Music

Elton John's Christmas Commercial Is an Emotional Experience. James Corden summed it up best on Twitter: "Holy s--t. This commercial." Overnight, John Lewis & Partners released a Christmas commercial starring Elton John. Titled "The Boy and the Piano," this year's story "is about the power of a gift," the company said in a statement. "And how that gift inspired, changed and influenced the course of a little boy's life. The film begins in present day and works backwards chronologically through Elton's life right until the moment on Christmas morning when he received the special gift that changed his life." Lasting a little over two minutes, the commercial begins with the 71-year-old living legend playing the piano at home. It follows him as he plays his smash "Your Song" at various points in his life -- in stadium arenas, private planes, recording studios, school auditoriums and other venues. Each era features a different recording, so fans can appreciate his musical evolution. John said it was a "pleasure" to star in the ad, telling his Instagram followers, "Hope you enjoy." John Lewis & Partners cast some impressive look-alikes to play John in his younger years, but it's a wonder they didn't reach out to Taron Egerton, who plays the artist in 2019's Rocketman. As Jamie Foxx, Egerton's co-star in Robin Hood, told E! News over the weekend, "Taron's amazing. Taron's got the pipes, man. He was amazing. He's multitalented, man. He's amazing!" (Eonline)

Katy Perry's New Song "Cozy Little Christmas" Will Get You in the Holiday Spirit. Christmas came early this year for Katy Perry. The singer released a brand-new song for the holidays on Thursday called "Cozy Little Christmas." The song, which was co-written by Perry and Ferras Alqais, is all about not getting too caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and enjoying the season with the ones you love. It also reflects on the holiday celebrations she enjoyed with her family in Denmark. And if Perry's main man, Orlando Bloom, is still wondering what to get the 13-time Grammy nominee, he may want to pay extra close attention to the lyrics. "I don't need diamonds, no sparkly things...'Cause you can't buy this feeling," she croons at one point. "Nothing lights my fire or wraps me up, baby, like you do. Just want a cozy, a cozy little Christmas here with you." She later adds, "I don't need anything. Take back all the Cartier, and the Tiffany's and the Chanel. Well, can I keep that Chanel, please?" Perry was clearly excited about the song's release and tweeted out the new track. "For all my friends secretly buying their tree already, SURPRISE! Christmas comes early!" part of her post read. To hear a teaser of the track, check out the Instagram post. Fans can also listen to the full version via Amazon Music. (Eonline)

Garth Brooks and the 2018 CMA Awards Pay Tribute to Borderline Shooting Victims. Wednesday night's 2018 CMA Awards is dedicated to a few very special fans. As this evening's live broadcast kicked off, Garth Brooks appeared on stage with an important message for viewers at home. "I'm Garth brooks, and on behalf of our country music community, I want to say that tonight's show is lovingly dedicated to the 12 individuals who we lost far too soon just a week ago tonight at the Borderline in Thousand Oaks, Calif.," he explained. "Tonight, let's celebrate their lives." He continued, "Let the music unite us with love in their enduring memory. So please, join me now in a moment of silence." Soon after, Garth took off his cowboy hat as the camera panned to the Bridgestone Arena audience. Luke Bryan would then proceed with the show by opening the night with one of his biggest hits. "All right, CMAs. Let's do what we do," he shared. "And let's be proud of what makes us country tonight." On November 7, a gunman opened fire at Borderline Bar and Grill in Southern California. Many of the victims were students who were enjoying country college night at the popular venue. Ultimately, Wednesday night will be all about country music as Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley return as co-hosts. Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Keith Urban and Thomas Rhett are just some of the music superstars scheduled to perform. And yes, Chris Stapleton leads the way with five nominations. The 2018 CMA Awards air Sunday night at 8 p.m. only on ABC. (Eonline)

Trisha Yearwood Was Nervous About Hearing Garth Brooks' New Song for the First Time. Surprise! Garth Brooks performed his new song "Stronger Than Me" at the 2018 CMA Awards on Wednesday, which marked the first time not only fans got to hear the track, but also his wife of almost 13 years and fellow country star Trisha Yearwood. "I need like a Kleenex endorsement and waterproof mascara, apparently," she told E! News' Carissa Culiner on the red carpet before the award ceremony. "Everybody he's played it for has cried, and I have not heard it. And I think probably most people think, 'Oh, she's probably heard it. I have not heard it, so I'm a little nervous." "I'm excited, I'm nervous from everything and just hope the song hits her the way it hit me," Brooks told E! News. "'Cause the first time I heard it, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, this is a song I've been looking for my whole time with her, so I hope she feels the same." Both Brooks, 56, and Yearwood, 54, got emotional during his performance. Yearwood was seen watching her husband from the audience and blowing him a kiss. (Eonline)

