But Kelly Clarkson is the kind that breaks all rules. She perfectly fits the image of a bubblegum pop star while coming off as totally out-of-the-box. She can belt out a ballad in the tradition of Celine Dion but at the same time beat the dickens out of rousing anthems like “Home” and “Hear Me”. In interviews, she’s usually her bubbly self, putting on the aw-shucks face that earned her the distinction of being America’s Sweetheart, but there would be moments when she would transition to someone else, as if in a trance, and say something really insightful about music. For instance, when describing Melissa Etheridge’s voice, she said that it’s the kind of voice that “has really lived.”

Whoever said that Kelly Clarkson is a case study couldn’t have been more precise. Here is someone who stayed strong in the business despite the fickle nature of pop music. How did she manage to weave longevity and a valid career out of her Idol background?

Before she was thrust into the spotlight, Clarkson had experienced just about every woes of a working class family. Her parents divorced when she was six, her family constantly bickered about money issues, and she had to work odd jobs to make ends meet. She tried her in luck in LA in hopes of striking a record deal, only to go home empty-handed after her apartment burned down and her car towed twice all in the course of four days.

Perhaps what makes Kelly Clarkson stick in the business for so long is her street credibility. In an industry where personal tribulations are stretched a bit too far, Clarkson stands out as one of those artists who had real encounters with adversities that ordinary citizens face.

When the likes of Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears croon about their tough luck, you can’t help but be skeptical of the fact that their struggles are nothing more than self-inflicted wounds. But when you listen to Clarkson sing the line, “My life can’t possibly break when it wasn’t even whole to start with,” you know she’s singing about something true and that you’re listening to a human being who had come face to face with the devil. You know that even though her troubles are not as heavy as say, the troubles of someone dying in Africa, you know that her pain is real and that she is doing her best to outlive it.

A hater once said that her music is obnoxious and dark. Maybe that person is right. After all, Clarkson’s strength lies not only in her steely vocals but also in her ability to use this instrument to bring a song into its cathartic conclusion.

Buy Kelly Clarkson’s latest album, “All I Ever Wanted“

We like that Britney took a hiatus to get her life back together. It’s been a good year since we’ve heard her name without some drama attached to it. Good for her! She’s on the cover of Glamour Magazine this month and she actually looks very relaxed and happy.

Britney’s latest album, “Circus”, is due to drop tomorrow, December 2nd and we’re anxiously awaiting what the public has to say about it. Jim Farber says it’s a “3-ring hit”. We’ll see what the die-hard fans have to say…

Last night MTV aired a special called “Britney: For the Record” where she talks about all her breakups, breakdowns, and everything in between. Unfortunately, we missed the show, but you can read more about it over at MTV.com.

Uhhh…no…

Well, that was about a year ago and now, well, I certainly know who the Jonas Brothers are! Every time I turn on the TV, they’re on a TV show, award show, or shown on the news being mobbed by hundreds of teenage girls. I guess you could say they’re The Beatles or The Backstreet Boys of the new era.

Just like every successful music group before them, this trio has put in some serious work. Personally, I can’t imagine doing show after show after show. But then again, they’re young and have much more energy than me Their latest invasion was New York City!

Here are Kevin and Nick at a video shoot in Central Park a couple days ago…

Then the day before that they performed in front of fans at the Apple Store in Soho…

And of course, they had to make an appearance at MTV’s “TRL” show…

Sure, the Jonas Brothers may have the girls burnin’ up right now and in five years there will be someone else. Boy bands will always come and go. After all, boys always grow up and the girls grow up to be someone like me who wonders what the big appeal is in the first place