Music

If you experienced an embarrassing Christmas fail this year, leave it to Kelly Clarkson to help you feel better.  

Taking to her YouTune channel on Saturday, the singer laughed her way through the most hilarious holiday fails submitted by her fans.

The storytelling had a strong start, with one person admitting that their Christmas tree not only toppled over on top of their mother-in-law, they also took a photo that they shared with Kelly.  That elicited an “Oh, snap!” and a chuckle from the Grammy winner before she wondered aloud, “Is she okay?… That had to kind of hurt.”

Other fan-submitted stories include a five-foot-tall dancing Santa that lost its head and scared a small child, a bunch of praying mantis babies hatching in someone’s Christmas tree, a family settling for a Burger King holiday meal because the turkey wasn’t going to cook in time, and a dog eating the engagement ring someone planned to propose with at the family dinner, after which it took them two days to “get the ring back.”

When dishing on the latter story, Kelly marveled, “I wonder if he told her that day or just let the dog poop it out and then he told her… And that’s the ring you’re getting!  You’re getting a poop ring!  I don’t know if that’s a good omen.”

Kelly also flipped through several photos fans shared of their hysterical children crying on Santa’s lap and remarked, “We traumatize our children, don’t we?  We’re like, ‘Just take the picture!  Smile!'”  The Voice coach admitted she’s also forced her little ones, River Rose and Remington Alexander, to take photos with Santa, and they also threw a fit.

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Christina Aguilera proves she keeps getting better with age.  The singer turned 41 on Saturday and flaunted her figure in a series of celebratory snaps.

Wearing just oversized sunglasses and long, black leather gloves, Christina shared five photos to Instagram and captioned them, “XTINA XLI.”

She is topless in every picture, but has her hair or arms strategically positioned in each snap to ensure fans don’t see anything too naughty.  In addition, the Grammy winner has her face made up with dramatic eyeliner, long lashes and a dark, wine-colored lip liner.  Her hair is also bleached blonde for the glamorous photoshoot.

Fans were quick to compare the makeover to the Christina they saw in the early aughts. This isn’t the first time the singer embraced a throwback look: she paid homage to her Stripped album when performing a medley of her biggest hits at the People’s Choice Awards earlier this month.

As for what the “Hurt” singer has coming up, her second Spanish-language album is due out next year.  A title and release date are forthcoming.

 

 

 

 

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Most artists wait until they’ve established themselves before releasing a Christmas record, but *NSYNC did it with their second album. Today, 1998’s Home for Christmas is considered a Christmas pop classic, though Lance Bass still thinks it’s odd that they made it so early in their career.

“It was so strange,” he laughs. “I was just talking about that with AJ McLean from the Backstreet Boys, ’cause they just did a Christmas album that’s coming out next year. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh…I can’t believe after only knowing each other for two years, we…came out with a Christmas album!'”

Lance says he’s pleasantly surprised that the album has stood the test of time. “We do not think it would be accepted as well as it has [been],” he notes. “Because…in 1998, we were just stupid little teenagers in a boy band that no one really knew yet.”

But Joey Fatone tells ABC Audio that the album — and its big single “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” — really hold up.

“I listen to it every time the holidays come around,” he says, laughing. “The songs are good! The songs ring true! The songs are fun…and now it’s becoming some sort of a classic.”

Joey adds, “It’s weird to know that there’s a possibility when I’m gone or when all of us are gone…they’re still gonna be playing that album…[and] that song.”

Lance, meanwhile, is preparing for his “magical” first Christmas as a dad to newborn twins Alexander and Violet, and he can’t wait to share his favorite holiday traditions with them.

“I always loved finding our Christmas tree together and…decorat[ing] it together and looking at all the memories as you put every little ornament on,” he says. “And so I’m excited to…go down memory lane every year and decorate the tree with the kids.”

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This Christmas has brought us the gift of Steve Perry‘s first holiday album, The Season. He says the songs on it will transport you emotionally to past Christmases — because that’s exactly what happened to him while he was recording it.

Perry tells ABC Audio that while recording “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” for the album, he suddenly had a vision of being in his grandmother’s house during the holidays.

“As I was singing it, I [could] see…her yellow kitchen tile. I could see her in the kitchen,” Perry recalls. “…I’m looking through the door jamb where I used to hang the mistletoe…into the living room, to this massive tree she used to put up.”

