Tag: Christmas songs

Posted on

Pink Champagne: Christmas Song Of The Week

Fresh off the success of their UK Soul Chart smash hit, Mama’s Kitchen Table, singer-songwriter Paulette McWilliams, multi-Grammy nominated Ivan Hampden Jr., and lyricist Max Szadek present the self empowerment anthem, Pink Champagne — a celebration of overcoming heartache during the holidays!

“This song is a heartfelt shout-out to anyone navigating the tough waters of heartbreak this season,” declares Paulette McWilliams, who powerful vocals have backed up many musical icons such as Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Bette Midler, and Luther Vandross.

The moving tale of resilience in Pink Champagne has captured the attention of UGONE Radio Host Toni B, who proudly named it the ‘Christmas Song Of The Week’ for her show from December 16-21, 2024.

Additionally, Pink Champagne has been added to RhythmAndSoul’s festive holiday playlist, proving its resonance!

Breakups can be challenging, but the holiday season magnifies those feelings of loneliness.

Surrounded by couples at festive gatherings, playing romantic holiday tunes, and reading cheerful family updates, it’s easy to feel isolated. The airwaves are usually filled with upbeat classics, leaving little room for reflection—until now!

“Outside of Elvis Presley’s Blue Christmas, I can’t think of any holiday classics that resonate with those of us feeling low,” says the talented Ivan Hampden Jr. “With Pink Champagne, listeners can find solace and realize they’re not alone in their struggles.”

This empowering track narrates a woman’s journey from heartache to triumph at Christmastime. Paulette envisions it as a source of strength for anyone hurting, encouraging them to embrace their feelings and transform them into joy. With inspiration from the vocal greatness of Nancy Wilson, Marlena Shaw, and Eartha Kitt, Pink Champagne is a fresh and vibrant take on the traditional holiday tune.

“You simply can’t savor the joy of the holidays while clinging to painful emotions. It’s time to release them!” she emphasizes. “I truly believe Pink Champagne will help those who are hurting move forward with a brighter outlook.”

Expertly arranged and produced by the gifted Ivan Hampden Jr., known for his work with Luther Vandross, Ashford & Simpson, Roberta Flack, and Eartha Kitt, this track promises to be a new holiday favorite. His previous Christmas classic, Mistletoe Jam, featured on Luther Vandross’s platinum-certified This Is Christmas album, continues to delight fans.

Pink Champagne is poised to follow in its footsteps with joy and assertiveness!

Posted on

FANDROSS: The Joy Of A Luther Christmas

Enjoy the FANDROSS: The Joy of a Luther Christmas Special on YouTube. Luther’s friends and fans treat you to some of his most cherished Christmas songs, entertaining you through their beautiful interpretations.

This fantastic holiday special, available on-demand to see, features his former vocalists and collaborators, Lisa Fischer, Pat Lacy Aikens, Kevin Owens, and Terry Steele; his former assistant, Max Szadek; performances from friends and FAN greetings from around the globe, this will warm your heart, celebrate the season and remind you why Luther was a master singer and songwriter.

Posted on

How Much Sugar Is In Champagne

The tradition of drinking champagne to mark celebrations originated in the royal courts of Europe before 1789, where the expensive drink was viewed as a status symbol.

A 5-ounce serving of champagne has 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1.5 grams of sugar. Champagne tastes less dry than wine because the acidity level is very high.

However, remember that these grams of carbs and sugar will add up with every glass of champagne you drink.

 Unlike Champagne and some sparkling wines, Prosecco is made using a less expensive method than champagne.

For a long time, Prosecco was regarded as something of a ‘poor man’s Champagne,’ but its popularity has soared since 2000, and in 2013 it outsold Champagne for the first time worldwide.

A glass of Prosecco contains 1.5g of sugar per glass (80 calories).
A six-ounce glass of other well-known Proseccos is around 100 calories, and for Champagne, around 140 calories. It should be noted that Champagne is always going to be higher in calories because it contains more alcohol compared to Prosecco.
Skinny prosecco contains half the sugar and just 67 calories a glass.

Pink champagne is a victory lap in a glass. The pale color, the effervescent bubbles, and the unique shape of the glass lend themselves to marking milestones. The elegant way you sip it and how it sparkles on your tongue make moments real or imagined better.  For these reasons and more, I chose pink champagne over other cocktails to be featured in my song, Pink Champagne.

Posted on

Divabetic Pink Champagne Holiday Gift Guide 2021, #4

Whether you’re focused on losing weight, improving your A1c, or want to add a little extra sparkle into your daily diabetes self-care, we’ve got you covered with this year’s Divabetic Holiday Gift Guide 2021. We believe in thoughtful gifts that bring a little happiness and good health into your life.

When it comes to diabetes, the more you know, the better. You’re probably aware that monitoring your blood sugar levels and A1c levels is important. But keeping track of your heart rate can help you lower your risk of diabetes complications like heart disease. The Apple Watch makes it easy!

Using the Apple Watch, you can check your heart rate at any time. You can view your resting, walking, workout, and recovery rates throughout the day. You can also see if your heart rate remains above or below a chosen heartbeats per minute (BPM), or occasionally check for an irregular heart rhythm. This information, as well as other data it collects, helps Apple Watch estimate how many calories you’ve burned.

