News

Jennifer Nettles surely is more comfortable hosting "Cma Country Christmas" this time.

When she filled that role on the ABC special last year, the Sugarland vocalist was about to deliver her first baby. In the same month her son marks his first birthday, Nettles is back for her fourth round introducing a parade of country artists performing seasonal favorites in the two-hour show Monday, Dec. 2.

(ABC repeats it both Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 22.)

"One of the things I had hoped for this show was for it to become a tradition," Nettles tells Zap2it. "As a new mom, I'm hyper-aware of that now. This is what families do; they start traditions. Things start to take on a different meaning when you're a family."

Other members of the country music "family" in the newest "Cma Country Christmas" include Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, Hunter Hayes, Kellie Pickler,...

Downton Abbey Season Two ($49.99 BluRay; PBS)

Poldark The Complete Collection ($79.99; Acorn) -- Don't tell my mother, but Downton Abbey has swiftly declined from a pale imitation of the original Upstairs Downstairs to a pale imitation of Falcon Crest. She's enjoying the show but I quickly switched from eagerness to see if the second season could build on the over-praised first to laughter at its foolishness to boredom. The first season lifted entire plot lines from U/D (and shamelessly from Mrs. Miniver) but it was fun. This season it has gone completely off the rails, with episodes ending with soap-like revelations (complete with "da-dum!" foreboding musical cues), characters behaving utterly without rhyme or reason from one moment to the next. Why, for example, has Isobel Crawley gone from a sensible if blunt woman to a blithering idiot? The plot twists come so fast and furious all you can do is laugh.

HollywoodNews.com: Javier Colon, America’s breakout star of NBC’s hit show, The Voice, kicks off Tanger Outlets’ Sounds of Summer Concert Series showcasing national and local talent with free performances throughout the summer.

Every Saturday throughout the summer, Tanger Outlets at The Arches presents free pop performances by both nationally recognized and local artists. Colon’s concert will be held Saturday, July 9th at 6:00pm on The Arches Soundstage. The concert will start promptly at 6:00pm at Tanger Outlets at the Arches, 152 The Arches Circle, Deer Park, New York.

The 75-minute concert will feature Colon’s hit single, “Stitch by Stitch” and renditions of covers performed on The Voice. Fans can expect to hear Colon singing pop classics including “Man in The Mirror” by Michael Jackson, “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks and “Fix You” by Coldplay.

The rising star won over the hearts of Americans with his soulful style,...

The week is almost over and no one is happier about that than me. I'm absolutely exhausted and am looking forward to having a couple days where I don't actually have to get out of bed if I don't want to. And February is almost over, which is nothing but good news because of all the months out there I generally consider February the most useless one (no offense to those of you with February birthdays). And can I just say that this week has been a terrible week on television? It's like everyone who doesn't have the Olympics just gave up. I can't wait till I can spend a leisurely Saturday afternoon watching the latest episode of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" on Netflix because it'll be the most entertaining thing I'll see all week. Here's Thursday night:

8:00 p.m.: "American Idol: First Results Show" on Fox. New episode on a special night.

This week in PBS music Willie Nelson highlights song's from the troubadour's first-ever bluegrass album on SoundStage this week with Kenny Chesney on the Acl stage.

Tell Bill Moyer what you think; is the media sufficiently reporting the truth about the Iraq war on the ground? This Old House Hour works with YouthBuild Boston. Wrapping up this week, Children's book author Cheryl Willis Hudson explains how to foster an interest in African-American history, culture and experiences throughout the year. This week on PBS.

Arts and Literature

Antiques Roadshow Madison (Hour One)

Monday, February 15, 2010 8 - 9:00 pm

Items An Art Deco charm bracelet; an heirloom 1938 Martin D-18 guitar; and an angry 1976 letter from Frank Sinatra to Chicago Daily News columnist Mike Royko. Mark L. Walberg hosts. More

Soundstage Faith Hill, Greatest Hits

Thursday, February 18, 2010 10 - 11:00 pm

Backed by a full orchestra, charismatic country superstar Faith Hill presents selections from her album "Faith Hill: The Hits." (Cc, Stereo, HD) More...

Here’s a list of some of the new DVD and Blu-ray releases this week we’re particularly interested in. Plus, some old favorites (and not so favorites) coming out this week for the first time on Blu-ray.

Movies

About Last Night… ~ Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi (Blu-ray)

Alien Trespass ~ Eric McCormack, Dan Lauria, Robert Patrick, and Jenni Baird (DVD and Blu-ray)

Blue Thunder ~ Roy Scheider, Warren Oates, Candy Clark, and Daniel Stern (Blu-ray)

Chaos ~ Jason Statham (Blu-ray)

The Class (Entre Les Murs) ~ François Bégaudeau, Agame Malembo-Emene, and Angélica Sancio (DVD)

Cutthroat Island ~ Geena Davis, Frank Langella, Matthew Modine (Blu-ray)

Eagles Over London ~ Van Johnson, Frederick Stafford, Francisco Rabal, and Luigi Pistilli (Blu-ray)

Gigantic ~ Zooey Deschanel, Paul Dano, John Goodman, and Ed Asner (DVD)

I Love You, Man ~ Paul Rudd, Jason Segal (DVD and Blu-ray)

Katyn ~ Artur Amijewski, Maja Ostaszewska, and Andrzej Chyra (DVD)

Michael Jackson: Moonwalking – The...

Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Rob Thomas has released .Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour . Live at Red Rocks. and M&C.s giving away gift packs to celebrate . which include a copy of the DVD! The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado is a legendary venue that has been graced by rock luminaries from The Beatles to U2. The setting provides the awe-inspiring backdrop for three-time Thomas. first-ever live performance DVD. Captured in High-Definition and mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound for the acclaimed PBS music series Soundstage, the 18-song concert features seven songs not seen on the original 2007 television broadcast plus the music video for .Streetcorner Symphony.. @Photo provided by E1 Entertainment In 2005, Rob Thomas. first...

Stevie Nicks is 60 but she still feels like she's on the "edge of 17," thanks to super-efficient Power Plate workouts that have whipped her into incredible shape. "When I gained my 30 lbs., it was because I went on tranquilizers for eight years," Nicks told People Monday, the day before her new CD, The Soundstage Sessions, and Live in Chicago DVD hit stores. "I don't blame myself for that." The secret to staying slim is finding a healthy weight you can maintain, says the "Rhiannon" chanteuse, who is now a sleek size 8 and is touring with Fleetwood Mac for the first time in five years.