Carrie Underwood was the third Idol alum to do National Anthem honors at the Super Bowl, as she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" just prior to kickoff in this evening's Super Bowl XLIV down in Miami. Carrie opted to go the live route, unlike the majority of Super Bowl anthem singers that rely on a perfect pre-recorded rendition. Watch the performance below:
Yes, that last note wasn't spectacular, but Carrie's fearlessness should be admired because she injected raw emotion into the performance and she sang it without too much window dressing. And the Saints won, so the night was definitely not a bust!
In 2008, Jordin Sparks sang the anthem during Super Bowl XLII, while Jennifer Hudson had the duty in last year's XLIII.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Kelly Clarkson entered the fray on Thursday when she gave her two cents on the Taylor Swift Grammy performance, which has received a lot of criticism. After Taylor's label rep Scott Borchetta dissed Idol in his defense of the 20-year-old, Kelly lashed out at him on her blog, saying in part:
I bring this up because you should take a lesson from these people and instead of lashing out at other artists (that in your ‘humble’ opinion lack true artistry), you should simply take a breath and realize that sometimes things won’t go according to plan or work out and that’s okay.
Kelly signed the note "Sincerely, One of those contestants from American Idol who only made it because of her high notes." Looks like she gets the last laugh once again.
>Carrie Underwood spoke with Cosmo for the latest issue on which she appears on the cover. Watch the segment below:
Carrie has a big Sunday coming up as she tackles the honor of singing "The-Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XLIV. The anthem will take place a little bit before 6:30 p.m. ET.
"The Jordin Sparks Experience" is an NFL-themed movement that helps youths make a positive impact on their communities. Many fellow artists were in attendance including Jason Derulo, Chris Richardson and JoJo.
>Syesha Mercado continued her press tour promoting the national tour for the musical Dreamgirls when the show hit the Boston this week. She taped an interview with FOX 25 morning news that aired yesterday. Watch the segment below:
Syesha said her friends from the seventh season of Idol are planning on attending the musical when it stops in Los Angeles from Feb. 25-April 4.
>Fantasia sat down on Oprah Winfrey's famous couch to discuss her trials and tribulations since winning Idol, including her home foreclosure episode and her many mysterious missed shows while on Broadway in The Color Purple. Watch her perform her new single "Even Angels" below:
Fantasia's reality series Fantasia For Real is currently airing on VH1. "Even Angels" is now available to purchase on iTunes.
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>It was announced yesterday that Carrie Underwood will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Super Bowl XLIV on Sun., Feb. 7. Per the wire services:
Underwood, 26, winner of four Grammys and one of the most commercially successful artists to emerge from TV talent show "American Idol", follows in the footsteps of Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Neil Diamond and others celebrities chosen to sing at the biggest event in the U.S. sporting calendar.
Carrie will be the third-straight Idol alum to do the honors, as Jennifer Hudson sang the Anthem at last year's Superbowl and Jordin Sparks did the same at Super Bowl XLII.
>Danny Gokey premiered his very first music video for his debut single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" on AmericanIdol.com on Monday. Watch the video below:
Danny's debut album My Best Days is now available to pre-order on Amazon.com for $10.99. It's currently set for a March 2 release.
>David Archuleta apparently was working overtime last Friday when he donated his time to the Haiti Telethon. Although he didn't get a coveted performance spot during the telecast, Arch was busy manning the phones. According to People.com:
"The celebrities were so low-key. Everyone drove themselves, there were no handlers, no entourages," adds the source. "Everyone was in a good mood. Most people showed up early and many celebrities, including Chevy Chase, Olivia Wilde and David Archuleta, stayed after the telethon was over so they could keep answering phone calls.
Arch seemed appreciative of the opportunity to help out with the effort, as he tweeted:
What an awesome experience! Thanks everyone who donated! So cool seeing so many people there helping! 11:21 PM Jan 22nd from txt
>Katharine McPhee appeared on E!'s daily late night talk show Chelsea Lately on Monday where she promoted her sophomore album Unbroken in addition to chatting about other projects like her upcoming guest appearance on NBC's Community and her new film You May Not Kiss the Bride. Watch the segment below:
>Ayla Brown performed her new track "No More" on The Early Show on CBS on Tuesday when she stopped by the morning program to chat about life since her father was elected to the U.S. senate in Massachusetts in the special election held to fill the seat left vacant by the late Ted Kennedy. Watch the performance below:
Ayla, whose EP Circleshit iTunes this week, reiterated her father's challenge to take on President Obama in a two-on-two basketball match at the White House. Stay tuned on whether or not this plan will ever materialize.
IDOL LIVE is the place to stay up to date with the most current news on past, present and possibly future American Idol contestants, in addition to discussing the show in real-time as it happens.
