Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert to Sing Pregame

Awhile back we wondered aloud about who would sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVI. (Oh, those pesky Roman numberals.) Many weighed in on Facebook and in the comments on that post as to whom they wanted to see perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Well, was it worth the wait? Kelly Clarkson will shout sing the song. She was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live last weekend and has a new album out. Plus, she’s already sung it before. Witness this rather restrained version from 2006 at a Dallas Cowboys NFL game. Whether Clarkson can replicate that magic from a half-decade ago is another story. This is the Big Game, lest we forget.

If Clarkson opts for vocal histronics, she has historic competition in Jennifer Hudson (2009), Beyoncé (2004), and Whitney Houston (1991), whose version is considered the best ever, at least at Super Bowls.

We asked you in our last Super Poll on the Super City homepage just who you wanted to sing the anthem. Here are the results:

>> Christina Aguilera, who has said she’s “open” to a redo: 7%
>> Someone classy (Martina McBride?): 25%
>> Indiana’s own John Mellencamp: 48%
>> Lady Gaga: 20%

It’s also worth mentioning, for you twang lovers out there, that country lovebirds Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton will duet on “American the Beautiful” as part of the pregame show also. Not to mention that Indiana University’s Marching Hundred will take part, as will its drumline during Madonna’s Halftime Show.

YOUR TURN >> Do you hope Kelly Clarkson belts out the anthem like a diva or offers another more restrained take?

Photos courtesy of the artists’ Facebook pages