Christmas in July 2019: Rick, from Twitter: @rickc817
1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?
Steve Martin doing "What I Want For Christmas."
2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?
Most definitely all of it. I'm one of those odd mates who loves everything about Christmas. Drives my wife crazy. The Brady Christmas is always a player in our house. I love Twas the Night Before Christmas animated special from 1974 with the town clock and the mice. Loved that as a kid and still do. The songs are catchy. Also the greatest animation of all time which is A Charlie Brown Christmas. And who can forget the movie Elf. Oh and the oft forgotten Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas.
3. What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favorite collection of music?)
Have to say A Charlie Brown Christmas from the great Vince Guaraldi. I have that on CD and it's a player in the Suburban on vacation.
4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?
Any of the ones I listed above.
5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?
There are more romance movies like on the Hallmark Channel. But again...I'm probably the only guy that wants to watch all of them. Why? They're good. Meaning good and wholesome. It's really nice to watch good, clean programming and refresh your mind from everything else that's around. They may have all the same basic plot...but that's ok. Good clean programming beats the opposite every day.
1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?
Probably because of my love for animation and classic Christmas songs, my favorite is probably Justin Timberlake, along with Bill Hader, Andy Samberg and Fred Armisen (as Alvin and the Chipmunks), performing “The Christmas Song” (Christmas Don’t Be Late).” It’s so funny to see these performers dressed up as the Chipmunks and singing this favorite.
2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?
For me animation is most important. Next for me is comedies. I will watch any Christmas episode on any TV sitcom series. I have found some new good shows that I wasn’t watching that way!
3. What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favorite collection of music?)
John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together. It’s my all time favorite holiday album. Close runners-up are A Charlie Brown Christmas and the Tennessee Ernie Ford: The Story Of Christmas.
4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?
Seems to me you have reviewed everything! Maybe some of the newer specials like A Legendary Christmas. Also maybe some of the movies that feature Christmas scenes (and are therefore considered by some as Christmas movies) such as Desk Set or Catch Me if You Can. If you have already done this, sorry I missed it!
5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?
Just as others have said, it’s the decline in TV specials, animated and otherwise, and the rise of Hallmark Channel-style romantic holiday movies. Another trend I can mention ties in with my answer to number 2. Most comedies in recent times have a Christmas episode every season. Years ago, generally speaking, even though some TV series would have a Christmas episode, it wasn’t the norm…and it was rare for a series to produce more than one. Since Christmas is my favorite time it’s always festive and fun to see how the characters on each show deal with holiday themes.
1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?
Chris Farley as 45-year-old divorced motivational speaker Matt Foley playing Santa Claus at a local mall. Every time I read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, I can't help but hear Farley's version:
“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the van
Your ol’ buddy Matt fell asleep behind the can.
His children were nestled two time zones away,
With his first wife and her husband, in sunny L.A.
Matt woke up and realized with a chill and a quiver
That he was living in a van down by the river!“
2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?
I'm always looking forward to new Christmas animation of any kind. I'm currently looking forward to Netflix's Klaus, hopefully by Christmas of this year. Back when I watched more TV, I was a fan of watching the yearly Doctor Who Christmas special on Christmas Day, but overall I most look forward to the yearly animated specials like How The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
3. What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favorite collection of music?)
Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas will always be number 1. A close second would be 1966's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, followed by John William's score for Home Alone. "Somewhere In My Memory" always brings a tear to my eye.
4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?
I'd love to see a review of "The Husbands of River Song," the 2015 Doctor Who Christmas special.
5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?
I'm noticing more Christmas entertainment geared toward a more adult, cynical view of the holiday, with families being dysfunctional and argumentative, and more sex, drugs and alcohol for the sake of comedy and shock value. Personally, I'm not a fan.
Christmas in July 2019: Sally Silverscreen from 18 Cinema Lane
1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?
Because I don’t watch
Saturday Night Live, I don’t have a favorite Christmas themed sketch from that show. When it comes to Christmas themed comedy, however,
I’ve enjoyed the Christmas episodes of The Middle
and Last Man Standing.
2.Do
you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?
I
definitely look forward to watching Hallmark’s Christmas movies! It’s
interesting to see how different or similar the films are compared to
the previous years. Seeing the creativity that can
come from some of these movies is also interesting. I try to catch some
of the Christmas movies on other networks as well, to see what they
have to offer.
3.
What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't
have to have been officially released as an album--just what program
features your favorite collection
of music?)
After giving this a little bit of thought, I chose the soundtrack from Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s
Ghosts of Christmas Eve. The music found in this movie is from the band’s first album,
Christmas Eve, which was released three years prior to the film’s premiere. This is an example of when a Christmas program’s soundtrack
is better than the program itself, as I found this movie to be disappointing.
4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?
