The December holidays are underway (Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa) and that means that 2020 is quickly approaching, too!
This isn’t exactly a “Random Friday Thoughts”, but we can pretend that it is since there hasn’t been one in almost two months!
Enjoy your weekend and thank you for checking out my thoughts!
CHRISTMAS MAY BE OVER, BUT…
By this time, I know some of you have already taken down your Christmas tree 🎅🎄 and decorations!
To each his and her own, but that truly baffles me — just like watching people buy a tree 🎄 to decorate on the weekend before Christmas! 🎅
There is just something for me about the beauty and serenity of enjoying a lighted tree for months!
Mine went up the first weekend of November and will stay up until the last day of January!
ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL!
Mariah Carey’s commercial for Walkers Crisps is so awesome!
“HUSTLERS” & AN OSCAR NOMINATION FOR JENNIFER LOPEZ?
“Hustlers” was an incredible movie and is based on a true story.
While Constance Wu was amazing and earned top billing in the movie, Jennifer Lopez is definitely the star attraction.
I predict that she’ll definitely hear her name called in the “Best Supporting Actress” category when the Oscar nominations come out.
Cardi B was fun and sassy in her minor role and you definitely see more of Lizzo than I was expecting — both were very sexy!
And, I was surprised that male genitalia made an appearance or two! 🙂
GRADE: A
“GOOD BOYS”
This was the worst movie I saw in 2019!
I knew it was going to be raunchy and expected it to be juvenile. But, seriously, sixth grade boys in today’s internet world are not that clueless when it comes to sex!
Watch the trailer and save 90 minutes of your life and the money for the rental!
GRADE: D
NEW YEAR OPTIMISM
MY FIRST REQUEST FOR (LATE) 2020
While I’m already asking for a lot in planning the #NextChapter and #Pug 2020, if the big man upstairs is listening and taking requests, I have one more — a boyfriend!
Other than a pulse, here are a few requirements:
TWO MUSICAL WISHES FOR 2020
Since the state of country radio is pathetically sad (sexist and ageist, for starters) and will not play new music from Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, and Patty Loveless…
I’d love for Reba, Dolly, and Patty to release an album together just like Loretta Lynn, Dolly and Tammy Wynette did in 1993 with “Honky Tonk Angels”!
By the way, Dolly ended 2019 dancing up the Billboard charts with Galantis and Mr. Probz.
“Faith” was #1 at Dance radio stations!
My other musical wish in 2020 is to see Kylie Minogue in concert!
I was really wanting to see the “Golden Tour”, but it didn’t come to America. However, in early December, Kylie released it on DVD!
And, it’s amazing!
I bought the “Golden” album when it came out in April 2018 and this new combo not only comes with concert DVD, but two CDs of live music from the show!
Since I’m making a wish list, I might as well add another one or two!
In addition to wanting to see Kylie in concert in 2020, I’d also love to see Toni Braxton…
and Vanessa Williams doing a Christmas show — all as Las Vegas residencies!!!!!
Those are the last three of my musical divas I’ve always wanted to see in concert, but haven’t!
Other than the Kylie “Golden Tour” CD/DVD combo, I bought five other albums in 2019.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION”
25 years after the classic “Merry Christmas” was released on November 1, 1994, Mariah Carey re-released the original with one new song on that disc and added a full new disc of previously unreleased material!
The “Deluxe Anniversary Edition” of “Merry Christmas” came out November 1, 2019.
It’s divine! Just look at the track list on the second disc!
And, for the first time ever, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Only one other Christmas song has topped that chart. Back in 1958, Dave Seville and the Chipmunks reached the top for four weeks with “The Chipmunk Song”!
This year, Mariah also released a gorgeous new video directed by Joseph Kahn! It’s phenomenal!
So, “Mariah Christmas” everyone!
“LOVER”
Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album “Lover” came out in August. It’s almost perfect and is my favorite album of new material in 2019.
Along with the hit title track, it features the #2 smashes, “Me” with Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco and “You Need To Calm Down”, Taylor’s love letter to her LGBTQ fans.
My favorite songs from the album are “I Forgot That You Existed”, “The Man”, “I Think He Knows”, “Cornelia Street”, “False God”, “You Need To Calm Down”, and “Afterglow”.
I hope the next single will be “I Forgot That You Existed”!
GRADE: A
“MADAME X”
In June, Madonna released her first new album in four years with “Madame X”.
