We've acknowledged it before: Rock stars have superb senses of style. That must be why several of them have wanted to see us mimic their styles, while also turning a profit.

Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon is the latest rock lady to make a foray into fashion. She recently launched her line, Mirror/Dash, with friends/designers Melinda Wansbrough and Jeffrey Monteiro.

What's special about Mirror/Dash is that the items will be limited edition, so the first piece (an awesome military-inspired jacket) will only be available to 50 consumers via the website for a cool $415. … continue reading

If my AfterEllen pseudonym doesn’t give it away, I’m a southern girl through and through who’s spent all her life in Carolina and Tennessee. Thus, it is probably no surprise to you that in addition to being a pop culture addict, I am an avid country music fan. So to say my level of anticipation for Sunday night’s Academy of Country Music Awards was high would be an incredible understatement.

The event, held in Las Vegas, was hosted for the tenth time by Reba McEntire.

Though Carrie Underwood opened the show performing her newest single, “Last Name,” her time to shine came later in the show. In a very poignant tribute to the recently passed Eddy Arnold, she and the winner for Video of the Year and Top Male Vocalist, Brad Paisley, sang Arnold’s 1965 hit “Make the World Go Away.” Though the standing ovation that followed was clearly for the fallen legend, I can’t help but wonder if they would have garnered the same reaction regardless. The two of them sounded absolutely fantastic together — and she didn’t look too terrible, either.

Oh, and did I mention that Ms. Underwood also walked away with Top Female Vocalist honors? Yeah, I told you she had a big end to the night.

But this wasn’t just The Carrie Underwood Show. On the contrary, there were actually many surprises on the night, each resulting in a win for the ladies. … continue reading

Living in Texas, I keep a low profile about not being a country music fan, but Reba McEntire is someone I can listen to. And I know she’s one of the hardest-working women in show business. Besides her music career, she’s an author, a fashion designer, an actor on television, film and Broadway and a presence at countless charitable events. That’s why Reba is the ideal choice to be Billboard’s first Woman of the Year.

I learned two rather impressive facts about McEntire in reading about her career. She is the No. 1 best-selling female country singer of all time and the No. 2 best selling female artist (all genres) of all time. Barbra Streisand is No. 1. Plus, Reba has received 73 awards to date — to see them all in one place, scroll to the bottom half of her Wikipedia page. Perhaps most impressive is how she looks at age 52.

Whether you’re a country fan or not, you’re going to hear a lot about McEntire in coming weeks. Her latest album, Duets, released this week, features a lineup that includes Carole King, Justin Timberlake and Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson and McEntire met in 2002 when they performed together on a postseason American Idol special and have become close friends. … continue reading

I swore we wouldn't blog about Kelly Clarkson again for at least a week, especially now that her upcoming tour has been canceled, but this video cappuccinogirlie tipped us off to in the forum was too good to pass up. Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire (love Reba!) recently performed a duet of Kelly's hit single "Since You've Been Gone" for a special slated to air on CMT on June 24th.

What's so interesting about it? Kelly inexplicably changed a pivotal word in the lyrics, singing: "You were dedicated, you took the time, it wasn't long until I called her mine." The official lyrics are, "it wasn't long until I called you mine," not "her." Draw your own conclusions. … continue reading