Favorites is our recurring video series on the personal preferences of the pop artists who inspire us. Because the artists we love love stuff too.

While America at large is busy jibber-jabbering about the handsome boys of the British Invasion that’s happening in pop (see: The Wanted and One Direction), we thought we’d focus for a moment on one of the lovely ladies. “Lights” singer Ellie Goulding has been busy over the past year with touring, entertaining the royals and working on her sophomore LP. As you can imagine, she was more than happy to take a breather from all that by talking to us about simpler things, such as her choice food, favorite movie and TV show and quirkiest dating activity.

Do you share any favorite things with Ellie Goulding? Who else would you like to see talk about their Favorites? Tell us on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments below!

Did You Hear?

:: Grammy-winning dubstep king Skrillex and Ellie Goulding are an item, and have been dating since November 2011. We approve — as long as she doesn’t get a Skrillex haircut. [Spinner]

:: Adam Lambert shares some thoughts on Whitney Houston’s passing — as well as some new details about his sophomore album Trespassing, including the new bit of info that the LP will feature a collaboration with Bruno Mars. [Arjan Writes]

:: Lil Wayne is not engaged, despite the fact he was totally asking for the rumors to start after tweeting “She said yes!” and giving his girlfriend a ring. “I meant ‘she said yes’ to being my valentine!!! Hahahahahahaha! Y’all krazy!” wrote Weezy. Oh yes, that’s our mistake. [MTV]

:: You’ll be seeing a whole lot more of Jennifer Lopez on Fox — the American Idol judge’s non-Idol reality show Q’Viva: The Chosen has been picked up by the network. The show, which J.Lo created with ex-husband Marc Anthony, will premiere next month. [Just Jared]

:: Watch Whitney Houston greet Clive Davis, Brandy and Monica just 48 hours before her death. [Popdust]

After the jump, find out which acts you can find on the tube today.

Music On TV:

:: The Late Show With David Letterman (CBS) — Jason Mraz
:: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) — Monica, Brandy
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) — Puscifer
:: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) — Young Jeezy featuring Ne-Yo
:: Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) — Dr. Dog
:: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (NBC) — Diddy
:: Live with Kelly (ABC) — guest co-host Josh Groban

Ellie Goulding burned up the stage at JetBlue’s Live At T5 yesterday — so much so that a fire alarm went off during the English singer-songwriter’s performance of “Your Song”. Ellie just laughed it off saying, “Bloody typical, the fire alarm would go off during this,” and simply continued to serenade the crowd of lucky travelers and Idolator contest winners. The Late Show performer‘s killer set included acoustic versions of “Lights” and “Salt Skin”. Get up close at John F. Kennedy airport with Kelly Clarkson’s favorite artist. Were you one of the lucky ones to make it to the show? Tell us all about it in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Kelly Clarkson’s favorite contemporary Ellie Goulding swung by the Ed Sullivan Theater yesterday for a Late Show performance of her single “Lights”. Yes, “Lights” — a song that has been around for a year now, but is finally starting to slowly make its way up the iTunes chart. The British singer stood before David Letterman’s audience and banged on a drum before launching into a rousing vocal performance. So, all you folks who have yet to download the tune but have iTunes gift cards laying around after the holidays, and see if this TV gig by Ellie motivates you to show her some love.

Calling all Ellie Goulding fans (that includes you, Kelly Clarkson)! If you’re in the New York area then we’ve got a chance for you and a buddy to see the deLIGHTful Brit perform live next week! We are offering 10 pairs of passes to an exclusive, intimate concert by Ellie, as part of JetBlue’s Live from T5 concert series Thursday, January 19 at 5 p.m. in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. If this news has you starry-eyed, then jump below to find out how you could be one of 10 lucky winners — who knows, maybe the songstress WILL perform a cover of her favorite new Wild Beasts’ track.

TO ENTER:

• First, Facebook “like” this post (if you haven’t already).
• Next, tweet the following phrase: “Hey @idolator! I want to be starry eyed by @elliegoulding at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 concert: http://bit.ly/x8UQEu″
• Then, email us with your link, full name and D.O.B. to idolatordotcom@gmail.com (be sure to include “Ellie Goulding JetBlue Concert” in the email’s subject)
• You must enter by Wednesday, January 11 5pm EST — so hop to it!
• And yes, ground transportation via bus from a central location in Manhattan to JFK and then back to Manhattan after the performance will be provided!

