I’ve been watching with much dismay as Kelly Clarkson has gotten the serious shaft from her record company, and it doesn’t surprise me that veteran culture critic Ann Powers has written a solid piece for the L.A. Times on the matter. Powers astutely zeros in on the key issues that make Clarkson’s situation so troubling for both feminists and music fans who appreciate commercial artists taking risks. It’s my recommended reading of the day, along with watching this video repeatedly for comic relief.