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12 Best Christmas Pop Songs Of All Time Posted: 25 Dec 2011 05:53 AM PST Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey make our list of yuletide favorites. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber Photo: Getty Images Looking for some inspiration for Christmas-themed music? Well, don't worry, MTV News has wrapped up a special holiday playlist so that you can get into the spirit of the season. Grab a glass of eggnog, put on your best reindeer sweater and snuggle up by the fire with these choice tunes. "Mistletoe," Justin Bieber Bieber's modern-day missive (released in 2011 off of Under the Mistletoe) about kissing under the mistletoe certainly harks back to carols of days gone by, but he updates the narrative using his own fly-boy language, referring to his girl as his "shawty." Awww! "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Mariah Carey Perhaps the most ubiquitous pop song of the last 20 years, Carey's iconic single may have been reimagined by Bieber, but it will forever be associated with Carey, her skimpy Santa suit and her desire to be reunited with her boy. "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays," *NSYNC Spunky and funky, *NSYNC's 1998 track is all about getting together with your friends and family and wishing them "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" — a fitting sentiment for folks of all persuasions. "My Only Wish (This Year)," Britney Spears Like Carey before her, Britney uses her sugary sweet, incredibly innocent ode to the holidays to pine away for the one thing she hopes Santa can get her: her one true love. "Last Christmas," Wham! George Michael had one message for that ex-special someone: This year, to save him from tears, he'll give his heart to someone special. After it was released, the song immediately became a Christmas staple with radio and local malls playing it endlessly through the season. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid While many Christmas songs focus on chestnuts roasting on an open fire, 1984's A-list-filled charity single reminded the world that not everyone has chestnuts or an open fire. "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band This song had already been recorded and re-recorded, but when Springsteen put his Jersey sass on the Christmas classic, it became the type of jovial, rocked-out tune cool enough to top the lists of his fans. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," U2 Darlene Love may have recorded the track in 1963, but Bono and his boys put their own spin on the song when they released it in 1987. It's all about wanting your baby to come home to you on Christmas. And, really, who doesn't want that? "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson In a world where these two are still together, it would actually be a cute idea to have this real-life couple sing about wanting to stay warm with one another on a chilly winter night. "Don't Shoot Me Santa," The Killers Every Christmas playlist needs a kooky take on the holidays, and the Las Vegas band's spin on pleading with Santa to cut them a break is a bit country, a bit rock and roll, and all fun. See also: Blink-182's "I Won't Be Home for Christmas." "I'll Be Home for Christmas," Michael Bublé Bublé's Christmas album has been sitting at the top of the charts for weeks, and this particularly stirring Christmas ballad is all about making sure you're with the people you love for the holidays. "Santa Baby," Madonna Cooing and gushing about what she wants from her Santa Baby for Christmas is an incredibly decadent idea full of incredibly lavish gift ideas. Pretend like there's no recession, blast this one and imagine a world where cars and jewels are totally affordable Christmas gifts. Which is your favorite Christmas pop song? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos MTV News' Christmas Playlist Related Artists Justin Bieber Mariah Carey

'War Horse': The Reviews Are In! Posted: 22 Dec 2011 02:56 AM PST Steven Spielberg's holiday offering is a 'litmus test' for moviegoers' feelings about the director, one critic says. By Eric Ditzian Tom Hiddleston in "War Horse" Photo: DreamWorks The Christmas holiday offers a staggering array of fresh cinematic choices. The last two weeks have given us films about chipmunks and tigers, 19th-century detectives and 21st-century spies, motion-captured adventurers and motorcycle-riding hackers. Shoot, there are not one but two Steven Spielberg flicks to choose from when all of your presents have been opened and that post-holiday-meal coma has set in. The most recent is "War Horse," which nabbed two Golden Globe nominations and is likely to garner a slew of Oscar nods, including Best Picture and Best Director (even if the reviews are mixed). The movie, which hit theaters on Sunday (December 25), isn't polarizing so much as it is, in critic Bill Goodykoontz's lovely phrasing, a "litmus test" for moviegoers' feelings about Spielberg's films in general. Some reviewers have lauded the beautiful cinematography and stellar cast, while others have taken issue with the film's overly sentimental tone. Read on for a deep dive into "War Horse" reviews. The Story "The film deals with the relationship between Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse, Joey. It's a sprawling story that uses the background of World War I as a framework, but it's really a very direct journey. Albert's father (Peter Mullan) buys a horse, Albert falls in love with it, WWI begins, the horse is sold to Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston), and Albert decides to enlist so he can find his horse and keep him safe. The film follows Joey from owner to owner, using the horse's journey as a way of dipping into a number of stories along the way, and eventually reaching a rousing and nakedly tear-jerking finale. It is an episodic film, and how you feel about the movie as a whole will depend largely on whether or not you are moved by the various stops along the way." — Drew McWeeny, HitFix The Performances "The cast is exemplary down the line, with both names and newcomers delivering expansive, emotional and almost entirely sympathetic performances. Neither side in the conflict is ennobled or demonized; like Joey (and a striking black steed who's his companion for a while), the grunts are just pawns in the hands of unseen manipulators of countless fates. Irvine is the very picture of a sturdy, well-intentioned, ruddy-faced English country lad of a hundred years ago and Mullan and [Emily] Watson look to have come from the earth they tread. Tom Hiddleston cuts a striking figure as an English officer who understands Joey early on, setting an example for the many others who briefly come and go through the horse's life as the war grinds on." — Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter The Action "Spielberg's battle scenes are a marvel of sight and sound — the latter literally shakes the theatres from the pop of rifles and the thunder of cannons. Spielberg tugs at the heart strings, but he's also not afraid to smack you upside the head with combat that realistically shows the madness of war. He interrupts the action too often, perhaps fearing a punitive censor rating. There are long stretches of 'War Horse' where Joey passes from hand to hand like the precious golden circle of 'The Lord of the Rings,' as this barnyard Balzac further demonstrates its wisdom and stoicism while dispensing silent life lessons." — Peter Howell, Toronto Star The Dissenters "[It's] overlong, painfully earnest and sometimes even hokey. Clearly, Spielberg intended 'War Horse' as a throwback, an homage to good, old-fashioned, heartrending storytelling, full of recognizable types and uplifting themes. The skies are so impossibly colorful in such a retro way, they look like hand-painted backdrops on a soundstage. And the dialogue is so frequently on-the-nose and repetitive, it might just make you cringe." — Christy Lemire, The Associated Press The Final Word " 'War Horse' is a sort of litmus test for how you feel about Steven Spielberg's films. It's a beautiful movie, stunning to look at, with echoes of film history all throughout, reaching back to 'Gone With the Wind,' 'The Searchers,' Spielberg's own 'Saving Private Ryan' and more. It's also unapologetically sentimental. Spielberg all but begs you to cry, and unless you're a heartless cad, you probably will." — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic Check out everything we've got on "War Horse." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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