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Natalia living on a prayer at Carols By Candlelight

Carols by Candlelight had Marina Prior, Kate Ceberano, Denis Walter, Anthony Callea and even Santa Claus -but a little girl singing Bon Jovi stole the night.

Carols by Candlelight had Marina Prior, Kate Ceberano, Denis Walter, Anthony Callea and even Santa Claus -but it was the sheer spirit of a child who stole the night.

Young Natalia from Sydney, who joined Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson at the host podium to share her story about how music was so important to her life soon proved she didn’t want to stick to a script. First she deliciously cracked a gag using her white cane after which Stefanovic offered to hold it for her.

“You’re talented,” she quipped.

Then after singing Jingle Bells, she insisted on a second song, Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer.

Wisely, Stefanovic and Wilkinson weren’t about to stop her. And with that, Bon Jovi was sung for the first time at Carols by Candlelight.

It may very well have been the last priceless Live TV moment of the year (although a bug down Lisa Wilkinson’s dress was a late contender).

It also helped everyone forget about the technical glitches that had plagued the broadcast earlier in the evening when vision became impaired for everyone, during Hi-5′s lead-up to the arrival Santa Claus.

Santa very nearly didn’t make it to the ceremony.

This year’s broadcast was particularly enjoyable when watched in tandem with Twitter.

Here’s why:

Sitting here listening to carols by candle light live from Melbourne! Love it! Happy Christmas eve!

So clearly they came back to Lisa & Karl too fast from the Kylie insert. Karl looking around & Lisa adjusting her dress.

hi-5 BROKE #CAROLS!!!!

Channel 9, my niece will be giving you some “feedback” about being deprived of seeing Stevey in action. #carols

Why is Kate Cebrano on Carols? We aren’t celebrating the birth of the alien lord Xenu, please p*** off. #thanks

Ya know what, that Kate Cebrano can belt out a song. I think she will go places. #carols

“O Holy Night” is one of my most favorite #carols and they’re moidering it. Moidering it I tells ya.

Can somebody also tell Kate that O Holy Night is not about sex?

Time for Denis Walter to host CBCL… Karl and that bird Lisa just don’t cut it…

Denis Walter is always a highlight for me of #carols 🙂

1 Birchmore yes!. 2 Birchmores no

Will pay good money for someone at Channel Nine to bugger up the transmission again.

Highlight of the carols, def little Natalia singing livin on a prayer!

this girl should host #carols every year….what an absolute legend!!!

First time living on a prayer has been done at carols by candlelight lol

this little blind girl is the most incredible little thing. A pretty good taste in music to boot #carols

Robert Milsyyyy is on carols! What a babe!!!!!!!!! In a suit as well.

Millsy, I know I’m not 13 anymore but I still love you

Channel 9 #carols Happy Christmas (war is over) version conspicuously leaves out ‘war is over if u want it’ lyrics…wonder why?

Who will sing at Carols by Candlelight in 100 years when all the former Australian Idol contestants are dead?

Lisa looks really beautiful tonight

I want @AnthonyCallea to sit on my bedside table and sing me carols… Ditch the grey suit and put on some reindeer ears.

mum changed the Carols, to some ridiculous show on SBS… change it back woman!

The Emmanuels… ALL The Emmanuels! should stick to playing guitar…

Silvie Paladino – possibly the best female voice in the country

Well it has only taken until the last 15 minutes of the show, but #carols is finally the number 1 Trending topic in Australia 🙂

Melbourne’s Carols By Candlelight never disappoints. I love it!

Loving that Channel 9 is seemingly the final bastion of Christmas carols and the messages behind them. Kudos for maintaining tradition 9 🙂

Silvie. Just wow. The difference between singing a song, and meaning it.

Monkey magic on sbs. The world before Carl &Lisa primal chaos reigned. Heaven sort order.but the phoenix can fly only when no carols are sung

It just wouldn’t be xmas eve if we couldn’t watch carols and bag the talent!!

aaahhh Christmas Eve, when everyone becomes a singing and fashion critic

WTF – When did David Hobson become a Thunderbird???

Ch9 running overtime AGAIN! The Carols should have been finished at 10:45pm according to their EPG

21 Responses

  1. Why do you believe they need Melbourne hosts! Carols are for all of Australia and aired nationally and The Today show is a National show, so it makes sense to have hosts that everyone knows. I think they did well, having said that I loved Ray Martin he would be a hard act to follow for anyone, but I would actually turn off if Eddie McGuire was the host.