If
you are able to, can you please review the 2019 Hallmark Hall of Fame
Christmas film? So far, there has been no announcements made about this
project. I’m hoping this movie will be revealed
at this year’s Hallmark TCA Summer Event!
5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?
I’ve
noticed one trend, specifically from Hallmark, that concerns me as a
Hallmark fan. Hallmark’s Christmas movie line-ups have become bigger and
more popular every year. But it seems like Hallmark
puts so much focus on their Christmas line-ups, that their other
priorities are falling to the way-side. In 2019, there will be two
months dedicated to premiering Christmas movies. Plus, to celebrate the
10th
anniversary of Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” line-up, a
Christmas movie has aired every Thursday (on Hallmark Movies &
Mysteries) and Friday (on Hallmark Channel) so far, as well as the
entire month of July being reserved amongst Hallmark Channel
and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries for “Christmas in July”. However,
it’s been a few years since we’ve seen a new St. Patrick’s Day,
Independence Day, Father’s Day, and/or Memorial Day movie from either
network. It looks like Hallmark is trying to make up for
this by having Hallmark Movies & Mysteries air their military
related Christmas movies on Independence Day and Hallmark Channel
incorporating this holiday into their film,
Sister of the Bride. But, it just isn’t the same.
(Not sure this is the sketch John references--and Raging Rudolph is from MadTV--but we can discuss it further in the comments.)
Christmas in July 2019: John D.
1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?
There are so many to pick from! But I think my favorite has to be the one where they recreated Rankin/Bass' Rudolph special - and they copied the characters and the stop-motion animation perfectly - but they gave it a dark spin, with a little bit of South Park thrown in there as well!
2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?
I'd say all of it. As far as Christmas episodes go, they are usually my favorite episodes of TV series anyway. Among more recent series, I especially love the ones from the Big Bang Theory, Last Man Standing, The Goldbergs and the BBC Comedy show Mrs. Brown's Boys.
3. What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favorite collection of music?)
For me, it's Nick Bicat's score from the 1984 version of "A Christmas Carol," with George C. Scott. Wonderful soundtrack, but was never released. I emailed Nick Bicat once and said the score was really good and asked him if he was ever going to release it. He said he gets that all the time and he was working on it. A few years later I emailed him again and asked him whatever happened to the score, and in return he asked for my mailing address. A couple of weeks later I received a CD-R in the mail from London. The score was never released at the time. He just made a copy for me and sent it to me, and because of that it's one of my most treasured Christmas CD's.
(The score did see a limited release years later though.)
4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?
That's a tough one, I'm not sure I remember all of the reviews and what has already been covered, but I certainly enjoy all the ones I read on there!
5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?
Something I noticed with a lot of Christmas special reruns, especially on the 25 Days of Christmas schedule, is how much they edit the shows to make more room for commercials. Not only that, but they slightly speed them up to make even more room for commercials. You can usually tell because the audio has a slight whooshy sound when sped up. I've noticed that in everything from Rankin/Bass reruns to George C. Scott's Christmas Carol. The editing and the audio are so bad that I can hardly watch them on TV sometimes and just stick to the DVDs instead. I don't mean to say everybody does that, but you can sure tell when they do!
1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?
I mean, it's definitely Adam Sandler's Hannukah song right? An absolute gem of the mid-90s I think that literally everyone I knew sang that song for weeks and weeks, maybe even years after it came out!
2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?
I really enjoy Holiday specials from British shows like Downton Abby and Doctor Who. I've not been a fan of the newer Christmas Movies (even the newest Grinch movie was only okay).
3. What's your favourite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favourite collection of music?)
The Bill Murray Netflix Christmas Special was pretty great, and had a few pretty unique and funny songs. Plus, I hate to admit, but Miley Cyrus can *really sing*
4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?
I can't think of one that I know about that you haven't covered. I'd have to really scrape my brain for something not very well known. ... like the 1990's Christmas episode of the New Kids on the Block animated series? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1578459/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?
There are quite a few more 'adult' themed Christmas movies. The Night Before, and Office Christmas Party come to mind. I don't mind - as I am an adult now, but as I have a six year old, I'd love to see at least one new animated or kid-centric Christmas film each year as well.
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Christmas in July 2019: Patrick Labelle
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?
I know that SNL has put out many hilarious holiday-related sketches, and perhaps this isn't their best one, but it's the one that pops into mind automatically and makes me laugh... the infamous "Dick in a Box." It's so ludicrous. I love how Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake act so seriously throughout the whole video as do Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. It's really juvenile and totally stupid, but it's also just plain ridiculous and funny. I sometimes wonder how this sketch would've turned out if it had paired Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. Well, it doesn't really matter, this one is a classic (even if it's for the wrong reasons!)
2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?
