Tag Archives: Christmas

Brussels Sprouts are Back in Style

Photo: notonthehighstreet Gone are the days when Brussels sprouts evoked a family groan at dinner. Now sprouts are being hailed as a hang-over cure (more on that later), a cancer fighter and a trendy food. One farmer is so committed that he farms 2,000 acres of them, with half a million being harvested. Two to three hundred tons of sprouts will be shipped out for the Christmas rus… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Brussels Sprouts are Back in Style

Did You Know Mariah Carey’s Mother Saved Christmas Last Night?

We’ve been sidetracked with Golden Globe news (and blues) today, so let’s refresh ourselves with an update from the Lord: Christmas is saved! I knew Mariah Carey’s ABC Christmas special “Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You” would revive yuletide cheer last night, but I didn’t know that Mariah Carey’s opera diva mother Patricia Carey would summon Jesus himself off a platinum, myrrh-dotted cloud and to his feet in applause. Get ready for the definitive, divalicious version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

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Did You Know Mariah Carey’s Mother Saved Christmas Last Night?

Mariah Carey Performs With Mother On Holiday TV Special

Superstar sang holiday classics and songs from her new Christmas album Merry Christmas II You during concert. By James Dinh Mariah Carey and her mother, Patricia, sing on stage together during ABC’s “Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You” Photo: ABC It was an evening full of smiles, snow and festive cheer as Mariah Carey treated fans to an early Christmas gift with her own holiday TV special on Monday night. The ABC broadcast, appropriately titled “Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You,” featured the pregnant singer spreading merry joy throughout Los Angeles’s Orpheum Theater with yuletide classics, holiday originals and a first-time onstage performance with her mother, Patricia Carey. Decked out in a Santa-esque minidress, Carey kicked the hour-long broadcast off with her high-energy tune “Oh Santa” — the lead single from her second holiday album, Merry Christmas II You — as a pack of kids happily danced around the singer. “They say it’s unrealistic/ But I believe in you Saint Nick/ So grant this wish for me right quick/ Santa won’t you come and make him mine this Christmas night,” Mariah crooned before the sparkling stage setup. Carey also put her own spin on Christmas classics by mashing them together. “Alright, so we’re going to do a new song … actually a very old song,” she told the roaring crowd. “We created a medley of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ for the new album Merry Christmas II You, and we’re going to play that one for you tonight. And here we go. …” During the number, the singer displayed her vocal acrobatics, including her soothing falsetto, with the assistance of a backing choir before kicking off “O Holy Night,” which she described as one of her “favorite Christmas songs of all time.” Soon after, friend and musical collaborator Randy Jackson joined the singer for a hip-hop-flavored rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus (Housetop Celebration).” The “American Idol” judge appeared excited to take the stage with the singer as he urged the audience to applaud for “the hottest, the dopest, the bestest … Mariah Carey.” Later on, Carey sang another original, “When Christmas Comes,” which she revealed she’d never performed live. The song draws similarities to her inspirational 2002 song “Fly Like a Bird.” Before a clip from the holiday classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the soon-to-be mother traded the show’s earlier spectacles for a piano and accompanying player for a peaceful rendition of “Christmas Time Is Here” and fan favorite “Joy to the World.” The evening wasn’t just full of jolly anthems though, as the focus turned to Make-a-Wish child Mackenzie, who is in need of a new kidney. Footage of the young girl was shown alongside her adoptive mother, Ronna Williams. After exchanging a few words with her, Carey directed the audience to give a round of applause to Mackenzie and dedicated her “Christmas Time Is in the Air Again” to her. Making the celebration even more memorable was a performance by the singer and her mom, opera singer Patricia Carey, who took the stage together to perform a medley of “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Hallelujah.” “Please give a big hand to my very special guest. My mother, Patricia Carey, is here tonight,” the songbird said, standing next to her mother. “We’re going to do a song from the new album Merry Christmas II You. This is something that’s very close to both of our hearts.” And if fans ever wondered where Mimi got her vocal talent, it became clear last night. In a singing extravaganza, Patricia took control of the performance as Mariah followed behind with repetition lines until she busted out her signature whistle notes. Carey ended the festivities on a high note (literally), singing her signature holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” as an entourage of holiday characters danced around the powerhouse diva. The gang offered her a batch of gifts, but the singer kept in tune with the song’s lyrics by pushing their presents aside. As the song ended, the stage was transformed into a winter wonderland as a flood of snow fell atop the stage ceiling and onto Carey and company. Did you catch Mariah’s TV special? Share your thoughts about it in the comments! Related Artists Mariah Carey

