Madonna Plays Santa for 'My Malawi Children'

Madonna wasn't able to visit Malawi this Christmas, but she let the children in the six orphanages she funds there know they were very much on her mind this holiday season.

Boxes of toys, chocolate, other sweets and clothes were shipped with a handwritten note from the star, which read, "To my Malawi children on Christmas and Boxing Day. I wish I was with you. See you soon M."

Inside the goodie boxes were miniature Christmas cards signed by Madonna, Lourdes and Rocco.

"How so sweet this woman is!" said Lucy Chipeta, director of Home of Hope Orphanage in Mchinji, where Madonna adopted son David in 2006, as more than 500 children scrambled for toys and bars of chocolate.

Near another orphanage, Consol Homes, more than 1,000 people from surrounding villages were invited to an open-air party. All the orphans and under-privileged children who registered with the center received clothes.

"Madonna says she always enjoys the traditional dances the villagers perform for her when she visits," said Yacinta Chapomba, director of Consol Homes. "She asked us to invite as many villagers as possible for the Christmas party."

The singer planned to return to Malawi in November alongside U2 singer Bono, but the trip, according to sources, was rescheduled for the spring.

Darren Criss Rocks Out at The Roxy

Darren Criss performs back to back sold-out shows on Saturday, December 18th at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California.

The 23-year-old Glee star belted out “Human,” “Jealousy,” and “Not Alone,” from his EP Human, along with Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Darren’s Glee family - creator Ryan Murphy and co-stars Matthew Morrison and Max Adler - came out to support him!

In the spirit of the holidays, concertgoers helped fill 15 large bags full of toys for Toys for Tots and in return received a signed photo from Darren.

Darren is also using a portion of the ticket sales to purchase more toys.

A Very Beekman Christmas

When The Advocate profiled partners Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell this past summer, their bold move from Manhattan to the 205-year-old Beekman Mansion on a 60-acre farm in upstate New York had become the focus of The Fabulous Beekman Boys, a reality series on the Discovery network’s Planet Green channel.

Not much has changed in the months since the first season aired — except the weather, as viewers will witness on The Fabulous Beekman Boys Holiday Special, a festive one-hour package that aired last night, on Planet Green. Ridge, who quit his job at Martha Stewart’s company to become a full-time farmer and Sharon Springs resident, reveals how he and Kilmer-Purcell keep warm and make their Christmas wishes come true.

The Advocate: I’ve seen pictures of your snow-covered farm on Planet Green’s website, and it looks like a postcard-worthy winter wonderland. Is it all cozy fireside hot chocolates up there, or is there a downside to winters at the Beekman?
Well, last year was my first full winter on the farm, and by the end of February, I understood why the suicide rate up here is so high. By the end of winter, you feel pretty miserable.

How do you and Josh warm up?
Literally or figuratively? [Laughs] It’s actually pretty hard to heat the house; it’s over 200 years old, so it’s very drafty. I pretty much confine myself to two rooms: the kitchen, where I can close the doors and start a fire, and the bedroom, where I can have a heated mattress pad on the bed. We’re also working a lot, so we try to stay active to keep the blood pumping.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition at the Beekman?
We have a long-standing tradition of going shopping for Christmas ornaments on the day after Christmas. Now we have a collection of over 1,000 ornaments. Our Christmas tree is a riot of color and styles with over 3,000 lights, so it’s a Christmas spectacular up there in our hallway.

Are the ornaments all one motif?
No, we don’t believe in having a themed tree. We like a cacophony of stuff.

I’m a fan of your farm-based Beekman 1802 product line. Out of all your goods, what’s the perfect stocking stuffer this year?
Probably our MilkShake, which is our goat’s-milk bath that comes with a dropper of an essential oil blend. It’s a great luxury that people probably wouldn’t normally buy for themselves, but it’s the perfect affordable treat to give as a gift.

Your holiday special promises previously unaired clips and bloopers. Can we look forward to anything especially embarrassing?
Well, Josh embarrasses himself a lot, no matter if it’s a blooper or not, so there’s plenty of that. Polka Spot, the llama diva, also has her own segment, because she’s really the breakout star of the show. Josh always had dreams of doing a Donny and Marie or a Sonny and Cher Christmas special, and I, of course, always had dreams of doing a Martha Stewart holiday special, so we tried to combine those things — on a much smaller budget.