“I personally love my Apple Watch SE because it reminds me to move more than I might without it. It measures my steps, other activities (like yoga or a session on my spin bike), and how many hours I’ve stood for at least a minute. If I’m lagging behind in any area, I can add more movement to my day.” – customer testimonial 
Retail $399

BUY NOW

Did you know that your loved ones can get a sense of their diabetes risk by counting heartbeats? 

Healio reports that larger increases in resting heart rate can lead to greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes, whereas reductions can have the opposite effect, according to findings published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

Divabetic Holiday Playlist: John Legend’s rendition of Marvin Gaye’s psychedelic holiday song,  Purple Snowflakes. Co-written with Clarence Paul and David Hamilton, Marvin Gaye originally recorded the song in 1964 and released it as Pretty Little Baby.

It took three decades for the song for the holiday version Purple Snowflakes to be released in 1992. It appears the John Legend included it on his sixth studio album, Legendary Christmas.

Posted on

Home For the Holidays With Anthony Hamilton

Singer Anthony Hamilton has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season including his health.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and fully recovering from the virus has taught him to appreciate life,” he tells DRUM.

“It’s taught me to be thankful that you are healthy and have people you can depend on. Nurture those because we will need each other through time. Rest is important and it doesn’t take a lot to create. You don’t have to run around and wear yourself out. Prioritize yourself and make quality moves,” he says.

Anthony Hamilton’s goal was to avoid cliché and not repeat the formulas that shaped holiday records for years on his Christmas album,Home for the Holidays.
“The mundane songs that have been recorded over and over again, I really didn’t want to do that,” he says. “I didn’t want it to be so sterile that you couldn’t feel the personality. And I wanted it to be true to who I am as an artist.”
 
Anthony Hamilton thought about where he’d come from and applied it to the music. Instead of a traditional arrangement for “The Little Drummer Boy,” he told producer Kelvin Wooten, “Let’s put a little Outkast to it.” And for the title track, he called in a friend — singer Gavin DeGraw — to add a different flavor to the music.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic rings in the holiday season with inspiration from Grammy® Award winner Anthony Hamilton on Divabetic’s popular monthly podcast. Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Susan Weiner RD, MSN, CDCES, CDN, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDCES, Author Lisa Eugene, Poet Lorraine Brooks, and Mama Rose Marie. This fast-paced, fun-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice focuses on healthy celebrations for the holidays.

Enjoy Anthony Hamilton’s performance of ‘Home For The Holidays.’

Keep an ear out for Anthony Hamilton’s “Superstar” featuring Jennifer Hudson on his new album, Love Is The New Black. “It’s such a beautiful rendition, and it pays homage to the late, great Luther Vandross,” Anthony Hamilton tells City Metro.

Anthony Hamilton’s T.A.S.T.E Foundation’s mission is to address some of the most widespread issues facing the Black community in his home state of North Carolina and around the country such as hunger, homelessness, health, mental health, foster care, and education.

We’re talking about Weight Loss Journeys & Diabetes with musical inspiration from Jennifer Hudson on this episode of Divabetic’s monthly podcast.

We’ve watched Jennifer Hudson soar to stardom as her powerhouse pipes have taken her from American Idol back in 2004 to coveted roles in film, theater and TV, including as a judge on The Voice. Throughout that journey, the singer has also had another major life change: She went from a size 16 to a size 6, dropping 80 pounds. The star followed poor dieting practices and finally chose to approach her weight loss in a healthy way after giving birth to her son, David.

While studies show most people who drop significant pounds regain the weight they lose, Jennifer Hudson has managed to keep her svelte figure for the past nine years.

“I’m very careful and cautious of what I’m eating, so I just try to pace those meals throughout the day,” said Jennifer Hudson.

Jennifer Hudson supports the Barbara Davis Center (BDC). BDC’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art care to children and adults with type 1 diabetes and to teach patients how to prevent or delay complications. Their research is devoted to finding prevention, cure, and most effective treatment of diabetes and associated disorders.

Guests include Vanessa Hunter, Dr. Wendy Rapaport PsyD, Dr. Stewart Harris, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Autumn Reed.

Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from Jennifer Hudson’s self-titled album, ’Jennifer Hudson’ courtesy of SONY Music.

Posted on

Send a Luther Vandross Holiday e-card

Send some Christmas cheer with a little help from Luther Vandross and share an Luther-themed e-card!

SEND e-card NOW

Looking for some wonderful music to accompany your Christmas celebrations?

What more could you ask for than the heartwarming sounds of Luther Vandross and his deep melodic tones to fill your home with warm comforting tones.

Ten years after the release of his Christmas album, This Is Christmas, Luther passed away from diabetes and cardiovascular health issues.

I found my boss, Luther Vandross, after he suffered a stroke due to mismanagement of type 2 diabetes in his home in 2003. The experience motivated me to dedicate my life to helping Luther fans ‘keep their house a home’ by learning how to prevent diabetes health-related complications such as stroke from occurring.

Since Luther’s passing, I created the Divabetic, LLC is a national 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization (divabetic.org) specializing in non-traditional and non-clinical diabetes education. Divabetic promotes “wellness with a wow” to change attitudes and to encourage prevention, early action, and education to manage diabetes and diabetes-related complications.

The phrase “Divabetic” is a combination of the word “diabetic” with the letter “V” inserted for Vandross, evokes feelings of power and a positive attitude associated with the great divas Luther loved, like Patti LaBelle.

The mission of Divabetic is to transform lives by changing attitudes, boosting spirits, encouraging hope and motivation for those living with, affected by, or at risk of diabetes. Through innovative programs, outreach events, and online communities, Divabetic is a circle of care and support, providing a link between patients and their healthcare teams, translation of clinical speak, and a bridge between denial and acceptance, fear and confidence.

We meet the challenges and opportunities of diabetes care and concerns with a Glam More, Fear Less philosophy so that no one has to struggle alone or in silence.

Even though Luther is missed, his voice and music still lives on. And if you ever play this album around the holidays with Luther’s christmas music, you can still hear him singing and celebrating Christmas.  Luther Vandross was not only a great singer, but a wonderful boss and person. I like to remember him as the elegant, stylish Luther pictured on the This Is Christmas album cover.

BUY ALBUM

Posted on

Donny Hathway’s “This Christmas” Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Donny Hathway’s “This Christmas” celebrates the 50th anniversary of the release of this popular, festive anthem with a new animated video.

The video was animated by Fantoons and drawn by famed cartoonist Lonnie Milsap. In the clip, Donny Hathaway takes a stroll through Chicago’s streets, passing by people in the community who are in the Christmas spirit.

“I’m thrilled for all the people who have loved this song forever and for all those who are just discovering this treasure,” his daughter, Lalah Hathaway said in a statement. “YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!”

Join us tonight, Tuesday, December 8th for Divabetic’s Annual Holiday edtion of Diabetes Late with musical inspiration from Harry Connick, Jr. and his 16 piece big band.

Mr. Divabetic’s guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Dan Houdeshel,  Pendulum Glucose Control‘s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Orville Kolterman and Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy, Author Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE and Mama Rose Marie.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Harry For The Holidays album courtesy of SONY Music. Harry Connick, Jr.’s second Christmas album, Harry for The Holidays is as much a salute to his New Orleans musical roots as it is to the season.

Posted on

How to Stay Merry During the Holidays with Diabetes

Keep ‘your house a home’ during the holidays by learning how to prevent a diabetes health-related complication such as stroke from occurring. Tune in Divabetic’s seasonal Diabetes Late Nite podcasts featuring expert advice, powerful testimonials and your favorite holidays songs. Enjoy every episode on demand for free!

Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Mariah Carey

Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey’s 1994 carol ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ officially hits the top of the Hot 100 charts for the first time! We’ve got all of her holiday hits on Diabetes Late Nite along with expert advice on how to stay MERRY while managing diabetes this season.

Having diabetes shouldn’t stop you from enjoying holiday celebrations and travel. With some planning and a little preparation, you can stay healthy on the road and at holiday gatherings with friends and family.

Preparation is the most important step in managing diabetes during holiday travel and festivities. Know what you’ll be eating, how to enjoy a few traditional favorites while sticking with a healthy meal plan, how to pack necessary supplies for a trip, and you’re ready to celebrate!

Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, ‘Unleash Your Inner Diabetes Dominator’ Author Daniele Hargenrader, CEO of Insulcloud Jose Luis and Mama Rose Marie. 

LISTEN

Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Elvis Presley

Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Elvis Presley

We’re taking about ways to celebrate a Diabetes ‘BLUE’ Christmas with musical inspiration from Elvis Presley.

Feeling blue?

The holiday season triggers mood swings for many of us. We may stress about finances, fight with family members, feel overwhelmed with commitments, slip into bad eating habits, ignore blood sugars and/or gain weight.

We will be discussing ways to not let diabetes dim your dazzle during the holiday season with our panel of experts. Guests include Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, Mandy Reece PHARMD, CDE, BC-ADM, FAADE, Rachel Zinman, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, High Voltage. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring songs from the new “Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” album courtesy of SONY Music.

LISTEN

Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Kelly Clarkson

Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by Kelly Clarkson

We’re talking about celebrating the holidays without compromising our diabetes wellness with holiday music from Kelly Clarkson.

“Wrapped in Red” quickly becomes a welcome gift to fans of the powerful pop star as Kelly Clarkson mixes classic carols and hymns with several originals co-written by the singer.

Kelly Clarkson’s inspiring us to lend our ‘voice’ to topics such as the link between HIV medications and type 2 diabetes, how the homeless manage diabetes, great gift ideas for loved ones with diabetes, and how you can lose weight during holidays (!) on this podcast.

Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Kathy Gold RN, MSN, CDE, FAADE, Glucose Revival’s Kris Maynard, Dr. Sara (Mandy) Reece, PharmD, CDE, BC=ADM, BCACP, FAADE, Maria Sakowitz, MS, RDN, LDN, CLT, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.

LISTEN

Proudly powered by WordPress