Today in Christmas news, there’s Justin Bieber using “swag,” Sarah McLachlan helping her own charity, “Drunk History” with Ryan Goslin and Jim Carrey in funny hats and a supergroup boasting members of the Black Lips and Deer Tick sit down for some Christmas Chinese food.
First, let’s just knock it out: America’s boyfriend Ryan Gosling stars alongside Jim Carrey and Eva Mendes in internet series “Drunk History,” the Christmas edition. While “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” is not necessarily music-oriented, the “Drive” star may have you sing-songing in X-mas style faster than you can mumble “bowl full of jelly.“
Sarah McLachlan may not have a sleigh of puppies led by reindeer, but she does have a handful of teenagers helping out on her new Christmas single. Better yet, it’s for charity.
I won’t say that the lyrics to “Space on the Couch for Two” don’t totally sound like they were written by a 17-year-old — and they were — but the effort behind releasing it for free is for a good cause: listeners are encouraged to donate to the Sarah McLachlan School of Music for at-risk youth.
McLachlan sings lead as the students from her school back her up. Listen below, and read more here.
Are you tired of the term “swag?” And of Justin Bieber? Then, I beseech you, do not watch the video below of the Bieb’s Christmastime plea for you to purchase his perfume “Someday.”
The pint-sized pop star claims that “Someday” will cure “LHS” — Lame Holiday Swag — for the ladies. Also, the cap to the perfume? It looks like a vagina.
And on to Diamond Rug, the confusingly monikered supergroup consisting of John McCauley (Deer Tick), Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick), Ian Saint Pé (The Black Lips), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate) and Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite).
The crew fleshed out McCauley’s apparent case of the Christmas blues into “Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant,” the result sounding like a sad bastard folk rock jam I can wrap presents to.
Morris told Rolling Stone: “Robbie played it on piano and when John got to the ‘moo goo gai pan’ lyric we realized that it was the greatest second verse to a Christmas song ever. It was very late and very funny.”
Not sure what he’d rank as the greatest first verse, but we’re gonna guess it wasn’t from that Train song.
Listen to — and download — an mp3 for Diamond Rugs’ “Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant” here.