Kelly Clarkson put one of the finishing touches on her divorce and filed to change her legal name from Kelly Blackstock to Kelly Brianne back in February, using her middle name as her new last name. (Presumably Miss Independent wasn’t an option.) Now she’s officially Kelly Brianne, People reports, just weeks after finalizing her split from former manager Brandon Blackstock (and officially reclaiming her ranch). But wait, you may be wondering, what happens to the six-time Emmy–winning talk show that regularly draws more than a million viewers bearing her name? Don’t worry — you won’t have to start calling it The Kelly Brianne Show. A publicist for The Kelly Clarkson Show told Vulture the show will keep its name.
It’s not just because the name is already on all the sets and marketing materials. Kelly herself told People last week that the name change was just a formality of her divorce and assured us she’s “still Kelly Clarkson.” I don’t think I can change Clarkson at this point,” she added. “I’m 20 years in!” Thank God, because as much as we didn’t want to admit it, Kelly Brianne doesn’t have quite the same ring.
Kelly Clarkson Wants This Star to Co-Host American Song Contest With Her and Snoop DogWhen you’re in charge of leading performers from all 50 states, five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C. through a live reality competition series, you don’t really have time to check your DMs.
Then again, American Song Contest co-hosts Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg are seasoned pros. Hosting is a second nature to them at this point, so of course they manage to keep up with their messages—thus, making them the perfect pair to appear on the latest episode of Down in the DMs.
Up first was Kelly. Asked who makes her laugh more, Snoop or her fellow judge on The Voice, Blake Shelton, she admittedly struggled to answer. “They’re completely different humans,” she said, “so I play off of them differently.””Snoop loves dancing,” Kelly continued. “He’s willing to act goofy. Usually Blake just stands there and makes fun of me like a sister.”
Ultimately, instead of choosing between the two, the “Stronger” singer revealed what would really be funny: “I keep saying this show would be just crazy if Blake were to come on with us.”The country singer would fit right in considering how many years he’s starred on The Voice, right? Although that experience may not come in handy on American Song Contest. “This show is different from any kind of singing thing, the American Idol alum said, “and I would know because I’ve been a part of a lot of them.”
So, what sets it apart? “This is literally about songwriters,” Kelly added, explaining that the 56 contestants have all honed their craft to produce a tune worthy of the best original song prize. “whether it’s a fun song that you’re gonna wanna dance to or whether it’s a beautiful song you’re gonna want to cry to. It’s just a song that moves you.”
Making American Song Contest all the more exciting is the fact that the contestant pool is made up of newcomers and famous faces. And while you might expect the seasoned musicians to have an advantage, Snoop says that’s not necessarily the case.
