
During her stay at Lynwood, Hilton was mostly confined to a solitary cell in the special needs unit away from the other 2,200 inmates.
After spending only three days there, she was released to home confinement by Sheriff Lee Baca for an unspecified medical condition that he later said was psychological.
The following day, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer, who had sentenced Hilton, called her back into court and ordered her returned to jail, saying he hadn't condoned her release.
Hilton left in tears, calling for her mother and shouting, "It's not right!"
She was then taken to the downtown Twin Towers jail, which houses men and the county jail's medical treatment center, where she underwent medical and psychiatric exams to determine where she should be confined. Eventually she was returned to Lynwood.
Her early release caused a firestorm of criticism over whether she was getting special treatment because of her wealth and fame. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was to meet with Baca on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
Hilton's path to jail began Sept. 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her car on what she said was a late-night run to a hamburger stand.
She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.
In the months that followed, Hilton was stopped twice by officers who discovered her driving with a suspended license. The second stop landed her in Sauer's courtroom, where he sentenced her to 45 days in jail. She was released after three weeks for reasons including good behavior.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Angelina Jolie "lucky" to have Pitt
Angelina Jolie has revealed that she counts herself "lucky" to have Brad Pitt in her life.
The Mr. and Mrs. Smith actress praised Pitt for his constant support and excellent fatherhood skills. The couple live together in Los Angeles with five-year-old Maddox, Pax, three, Zahara, two and one-year-old Shiloh.
"I am a very lucky woman. I have a beautiful family and Brad is a supportive friend and a great father. And he is very romantic. We talk very deeply about how we feel," Jolie told The Mirror.
"We're very similar. We support each other and back each other as parents. There is no divide. We never want the kids to see us divided. We make sure they know that Mommy and Daddy are together on everything."
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