Christmas Newswire

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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Lifetime Networks celebrates Christmas in July, all month long.

The festive programming on the two most popular women’s networks begins
with “Fa La La La Fourth” — Lifetime Television’s Independence Day lineup of
Christmas-only movies airing Friday, July 4, from 9AM-11PM (ET/PT).

Hosted by Melissa Peterman (”Reba”), “Fa La La La Fourth” features talent
including Dylan Walsh, Rob Lowe, Valerie Bertinelli, Jami Gertz, Kimberly
Williams-Paisley, Cynthia Gibb, and Jennifer Grey.

The holiday theme continues virtually non-stop throughout the holiday
weekend when Lifetime Movie Network launches its second annual “Christmas in
July” stunt, airing holiday flicks from 6AM(ET) on Saturday, July 5 to 5:30AM
on Sunday, July 6.

“Christmas in July” continues on Monday, July 7, running through Thursday,
July 31. Viewers can catch Neil Patrick Harris, Vanessa Williams, Eric Mabius,
Whoopi Goldberg, LeAnn Rimes, Jason Alexander, Kelsey Grammer, Ana Ortiz, and
Kelly Rowan, among other Hollywood stars, in their favorite Christmas films
each Monday through Friday at 8PM (ET).

LIFETIME is the leader in women’s television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is
committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their
families. LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and
Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment
Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney
Company.

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Nickelodeon Thursday announced that Drake Bell and Josh Peck, stars of the network’s popular teen sitcom Drake & Josh, will co-star in “Drake & Josh: Best Christmas Ever,” an original television movie coming to the network in December.

Filming on the new movie, which was announced Thursday by Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon’s, executive vice president, development and original programming, begins in July in Los Angeles.

Nickelodeon officials said “Drake & Josh: Best Christmas Ever” will “blend the classic buddy comedy viewers have come to expect from Drake Bell and Josh Peck, with a heartwarming story for the season.”

“We hope to create a holiday classic that families will be able to enjoy together for years to come,” Cohn said in a statement.

The primetime project will be executive produced by series creator Dan Schneider (Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly), Marjorie Cohn and Lauren Levine (Bridge to Terabithia, Gym Teacher: The Movie), and Michael Grossman (Grey’s Anatomy, Dirty Sexy Money) will direct. Scott McAboy is producer; Robin Weiner is consulting producer and Drake Bell and Josh Peck are co-producers.

Network officials said the comic adventure unfolds as a mall Santa and his helper—alias Drake and Josh—promise an adorable little girl that her foster parents and siblings will have “the best Christmas ever.” It’s a pledge that will change their holiday and their lives—and one that’s tough to keep after Drake’s antics at a holiday party land responsible Josh in jail.

Drake & Josh recently won its second Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Award for “Favorite TV Show,” while Bell clinched his third consecutive prized blimp for “Favorite TV Actor.” The show first broke records in January 2004 as Nick’s highest-rated series premiere in almost 10 years. In the first week of 2006, the television movie “Drake & Josh Go Hollywood” ranked as the highest-rated TV movie with kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14 in Nickelodeon history and was the top-rated show on all of broadcast and cable television within its key demos.

In August 2007 “Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp” reeled in even bigger ratings and nearly 6 million viewers to make Nick history again as the highest-rated Nick TV movie ever among tweens and total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

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Robert J. Anderson, a former child actor best known for playing the young George Bailey in the 1946 Christmas film classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” has died. He was 75.

Known as Bobbie when he was young and Bob as an adult, Anderson died Friday of melanoma at his Palm Springs home, said Stephen Cox, a family friend and author of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book.”

Anderson was 12 when director Frank Capra cast him as Jimmy Stewart’s youthful counterpart in the heartwarming tale set in Bedford Falls. As the adult George Bailey contemplates suicide, his life is told in flashback so his guardian angel Clarence can get to know him. Young George rescues his brother from drowning, dreams about being an explorer and saves the town pharmacist, Mr. Gower, from accidentally poisoning a customer.