While Top 40 radio ignored the album, Madonna found continued success in the dance clubs.
“Medellín” (with Colombian hottie Maluma), “I Rise, and “Crave” (with Swae Lee) became her 47th, 48th, and her record-extending 49th number one songs on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
“Crave” also got some play on Adult Contemporary radio and reached #11.
My favorite songs are “Medellín”, “God Control”, “Crave”, “Crazy”, and “I Don’t Search I Find”!
“God Control” is a very powerful and brutal video.
While some were disgusted that the video was so graphic, I’m with Madonna in the “sorry, not sorry” camp!
GRADE: B
“STRONGER THAN THE TRUTH”
Reba McEntire’s latest album, “Stronger Than The Truth, is up for the “Best Country Album” Grammy Award and is one of the most underrated country albums ever!
The spring 2019 release was her first country album in four years.
It debuted at #4 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, which is a great accomplishment since country music radio programmers are pretty much sexist, ageist, and racist in what they play!
Ouch! But, it’s the truth! Look at how many women, women of a certain age, and people of color that are on country radio these days. It wouldn’t take long to count!
Forgive me for deviating from Reba’s new album — her divorce album.
Unlike “MDNA”, Madonna’s 2012 very angry and violent divorce album to her ex, Reba’s album deals with loss and heartbreak, but it does offer some hope and optimism.
On the album, Reba goes back to her 1980s country roots and it kicks off with the fun, upbeat “Swing All Night With You” and then Reba does what she does best.
She rips your heart out on a modern day “Rumor Has It”, the first song that we heard from the new album, the title track.
Heartbreak is what Reba is known for and she does it so well on this album with my two favorite ballads, “Tammy Wynette Kind of Pain” and “The Bar’s Getting Lower”.
Upbeat songs are also a Reba specialty and my absolute favorite song on the album is one of the two tracks on the Target exclusive. Sadly, people that bought the album from amazon or iTunes will miss out on “While You Were Sleeping”.
It starts out sounding like a gentle love song, but quickly turns into a fun kiss off!!!!
My other favorite upbeat songs are “No U In Oklahoma” and “Storm in a Shot Glass”.
I’ve been a die-hard Reba fan since 1990’s “Rumor Has It” album. And, it seems that regardless of what’s going on in my life when a new Reba album comes out, good or bad, there’s a song (or two) on the album that I feel that Reba is singing just to me.
Sadly, it’s a reality check ballad called “The Bar’s Getting Lower”.
Disclaimer: I fully stand behind everything I said about country radio, but, in all fairness, part of the blame for the album’s commercial failure falls back on Reba and the record company.
There was no official video for the single “Freedom” or the title track when it was advanced!
GRADE: B+
“LOVE”
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Michael Buble in concert twice and he’s an amazing performer and vocalist.
If Mariah Carey is the “Queen of Christmas”, I think that Buble should be the “King of Christmas”.
His 2011 album “Christmas”, has already sold 4.3 million copies in the U.S. and was ranked at #24 on the biggest albums of the past decade chart — the highest ranked holiday album!!!
But, his late 2018 release, “Love” (stylized as ❤️ , the red heart emoji), is beautiful.
I’m including it here because I got it in 2019!
You might not recognize Loren Allred, but it was her beautiful voice in “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman” for the Jenny Lind character!
GRADE: B
“LAST CHRISTMAS”
If you’re a fan of Christmas movies, I recommend “Last Christmas”.
It isn’t a perfect movie, by far, but Emilia Clarke is absolutely stunning (funny and heartbreaking) and Henry Golding is still so dreamy. (I’m still swooning after multiple views of “Crazy Rich Asians”!)
There are holes in some story lines and some could have been shortened.
But, you can’t go wrong with a movie that features a George Michael soundtrack, Christmas, love, and the gorgeous Michelle Yeoh!
In a trying, complicated, divisive world, you gotta have faith at Christmas!
GRADE: B
“LAST CHRISTMAS”
George Michael and Wham’s original version of “Last Christmas” is perfect, but here are two of my other favorite versions.
I love the Cascada’s dance version of the song and the gorgeous Christmas setting and the beautiful friends make the video!
And, I absolutely love Darren Hayes’ version!
NOW, ON TO 2020!
As we put the highs and lows of 2019 and the 2010s behind us and look forward to new adventures (and a new president-elect) in 2020, I wish you and yours a very Happy News Year!
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Anthony
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