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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Seattle 23, Philadelphia 17
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Texas 78, Davidson 76
North Carolina 78, UNLV 51
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ABC(NEW YORK) — ABC kicked off the holiday season with a dazzling display of star power for The Disney Holiday Singalong. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who was seated comfortably in a giant leather chair in front of a roaring fire, Monday night’s festivities united recording artists, actors, celebrities and Broadway talent alike to remind everyone watching at home that, even though Christmas will look different this year, the holiday spirit remains unchanged.
Monday night’s message also centered on the importance of family and kindness, as demonstrated by singers teaming with their siblings or young children for their performances.
Highlights of the night included performances from Chloe x Halle, BTS, Pink and her nine-year-old daughter Willow, Adam Lambert, Leslie Odom Jr. and many others that helped ring in the holiday season.
Kicking off the official singalong was Hollywood power couple Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, who attempted a vocal warmup for the audience watching at home that, unfortunately, went awry. The camera shattered when the outspoken diva went rogue with the high notes.
R&B duo Chloe x Halle took over with their ultra-harmonized rendition of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” from Disney’s Frozen. The sisters joined hands as they danced around a winter wonderland, highlighted by white Christmas trees and snow flurries gently swirling around them.
Another memorable performance came all the way from South Korea, when BTS teamed up with the official star of the Christmas season, Santa Claus himself, to help them perform “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.” The K-pop group had a blast channeling the joy and wonder of the holidays by surrounding themselves with shiny presents and twinkling lights. The band also shared several hearty laughs throughout the song.
With Santa busy in South Korea, Pink invited her young daughter Willow to help deliver a magical and heartwarming rendition of “The Christmas Song.” Pink’s eyes filled with pride as her daughter showed off her impressive vocal talents and, at the end, happily waved over her three-year-old son, Jameson, to wave goodbye to the audience and close out their family performance.
Leslie Odom Jr. married the Halloween and Christmas spirits when tackling “What’s This” from The Nightmare before Christmas. His Broadway chops shined and made the ultra-energetic song all the more entertaining as the Hamilton star’s voice crackled and popped with excitement, allowing him to effortlessly channel the animated Jack Skellington.
While some performers chose to highlight the jubilation of Christmas, others like Adam Lambert and Andrea Bocelli embodied the warmth of the holiday season with their intimate performances of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Silent Night,” respectively.
The most emotional performance, however, came from Broadway itself, when those who are part of Disney’s impressive array of musicals came together in a show of unity to deliver an inspiring and modified version of Frozen‘s “Let It Go.” The group took over the New Amsterdam Theatre, located in the heart of Times Square, to promise Broadway’s glorious return and encourage the audience to “fill this world with light and love.”
Also helping to ring the Christmas cheer was perennial holiday favorite Michael Bublé performing “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” Scandal star Kerry Washington, who belted out “Joy to the World” from her illuminated gazebo, Ciara and her children Sienna and Future rocking out to “Rocking around the Christmas Tree,” Derek and Julianne Hough dancing up a storm to some holiday classics, and Katy Perry performing a medley of “Cozy Little Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Seacrest closed out the celebration by asking the audience to support Feed America, saying those who wish to donate can do so by visiting disney.com/feedthelove.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i65-a0ZSKWI&w=640&h=360][youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhFZJkAmlkM&w=640&h=360] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKxWfiI_n0c&w=640&h=360] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DocgDlM6zHI&w=640&h=360][youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtFAbz75Vt4&w=640&h=360]By Megan Stone
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Robby KleinFrom Gabby Barrett‘s perspective, the Christmas season has arrived when she sees cartons of eggnog filling grocery store aisles.
The American Idol season 16 finalist admits that during her frequent trips to the supermarket, she knows the holiday season is in full swing by the sight of the creamy beverage.
“When I see eggnog, that’s what does it for me every single time, because I go grocery shopping so often that when you see the eggnog all stacked up [then you know it’s Christmas],” Gabby says.
