Some stars are under the tree

The carols around the National Christmas Tree will have some serious star power this year.

Singer Sheryl Crow and rapper Common are scheduled to perform at the tree lighting ceremony on Thursday near the National Mall.

Singers Jordin Sparks, Ray LaMontagne and Celtic Woman, and jazz musicians Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman also will join in.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will help light the tree located between the White House and the Washington Monument.

Dreams can come true

She may have finished second on “Britain’s Got Talent,” but Susan Boyle is number one on the charts.

Boyle’s “I Dreamed A Dream” entered the British album chart in the top spot Sunday, selling more than 410,000 copies since its Nov. 23 release – the largest first-week sales for a debut album in U.K. history.

Her cover of the Rolling Stones classic “Wild Horses” debuted in the ninth spot on Britain’s singles chart.

Revisiting the nightmare

Chris Brown will give what’s billed as an in-depth interview about his assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna for ABC’s “20/20” newsmagazine Dec. 11.

Robin Roberts, anchor of the network’s “Good Morning America,” conducted the interview taped last weekend. Clips may also air on “GMA.”

Brown, who releases his new album “Graffiti” next week, will not perform live.

Rihanna was interviewed last month by ABC’s Diane Sawyer.

The birthday bunch

Actress Julie Harris is 84. Actress Cathy Lee Crosby is 65. News anchor Stone Phillips is 55. Actor Dan Butler (“Frasier”) is 55. Actor Dennis Christopher (“Breaking Away”) is 54. Actor Steven Bauer (“Scarface”) is 53. Bassist Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) is 41. Actress Lucy Liu is 41. Actress Rena Sofer (“Just Shoot Me”) is 41. Rapper Treach (Naughty By Nature) is 39. Singer Nelly Furtado is 31. Singer Britney Spears is 28.