BuzzSugar

Playlist: A Jazzy, Swingin' Holiday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:30:00 -0800

Now for my favorite kind of holiday music: Jazz and swing! These are the songs that truly make me feel festive and happy. The swingy ones make me want to dance and the jazzy ones are best enjoyed while sipping a holiday cocktail and gazing thoughtfully at a well-decorated tree. Personal faves off this list include "Cool Yule" by the great Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington's rendition of "Jingle Bells," and the father-daughter two-punch right to the feelings: the Natalie Cole/Nat King Cole duet on "The Christmas Song."

I hope all your festivities are bright and fun! To check out some of my favorite holiday tunes, read more.

Some of these songs are not allowed play longer than 30 seconds here, but if you have an imeem account, click here for the playlist with full-length versions.

Buzzs Jazzy Holiday Miz

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Buzz In: What Holiday Songs Do You Never Tire of Hearing?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:30:16 -0800

Many people complain about the holiday tunes that drive them completely insane this time of year, especially since holiday songs are practically inescapable, no matter what you do. At the drug store, the gas station, restaurants - they're everywhere! So it's truly impressive that there are still some seasonal songs that don't make us want to grab the earmuffs.

It may be because of my love for Love Actually, but I never tire of hearing "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" actually has the reverse effect that it has on many people: It makes me happy. I also like most versions of "Joy to the World" (especially the Whitney Houston version featured in The Preacher's Wife), perhaps because it's, well, joyful. And not that it's as "everywhere" as other tunes, but Otis Redding's "Merry Christmas Baby" never fails to make me feel good.

What about you? Are there any songs this season that put a little bounce in your step no matter how often you hear them?

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Playlist: A Rockin' Fun Holiday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:30:14 -0800

No, not every song on this playlist is "rock," but they all rock in their own ways, and they're all fun. I enjoy some of the new takes on old favorites that have come out over the past few years (Aimee Mann's songs, Sufjan Stevens's holiday CD box set), and of course, there are a few shout-outs to rockin' holiday tunes that aren't too recent ("Christmas in Hollis" and "Run Rudolph Run"). The one sure thing is that these are not your traditional old carols.

What are your favorite rockin' modern(ish) holiday songs? To check out a playlist of some of my personal favorites, read more.

A Rockin Fun Holiday

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Buzz In: What Are Your Holiday Entertainment Traditions?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:30:57 -0800

Every year on Thanksgiving, my dad hauls out his all-time favorite holiday albums: the Time-Life Treasury of Christmas discs, Nat King Cole's album The Christmas Song, and (his most recent favorite) Diana Krall's Christmas Songs. Sure, we're all driven mad by the repetition of these albums by the time Christmas arrives, but it is tradition that they begin their (heavy) rotation on Thanksgiving Day, and we don't mess with that.

Later on we'll all watch our usual holiday movies together (It's a Wonderful Life, The Homecoming, White Christmas), and I have a long-standing tradition with a friend in which we watch The Preacher's Wife (the one with Whitney Houston . . . what? It's very sweet!) every year. And though I might have outgrown this tradition now, as a kid I used to spend every New Year's Eve holding movie marathons with my parents.

What about you? Do you watch specific movies, like A Charlie Brown Christmas, every year? Does this Thanksgiving weekend begin the holiday season in your home like it does in mine?

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Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:30:03 -0800

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! What well-known song usually sung at Christmastime is actually about Thanksgiving, and was originally a poem titled "A Boy's Thanksgiving Day"?

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:30:00 -0800

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! In light of the recent rumor that the New Kids on the Block might be staging a comeback, here's a NKOTB Brainteaser.
What was the name of the New Kids on the Block Christmas album?
Do not include any punctuation or your answer may not register.

What's Buzzworthy: Favorite Holiday Albums

BuzzSugar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:30:20 -0800

For this week's Buzzworthy challenge I wondered which holiday albums were your favorites. In case you're looking for new suggestions to spice up your collection (which can become a little old by Christmas Day), check out some of your fellow Buzz readers' favorite holiday albums.

