NEW YORK - Messages and wishes for the new year from people around the world will float down on the New Year's Eve revelers in Times Square when the confetti is dropped.What a fabulous idea!
For the first time, anyone can get a message printed on a piece of the multicolored confetti by visiting the Times Square Information Center or by using the Internet to type a message on a "Wishing Wall Online" — http://tinyurl.com/2c5efd.
The message-carrying pieces will be mixed among the more than one ton of confetti, organizers said.
Messages can be serious or silly, said Tim Tompkins, a spokesman for the Times Square Alliance, which organizes the party.
Being carded means I will come up with two wish lists-one that is materialistic and one that is spiritual.And so, here are my lists:
Here are the rules:
1. Each player starts with 5 gifts that they would want for the New Year.
2. People who are “CARDED” need to write their own Blog about their 5 things & post these rules.
3. At the end of your Blog, you need to choose 5 people to get “CARDED” and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a COMMENT telling them they’re “CARDED”, and to read your Blog.
Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, meet the King of Christmas.(Emphasis added)
Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains stood out as the final marquee release of the year, but Josh Groban's record-breaking holiday run proved to be the soul singer's spoiler. For the week ended Sunday, Groban's Noël bounced back Blige and extended its chart-topping reign to five straight weeks selling another 757,000 copies, according to recent SoundScan numbers.
Groban now claims the year's second-best sales week, trailing only Kanye West's 957,000-copy Graduation bow, and the album's current 3.5 million tally keeps Noël on target to become the bestselling album of the year. The singer also extended his record for the most consecutive weeks at number one with a holiday album, having already broken Elvis' 50-year-old record of three straight weeks.
To recap, the week's Top 10 were as follows:
1. Noël, Josh Groban
2. Growing Pains, Mary J. Blige
3. As I Am, Alicia Keys
4. Long Road Out of Eden, the Eagles
5. Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, Miley Cyrus
6. Now That's What I Call Music! 26, various
7. Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood
8. Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift
9. High School Musical 2 soundtrack, various
10. Exclusive, Chris Brown
Each year Worcester Wreath donates Maine wreaths to adorn the headstones of those who serve and those who sacrificed to preserve our freedoms. In 2007, over 10,000 wreaths are destined for the annual wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington. In addition, 2,500 wreaths will be sent to Togus National Cemetery in Augusta, Maine. Worcester Wreath also donates ceremonial wreaths that will be used as part of the Wreaths Across America events at over 230 State and National veterans cemeteries all across the Country.
I had a seat on a jet filled with British soldiers en route to Cyprus. It’s strange how secure one feels on a flight full of American or British soldiers. I do, anyway, especially after spending as much time in combat with American or British soldiers as I have; my respect will never diminish.Do read the entire thing.
A Suitor for JaneGood luck!
Pretend you are one of Jane Austen's parents. Describe in two or three sentences the kind of gentleman that would be worthy to win Jane's hand in marriage. What sort of man would you accept as a suitable husband for our favorite author?
Then place your description in my comment section. If you feel uncomfortable writing a description, simply list the suitor's attributes. Oh, and you may place an icon of this paragon of husbandhood alongside your description.
The contest is open until January 1. I will then choose the five best answers. Starting January 2, the readers of this blog will have one week to vote for the best suitor!
Holiday sales might be depressing, but it's no blue Christmas for Josh Groban. He just broke a chart record Elvis set back when Eisenhower was President.If you haven't already, go buy Noel! It is gorgeous!
Josh Groban's Noël claimed an unprecedented fourth straight week at number one, a feat never before accomplished by a holiday album. Elvis Presley set the previous record, three weeks, half a century ago with 1957's Elvis' Christmas Album.
For the week ended Sunday, Noël topped the chart and rewrote the record books by selling an incredible 669,000 copies, according to the latest Nielsen SoundScan numbers.
Groban, whose single "I'll Be Home for Christmas" topped the AC charts this week as well, has sold nearly 2.8 million copies of Noël in its 10-week run. That puts Noël in the lead as the year's bestselling album, and if the trend holds, it'll become the first holiday album to top year-end sales in the SoundScan era.
Furthermore, the disc's 669,000-copy week is both a career-best for Groban and a 2007-best for a nondebuting album. Even factoring in first-week debuts, Noël chalked up the fifth-biggest sales week of the year.
Though his sales will drop sharply once Christmas Day hits, Groban still has a full shopping week to try to extend his number one run and further cement his place in chart history. His biggest challenge next week comes from Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains.
