The Katy Perry Christmas cards pictured here will both serve to further the pop star’s reputation for wearing outrageous, often racy ensembles while simultaneously raising the blood pressure of her devout minister parents. It is unlikely that her ex-husband, comedian Russell Brand will be receiving these for the holiday season.

Katy Perry's wild outfits and crazy personal style certainly make for entertaining Christmas cards!

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson was born in Santa Barbara, California on October 25, 1984. She is the second child of two pastors. Katy took part in her parent’s ministry and sang gospel music in their church from the time she was 9 until her late-teens. While growing up, this was the only type of music she was allowed to listen to – her parents didn’t allow “secular music” in the house and sent Katy to a string of Christian schools and camps. As a child, she began to sing and dance by mimicking her musically-inclined older sister. In Santa Barbara, Katy took dance classes in a recreation building, and later attended the Music Academy of the West for voice lessons. She earned GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a musical career. At the age of 15, while singing in church, Hudson was discovered by music industry executives from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to work on a Christian music career. She soon recorded her first album under the label Red Hill. After disappointing sales, Katy (who changed her last name to Perry to differentiate from the actress Kate Hudson) moved to LA at age 17 to work with Alanis Morrisette producer Glen Ballard on a pop album. Despite collaborating on a few songs, the album never came to fruition.

Katy signed with Virgin Records in 2006. With Virgin, her career took off with the release of her first pop album, One of the Boys, in early 2008, featuring the hit singles I Kissed a Girl and Hot n Cold. The album earned Perry nominations in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. Katy released her second mainstream album, Teenage Dream, in 2010. The album sold over 2 million copies in US, and has been certified two times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The albums first two singles, California Gurls and Teenage Dream spent a combined 8 weeks at the top of the charts.

Perry had started dating British comedian Russell Brand in September of 2009 after the pair met on the set of the film Get Him to the Greek. The couple became engaged in December of that year and Katy announced plans to apply for dual citizenship in the United Kingdom. The couple married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony in India. After 14 months, Brand filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Remember all the classic teen comedies we watched over and over again? We grew up with Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy and Anthony Michael Hall. They reigned as the Brat Pack of 80’s cinema! But what about the quieter actors who left an impression on us and made memorable characters come to life? Those are the ones I would proudly hang Christmas cards from. One overlooked gem is Eric Stoltz. Young and talented, Eric has played some amazing roles, both big and small.

Eric Stoltz had completed 5 weeks of filming 'Back to the Future' when he was replaced with Michael J. Fox. That is footage we'd all love to see!

Starring in his first role credited as “Stoner Bud”, in 1982, movie magic was made with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Director Cameron Crowe saw something in Eric and promised him roles in one of his upcoming movies. He ended up in four! The Wild Life, Say Anything, Singles and Jerry Maguire. C’mon people, Vahlere as keeper of the keys in Say Anything! The annoying mime in Singles! Eric also won a Golden Globe in 1985 for his outstanding role as Rocky Dennis in Mask. He was also spawned by Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum in The Fly II.

Replaced after five weeks of shooting Back to the Future, Eric was considered by Zemeckis to be too serious and lacked a comic sense. That role switched to the astonishing Michael J. Fox and that’s history folks! I’ll always hold a place in my heart for Keith the artist in Some Kind of Wonderful! We all know Watts deserved those diamond earrings! But his most memorable character is Lance in Pulp Fiction. The drug dealing, adrenalin stabbing hippie who stole the scene next to Rosanna Arquette. “Are you calling me on your cellular? Who is this? Don’t come here! Prank caller! Prank caller!” Eric has and is now back behind the camera, directing episodes of Glee. He will always be the quiet but overlooked brat in my pack.

I wonder if the British singer who got six Grammys and two Brit awards last month, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, better know as Adele, can still afford to send Christmas cards from her newly rented haunted mansion in Southern England. It seems Adele is spooked and refuses to stay or sleep there alone. The rent for this mansion is about $23,750 per month and was supposed to be her safe haven from the paparazzi. Instead, she has hired a bodyguard at £100,000 a year to stay with her 24/7, as she is convinced that this lavish mansion is haunted because she hears rattling and things that go bump in the night. She has also hired 2 full time security guards who are in charge of keeping her safe from spooks outside the gates of her mansion, after she discovered a public walking trail runs right past her front door. Maybe hiring Ghostbusters would have been a more cost effective and better choice for her!

If Adele really is living in a haunted mansion we can expect her next album to be pretty scary!

This mansion, formerly a convent in the 1970s, has a private chapel, 10 bedrooms, and two swimming pools on 25 acres with a helicopter landing pad for an easy get away in the middle of the night, which might become useful if one of those ghosts should decide to roll in the deep with her.