Christmas With the Rat Pack
emalove and Phasekitty both chose this swanky holiday album. Emalove wonders, "How can you go wrong with holiday favorites by fabulous singers like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin?" Phasekitty calls this a "great compilation of old favorites," which is "best for snowy nights in front of the fire with friends and family."

Reverend Horton Heat, We Three Kings
For a rockabilly twist on the old reliables, check out biochemlovely's bookmarked favorite, We Three Kings by Reverend Horton Heat. Biochemlovely has this to say about her choice: "The rockabilly master covers some classic songs. These versions are a little heavier than the usual holiday tunes, but still let you enjoy the Christmas spirit."

Much more musical holiday spirit if you read more.

Sufjan Stevens, Songs for Christmas
I heartily agree with this favorite holiday album, bookmarked by both Fab_Kitty and scorpstar77 as it is a beloved staple in my own holiday music collection. Scorpstar77 calls it "a crowd-pleaser for both the young and old, for the hipsters and their parents," while Fab_Kitty describes the album thusly: "With Sufjan Stevens' take on classic songs like 'Silent Night' and 'Away in a Manger,' as well as original compositions like 'Ding! Dong!' and 'Hey, Guys! It's Christmas Time!,' there's a lot of banjos, flutes, bells, hushed harmonizing, etc. to enjoy."

Christmas Remixed
One of CocoChic's favorite holiday albums, Christmas Remixed, is a refreshing take on the same old, same old. CocoChic claims it's "guaranteed to make you smile!"

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Soundtrack
I never knew National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation even had a soundtrack until I saw it bookmarked here by alillee, who writes, “Although it's extremely difficult to find this album for under $50, it's still a great CD with some great Christmas and holiday songs!"

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 07:30:48 -0800

Did you get all my holiday brainteasers this week? Test your knowledge with these trivia questions about A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street" National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Scrooged.
I also have a quiz about holiday music and another quiz about some of those movies that aren't "holiday movies" but feature the holidays, like Love Actually and Beautiful Girls.
Speaking of holiday entertainment, what gets you in the spirit the most: holiday music, movies or TV specials?
I got the incredibly cool opportunity to interview Ellen Page. And she is awesome.
Striking members of the Writers Guild plan to picket the Golden Globes - in full evening wear.
Of course, the biggest movie trailer of the week is the super creepy one for The Dark Knight, but I also really dug the one for George Clooney's Leatherheads.
In Dakota Fanning movie news, Alec Baldwin will be joining her in My Sister's Keeper, and Fanning herself will be at the center of the film adaptation of The Secret Life of Bees.
After this week's last episode of Gossip Girl for a while, are you on Team Blair, Team Serena, or Team Both?.

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What's Buzzworthy? Your Favorite Holiday Albums

BuzzSugar — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:00:00 -0800

We can debate the best and worst songs of this season until we all turn blue (or our fingers fall off for that matter) because everyone has strong opinions about which holiday music is appropriately cheerful and which is gratingly annoying. I try my best to bring in new holiday albums every year so my collection doesn't grow too stale, but I must admit that I have my time-tested favorites!

I love Nat King Cole's Christmas Song so much I suggested it in one of my holiday gift guides. Cole's voice is just so warm and comforting - like the holiday season itself. For an even more down-home Christmastime atmosphere, I turn to Christmas With Johnny Cash. And in more recent years I've loved the smooth jazzy seasonal tunes on Diana Krall's album Christmas Songs.

What are your most beloved holiday albums? Just use BuzzSugar's cool bookmarking tool to find your favorite albums around the Web, tag them with the phrase holiday albums, and write a little blurb about why they're the best. I'll feature a few picks here next week - just in time to beef up your music collection before the holidays.

Music Video: The Killers, "Don't Shoot Me Santa"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

I'm not a huge fan of The Killers, but I do find their music ideal for running and working out. I also appreciate that the band is continuing the holiday tradition it started last year, offering us another Christmas-themed single.

Last year, it was a melodramatic but driving anthem called "A Great Big Sled", and this December the band is getting a bit sillier with "Don't Shoot Me, Santa." This one leans more toward rockabilly ballad, but it still sounds like a Killers song, and the video - featuring the guys clad in cheesy Christmas sweaters - is a must-see. To watch it and get into the holiday spirit, read more

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