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - December 10, 2007) - Josh Groban's faithful fans are growing by the millions; it was confirmed today by the news that copies of his Christmas album "NOEL" are flying out of record stores in unprecedented numbers. The runaway success of Groban's magnificent collection of holiday classics will be Groban's fourth multi-platinum album in a row. "NOEL" sold well over one million copies in the last two weeks and remains the Number One album in America after eight weeks on the pop charts.(emphasis added)
"NOEL" is also the first Christmas album to reach No. 1 in 13 years with industry buzzing that it may be one of the biggest-selling albums of 2007 and the biggest Christmas CD of all time. The album is also the No. 1 Digital album, the #1 record at Amazon and the No. 1 record at Barnes & Noble.
According to Chuck Gorman, vice president of music for Barnes & Noble, "Josh Groban's 'NOEL' has already sold more copies than any holiday CD in our history. The numbers are staggering."
With upcoming TV appearances -- "Rachael Ray" on Dec. 20th, a re-airing of "Oprah Winfrey's Favorite Things" show on December 24th, "Larry King" and "Good Morning America" both also on December 24th and the "Disney Christmas Special" December 25th -- Groban's sales are expected to continue at this pace through the end of the year and may reach a record-breaking four million units.
"Josh Groban's talents continue to grow along with the quality of his work as an artist. His last album 'Awake' and the new one 'NOEL' are both masterpieces. The entire Warner family is so proud of this success," stated Warner Bros. Records CEO Tom Whalley.
There is an email going around encouraging people to send cards to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but unfortunately they won't accept them. But if you want to help, here is what they have posted on their website:
Walter Reed Army Medical Center cannot accept packages, letters, and holiday cards addressed to 'Any Wounded Soldier' or 'A Recovering American Soldier'. The U.S. Postal Service is no longer accepting "Any Service Member" or "A Recovering American Soldier" letters or packages. Mail to "Any Service Member" that is deposited into a collection box will not be delivered.
However, through a unique partnership between the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc., communities across America are invited to mail cards along with personal messages of support to wounded service members at military hospitals around the country.
With the support of the U.S. Department of Defense and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and with help from Pitney Bowes Government Solutions, the American Red Cross will collect, review and distribute holiday greeting cards to wounded military personnel. For security reasons, the Red Cross will be able to accept only holiday cards but not packages. Red Cross volunteers will receive and bundle the cards, which will be shipped by Pitney Bowes Government Solutions. Then, Red Cross volunteers at the medical facilities will distribute the cards throughout the holiday season.
Please address your holiday cards to:
We Support You During Your Recovery!
c/o American Red Cross
P.O. Box 419
Savage, MD 20763-0419
Be sure to affix adequate postage. Cards must be received no later than December 27. Cards received after this date will be returned to the sender. Again, senders are reminded that "care packages" are not part of the program--send only cards and notes. Also, please refrain from using glitter or any other inserts that would not be appropriate in a hospital environment.
People who want to express their appreciation to American service members may also consider making a donation to one of the more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families listed on the "America Supports You" website, www.americasupportsyou.mil
Other organizations that offer means of showing your support for our troops or assist wounded servicemembers and their families include:
http://www.usocares.org/
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/tooursoldiers/
http://www.redcross.org
The outpouring of gratitude and encouragement from the general public, corporate America and civic groups throughout the past year has been incredible. Our Warriors in Transition are amazed at the thanks and support they receive from their countrymen.
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Some of Josh Groban's fans think he has the voice of an angel, so it seems appropriate that his first attempt at a Christmas album carves out a rare niche in chart history.Congratulations, Josh! Noel is a beautiful, classic Christmas cd. Go get a copy (or 6!) and listen to the Angelic voice.
With Thanksgiving week's store traffic and an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" accelerating an album that already had momentum, his "Noel" captures an 81 percent sales increase and No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That makes his set the first Christmas album to lead the big chart in 13 years, and only the second to top the list since 1962.
"Noel" garners 405,000 copies (moving from No. 2 to No. 1), the strongest week of Groban's career and the largest by any Christmas set since Celine Dion's "These Are Special Times" topped 460,000 in two different weeks of 1998. Groban's uptick of 182,000 copies easily seals The Billboard 200's Greatest Gainer award.
[...]
Between now and Christmas, Groban is also lined up for "Live With Regis and Kelly," "Rachael Ray," "Larry King Live" and a Christmas Eve return to "Good Morning America," along with a rerun of Oprah Winfrey's November 20 "My Favorite Things" episode, which fueled this week's rise to the top.
