On Screen

8—October 27 - November 2, 2018 The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN By Jay Bobbin Along with its scares, Halloween is an occasion for celebration, and sev- eral of its most popular movies are celebrating milestones this season. Ranging from spirited comedies to nail-biting thrillers, the films involved have been entertaining fans for many years. Here's a look at those treats — and where you can sample their enduring tricks in the coming days. "The Exorcist" (45th anniversary; streaming on Netflix): Director William Friedkin's film of William Peter Blatty's best seller made Linda Blair an instant star as Regan, pos - sessed daughter of an actress (Ellen Burstyn) and target of two priests' (Max von Sydow, Jason Miller) ef- forts to drive the devil out of her. "Halloween" (40th anniversary; AMC, Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 29-31: A new sequel — com- plete with original star Jamie Lee Curtis — is in theaters now, but director and co-writer John Carpen- ter's initial thriller started an entire horror subgenre. It's still one of the most profitable independent features yet. "Beetlejuice" (30th anniversary; Country Music Television, Sunday, Oct. 28): While it gave Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis substantial early roles, this ghostly comedy largely serviced title star Michael Keaton's taste for the comedically strange. "Child's Play" (30th anniversary; CMT, Oct. 28; Paramount Net - work, Oct. 31): Do not — repeat, do not — pick up a doll that looks like Chucky. Chances are good it's possessed by a killer's spirit, which a youngster and his mother (Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks) are late to learn in this opener of a franchise that has proven Chucky never is gone for good. "Hocus Pocus" (25th anniversary; Freeform, Oct. 28, 30 and 31): For some people, watching this Disney fantasy-comedy — about sibling witches played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Na- jimy — continuously at Halloween is as much a tradition as viewing "A Christmas Story" repeatedly at Yuletide. "The Nightmare Before Christ- mas" (25th anniversary; Freeform, Oct. 29-30): Tim Burton's intention- ally, expectedly bizarre mashup of a couple of holidays makes Jack Skel- lington the Santa you didn't know you wanted. "Jurassic Park" (25th anniversary; streaming on Netflix, YouTube, Amazon and iTunes): Less geared toward Halloween specifically than general, good-anytime thrills, Steven Spielberg's take on the Michael Crichton novel makes prehistoric creatures wondrous as well as plenty scary. "Leprechaun" (25th anniversary; streaming on YouTube, Prime Video and iTunes): Warwick Davis has the title role in this chiller about a you- know-what who will do anything to recover his pot of gold, but the picture also is notable for someone's movie debut ... Jennifer Aniston, a year before she became Rachel on "Friends." "Halloweentown" (20th anniver - sary; Oct. 29, Disney Channel): This Debbie Reynolds-starring fan- tasy — which has been followed by three sequels — also has become a seasonal perennial. 8 — October 27 - November 2, 2018 The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN Celebrity Scoop Celebrity Scoop 2 x 2" ad (a) client will fill (b) modern woodmen The witchy "Halloweentown" and "Hocus Pocus" are among seasonal movies celebrating milestones on television. 'Halloween' is among horror classics marking big birthdays Cover Story Cover Story By Jay Bobbin If anyone is entitled to have a "Wicked" time as Halloween nears, it's Kristin Chenoweth. The Tony and Emmy winner reteams with fellow Tony recipient Idina Menzel to mark a milestone for the hugely successful stage mu- sical they helped establish in the new NBC concert special "A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway" Monday, Oct. 29. Taped at New York's Marquis Theater, the show draws guests in- cluding Ariana Grande and Pentato- nix as Chenoweth and Menzel again channel their "Wicked" roles as Glinda and Elphaba — respectively the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West, of "The Wizard of Oz" fame. "It's going to be different because it's just going to be the music," the ever-spirited Chenoweth says, "and we get to have other people that I admire join us, which is cool. I don't think it's going to that serious, because the idea of it is a Halloween special, with kids in the mosh pit dressed as their favorite characters. It's just supposed to be fun, and that's what I'm counting on it to be." The hour also reunites many other "Wicked" creative forces, includ - ing producer Marc Platt. While a "Wicked" movie is being planned for a late-2019 release, Chenoweth allows, "We haven't done anything like this in 15 years, so there's a little trepidation. We want to honor the original piece, and I don't know what a 43-minute concert looks like, but we're just going to do our best." Indeed, some of composer Stephen Schwartz's "Wicked" numbers may be condensed for the special, though the much-beloved "For Good" is likely to stay intact. It's a powerful, emotional duet for the two central characters, and Chenoweth confirms that for her and Menzel, "It's in our DNA. We're very different perform - ers and we're very different people, but somehow, we make magic Checking in with Kristin Chenoweth together in these parts. I still think we've got it!" Birthdate: July 24, 1968 Birthplace: Broken Arrow, Okla. Current residences: Los Angeles and New York Marital status: Single Other television credits in- clude: "Trial & Error," "Mom," "Younger," "American Gods," "Hairspray Live!," "Descendants," "The Good Wife," "Hot in Cleve- land," "GCB," "Glee," "Twelve Men of Christmas," "Pushing Daisies," "Ugly Betty," "Sesame Street," "The Music Man," "Fra- sier," "Kristin," "Annie" Movie credits include: "The Star" (voice only), "My Little Pony: The Movie" (voice only), "Class Rank," "Hard Sell," "The Peanuts Movie" (voice only), "The Boy Next Door," "Strange Magic," "Rio 2" (voice only), "The Opposite Sex," "Family Weekend," "Hit and Run," "You Again," "Four Christ- mases," "Tinker Bell" (voice only), "Space Chimps," "Deck the Halls," "Stranger Than Fiction," "Running With Scissors," "RV," "The Pink Panther," "Bewitched" Find Information on Greeneville Businesses. Easily. 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