CONTEST RULES:
All contest winners must provide their government issued photo ID to gain access to the airport. The information provided must correspond with the ID. All contest winners will be screened through the TSA security check point. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

Live From T5 concerts take place post-security for JetBlue customers and contest winners only.

Contest winners (and their guests) will need to provide the following info:

• Full name as it appears on your government issued photo ID
• ID number
• State or country that issued ID
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Email address

Though we admittedly had a ball compiling  the list of the 10 Worst Album Covers of 2011, we’re not just a bunch of haters here at Idolator. There were several album covers from LPs released this year — 10 to be precise — that we fell head over heels in love with, either due to the cover’s originality, its entertainment value, or just the sheer beauty of the particular piece. Last year we chose Katy Perry’s whimsical Teenage Dream as our favorite cover art, and this year’s #1 pick is just as dreamy. Check out the 10 best examples of how an album’s cover can elevate the entire experience of enjoying music.

2012 is bound to be a big one for Janelle Monae, as the spunky, soulful singer is planning to tour after she drops not one, but two new albums. (“I will release them according to my soul clock,” said Monae.) Remind yourself why you can’t get enough of this 26-year-old funk madame by grooving to her performances at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway after the jump. (It certainly brings us peace to know that an artist this awesome is being celebrated all over the world.)

Monae busted out her ArchAndroid singles “Tightrope”and “Cold War”, in addition to Jackson 5 fave “I Want You Back”. The tux-wearing woman also performed alongside the likes of Ellie Goulding, Sugarland and Jill Scott for the big, inspiring ensemble number “Move Up”.

Watch Monae rock out at the otherwise peaceful ceremony below:

“Tightrope”

“Cold War”

“I Want You Back” (Jackson 5 cover)

“Move Up” (with Sugarland, David Gray, Jill Scott, Ellie Goulding, Bernhoft and the World Youth Choir)

Earlier this month, we kicked off our Best Music 2011 series with soul punk Patrick Stump, who chose Paul Simon’s So Beautiful Or So What as his favorite album of 2011. (And the Chicago artist wasn’t the only one smitten with folk rock legend Simon’s return — Rolling Stone ranked So Beautiful Or So What at #3 on the publication’s own year-end roundup of albums.)

Next we sat down with Ellie Goulding, who chose an album by a band from her home country of England as her favorite this year. You no doubt caught Ellie’s mesmerizing Saturday Night Live performance in the spring, if not her gigs at Coachella and Lollapalooza, or her opening slot on Katy Perry’s California Dreams Tour. Now head below to watch her describe the LP she found to be the most listenable in 2011.

Ellie’s favorite album of the year is Smother, the third LP from Wild Beasts. “They’re from up north in the UK,” Goulding explains. “There’s two frontmen, and they have these amazing voices. But they’re so different, they compliment each other.”

Of course, fans of Lady Gaga are likely familiar with Wild Beasts, as the band’s remix of Mother Monster’s summer hit “You And I” appears on the just-released Born This Way: The Remix compilation. (You can give the entrancing mix a spin here.)

Ellie tells us that she loves the psychedelic, beautiful songs that appear on Wild Beasts’ Smother. And that makes sense, given the synth-washed, dreamy pop that appears on this starry-eyed singer‘s own album Lights.

Ellie Goulding’s Lights is out now on Interscope/Cherrytree. Purchase it at eMusic.

Favorites is our recurring video series on the personal preferences of the pop artists who inspire us. Because the artists we love love stuff too.

In spite of Kelly Clarkson‘s struggles with the misconceptions about her and the Internet leaks of her music over the past year, she’s re-emerged more focused and driven — hence the title of her fifth studio album album, Stronger. The LP is out today (Oct. 24), so we figured we’d celebrate by having her take part in our very first Favorites video.

Do you think you’re “Mr. Know It All” when it comes to Ms. Kelly? Can you name the last great book she read? Her fave video game? The album she can’t stop listening to? Jump below to learn all about this fierce Texan — and discover a few of her favorite things.

Like Cady Groves, Blake Shelton‘s Twitter musings crack Kelly up. “He just says stuff that he totally shouldn’t say and I think it’s funny,” explains the pop star. (Does this means the “Footloose” crooner will be making an appearance in one of Clarkson’s upcoming videos, too?)

But while the 29-year-old performer may come across as a bit of an old soul — be sure to watch for her favorite way to listen to music and the video game system she still rocks at home in Texas — she’s still pretty up-to-date when it comes to tech gadgets and apps.

Anyone else now dying to play Words With Friends against Kelly?

