Blog Posts by Wendy Geller

Christmas is finally here! Well, almost. Regardless, you're probably more than ready for it to be here by now--right?

We think you deserve to take a break after all your holiday preparations. And to assist with getting you in the right mood, ABC's Music Lounge has worked with us to compile some music to bring the seasonal cheer.

Our selection for you while you're kicking back and waiting for Santa to come down the chimney is from Australia's the Kin, a pair of brothers who remember Christmas back home as being the "silly season" in which they'd sing carols on the beach--because, of course, Christmas falls in the summertime Down Under. Here they are performing a holiday classic, "We Three Kings."

Close your eyes, dream of warm weather and exotic locales...and hey, leave a few cookies on the plate for Santa, willya?

As any musician knows, it's a fine line walking between widespread popularity and career integrity. However, bluegrass favorites the Grascals are one of the few bands out there who've been able to enjoy the best of both worlds--critical and popular acclaim (they've won numerous awards in the bluegrass arena, as well as two Grammy nominations and one Dove Award nomination), while still remaining musically undiluted.

The band is taking this favorable position even further with the upcoming release of its newest album, The Grascals & Friends--Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin, which features guest appearances with country-music friends old and new. Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Dolly Parton, Tom T. Hall, Darryl Worley, Joe Nichols and the Oak Ridge Boys all join in on the album, performing familiar classics "with a touch of grass" that will delight fans of all stripes of country as well as serious bluegrass aficionados.

It's quite a genius mix which will

The days are officially ticking down. Just a little less than a week until Christmas! No problem--you've gotten all your cookies baked and holiday shopping done. All that's left to do is kick back and wait for Santa Claus. Right? Um...

Don't worry, we are in the same predicament too. (What to buy that brother-in-law who has everything? Shoot!) However, we always think that seasonal panic of this sort is best combatted by taking a little break, listening to a little music, and drawing a deep breath. To help you with this exercise, ABC's Music Lounge has worked with us to compile some music to put you in the most positive of holiday moods.

All of the songs we're featuring are from a roster of cutting edge/up-and-coming artists, and this week, we've got indie rockers Freelance Whales, a band heavy on the dreamy harmonies that was hailed by NPR as "one to watch this year." They're performing the original tune "Generator, Second Floor."

Enjoy--and hey, perhaps your brother-in-law might

If Sugarland's claymation Christmas video didn't put you in a holiday frame of mind, here's another little tidbit of cheer you might enjoy--and you'd have to be a total Grinch not to giggle.

Evan Taubenfeld, a singer-songwriter who formerly played guitar for Avril Lavigne, is capitalizing on the fact that a certain gorgeous blonde's last name rhymes with "gift."

Yep, all Evan wants from Santa Claus...is none other than Taylor Swift. And he's written a song about her: "Merry Swiftmas (Even Though I Celebrate Chanukah)." 

Taubenfeld's lyrics to the ditty shoot down other hot celeb gals such as Megan Fox, Amy Smart, Scarlett Johansson, and Angelina Jolie, and plead only for Ms. Swift under the tree. Er, Chanukah bush, maybe?

Taubenfeld posted the song (complete with a cartoon of himself--holding a songbook with a Star of David on it) and tweeted it to Swift. Countless folks retweeted the link, and Swift herself responded with a cheerful "This makes me smile," on her Twitter page.

Fair or not, it's a fact--the brand-new, first-ever American Country Awards, which were held Monday night, had to face down a lot of mixed reviews before they even had a chance to prove their mettle.

First off, there was the widespread discussion of whether or not yet another major country awards show was overkill--i.e., what was so special about this particular concept that it warranted production in the first place?

If questioning the show's mere existence weren't enough in and of itself, the show then caught ire from the CMT folks for claiming the title of "first and only" fan-voted awards (the CMT Awards are wholly fan-voted and have been around since 2002).

So, despite coming in with a solid roster of performers, some mildly fresh ideas (most notably, increased focus on new talent), and a fair amount of positive hype--the ACAs were already poised as underdogs from the start. Not the best place to be in, but hope remained (at least on my end) that the new program on the block

Gwyneth Paltrow put a lot of work into researching and practicing her role as a Nashville superstar vocalist in the upcoming drama Country Strong. And, she seems to have nailed the part solidly. In fact, she's apparently even convinced her costar, Tim McGraw--who knows a thing or two about good country singers--that she should take her music out on tour.

"He keeps joking that I should go on the road as his opening act," Paltrow told Entertainment Weekly. "And I keep saying, 'Let's do it. Let's make it happen.' I don't know about a whole tour but maybe a string of nights could be fun."

However, the actress explained to EW that while she might take more roles that involve singing, she is isn't making any grand plans to switch over into the music industry. "I love my day job and we already have a musician in the family," she noted, referring to husband Chris Martin, frontman of the multiplatinum-selling rock group Coldplay.

Conversely, McGraw--who's played his share of critically

The Judds are no strangers to Oprah Winfrey's empire. The entertainment-industry-entrenched family has--counting appearances by actress Ashley Judd--appeared on Oprah's talk show a remarkable 18 times, most recently a couple months ago to discuss Wynonna Judd's remarkable weight loss and journey to emotional healing after marital betrayal.

Now, Naomi and Wynonna Judd have solidified their place in the Winfrey "family" by announcing their own reality show, which will debut on Oprah's new OWN Network in 2011. Titled simply The Judds, the one-hour program will follow Wy and Naomi as they prepare for the Last Encore tour--their first time hitting the road together in 10 years.

Longtime fans of the Judds know the duo has struggled with clashing personalities and a tumultuous dynamic over the years. (To wit: On their inaugural Oprah visit back in 1990, Wynonna quipped, "I have the solution for all the other mother-daughters out there who aren't getting along...I figure if you put them on a

Sugarland has already received flak from country radio regarding its single "Stuck Like Glue," most specifically for the distinctly non-country reggae-styled break in the tune.

Well, never ones to shy away from pushing the envelope (especially when already accused of doing so!)--the duo went even further and injected a bit of bona fide hip-hop into the song when performing it for the special VH1 Divas Salute The Troops, an all-star concert presented by and benefitting the USO, which aired Sunday night.

No, frontwoman Jennifer Nettles did not attempt this on her own (and bandmate Kristian Bush certainly did not either, although that would have been interesting to watch). She wisely left it up to an expert--namely the legendary MC Lyte, who joined the country pair on stage midway through their performance to drop some lines and generally shake things up a bit.

On their official website, Sugarland referred to their unexpected duet partner as "kick-ass," and I have to say, it really was