Mariah Carey Appears Alongside Her Twins in new The Children’s Place Holiday Campaign

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is helping children get into the holiday spirit… And she’s getting an assist for her own kids.

The 54-year-old half-Venezuelan American actress, the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas, has teamed up with The Children’s Place to help the public get excited about the upcoming holidays.

Carey and her twins, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, star in the final installment of the brand’s three-part holiday campaign, released on Tuesday, October 17.

Carey poses alongside her adorable twins outfitted in looks from The Children’s Place’s new holiday collection. And it’s the first time that Carey and her children have appeared together in a joint campaign.

“The holidays are all about family – spending time with each other and making memories that will last a lifetime. Holiday traditions are big for us at the Carey house. There is nothing sweeter than baking Christmas cookies and cuddling around the fireplace and matching in The Children’s Place pajamas together!” Carey said in a statement.

“I’ve always been a fan of The Children’s Place … they are a household name and dominate the children’s apparel space. Also, as someone who absolutely loves the holidays, and specifically, Christmas, I’ve been watching what The Children’s Place has been doing for the last few years and they have my stamp of approval for the place to shop for all matching family Christmas pajamas and outfits!”

The Children’s Place campaign also includes a visual element: “An Iconic Holiday: Part 3” — a commercial soundtracked by Carey’s holiday anthem “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” In the video, Carey and her kids wear Mama Claus and Santa’s Helper graphic tees while decorating a Christmas tree, and “We Are Family” matching family pajamas while baking Christmas cookies.

The Children’s Place’s new campaign also showcases Carey in a custom red velour, strapless A-line dress that inspired “The Dress by Mariah Carey” — a limited-edition gown designed by the music icon herself. The dress retails for $149.99 exclusively at childrensplace.com.

Carey’s dress comes complete with a plaid, oversized bow in the back that matches The Children’s Place’s signature family holiday plaid collection worn by Moroccan and Monroe.

The Children’s Place’s three-part holiday campaign pays homage to millennial nostalgia with former boy band members AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC’s Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men and Snoop Dogg.

Carey, meanwhile, is gearing up to return to the stage for the holidays — her busiest and favorite time of the year.

The music icon, who released a holiday book titled The Christmas Spirit: The Adventures of Little Mariah last year, recently announced Merry Christmas One And All!, a round of holiday shows launching on November 15 in Highland, California.

The singer will make stops in Montreal, Chicago, New York and other cities including two nights in Los Angeles. Carey added a second date to her stop at the Hollywood Bowl and will now perform on November 17 and November 19.

Netflix to Premiere “The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday Featuring Anthony Ramos, in November

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Anthony Ramos is preparing for a Bad holiday season…

Netflix will premiere the animated half-hour special The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday, featuring the 31-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer and Broadway star as part of the voice cast, on November 30.

The special is a prequel to the 2022 hit animated film The Bad Guys.

Based on a children’s graphic novel series, the The Bad Guys film follows a group of anthropomorphic criminals, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark and Mr. Piranha, voiced respectively by Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson and Ramos.

After getting caught, Mr. Wolf makes a play to escape prison time by claiming that the group wants a chance to reform themselves into good guys. Though it starts as a ruse, Mr. Wolf soon finds himself excited by the opportunity to better himself.

The film grossed more than $250 million worldwide and was the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2022.

In the prequel, set before the events of the feature, there’s nothing the Bad Guys love more than Christmas morning — because while everyone is home opening presents, it’s the perfect time to execute their citywide holiday heist. But when Christmas is unexpectedly canceled, the Bad Guys must do the unthinkable: reignite the city’s holiday spirit by giving instead of taking.

The voice cast includes Michael Godere as Wolf, Ezekiel Ajeigbe as Shark, Raul Ceballos as Piranha, Chris Diamantopoulos as Snake, Mallory Low as Tarantula, Zehra Fazal as Tiffany Fluffit, Keith Silverstein as Gary, Shaved Ice Vendor and Kari Wahlgren as DJ Trudy Tude.

