Good Grief, Chuck - It's Christmas!

A Merry Christmas to all! Who's excited about dinner with the in-laws? With any luck, Aunt Madge will be too sauced on cooking sherry to ask if you're trying to break your mother's heart by not having kids or if you're just infertile - that was enough fun last year, right? Plus, cousin Timmy usually does something emergency room worthy, so that should take some pressure off... yup, he's trying to smooch Fluffy (the homicidal kitty) under the mistletoe, so the ambulance should be here within the hour.

Till then, you've got some time to kill - why not try these holiday-themed spectaculars? Just a few things I've seen recently that made me chuckle... or at very least made me happy that it wasn't another Rankin Bass special.

1. A Wish For Wings That Work (Bloom County Christmas) - This one flew (forgive the pun) under the radar when it came out in 1991, and is the only animated tale from Bloom County, home of Opus the Penguin and Bill the Cat. Whether or not you enjoyed the comic strip, the sight of a group therapy circle featuring a pig who thinks he's a rhinoceros should be enough to make you snort Nog out your nose. (YouTube, of course, has it here.)

2. The Big Bang Theory - The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis - This episode of the increasingly charming series featured one of the most hilarious scenes I've ever witnessed. Sheldon (played by the Emmy-worthy Jim Parsons) has become one of the best characters to ever grace the small screen, and his reaction to Penny's gift is tears-streaming funny. (For a look at that final exchange, check YouTube here.)

3. The Pogues (and Kirsty MacColl) - "Fairytale of New York" - An alternative Christmas classic! What's your favorite part? Holidays in the drunk tank? Or Yuletide sentimentality like "You're a bum/You're a punk/You're an old slut on junk"? Oh, or the rotting Irish teeth?! (Whatever your favorite part, check out the vid on YouTube.)

4. A Very Supernatural Christmas (Supernatural, season 3 episode) - Ah, Christmas with the Winchester boys. Candy canes, gingerbread houses and... ah, there it is - the Anti-Santa swooping down the chimney for a festive slaying. From the start of the episode, complete with the classic 1970's swirling neon "SPECIAL" sign straight out of some lousy variety show, this one gave a sly nod-and-a-wink to viewers who were paying attention - including a version of "Silent Night" by Sam & Dean (which, I guess is only truly funny when you know that the lead characters are named Sam and Dean, but now you know...). (YouTube seekers, check here.)

5. Robert Earl Keen - "Merry Christmas From The Family" - Ah, now here's the man who put the fun in dysfunctional. Every gathering should be as amusingly sketchy! (YouTube it here.)

So you say you're drunk and that damn ambulance still isn't there? You may be ready for the bonus round:

6. Star Wars Holiday Special - Ah, nostalgia. This may be the worst thing you'll ever see - but on its 30th anniversary, it may just be time to revisit this piece of space garbage. The worst of all worlds: the 70's variety special (complete with Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur) and the TV/movie crossover. Chewbacca goes home to visit his family, hijinks ensue. The only redeeming quality might have been the Boba Fett cartoon in the middle, but I may have just been hallucinating by that point. (Check it out for yourself on YouTube here.)

Okay, Timmy's trying to take the bandages off and cousin Lily is burning Barbie's hair in the fire - you better go. But have a great one, and I'll have more for you soon. Ho Ho Ho!

The Best of Fall TV - Part 7 (Friday Nights)

I’ve got to say it again – check out Life on NBC tonight. Its premiere on Monday was both creepy and funny, and Charlie Crews is one of the best protagonists on TV. Anyway, on to the rest of the Friday night picks…

1. The Ex List (CBS) – (Starts Tonight) Intriguing premise: woman goes to a psychic, who tells her that she has already dated her one true love, and if she doesn’t marry him within the next year she is doomed to the single life forever. The problem for this as a weekly TV series: how many guys did this girl date? If we’re looking for this to be an ongoing story, with one guy per episode at an average of 20-22 episodes per network TV season…

2. Ghost Whisperer (CBS) – (Starts tonight) The show’s been on for years, so I’m assuming you know the basic plot – if not, the title’s pretty self-explanatory. What’s new, though? The fact that Melinda may soon be doing some of that special whispering with her hubbie (Jim) has the internet buzzing and CBS trying to calm fans down…

3. Secret Saturdays (Cartoon Network) – (Starts Tonight) Yes, it’s a primetime cartoon. And why the Saturdays are on the tube on Fridays… No answers for you there. So what’s it about? Well, Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday are a family of world-saving scientists called "The Secret Saturdays". They search out all the legendary “things that go bump in the night”, trying to keep humanity (and the monsters) safe. They travel the world, from ancient temples to the darkest caves – sometimes battling villains the likes of V.V. Argost, who uses his TV show (Weird World) to mask his nefarious plans. This is all set against the backdrop of your everyday family squabbles – just from an extraordinary family…

4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network) – (Starts tonight) Set between Episodes II and III, all the major players are back – just in a CGI animated kind of way. The problem I had with this whole project was twofold. First, they released the premiere for this theatrically – I understand the money-making machine that is Star Wars, but was that really necessary? My second issue is that the movie didn’t get released on DVD before the show started. It’s not that I worry about missing plotlines, but from a marketing perspective it seems a bit odd. I’m not expecting great things from this show – I’m slightly jaded from the (lack of) storytelling in Episodes I-III. But George Lucas has had me in his thrall since the seventies, so I can’t turn away now. And who knows, maybe I’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was when the Clone Wars shorts done by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Lab) were on a few years ago. I remain hopeful – talk to me after I’ve watched it…

That’s it for now, kids – this weekend, I’ll be unveiling my plans for world domination. Or at the very least, plans for my horror in October crossover event. Stay tuned…