Many viewers look forward each year to re-watching their favorite Christmas movie or special.
Older folks may cherish Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version with Natalie Wood, not the 1994 remake with Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott).
Others can't wait for the annual encores of It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas. And for many it's not the holiday season until they've watched A Christmas Story one more time (or multiple times during the annual TBS marathon). It's better than getting an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200 shot range model air rifle!
And in recent years a new Christmas staple has been Elf, the immensely popular 2003 movie that starred Will Ferrell in the role of human "elf" Buddy Hobbs, and co-starring Arkansas' Mary Steenburgen as his stepmom Emily, along with a host of other big stars.
Popular? The film earned $173 million at the domestic box office.
The movie was such a hit, it was turned into a 2010 Broadway show, Elf: The Musical. Coincidentally, Elf is playing at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and will be through Jan. 4.
With such a lucrative commodity, it's no wonder that NBC has produced an animated version of the tale. Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas premieres at 7 p.m. Tuesday and stars the voice of The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons as Buddy.
Quibble: It's probably just me, but I never quite got over hearing Parsons' Sheldon Cooper as the voice of Buddy. I kept expecting him to say, "Bazinga!"
NBC tells us, "The hour special is an all-new retelling of Buddy's delightfully absurd yet endearing story and blends the look and feel of the stop-motion animated Christmas specials of the past with the sharp sensibility of the modern-day classic holiday film."
For those out of the Elf loop, Buddy was a human infant who crept into Santa's bag at an orphanage and wound up at the North Pole, where he was raised by elves. Things got complicated as Buddy grew up, bungled his toy-making duties and towered over the other elves. When Buddy discovers he's really human, he decides to visit New York to search for his father, Walter.
In this version, Santa (not Papa Elf) narrates the story of Buddy's adventure to the city. Along the way, Buddy's unbounded Christmas cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father's eyes (he'd been on the naughty list for 50 years) to the true meaning of Christmas.
There is one special connection to the original film. Ed Asner (or at least his voice) reprises his role as Santa. Other talent includes the voices of Mark Hamill (Star Wars) as Walter Hobbs and Kate Micucci (Raising Hope) as Buddy's love interest, Jovie.
Also on board are Jay Leno as Fake Santa, Fred Armisen as Matthews, Gilbert Gottfried as grumpy Mr. Greenway, Rachael MacFarlane as Emily Hobbs, Steve Higgins as Chadwick, Max Charles as Michael Hobbs and Matt Lauer in a cameo as Mr. Sea Serpent.
There will be nine new songs in the special, including "A Christmas Song," "Nobody Cares About Santa Claus" and "Happy All the Time."
MORE CHEER
As long as we're on NBC, here are some more holiday goodies on the way from the network.
• Michael Buble's Christmas in New York, 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Grammy-winning crooner celebrates the season with his fourth annual Christmas special. Special guests will join Buble at Radio City Music Hall.
• The Sing-Off, 8-10 p.m. Wednesday. A two-hour holiday special of the NBC musical competition series showcases six new groups competing for a first-place prize of $50,000. Returning judges Jewel and Shawn Stockman will be joined by Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump. Former boy bander Nick Lachey (98 Degrees) once again is the host.
• One Direction: The TV Special, 7 p.m. Dec. 23. I don't understand their appeal, but the boy band du jour (about 10 of their 15 minutes of fame have passed) appears in the special from Universal Orlando. Impress the preteens in your life by knowing their names: Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
Aside: Yikes! I just heard my father inside my head. It was 1964 and he said, "I don't understand all this fuss over The Beatles. Looks like they need a haircut to me."
• It's a Wonderful Life, 7-10 p.m. Dec. 24. It case you missed this year's Dec. 6 early showing, here's your chance to revisit almost everyone's favorite Christmas classic and see if "every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings."
The iconic 1946 film was directed by Frank Capra and stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, who is contemplating suicide when his guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), intervenes and shows him how different life in Bedford Falls would be had he never been born.
• And finally. For those who over indulge, the annual 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story begins at 7 p.m. Christmas Eve on TBS. Don't put your eye out.
Style on 12/14/2014