Christmas Newswire

Warner Home Video has revealed final specs and box art for its double dip of ‘A Christmas Story,’ which will hit Blu-ray this November with hours of bonus materials and deluxe holiday-themed packaging.

Now the full details of the box set are in, and it looks to be the most full-fledged release yet of the perennial favorite. “Festively packaged” in a collectible retro holiday cookie tin, included are five collectible cookie cutters in iconic ‘Christmas Story’ shapes; a 48-page cook book filled with recipes inspired by the film; photos and quotes and a custom-designed chef’s apron. (Exclusive to the Blu-ray box set is an additional Leg Lamp light stand.)

Extras shared between the Blu-ray and DVD boast audio commentary with Peter Billingsley and Clark, original story readings by Jean Shepard (author and voice narrator of ‘A Christmas Story’), the “Another Christmas Story” documentary, a pair of featurettes ( “Get a Leg Up,” “A History of the Daisy Red Ryder”), “Triple Dog Dare” interactive trivia, a “Decoder Match Challenge” interactive game, additional “Hidden Presents” and the theatrical trailer.

Tech specs include a BD-50 dual-layer presentation with 1080p/VC-1 video and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. (At presstime, no high-res audio option has been confirmed, but we’ll keep you posted.)

Finally, Warner has issued the final Blu-ray box art for ‘A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector’s Edition”:

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One of the greatest and most beloved American holiday traditions, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes, will be available on DVD for the first time on November 4th. Two titans of entertainment, Time Life and Madison Square Garden Entertainment, are partnering to bring this national treasure and American icon to fans everywhere. The DVD will afford viewers the opportunity to enjoy the cherished holiday show from their own homes as the world-famous Radio City Rockettes perform on the Great Stage of Radio City Music Hall. The Christmas Spectacular is America’s #1 Holiday show and has played to more than 65 million people in its 76 year history. In 2008, more than 1.2 million fans will attend the New York City production and an additional 1 million patrons are expected to see the debut of the brand new Arena tour production and the theatre’s touring version of The Christmas Spectacular this year.

“The Christmas Spectacular is a meticulously produced and beautifully unique celebration of the holiday season,” says Mike Jason, Senior V.P. Audio & Video Retail at Time Life. “It has been a Christmas tradition for three generations in my family and we at Time Life are honored to be sharing the show with new and old fans.”

“MSG Entertainment is proud to partner with Time Life to distribute the first ever DVD of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” added Jonathan Hochwald, EVP Productions, MSG Entertainment. “The Christmas Spectacular is a cherished holiday tradition and this beautiful recording will bring the spirit and warmth of our holiday production right into the homes of families nationwide.”

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular was filmed last year as part of the 75th celebration and was broadcast as a primetime special on NBC, produced by Don Hewitt of 60 Minutes. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes DVD will include the entire 90 minute live show featuring the world famous Radio City Rockettes with their signature eye high kicks and astounding precision choreography. Traditional fan-favorites like the “Living Nativity” and the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” which have been in the show since 1933, remain a vital part of the show’s core. The new scene, “New York at Christmas,” showcases the world-famous Rockettes onboard a REAL double-decker gray line tour bus for a once in a lifetime tour of Manhattan. The Rockettes and audience take a tour of historic landmarks such as the Empire State Building, 5th Avenue’s store windows and even Central Park. They arrive in Time Square, where they perform a show-stopping number surrounded by all the lights and excitement that only New York City can generate. The number climaxes with a live fireworks display onstage! The Christmas Spectacular includes dramatic theatrical lighting effects, breathtaking imagery, flying characters and an array of glamorous costumes, leaving no doubts about the magic of Christmas at Radio City.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been a holiday tradition since its inception in 1933, when it was originally performed as a holiday “gift” between movie screenings. It has long since become the main event and draws people from all over the world who have made it a holiday tradition. In 1994, due to popular demand, MSG Entertainment broadened the beloved holiday theatrical’s schedule for the first time to encompass markets outside of New York, while running simultaneously with the New York production. Since then, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has performed in top cities across North America. In its 14-year combined history outside of New York, as well as the production at Radio City Music Hall, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has played to more than 65 million people in 31 different cities. In 2008, The Christmas Spectacular touring production will entertain audiences once again in 5 cities including Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis and Nashville.

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It seems to be a trend in Christmas movies made by Robert Zemeckis. Just as Tom Hanks played multiple characters in Polar Express Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman are tabbed to take up several characters in Zemeckis’ adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

Gary Oldman revealed that not only will he have a part in the Robert Zemeckis motion capture/animated version of the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol, but that he’s playing multiple roles — Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, and Jacob Marley.

Gary Oldman as Tiny Tim. That’s about as curious in a part that you can get.

Jim Carrey was the first big name to be involved in this project and he’s playing four roles — Scrooge, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.

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With the Grinch on the fence about returning to New York this November, producer Kevin McCollum is in talks to bring a stage adaptation of the 1954 Irving Berlin movie musical “White Christmas” to Broadway.

McCollum, 46, said he needs concessions from Broadway’s unions to make the $4 million to $4.5 million show viable.

“I would love to bring it in, but I can’t do it alone,” said McCollum, who produced “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “In the Heights” on Broadway. He wouldn’t specify the concessions he needs. “The economics still have to work. I’m not quite there yet.”

McCollum said he’s in talks to rent the 1,611-seat Marquis Theatre, which became available on Sunday when “Cry-Baby” closed. He said he’ll have just 7 1/2 weeks to break even on a show that’s big by Broadway standards — 24 musicians and 32 performers.

Since “White Christmas” runs about 2 hours and 15 minutes, McCollum said he can present it just eight or nine times a week. “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” had a contract permitting 15 performances a week of the 80-minute show. Its executive producer, James Sanna, said it broke even in 2006 yet lost money in 2007 because of the stagehands strike, which shuttered the show for 12 days.

Unions typically fight to protect contract terms that were hard-won during previous negotiations. Maria Somma, a spokeswoman for Actors’ Equity, said her union had granted concessions to McCollum for “White Christmas.” As of last night, she didn’t have details.

Two Romances

“White Christmas” tells the story of two male friends, two sisters, two romances and some unpredictable weather. It features standards from the movie, including “White Christmas” and “The Best Things Happen When You’re Dancing,” and other classics such as “Love and the Weather” and “Snow.”

The show already has been presented in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Toronto and St. Paul, Minnesota. Walter Bobbie (“Chicago”) directed, with choreography by Randy Skinner (“42nd Street”) and a book by David Ives (“Wonderful Town”) and Paul Blake.

“It’s solid entertainment,” said Scott Mallalieu, a co- owner of Group Sales Box Office, a ticket agency. “We’re holding a lot of orders because people had heard about it.”

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Paramount Home Entertainment has announced the October 7th release of T.V. Sets: Holiday Treats, a new single-disc release compiling “8 heart-warming classic TV episodes” from some of the most beloved shows in their library: Family Ties, I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Brady Bunch, The Andy Griffith Show, Frasier, Wings and the stalled-on-DVD series Taxi (which hasn’t had any kind of a DVD release since September 2005’s release of the third season set). Running time on this disc is 198 minutes.

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Shout! Factory has announced that The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - Christmas With The Nelsons will be roasting on an open DVD player in your household this holiday season! This is a 90-minute collection from the longest-running sitcom on U.S. television (well, for now…The Simpsons is set to pass it in episode count next season, and has already done so in terms of number of seasons). You’ll get episodes featuring the Nelson family together at the holidays, plus Ricky Nelson sings “Baby I’m Sorry”. Cost is $9.99 SRP, and it’s available starting on September 16th.

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