Bret Haaland directs and executive produces with Katherine Nolfi.

José Feliciano Officially Honored with National Medal of Arts

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

José Feliciano is officially a medalist…

Following a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 77-year-old Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer has finally received his 2021 National Medal of Arts prize.

President Joe Biden doled out medals to the National Medal of Arts recipients, as well as the 2021 National Humanities Medal honorees.

The White House hosted a livestreamed East Room ceremony on Tuesday for the recipients, who included Mindy Kaling, Gladys Knight, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bruce Springsteen and fashion designer Vera Wang. Feliciano was unable to attend the event as he’s in Hawaii after performances on the West Coast.

Feliciano was born blind as a result of glaucoma. His family moved to New York City’s Spanish Harlem when he was five years old, and he fell in love with music and playing the accordion and the guitar. While in high school, he played as a regular at a Greenwich Village coffeehouse. He eventually dropped out of high school and moved to Detroit to take a more permanent singing gig, and soon after was signed with RCA Records. He is most known for his bilingual Christmas song, “Feliz Navidad” which has been named among the most popular holiday songs of all time.

According to Billboard, Feliciano has two top-10 hits in his career and 11 top-100 songs. Feliciano is also a seven-time Grammy award winner.

The NEA website writes the decision to honor Feliciano came from his tenure in the music industry, saying “Over 60 years, 60 albums, and 600 songs, Jose Feliciano has opened hearts and built bridges — overcoming obstacles, never losing faith, and enriching the goodness and greatness of the Nation.”

The honorees received their awards about two years late due to a backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

First lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also attended the ceremony, which Biden opened with a speech filled with quips about the honorees.

The recipients of the National Medals of Arts – the highest honor from the United States government for advancing the country’s arts – include actors, comedians and singers. Other recipients were artist-activist Judith Francisca Baca, philanthropist Fred Eychaner, Puerto Rican painter Antonio Martorell-Cardona and film producer Joan Shigekawa.

The Billie Holiday Theatre and The International Association of Blacks in Dance also received medals.

The National Humanities Medal honors those who have improved Americans’ understanding and engagement with history, literature, philosophy and more humanities subjects.

The 2021 recipients are poet Richard Blanco, anthropologist Johnnetta Betsch Cole, author Walter Isaacson, social historian Earl Lewis, Native American studies academic Henrietta Mann, novelist Ann Patchett, activist Bryan Stevenson, novelist Amy Tan, memoirist Tara Westover and novelist Colson Whitehead, as well as the organization Native America Calling.

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias to Star on Season Two of Disney+’s “The Santa Clauses”

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a case of clause and effect for Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias.

The 46-year-old Mexican American comedian/actor is joining the cast of Disney+‘s The Santa Clauses as a series regular.

Iglesias will play Kris Kringle, the owner and operator of a Christmas-themed amusement park called Santaland. Sweet, happy, and perpetually-optimistic, Kris is a warm, generous soul who is determined to keep his struggling theme park afloat. However, his belief in Santa and love for all things Christmas may not be enough.

In the second season, the Calvin family is back in the North Pole as Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) continues his role as Santa Claus after retirement plans were thwarted when failing to find a worthy successor in season one. Now that Scott and his family have successfully saved Christmas, Scott turns his focus towards training his son Calvin to eventually take over the family business as Santa Claus.

Also returning as series regulars in season two are Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. Claus/Carol, Elizabeth Allen-Dick as Sandra Calvin Claus, Austin Kane as Cal Calvin Claus, and Devin Bright as Santa’s elf bestie Noel. Matilda Lawler will reprise her role of Santa’s chief of staff, Betty, as a recurring guest star.

Additional guest stars include newcomer Marta Kessler as Olga, a surly, take-no-prisoners gnome who is a sidekick to Magnus Antas (Eric Stonestreet), aka The Mad Santa; along with returning guest stars Liam Kyle as Gary, Isabella Bennett as Edie, Sasha Knight as Crouton, Ruby Jay as Riley, Mia Lynn Bangunan as Pontoon, and Laura San Giacomo as La Befana, the Christmas Witch.

