The Us Weekly Article..

[Diva4230]

I haven't been able to find Kelly's cover story article online, so I searched high and low for the mag and found it..

So here is the article in case you care to read..

Skip diets! Forget glam! This American Idol would rather be just plain... Kelly!!

When American Idol Kelly Clarkson celebrated her 21st birthday on April 24 in her small hometown of Burleson, Texas (population: about 26,000), glamour took a back seat to culinary decadence. On the menu? More grams of fat than the entire female cast of Friends probably eats in a month. There was red velvet cake, barbecue hamburgers and hot-dogs, seven-layer Mexican dip and, of course, plenty of frozen margaritas to go around. "She just buried her face in that cake," says friend and party-goer Halie Brake, 25. Adds hometown friend Terah Moxley, 20, "Kelly eats whatever she wants. She has no willpower when it comes to food. She figures she'll just work out later."

Clearly, such free-spirited eating isn't typical celebrity behavior. But Clarkson, mind you isn't your typical celebrity. Eight months after being named the first American Idol, Clarkson has entered the world of superstardom without losing hold of a refreshing down-home-reality. Case in point: On April 15, Clarkson launched her red-hot No.1 debut album, Thankful, not on MTV'S TRL, nor at a Tower Records store (as Madonna did), but at her hometown Wal-Mart. There after a two-song live performance for more than 3,000 fans in the parking lot, she stayed until 2am siging autographs.

"Fans are the reason why every artist is here," she tells Us, "People forget that sometimes. But it's the one thing I'll never forget." Plus, she adds, "I'm a Wal-Mart girl because you can get everything there - CD's and food!"

That everywoman charm no doubt explains part of her enormous appeal. And it's not just her attitude. A curvaceous beauty, she makes no apologies for not being a size 0. "Simon [Cowell] will say stuff like, 'You're not what an American Idol looks like.' Well I'm not. I'm normal. Anybody can put makeup on. Anybody can do cool stuff with their hair. Anybody can put a cool outfit on. It's not like you have to be perfect in every way, whether it be how you look or [how much you] weigh."

Although fans have recently been comparing her appearence to Jennifer Anistion's - her sleek long hair (extensions!) make her look like the Friends star - she says laughing "I look like [Aniston] when she first was on Friends when she was a little bit thicker. She is really tiny now, and I don't look like that, Sorry!"

Part deux is coming in a moment.. My hands are gonna brake.. Be back in a few..

[Diva4230]

Sorry.. Took an ice cream brake.. LOL

Not that she's 100 percent satisfied wither her physical form. "My butt is so big," she laments when complimented on it's curvy J. Lo-caliber fullness. "Why, why, why? Seriously, " she continues, "I feel like I'm not proportioned. If only this, " she syas pointing to her chest, "would match this. But you have to work with what you've got." Indeed. Clarkson adheres to no fast slimming Hollywood fad diet and does not have a personal trainer. She runs every morning on the treadmill for an hour and a half, but she doesn't spend the rest of the day counting calories. "I enjoy working out," says Clarkson, who, at one point worked at a gym. "But, I don't do the whole diet thing. Who wants to die on a diet? I eat like I've always eaten. If I want a frozen ding song, I'm damn sure going to have one."

Adjusting to fame..
For Clarkson, such no-frills fame is hardly an act. Despite the $1 million recording contract she signed after winning Idol, Clarkson, the daughter of a teacher, has hardly induldged. The singer, who briefly lived in a homeless shelter pre- Idol, still rents modest apartments in both Burelson (the same one she had before becoming famous) and Los Angeles. "I'm not and L.A. girl, " she says. "Have you ever seen Gone With The Wind? How Scarlett O'Hara is with Tara, like she has to go home to get rejuvenated - that's me with Texas."

And her only real splurges have been a Corvette for her best friend Jessica Huggins, 23, who signed her up for the Idol auditions in the first place, a plasma 52-inch TV and a four poster bed. She even drives the same orange Ford Explorer she has had for the past couple of years, the one that shuttled her between the three or four jobs she used to juggle (she worked as a cocktail waitress and promoted Red Bull Energy Drink, among other things). "Kelly loves that little Explorer," says Moxley. "I don't know if she'll ever buy another car."

And what did she give herself for her twenty-first birthday? Jewelry? Designer chlothes? A trip to Rome? "She bought herself this really fun laptop," says Moxley. "She said she needed one that was easier to carry around. I think that she sees just being able to come home from her hectic schedule as enough of a birthday present."


The Price of Fame...
Still, like any rising star getting used to the spot light, Clarkson has felt a downside to success. "You're always working, and for someone like me who's close to friends and family and you want to stay in contact, it's kinda hard. There are days when I don't talk to anyone." Although she says being a wife and mother is her top priority, even pver music, she has had little time for romance. Since winning, Idol, her life has been whirlwind of touring and recording (she just filmed the video for her CD's first single Miss.Independent") leaving little time for visits backhome. She also recently wrapped her first movie, From Justin to Kelly, due out in June, with Idol runner up Justin Guarini, 24, who flew to Burleson for her birthday bash.

Despite some Idol sources stating that Clarkson and Guarini had been romantically invloved, she now descirbes herself as "utterly and completly single.'' But she knows what she wants. "I love a guy with humor," she says. "Chandler on Friends, perfect guy. He's humorous, and he's got those cute insecurities. I love stuff like that."

At least when she's on the road, she's got her growing legions of fans, who seem to truly idenitfy with Clarkson - and her music. "I love when people come up to me and say, 'Your song touched me so much,'" she says. "You can't pay for stuff like that. That's priceless.."

[AJYesIWill]

Thanks for posting. I love Kelly. :)

[beutifulstrangr]

lol.. thanks 4 posting... lol @ the friends comment

[NeeCee]

thanks for posting!

[Howie_Ds_Lady]

YEAH! GO KELLY, for NOT being the typical "beauty queen", and for being yourself! :D

[mc005i]

whoa! thanks for typing all that! :D

Here are the scans if anyone wants to see the pictures. They are from krze.com:
http://www.krze.com/galleries-scans-mag-usweekly-may-12-03.shtml

[Benji Iz Hot]

Thanks for posting

[Sweet_4_AJ]

thanks

[DreamingRose]

Thanks! I LOVE Kelly. :D

[angel1982]

when did that come out i havent seen it yet