It's Holiday Specials Time Again!!

[Artemis@BC]

Artemis, check out YTV's sked for the For Better or For Worse specials. They used to be played there every year.

Will do, thanks. Just tried a Zap2It search: "For Better or For Worse" brought up Tyler Perry's show , no results for "Bestest Present," and "Christmas Angel" brough up 2 movies that I needed an insulin shot just reading the descriptions. But I'll try again in another week or two.

[JeffClair1979]

I may be a little overemotional, but the 2004 musical move of A Christmas Carol (music by the incomparable Alan Menken and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Once on this Island, et al) is my FAVORITE of the season!

But I'm jaded- I directed a stage version in 2007, a very poignant year/Christmas for me... Still, the movie does a great job capturing the moment and the emotion. It's worth a viewing!

[AragornElessar]

You know what makes me bawl *every* single time? At the end of Rudohph, when Santa wishes us all a Merry Christmas. Does it to me every single time!!

In about ten minutes it will be December 1st and as it's the first Saturday in December, in Northeastern Ontario that means it's Telethon Day!! The CTV Lions Annual Christmas Telethon to raise money to buy toys for needy children in the area starts at 2pm EST tomorrow afternoon. Thanks to the magic of Satellite TV, all of Canada and where ever in the States you have access to Canadian digital access, can also now watch Telethon and help out. Many Families in the area will be putting up their Trees tomorrow and many kids also go out Carolling to raise money for the Cheer Pot. I did it both as a kid and then as an Adult w/my Brownie Pack I was one of three Leaders of.

For many people, the best part of Telethon is watching the little ones at the Cheer Pot. Some are just too adorable for their own good and others...Well, kids will be kids. One year when asked how they raised the money, this one kid about eight years old looked straight into the Reporter in charge of it that year, crossed his arms and told her in a very obvious tone of voice, "We got it Caroling of course!!" She was so shocked, she didn't know what to say for a couple of seconds...LOL!!

For us however, it's a chance to see Family and Friends either perform, man the phones or bring in donations. One of my cousins is the Manager of one of the Tim Hortons and always brings in that franchise's donation from the Smile cookies. It's basically a smiling face in icing on their Chocolate Chip Cookies, but they certainly bring in the money for Telethon. The last few years, he's brought along his two little ones and w/how busy both he and his wife is, sometimes it's the only time of the year we get a chance to see them, so...Yeah.

Anyway, I know not everyone here will see it, but it's part of our Christmas viewing. They had a website last year. Pretty basic, but still a website. I'll have to see if there's been any upgrading of it for this year.

Also...After sharing the link to the Les Mis Wedding Flash Mob link at YouTube in the thread for it, I looked at some of the other Flash Mobs linked on the right side menu and...

YouTube ~ Air Canada Vancouver Christmas Flash Mob

One thing I wasn't sure of the other night was if this was the Charlie Brown that also showed the Prep and Landing Secret Santa short. So happy to see it for the first time this year and very much looking forward to the two specials being shown next week. That's become Must See Holiday Viewing in our house on the list of the old Favourites that have to be seen every year.

[A.H.Black]

If anyone sees a broadcast of Handal's Messiah listed anywhere I would appreciate knowing. I know there are tons of performances this time of year, but I never see any that make it to TV.

[AragornElessar]

Doesn't your PBS show it A.H.? The two that we get, Detroit and Seattle, usually do at some point Christmas week.

[AragornElessar]

Forgive the double post, but this calls for it...

Telethon is being streamed live on the CTV Northern Ontario web site this year. Plus they're on Twitter and Facebook too.

Colour me impressed considering how downhill the quality of the station's been going lately...

CTV Northern Ontario Home Page

And follow the links if it doesn't come up right away.

Also, here's the website for the Telethon and it explains the History far better than I could do.

The Annual CTV Lions Christmas Telethon

[A.H.Black]

Doesn't your PBS show it A.H.? The two that we get, Detroit and Seattle, usually do at some point Christmas week.

Nope. We get lots of Christmas concerts - nice ones too. Just not the Messiah.