Jack Burditt will continue as executive producer and showrunner, while Kevin Hench, Richard Baker and Rick Messina will serve as executive producers along with Jason Winer and Jon Radler for Small Dog Picture Company.

The Disney Branded Television series is produced by 20th Television.

Iglesias recently became the second highest grossing touring comedian and is one of the most watched comedians on YouTube with over 1.1 billion views and over 25 million fans on social media.

His acting credits include Mr. Iglesias, Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, A Haunted House and Smurfs: The Lost Village.

Antonio Banderas to Star in Sony Affirm’s Untitled, Nativity-Themed Holiday Musical

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderas is preparing to spread holiday cheer…

The 62-year-old Spanish actor will star in Sony Affirm’s upcoming untitled holiday musical centered around the Nativity.

Banderas, who will star as King Herod, will appear opposite Fiona Palomo as Mary and Milo Manheim as Joseph.

The film is currently in production with Monarch Media on the coast of Spain for a November 10 theatrical release.

Music producer Adam Anders is making his feature directorial debut and wrote the script along with Peter Barsocchini and wrote the music with Nikki Anders and Peer Astrom.

Here’s the logline: A young woman carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man torn between love and honor. A jealous king who will stop at nothing to keep his crown. This live-action Christmas musical celebration for the entire family, weaves classic Christmas melodies into new pop songs in a music-infused retelling of the timeless story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus.

Filling out the cast are Moriah, Stephanie Gil, 4x Grammy award-winning Joel Smallbone from the pop duo FOR KING + COUNTRY as King Herod’s son, Antipater and multiple Grammy award-winning Lecrae as Gabriel, Rizwan Manji as Gaspar, Geno Seagers as Balthazar, and Omid Djalili as Melchior.

“This joyous and fresh take on Mary and Joseph’s journey, combined with infectious music and insanely passionate vision of Adam Anders made this an undeniable fit for Affirm Films and Sony Pictures to come alongside and help turn this amazing story into a Christmas classic that will resound with young children, families, teens and adults” said Rich Peluso, EVP and Head of Affirm Films.

“We’ve been amazed at Adam’s ability to tell the widely known story of Mary, Joseph and a jealous king in a way that feels fresh and contemporary, like you’ve never heard it before.” says Alan Powell of Monarch Media.

Justin Quiles Teams Up with Myke Towers for New Single “Whiskey y Coco”

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Justin Quiles is back with new music…

The 32-year-old Puerto Rican singer has joined voices with Myke Towers for the new single “Whiskey y Coco,” which could become this year’s anthem for ladies.

Released via Warner Music Latina, the track was produced by BK, Dimelo Flow and Slow Mike.

The new track merges classic reggaeton beats with synthetic sounds, in an anthem that is both vibrant and catchy. The song gets its title from one of Justin’s favorite drink combinations that’s extremely popular in Puerto Rico.

The track also celebrates the beauty of all women as depicted in the visuals.

“Whiskey y Coco” is anchored by Justin Quiles’ singular voice coupled with Myke Towers’ unparalleled flow.

“Last year was such an incredible year for me in many ways creatively and professionally. I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than to release this track that my good friend and collaborator Myke Towers and I have worked so hard on. I’m ready for everyone to see and hear what we have in store for 2023,” said Justin Quiles.

“For me, doing this track with Justin was an honor because he is one of the most respected songwriters in the game, as well as being an artist. We had never been able to collaborate on a song before, so I hope this song will be a classic and a crowd pleaser. It is the first time that El Young King and La Nueva Promesa get together and in the song you can feel the essence of Puerto Rico very strongly!” said Myke Towers.

Filmed in Puerto Rico, the official music video stars both reggaeton superstars in a dynamic visual story set against lush landscapes. The dreamy cinematography transports viewers to green open fields and whimsical beaches. The video features a diverse cast of women in a celebration of female beauty and empowerment. Known also for being a fashion trendsetter, Justin Quiles wears a variety of clothing that enhances the visual storytelling.

