Kelly, Clay Go to Washington
Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken are putting their powerful pipes to work in our nation's capitol.
Clarkson, the original American Idol winner, rocked out with eight members of Congress on Capitol Hill Wednesday as part of Grammys on the Hill, an event organized by the Recording Academy to draw attention to the problem of illegal downloading on the Internet.
The Grammy-winning singer belted out her new song, "Maybe," as the Congressional Grammy Band kept the rhythm behind her (or tried to, at least).
The purpose of the recording session was to demonstrate the amount of work that goes into making a hit single, from writing the song to producing it.
"Not many people know what it takes to make music," Clarkson told ABC News. "They see my face, but there are a lot of people that make it happen."
California representative Mary Bono, Sonny Bono's widow, who serves as cochair of the Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus, said the event would help bridge the age gap on the Hill.
"A lot of members of Congress don't even have iPods," Bono told ABC News. (Hint, hint, Steve Jobs.)
Illinois Senator Barack Obama was also present at the event to accept the Spoken Word Grammy he won for narrating his best-selling memoir, Dreams From My Father.
Meanwhile, Idol season two runner-up Aiken also has found his calling in Washington.
The "Measure of a Man" singer has been tapped to serve on the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the White House said Wednesday. President George W. Bush was expected to make the appointment official at some point in the near future.
The committee was originally founded as the President's Panel on Mental Retardation by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Members advise the president on issues pertaining to those with mental disabilities.
Aiken, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, once worked as a Y.M.C.A. counselor, which apparently gave him the chops required for his new position.
Aside their respective political aspirations, both Clarkson and Aiken have been staying busy on the musical front.
Clarkson recently wrapped up a world tour in support of 2004's much-lauded Breakaway, and is currently at work on her third album.
Aiken's third album, A Thousand Different Ways, hits stores Sept. 19.
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