The series has certainly increased your visibility. How has life changed in the four months since the first season aired?
Not a tremendous amount. We called our first season “our year of sacrifice,” because it was the first time in our 11-year relationship that Josh and I weren’t always together. But Josh is still working in the city to pay the mortgage on the farm. And for me, up at the farm full-time, it’s not like there’s paparazzi camping out. I still get up, do the chores, and go work in the shop, so life hasn’t really changed that much.

Surely you’re superstars up in Sharon Springs.
It’s funny, because nobody in Sharon Springs can get the channel. There are a couple places in the country where Time Warner can’t carry Planet Green, so a good portion of the people who live in our area haven’t even seen the show.

What can you tell us about season 2, which is scheduled to start in March?
We call season 2 “our million-dollar challenge.” I told Josh that if we can reach a million dollars in revenue over the year, that would be the cutoff point where he could quit his job and we could still cover our expenses on the farm. That’s what you’ll see us working toward. We’re filming season 2 through March 1, so we still don’t know if we’re going to make it.

For more information on The Fabulous Beekman Boys, click here.

Mariah Carey (and Her Baby Bump) Perform at Walt Disney World

The last time Mariah Carey performed at the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade in Orlando, she wore a skintight miniskirt that accentuated every curve.

But that was in 2005. On Friday, Carey returned to the Magic Kingdom – but this time, she was a little more covered up. The singer, who is expecting her first child in the spring, was wearing a short but baggy Santa skirt.

"You could really see the pronounced belly," says an onlooker. "She's definitely not hiding it."

Although her wardrobe has changed, sources say Carey, 41, had boundless energy during her performance – which will be telecast Christmas morning on ABC.

The star entered the stage from an oversized Christmas card as she performed "Oh Santa." Then came a quick costume change and a return to the stage to sing "All I Want for Christmas is You."

Despite her growing midsection, Carey even hoofed it with some dancers from the Orlando Ballet. "She was really energetic," says a backstage source. "She had definite ideas about what she wanted onstage, and she was working really hard."

But it wasn't all work and no play. Dancers from the Orlando Ballet posed for pictures and got autographs from Carey. "She wasn't really talkative or anything, but she was really pleasant," says one of the dancers. "She's a real pro."

Notably absent: husband Nick Cannon, who was filming his own part of the parade across the country, at the Disneyland Resort in California.

Glee Holiday Episode Preview: See Darren Criss and Chris Colfer Duet on “Baby It’s Cold Outside”

You’re gonna love this!

This Tuesday, Glee’s holiday episode will air and it's sure to be another incredible one. Here is a wonderful highlight of Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) dueting on "Baby It’s Cold Outside."

It’s just one of those scenes where you are watching it and thinking, “That’s really on network television now!” It’s a number that gay kids can see and believe that they too can be singing a holiday duet with their crush – that it is possible.

I just love it and I hope you do too!

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Hopefully you were all good boys and girls so Santa was able to treat you with plenty of wonderful gifts.

Merry Christmas

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Thank You

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"CharlieCruiser's World".

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Guy Ritchie Gets Kids for Christmas

Guy Ritchie will reportedly spend the festive season with his children, after ex-wife Madonna allowed the director to care for them over Christmas.

Last year, the former couple split their Christmas period - the movie mogul stayed at the family's country estate in Wiltshire, England with sons David and Rocco while the Holiday hitmaker spent the day with her daughter Lourdes at the couple's London mansion.

They united the following day when Ritchie drove to London, and were later seen heading out for a walk together.

But this year, Ritchie, whose divorce from Madonna was finalised in January, will be solely responsible for the children - and he is determined to treat them to an extravagant Christmas, according to Britain's Daily Mirror.

A source tells the publication, "Guy is absolutely chuffed to bits, and cannot quite believe he and Madonna came to such an amicable agreement.

"He is a huge fan of Christmas and wants to do everything by the book, very traditionally. This means stockings hanging from the kids' beds, presents under the tree and a massive roast lunch with turkey, Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, the works.

"When Guy and Madonna were together they didn't really celebrate Christmas Day due to Madonna's staunch Kabbalah beliefs. Now that he's a single man, Guy is determined to spoil them rotten and give the youngsters a Christmas they'll never forget."

Obamas Recycle Ornaments from Christmas Past

It used to be that Christmas at the White House dazzled visitors with the glitter of thousands of fairy lights. But not this year. Not in this economy and not with this practical-minded First Lady.

