Justin Bieber recorded a Christmas album, and I can’t think of a better artist to release a Christmas album from a marketing standpoint. This will probably be the most popular stocking stuffer this year. Despite my acknowledged status as a “Belieber,” I did not expect to like the album—and yet, I did.

After her successful release of the “Merry Christmas” album in 1994, Mariah Carey has donned the Santa suit again with her most recent album. The disc features four original songs, an “extra-festive” re-release of “All I Want for Christmas is You,” and eight covers of Christmas classics.

“Glitter” has a pretty respectable position on the IMDb Bottom 100. At No. 85, it’s sitting pretty, 16 spots from being off the list, among the likes of “Troll 2” (1990) and “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” (2009). If you don’t know the story of “Glitter,” I’m surprised.

When Mel Gibson so impressively screamed for freedom at the end of “Braveheart,” it was stirring. When the United States freed itself from the claws of George III, we became a nation. When you are freed from the oppression of Washington University midterms, it is exhilarating. Freedom, therefore, of all shapes and sizes, appears to be a good thing.

Rating: 4.5/5 For fans of: Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, Alica Keys Tracks to download: ‘H.A.T.E. U.’, ‘Standing O’, ‘Angel’s Cry’ Catering to a society that has been criticized as having a collective attention span matching that of a boll weevil, the entertainment industry—particularly its branch of music—has produced a number of artists who are constantly [...]