I wanted to remind you guys that Kelly is performing a concert Friday, July 31st as part of the Good Morning America: Concert Series. That’s this Friday! It is at Ramsey Playfield in Central Park, and starts at 8AM. It’s a morning concert yes, and it’s taking place in New York City. Unless they emailed you saying that you were an invited guest, you’re going to have to stand in the General Admissions line. The concert is free, but they may have a capacity load, so I recommend getting there early. The gates open at 6AM. Here’s the official email that was sent to any curious inquirers:

Good Morning America: Central Park Instructions

Thank you for requesting to be part of the Good Morning America studio audience! The studio audience is booked the entire month of July 2009! There is no studio audience on Friday – July 31,2009 due to the summer concert series! If you would like to attend the summer concert series simply join us on Friday morning! The show will air live from Central Park for a concert featuring Kelly Clarkson!!!!

Our hosts will be at the park as well: Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Chris Cuomo, Sam Champion
(Hosts subject to change) No reservations are necessary!

We look forward to seeing you on Friday!

Please remember when you attend the concert on Friday -

please join into the general admission line with the general audience at 6:00 a.m. at East 69th and 5th Avenue. Once you are inside the actual concert venue you will see 4 bleachers. I will meet all invited studio audience members in front of the first bleacher at 7:15 a.m.

Samantha Green / Audience Coordinator

Please print this email and bring it with you to the park. Please show it to me (Samantha Green) at 7:15 a.m. so I can identify your group.

(On Friday I will not be at the park: My replacement will be a young woman named Lily Vosoughi.)

____________________________________________

Schedule

6:00 a.m. – Arrive at Central Park / Wait on General Audience line / Enter with the general audience/ You don’t need to check in with anyone – just stand on the line.

6:00 – 7:15 -You will receive admission into the concert area. You can stand with the general audience and watch a brief rehearsal etc. ( I will be doing various production tasks until that time so please wait until 7:15a.m. to look for me.)

7:15 – Walk over to the first bleacher and I will be standing there gathering audience members for the weather, cooking etc shots. I will give further instructions at this point. Some restrictions may apply to the production area segments based on capacity issues. I will let you know that morning!

8:30 – 9:00 Artist performs!

9:00 – Concert over.

Special Notes:
Please wear comfortable shoes. There is no refreshment stand in the park so if you want coffee or water, etc please bring it with you.

The concert goes on rain or shine! Please bring an umbrella.

Please confirm your attendance in advance by sending me an email with your name, cell phone and number of people in your party to confirm your attendance on Friday! Please write Kelly Clarkson in the subject line.

See you at the park!

Samantha Green / Audience Coordinator

In an interview with Canada’s CBC News, Kelly explained about the Halo/Already Gone similarities:

If you’ve been listening to the radio lately, it’s possible you’ve heard the soaring strains of Already Gone, the newest single off All I Ever Wanted. It’s very likely that you thought you’d heard the epic song before, albeit in a slightly different form. Kelly Clarkson collaborated with Ryan Tedder on the track, a dramatic ballad driven by a pounding heartbeat, twinkly piano and swooping strings. Unbeknownst to Clarkson, Tedder used suspiciously similar elements when he produced another recent mega-hit, Beyonce’s Halo.

“Ryan and I met each other at the record label, before he was working with anyone else,” Clarkson begins, gritting her teeth. “He’s from Oklahoma, I’m from Texas; we got along really well and had some of the same influences. We wrote about six songs together, four or five of them made the album. It was all fine and dandy. I’d never heard of a song called Halo. Her album came out when my album was already being printed. No-one’s gonna be sittin’ at home, thinking ‘Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyonce and Kelly the same track to write to.’ No, they’re just gonna be saying I ripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, ‘I don’t understand. Why would you do that?’”

The palpably frustrated Clarkson claims she “fought and fought” to try and prevent her label from releasing Already Gone as her third single, out of respect for Beyonce.

“In the end, they’re releasing it without my consent,” she sighs. “It sucks, but it’s one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It’s kind of a shitty situation, but.… You know, you learn.”

- Source

I honestly hope this settles down and people let it go. You have to consider that different voices sing different lyrics, though the tunes are similar. You also have to remember that they’re sung differently as well, that their choruses are different, and the ideas are different. Beyonce’s Halo is about love and support and holding on to what you have, whereas Kelly’s Already Gone is the opposite. It is about love, but it is also about letting go when you lose someone, especially as physically as the Already Gone music video suggests (see last post). This really isn’t worth argueing about, Kelly’s explained it, Beyonce probably will as well in the future. Maybe Tedder will ‘Apologize’ but this is already out there, and like the songs for what they say, and not what others think of it.

Hope you guys have had an idea on KellyOfficial.com because the official “Already Gone” music video has been released!

The video I have to say is really amazing as it brings out the sad, dark tones of the song. I think it could’ve gone without the bright flashes on the jewelry, but the ovarall video was amazing.