Royalty fave (and Idolator-approved) Ellie Goulding adds some elegance to Lupe Fiasco’s new song “Lightwork”, off the Chi-town rapper’s forthcoming Friend Of The People mixtape, which drops this Thanksgiving. The song samples the Bassnecter remix of the Brit singer’s single “Lights”, and allows a spacey, ethereal sound to surround the MC’s introspective rhymes. Listen below.

Lupe Fiasco feat. Ellie Goulding – “Lightwork”

Jessie J. appeared to be doing just fine performance-wise despite having a broken foot, but there are limits to how much one can limp. “Having a cry about having to pull out of the @katyperry tour,” the Brit pop star sadly announced via Twitter. “I am as upset as my #heartbeats believe me. My foot is just not healing as well as I hoped.” As for who will fill Jessie’s spot on Katy’s California Dreams tour, Perry tweeted that other Brit singer Ellie Goulding will join the tour in November, adding “@jessiejofficial hope you feel better soon!” Ditto.

Ellie Goulding cemented her status as one of pop music’s hottest new properties with a sold-out show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles last night. The blonde Brit, who is currently celebrating her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Lights”, enchanted the crowd with a magnetic performance that showcased her always-impressive pipes and growing stage presence. She even surprised fans by busting out some eye-popping choreography! More details from the ”Starry Eyed” starlet’s concert after the jump.

With only one album behind her, Ellie doesn’t have a huge pool of material to draw from. But when you’re promoting a near-flawless debut, it doesn’t really matter. The royal wedding performer made her way through the vast majority of her debut LP Lights in her 14-song set. Fan favorites like “This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)” and “Your Biggest Mistake” were brought to life by the leather-wearing pop pixie and her three-piece band. She also performed six of her UK singles, and more obscure bonus tracks like “Home” — which she described as being an ode to a lonely farmer — and “Little Dreams”.

One of the many highlights of the show was the 24-year-old’s acoustic cover of Elton John’s “Your Song”. Her goosebump-inducing high notes received frenzied applause, as did her electric performance of her album title track. The pulsating electro-anthem allowed Ellie to unwind and, best of all, show off some unexpected choreography. Who knew that the English rose could grind like Rihanna?

The party continued all the way through to the encore when the Coachella queen closed the show with a haunting rendition of “Starry Eyed”. Ellie Goulding is making the transition from next big thing to genuine pop contender look easy.

— Reporting by Mike Wass

Skylar Grey wasn’t the only pop luminary we sat down with at the the Lollapalooza artist lounge (which we co-sponsored along with Rock The Vote) last weekend — we also had a chat with one of our favorite UK artists to make a splash on these shores this year, “Lights” singer Ellie Goulding. The 24-year-old has been busy trekking across North America for the second time this year, where she made some stops along the way to perform on various TV shows.

“US fans are slightly more energetic,” Ellie said at Lollapalooza. “But generally, my audiences are really sweet and really lovely.” Funny, we could say the same thing about her! Watch our one-on-one with Ellie Goulding below.

Ellie is no stranger to people having a strong reaction to her music. In addition to winning the BBC Sound Of 2010 poll two years ago, the singer from Herefordshire, England, clinched the Critics’ Choice Award at the BRITs in 2010, and saw her debut LP Lights shoot up the US iTunes chart following a stunning performance on Saturday Night Live this past spring.

Shortly after, she performed for royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton at their wedding reception in late April.

“When people say that I’ve inspired them to become a musician or that I’ve gotten them through a really tough time at home — or with a partner or whatever — that’s really sweet, and I get that quite a lot,” Goulding told us.

Check out our interview with Ellie, where she also talked about the essential items she likes to have on hand while on tour, and Imogen Heap, Wild Beasts and the other artists who inspire her.

Did Ellie make you to want to hit the studio and record your own sure-to-be smash debut album? You’re going to need some instruments, so click here to enter to win a guitar signed by tons of Lollapalooaza artists!

Tonight marks the very last episode of Lopez Tonight, as TBS has decided not to renew the nighttime talk show for a third season. “Hey, did you guys see the news? Unemployment is at an all-time high,” host George Lopez quipped in last night’s opening monologue. “And for Latinos is just got higher!” One of the show’s very last musical guests wound up being Ellie Goulding. Head below to watch her perform “Lights” ahead of her gig at The Wiltern in Los Angeles this evening.

Ellie won’t go down in TV history as the last musical guest on Lopez Tonight, though. Slash is scheduled to appear on tonight’s final episode.

