Entries categorized as ‘Holidays’
We only had four television stations in my hometown market — yes, this was the pre-cable days of yore — but during the holidays, these stations always recorded (probably on videotape – gasp) personal greetings from the station employees and their families.
These holiday hello’s were always fairly predictable. Staged shots in front of a Christmas tree. Fake snowball fights outside the station. Watching the family dog run off with a present — oh no! But it was still fun to see the people both behind of and in front of the cameras outside their work comfort zone, goofing off with their families.
Over the years, we also got to watch their kids grow up…and the spouses come and go. It was a mini-soap opera cast with local characters, showing only at the holidays.
I had thought this a small town phenomena. Since I left my hometown for college, I haven’t noticed the larger markets adopting such a practice.
And then this year, in New York City, I have seen two stations send greetings from their local employees: WNBC, the big boys, with a graceful gathering near the Rockefeller Center ice rink, and one of the local cable access channels (name unknown), who did the more silly situational humor I remember from my youth.
Kudos to NYC, the biggest little town that I have ever lived in! You’re keeping the holiday spirit alive in ways big and small.
Categories: Holidays · Humor · Television
Tagged: cable television, Holidays, holidays greetings, Television, WNBC
December 29, 2009 · 1 Comment
Isn’t there a saying about how Americans rush to our entertainment…and then rush just as quickly to leave it?
I thought about that this week during my walks with Rory in the neighborhood.
Even in the days preceding Christmas, trees already lie abandoned on the edge of the sidewalk, awaiting our three-days-a-week garbage pickup.
How quickly we rush to Christmas, many people putting up their trees before Thanksgiving…and then scurry again to take them down once the presents are opened and faraway family and friends have returned to their homes.
When I was a child, we put the tree up a mere week before Christmas. I imagine that tradition was fueled in part by my mother’s fear of fire, since we always had a real tree. Watering it every day was my job, as was turning off the lights should the tree ever be unattended.
I carry my mother’s caution — and tradition — about live Christmas trees with me to this day.
When I do put up a tree, it’s usually five days or so before the holiday, but I like to leave it up until New Year’s Day, if it’s not too dried out. There’s something especially magical about a Christmas tree after all the hubbub is over, and you can simply sit and enjoy it’s color and sparkle.
It reminds me of the best of my childhood. And I’m in no rush to forget it.
Categories: Holidays · Humor
Tagged: Christmas, Christmas tree, holiday traditions, Holidays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving
My famous twin with the filthy mouth is comin’ to town this week.
Despite Kathy Griffin cussin’ a blue streak last New Year’s Eve on CNN, the cable giant is bringing her back to co-host their live coverage with Anderson Cooper.
What is CNN thinking?
Last week on “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, Kathy said she will be forced to refund her appearance fee if she curses on the air. Her response to that?
“Tune in, everyone. I really don’t need the money.”
Ya gotta love the balls on the girl. She isn’t the funniest comedian, but she is pure genius at self-promotion. Her Bravo show “My Life on the D-List” is a primer on how to get noticed.
Tragically, she seems to get noticed most for her foul mouth…which seems a bit risky for CNN, especially since she has pretty much guaranteed a repeat performance in 2010.
So, CNN, why not give Anderson a break this year? Team him up with a kinder, gentler Kathy Griffin.
Cast me, Carla Curtsinger, as his New Year’s Eve co-host. I’m funny (not blue at all), live right here in Manhattan, and heck — people tell me every day that I look like Kathy Griffin.
Note: I will keep the appearance fee.
Categories: Holidays · Humor · Television
Tagged: Anderson Cooper, Bravo cable channel, Carla Curtsinger, CNN, Craig Ferguson, Kathy Griffin, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, My Life on the D-List, New Year's Eve, Television, The Late
And so it is Christmas.
When I was a little girl, every Christmas morning you would find me in the kitchen , making fruit salad for the big Christmas lunch that my Mom held for family friends. The people in attendance might change, but the menu — baked hen and ham — and the holiday event at our house were a reassuring tradition.
Christmas Eve was also the same evening year after year. Mass in the early evening. Home for appetizers and homemade candy before opening gifts. A strictly family affair, I can remember being rather peeved the first time one of my brothers introduced a girlfriend into the proceedings.