97.9 KISS FM sent us a link if the NYC private concert that happened two weeks ago. Half of the songs she performed are available to watch. Click the picture to check it out!

Hey, everyone. How’s your summer going so far? I’ve spent the day reorganizing the gallery a bit. There’s new images there as well. Today was working on the “All I Ever Wanted” promotional images, as well as screencaptures from the music videos. Enjoy!

My Life Would Suck Without You (Captures)

I Do Not Hook Up (Captures)

GALLERY LINKS

Albums & Music » (2009) All I Ever Wanted

Haven’t you heard? Kelly is going to be headlining the vH1 Divas concert – LIVE in New York City.

After five long diva-less years, there’s a new crop of pop stars set to claim, not to mention redefine, the title.Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, Adele and Leona Lewisare slated to perform at this year’s VH1 Divas concert. The show, the first since 2004, will take place live on VH1 on September 17.

[...]

According to the press release, more presenters and performers are expected to be announced in the weeks leading up to the show. As in years past, the show will also benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

The VH1 Divas series premiered in 1998 with Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and Celine Dion. Subsequent shows included everyone from Donna Summer to Nelly Furtado to Mary J. Blige. The last concert took place in 2004 and featured Patti LaBelle, Jessica Simpson, Debbie Harry and Eve.

- Source

Sounds really exciting! But there’s more, thanks to an email tip:

VH1 is looking for passionate DIVAS fans with unique and interesting stories to tell about how they have been inspired by Divas in their own lives.  They will select 3-5 people (and/or groups) to feature in their upcoming national, on-air, commercial campaign.

If you are:

1. a) A Diva fan, female or male, any ethnicity OR a unique     group of Divas fans (choirs, singing groups, dance teams, sports teams, etc),

2. b) Currently living in NYC or the Tri-State area,

3. c) Passionate about and inspired by Divas in a way that has made a positive impact on your life and with a unique story to tell about it AND

4. d) AVAILABLE FOR A FULL DAY ON AT LEAST ONE OF THE SHOOT DATES:  AUGUST 6, 7, 8 or 9

THEN SEND US YOUR SUBMISSION!!!!!

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 

12PM, MONDAY, JULY 27TH FOR CONSIDERATION.

Please e-mail 2-3 photos of yourself (non-professional only) along with the answers to all below to vh1divascasting@me.com.

1. FULL LEGAL NAME 
   

2. DATE OF BIRTH
   

3. WHERE YOU CURRENTLY LIVE (CITY & STATE)
   

4. CONTACT INFO: PHONE, CELL & E-MAIL
   

5. ANSWER SOME OR ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS IN 100 WORDS OR LESS:

                         a)  What does “Diva” mean to you?

                         b)  How are you obsessed with Divas? 

                         c)  How has a particular Diva’s music or song helped you during a rough time in your life or inspired you to do something incredible?

                         d)How are you a Diva in your own life?

Make sure to email vh1divascasting@me.com soon! The deadline is next Monday! For more information check out their website.

Remember how in an earlier post I mentioned Kelly having a small concert at an NYC venue? I was able to go there as a guest of someone who won tickets, and I have to say that, that was probably the best concert experience I’ll ever get in my life. The venue was small, and from wherever you were (though I was at the front) you could hear clearly and it was definitely loud. Many people were singing along – and it’s not just screaming here and there, people were actually singing along to the concert.

Here’s what a press article from one of the sponsors, iheartradio, wrote about the concert:

The crowd included fans who had seen her live before, and when they begged her to sing Janet Jackson’s “If,” she obliged – offering the disclaimer that she had only done that song twice and this was unplanned and unrehearsed. But “who doesn’t love Janet Jackson!?” It may have been unrehearsed and rough around the edges, but that only made it feel more raw.

She played all the favorites – “Breakaway,” “Because of You,” and no Kelly Clarkson show would be complete without the infectious and quintessential “Since U Been Gone.”

Her last ballad of the night was the next single, “Already Gone,” a heartbreaking song she penned with OneRepublic’s Ryan Teder, before she closed the show with “My Life Would Suck Without You.”

Simon Cowell should be proud of the superstar that was born out of reality television 7 years ago. And where Kelly Clarkson is concerned, no Idol will ever come close to comparing to the original.

- Source

I do have pictures and videos – my own personal footage, but I’ll upload those later. At the moment, I’ve got the official press stuff (there’s a lot actually, and I’m working to get them).

There’s also videos from the concert available on Youtube thanks to crazyxforever. She’s still uploading videos – so I recommend just checking on them to see what else comes up.

RELATED LINKS

Concerts » July 14. 2009 – Private NYC

Already Gone
Cry
I Do Not Hook Up
Breakaway
Walking After Midnight

[edit:] I realize I still have to upload the Letterman Show footage as well, but there’s tons of media updates today in addition to both performances!