On Demand Weekly

Every Monday, On Demand Weekly presents SoundWatch, a new weekly column on the latest in music entertainment available on demand, one of the most popular VOD categories. New contributor, Sky McCarthy, will give readers an inside look at what's happening in music on demand.
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This Week: Time to Celebrate the Holidays with Old Favorites and New Hits!

What's Hot Now On Music Choice On Demand - Top 10 Music Videos (week ending 11/28/10)

SOURCE: Rentrak On Demand Essentials, Music Choice Custom Site

Fresh Picks: New and Noteworthy Starting 12.13.10

• Boobe “My Way” (Oy Boyz)
• Bruno Mars “Grenade” (Elektra)
• Jesse McCartney “Shake” (Hollywood)
• My Chemical Romance “Sing” (Warner Bros.)
• Selena Gomez & The Scene “Un Año Sin Lluvia” (Hollywood)

Tis the Season! Holiday Hits on Music Choice On Demand

• Mariah Carey “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
• Chris Brown “This Christmas”
• Rascal Flatts “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
• *NSYNC “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays”
• Aly & AJ “Greatest Time of Year”
• Tito El Bambino “Feliz Navidad”
• B2K “Why’d You Leave Me On Christmas”

Time to Celebrate the Holidays with Old Favorites and New Hits!

The holiday season is here once again and nothing means holiday cheer quite like a classic Christmas song! Preparing meals and schlepping around town to find the perfect gifts for all your loved ones can make the holidays an unnecessarily stressful time of the year. But these holiday hits, both old and new, are sure to put even the grinchiest of persons into a lively spirit. Music Choice n Demand has a selection of classics and new holiday jams from some of your favorite artists!

Mariah Carey’s show stopping voice ushered in an entirely new genre of Christmas music with her renditions of songs like “O Holy Night” and “Joy To the World.” One of my favorite holiday songs is MC’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” from the now classic film LOVE ACTUALLY (it’s not truly Christmastime until I have watched that movie!). This year, Mariah is back with a brand new Christmas album entitled Merry Christmas II You.

Like her previous holiday fare, this new album features older songs as well as her latest hit “Oh Santa!” While not as instantly catchy as “All I Want For Christmas,” “Oh Santa!” is definitely cute and the music video, available this week on Music Choice On Demand, is everything the holidays should be – gilded in glittery, family friendly fun!

In my previous life as a full time teeny bopper, I could not have a true Christmas sing-a-long without *NSYNC’s holiday album. I would argue that their harmonies are still pretty timeless and Music Choice On Demand has answered every former fan’s prayers by bringing back “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” to their video line up. One of the most energetic carols of all time, this song definitely has it all and I will be watching and replaying the vid all season long!

Coming up with a new holiday song isn’t always easy but The Killers have tried their best with an original title “Don’t Shoot Me Santa.” This video, available on Music Choice On Demand this week, may feature a man in a large red suit but the song probably will not be on any classic lists any time soon. Regardless of the title, the song is great though – just don’t expect a warm fuzzy feeling after watching he video!

Artists have always done their best to recreate classic hits made famous in previous decades. Rascal Flatts have their own country-styled “Ill Be Home for Christmas” and Brian McKnight’s “The Christmas Song” are both new versions of fantastic classics that may not be as charming as the originals but both artists successfully rise to the occasion of lifting holiday spirits in their own unique ways! Both videos are available this week on music Choice On Demand.

Holiday carols are always a lot of fun but the season also represents a time for everyone to come together. Despite BET’s recent flack for promoting over promiscuous material, the channel also has features worthy of every generation. The 2009 Soul Train Awards are now available on BET On Demand featuring artists from older generations like Toni Braxton, Chaka Kahn, and MC Hammer as well as performances from newer artists like Beyonce, Trey Songz, and Mario.

Everyone can enjoy the family performances and parents will have fun explaining the significance of shows like Soul Train to the way music has evolved today. The show is hosted by Terrence Howard and Taraji P Henson.

On Demand music entertainment has got you covered through the winter season whether or not the holiday spirit is calling your name!

Check SoundWatch every week for the latest in Music On Demand and scintillating pop culture discussion!

- Sky McCarthy

Sky McCarthy is a new contributing writer to On Demand Weekly and a television enthusiast (ask me about anything!) currently working in entertainment in New York City.

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*SoundWatch lists the most watched music videos on demand as well as the week's new music videos from category leader, Music Choice On Demand (Music Choice, the multi-platform video and music network, delivers its music programming to millions of consumers nationwide through their televisions, online and mobile devices).