Nicole Kidman is one proud wife! Less than an hour after her husband Keith Urban won the coveted Entertainer of the Year award at Wednesday night's CMA Awards in Nashville, the actress, 51, wrote a sweet congratulatory message to him on Instagram. "What a night! We were so shocked. Congratulations baby. #CMAAwards ????" she captioned the boomerang video of herself holding the award card over her face and unfolding it to reveal Urban's name inside. After his name was announced on Tuesday, a tearful Urban, 51, took the stage to accept the award, while his wife shed some tears of her own in the audience. "Thank you so much," Urban said. "Baby girl, I love you so much. I am shocked." He then referenced their two children, Faith, 7, and Sunday, 10 (whom he affectionately referred to as "Munchkin"). "Thank you for supporting me and loving me through all that I do," he continued. "Thank you for supporting Daddy. You make it all worthwhile." The country star went on to thank his fans, country radio, and his late father, who died of cancer in 2015. "I wish my dad was alive to see this but I think he's watching over me tonight," he said. "I am very grateful that I get to do what I do." Urban beat out fellow artists Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton ,and Kenny Chesney for the coveted title. He was also nominated in two other categories: Male Vocalist of the Year, which ultimately went to Chris Stapleton, and Album of the Year for Graffiti U, which was awarded to Kacey Musgraves. And earlier in the night, Urban performed his hit song, "Never Comin' Down." Kidman has been her husband's biggest supporter, often tagging along to his concerts, awards shows, and even collaborating with him on a special duet of his feminist-inspiring song "Female." The couple is known for being extra lovey-dovey on special occasions. Most recently, Kidman shared a photo of the duo cuddling up alongside a half-eaten chocolate cake in celebration of the country singer's 51st birthday. "You're so loved Keith Lionel. Happy birthday baby!" she captioned the image on Instagram, tagging the restaurant responsible for "#keithsfavouritecake." And on the Big Little Lies star's birthday in June, Urban celebrated her big day with an acapella performance of "Happy Birthday" on stage at the Country USA Festival in Wisconsin. "What a gift \ my husband and everyone at @officialcusa Oshkosh WI singing me Happy Birthday!!" Kidman captioned a video of Urban. The 52nd annual CMA Awards air Wednesday, Nov. 14 from Nashville at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. (People)

Luke Combs on Winning New Artist of the Year at 2018 CMA Awards: 'I'm a Lucky Guy'. Luke Combs spoke with Billboard's Taylor Weatherby backstage at the 2018 CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 14), chatting about winning new artist of the year on the night. "It's been surprising, for sure," Combs said of his win. "I did not expect to come home with any hardware, but here we are, and I'm a lucky guy." Despite the fact that he doesn't get easily flustered, the singer admits that this win left him feeling just that. "It was a genuinely surprising, flustering, humbling, awesome, incredible, unreal dream," he told Billboard. "I didn't put a speech together because I wanted to go up there and say what I was really feeling. And, I hope I didn't embarrass myself up there, but I'll tell ya what, it means a whole lot." Asked if there was anything he forgot to say in his acceptance speech that he would like to mention now, Combs noted that he wants to thank all of his high school friends for supporting him, even though back then, it seemed like a crazy dream. But they never told him that. Combs also discussed his upcoming headlining tour in 2019, mentioning that it's already sold out and he might need to add a few more shows. "We're really excited about the new challenges in 2019," he shared, "And getting out there and making a name for ourselves. Looking forward to it." (Billboard)

How Mariah Carey's Glitter Album Finally Topped the iTunes Chart. Justice for Glitter has finally been served. It was nearly two decades ago that Mariah Carey's ill-fated film, Glitter, and accompanying album of the same name were released. As the story goes, the musical drama was a big flop, tanking at the box office and panned by critics. It was a difficult time for the star personally as she had been hospitalized for what was a described as a "physical and emotional breakdown" two months earlier. It was also a tragic time in the United States, as the film came out shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks. In regard to the album, it was Carey's least commercially successful one at the time and peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 chart, a significant drop as compared with her previous top-ranking records. Thanks to her devoted fans, however, the album has since reemerged 17 years later at the top of a different chart -- the iTunes chart. After launching a #JusticeforGlitter social media campaign, Carey's fans have been promoting and supporting the album all month and reaped the fruits of their musical labor this week when the album soared to number one. "I have to dedicate today's #tbt to Glitter, which is currently #1 on the iTunes albums chart, 17 years after its release and on the eve of my new album release! My fans are THE BEST," Carey wrote online on Thursday. "#JusticeForGlitter!! LET'S GO #CAUTION." The campaign has also been running ahead of Carey's 15th studio album release, Caution, due out on Friday. (Eonline)

Miranda Lambert Says She "Had to Sing With Someone With a Penis" to Get a No. 1 Hit. Miranda Lambert is opening up about her career in a candid new interview about chart disparity. The country superstar has had an incredible career so far, with two Grammys, a series of successful tours and millions of fans around the world. But prior to this summer, Lambert hadn't had a No. 1 hit on the radio since 2014. That all changed just months ago when Lambert and Jason Aldean's song "Drowns the Whiskey" reached No. 1 status. "Yes, I had to sing with someone with a penis to get a number one," Lambert recently told the The Washington Post. "I do like this person, Jason Aldean, a lot...so it was a great song with an old friend." "It is interesting that I haven't had even a Top 20 in a long, long time. And then it goes No. 1 because it's a dude," Lambert continued. "But you know -- if we went and looked at how many singles or records were sold for the Top 10 songs right now, I'd probably triple it on record sales. So it doesn't matter." "Drowns the Whiskey" was released in May and reached No. 1 in August. Lambert and Aldean are set to perform the hit song on Wednesday night at the 2018 CMA Awards, which will be hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. "Drowns the Whiskey" is also nominated for Single of the Year and Musical Event of the Year at the award show, being held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Lambert is also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year. The 2018 CMA Awards air Nov. 14, 2018 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. (Eonline)

John Lennon's killer says he feels more shame every year. The man who gunned down John Lennon in 1980 says he feels "more and more shame" every year for his crime. Mark David Chapman told a parole board in August about his remorse during his 10th unsuccessful attempt to win release. A transcript of the hearing was released Thursday by New York prison officials. The now 63-year-old Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in the Wende (WEHN'-dee) Correctional Facility in New York. He shot and killed the former Beatle outside his Manhattan apartment on Dec. 8, 1980. Chapman told parole board members that Lennon was "incredible" to him earlier that day when he autographed an album. Chapman says he thinks about that every day. The state Board of Parole denied Chapman's release in August. (PageSix)

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