I’m thinking this experience can be her inspiration for her next album – “21 and Beyond”!

Madonna has a very busy year ahead of her. With four children and a boyfriend almost thirty years younger than her, though, methinks there was little relaxing going on! One wonders if she even had the time to send out Christmas cards!

Her new movie, W.E., is about Wally Winthrop, the gal behind King Edward VIII’s giving up the throne. You may remember those two historical figures from last year’s Oscar winner, The King’s Speech. It was their relationship that caused King George VI to have to ascend and work through his stuttering to give a rousing speech to his people, with the help of Geoffrey Rush – oh, I mean, Lionel Logue.

Will Madonna's new album and tour be an early Christmas gift to her fans, or will it be a giant lump of coal?

But I digress. The film, which Madonna directed and co-wrote, hit theaters on February 3. Two days later, the once Material Girl performed at the Superbowl Halftime Show. With history as an indicator, the Superbowl will go over much better than the movie. Much as she’d love if it were otherwise, Madonna’s track record in film is hit-or-miss… mostly miss, unless she’s practically playing herself (Desperately Seeking Susan) or singing (Evita). Then again, this time around Madonna did not appear in the film. Perhaps she can add another “hit” to her tally? Time will tell…

You can call Madonna a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. It’s therefore no wonder that she’s following up this movie with her twelfth album, MDNA, which came out this past March. (Get it? MDNA is an abbreviation of her name. It also goes with the whole theme of initials that she started with W.E.) She’ll also be heading out on an eighth concert tour. Could she be coming to a city near you this Christmas? Maybe! What a nice Christmas card to the fans! If she is on the road this December, maybe she’ll incorporate her version of “Santa Baby” into the setlist, too!

Are you Gaga for Italian food? I bet you Little Monsters are! So for all you Lady Gaga and Italian food fans, there are early Christmas cards from her family in the form of a delicious new restaurant!

Lady Gaga’s parents’ have opened an Italian restaurant called “Joanne Trattoria” on West 68th Street in Manhattan. The restaurant is named after Gaga’s aunt, her father’s late sister, who was her inspiration to become an artist. Her aunt was a poet and painter who died at the age of 19 from Lupus disease.

Lady Gaga loves to "mangia"at her family's Italian restaurant. I wonder if they'll be sharing Christmas dinner there?

The restaurant opened on February 1st, Lady Gaga was not there but Tony Bennett did make an appearance. Her parents built and decorated the restaurant themselves and have teamed up with Oprah’s former personal chef Art Smith to serve Southern Italian family recipes with ingredients which are grown locally in Upstate New York. Hopefully no meat will be used from her former costumes!

Meanwhile, Lady Gaga revealed that she herself was bulimic in high school as she wanted to be a skinny ballerina instead of a voluptuous little Italian girl, but her daddy must have been a frustrated restaurateur even then, as he kept putting those meatballs, spaghetti and gravy on the table every night despite her complaints. Now, he can put the meatballs and gravy on the table every night for his customers!

So mangia, mangia, mangia Little Monsters and who knows maybe you’ll be the lucky one to be eating at a table next to the Lady!

Many years ago, my wife and I wrote Christmas cards to Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda, to see whether we would get a reply. (We didn’t.) Still, he has remained my all-time favorite musician for all these years since the Fab Four first hit these American shores 48 years ago.

And now he’s  released a new solo album—his first in five years–a week before Valentine’s Day. The album, called “Kisses On The Bottom”– containing songs (some familiar and some not) Paul’s father used to play on the piano back when Paul was a young lad–will also premier a new song which, in essence, is a valentine’s card for his new wife, Nancy. The song, entitled “My Valentine”, is a slow and sweet, melodic tune that is in the same vein as the other songs—many of them standards—that are on the new record. (Paul originally sang the song to his new bride at their wedding reception held at his St. John’s Wood home in London this past October.)

For those who were longing for more of a rock ‘n’ roll album, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Most of the tunes are sung in a higher register (McCartney admitted he was trying to emulate the singing style of Fred Astaire from old movies) with spare orchestration done in a more muted fashion. Titles that will be familiar to many music aficionados include “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”, “It’s Only a Paper Moon”, “The Glory of Love”, and “Bye, Bye Blackbird” (sung slower than any previous versions one may have heard).

McCartney has said that for years he had thought about doing an album of old songs but had hesitated because he didn’t want to be accused of copying what Rod Stewart had done. Now, as time has passed, Paul obviously felt it was okay to take the plunge. Unfortunately, my prediction is that the album will sell to only the die-hard McCartney fans or those who may happen to have an interest in the material on the album. I, of course, will add it to my vast collection of official (and unofficial) McCartney releases. But I doubt I will listen to it more than two or three times before putting it away for posterity.