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Mariah Carey Performs With Mother On Holiday TV Special

Phoenix Recall Meeting ‘Jersey Shore’ Star Snooki

‘We’ve become friends!’ guitarist Laurent Brancowitz laughs to MTV News. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias Phoenix Photo: MTV News Back in January, worlds collided when “Jersey Shore” star Snooki met Phoenix , the world’s hugest rock band (from France). Their chance encounter occurred on the red carpet of the Grammys, where the Snookster was serving as MTV News’ special correspondent and Phoenix were, uh, walking (they’d go on to win Best Alternative Album too). The end result was 83 seconds of lost-in-translation awkwardness, an “interview” that was amazing for several reasons, most of them having to do with the fact that neither party had any idea who the other was (though we also like the part where Snooki tells Phoenix guitarist Laurent Brancowitz that he looks like “the vampire Edward”). Not surprisingly, the video of their meeting became an Internet sensation, to the point where, for the remainder of 2010, Phoenix were forced to answer questions about Snooki everywhere they went (Snooki, on the other hand, has since moved on to bigger and better things ). So, naturally, when MTV News caught up with the fabulous French foursome over the weekend at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas, we decided to continue the trend. But rather than just ask them about their run-in with Snooki, we also wondered if their relationship had grown any. “We’ve become friends!” Brancowitz laughed. “No. People talk about it a lot, but we always manage to let it be very blurry. We have absolutely no idea of the details. It was a very nice encounter.” We suspect that was just him being polite, but we’ll let you be the judge. Above is our latest interview with Phoenix plus the original clip of them meeting Snooki for the first — and, we’ll assume, last — time. Watch it and try very hard not to cringe yourself to death. Share your thoughts about Snooki and Phoenix’s encounter in the comments below! Related Photos Jersey Shore (Season 2) | Snooki

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Phoenix Recall Meeting ‘Jersey Shore’ Star Snooki

Soundless Song Heads for Top Christmas Single

Photo: catm It’s a Brit thing: every Christmas there is a race to see which group will have the top single of the Yuletide season. In past years, SImon Cowell has pushed his X-Factor winner to the top. Last year musicians got fed up with the commercialization of it all and issued a rival song which won. This year another group, called Cage Against the Machine , is trying again to counter-act the commercialization of Christmas with a silent grassroots alternative. Imagine… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Soundless Song Heads for Top Christmas Single

Soundless Song Heads for Top Christmas Single

Photo: catm It’s a Brit thing: every Christmas there is a race to see which group will have the top single of the Yuletide season. In past years, SImon Cowell has pushed his X-Factor winner to the top. Last year musicians got fed up with the commercialization of it all and issued a rival song which won. This year another group, called Cage Against the Machine , is trying again to counter-act the commercialization of Christmas with a silent grassroots alternative. Imagine… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Soundless Song Heads for Top Christmas Single

Gwyneth Paltrow Returning To ‘Glee’

Actress confirms she’ll reprise her role as a sassy substitute teacher on a second episode of hit Fox show. By James Dinh, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Matthew Morrison and Gwyneth Paltrow on “Glee” Photo: Fox Gwyneth Paltrow just can’t get enough “Glee.” The actress-turned-singer, who guest-starred on the hit Fox show last month, is set to reprise her role as McKinley High’s free-spirited substitute teacher Holly Holiday in an upcoming episode. The actress confirmed to “Access Hollywood” that she had signed on for two episodes, and called the TV gig “the best job ever.” There’s no word yet on when Paltrow’s second appearance will air or what tunes the Oscar-winning actress will sing. During her much-hyped debut “Glee” episode, Paltrow belted the edited version of Cee-Lo’s “F— You” (which happens to be MTV News’ #5 Song of 2010 ). She also did a mash-up of Rihanna’s smash “Umbrella” and the Gene Kelly classic “Singin’ in the Rain” alongside Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison). When MTV News caught up with the “Country Strong” star, she told us she’d heard through the grapevine that Cee Lo was flattered by her “Glee” cover . “I have heard from Cee Lo through other people,” Paltrow said. “He was incredibly sweet about it. It’s embarrassing to think of Cee Lo hearing me sing his song,” she laughed. Asked whether she’d heard from Rihanna yet, Paltrow joked, “No! What the?” “Clearly, she hated it,” we said. Of course, Gwyneth’s “Glee” appearances have won raves, including from show creator Ryan Murphy who spoke to the BBC about casting her. “Gwyneth is a great singer,” he said. “She’s done it a little bit, but I really want to show it off and show everyone how great she is.” Are you excited to see Gwyneth on “Glee” again? Tell in the comments!

