The First The American Idol Kelly Clarkson

There is a lot more to the story that meets the eye, at least, where Kelly Clarkson, the American Idol, is concerned. Her rise to the top of the charts was not an easy one and any struggling singer-wannabe can probably identify with the grit and determination this young pop singer has shown. Kelly Clarkson was born Kelly Brianne Clarkson April 24th 1982 in the small town, Burleson in Texas.</p><p>Despite her very obvious talent on stage, her first ambition as a child was to become a marine biologist but watching the show &quot;Jaws&quot; scared her off her career. With her dreams dashed, she was clearly open to suggestions and when a teacher in her school, Pauline Hughes, heard Kelly Clarkson's rich voice, she was encouraged to join the school choir. And from there, Kelly Clarkson is smitten with singing. Kelly Clarkson soon upgraded her singing portfolio when she was included in the Texas All-State Choir.</p><p>Even with a voice like hers, she still failed to sell herself to record labels and having no luck at home, the far-sighted Kelly Clarkson saved up enough money from odd jobs as a pharmacy assistant, telemarketer, waitress and assistants in a movie theatre and the zoo, she managed to send herself to California.</p><p>In the land of Movie Stars, she landed herself as an extra in the popular TV series &quot;Sabrina&quot; and found herself working with the famous songwriter, Gerry Goffin. Apart from these minor roles, a record deal was not forthcoming. With Mr. Goffin falling ill, her roommate moving out and her apartment burning down, Kelly Clarkson packed her stuff and headed on back home.</p><p>Although Kelly Clarkson found a STABLE job as a promoter for Red Bull to help pay the bills, she has not given up on her dream. And when a friend told her that there was going to be a singing contest where the public gets to vote on the winner, she gave it a shot. Kelly Clarkson didn't have high expectations for this contest; with the memory of her failure to get a record deal still fresh in her mind. PLUS she was going to be pitching against 10,000 other talented Americans.</p><p>But what a surprise it was for Kelly Clarkson when her rendition of Aretha Franklin's &quot;Respect&quot; floored the judges. And it was only at that point in time that she realized that she really DID want to win! Feeling revitalized and motivated again, her rendition of Franklin's &quot;You make me feel like a natural woman&quot; won even the praise of the most notorious American Idol judge, Simon Cowell.</p><p>Her first single, &quot;A Moment Like This&quot;, was released October 2002 and it jumped straight from No. 52 to No. 1 on the Billboard starts, creating history! The jump was noticeably bigger than the jump that the Beatles' &quot;Can't Buy Me Love&quot;. &quot;Can't Buy Me Love&quot; only jumped from No.27 to No.1. Kelly Clarkson is now known around the world as the first ever American Idol who has her own brand of down-to-earth charm and a sense of humor to match. People can relate to Kelly Clarkson because we have watched her rise from a 'nobody' to the 'somebody' that she is today.</p><p>We know it's hard to tell when it comes to the staying power of pop stars but with Kelly Clarkson, we believe that she may be here to stay?.</p><p>Dean Erickson. Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of <a target="_new" href="http://www.all-kelly-clarkson.info">http://www.all-kelly-clarkson.info</a> which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Liberate your iPod

When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the Sony Walkman all of his colleagues at the thought he was completely insane. The general consensus was that people wouldn't want to walk around the streets wearing headphones. Everyone thought the idea was ludicrous and that it would never catch on.</p><p>That was in the late 1970s. By the early 1980s Morita's vision had proved inspirational. The Sony Walkman became the iPod of the day and it was hard to walk down a street, travel on a train or sit in a waiting room without seeing someone with a pair of headphones on. And this wasn't just restricted to trendy young things. Middle aged people and elderly people also got the Walkman bug.</p><p>Quarter of a century later and headphones haven't changed that much. The current craze, started by iPod, is for white in-ear ones, but if you look closely enough you'll still see lots of other colors and varieties adorning people's ears.</p><p>But what happens if you want to hear your music without the aid of headphones? What if you want to share your music with the world at large, or maybe just your friends and family?</p><p>Well, thanks to a burgeoning band of accessory manufacturers you can now get speakers (and other gadgets) to cover almost every possible situation. Whether you want to use your iPod as the audio focal point of your party or just want to enjoy some Puccini on the beach - there is sure to be something to suit your specific needs and requirements.</p><p>At the very top of the tree, in terms of price, is the SoundDock from Bose. Since the 1980s Bose have really made a name for themselves for making high quality small footprint speakers, and their offering for the iPod is an extension of this philosophy. At a touch less than $300 this might not be an affordable option for everyone, but if you have the money to spare and top class sound quality is important to you then the SoundDock is certainly an option worth considering.</p><p>If portability is important to you then iSoundz have several options worth a closer look. The iSoundz Wallet offers a practical solution that incorporates a rechargeable speaker and a place to store your iPod whilst on the move. All of this is in a neat leather wallet. The unit comes with all the necessary cables and will cost you less than $50. The sound quality is distinctly mediocre and so this might not be the right solution for serious music lovers.</p><p>Altec Lansing offer several options under the inMotion label. These provide superb quality sound at a price that is not the cheapest, but won't cause too much damage to your credit card. Like the Bose SoundDock, the Altec Lansing InMotion system will also recharge your iPod whilst you listen to music.</p><p>Speakers are not the only alternative to headphones. You could also consider buying an FM transmitter. These will allow you to transmit the audio from your iPod directly to any nearby FM radio.</p><p>Probably the most popular of the current batch of FM transmitters for the iPod is the iTrip from Griffen Technology. This is a very small unit that plugs directly into the headphone socket on your iPod. Select the frequency you wish to transmit at via the iPod display and then just tune in a radio to listen. It takes its power directly from the iPod itself so be warned. If your batteries are not charged or your unit is not connected to a charger you will run out of power quicker than usual.</p><p>The iTrip is not the only option. You'll find quality FM transmitters from Belkin, Kensington and many other accessory manufacturers. Prices range from around $20 up to about $100.</p><p>I hope the above information will help to release you from the confines of your headphones. Listening to music needn't be a solitary occupation. Using any of the tools above you can liberate your ears and share the contents of your iPod with friends, family, colleagues and anyone else within earshot.</p><p>Ivan Gregor is the founder and webmaster of the popular and highly informative the-ipod.com web site, which specializes in all things iPod related. If you are thinking of purchasing an iPod or want to get the most from your existing iPod visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.the-ipod.com">http://www.the-ipod.com</a> today.

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