Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Heartbeat Song (2015)
 

1) Kelly Clarkson is singing an upbeat song about falling in love. Think of your favorite love song. Is it about finding love or losing it? I suppose it's advising a friend about how to keep love. My favorite lyric, "Pride can hurt you, too." Advice to take to heart.



2) This song was co-written by Kara DioGuardi, who was a judge on American Idol. Kelly was, of course, the first American Idol. Do you watch Idol, The Voice, or America's Got Talent? Only Idol. I didn't for a long time, but Harry and Keith are hot. I suppose I watch it more for the beefcake than for the music.

3) In this video, Kelly is blonde. Clairol based a famous ad campaign around the assertion that "blondes have more fun." Tell us another commercial catchphrase (it can be for any product at all). McDonald's "I'm lovin' it."

4) As a young girl, Kelly wanted to be a marine biologist. She jokes that she changed her mind after seeing Jaws. Tell us about a movie that really scared you. The Exorcist.

5) Kelly is very involved with NASCAR, performing at pre-race concerts and appearing at their Champions' Breakfast. Are you a race fan? Nope

6) Kelly is married to Brandon Blackstock, stepson of country superstar Reba McEntire. Are you a country music fan? Nope

7) The Blackstocks have a baby girl, River Rose. In May, the family visited an Australian wildlife preserve and introduced her to koalas and kangaroos. Have you visited the zoo this year? Not yet this summer. But I'm a big fan of Brookfield Zoo. They do such a wonderful job informing generations of us about our role in the environment and all that's at risk in the desert and the rainforest. They do it in a way that's fun, too, which is so important. Plus, of course, you gotta love the animals. If you're ever in Chicagoland, go, go, GO!

8) Upon learning that she was getting criticized on Twitter for being "big," Kelly responded, "Say what you will. It's a free world. It doesn't bother me." How about you? Do you worry what other people think of you? Of course I do. Everyone does. Although with time, I'm able to put it in perspective. I try to learn from constructive criticism and set aside snark.

9) She bid over $200,000 and won a ring that had once belonged to Jane Austen. (She doesn't have the ring, though; the British government banned its sale because it's a historic artifact and Kelly's money was returned.) She also has a first edition of one of Austen's novels. Who is your all-time favorite writer? As a big reader, this is a very hard question to answer. But I can narrow it down to two: Doris Kearns Goodwin, who makes history romantic and accessible, and Nora Ephron, who is the older sister I wish God had given me. Let's close with a wise and wonderful quote from her book, Heartburn.

“And then the dreams break into a million tiny pieces. The dream dies. Which leaves you with a choice: you can settle for reality, or you can go off, like a fool, and dream another dream.”