On Wednesday, Michelle Obama debuted a White House whose decked halls were decidedly understated. Where the Bushes and Clintons previously put up a dozen Christmas trees in the mansion's Foyer and Cross Hall alone, there are just seven on the entire State floor this year. The biggest of them – the 18½ foot Douglas fir in the Blue Room – is decorated with recycled ornaments that Mrs. Obama's team dug out of the warehouse where old White House decorations are stored.

"We took about 800 ornaments left over from previous administrations, we sent them to 60 local community groups throughout the country, and asked them to decorate them to pay tribute to a favorite local landmark and then send them back to us for display here at the White House," said Mrs. Obama.

Decorating in woodland colors of brown, gold, claret and cinnamon, Mrs. Obama chose as her theme, "Reflect. Rejoice. Renew." Aides said the toned-down décor was both a nod to the tough economic times and Mrs. Obama's interest in environmentalism. (The traditional White House gingerbread house features a miniature kitchen garden like the one Mrs. Obama had dug on the South Lawn.)

"For the Obama family, Christmas and the New Year has always been a time to reflect on our many blessings, to rejoice in the pleasure of spending time with our family and our friends, and to renew our commitment to one another and to the causes that we believe in," the First Lady said.

The first of 17 White House holiday parties was held Tuesday night, for the 92 volunteers who strung lights and hung ornaments. Mrs. Obama herself, who teased the volunteers about making a lot of partying noise, only popped down for a minute.

"She said the girls were upstairs doing homework and she couldn’t stay," said volunteer Kim Fawley, a schoolteacher from Broadway, Virginia.

Hunky Santa at the Mall is Sooooooooooo L.A.

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why: Santa Claus has abs of steel.

Or at least this one does.

Leave it to Los Angeles to concoct a wild plot twist involving the role of the traditional mall Santa. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings throughout the holiday season, Hunky Santa and the Candy Cane Girls dance and delight throngs of shoppers at the Beverly Center mall. (The standard jolly and rotund Kris Kringle appears at the mall during the week and midday on weekends.)

A big bonus for the big kids who flock to see Hunky Santa: Hopping onto Hunky’s lap and telling him what they want for Christmas.

The advice doesn’t stop there, though. Hunky Santa — played by Eli Wilhide, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound 31-year-old who has appeared on “CSI: Miami” — takes the time to dispense tips on nutrition and exercise, share gift ideas for guys who don’t know what to get their girlfriends or wives, and give all-around guidance about how to stay upbeat and healthy over the hectic holiday season.

“If I can make somebody feel better about what they put in their body and help them live longer and have more energy, that’s great,” Hunky told the Los Angeles Times.

Those biceps are no accident

Hunky also told the Times that he religiously exercises every morning — “I like a fresh, healthy glow before work” — and he shed some light on the kind of diet it takes to maintain a physique like that:

“Right after I work out, I try to have something right away, usually a protein shake with whey protein, and a piece of fruit. I try to eat every two to three hours, and my staple meal is chicken and broccoli. When I know I have to go somewhere, I'll put some oatmeal with protein powder and berries in a container with an ice pack and snack on that. Basically, I try to eat a lean meat source and vegetables and brown rice — six small meals a day.”

So where did the mall find this guy? The process wasn’t easy. The Beverly Center has been featuring a Hunky Santa for several years now, but this year mall officials conducted what they described as “an exhaustive two-month search” for the perfect specimen. After analyzing the credentials and muscle mass of more than 350 applicants, they knew they had found their man in Wilhide.

‘Illegally gorgeous’

A kinesiology and nutrition major at the University of Maryland, Wilhide worked as a motivational speaker alongside inspirational life coach Tony Robbins for more than three years. These days he’s pursuing a career in acting. In addition to “CSI: Miami,” Wilhide has appeared on Disney’s “The Suite Life on Deck.” He told the Times that he recently read a script for “Days of Our Lives.”

While he waits to hit it big in the acting world, Wilhide is getting lots of love from lots of fans in his role as Hunky Santa. He wears red velvet pants, black shiny boots, a red velvet hat and a fur-trimmed coat that’s open and sleeveless. What better way to flaunt those muscles?

He’s “gorgeous,” said one woman who recently posed for a photo on his lap. “Illegally gorgeous.”

George Michael Hopes for Christmas #1

George Michael will reportedly go head to head with the X Factor winner for the Christmas #1. The star is to release "December Song," a remix of a track he gave away free to fans last Christmas.

He scored a number one with Wham! back in 1984 with Last Christmas.

It has been rumored he may perform "December Song" on The X Factor. It will be available to buy on December 13th.

Last year, the singer announced he was performing his final three major gigs but said he would not be retiring from music.