Saturday, December 28, 2024
37.0°F

Engagement, Grammy nods boost Clarkson

by Mesfin Fekadu
| February 2, 2013 8:00 PM

NEW YORK - Kelly Clarkson says she's extremely happy she's nominated for three Grammy Awards, but there's something else the pop singer is more thrilled about: her recent engagement.

"I couldn't even find someone to go on a date with that I enjoyed their company. Like, it was just rough," she said in a recent interview.

"You don't see it coming. And it sounds cheesy and it sounds like a movie, but it is that though. One day you'll meet them and everything will change."

Clarkson, who calls Nashville, Tenn., her home, is celebrating her one-year anniversary with fiance Brandon Blackstock. (The couple, who have been dating for a year, became engaged in December.) The 30-year-old says she's still surprised she has become that "cheesy" girl and that she wasn't sure she would find true love.

"I always made fun of those people that were like, 'Oh, I met the one. He's amazing,' and I'm like, 'Oh my god, go write a song,'" said Clarkson, the first "American Idol," laughing. "He's like my best friend, and he's someone I want to hang out with all the time."

Blackstock, who manages country star Blake Shelton, will be by Clarkson's side when she attends the Grammys, to be presented Feb. 10 in Los Angeles. Her No. 1 hit, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," is nominated for record of the year and best pop solo performance.

"I knew from the moment I heard it that it was going to be huge," she said of her feel-good anthem, which is also up for song of the year (awarded to the writers of the song, which doesn't include Clarkson). "I've heard everything from 'I got out of an abusive relationship' to 'I'm surviving cancer' ... and I think everyone in the world needs that type of song - something that makes you feel empowered."

Her fifth album, "Stronger," is nominated for best pop vocal album. She said she's starting to record her next album and the sound could be a reflection of her relationship with Blackstock.

"I am totally writing cheesy songs," she said. "Maybe he'll piss me off and I'll write a record about that."

She's also busy planning her wedding.

"I don't understand why we aren't eloping," she said. "It's a lot of details and I'm not that girl. I've never been that girl that's like, 'Oh my god, my wedding dress. Blah, blah, blah.'"

Actor Stallone supports assault weapon ban

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Sylvester Stallone says that despite his "Rambo" image and new shoot-em-up film "Bullet to the Head," he's in favor of new national gun control legislation.

Stallone supported the 1994 "Brady bill" that included a now-expired ban on assault weapons, and hopes that ban can be reinstated.

"I know people get (upset) and go, 'They're going to take away the assault weapon.' Who ... needs an assault weapon? Like really, unless you're carrying out an assault. ... You can't hunt with it. ... Who's going to attack your house, a (expletive) army?"

The 66-year-old actor, writer and director said he also hopes for an additional focus on mental health to prevent future mass shootings.

"It's unbelievably horrible, what's happened. I think the biggest problem, seriously, is not so much guns. It's that every one of these people that have done these things in the past 30 years are friggin' crazy. Really crazy! And that's where we've dropped the ball: mental health," he said. "That to me is our biggest problem in the future, is insanity coupled with isolation."

Stallone is now in production on his next project, pairing up with the former "Raging Bull" Robert De Niro for "Grudge Match," about two aging boxers.

"People think it's going to be some geezer brawl. Really? OK, they're in for a surprise. I'm telling you. I've been working on the fight, the choreography. He's taking it deadly serious. Because no one wants to be shown up," Stallone said of De Niro. "It's going to be like a 'Rocky' fight. This will be 'Rocky 7,' with me fighting - with Rocky fighting the 'Raging Bull.'"