HOLLYWOOD—Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” is just like it was back in 1994 in chart position. It has fluctuated from number 1 to number 10 in the past few weeks. It’s so amazing that decades-old Christmas songs still reign on the charts. It’s hard for new Christmas songs to make an impact because the season is all about tradition.
Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” was released back in 2014. We all enjoy old Christmas songs and especially Christmas movies. Other current songs date back as far as 1942, to Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Andy Williams 1963 classic “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.” Mariah Carey, 47, is like Ms. Christmas, she gets repeated success on her song. Every year she does a Christmas concert or a film or a Christmas gimmick. Carey’s yuletide earworm has hit a high note. She wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff and first released it on her 1994 holiday album, “Merry Christmas.”
Nowadays it’s hard to write a great Christmas song, because so many ideas have been already taken. That’s not to say no-one is making Christmas songs anymore. This year alone, we’ve had festive albums from Sia, Gwen Stefani, her boyfriend Blake Shelton, 90s boybands Hanson and 98 Degrees and “American Idol” winner Fantasia. Michael Buble’s Christmas has also been popular since its release in 2011, but the album largely features covers, with a couple of original songs near the end of the track listing. I bet if Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift or Dua Lipa released an original Christmas song now, then I’m sure it would be successful and reappear each year. But-with the exception of Sia- they’re not doing that so we have to listen to the oldies.
Carey, was set to return to the Australian stage early next year after last bringing her tour down under four years ago. According to published reports, fans will have to wait even longer for Carey’s return after announcing on December 19, that she’s pushing her February tour back to October. Fans were left furious when she took to social media to reveal the news, as many already purchased flights and accommodations for the earlier dates.
The star credited a necessary realignment of her international engagements for 2018 as the reason behind the shift, but the excuse wasn’t enough to appease many ticket buyers. The news comes after the former fiancé of billionaire James Packer cancelled some dates for her “All I Want For Christmas” tour last month. She took to Instagram, she revealed she had been suffering from a nasty upper respiratory infection.
Another Christmas surprise is Lady Gaga, who announced a massive, two-year residency in Las Vegas, starting in 2018. “The rumors are true!,” she wrote on Twitter. “I will have my own residency at MGM’s Park Theater. Get ready for a brand new show! It’s been my lifelong dream to be a Las Vegas girl, I’m so overjoyed!” The initial run will include 74 dates, with the possibility of more. According to Variety, Gaga is making more than $1 million per show.
The 31-year-old has spent much of 2017 touring the United States in support of her latest album, “Joanne,” and is due to play in the UK early next year, having previously postponed dates to deal with “severe physical pain” arising from the medical condition fibromyalgia. A chronic, long-term illness, its symptoms include extreme tiredness, muscle aches, difficulty sleeping and concentrating. Explaining the decision to postpone her European tour, Gaga said “trauma and chronic pain” were “keeping me from living a normal life.” “They are also keeping me from what I love the most in the world: performing for my fans.” Giving up the grueling demands of touring to focus on a residency will presumably help her manage the condition in the future.
Lady Gaga follows the likes of Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain in launching a Las Vegas residency. It’s the land of Elvis, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, The Rat Pack, Elton John, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli. The hashtag #LG6 refers to Lady Gaga 6″- a working title for the singer’s next record. The star will also be seen next year in a remake of the Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson film, “A Star is Born.”
Rose’s Scoop: Congratulations to Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova on their twins.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!
