L-R: Julianne Hough, Derek Hough and Trevor Jackson. | Photos: ABC

The holidays are a lot different this year, but leave it up to Disney to still find a way to bring some magic into your homes! With the Disney Parks on limited capacity guidelines for the past several months, and Disneyland in California still closed, the year’s Wonderful World of Disney Magical Holiday Celebration does not feature new performances live from the theme parks, but instead, memorable performances from holiday’s past!

In this special 5th anniversary edition of the annual event, which airs every Thanksgiving night, Emmy® Award-winning siblings Derek and Julianne Hough return for hosting duties at Disneyland alongside Trevor Jackson of Freeform’s “Grown-ish”, who is joining them from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.  The Houghs have also planned a brilliant opening performance before the team gets into featuring festive flashbacks of performances by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Derulo, Ciara, Andrea Bocelli, OneRepublic, Pentatonix, Becky G, Shaggy, Boyz II Men and JoJo, Meghan Trainor and Brett Eldredge, and Aloe Blacc.

Top L-R: Tori Kelly (Capitol), Dan + Shay (WMG); Bottom L-R: Leslie Odom, Jr. (S-Curve), Carly Rae Jepsen (Interscope)

We’re barely into the middle of November and already the season has been filled with a plethora of new Christmas musical arrivals! So many performers are either releasing their first-ever holiday albums, returning with a follow-up, or sharing a Christmas song or two that they recently recorded to help fill an otherwise anxious season with some extra cheer.

I’ve compiled a list of some new festive songs, which I anticipate to be updating throughout the season. All songs listed are available to stream or buy on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify.

Enjoy!

Photo: NBC

For many, we’re already well into the holiday season, but for some Americans… it’s Thanksgiving that really sets their festive plans in motion, so today I bring you news on the 94th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®… and it’s going to look a lot different this year.

Given the state of the world right now, it should come at no surprise that many precautions are being taken to ensure safety during the iconic Thanksgiving Day celebration this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward to a tradition that so many hold dear.

So, how is this all moving forward? According to an official website statement:  On Thanksgiving Day, we will showcase our annual celebration’s signature balloons, floats, performances and herald the arrival of Santa Claus, in front of Macy’s famed flagship store on 34th Street for our national television special on NBC. To ensure a safe experience for all involved, we are not marching down the streets of Manhattan this year and instead will bring all the magic of this American tradition to you on television and online. In preparation for this one-of-a-kind celebration, the Macy’s team meticulously reviewed every area of the Parade playbook to put in place enhanced health and safety practices that align with CDC guidelines, as well as local and state government protocols.

The New York Times reports that in addition to traveling just one city block down 34th Street, as opposed to their two-and-a-half-mile route starting at West 77th Street, the streets surrounding the route will be closed off and the floats will be driven by utility vehicles, rather than the usual uniformed handlers, to limit the number of people involved.

There will be many pretaped performances, including Broadway entertainment, and an appearance from a ballerina from the New York City Ballet who will dance as the Sugar Plum Fairy from George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker,“ which was canceled this season.

Photos: RCA

This year we need a little Christmas more than ever, and Pentatonix is here to deliver! In what has become a holiday music tradition, the a cappella group has announced that they will be releasing a brand-new Christmas album this week.

PTX, who recently debuted a music video for their rendition of “Amazing Grace”, will release We Need A Little Christmas — the follow-up holiday album to last year’s The Best of Pentatonix Christmas.

On Instagram today, the group unveiled the tracklisting, one by one, via their IG stories. I compiled the list for you, which features many classics, and even a special covers of “Seasons of Love,” the opening hit song from the 1996 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Rent; Ariana Grande‘s 2013 single “Santa Tell Me” and “Once Upon a December” from the 1997 animated classic, Anastasia.

Matthew Morrison and Emma Bunton with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. (Photo: Matt Stroshane/Disneyland Resort)

The Christmas season is a time for holiday magic, and no one does that quite like Disney!

If celebrating the joy of the season with the ‘happiest place on Earth’ is a festive tradition in your home, then you’re going to want to check out the lineup for all THREE of the Disney Parks Christmas specials that are coming to ABC and Disney Channel!

The celebration specials will transport the magic of Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line to viewers with merry performances and lots more! You will also get an exclusive look at upcoming Disney Parks attractions — including Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, opening soon at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.

Check out the lineup and schedule for all three specials below!

(l-r) Matt Sallee, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado and Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix. | Photo: RCA

This past Thursday, the a capella supergroup Pentatonix began a holiday-related teaser countdown that had us all eager about a new album or a possible tour… well, we’re getting both!

All was revealed this morning when the three-time Grammy® Award-winning and multi-platinum selling group announced a greatest hits holiday album, The Best of Pentatonix Christmas, as well as a 16-date nationwide Christmas tour — A Pentatonix Christmas 2019 Tour!

Beginning on November 30th, PTX’s Kevin Olusola, Kirstin Maldonado, Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi and Matt Sallee will visit places like New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Fairfax, Sugar Land, and more, to spread Christmas cheer with their renditions of holiday classics and a few original songs!

(l-r) Kevin Olusola, Kirstin Maldonado, Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi and Matt Sallee of Pentatonix. | Photo: NBC

It might be safe to say that more holiday music from Pentatonix is on the way!

In what has become somewhat of a tradition, the a cappella super group appears to be getting ready to release new Christmas music. Earlier today they posted a throwback to pictures from their Christmas tour last year and mentioned, ‘It’s never too early to get into the holiday spirit… right?’

Several hours later, they posted a half completed graphic that simply says “MONDAY” on it with, what looks like, a snow falling motif. The PTX Twitter included a link to Comingsoon.PTXofficial.com, which takes you to a landing page with a partial Christmas tree graphic.

PTX previously released the albums: “PTXmas” (2012), “That’s Christmas to Me” (2014), “A Pentatonix Christmas” (2016), and “Christmas Is Here!” (2018) followed by holiday tours to support each record. They’ve also hosted two NBC holiday specials, 2017’s “A Very Pentatonix Christmas” and 2018’s “Pentatonix: A Not So Silent Night”.

Could it be new music? A holiday tour? Both? I guess we’ll find out on Monday, September 16th.

As always — I’ll keep you posted.

Stay merry!

Photo: NBC

The three-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling a capella supergroup PENTATONIX — wow, that’s a mouthful — will be returning to NBC this season for their third holiday musical special, “Pentatonix: A Not So Silent Night”!

We’ll join PTX (as they’re often referred) members Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee in Las Vegas as they spread cheer along the legendary Strip, including the iconic Caesars Palace and the stunning Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. Along the way, they’ll be joined by additional guests to help them celebrate, including Kelly Clarkson and Maren Morris. Both singers appear on the latest Pentatonix holiday album, Christmas is Here!.

Photos: RCA

Pentatonix has another Christmas album on the way!

In what has become a new tradition, the beloved a capella group (consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee) announced last week that they’re releasing their fourth holiday album this October entitled, Christmas Is Here!

In addition to the album announcement, PTX also told fans that they would be embarking on a concert tour to support the record. They posted the dates of their Christmas Is Here! Tour on their social accounts and added that the first single off of the record would be a cover of “Making Christmas” from the Tim Burton classic, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.