Winner of the O Holy Night Off!

It is time to declare a winner.
As we know, if one makes it to the OHNO final, they are a winner already . . . oh, just kidding, we all know that 2nd place is first loser! That distinction goes to Josh Groban.
Which makes the winner Celine Dion! Congratulations, Celine! You have won the OHNO! I will send you a certificate that you can print yourself, then frame, then place next to your other awards.

Semifinal Winners! Now for the Finals!

Merry Christmas! Here are your gifts - The first semifinal goes to . . . Celine Dion. Really, folks, did you think that Third Day's OHN was going to make it to the finals? It was a good run (especially since I wouldn't have voted it to come out of the first round).
The second semifinal goes to . . . Josh Groban. To me this is an upset, but I think that since Celine made it to the final, we needed some contrast. I personally love Mariah's version but I have decided not to overrule the masses (since it is Christmas). So the final is set: Celine Dion vs. Josh Groban. You can listen to them one more time:




We are going to continue this final for three days! So if you want to share with friends and comment, then go ahead. I will announce the winners this coming Wednesday morning! Good luck.

Final Four Doubleheader!

Now is the time to find our Champion. The pretenders have been eliminated (mostly), and now we come to the Final Four in the competition. In one semi-final we have Celine Dion vs. Third Day, the cinderella who somehow stopped the clock on 11:59 pm and made it to the Final Four.


The other semi-final has Mariah vs. Groban. Two #1 seeds, two divas, two legends!

Let the competions begin! Tell me who you like and why. If you don't tell me why you are voting for someone, I will not count your vote! (Of course, I may not count it anyway.)

Winners from the Second Quarterfinal

Mariah and Groban have moved on to the Final Four - creating a semi-final for the ages. Nat couldn't overcome the B3 and the vocal range of Mariah, and Studio 60, although being my favorite instrumental of the tournament, could not overcome the Groban machine.

Quarterfinal DoubleHeader #2

Here is the other quarterfinal doubleheader: The first match finds us with Mariah Carey vs. Nat King Cole. Mariah is the #1 seed, strong, multi-octave, B3 organ: you know that this is stout. Then we have Nat, the legend, the iconic voice, unforgettable (pun intended). Here it is for one more listen:


The other match find us with Josh Groban vs. Studio 60. I want to do this one with YouTube clips, because the one from last round with Groban helped him steamroll past TSO, and the Studio 60 YouTube puts the version from New Orleans in context, with the pictures from Hurricane Katrina. Groban version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zh-yR0pbmU Studio 60: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etflv7R6NKA Love the comments under the clip, agree with the one that says "The best four minutes of episodic television...ever."
So, tell me who goes to the final four!

Winners From the First Quarterfinal

Just when I said that the OHNO has proven to be an educational endeavor, the voting of the masses comes in all wrong! I am shocked that the Third Day cover received any votes at all, and not only that, but has the majority in the masses over Faith Hill. This has caused me to do something that I am not used to doing, namely, doubting my own judgment. So I listened again. Still don't like the Third Day cover, so then I turned to the Faith Hill cover, and thought, what is keeping them from voting for her? I realized that although the Faith Hill cover is beautiful, there is nothing there that makes one demand that she move on, and that vacuum, I guess, is what the Third Day cover is taking advantage of. So should one vote on a great version that, in the end, has nothing to write home about, or a car wreck version that everyone has to gather around and see? I am letting Third Day move on; although this is certainly more of Faith losing it rather than Third Day winning it.
The other match, we find Celine and Bing. (Turning to Bing) Bing, it has been a great ride, and there is something about your voice that proclaims Christmas more than any other in the OHNO. Your White Christmas is the best selling Christmas song of all time, and you are such an icon that when, late in life, you decided it was a good idea to sing "Little Drummer Boy" as a duet with David Bowie, we gave you a pass, saying, "If Bing wants to sing with David Bowie a train-wreck of a song on national TV, then he should because he is Bing." However, this is the OHNO, and the song is OHN, and you ran into Celine. Sorry, friend. May you forever find your friend Bob Hope and take the "road to" continued generations listening and enjoying your smooth bass voice. Celine moves on.

Quarterfinal Doubleheader #1

So now we move on to the quarterfinals, where we have these two matches in a doubleheader today. First we have Celine Dion vs. Bing Crosby - two heavyweights in the OHNO (well maybe one heavyweight, Celine is a little skinny) running into each other in the final 8. Celine has one of the most celebrated OHN in music history, but now faces the Ol'Crooner himself, who in White Christmas and Holiday Inn etched himself in Christmas lore forever. Have another listen below:


Next we have Faith Hill vs. the upstart Third Day, who is one of two Cinderella #6 seeds in the final 8. Again, we have to ask the question, can an atypical cover of OHN win the OHNO? Me thinks that Cinderella might want to look at the clock, because midnight is coming awfully fast. For grins, have another listen below:


So tell me the winners for both these matches, and why you think they need to go to the Final Four.