About Christmas TV History

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Michael Cera

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Actor Michael Cera must be having a wonderful week, feeling at the top of his career and receiving praise for his new movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. He is everyone's favorite actor to embody the awkward, geeky young man inside all of us.

But I know him for his work in Christmas programs too. If you ever want to be a Cera Completist, you must see Stolen Miracle, the 2001 Lifetime TV movie that seems to never go away. This crime drama/Christmas movie airs year round as well as every December in Lifetime's holiday movie marathons. Inspired by a true story, this story unfolds on Christmas Eve in the hospital maternity ward when a woman posing as a nurse walks out with someone else’s newborn. Sgt. Jane McKinley has to leave her family celebration to join the investigation and search for the missing baby. Child actor Michael Cera plays Jane’s young son Brandon who misses his mother at Christmas.


2001 Lifetime movie

Of course, Cera also played George-Michael on the subversive comedy TV show Arrested Development. This series produced two Christmas installments: 2003's 'In God We Trust' and 2004's 'Afternoon Delight.' My favorite is the latter. The Bluth company office Christmas party is a disaster when Michael (played by Jason Bateman) and his niece Maeby (played by Alia Shawkat) sing karaoke together to the inappropriate lyrics of the song ‘Afternoon Delight.’ Not to be outdone, George-Michael (played by Cera) and his aunt Lindsay (played by Portia de Rossi) at the banana stand Christmas party apparently unaware of the sexual meaning of the lyrics, sing the same song ‘Afternoon Delight’ and completely gross out the partygoers.


Father Michael, son George-Michael, grandfather George Bluth Sr. on Arrested Development



Michael and Maeby singing 'And the thought of lovin' you is getting so exciting!'

I can't hear that song anymore without thinking of this classic TV Christmas moment and giggling. Oh great, now that song is stuck in my head...

No comments:

Post a Comment