Here’s hoping that maybe as a Christmas card to me (finally!) he’ll put out an album of the type of songs—catchy, pop-oriented ones—that we all have been longing for since his more successful, hit-making days of years ago.

It’s been brought to my attention that I’m a little too snarky and sarcastic when it comes to writing about celebrities.  Alright, maybe that shoe fits a little too perfectly, like a snazzy pair of Converse sneakers (size 8, high tops, black, simple, stylish).  Maybe I have been a little too rough on the Kardashians…I’ll admit it.  But I’m setting aside the sarcasm, just for today, because I experienced an amazing celebrity moment, one I had to share with sincerity.  My early Christmas cards came signed from the original American Idol herself, the one and only Kelly Clarkson.

If you get the chance to see Kelly Clarkson in concert, go! It will be the best Christmas present you ever give yourself!

I recently traveled through the winding back roads of Pennsylvania to attend Kelly’s concert in Johnstown, PA.  I sat in the audience, quaking with anticipation.  It was my first Kelly concert.  I always appreciated her music but had never found myself compelled to see her live.  I can tell you right now, as soon as she appeared on stage and sang her first note, I was hooked!

I always thought of Kelly as having a good voice, but I can’t even begin to describe the sheer power of it live.  Her energy onstage is electric!  I stood for almost two hours, singing and dancing along to some of her more well-known hits, like “Since U Been Gone” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes”.  Through it all, I couldn’t help but marvel at the strength of her voice, how she was just belting these notes without batting an eyelash.  And she’d move seamlessly from one song to the next, sounding better and better as the night progressed.  You would think after almost two hours of hitting these solid high notes, your voice may falter or break; no.  Not Kelly.  Not even a little bit.  She could absolutely kill it on an up-tempo dance number, and then shine even brighter on her ballads.  She had an impressive stage set-up, with a visually-stunning light presentation accompanying each song.  But she didn’t need it.  Even through the impressive stage set-up, all I saw (or cared to see) was Kelly.

When she closed the show with “My Life Would Suck Without You”, the entire arena was on its feet, dancing and jumping along.  It felt so great to be a part of it!  The crowd went wild, compelling her to reappear for a 4-song encore.

And the girl is a total goofball!  She’d talk to the audience between songs, constantly “woo-ing” and laughing.  At one point, she actually hit her tooth against the microphone, joking that she was a klutz and that it was “reason 521 I’m still single”.  It was so nice and refreshing to see a celebrity be real with her audience, to know that even after 10 years in the business (as she reminded us), she was still that normal Texas girl that hadn’t let fame go to her head.

If Kelly is coming to a city near you, run, don’t walk, to see her.  Even if you don’t like her music, go take a look at how a real entertainer wows the crowd with impressive vocals and amazing energy.  As her tour name suggests, she really has gotten “Stronger.”

Now that that’s out of the way, I will resume full snarky mode next time.  Until then!

Have you got an amazing concert story you’d like to share?  Sound off below and tell us about it!

He is a Jet. He isn’t a Jet. Now he is a Jet. What is going on here? I guess the main question is WHY is he a Jet??? I am referring to, of course, Tim Tebow and the fact that he is now a quarterback (Is he a quarterback or a glorified fullback?) for the New York Jets. This is going to be very interesting. Will Mark Sanchez be the starter? Will Tebow become the starter if Sanchez falters or gets hurt? Will they have a good relationship and maybe even send Christmas cards to each other? Who knows?

Will Tem Tebow and Mark Sanchez work together to make The Jets great, or will the team remain as terrible and dysfunctional as ever?

The world of pro football has been turned a bit upside down following Peyton Manning’s release as an Indianapolis Colt, his signing with the Denver Broncos and the subsequent trade of Tebow, the quarterback who led Denver to a playoff berth, to the underachieving Jets. The question is: Did the Jets do the right thing in making this trade? They just gave Sanchez a contract extension and then bring in Tebow, also a starter last year, as a backup. Former Jet Joe Namath, who still follows the team closely and is not afraid to speak his mind, feels that the team’s front office people have no idea what they are doing. Most fans are a bit perplexed as well simply because of the mixed messages Sanchez may perceive from the team having made this trade. Does management have confidence in him or not? If he has a bad game or two, will he automatically have to look over his shoulder to the sideline to see if Tebow is warming up to take his place or not? Will the craziness of Tebowmania cause a distraction on a team full of distractions (that includes the head coach, Rex Ryan)? Or is the team’s thinking basically that they wanted a backup who was the best one available—even though they had just signed a backup to Sanchez already?

