Tannenbaum TV Touchbase

We're two days from Christmas and I'm taking a moment to post a bonus TV Touchbase on various holiday themed TV the fam has watched here at the Fortress of Ineptitude. 

Welcome to...  the Tannenbaum TV Touchbase! 

Tannenbaum TV Touchbase  

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 

• This is the sad tale of a perfectly reasonable person who just wants some frickin' peace and quiet for once this Christmas because he's trying to watch TV over here.  It's a sad tale because the perfectly reasonable person discovers that apparently stealing Christmas is not a viable option for some frickin' peace and quiet and is not only forced to participate in all this Christmas stuff but is put to work. The perfectly reasonable person has to frickin' carve the roast beast! Damn it! The perfectly reasonable person can't get out of nothing! 
• Andrea and I watched this one a few weeks ago.  Of the various perennial holiday TV specials, this is one that still holds my attention after all these years, mostly for the expressive animation overseen by Chuck Jones.  
• If you ask me what I think of the Grinch movie starring Jim Carrey, I will insist there is no such thing as a Grinch movie. Do not argue with me.  There is only one Grinch show and it was directed by Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff. 
• And I will reiterate: the Grinch is a perfectly reasonable person who just wants some frickin' peace and quiet! 
• Damn it! 

Michael Buble's Christmas In The City 

• OK, change the date from 2021 to 1971 and swap out Michael Buble with Dean Martin and this special wouldn't change much. 
• I really do mean that in a good way. There's a certain cheesy, innocent charm perfect for the holiday season. 
• There's a bit with Michael noodling on a piano in a living room set when there's knock on the door. Hey! It's funny man Jimmy Fallon! It's that kind of corny.
• There's a bit with Michael Buble talking to kids because it's Christmas and Christmas is all about the kids. Kids who have no frickin' idea who Michael Buble is! 
• Michael is in usually fine voice and rocks a nice looking purple suit. 

Mr. Mayor's Magical L.A. Christmas    

• The premise of this episode is that Christmas in Los Angeles sucks. The biggest holiday activity in L.A. is leaving L.A. 
• Andrea and I gave this series a shot for it's first season and despite our mutual support for the work of Ted Danson and my love of Tina Fey's writing, we were still on the fence about this show at the end of the season.
• This holiday outing I think has pushed us off the fence into "We've got enough other stuff to watch." 
• Sorry, Ted. Sorry, Tina. 

Wheel of Fortune 

• It was time for the two week Disney themed Secret Santa event on America's Favorite Game Show. 
• Basically whatever any player won, a viewer at home could win too. I registered us in the Wheel Watchers club as Andrea and I anxiously awaited to see if our spin ID would pop up.
• I didn't want my spin ID to show up when players got only what I call "pity money". That's when a player wins nothing but gets a $1,000 as thanks for playing. 
• Like I had a chance. Even if spin ID came up as for David L, there's still a one in a million it would be me.   

Klaus 

• We watched this Christmas movie on Netflix for the first time since 2019. Click here for my write up on Klaus from 2019.  
• My daughter Randie enjoyed this movie as much as she did the first time two years ago.  As an art major, she is particularly impressed with aesthetics of this animated feature, using computer animation but capturing the fluidity of hand drawn animation.
• My wife Andrea totally forgot she had seen this movie before. 

Saturday Night Live 

• What was supposed to be the last new episode of the year, the big holiday themed finale hosted by Paul Rudd, took a distressing turn thanks to the surging omicron variant of the coronavirus in New York City.   
• At first the news was the show would not have a live audience. Then when it came on at 11:30, it turns out most of the cast and crew were sent home as well. 
• Paul Rudd was there to be inducted in the "5 Timers Club" by Tina Fey and Tom Hanks with a little help from Keenan Thompson. Other than a stripped down Weekend Update with Michael Che and Tina subbing for Colin Jost ("He's having some work done," Tina explained) and some sketches filmed earlier in the week, most of the episode was given over to classic holiday clips introduced by Paul, Tina, Tom and Keenan. 
• Including "Dick In A Box". 
• 'Cause nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a dick. In a box. 
• It was kind of a sad affair, a normally bustling sound stage haunted by a half dozen people. 

Over the next couple of days, the fam will gather for our annual viewing of the Doctor Who special, "A Christmas Carol" and our Christmas Eve tradition of watching The Polar Express. 

Tomorrow for Christmas Eve on the blog, it's a Flashback Friday as I re-post my time as a balloon wrangler in a Christmas parade.

And Songs For Saturday will follow on Christmas Day with some strange songs for the holiday season. 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.