Etc. Holiday tunes

Even though they start before Thanksgiving, radio stations never even scratch the surface of all the Christmas music floating out there in the universe. I would love to hear your guesstimate on how many versions of "Silent Night" have been recorded, because my calculation is somewhere close to infinity (I mean, even Willie Nelson has a rendition).

To help you sort through it all, Pandora has an option to create stations that will only play holiday-geared jams. So when you search an artist they pop up twice, once with (Holiday) after their name. Want to hear Christmas music similar to "Wonderful Christmas Time"? Pull up Paul McCartney (Holiday). Easy Peasy. You can still be festive and never have to hear Mariah Carey again*.

One of my favorite x-mas treats is The Kinks' "Father Christmas"--a song completely ignored by radio(most likely for its rollicking realism) but in heavy rotation in my apartment. Check live footage of it below.



Comment with your favorite Christmas cuts. Links are welcome!

*J/K. Mimi+"All I Want For Christmas is You"=Luv 4 Eva.

-- Heather Robertson

Check It. Watch, Listen, Read.

DVD – A Christmas Tale (2008)

The Criterion Collection DVD release of last year’s A Christmas Tale. Catherine Deneuve stars as the matriarch of a troubled family, together at Christmastime. Criterion describes the French film as "an inventive, magical drama that's equal parts merriment and melancholy." The disc includes a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, two documentaries, and the original theatrical trailers. Also included: a booklet featuring an essay by critic Phillip Lopate.

CD – Alison Iraheta’s Just Like You

The youngest, and perhaps most talented “American Idol” Season 8 finalist releases her debut album today with Jive. Iraheta’s standout performances from the season included a beautiful duet of “Time After Time” with Cyndi Lauper and rocking out to “Slow Ride” with Adam Lambert.

BOOK – My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family, and Big Sur by Romney Steele

A book about food (with recipes) and family by the granddaughter of the owners of the famous Big Sur restaurant Nepenthe.
Author event tonight, December 1, at Book Soup. 7:00 p.m.

Book Soup is located at 8818 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins