A little show called American Idol has catapulted a certain bunch of musical men and women to the top of the charts, to the Oscars and to Broadway. First up, Kelly Clarkson. The original Idol winner, Kelly beat out Justin Guarini in the first-ever finale of the show that had swept the nation. After winning the AI title in 2002, Kelly released her first album, the double-platinum Thankful, but it was her follow-up, Breakaway, that went multi-platinum and won her two Grammys. The small-town waitress from Texas released her third go-round in 2007, My December, and continues to top the charts with her pop-rock vibe.

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