Although Tebow’s completion percentage last year was woeful—below 50%–he did produce wins for the Broncos with his fourth-quarter magic. Is that the reason the Jets made the deal, to ensure some last-minute surprises in case Sanchez is having an off-day? Only team officials know for sure. What is a sure thing is that there will be many photo opportunities showing Sanchez and Tebow together, smiling and happy, exuding team unity for all to see. Come to think of it, that kind of photo would be perfect for the team’s photo holiday card!

Aficionados of reality TV will certainly recognize Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly, otherwise known as Brenchel, in this year’s Amazing Race. The couple everyone loves to hate is following in the footsteps of Rob and Amber (from Survivor) and Jeff and Jordan (from Big Brother) by making a career out of reality shows. Rachel won Big Brother 13on her second showing having lost in season 12 where she met the love of her life, Brendon. After their engagement on Valentine’s Day, 2011, they probably had some flamboyant picture on their Christmas Cards. Not being near and dear to the lovebirds, I did not receive a card from them.

How much longer will Brenchel's antics keep them in the spotlight?

I started my obsession with reality TV by watching the first season of Survivor as my very own guilty pleasure, but I have not sunk to the depths of reality nonsense by watching Snooki and her crew (at least not yet). However, I do so love The Amazing Race, Survivor and occasionally, Big Brother. I made the mistake of watching an episode of Big Brother 12 and was immediately drawn into the train wreck named Rachel. She had a great knack for winning head of household, talking dirt behind people’s back and crying badly when someone did the same to her. With her childish whining, phony tears and dreadful personality she drew fellow houseguest Brendon into her web. Dare I say Toxic Mix! The two of them against the rest of the Big Brother household was a sight to watch. I kept wondering when they would be booted. I actually cheered when Rachel was voted out only to be annoyed when she came back for one episode to annoy everyone in the house. Needless to say Brendon was voted off shortly after. I actually enjoyed the rest of the season.

Why Big Brother brought the two back is clear as a bell to me. They stirred up controversy and that is always good television Season 13 of Big Brother was the newbies and the veterans (including Jeff & Jordan from a previous season, who were loved by the viewing public). The veterans formed a click early on and dominated the first half of the season. However, the newbies started winning challenges and managed to vote out the veterans one by one. Rachel, although annoying, is certainly not stupid and she managed to hold on and actually win the $500,000 prize.

Imagine my surprise when Brendon and Rachel showed up on The Amazing Race this year. I almost turned it off, but obsessions do not let you make those kinds of decisions, so I am once again glued to the TV. Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas are racing around the world and they may just get to the get to the finish line first. They have cunning, brains and determination. Sadly, as much as they annoy me, I find that I just may cheer them on this year. Give them credit for sticking together through the good and the bad. Love them or hate them, they bring excitement to the season. Maybe I will get that Christmas card this year, do you think?

This past Christmas was especially nostalgic for many of us who grew up with the Muppets, because they had a big hit movie out! Kermit, Piggy, Gonzo and the gang were back, trying to save the old Muppet Theater from an evil tycoon and even unearthing a rendition of “The Rainbow Connection”. I don’t know anyone who didn’t leave the theater after the movie feeling all warm and fuzzy – I kind of wanted to send out Muppet Christmas cards to all of my friends, imploring them to revisit their childhood and go see it!

This movie had all the things that made The Muppet Movie and Muppets Take Manhattan so great back in Jim Henson’s heyday: celebrity cameos aplenty, musical numbers, Miss Piggy’s diva attitude, Fozzie’s bad jokes, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem… When they recreated the opening to The Muppet Show, I could not wipe the grin from my face!

Besides our favorite Muppets, there were some other great things about the movie. Likeable Jason Segal (aka Marshall from the long-running sitcom How I Met Your Mother) co-wrote and starred in the movie, and Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame was the music supervisor. Jason’s undeniable enthusiasm for the topic and Bret’s trademark musical talents were responsible for half the fun – and Bret even won the Best Original Song Oscar for the Conchords-esque “Man or Muppet”. In his acceptance speech, Bret let on that he felt the same way about Kermit as any of us would, saying he was “genuinely star-struck when [he] met Kermit the Frog, but once you get to know him, he’s just a normal frog.”

It was so nice to see that the people involved in making this film felt the same way about Kermit and his friends as we viewers do – especially since they, too, grew up with them. The awe and joy that they felt when they were kids, courtesy of Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and so many other talented puppeteers, gave them the ability to create a movie that captured all the magic of the old days in a way that we all could appreciate.

So, fellow Muppet fans, who’s your favorite character? What did you think of the latest film? Share your thoughts in the comment section!