I love most of it. I'll make an effort each year to watch as much holiday programming as time permits, but, in recent years, I haven't had as much time to watch as in the past. My brother and I share a passion for holiday programming since we were children. For a number of years, he has prepared a list of specials, movies, animation programs and more that he plans on watching each season. For the past few years, I've started doing the same. I add to this list throughout the year as I learn or read about programs I don't know about. Among other things, we both like finding obscure tv movies from the 1970s and 1980s, and sharing our observations with each other. There are a few staples that I do look forward to each year that I've been watching for decades. These animation specials were among our favourites growing up and I now like to watch these with my four children: A Garfield Christmas Special (I just love this one!), 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (the Rankin/Bass special), the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas (I love this one too!) and A Pink Christmas (I really enjoy the simplicity of this one). So, in looking back at your original question, I guess that I look forward to watching animation specials the most, but I could probably just as easily offer an argument for other types of programming such as holiday movies (classics and newer ones) as well as other specials and early tv movies. I end up anticipating so many hours of holiday viewing pleasure only to end up disappointed at how quickly the season has passed.
3. What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favorite collection of music?)
I have a few answers here. In my entry for last year's Christmas in July party, I mentioned that I love the Andy Williams Christmas specials. I discovered these by watching a PBS pledge drive where they showed a compilation of some of his best numbers done throughout the years and they interspersed this montage with celebrity interviews. It was really well done. Although I haven't seen all of his annual specials, you could probably pick any one of these specials and you'd have the perfect holiday soundtrack. Most of his specials included both religious and secular songs performed by Williams himself and, in many cases, with others including his brothers and the Osmonds. There is something about these specials that make them stand out.
My second thought would be to consider the Rankin/Bass specials. So many of these have songs arranged by Murray Laws with lyrics written by Jules Bass, which have become classics. I mentioned this earlier, but one of my favourite Rankin/Bass specials is 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. I have the vinyl LP for this special and, I can't really pinpoint why, but I truly enjoy watching this short program and listening to its soundtrack. I'm hypothesizing here, but nostalgia probably explains why I like this particular entry in the Rankin/Bass canon. Each year, growing up, my brother and I would end our Christmas Eve programming marathon by watching this one. The special only has three songs, but they are thoughtful and entertaining: "Give Your Heart a Try," "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" and "Chimes are Calling (Santa, Santa)." (The latter is heard throughout the special and is quite catchy). Obviously, many Christmas specials have great soundtracks and I wanted to highlight two examples that stand out for me.
4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?
This is great question. Four or five years ago, I discovered your blog and read all of its posts within a two-month period. I was so impressed by the details, the screenshots, the comments from other readers. I started a spreadsheet to capture episodes, movies or other titles that sparked interest and that I hadn't seen. I still have this list and turn to it frequently (along with your great encyclopedia). So, prior to answering your question, I used the search box on your site to query its content to see if you had written something about Nilus the Sandman: The Boy Who Dreamed Christmas. This 1991 Canadian special combined a live action introduction and conclusion with an animated story taking place while our main character falls asleep and is guided by Nilus to visit Santa at the North Pole on Christmas Eve. The story is simple and common, but this special resonates with me (and my brother - again!). I was surprised to discover, while writing this answer, that I was 14 years old when this special first aired! Seems a bit odd for me to cherish it as if it were something that I watched when I was a younger child, but there is something about it that I enjoy even now as an adult. There are funny segments within it and it might warrant a longer essay on your blog.
5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?
I have noticed a few trends over the past decade or so. First, the plethora of Hallmark-style tv movies. I know that these movies have devoted fan bases, but I can't help but dream of the day that will perhaps see the return of stories reminiscent of tv movies of yesteryear that had more meaningful and realistic plotlines. The tv movies of the 1970s and 1980s (and, one could argue, even some in the early 1990s) had a sincere message to deliver rather than a sappy and predictable storyline. I can watch one or two of these movies with my wife per year, but that's about it. I have discovered the Deck the Hallmark podcast which is fantastic. Knowing that I can turn to one of their episodes after watching one of the Hallmark movies makes it more bearable. Their shows are so funny!
The second trend I have noticed is the lack of great holiday feature films. The last great film to come out of Hollywood, in my opinion, was Elf back in 2003 (with a few other ones during that decade of the 2000s). However, since then, it seems like Hollywood has failed to deliver anything meaningful and, even when trying to remake tried and tested stories, the end results fail to inspire and entertain us (or, at least, me).
Finally, my third observation is a renewed interest in tv holiday musical specials. I wasn't around during the golden era of the Andy Williams specials or of the Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra ones, but there's something about them that I truly enjoy. It seems that, in recent years, there has been a bit of a resurgence of this kind of programming. I really enjoyed the Michael Bublé specials and was surprised by the quality of more recent ones featuring, among others, Pentatonix, John Legend, Reba, Blake Shelton as well as the yearly CMA specials. It's always fun to have these in the background while wrapping the kids' presents. I hope that this trend continues.
