FEATURES
42 Kelly Clarkson
In 2007, she had to fight to put out her angsty breakup record. Her Poppy new
album isn't so risky—but that doesn't mean the Idol champ has given
up her taste for drama.
48 WE GOT GAME: JASON MRAZ
Blender challenges the SoCal singer-songwriter to a day of surfing and Scrabble.
One of us rides a wave while hula-hooping! (Hint: Its not Blender.)
52 DHANI HARRISON
Can the 30-year-old rocker—who bears an eerie resemblance to his late dad,
George—avoid the career woes that have beset other Beatle kids? REGULARS
8 BLENDER BIBLE
14 LETTERS
17 BURNER Which songstress - will rule spring break '09?
19 ALMOST FAMOUS: IDA Maria
Norway's hottest export since smoked salmon
21 USEFUL TIPS: DAN DEACON
The electro-dork explains how to throw a raging house party.
24 ASK BLENDER
The sad history of onstage deaths
26 GREATEST SONGS EVER: "TIME AFTER TIME"
How party girl Cyndi Lauper wrote her enduring breakup ballad
28 DEAR SUPERSTAR: GEDDY LEE
Rush's singer-bassist answers your nerdy questions.
32 COLLECT CALL FROM ... Lady Gaga
168 hours with the platinum-blond dance-floor queen
36 R.I.P. RON ASHETON
The guitarist for punk pioneers the Stooges was found dead at his home in January
at age 60. A look back at his odd, troubled life—and his final days
40 STATION TO STATION
The new documentary Copyright Criminals exposes the paradoxes of the sampling
era.
72 WHO DOES AMY POEHLER THINK SHE IS?
The SNL alum/ Parks and Recreation star on "trendy" sex and vestigial
tails THE GUIDE
57 NEW RELEASES
U2, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Cornett, Dan Deacon, the Decemberists, Keri Nilson,
Mastodon, Pete Doherty and more
64 REISSUES
Pearl Jam, Atmosphere, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Annie Lennox and Nick Lowe
66 MOVIES
Adventureland and Tyson, plus film's greatest mall scenes
68 GAMES
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, plus Metallica talk Guitar Hero