  2. i actually thought it was on of the better carols. Its good to hear the traditional carols and the usual people coming back. I loved Rachel Beck singing with her husband, they did so well, Denis walter, Marina, Sylvie and the choir are just magnificent. Its always good to see humphrey to.

  3. Wasn’t very good actually. The technical disaster, the as usual over-long Hi 5 segment, Kate Ceberano absolutely butchering O Holy Night (should have been left to Mark Vincent). A bit weak.

  4. Marina and Silvie were by far the best they really mean & know the real message of christmas and it comes out in their singing.Well done ladies.Time to have hosts from Melbourne to compere our carols why do we import people from Sydney?Liked them both but we need local hosts.

  5. What a great night l had at the carols and at Rehearsal too, loved every minute of it
    Anthony Callea was Amazing his voice blow me away every time and loved seeing Jemma & Lucy from Wicked
    also the little girl how cute was she and so funny too
    also my highlight for the night was Anth , Jemma and Lucy, Rob Mills, the cast of Hairspray, and well all of it

  6. Lisa is delightful. Karl is a twit. We saw again how much Lisa carries this guy. Without her, he would have been long gone. Natalia certainly stole the show. Bless.
    Shame we had so many technical difficulties. I gave up and watched a Very Specky Christmas instead. I noticed that they thankfully didn’t have the technical stuff ups in the repeat, next day. We have some very underated singers in this country. Someone should give people like Kate Ceberano and Anthony Callea one of those variety shows like they did on the ABC years ago.

  7. Christmas Eve wouldn’t be the same without Carols, I thought all the performers were fantastic, including Natalia. Sorry Karl & Lisa, but you’re just not right for the job. And is it just me or has Carols turned into a telethon !! Great if people can suppost Vision Australia at Christmas, but we didn’t need the phone number read out every five minutes.

  8. Natalia was the best thing. It’s disappointing that Sydney and Melbourne viewers had that break in transmission. At least the broadcast here in Brisbane cut out this break but it did make for a strange experience, seeing the start of a HI-5 song and then five seconds later, seeing them end the song, but oh well. Very good broadcast and after watching my recording of the Very Specky Christmas, the Carols was still the best show on the night. Certainly deserved better figures than 1.5 million.

  9. Natalia was like a bundle of sparkling energy, full of life and joy and infectious laughter. A great night as always with “Carols” this year even with it’s technical glitches. A great anticipation for me now is to see our very talented Anthony Callea and again didn’t disappoint with amazing performances – mustn’t have been the only one impressed with him, made the Aussie #3 trending topic on twitter. Silvie was a joy to watch – absolutely love her passion for Christmas. Well done Channel Nine.

  10. Natalia was just wonderful. I loved the big opening with Anthony Callea’s voice, the sweeping views and the choirs – his second number was even better and good to hear something new. As always Sylvie, Dennis Walter, Rachael Beck and Ian Stenlake shone and I enjoyed the Mary Poppins cast, Doug Parkinson. It’s hard to make a limited repertoire fresh each year but I wasn’t keen on the medleys.

  11. Mwahahahahaha!! Those twitter comments are hilarious!

    Speaking for myself, I preferred Carols in the Domain this year, I thought the acts were better and the broadcast was more fun. Lisa Wilkinson is fine as a host, but I am so over that cigar store Indian, Karl Stefanovic. As usual, Hi-5 were pathetic, so I was actually pleased that almost their entire set was ruined by the break in transmission. Natalia was fantastic – someone needs to offer that kid her own show.

  12. Natalia was fantastic, closely followed by Anthony Callea. Just superb. I really don’t like Karl’s hosting. I would love to see Natalia and Tim Campbell host next year. She certainly stole the show from Karl and she was a much better singer than a few others on the show. Much more enjoyable than Carols in the Domain though.

  13. See the problem with Nine’s Carols is that each and every year the same people sing the same songs. Hi-5 were horrible.

    In saying this it is Christmas and they were great to have on in the background. Natalia was adorable. Anthony Callea was the highlight of the night. That 2nd song he sang was just amazing. Just wish the hosts were not hosting. I don’t like Karl or Lisa. I would have preferred Ray Martin or even Eddie McGuire could do a better job.

  14. By the time the event aired in QLD, the Hi5 disaster, was chewed worse than a dog does to a comfy pair of slippers. It was disjointed, they even edited out the test pattern incident.

    I really hope, that they get to perform that segment again, after Xmas. Humphrey wouldn’t mind a second outing.

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