Lauren Alaina cuts hair, crashes prom

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Image from Lauren Alaina's Facebook page shows off the singer's new hairstyle.

Her big hair's been bobbed.

Lauren Alaina surprised fans on Facebook and onstage Saturday when the country singer debuted a sophisticated, new haircut. Her former mass of long, blonde curls has been bobbed into a sleek, layered style that angles from her chin to the shoulders.

The fun-loving Rossville teen, who was runner-up on Season 10 of "American Idol," first teased Facebook fans Saturday by posting a picture of a blonde punk style.

"Like my haircut?!" she asked her followers.

She later posted a follow-up to let fans know they'd been had and confessed, "Just kiddin,' that's Kelly Osbourne. It looks just like me. Here's the whole picture."

By Tuesday morning, Lauren's new look had 18,700 "Likes" on Facebook.

She surprised fans again when she stepped onstage in Louisville, Ky., that night to open for country superstars Sugarland.

Revealing to her audience that she was missing her prom at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, she invited them to get up and dance with the person next to them while she threw her own prom.

For her date, Lauren singled out a teen in the audience -- identified only as Brian -- and invited him onstage to dance with her. The pair slow-danced while she and a band member sang a cover of Lady Antebellum's current hit, "Dancing Away With My Heart."

"He's cute, isn't he?" she asked the audience.

Later Saturday night, the 17-year-old singer tweeted, "I crashed a prom tonight after my set. So glad I still got to go to prom."

Dixie Owen, publicist for UMG Nashville, confirmed this week that Lauren surprised students from Lanesville High School in Lanesville, Ind., which is just across the Kentucky state line from Louisville.

Charlie Dean, radio promotion rep for UMG Nashville, said Lauren and Canaan Smith, a country singer also on the Sugarland tour, were driven to the Lanesville prom by a friend.

"We asked the principal's permission for Lauren and Canaan to peek in for a bit," said Dean. "Lauren went up to a group of girls and asked about their dresses. Next thing you know, she was in the middle of the dance floor with them!"

On Sunday, Lanesville student Ian Herrington tweeted: "I'm so glad I got to meet and dance with you at prom."

After a story about the prom-crashing appeared Monday on the Times Free Press website, an email was received from Mitzi Mills, mother of a Lanesville teen.

"My daughter was at that prom, and it made her night! ... Lanesville is a small school. She just made those kids' night when she showed up!" said Mills.

Lauren was recently announced as the 2012 Special Olympics Project UNIFY ambassador for North America. On her website, Lauren said she has been involved with Special Olympics locally since she was in sixth grade. She also volunteered as an aide with special-education students while attending LFO.