Why Kelly Clarkson grew 'bitter' after winning 'Idol,' more news

By Wonderwall.com Editors 2:14pm PDT, Sep 5, 2019

Kelly Clarkson admits she became bitter after winning 'Idol'

This week marks the seventeenth anniversary of Kelly Clarkson's "American Idol" win. As she looks ahead to the premiere of her first talk show on Monday, Sept. 9 and her return to "The Voice" as a coach this fall, the singer tells USA Today she's very much the "same person" she was back then, albeit with a "busier schedule." "That's actually very true for right now," she says. "I'm the same kid that was on 'Idol.' Obviously, I'm now a mother and a wife and there's different things in my life I've progressed with. But the core of me is still the same chick you saw on 'Idol.' I have a very normal life, other than my jobs." In some ways, she adds, the "jobs" she has today tend to reflect what she learned from the "Idol" win that catapulted her to stardom. "The first three years of my career was me just paying for winning a talent show," she says, admitting that some artists were nasty towards her and members of the music industry often dismissed her even though some of those same people are now judges and coaches on today's TV talent shows. "I got real bitter. I was just looking for anyone to talk to who knew what I was going through. And that's why I like to do that for artists on 'The Voice,'" she explains. "It's actually healed that bitterness I used to carry, being able to be that for somebody else." And while she admits she hated some of what she was contractually obligated to do after winning "Idol," like appear in a movie about it, she says she still "loved" being on the show — and even plans to host an "Idol" judges reunion with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson on "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

Kate Hudson slays in a crop top on the LACMA red carpet

Kate Hudson's abs strike again. Eleven months after she welcomed her daughter, Rani, with Danny Fujikawa, Kate hit the red carpet at an event celebrating the Chris Marclay Sound Stories exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art wearing a two-piece, silk number with extra-long, zippered sleeves that exposed her chiseled torso. While the designer of her outfit wasn't clear, it's probably no accident that her abs were on display, given her ambassadorship with Weight Watchers, which she kicked off at the end of last year. Announcing the partnership, she told Instagram followers she hoped to lose 25 pounds before filming a new movie this year. As she documented her body's changes on social media in the months that followed, she told fans shes' focused on "health and wellness," not "stressing on food," as well as trying new workouts as much as possible.

Orlando Bloom says he and Katy Perry are 'shooting for' children

Orlando Bloom sees more kids in his future once he and Katy Perry tie the knot. The "Carnival Row" star already shares an 8-year-old son, Flynn, with his ex-wife, Miranda Kerr, and as he told Howard Stern on his "Howard 100" SiriusXM show this week, he'd like to give Flynn a sibling. "We are shooting for that," he said, according to ET. That "more the merrier" attitude may be in part because of the strong relationship Orlando's been able to maintain with Miranda, whom he described as "family." As for expanding his family with Katy? "It's like this wild mustang," Orlando muses. "If we can just wrangle this beast and get on it, we'll have the ride of our life." The two are expected to marry next year, possibly at Disneyland ("that would be a very good option," he told the shock jock of the location rumors, adding, "[Katy] loves Disneyland more than anything else)". Asked about who might attend the wedding, Orlando interrupted himself with a flash of jokey brilliance: "Wait, you could marry us," he said. "I'm on the phone right after this — 'Katy, Howard Stern is marrying us!'" Might be worth it just to see Howard Stern in a Mickey Mouse hat …

Jennifer Lopez on why marrying Alex Rodriguez is 'important' to her

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have yet to pick a wedding date, but as she recently assured ES magazine (via ET), saying "I do" is still paramount in their lives — as soon as they wrap up work commitments including the movie Jennifer's shooting next month, "Marry Me," the album that will accompany the film and the playoffs and World Series A-Rod will be helping to cover. "[Marriage is] important for both of us," says Jennifer, who, like Alex, has been married before. "We both come from traditional Latin families and we want that," she continues. "Everyone wants somebody to grow old with," the singer adds. "At the end of the day, how much work can you do, how much money can you make, and what does it all matter? It doesn't, really."

Lizzo gets candid about finding self-love through self-hatred

For many of her fans, Lizzo is a walking, talking — singing, flute-playing, dancing and chart-dominating — embodiment of self-love. Everything from her lyrics to her style to her personality reflect that — thanks to the fact she once felt very differently about herself. "I take self-love very seriously. And I take it seriously because when I was younger, I wanted to change everything about myself," the 31-year-old tells Elle in one of the magazine's new Women in Music edition cover stories. "I didn't love who I was," she continues. "And the reason I didn't love who I was is because I was told I wasn't lovable by the media, by [people at] school, by not seeing myself in beauty ads, by not seeing myself in television …by lack of representation. My self-hatred got so bad that I was fantasizing about being other people. But you can't live your life trying to be somebody else. What's the point?" Ain't that the truth … Elle's other cover stars for the Women in Music issue feature Camila Cabello and Billie Eilish, who, like Lizzo, were chosen because they "not only topped the charts but they've upended genres to pave new paths to center stage," according to Elle,

Camila Cabello talks OCD struggles, falling for Shawn Mendes 'like no one is watching'

