DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (ANIMATED) (12/23)

LET’S HEAR HOLIDAY CHEERS BY ALL KIDS NEAR
– UNLESS THE GRINCH GETS HIS WAY, THEN WE’LL HEAR JEERS –
IN THE ANIMATED “DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS”

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the 1966 animated holiday story loved by all tall and small, airs THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network (OAD on ABC: 12/12/06).

Based on the classic children’s book by the legendary Dr. Seuss, “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” takes viewers inside a snowflake to Whoville, the magical land of the Whos. But high above this holiday-loving town resides the Grinch, a hateful creature with a heart three sizes too small, who despises Christmas and plots to steal it from the Whos.

Will a greedy Mayor Augustus Maywho or the seductive Martha May Whovier ruin his plans? Or will the loving little Cindy Lou Who be able to teach The Grinch the true meaning of Christmas?

The voice cast includes Boris Karloff as The Grinch/Narrator and June Foray as Cindy Lou Who.

The animated short was directed by Chuck Jones and was written by Dr. Seuss, with additional story by Bob Ogle and Irv Spector.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will be broadcast in HD/mono, with Spanish audio via SAP. This program carries a TV-G parental guideline.

THE CLASSIC HOLIDAY SPECIAL “RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER”, TO BE REBROADCAST TUESDAY, NOV. 30 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

The navigational prowess of “the most famous reindeer of all” will again illuminate Santa Claus’ way into the Christmas season, on a rebroadcast of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, Tuesday, Nov. 30 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. (Originally broadcast on CBS 12/8/72 after an eight-year run on another network.)

The special, narrated by Burl Ives, who is also heard as the voice of Sam the Snowman, is a musical story based on the popular song of the same title by Johnny Marks. It recounts the tale of a shy reindeer whose Christmas spirit is dampened because his shiny nose has made him the laughing stock of all Christmasville.

Pursued by an Abominable Snowmonster, inhabitants of Christmasville flee to the island of Misfit Toys in the Arctic wilderness where Yukon Cornelius, a prospector they meet along the way, comes to their rescue. Returning to Christmasville, they learn that bad weather may cause Christmas to be canceled. But Rudolph’s headlight – his illuminated nose – saves the “foggy Christmas Eve” by serving as a beacon to guide Santa’s sleigh.

Marks composed seven additional songs for the special: “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver and Gold,” “We Are Santa’s Elves,” “We’re a Couple of Misfits,” “Jingle Jingle Jingle,” “There’s Always Tomorrow” and “The Most Wonderful Day of the Year.” Two musical numbers in the beloved classic were restored to their original form in the remastered version. Now included is the full-length rendition of the song “We Are Santa’s Elves.” The second enhanced number is “We’re a Couple of Misfits,” a duet between Rudolph and his newfound friend, Hermey the Elf.

Over the years, fading and degeneration of the print had caused it to take on a reddish hue that differs significantly from the bluer tones and starker contrasts of the original. This color-corrected version from 1998 allows a new generation of television viewers to appreciate the special’s original visual texture and rich palette of colors. Santa’s elves have their blue suits back after years of wearing faded green.

The scene restorations and color correction process for RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER were completed by Golden Books. The special was produced by “Animagic” pioneers Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass and directed by Larry Roemer. Romeo Muller wrote the television adaptation from a story by Robert L. May.

RATING: TVG

Pet Shop Boys – Christmas (a J!-ENT World Groove Digital Single Review)

An enjoyable Christmas EP from the Pet Shop Boys featuring a new version of their 1997 fan club song “It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas” and a cover of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and Madness song “My Girl”.  A solid Holiday EP for Pet Shop Boys fans!

GROUP: Pet Shop Boys

DIGITAL ALBUM: Christmas EP

LABEL: Astralwerks – Caroline

DURATION: 22:34

RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2009

I admit that I was quite surprised to see a Pet Shop Boys Christmas EP out for the holidays and what an enjoyable EP it turned out to be.

“Christmas” kicks off with the song “It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas”, a new version of the 1997 song that was an exclusive for the group’s fan club.  The latest version of the song features a collaboration with Marius de Vries.  I enjoyed de Vries work with The Sugarcubes and most recently for the film “Easy Virtue”.  Overall, an upbeat track but if anything, it’s the Pet Shop Boys lyrics that are quite meaningful and witty.  An enjoyable Christmas track!

The second single “My Girl” is a cover of the Madness song.  An upbeat synth-driven track that has that old school Pet Shop boys feel to it!  A pretty fun track!

The third track “All over the world (new version)” is slightly different from the version featured on their album “Yes” (which was released back in April).  This time the song features a Christmas theme and orchestral and brass accompaniment.  The song was another collaboration with Marius de Vries.

The fourth track is quite interesting as it is a cover of Coldplay’s Vida la vida and also features a medley of their 1988 Pet Shop Boys hit “Domino Dancing”.  A surprise cover that I wasn’t expecting but overall, it was a pretty cool cover track!

The final track features an “Our House Mix” of the Pet Shop Boys cover of the Madness song “My Girl”.  An upbeat synth-driven track.

If you’re a fan of the group, the fact that we’re getting a Christmas EP not long after their release of their “Beautiful People” single is pretty cool and found the tracks to be fun and really enjoyable.  Overall, this latest holiday EP release from the Pet Shop Boys is pretty solid. Definitely worth checking out!