EDITION: U.S.
Festivus
Here's the Christmas episode of The Price is Right (from 1983!)
by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 23rd 2009 4:35PM
I'm watching the Price is Right Christmas episode right now and thought to myself, I wonder if there's any old Christmas episodes of the show online. OF COURSE THERE IS! Here's Part 1 of the Christmas episode in 1983 (you can watch the other parts here). The show really hasn't changed all that much.
The Twelve Days of Festivus: One great TV moment
by Joel Keller, posted Dec 23rd 2009 11:12AM
On the first day of Festivus, TV gave to me... one great TV moment.Unlike last year, which had a ton of major TV moments to choose from, this year had a whole roster of moments that seemed major at the time but ended up being minor in retrospect. Obama's inauguration feels more like a leftover moment from 2008. ER's finale would have been huge if it aired in 2004 instead of 2009. Letterman talking about his affairs and the corresponding blackmail incident would have been huge if Tiger Woods didn't run over that fire hydrant. Balloon Boy was a hoax, and Jon and Kate's divorce announcement had more of a rubbernecking feel than one that was communal.
No, the only TV moment that seemed to give us all a reason to talk around the Keurig machine (no one talks around watercoolers anymore, do they) was a moment that a) didn't even happen in the US, and 2) the vast majority of people discovered via YouTube.
Yep, I'm talking about Susan Boyle. The famous video is after the jump.
This Christmas, watch Conan's yule log
by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 23rd 2009 8:02AM
You know those video yule log's you can watch every Christmas on WPIX or On Demand? Well, Conan O'Brien has one this year too, available at ConanYuleLog.com (or just watch it below).
It's ho-ho-horrifying (and not particularly funny after about 20 seconds).
It's ho-ho-horrifying (and not particularly funny after about 20 seconds).
Twelve Days of Festivus: Two series finales
by Annie Wu, posted Dec 22nd 2009 2:02PM

On the second day of Festivus, TV gave to me... two series finales.
Shows end all the time. Sometimes shows purposefully bow out to end on a high note, and sometimes shows unexpectedly get axed. Some pack a punch in their short lives, some get drawn out over several decades and end amidst a chorus of "Finally!" Seriously. Shows end all the time.
Which is why it's absolutely cruel that I was assigned to pick only two 2009 series finales to write about. Come on! Two. That's a lot of pressure to put on a girl.
TV franchises offer up last minute Christmas gift ideas
by John Scott Lewinski, posted Dec 22nd 2009 1:01PM
NORAD is already tracking Santa Claus and his airborne reindeer team as it heads south from the North Pole and ignores boring Canada to give delightful Christmas presents to all the good American boys and girls. Fortunately, the U.S. Air Force apologized for that anti-aircraft missile that almost nicked Dasher. They sent a fruit basket and everything.The point is that you don't have much time to snag holiday toys for your TV fan friends and those few kids you actually like. Fortunately, there still some popular toys out there that can serve multiple gift giving purposes.
The I Love Lucy Barbie from Mattel (right) sells for $45, so it might be more appropriate for an adult toy collector (an adult who collects TV-related toys, I mean). But, a Barbie is a Barbie, and few girls would turn one down -- even if it features Lucy Ricardo auditioning for a part in Ricky's show at the Copa.
All Jason wants for Festivus
by Jason Hughes, posted Dec 22nd 2009 10:33AM
I am knee deep in the holiday spirit and drunk on power. Only I can reach the top of the tree, so what goes up there is up to me ... so long as my wife approves. With television mostly in reruns, I find myself with extra time in my head, and when I spend time in there I find things. Things like what I want for Festivus!- MTV and VH1 to play music videos. I'm from the MTV generation, which means I have no problem sitting around watching music videos for hours and hours. I love music. I love videos. The music industry would probably appreciate it, too. I don't like feeling like I need to take a shower while watching any one of their trashy reality shows.
- Lost to blow us all away with a SATISFYING conclusion. No fade to black, no comas, no Bob Newhart waking up next to his wife. Make it work and make it make sense. If you do that, you'll have one of the greatest shows in television history. So, no pressure guys.
The Twelve Days of Festivus: Three reality disasters
by Michael Pascua, posted Dec 21st 2009 11:00AM
On the third day of Festivus, TV gave to me ... three reality disasters!For every good reality show that emerges, there are several horrid shows green-lit, giving reality television its negative light. I could have gone for days talking about tons of reality shows that were disastrous. Jon and Kate Gosselin became national disasters, but even their show had some merit watching a now single Kate deal with her family.
Here are three of the worst offenders of 2009, from least to most disastrous. Oh, and if you're wondering why a certain VH1 show that had Ryan Jenkins as a contestant isn't on the list, don't worry; we'll get to that later this week.
The Twelve Days of Festivus: Four webby series
by Jason Hughes, posted Dec 20th 2009 11:22AM
On the fourth day of Festivus, TV gave to me... four webby series.There's probably more original content being created for the internet than there even is for television. A lot of that is your neighbor sitting in his basement in front of his webcam seeing how many croutons he can shove in his mouth in thirty seconds, but there are places to find great original content, many times on par with what you'll see on television.