“Whiskey y Coco” comes shortly after the release of his rendition of Juan Gabriel’s “Así Fue,” and his tropical Christmas hit “Alegría.”

Mariah Carey Crowns First 2023 Billboard Hot 100 Chart with “All I Want for Christmas Is You”

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s Christmas in January for Mariah Carey…

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, despite the latest data tracking week reflecting four days after Christmas Day (Dec. 23-29).

The track now extends its lifetime reign for a 12th total week.

It leads for a fourth week this holiday season – the most over any Yuletide season since it began topping the tally annually over the holidays in December 2019.

The song also becomes the second holiday hit to reign for four consecutive weeks, and the first in 64 years, after “The Chipmunk Song,” by David Seville & the Chipmunks, spent four frames at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

Carey’s “Christmas,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings, was first released on her album Merry Christmas in 1994. As streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, the song first reached the Hot 100’s top 10 in December 2017 and first hit the top five in the 2018 holiday season, before leading over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three) and this season (a single-season-best four).

Carey’s “Christmas” drew 46.9 million streams (down 4%) and 24.6 million radio airplay audience impressions (down 38%) and sold 6,000 downloads (down 47%) in the U.S. Dec. 23-29, according to Luminate.

Up to 12 total weeks, Carey’s “Christmas” expands its record for the most time atop the Hot 100 for a holiday song. The only other seasonal single to lead, “The Chipmunk Song,” by David Seville & the Chipmunks, spent, as noted above, four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

The two songs now share the mark for the most consecutive frames atop the Hot 100 – four each – for a Yuletide title, as well as the most in any singular holiday season.

With this week’s Hot 100 dated January 7, 2023, Carey’s “Christmas” is the first song to lead Hot 100 charts dated in five distinct years (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and now 2023). No other song has reigned in more than two individual years.

Carey has now placed at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in a record-extending 19 distinct years (per Hot 100 chart dates): 1990-2000, 2005-06, 2008 and, thanks to “Christmas,” 2019-23.

Carey becomes the second artist, and first woman, with three songs that have topped the Hot 100 for 12 or more weeks each. She joins Boyz II Men for the honor – with Carey and the group having teamed for one song contributing to the feat.

Carey’s “Christmas” extends the longest span from a song’s first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 to its latest, to over three years and two weeks (Dec. 21, 2019-Jan. 7, 2023).

Plus, the latest week atop the Hot 100 for “Christmas” stretches Carey’s record for the longest span of an artist ranking at No. 1 on the chart to 32 years and five months, dating to her first week atop the list dated Aug. 4, 1990, with her debut single “Vision of Love.”

With “Christmas,” Carey adds her record-extending 91st week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades, dating to her first week on top with “Vision of Love.” “Christmas” is additionally the only title to have led in four separate runs on the survey.

She concurrently crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 57th week, of the chart’s 62 total weeks since the list originated in 2011. It has led the list for 42 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data.

Willy Chirino Celebrates Half-Century Spanning Music Career with Release of “Sigo Pa’lante”

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Willy Chirino is celebrating his 50-year music career with new music.

The 75-year-old Cuban singer-songwriter behind salsa classics like “Medias Negras” and “Pobre Diabla” has released Sigo Pa’lante, his first studio album in more than a decade.

With reggaetón becoming more and more popular, Chirino was taking his time to study the landscape before releasing the album in December.

“There was a transition in music after my last album that was very dramatic,” he explains to Billboard Español about his hiatus. But the 50th anniversary, with all the fanfare and the news surrounding it, was the perfect occasion to release the album he’d been working on for the past three years.

Chirino wasn’t hibernating — in recent years he’d released an album of traditional Latin American songs with his wife Lissette (Amarraditos), two Christmas albums (Llegó la Navidad and Willy & Lissette Navidad En Familia) and other covers sets (My Favorites and My Beatles Heart) — Sigo Pa’lante is his first project of new music since 2008’s Pa’lante.

