LOS ANGELES, Dec 24, (Agencies): Singer Michael Buble is taking his “Christmas” spirit into the virtual realm, collaborating with popular Facebook game “CityVille” and giving an interactive gift to his fans over the holidays.
“CityVille” players will be able to socialize with Buble’s personal avatar, which will talk and sing in different settings including a holiday bonfire, as well as hunt for presents that Buble himself would like under his own Christmas tree.
“Social gaming has opened up a new door for artists to connect with their fans,” Buble told Reuters, adding that “CityVille” players will “see a different side of me in the game and also connect with me in a really personal way.”
“CityVille,” developed by social network game company Zynga, allows players to create and grow their own towns, and according to Appdata.com, is the No. 1 game on Facebook. It can also be played through Google Plus and smartphones.

The collaboration with Buble follows Zynga’s partnership with Lady Gaga earlier this year, who had her own town called GagaVille on Zynga game “FarmVille.” It featured unicorns, crystals and unreleased songs, coinciding with the release of her album “Born This Way.”
Grammy-winning Buble, 36, is currently enjoying a fourth week at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart with his holiday record “Christmas,” which features a selection of festive classics.
“I set out to record a classic Christmas album in the old style recorded off the floor in the studio. I wanted it to sound and feel authentic,” said Buble of his holiday album.
“I think no matter what a person’s musical taste is, there is always room to enjoy a great holiday record,” he said.
After releasing “Christmas” in October, sales of the album were boosted in the run-up to the holidays, with Buble fending off competition from Rihanna, The Black Keys and Amy Winehouse to keep the top spot on the album chart.
“I don’t really look at is as a contest against other artists or releases,” said the Canadian singer, adding that he was “thrilled” with the public’s enthusiastic response to it.


Country singer Taylor Swift will lead a host of musicians collaborating with Oscar-winning artist T. Bone Burnett for a companion album to the upcoming film, “The Hunger Games.”
Movie studio Lionsgate said on Friday that Burnett has joined forces with Swift, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire and The Civil Wars to create original songs for the film, set for release in March 2012.
“We are thrilled to have such a hauntingly beautiful companion album taking shape,” said Joe Drake, co-COO of Lionsgate.
Swift and The Civil Wars’ collaborated together on the single “Safe and Sound,” which was released on iTunes on Friday and topped the iTunes songs chart.
“The Hunger Games,” starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson, is based on the young adult series of novels, and tells the story of teenage boys and girls fighting to the death on a nationally televised event in a country called Panem, built on the remains of North America.
The film is set for release in US theaters on March 23, 2012.

“The X Factor” winner Melanie Amaro said on Friday she was shocked at her victory but believed that singing from her heart had given her the edge over her rivals in the TV contest.
Amaro’s triumph also gave broadcaster Fox a ratings win, with Thursday’s two-hour finale bringing in 12.4 million viewers, making “X Factor” the most-watched show of the night on US television.
The 19 year-old from Florida won a $5 million recording contract, but said on Friday she was going to keep details of her first album a secret.
“I am going to keep everyone guessing as to what is going to come out, so people will go get it and they will be amazed,” she told reporters on a conference call.
But she said she planned to spend some of her winnings on a foot massager and a new house for her mother.

“I feel as though I am in a dream. I feel as though this is not real...I was so thrilled to have won and so shocked,” said Amaro.
Amaro’s powerhouse vocals had made her a front-runner since her first audition for the show.
But she was cut from competition’s early rounds, only to be later reinstated by “X Factor” creator Simon Cowell, in what TV watchers widely considered a manufactured drama to hype interest in the show’s first season on US TV.
Amaro on Friday said she did not know whether her initial elimination and call-back had been deliberately staged, but said she genuinely thought she was out of the contest.
“I had no clue Simon was coming to my house. I thought I was out of it ... I kept thinking I wasn’t good enough,” she said. “All I know is that he (Cowell) apologized about it. Whatever happened in the past, is the past.”
Asked why she thought she had won, the modest teen said; “I think doing what I do, with all of my heart, put me apart from some of the other contestants ... I sing to the very, very pit of my soul because singing is something I truly enjoy.”
Amaro’s win closed a mixed first season for “X Factor”, which Cowell brought to the United States from Britain with huge fanfare and predictions it would topple long-running “American Idol”, also on Fox, as the nation’s most-watched show.
But “X Factor” audiences have been about half those of “Idol” and producers on Friday declined to disclose the number of votes cast by the public in the finale.
Fox executives, however, say the show has been a success and has helped the network win Thursday nights in the fall with the key 18-49 age group for the first time in its history.
Fox also noted that the audience for Thursday’s finale was 1.4 million more than that for the summer climax of NBC’s rival TV singing contest, “The Voice”.
Fox has already renewed “X Factor” for a second season but media speculation is rife over whether heavily-criticized judge Nicole Scherzinger, and British host Steve Jones will be returning in 2012.