Syfy's Sanctuary is a show that began as a web series and has since become a successful TV series. But many web series live and thrive on the web, and belong only there.
A lot of our favorite celebrities have turned to this unrestricted format to create gems, like Will Ferrell's modern classic "The Landlord" from a few years back, or even last year's sensational Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog that brought Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Simon Helberg and Felicia Day into a mad scientist musical world created by Joss Whedon. Even the networks have gotten in on the action, creating original content for their own websites.
The Twelve Days of Festivus: Five cancelled shows
by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 19th 2009 10:00AM
On the fifth day of Christmas, TV gave to me ... five cancelled shows ...Every new season, a network will cancel a show (at least) that a ton of people like. Of course, every year the networks cancel shows that nobody likes. The five shows on this list include a little of both. Feel free to list other shows in the comments, but these are the five that stood out to me in 2009.
1. Guiding Light. I had to put Guiding Light at number one. You can't put the cancellation of a show that was on every weekday for 72 years at number three or number five. It just wouldn't be right, even if the show did limp to its end. The longest-running soap opera (and one of the longest-running shows on TV, period) started on radio in 1937 and switched to television in 1952 (it was actually on both radio and TV for a while). The last episode aired in September.
Watch Alec Baldwin talk about his Schweddy Balls
by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 18th 2009 2:29PM
Maybe I'm 12 years old, but this sketch always cracks me up. It's Alec Baldwin in a classic Saturday Night Live Christmas sketch from years ago. It was one of the sketches shown last night on NBC's A Very Gilly Christmas.
Funny, it's almost as if it's not Baldwin introducing the sketch, it's like Jack Donaghy is introducing it.
Funny, it's almost as if it's not Baldwin introducing the sketch, it's like Jack Donaghy is introducing it.
The Twelve Days of Festivus: Six shows you should be watchin'
by Jonathan Toomey, posted Dec 18th 2009 10:02AM
On the sixth day of Festivus, TV gave to me ... six shows you should be watching.Every fall TV season brings out a new crop of fresh shows and despite the fact that some of them are ridiculously good, they slip through the cracks and not many people watch them. Not all of these are new and not all of them are suffering in the ratings, but some could still use your eyeballs. So take this list as a gentle nudge to start tuning in if you haven't already, because all six of these shows really are appointment television right now.
Modern Family (ABC; Wednesdays 8:30) -- Easily the best new comedy of the Fall '09 season, Modern Family has very quickly risen up most critics' lists and even nabbed a Golden Globe nomination earlier this week. The show features a spectacular ensemble cast that tackles just about any family related issue from dating to divorce by putting one of the most unique spins on the genre in recent memory. With the show on hiatus until January, now would be a great time to catch up on the first half of the season and if you don't, Fizbo the ass kicking clown, will, you know, kick your ass.
What's your favorite Christmas special or movie?
by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 17th 2009 6:59PM
I'm the rare type of person whose favorite Christmas movies of all-time also happen to be my favorite movies of all-time period, It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. We're in the middle of December now and we're all watching our favorite Christmas movies or animated specials (either on TV or via DVD), so I thought I'd ask which is your favorite. (I know, I didn't include every single Christmas special ever made, but that's why God created the word "other").
| It's A Wonderful Life | |
|---|---|
| Miracle on 34th Street | |
| Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer | |
| Santa Claus is Comin' To town | |
| A Christmas Story | |
| The Year Without A Santa Claus | |
| White Christmas | |
| A Christmas Carol (any version) | |
| Frosty The Snowman | |
| How The Grinch Stole Christmas (animated) | |
| A Charlie Brown Christmas |
Martin Short wants you to stay alive this Christmas
by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 17th 2009 3:07PM
I'm not sure if this is up there with "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas," but last night Martin Short entertained viewers of The Late Show with the song "Don't Commit Suicide on the Holidays." He even gives a little wink and nod to Dave about what he went through this year.
[Watch clips and episodes of The Late Show and other shows at SlashControl.]
The wives of Big Love wish you a very happy holiday season
by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 17th 2009 2:32PM
Big Love was nominated for several Golden Globe Awards the other day, and now HBO has released this new promo/holiday greeting. I don't know if Harry Dean Stanton says "Christmas" to me though. The new season premieres on January 10.
[via Brandfreak]
The Twelve Days of Festivus: Seven shows a-thrivin'
by Kona Gallagher, posted Dec 17th 2009 11:03AM
On the seventh day of Festivus, TV gave to me... Seven shows a-thrivin'.The 2009-2010 season is a great one to be on TV-- especially for returning dramas and new comedies. If we had 20 days of Christmas, I probably could have filled the list with shows that were either thriving right out of the gate or making a resurgence after being on the air for several years. As it is, we just have seven slots, so here are some noteworthy series that are thriving this year.
Dexter
I've always liked Dexter, but it's never been appointment TV for me. I've generally been content to wait until the season came out on DVD and knock all of the episodes out in a weekend. However, after a creative dip in season 3, I've found myself positively glued to my television every Sunday night that season 4 has aired. John Lithgow absolutely made the season as the creepy Arthur Mitchell. Plus the finale? I know some of you saw the big twist coming at the end, but I certainly did not. Who doesn't like to end a season with their jaw on the floor?
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