On Christmas Day

Home for the holidays means a lot of things for me. It means playing games and eating too much food, opening presents and, this year, throwing pop culture into the mix.

The game my family played this year was "Scene It: Music," which included questions from all genres of music. Everyone thought I'd have the unfair advantage, but there were plenty of questions I couldn't answer. This Christmas also was a weekend of me trying to get my family to watch the hilarious Justin Timberlake video from "Saturday Night Live."

It seems my love of pop culture really has become a holiday tradition. Another example was the fact my family and I sat up late on Christmas Eve watching E! The network was playing clips of celebrities from red carpet events throughout the year. The clips were set to a number of pop holiday tunes. We all sat around the television making snotty comments like, 'What was she thinking?" It really did give a new meaning to Christmas.

A new blog

I started a new blog tonight as I expect to soon start a new project. Check out the new blog here.

Donald vs. Rosie: Round 1-4

It's been quite a week for the Donald and Rosie the offender. These two talking heads seem to take themselves a little too seriously. Well, actually, I think it's just Donald Trump taking himself too seriously.

I'm not saying I'm taking Rosie's side, but the fat jokes Donald is throwing around are a little too harsh. Sure Rosie insulted the hair, but, c'mon, Donald's bad hair is more famous than he may ever be. And he knows that. As far as his failed marriages, well, I'm not going to speculate there. But I love this back and forth fighting. Keep it up, please.

Both Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump need to realize this is what they need at this point in their respective "careers." Both of them had been sort of going South in the time leading up to this dispute. Way to get some media attention.

In case you're reading this and you have no clue what I'm talking about (which means you've been hiding under a big, fat rock), well, here's a link to a story.

Oh how I love Sarah Silverman

There are plenty of reasons to love this actress/comedian, but this is one that will get you in the spirit of the season ... the Hanukkah season.

Holidays on TV

This time of year always brings out the holiday-themed shows. The last two I watched were Sunday night's episode of "Brothers & Sisters" and, earlier tonight, I caught "How I Met Your Mother." Two very different ideas, but both had Christmas decorations on the set.

That made me think of all the other shows that always have and/or had great holiday episodes. "Roseanne" and "The Simpsons" are known for their Halloween episodes, and "Friends" always had the best Thanksgiving-themed shows.

I'm not sure what it is about the holiday themes, but those episodes seem to be some of my favorites. There's something about adding a holiday into the script that makes it more memorable. Could it have something to do with the fact the holidays are a time when memories are made? I'm not sure. It's just something I was thinking about tonight.

An open letter to Christina Aguilera

Dear Christina,

I am writing you this holiday season to say "sorry." I made a mistake several years ago when your holiday CD, "My Kind of Christmas," was released.

You see, I wrote a negative review about the holiday offering. Now, six years later, I realize it is almost* my favorite Christmas CD. So far this year, I have listened to the CD more than almost* any other Christmas CD in my oddly vast collection of holiday jams.

As I sit here listening to your version of "Angels We Have Heard on High," I realize I must have been having a bad day back when I wrote that negative review. I did give you mad props because, well, you are an amazing singer, and I always have been a big fan. I own all of your CDs, and I watch "The E! True Hollywood Story" about you every time it comes on.

But my negative review came with the fact I just thought it was all too cheesy, even for the princess pop you had made so popular at that time. Your amazing talent was lost, I thought. The truth is, I couldn't get past (and really still can't) the fact the 10th track on the CD is called "Xtina's Xmas."

It's just too much. I'm not talking for religious reasons, either. But Xtina AND Xmas? Seriously, that's just too cheesy.

So, I write to say I'm sorry. I can't wait to see what you do next. You're a brilliant artist and an amazing talent and, even though you've made some mistakes, at least you haven't turned out to be as tragic as Britney. Go Mouseketeers!

Until next time, keep on adding an extra "r" to dirty. That one I'll let slide.


Cheers!

Reed

*"Merry Christmas" from Mariah Carey is the holiday CD that I love more than any other. That "All I Want for Christmas Is You" business really gets me in the spirit.

Billboard and breaking up

I had intentions of blogging last night about the Billboard Music Awards as they happened. But, much like the American Music Awards, the show was pretty underwhelming. A good chunk of the performances were not what I wanted them to be. Maybe my expectations are just too much. Mary J. Blige was incredible, though. She was a definite highlight. That's about all I have to say about the show, though.

In other celebrity news, the Hollywood couples just can't keep it together. Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody now are split, and the same apparently is true for Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm tired of celebrity news being all about relationships that end. It's really ruining Christmas.

Why only a day?

Today is December 3, which means I'm two days late for writing my World AIDS Day blog. Or, maybe I'm just making myself an example for the point I'd like to prove.

I understand the reason for awareness days, weeks and months, and there certainly are a lot of them. There are days, weeks and months of awareness for anything and everything you can imagine. Today, for example, marks the final day in Travelers With Disabilities Awareness Week. No kidding.

Friday, however, marked a more talked about awareness day -- World AIDS Day. For that one day, Google posted a red ribbon on its home page and people around the world shared stories about the seriousness of a disease that 40 million people around the globe live with today.

Let me say it, again. 40 million people. It's a lot. In fact, it's such a huge statistic, it's almost impossible to comprehend. That should help explain the magnitude of the problem. This is why I think it takes more than a day of conversation to explain the need for more care, concern and funding to battle this monster.

Last year at this time I was helping co-produce an awareness and fund-raising event to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a two-part organization that offers assistance to performers living with HIV/AIDS. It's a charity I, obviously, believe in very much, and it was an amazing experience working on the event.

Broadway stars, including Maureen McGovern, offered their talent as part of a concert of holiday music that was the centerpiece for fundraising. A good amount of money was raised from the concert but, more important, a significant amount of awareness was raised just by having the event.

As I looked around the room the night of the production, I got goosebumps. I was standing in a theater full of people -- a handful of them I knew were infected with HIV themselves -- I realized for the first time just how much bigger this disease was than I ever considered.

Sure I read the statistics, and I had learned a lot more during the organization of this particular event. But something came over me that night as I saw a crowd of people gathered to support BC/EFA, which is one of hundreds of targeted AIDS-related organizations out there.

So, in this time of year when giving seems to be easier for many folks, consider supporting an AIDS organization. There are plenty of gifts available (including a BC/EFA holiday CD) that will help you cross a name off your shopping list and help further the awareness and search for a cure.

And, just for the sake of giving, try supporting another AIDS-related organization in the coming months. After all, AIDS isn't just a problem on World AIDS Day.