In 1996, on the 50th anniversary of the movie’s release, Anderson recalled shooting scenes with H.B. Warner, who played Mr. Gower.

“He actually bloodied my ear,” Anderson told Cox for a Times story. “My ear was beat up, and my face was red and I was in tears. . . . I didn’t know what we were building for. H.B. was perfect. He reached the crescendo. At the end when it was all over, he was very lovable. He grabbed me and hugged me, and he meant it.”

The film, which initially flopped, became a holiday favorite in recent decades after it started airing repeatedly on TV when the copyright lapsed in the 1970s.

Anderson was born March 6, 1933, to a Hollywood family. His father, Gene Anderson, was involved in production at Columbia Pictures, and his uncle, William Beaudine, was a prolific director. Bobbie Anderson first appeared on screen as a toddler and went on to roles in the 1940 Shirley Temple movie “Young People,” “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1945) and “The Bishop’s Wife” (1947), among others. He also appeared on TV, including a supporting role to Disney’s “Spin and Marty” characters in the 1950s.

After serving in the Navy as a photographer, Anderson became an assistant director, production manager and producer for various studios.

“Most people don’t know what happened to him, mainly because he stayed behind the cameras,” Cox said Saturday. “Not that he didn’t like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ He was very proud of his work in it.”

Anderson is survived by his wife, Victoria; three sons, John of Lake Arrowhead, Bob Jr. of Long Beach and Joe of San Bernardino; three daughters, Kathleen Inman of Nyack, N.Y., Deborah Gutierrez of Boise, Idaho, and Heidi Anderson-Robinson of Ventura; 11 grandchildren; a brother, Beau Anderson; and a sister, Virginia McAfee.

Services are pending. Instead of flowers, donations in Anderson’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.

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The plug may be pulled on the candy canes, Santa characters and toy soldiers that have lit up downtown streets for the past two decades.

There’s a plan in the works to replace the traditional Christmas decorations with “more general winter-oriented designs” as early as this fall.

“In the last few years we’ve got more and more comments on the Christmas decorations getting really dated,” acknowledged Jim Taylor, with the Downtown Business Association, the organization pushing for the extreme holiday makeover.

They were bought in 1987 and refurbished 10 years later, he said.

Taylor vowed the changes would be anything but dull. Among other things, he envisions “spectacular” two-metre snowflakes and stars made from energy-efficient LED lights hanging from light standards throughout the core.

Larger displays could be set up in future years at some of the key entrances into the downtown, Taylor said.

Instead of just being illuminated for the holidays, Taylor said the formations could go up in late October and remain powered until early April.

“Why would we just keep it lit for November, December and January?” Taylor said.

“We’re a winter city. We should be celebrating being a winter city.”

A report to city council estimates the cost of the upgrade at $400,000.

The city would pay the upfront costs - but would be repaid by downtown businesses, who would also foot the maintenance and power costs.

Mayor Stephen Mandel said he likes the idea, stressing Christmas would still be celebrated downtown, even if the colourful lights of Jasper become a plainer white.

“It’s not going to take away from Christmas - I hope not,” he said.

“We’re still going to have a tree, which probably won’t be that energy efficient … and people can look at that.”

Mandel said the manger scene, featuring live animals, will also continue to be set up outside city hall.

Coun. Ben Henderson said he has no problem getting rid of Christmas-specific lights in areas such as Jasper Avenue.

“There’s two things I like about it. One, it’s not just Christmas lighting, it’s winter-long.

“And two, is that there is a commitment to using LED.”

News of the proposed change was met with mixed reaction from Edmontonians enjoying the sun in Churchill Square yesterday.

“White lights have no spirit,” said Julia Buckholz. “I like the (old lights) because they’ve been around since I was a little girl.”

Debra Jinks disagreed, saying the old lights were starting to look “ratty” and that it was worth it to spruce them up.

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