After shaking off the vision, Perry says, “I went, ‘Wow, that was pretty weird.’ I emotionally was right there, standing in front of that door, looking at that tree.”  He credits the spooky experience to “the power” of these “timeless” holiday songs.

The other thing that transports Perry to past Christmases is cooking the dishes his grandmother and mother used to make.

“Deviled eggs have to be there for Christmas. But the most important thing is the stuffing,” he shares. “The stuffing was my grandmother’s recipe and I make it from memory, just watching her, because I never wrote it down. And I’ll tell you, the stuffing is the secret to make it feel like holidays to me.”

And while he’ll skip roasting a turkey in favor of turkey burgers, Perry explains, “Cooking is one of the things I love to do during the holidays, because it’s kind of like music, y’know? It’s another way to connect.”

“I mean, I can get pretty verklempt cooking,” he says, using the Yiddish expression for “overcome with emotion.” “Because it just throws me back to watching them cook for me.”

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Jack White‘s “Taking Me Back” is taking him to new heights on the Billboard charts.

The latest single from the White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather rocker has hit the top 10 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, a feat he’d never previously accomplished as a solo artist, or with any of his bands.

Prior to “Taking Me Back,” White’s highest-charting solo single on the Mainstream Rock tally was “Lazaretto,” the title track off his 2014 album, which reached number 25. Overall, White’s Mainstream Rock previous peak was the 2007 White Stripes single “Icky Thump,” which made it to number 11.

“Taking Me Back” also gives White a solo high on the Alternative Airplay chart, where it sits at number five, besting the number-nine peak of “Lazaretto.” Outside of his solo career, White hit number one on Alternative Airplay three times: with “Icky Thump” and fellow Stripes classic “Seven Nation Army,” and with The Raconteurs’ “Steady as She Goes.”

“Taking Me Back” will appear on White’s upcoming solo album Fear of the Dawn, due out April 8. A second record, titled Entering Heaven Alive, will arrive July 22, and includes an acoustic version of “Taking Me Back.”

White will launch a U.S. tour in support of both records next year, beginning in April.

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Adele and Ed Sheeran are among the leading nominees for the 2022 BRIT Awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Grammys.

Both Adele and Ed have four nominations, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year — “Easy on Me”  and “Bad Habits” respectively — as well as Best Pop/R&B Act. Additionally, Adele’s 30 and Ed’s Equals are both up for Mastercard Album of the Year.

Other nominees for Song of the Year include Elton John and Dua Lipa‘s “Cold Heart” and “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals. Dua is also up for Best Pop/R&B Act, while Glass Animals and Coldplay are up for Best Rock/Alternative Act. Coldplay is also up for Best Group.

Notably, gender-based categories have been removed.

In the International categories, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Doja Cat and Billie Eilish are up for Artist of the Year, while BTS, Silk Sonic, Måneskin and reunited Swedish icons ABBA are up for Group of the Year.

International Song of the Year nominees include:

Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever”
Doja Cat feat. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber – “Stay”
Lil Nas X – “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Måneskin – “I Wanna Be Your Slave”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Good 4 U”
Polo G – “Rapstar”
The Weeknd – “Save Your Tears”

The 2022 BRIT Awards will be handed out February 8, 2022 at London’s O2 Arena and livestreamed globally on YouTube.

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Cage the Elephant has released a new t-shirt to raise money for the relief efforts in Kentucky after the band’s home state was hit by devastating tornadoes earlier this month.

The shirt features a drawing of the Kentucky state lines with a heart marking the city of Bowling Green, where brothers Matt and Brad Shultz were born and started Cage the Elephant. You can pre-order one now via CagetheElephant.com.

The tornadoes have killed at least 91 people, over 70 of whom lived in Kentucky. Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri also suffered fatalities.

KENTUCKY TORNADO RELIEF T-SHIRT

All proceeds will be donated to the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund and other charities benefiting individuals and families in Bowling Green and other parts of Kentucky who were impacted by the recent tornados.https://t.co/PEFysNBoNH pic.twitter.com/WzXmFsmb4J

— Cage The Elephant (@CageTheElephant) December 17, 2021

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