Beyonce is not the only star who has had the honor of channeling the late Etta James in a performance -- Kelly Clarkson has a story, too. PHOTOS: See Beyonce as Etta James During her concert at Radio City Music Hall in NYC Saturday, the singer paused to pay tribute to the blues legend, who passed away from leukemia at the age of 73 Friday, and belted out James' hit, "I'd Rather Go Blind." PHOTOS: Us Weekly 's photo tribute to stars we've lost In a way, the music icon helped kick off Clarkson's music career. Back in 2002, Clarkson, 29, won over the ears of Simon Cowell , Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson when she chose to sing James' "At Last" during her Dallas audition for the first season of American Idol . PHOTOS: Stars before they were on American Idol After reigning as the FOX vocal competition's first-ever winner, the rest is history. Recently, the "Mr. Know It All" singer has been tapped to be an advisor on The Voice , ...

Kelly Clarkson paid tribute to Etta James by singing the late soul legend's hit track I'D Rather Go Blind during her concert in New York on Saturday (21Jan12). The Stronger hitmaker was devastated to learn of James' death on Friday (20Jan12), just five days before her 74th birthday, after suffering complications from leukaemia. Clarkson is a big fan of James, having sang her iconic track At Last for her audition on the first season of American Idol, which she went on to win. And she remembered her idol with a touching musical tribute during her Saturday show at Radio City Music Hall. The singer told fans, "This isn't At Last because everyone really covers that and so I wanted to do my favourite, actually. My favourite song is I'd Rather Go Blind. So, this is for Etta!"

Kelly Clarkson has been working lots of covers into the sets of her Stronger Tour 2012. So far, cover choices have included Coldplay's Fix You , Carrie Underwood's I Know You Won't and Cee Lo Green's Forget You . Siobhan Magnus has released her Moonbaby album online. You can buy a signed copy from her website or listen to samples online. Kris Allen has teamed up with DonorsChoose.org for the "Tool for the Classrooms" initiative that launched earlier this week. Its goal is to raise thousands of dollars in funding for public school teachers and students nationwide. Kris says his wife, Katie, who's a drama school ! teacher in Arkansas, often discusses the challenges of her job with him. "She'd love to take her students to see a play, but can't afford to," he says. "It's hard for teachers to do these kinds of things nowadays because schools don't get enough funding." Even though she turned down the starring role...

29 m ago entertainment By amNY Weekend Picks: Kelly Clarkson, 'Portlandia,' freeze tag and more Photo credit: Kelly Clarkson (Getty Images) Kelly Clarkson The Season 1 "American Idol" winner shows off her serious singing chops. (Sat., 8 p.m., $39.50, Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave., at 50th St., 212-307-7171) Freeze Tag on Wall Street The Levys' Unique New York - a creative tour company - is hosting a nostalgic afternoon of play. Freeze tag is the main attraction, but other schoolyard games - Red Rover! - will also be in session. (Sat., noon, FREE, corner of Wall and Broad sts., levysuniqueny.com ) 'Sunday at the Ballet With George' To celebrate the birthday of its co-founder George Balanchine, the New York City Ballet is hosting a day of performance and free talks. (Sun., 1:45 p.m., $29-$149 for performance, other events FREE, David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center, at W. 63rd St., 212-870-5570) 'Portlandia: The Tour' Funny folk Fred Armi...

News Friday, January 20, 2012 Its been nearly a decade since Kelly Clarkson won the inaugural season of American Idol, and on Jan. 24, the pop sensation will take the stage at the Verizon Wireless Center in Manchester. After selling more than 20 million albums worldwide, the 29-year-old singer said shes stronger than ever, with the success of her aptly titled fifth album, Stronger. The album is about empowerment, she has said. I wrote half this album. Its all about different kinds of relationships we all encounter. Clarkson has been hard at work promoting the new album and said she enjoys life on the road. Its a lot of fun, she said. Ive known most of the people on the road with me for six or seven years, so were around each other far more than were around our own families. It may seem like the glamorous life, but Clarkson said the bands a lot of bookworms and computer nerds that have watched everyones kids in the band grow up. Were not very rock n roll, she said. We go out probably on...

29 m ago entertainment By amNY Weekend Picks: Kelly Clarkson, 'Portlandia,' freeze tag and more Photo credit: Kelly Clarkson (Getty Images) Kelly Clarkson The Season 1 "American Idol" winner shows off her serious singing chops. (Sat., 8 p.m., $39.50, Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave., at 50th St., 212-307-7171) Freeze Tag on Wall Street The Levys' Unique New York - a creative tour company - is hosting a nostalgic afternoon of play. Freeze tag is the main attraction, but other schoolyard games - Red Rover! - will also be in session. (Sat., noon, FREE, corner of Wall and Broad sts., levysuniqueny.com ) 'Sunday at the Ballet With George' To celebrate the birthday of its co-founder George Balanchine, the New York City Ballet is hosting a day of performance and free talks. (Sun., 1:45 p.m., $29-$149 for performance, other events FREE, David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center, at W. 63rd St., 212-870-5570) 'Portlandia: The Tour' Funny folk Fred Armi...

Kelly Clarkson, who this past October released her latest album, Stronger, will bring her powerful vocals to the Verizon Wireless Arena for a 7:30 p.m. concert Tuesday, Jan. 24. The singer and songwriter first gained fame as the first champion of TVs American Idol singing competition in 2002. Now a multi-platinum recording artist, she is known for tunes including Miss Independent, Sing U Been Gone, Walk Away and Never Again. She brings her trademark vocal strength and straight-talking lyrics to her latest single, Mr. Know It All. She has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, including 10 million in the United States, and earned seven singles on the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She has released four studio albums, 2003s Thankful, 2004s Breakaway, 2007s My December and 2009s All I Ever Wanted. Clarkson also has received two Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, two MTV Music Awards and 11 Billboard Music Awards. Opening her Queen City show will be Matt Nathanson. Tick...