Christmas Catch Up - Best of Lists, Beyoncé and Collected Columns

If you're stuck at home for a few days for all things festive and want another option for when you've done your boxset binge then here's a selection of stuff I've done recently that might help while away the hours.

I did a rundown of my favourite 40 singles released this year for GCN which you can read here. It also includes a full Deezer playlist of all the songs. There are some tunes I wish I'd added in now but for the most part it's a fairly accurate look at what I listened to and loved this year.

There's an album list too with full Deezer links to each underneath their respective blurb which might help you pick which albums to spend that Christmas gift of an iTunes gift card on.

I've been keeping up the regular writing for the Independent's Day and Night mag too. My last piece for 2013 looks at how the pop diva pack fared this year and where they might go next. I also recently discussed pop's "real music" fascination and also looked at how the music video is in rude health this year.

I also did a review of Beyoncé's self titled fifth album for the Independent online, delving into why this is such an impressive pop collection.

And there's been some fun radio show bits with the Dave Fanning show over the last while. I talked about Lady Gaga and her current career trajectory with Dave back when ARTPOP came out, there was a fun chat on the 30th anniversary of the Thriller video and just last weekend myself and the amazing Jenn Gannon gave our review of 2013's music moments.

2013 was a busy one so I'm delighted to do nothing for a few days before appearing at The George with Davina Devine to ring in the New Year on the 31st (poster below). Have a wonderful Christmas!

Sex and Smarts: Lady Gaga and R.Kelly team up for Do What You Want

In just over five years Lady Gaga has achieved the kind of success most popstars would struggle to achieve in ten. And as much as she's a star whose success relied on the always-on 24 hour media whirl we live in now, it's the same system that can make her seem she's no longer "relevant". She's griped recently about feeling misunderstood (like this excellent Guardian interview) and made a video that played with all the internet chatter about her just before Applause dropped.

Yesterday ahead of new song Do What You Want (one of a handful of songs that aren't singles that she'll be unveiling before new album ARTPOP arrives next month) debuting Gaga went on a Twitter rant, linking to videos and images of things people have said about over her career from her weight to what Madonna thinks of her. In one way it can be seen as her throwing her toys out of the pram (and how boring is it when popstars say they don't write for the charts? sigh) but it's an oddly self aware flip of the bird from someone who has more of a mask up in public than her contemporaries.