Tradition was so important back then.
Now that my mother is gone, and my brothers and sisters are scattered across the country, our holiday ‘tradition’ changes every year. We exchange gifts via Skype now — how cool is that? The day and time changes every year now, but that’s part of the adventure.
Just being together in whatever way works — that’s the tradition that is most important.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Categories: Foods · Holidays · Humor
Tagged: Christmas, Christmas Eve, holiday foods, holiday gifts, holiday meals, Holidays, Skype
Did you watch “Saturday Night Live’s” salute to Adam Lambert this weekend?
Host James Franco ended his monologue by saying this was going to be “the best Christmas show ever.” And apparently the show’s writers decided adopting some of Lambert’s moves would ensure — if nothing else — it was one of the most talked about.
They began with a sketch premise I first saw used with guest host Paul Rudd — the extremely affectionate family. In this version, Franco brings home his girlfriend for the holidays, and she gets to watch him mouth kiss his mom, dad, brother, grandfather, and UPS man over and over and over again. The sketch really hit a high note when Franco slipped his grandpa some tongue.
It’s a funny bit. But it was interesting to watch in the post-Adam Lambert debacle era. So, Adam, here’s what we have learned: It’s okay to kiss a boy on television if a) it’s late night and b) the two guys doing it are straight.
A bit later in the show, SNL brought back another freaky segment: Vincent Price’s Christmas Special. It had a great lineup of celebrity impressions — Kristen Wiig’s spot-on Kate Hepburn; Franco’s tortured James Dean; and Fred Armisen’s Liberace. And, Adam, did you see? — Liberace went down on James Dean at the piano bench! People laughed and laughed — no outrage in the media — I’ve checked.
So, Adam — here is my message to you: you need to be a guest host on “Saturday Night Live.” All the stuff you did on the American Music Awards that got you in so much trouble will be considered awesome humor in late night.
The big question is — are the writers and cast members brave enough to go there with you?
Categories: Holidays · Humor · Television
Tagged: Adam Lambert, American Music Awards, Christmas, Christmas show, comedy, Fred Armisen, holiday show, Holidays, James Dean, James Franco, Katherine Hepburn, Kristen Wig, Liberace, Paul Rudd, Saturday Night Live, Television, Vincent Price
Unless you are avoiding the news for some reason, you’ve probably heard about the huge snowstorm barreling toward the Northeast this very minute. New York City — which storms normally dance around in these instances — is predicted to get over a foot of the white stuff.
And to think, just Thursday I was bragging to a cab driver in Rochester about how ‘we don’t get that kind of weather where I live.’
Oops.
Well, it will make a lovely white Christmas for everyone visiting Manhattan (my sister and her husband included). But the local headlines are focused primarily on the possible loss of retail dollars if shoppers can’t get to the stores in the bad weather.
Have any of these people ever been to New York City in a snowstorm?
Minutes — and I mean literally minutes — after major inches of snow have been dumped on the city, they disappear from the streets and sidewalks. Our street cleaning crews are on it…sometimes quicker than I — a dog owner — would prefer.
Those streets are cleared and salted pronto, and I have to pull out the dog booties to get Rory to venture out since the salt really bothers his feet. It’s either embarrassing booties, or me carrying him all the way to Central Park…and ya gotta romp in Central Park in the snow. It’s a New York City tradition.
Just like shopping at Christmas time. We’ll get out there, don’t you worry.
And if it’s that bad, there’s always online, right?
Categories: Dogs · Holidays · Humor
Tagged: Central Park, Christmas, dog booties, Dogs, holiday shopping, Holidays, Manhattan, New York City, Rochester, shopping, snow, snowstorm, street cleaning, street salt, weather
I have learned new holiday shopping lingo this week!
As you know, yesterday was ‘Cyber Monday,’ when all the online shopping portals featured fabulous one-day sales and deals.
Did you take advantage? Shop much and save big? No?!?
If you didn’t take advantage of yesterday’s Cyber Monday savings, you may experience ‘Tuesday Regrets’. (I heard this on a TV ad, so you know it must be true.)
Which leads one to surmise….
