Burleson-born pop star Kelly Clarkson made an important baby announcement, in true 2015-era fashion: via social media — namely, a cute photo on Instagram.
Pregnant with her second child with husband Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson shared a photo of their 16-month-old daughter River Rose, with the caption: "In other news, River’s gonna have a little baby brother :) #itsaboy We’re so excited!"
Clarkson first revealed the pregnancy, inadvertently, in August while on stage in Los Angeles, at a stop on her "Piece By Piece" tour. "I was not planning on announcing this, but I'm totally pregnant," she said, explaining that she was so emotional, she was unable to finish a song.
Dubbed "the original American Idol" after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002, Clarkson has logged numerous of Billboard hits and has won many awards, including two Academy of Country Music awards and two Grammys. In 2015, she released her seventh album, Piece By Piece.
In September, she was ordered by her doctor to cancel the remainder of her tour, which she announced on her website.
"I am truly sorry that I have to cancel the remainder of my tour dates," she said. "I was so looking forward to sharing this tour with all my amazing fans in Canada and the UK. Unfortunately my doctor is telling me I have to stay on vocal rest, but I am working hard to get better as fast as possible."
She and Blackstock were married in 2013; she's stepmother to his two children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous relationship.
Kelly Clarkson is having a baby and now we know if it's a he or a she.
Kelly Clarkson/Facebook
Kelly Clarkson is having a baby and now we know if it's a he or a she.
Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.
That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.
Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.
Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.
The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.
The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.
Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.
Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.
