Xmas24: Christmas Joy

Read more Christmas.

 

JENNIFER HUDSON
jenniferhudson.world

History’s youngest female EGOT-winner Jennifer Hudson released Interscope Records debut, The Gift of Love, which a special holiday album, featuring “Let There Be Joy”, “Santa to Someone”, “Carol of the Bells” (featuring The Joy, a South African quintet known for their blend of traditional Zulu music and modern a cappella), “Jingle Bells”, and “Almost Christmas” (with Common).

 

In addition, Hudson will be bringing her The Gift of Love: An Intimate Live Experience to a few dates (see dates below). We saw Hudson in May 2018 and wrote, “Oscar and Grammy Award-winning royalty came to the Twin Cities as singer Jennifer Hudson was the featured performer at PACER Center’s 36th Annual Benefit, presented by Starkey Hearing Technologies, held this past weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Hudson, known most recently as a coach on NBC’s The Voice (also just announced as returning to the show), began as a American Idol contestant, before going on to win the Academy Award for her role in “Dreamgirls,” and has since won the Golden Globe, NAACP Image, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Hudson returned to PACER for the first time since 2007 to support the work PACER does for families of children with disabilities and children who are bullied.”

The Gift of Love: An Intimate Live Experience

 

THE PHILLY SPECIALS
phillyspecialchristmas.com

Indie rockers, Mt. Joy have teamed up with The Philly Specials for the new holiday single “Santa Drives An Astrovan.” The song is a reworking of Mt. Joy’s “Astrovan” (featuring the lyrics “Jesus drives an Astrovan”), but with a new holiday twist featuring new lyrics, new harmonies, sleigh bells, handclaps, and a piano under-lick that plays, “Jingle Bells.”

The song is part of A Philly Special Christmas Special (an obvious nod to Charlie Brown), a 12-track album featuring various Christmas covers, such as George Michael’s “Last Christmas” and Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.”

We last saw Mt. Joy in Oct 2017 and wrote, “Los Angeles by way of Philadelphia alt-folk-rockers Mt. Joy opened the evening with a forty-five minute set of new songs that properly introduced the new band, and gave these many won-over fans a chance to hear the tracks, soon to appear on their upcoming debut. Matt Quinn (vocals/guitar) and Sam Cooper (guitar) met in high school and started performing songs together over a dozen years ago, reuniting in LA to record four songs last year in their producer’s living room (joined later on by Michael Byrnes-bass, Sotiris Eliopoulos-drums, and Terrance Mack-keys to form a five-piece live act). Influenced by many classic ‘70’s jam acts, the whistling ‘Cardinal’ lyrically reminds to take the time to notice the everyday beauty around us, ‘Uke Song’ was played with “tiny guitar” as Quinn called it, and the uplifting and set-closing ‘Sheep’ actually had the most socially-biting lyrics, inspired by the Freddie Grey unrest- “When there is blood on the streets of Baltimore, people getting ready for a long war, maybe I was born in the wrong skin but those sheep are rolling in the mud again.””

 

DOCTOR WHO
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I don’t watch Doctor Who, the long-running BBC Sci-Fi show. I have tried to watch a few episodes from the 70s and 80s-era, but just could never get into it. I’ve concluded that it’s just “too British” for my taste.

We did saw the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) in May 2017 and wrote, “The biggest draw are the celebrity panels, which included current Doctor Peter Capaldi. Originally scheduled with co-star Jenna Coleman, but she had to bail out at the last minute for filming conflict. Capaldi was in great spirit, talking and volunteering some great insights into the world of Doctor Who. His wife, he confessed, was rather “embarrassed” about the nerdiness of it… especially when he would secretly sneak home a Doctor Who magazine every once in a while. When asked what other shows he’d like to star in, he thought about it and mentioned that he’d like to appear in Game of Thrones, mostly because one of his co-star Maisie Williams (Arya Stark).”

I remember a few years ago, there was a big controversy about the 13th Doctor, being played by a woman, Jodie Whittaker. Now, Doctor Who’s latest doctor is played by Ncuti Gatwa, a Rwandan-Scottish actor.

Anyway, the much-anticipated Doctor Who Christmas Special, “Joy to the World” will feature a guest appearance by Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan and former showrunner Steven Moffat returns to the show.

Doctor Who’s 2024 Christmas Special will premiere on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K., as well as Disney+ for the rest of the world. There’s also a chance to win a special screening of the Christmas special at a local theater, as part of the “Friendship Is Universal” campaign.

 

If you have a 2024 Christmas/Holiday song, please provide as much detail as possible to vu@weheartmusic.com before Christmas Day (December 25, 2024). Thank you.