Like Lizzo, Elle cover star Camila Cabello endured her fair share of anxiety before making it big in her solo career. She also navigated her way through that anxiety by finding a way to embrace what could be perceived as a flaw. "I think I just know myself more," she says. "I'm more gentle with myself. I think I naturally have less anxiety now, because I realized that so many of the things that brought it on weren't so scary after all." One of those things, of course, was her exit from Fifth Harmony, which the group blasted on Twitter before Camila had a chance to announce the news publicly. That pushed her into a solo career she wasn't quite ready for, according to Elle. As a result her anxiety went haywire and her obsessive-compulsive tendencies kicked in, big-time. "The compulsive behavior happened to me as far back as elementary school. But the OCD, the more difficult side of it, came full swing at the end of my time with the group," she explains. "I was under insane amounts of stress, and it was too much anxiety for me to handle; it turned into OCD. I've never taken medicine. I learned a lot of self-soothing and coping mechanisms to rewire my brain along the way. I think learning how to navigate it and be gentle with it—and even love it—makes you a better person in the end." All of that public pressure also likely contributed to her "don't ask, don't tell" (except for via music) policy for her romance with Shawn Mendes. "People can say whatever they want to say. They can speculate," Camila says. "But at the same time, we are going to live our own lives, enjoy it, and fall for each other like nobody is watching. That is how I want to live. I never want to open the door for people to feel like they are involved … That's why I'm so tight-lipped about it: because I want to protect it."

Kelsey and Camille Grammer settle custody dispute

Kelsey Grammer and his ex-wife, Camille Grammer, will avoid going to court over differences regarding the custody and visitation of the children they share who are still minors (Mason is 17 and Jude is 15). The Blast reports new legal documents filed in their case indicate the pair has decided to split the cost of Jude's tuition, room and board, which totals at least $64,000. Kelsey will reportedly pay for his son's books, counseling, uniforms and school expenses. They've also agreed to meet again to discuss a plan for sharing the kids when it comes to holidays and vacations. The former couple divorced in 2011, having been married for 14 years before Kelsey reportedly left Camille for Kayte Walsh, who became his his fourth wife. He has seven children in total.

Duchess Meghan sends out thank-yous to fans for their happy birthday wishes

Duchess Meghan's mama raised her right! After fans sent personal letters to the former "Suits" star wishing her a happy 38th birthday earlier this month, Meghan replied with thank-you notes of her own, some of which are surfacing on social media this week courtesy of thrilled fans. One fan shared a photo of the card that came in the mail, which featured a shot of Meghan from her tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand with husband Prince Harry. "Today I received the reply for my letter regarding the Birthday of the #DuchessofSussex 🎈," the fan captioned the shot. People reports other thank-yous recently arrived in the mailboxes of royal fans from both Meghan and Harry, who reached out in response to those who'd sent cards, happy wishes and gifts to the couple after their son, Archie, was christened in July. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overwhelmed by all the incredibly kind cards and letters they have received on the occasion of Archie's christening, and are so touched that you took the trouble to write as you did," the notes read. "It was really most thoughtful of you and greatly appreciated by their Royal Highness who send you their very best wishes."

Harry Styles doesn't consider himself 'sexy'

In a new cover story for The Face, Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele gushes about how taken he was with Harry Styles when they first met. He also asserts that the singer would be surprised to hear about said praise. "He was as attractive as James Dean and as persuasive as Greta Garbo. He was like a Luchino Visconti character, like an Apollo: at the same time sexy as a woman, as a kid, as a man," Alessandro says, adding: "Of course, Harry is not aware of this." So what gives? The Face asked Harry directly. "The word 'sexy' sounds so strange coming out of my mouth," he admitted. "So I would say that that's probably why I would not consider myself sexy." Hmm. We suspect a billion teens out there would welcome the chance to change your mind, Harry …

Alec Baldwin says he and Hilaria Baldwin will have another baby — because 'she wants another baby'

Alec Baldwin is starting to worry about his cash coffers — and with good reason. During a recent chat with Kevin Nealon on his Youtube-based "Hiking With Kevin" series, Alec announced that his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, is not done expanding their family just yet. "We have four kids. She wants to have another one. We're having another one. We're gonna have a fifth baby," the "30 Rock" alum declared (via Page Six). Alec and Hilaria — who is not currently pregnant — share daughter Carmen Gabriela, 6, and sons Rafael Thomas, 4, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 2, and Romeo Alejandro David, 15 months. For Alec, a fifth addition to his brood with Hilaria would make for six kids overall — he and his ex, Kim Basinger, are also parents to 23-year-old Ireland Baldwin. And yes, Alec is aware that kids cost money and that at 61, he's likely to go before his 35-year-old wife. Admitting that he's worried about the adequacy of his savings, he told Kevin he needs to make more, "So I can leave it to my wife when I'm dead 'cause I'm not gonna be around much longer, let's face it … And I need to leave my wife a huge pile. A gigantic pile." After suffering a miscarriage in April, Hilaria posted extensively about the experience on Instagram in an effort to help other women dealing with miscarriages.