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Gwyneth Paltrow Returning To ‘Glee’

Taylor Swift Gets Birthday Love From Katy Perry, Hayley Williams, Selena Gomez

Speak Now singer turns 21 on Monday (December 13). By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift Photo: Hellmuth Dominguez/PacificCoast Taylor Swift turns 21 on Monday (December 13), and she is getting some birthday wishes from many of her celebrity pals, who took to Twitter to show some love to the superstar and send her attention in honor of the milestone. “Hey!! Today is my girlfrannn @taylorswift13’s 21st birthday!!!” Paramore leading lady Hayley Williams tweeted . “Holy heck. She’s all growed up. So blessed to know her. Tweet her some love!” Selena Gomez got in on the action too, writing to her pal , “Happy birthday @taylorswift13!!! I love you so much!!” Katy Perry also tweeted , “@taylorswift13 happy 21st gorgeous!” Perez Hilton had a shout-out for Ms. Swift, adding a Latino flair to his wishes: “@taylorswift13

Vampire Weekend Draw Inspiration From Kate Hudson For New Album

Frontman Ezra Koenig says watching ‘Love Guru,’ ‘Bride Wars’ is helping band ‘think about the art’ they want to make. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend performs during KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas on Sunday Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images In 2010, Vampire Weekend released a rather amazing album of pan-ethnic pop, debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart , showed up on the “Eclipse” soundtrack , hung out with Lil Jon, the RZA, a very drunk Jake Gyllenhaal and a Jonas Brother and even got sued by the unwitting star of their Contra album cover . Needless to say, it was a pretty hectic year, the kind most bands would follow with a rather lengthy (and well-deserved) break. But, as they told MTV News on Sunday at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas in Los Angeles, Vampire Weekend aren’t most bands: They’re already in the early stages of work on the follow-up to Contra. To be honest, though, they’ve been in those early stages for a while now. “We’re always thinking about the next album. … I would say we’ve been thinking about the next album since before we finished the last one. It’s natural. … I think that’s the way we work,” frontman Ezra Koenig said. “In terms of working on it, have the four of us gotten into the studio and started laying down tracks for it? Not in any formal way, but in some way that’s not even the most important part of the process. So the ball’s already rolling. When and how we start working on it — we definitely need a break — but the talking about ideas, that’s already happened, and there’s definitely stuff floating around.” And just where have VW been gathering inspiration for that “stuff”? Why, from the works of noted auteurs Mike Myers, that dude who plays Dwight on “The Office” and, uh, Kate Hudson, of course. “Collectively, we’ve been watching a lot of big-budget comedies that may or may not have been successful at the box office,” drummer Chris Tomson said with a smile. “Usually not successful,” Koenig added. ” ‘The Love Guru,’ a notorious financial failure, ‘The Rocker,’ [that] didn’t do too well at the box office, ‘Bride Wars,’ that was the exception. … Any time you interact with a piece of art — whether it’s something that goes on to be your favorite or something that maybe you find issue with — still, that’s going to help you think about the art you want to make.” Sounds, uh, interesting. Still, though they’re working on a new album, Koenig cautions that it’s going to be a while before fans actually hear it. After the year they’ve had, VW have sort of earned the right to take their time with things — not to mention the fact that they’re still waiting for “Date Night” to make it to the top of their Netflix queue. “Knowing us, it takes us a very long time to make an album,” Koenig said. “Is it possible that things from the Vampire Weekend family could come out in 2011? I’m sure, but a Vampire Weekend album … I don’t see any reason to rush it.” Related Photos KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas Related Artists Vampire Weekend

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Vampire Weekend Draw Inspiration From Kate Hudson For New Album

Octomom — Merry Christmas or Bust

Filed under: Nadya Suleman , Octomom , Holidaze , Paparazzi Photo Wearing a festively low-cut tank top, Octomom Nadya Suleman showed off her girls — and 64% of her adorable kids — while posing for a Christmas card at her home this weekend. If Octo doesn’t pay the $450K balloon payment she owes on her La Habra home by… Read more

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Octomom — Merry Christmas or Bust