But the singer admits that she’s never been a fan of the seasonal drink, unlike her husband and fellow AI contestant Cade Foehner. However, Gabby is open to the idea of it becoming a potential new pregnancy craving.
“Where do I stand on eggnog, I don’t like it. Sadly, I don’t. My husband loves it. I don’t like it,” she shares. “I remember not liking it at a young age. Maybe I need to try it again now that I’m pregnant because I might end up liking it. So we’ll see.”
Gabby and Cade are expecting their first child, a girl, early next year.
In the meantime, Gabby has been dominating the charts with the remix of her hit “I Hope,” featuring Charlie Puth, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Adult Top 40 chart. The original version of the song also hit number one on the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts.
To get in the holiday spirit, Gabby has released a rendition of “The First Noel.”
By Cillea Houghton
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNr96DmbGuE&w=640&h=360]
KiskaMedia/iStockBY: IVAN PERIERA, ABC NEWS
(NEW YORK) — The monolith that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere in the Utah desert was removed from its location in the middle of the night over the weekend while a similar structure showed up in Europe, according to officials and witnesses.
However, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) reassured the public that whoever took the 10- to 12-foot vertical metal structure was not from out of this world.
The agency said agents discovered Saturday that the structure was gone from its location in the southeastern Utah desert. Desert rocks marked the spot where the silver-colored object once stood.
BLM officials said “an unknown party or parties” removed the monolith sometime after Friday evening.
“The BLM did not remove the structure which is considered private property. We do not investigate crimes involving private property,” the agency said in a Facebook post Saturday night.
While the monolith no longer has a footprint in the U.S., a similar structure appeared out of nowhere in Romania over the weekend. Onlookers spotted a similar metal structure in the eastern Romanian city of Piatra Neamț and they shared videos and photos of the structure on social media.
No one has officially claimed responsibility for setting up either of these structures as of Monday evening.
Lt. John Young, the sheriff of San Juan County, Utah, told “Good Morning America” the monolith’s appearance and disappearance are difficult to investigate.
“It is a little surprising that it lasted as long as it did. I think it’s a little more surprising that it disappeared in the middle of the night,” he said.
On Nov. 18, crews from the Utah Department of Public Safety and Division of Wildlife Resources discovered the structure while they were doing a helicopter survey of sheep in the area. The discovery sparked questions, jokes and speculation about the structure’s origins as it evoked sci-fi imagery such as the monolith in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Although officials didn’t disclose the exact location of the monolith, interested hikers took to the desert to see the object in person and shared their experiences on social media. David Surber, a hiker, told “Good Morning America” it was remarkable to see the structure in person before it was removed.
“It was really nice to have 10 minutes of peace with what I would like to call a landmark at the time,” Surber said.
BLM officials, however, warned that the desert is public land and any development on public lands must be approved by the agency. They also reiterated that visiting the site where the monolith stood is prohibited, as there are no restrooms or cellphone service and only high-clearance vehicles are allowed.
Some visitors looking to see the monolith parked on vegetation and “left behind human waste as evidence of their visit,” according to the BLM.
“Many people have been enjoying the mystery and view it as a welcome distraction from the 2020 news cycle,” BLM Monticello Field Manager Amber Denton Johnson said in a statement. “Even so, it was installed without authorization on public lands, and the site is in a remote area without services for the large number of people who now want to see it.”
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Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman will return to ABC with her first acting role since being released from prison after serving time for her part in the Varsity Blues college admissions cheating scandal.
Deadline reports Huffman will play a widow who takes over her husband’s minor league baseball team in the untitled comedy series. It’s based on the real-life owners of the Sacramento River Cats, a AAA team that became the minor league’s most valuable team after Susan Savage inherited the team from her late husband.
Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison and served 11 after pleading guilty in the scandal. Also sentenced to prison after pleading guilty were actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli.
Zack Gottsagen, the actor with Down syndrome who starred alongside Shia LaBeouf in The Peanut Butter Falcon, will also star as Huffman’s baseball-obsessed son, says Deadline.
By Stephen Iervolino
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