[A.H.Black]

Here's the schedule for Miracle on 34th street - the Edmund Gwenn version


Sun. Dec. 9 10:15 PM AMC
Mon. Dec. 10 8:00 PM AMC
Mon. Dec. 10 10:15 PM AMC
Tue. Dec. 11 8:00 PM AMC
Tue. Dec. 11 10:15 PM AMC
Wed. Dec. 12 8:00 PM AMC
Wed. Dec. 12 10:15 PM AMC
Thur. Dec. 13 8:00 PM AMC
Thur. Dec. 13 10:15 PM AMC


White Christmas

AMC Fri, Dec 14, 7:00 PM White Christmas
AMC Fri, Dec 14, 9:45 PM White Christmas

[A.H.Black]

Just as a reminder - It's a Wonderful Life is on right now.

[AragornElessar]

No A Christmas Story on there this year?

Now all together...

You're going to shoot your eye out...

'

[Wyliefan]

Would you believe I've never seen A Christmas Story? That sour-faced Santa in the commercials kind of freaked me out when I was a kid, and I've never had much of a desire to see it since!

On the other hand, I've seen It's a Wonderful Life about 100,000 times. Well, 100,001, counting tonight.

[centerstage01]

Doesn't TBS usually run A Christmas Story on a constant loop for 24 hours Christmas Eve?

[A.H.Black]

Would you believe I've never seen A Christmas Story? That sour-faced Santa in the commercials kind of freaked me out when I was a kid, and I've never had much of a desire to see it since!

On the other hand, I've seen It's a Wonderful Life about 100,000 times. Well, 100,001, counting tonight.

I've never seen it either. Never really wanted to. Five minutes here and there but it never really appealed to me.

[nubka]

I've never seen Miracle on 34th Street, or It's a Wonderful Life. I'm not sure how I've lived for 54 years without seeing them, but I haven't.

Maybe this will be the year that I watch both of them!

[Cachoo]

Once "It's a Wonderful Life" is finished I will watch "Love Actually." I love the mix of old and new but both with wonderful holiday messages.

[AragornElessar]

If you've got the Seattle stations available to you, The Best of Andy Williams Christmas Special is about to start on Seattle's PBS channel.

[Artemis@BC]

I was forced to watch about 30 minutes of the Jeff Dunham Christmas special last night. Talk about epically un-funny. I had to wonder about the huge theatre packed with people laughing uproariously -- were they drugged?

[AragornElessar]

Well, my Mom's happy. Ever since it was first shown about ten years ago on CBS, she needs to see the Roma Downey and Eric McCormack movie Borrowed Hearts every Christmas and I stumbled onto it while Guide Surfing earlier tonight. Mind you, it was half done, but it'll be back on again at 11 right after the showing of It's A Wonderful Life. So she says she's going to stay up to watch "her movie".

I teased her I didn't want to hear a thing over the next two weeks when I talk about how I've *got* to see The Grinch...And Rudolph...And Prep and Landing....And Charlie Brown (again)...And the Alistair Sims version of A Christmas Carol...



For my fellow Canadians, it's our Bravo channel it's on.

And as they were going off the air last night at 11pm, our Telethon was hoping to reach it's goal of $275 Thousand.

It didn't reach it.

We *exceeded* it!!!

As of 11pm last night, the total was at $294 Thousand and a bit and still counting!!!!!

We didn't see our 6pm local news as we were watching the Men's Final at the Canada Cup of Curling, so no idea of what the final tally is, but it was looking good for them make $300 Thousand for the very first time in the History of the Telethon.

W/the price of things these days, they'll need it for those toys.

[The Accordion]

Watched "It's a Wonderful Life" this afternoon and cried. Such a baby. But really - what a perfectly told story. And I have my favourite lines I wait for each time. And Mr. Accordion especially likes it when George gets punched out in the bar for being mean to the teacher. (I am a teacher so he can relate!)
Anyhow - I now feel like the Christmas season has begun!

[Artemis@BC]

And only 19 more sleeps til Doctor Who: The Snowmen.

Thanks to the fact that my uncle always does Christmas luncheon rather than dinner, I should get home in time to see it same-day.