Composed of 12 tracks, it opens with the joyous “Imagínate” and includes collaborations with Gilberto Santa Rosa (on the first single “La Música”), Leoni Torres (“Para Mi Viejo”), El Chacal (the album’s title track), Lissette (“Mi Corazón Es Un Pueblo”) and his daughter Jesse (“Agua De Marzo,” a cover of the Brazilian classic “Aguas De Marzo” by Antonio Carlos Jobim).

It closes with an anthem of freedom for Cuba, “Que Se Vaya Ya,” a song as energetic as it is emotional, released in September 2021 with contributions from Lenier, Micha, Chacal, Osmani García and Srta. Dayana.

“Let them take all the bad things/ Let them go, let them go/ We can’t take the beatings anymore/ Let them leave now/ Because the people suffer and keep quiet/ Let them go, let them go/ Let them take the shrapnel/ Let them go now ”, they sing in Spanish.

Chirino, in fact, dedicates Sigo Pa’lante to his fans in Cuba, where he says that people continue to listen to his songs “despite all the mishaps they have suffered to do so.”

“They’ve paid a price that is not monetary, because listening to my music for a long time was totally prohibited,” the artist continues, adding that “when they found them listening, [the authorities] beat them, imprisoned them, took their boomboxes away. In other words, they were mistreated simply for the fact of listening to my music. So that for me has a special recognition”.

Although he clarifies that his songs are not currently banned in his native country, he says that his anti-Castro stance has made him persona non grata, and that his requests to perform in the island have never been answered.

Chirino debuted in 1974 with the album One Man Alone, and has released more than twenty albums since — but his career began earlier, as part of different bands and orchestras. The 50th anniversary dates back to 1972, when he says he began to use his own name when creating music as a solo artist.

On the Billboard charts, he’s scored 13 entries on the Tropical Albums listing, seven of which reached the top 10. He’s also had six entries on the Hot Latin Songs chart, two on Latin Airplay, and two on Top Latin Albums.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” Tops Billboard Global Charts in First 2023 List

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

The world is still Mariah Carey‘s (holiday) stage…

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” leads the first all-holiday top 10 on the Billboard Global 200 chart and tops the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey.

Carey’s insta-classic holiday song adds a 13th total week at No. 1 on the former and an eighth week atop the latter, dating to the charts’ inceptions two years ago.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 with 124.9 million streams (up 16%) and 12,000 sold (down 31%) worldwide in the December 23-29 tracking week.

The modern holiday classic, released in 1994, adds a 13th week at the summit, and a single-season-best fifth frame this holiday season, after it led for four weeks each over the 2021 and 2020 holidays.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” keeps atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 82.8 million streams (up 27%) and 6,000 downloads sold (essentially even week-over-week) in territories outside the U.S. Dec.ember 23-29.

The song scores an eighth total week at No. 1, and a single-season-high fourth frame this Yuletide season, after it ruled for three weeks over last year’s holidays and for a week during the 2020 holiday season.

The two global charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” Earns Second Week at No. 1 in Australia

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is still a darling Down Under…

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer, the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas, lives up to her nickname as her enduring holiday classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” rings in Christmas as the No. 1 single in Australia.

Carey’s single, released in 1994, earns a second consecutive week at the top Down Under, and a fifth year at No. 1 during the Christmas week, ARIA reports.

Although it’s peak summer in Australia, a time when Aussies head to the beach en masse, those wintry yuletide classics dominate playlists in these parts, a fact that’s reflected by both main ARIA Charts.

Four of the top 10 singles on the chart published December 23 are Christmas numbers, including Wham’s “Last Christmas” (up 6-3), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” (up 11-5), Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (up 12-7) and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (up 15-8), while Bobby Helms’ ‘50s tune Jingle Bell Rock lifts 19-14. Also, Xmas singles from Kelly Clarkson, Andy Williams, The Ronettes, Band Aid, Sia, John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band and Burl Ives impact the top 40.

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