If your ‘Tuesday Regrets’ are not quickly treated — with a dose of online (or over-the-counter) retail therapy — you might find yourself sinking into the ‘Wednesday Despairs’, followed by a rapid downward spiral into the ‘Thursday Self-Loathings’. (Sufferers are encouraged to avoid “Grey’s Anatomy”, which can exacerbate existing symptoms.)
If conditions persist, ‘Black Friday’ may return, but not the day shoppers fondly recall. While they may experience a renewed urge to purchase, they will find no day-after-Thanksgiving specials, which can lead to disorientation, disappointment and severe depression.
‘Suicidal Thoughts Saturday’ can then last up to 24 hours, but typically is cut short.
Happy shopping!
Categories: Fashion · Holidays · Humor · Internet
Tagged: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Grey's Anatomy, holiday shopping, Holidays, online shopping, retail therapy, Television, Thanksgiving, Tuesday Regrets
Did your Thanksgiving feast yesterday include pumpkin pie?
If the answer is no, it may not have been the result of poor menu planning. Your host or hostess may have been the victim of…
The Great Pumpkin Crisis of 2009
The what, you say?
The Great Pumpkin Crisis…the quietest food crisis since the Great Waffle Shortage just a few weeks ago.
Apparently heavy rains in Morton, Illinois — the Pumpkin Capital of the United States — depleted its pumpkin crop, and since Morton supplies Libby with 85 percent of its pumpkin, pie shells around the country were empty yesterday.
Who knew?
Not too many people, as it turns out. Like waffles, pumpkin is not a food stuff that incites screams of panic and outrage when it goes missing. No doubt yesterday cooks replaced the pie filling with sweet potato or pecan on their Turkey Day menu.
If there had been a beer shortage — well, let’s just say the football games might have been canceled.
But pumpkin?
I’m guessing only Linus cried…alone, in the pumpkin patch.
Categories: Foods · Holidays · Humor
Tagged: Great Pumpkin Crisis of 2009, Great Waffle Shortage of 2009, Libby, Morton Illinois, Peanuts comic strip, pecan pie, pie, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, Thanksgiving, waffles
Has a mere fortnight passed since I praised the writers of “Saturday Night Live” — and musical/guest host Taylor Swift — for a very, very funny show?
Seems so long ago now.
They followed that stellar evening with the hosting tragedy of January Jones from “Mad Men.” Funny — she and Taylor are both tall, beautiful blondes, but wow — the comparisons end there. January couldn’t tell a joke, keep a straight face, play different characters — hell, even read a cue card.
Some people are born to play supporting roles.
On a more positive note, our friend Jason Sudeikis was in pretty much every sketch…so good for him.
Last night’s show had tremendous potential in the guest hosting turn of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His most recent movie was the oh-so-wonderful anti-romantic comedy “500 Days of Summer,” but he has been equally brilliant in darker indie films like “Brick” and “Mysterious Skin.”
Joe had a much better show overall, but SNL fell into one of its old habits, which kept Joe’s show from being a Taylor Swift uber-success: they found out that he could sing — something we haven’t seen him do much on TV or film — and they had him sing the entire show.
Uhh….why?
Joe singing his monologue was surprising and funny. But then Joe played a Latin American singer in the next game show sketch…and sang. Then Joe played singer Jason Mraz in a talk show sketch — and sang. Then Joe played a cruise ship singer — and sang — in a Thanksgiving dinner sketch.
We get it. Joe can sing. But is that all you guys got?
Taylor Swift is a singer, but she only sang her monologue and one other “greatest hits” commercial spoof. Joe, the film actor, sang more than Taylor Swift, the CMA Entertainer of the Year. And I’m including her musical numbers.
I’m surprised they didn’t have Joe sing something during Weekend Update. (Don’t worry, guys — you can use that idea on your next show.
Categories: Holidays · Humor · Movies · Television
Tagged: 500 Days of Summer, Brick movie, CMA Awards, CMA Entertainer of the Year, January Jones, Jason Sudeikis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mad Men, Movies, Mysterious Skin, Saturday Night Live, SNL, SNL Weekend Update, Taylor Swift, Television, Thanksgiving
