Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Justin Bieber has teamed up with a choir of London medical staff to record a special charity Christmas single. The choir, made up of nurses, doctors and other health care staff working in the British capital’s Lewisham and Greenwich public health service, joined the Canadian pop star for a special version of his song “Holy” in a bid to top the Christmas chart. Choir members recorded their vocals at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios. Profits from the collaboration will go to National Health Service charities. The choir gained fame when it vied with Bieber in 2015 for the Christmas No. 1 song. Bieber urged his millions of fans on Twitter to support the choir, not him, and it eventually won the top spot on the singles chart. The star then traveled to London and presented them with their charity award. “It’s great to be reunited with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, as we share a fun bit of U.K. chart history together,” said Bieber, 26. “Especially in these difficult times, I’m humbled to team up with them for a charity single that will benefit NHS workers on the front lines of this pandemic and pay tribute to their unbelievable dedication.”
■ Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex thanked the people who have stepped up to help others amid the covid-19 pandemic during a surprise TV appearance Sunday. Speaking on the “CNN Heroes” special, the former Meghan Markle said she has witnessed “the power of the human spirit and the remarkable ways that communities respond in challenging times.” The duchess praised those who made sure others did not suffer alone during a challenging year. “We saw the good in people, in our neighbors and in entire communities coming together to say they would not stand by while our neighbors went hungry,” Meghan said. There have been more than 1.6 million deaths caused by covid-19 throughout the world since the start of the pandemic. Meghan, 39, was not previously announced as a speaker on the annual special, which also saw Gal Gadot, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Angela Bassett, Patton Oswalt and more prominent public figures participate this year. Sunday’s TV special was Meghan’s first public appearance since she shared in a piece for The New York Times last month that she had a miscarriage.