Ellie Goulding — ”Lights” (on Lopez Tonight)

Sigh. Adios, George — we certainly enjoyed watching your sometimes rowdy and often hilarious antics while scouring for TV performances each morning over the past two years.

Like many folks, you may have been snoozing away in the a.m. hours on Saturday. And if that’s the case, then you no doubt missed starry-eyed singer Ellie Goulding’s haunting, heartfelt acoustic performance on The Early Show for its Second Cup Cafe series. But fear not — that’s why God invented embeddable video! Head below to watch Ellie serve up a stripped-down “Lights” while on a break from her aptly-titled Lights Tour.

It’s been a minute since we last checked in with UK pop sensation Ellie Goulding. Actually, when last we saw, she announcing her next North American tour following her Royal Wedding reception performance and breakout American success thanks to a star(ry) turn on Saturday Night Live. Well, lo and behold, the blonde songstress has gone and shot a new US-aimed version of her “Starry Eyed” video. (Peek at the original.) Watch the Dugan O’Neal-directed clip below!

So what exactly does Ellie’s new clip have to offer? A scruffy, swoon-worthy hottie in a hoodie, a sparkly array of visual effects and, of course, the British singer’s beautiful starry eyes (not to mention her cut-off denim shorts).

Are you digging Ellie’s shiny new version of “Starry Eyed”?

Jessie J ditched her stick straight hair for curly locks at Glamour‘s annual Women Of The Year Awards this evening. Along with Vogue Italia‘s vixen, Eliza Doolittle, Royal Wedding performer Ellie Goulding and Best Dressed songbird Keri Hilson were also in attendance. We’re not sure why Glee‘s Matthew Morrison was on hand, seeing as he’s neither glamorous nor a woman, or why the “Women Of The Year” are being named just six months into 2011. Check out all the highlights from London’s Berkeley Square Gardens.

You just can’t keep Ellie Goulding away from the States. The singer, who wowed last month on SNL and performed at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding reception in late April, is following up her spring jaunt across America with the Lights Tour, which kicks off July 23 at Atlanta’s Center Stage, hits Lollapalooza along the way and wraps up August 12 at San Francisco’s Outside Lands fest. Catch the full list of Ellie’s tour dates below.

“I am really excited about the next tour. This time we are ready; we are better prepared,” Goulding says in a press release for the Lights Tour. “Every city brought something new and I learned a lot playing to different crowds. It is a learning curve. America get ready — we’re coming and it’s going to be huge!”

July 23 — Atlanta, GA (Center Stage)
July 25 — Washington DC (9:30 Club)
July 26 — Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)
July 27 — Boston, MA (House of Blues)
July 29 — New York, NY (Terminal 5)
July 31 —  Montreal, QC (Osheaga Music and Arts Festival)
August 1 — Toronto, ON (Kool Haus)
August 2 — Detroit, MI (Royal Oak Music Theatre)
August 4 — Minneapolis, MN (Fine Line Music Cafe)
August 5 — Kansas City, KS (Kanrocksas Festival – Kansas Speedway)
August 6 — Chicago, IL (Lollapalooza – Grant Park)
August 8 — Denver, CO (Ogden Theatre)
August 11 — Los Angeles, CA (The Wiltern)
August 12 — San Francisco, CA (Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival)

After enchanting America with her recent tour, Coachella set and appearance on Saturday Night Live — and wowing the Royals by performing at the wedding reception of Prince William and Kate Middleton — Ellie Goulding kept the momentum going by hitting up Live! With Regis And Kelly this morning. We’re not exactly sure what was up during the short interview, when pervy old Rege kept insinuating that Prince Harry wants to jump her bones, but at the very least we got a properly energetic performance of “Lights” from Ellie’s gig.

While LA’s Wango Tango turned heads by featuring such acts as the glitter-gun-happy Ke$ha and an accidentally-a-cappella Jennifer Lopez, the Brits proved that they were not to be outdone by featuring an equally-impressive lineup at Radio 1′s Big Weekend concert event. Resident Brits Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, and Tuesday’s Letterman performer Tinie Tempah were joined by a couple talents from our side of the pond — Nicole Scherzinger and The Black Eyed Peas. Not too shabby, right? Catch all of these performers after the jump.

While it’s virtually impossible to be unimpressed by the above lineup of stars, Radio has booked Bruno Mars, Taio Cruz, and Lady Gaga for the rest of the weekend.

Well-played, United Kingdom.