Valentine to Kelly Clarkson

I've always been taken by "girl next door" types. Kelli Clarkson, from Burleson, TX, is the ultimate girl next door type - including the circumstance that, as a guy, you do not want the girl next door to be prim. You want her to be cute, down to earth, and a bit of a playa. Kelly Clarkson is cute, is unaffected by her celebrity, and is a fun playa-grrrl.

This shows what happens when a playa-grrrl next door gets famous, moves to L.A., has a bit too much to drink, and goes with her friends to a Metal Skool concert. Metal Skool pulls her onstage. She tries to tell them she's had too much to drink, yet that only encourages the band.

The good part starts at the 4 minute mark, when the band starts into GNR's "Sweet Child of Mine". No hair has ever fallen across eyes more alluringly than Kelly's. It's also cute that, like the rest of us, Kelly basically only knows the chorus to the song. Watch as the lead singer tries to help her, by subtly cuing the words for her. Enjoy. Kelly is.

Postscript: When she starts singing, Kelly is as natural and unaffected as she could be. She puts more of her true self out there - nakedly exposed for the audience - than most performers would dare to, even if they could.

It's impossible to watch this without thinking of Kelly and her girlfriends, ten years ago, jumping around in each other's Burleson bedrooms, singing to CD's and pretending they were rock stars. Onstage with Metal Skool, even Kelly's rock and roll "I've had too much to drink" licentiousness looks like what teenage girls would do - to scandalize and amuse their girlfriends, during bedroom concert performances.

During this, watch for the lead singer's double take reactions to Kelly during the performance. He keeps looking offstage to share looks with someone. Notice how "the lead singer for Yellow Card" gets so into it he sort of forgets the band is more interested in hearing Kelly sing. I really enjoy this video.