photo: Ezra Shaw/ Getty ImagesLast year at the Super Bowl, Christina Aguilera's national anthem performance was a disaster on an international scale. And this year, Xtina's new "The Voice" castmate Kelly Clarkson admitted on Twitter that she was nervous about her own big Super Bowl debut. "Just finished rehearsing the anthem in Indy…wow, I'm actually really nervous about singing at the Super Bowl ha! Here's hoping I nail it and don't screw it up!" she tweeted Friday.
Then, on the day of the game, Kelly anxiously tweeted: "Literally left my wardrobe at the hotel in Louisiana and my tour manager had to run back and get it. Now we're on the plane headed for the Super Bowl but that was a close one! I'm not sure if I could have pulled off spanx and heels while singing the anthem :)"
These were surprising confessions of nerves from a woman who came to fame singing in front of millions of viewers (and Simon Cowell) week after week. But of course, Kelly never faltered on "Idol," and suffice to say she absolutely did not screw it up when she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XLVI. The American Idol did America proud. (And she looked great, too--it was a good thing her "wardrobe malfunction" crisis was averted!)
Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton start the showBut of course, it was all about "The Voice," not "Idol," today at the Super Bowl, since "The Voice's" Season 2 premiere airs tonight right after the big game. The Bowl's pre-game festivities kicked off with "Voice" judge Blake Shelton singing "America The Beautiful" with his wife Miranda Lambert (who, like Kelly, will be a guest mentor on "The Voice" this year), and "Voice" judge Cee Lo Green is even rumored to be joining Madonna in the half-time show.
photo: Chris O'Meara/ APHowever, it was Kelly who really gave the performance of a champion. Her stunning national anthem was just the latest in a string of recent career coups for the Original Idol, following her new "Voice" gig, the catapulting of her single "Stronger" to number two on the Billboard singles chart, a fantastic "Saturday Night Live" appearance, and her new chart record as the "Idol" alum with the most top 10 hits ever.
Any "Voice" contestant that Kelly mentors this season will be very lucky to ever enjoy a career as long and impressive as Kelly's. This American Idol truly is a national treasure.
Related links:
Most memorable half-time performances ever
Amazing "The Voice" Super Bowl commercial