The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, November 18, 2011 2 coverstory The countdown begins Networks kick off the festive season with animated treats By Kyla Brewer TV Media T he holiday season means a lot of different things to different peo- ple. Just about everyone has their own special traditions, regardless of faith, income or history. But, for many, the season boils down to quality time with family -- whether that family is conventional or not. The annual hubbub of par- ties, feasts and reunions is a treat, but many look forward to a little down time, and what is a better way to enjoy a quiet evening than with a fun-filled evening of holiday TV programming? This sea- son, the big networks are of- fering a slew of festive spe- cials designed to entertain the whole family. Fox rings in the season with a double helping of holi- day fun in two specials airing Thursday, Nov. 24 -- "Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" and "Happiness is a Warm Blan- ket, Charlie Brown." CBS chimes in the next evening with "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story." Christmas fanatics may recognize the little elf from the modern-day bestselling children's book, "Elf on the Shelf." The half-hour animat- ed version follows the story of a so-called "scout elf" named Chippey, who is sent from the North Pole to help Santa determine which chil- dren should be on the naugh- ty list. Taylor McTuttle has been having doubts about Santa and the magic of Christmas, and it's Chippey's job to restore the young boy's holiday spirit. Despite the little elf's val- iant efforts, Taylor breaks a major rule, and Chippey loses his own Christmas magic. Not only that, but the entire McTuttle family loses its scout elf and it'll take love and forgiveness to learn the most important holiday les- son of all. "Elf on the Shelf" was pub- lished by Carol Aebersold and her daughters, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, who based the book on their own family holiday tradition. As the women were growing up, they had their own Christmas elf, Fisbee, who showed up to watch over them every holi- day season. On Fox, a different kind of holiday hijinks goes down at the North Pole when Manny and his friends get involved in "Ice Age: A Mammoth Christ- mas." The half-hour special features the voice talents of the same big names that made the animated film fran- chise a big hit. Emmy winner Ray Romano lends his voice as Manny, while John Le- guizamo once again takes on the role of Sid. Queen Latifah, follows the adventures of a mammoth and his friends struggling to survive the Pa- leolithic ice age. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" Scrat returns in "Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" on Fox Seann William Scott, Josh Peck and Denis Leary also re- turn. While decorating for the holidays, Sid accidentally ru- ins Manny's favourite Christ- mas decoration, and Manny suggests that his deed has likely landed him on Santa's naughty list. A distraught Sid leads Crash (Scott), Eddie (Peck) and Peaches (Ciara Bravo) on a quest to the North Pole in the hopes he can make things right. Worried, Manny, Ellie (Lati- fah) and Deigo (Leary) set out to find them, but they're too late to prevent Sid from de- stroying Santa's Workshop. The friends will need a Christ- mas miracle to save the holi- day. The arctic family should be familiar to many viewers. With $4 billion in sales, the "Ice Age" franchise is one of the most popular animated series in recent history. "Ice Age" debuted in 2002, and A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 was released in 2006, and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dino- saurs" came to theaters in 2009. The next film, "Ice Age: Continental Drift," is set to hit be released in summer 2012. Those looking for even more familiar faces can look forward to Fox's "Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown." The classic Charles Schultz character should be recognizable to just about ev- ery generation gathered around for a little holiday television, even more so be- cause the special employs an early-1960s style and only uses characters from that time period. In the latest Peanuts TV special, the gang tries to help Linus, who must decide whether he's willing to give up his beloved security blan- ket before his grandma ar- rives for a visit. Lucy wastes no time and tries to use her psychiatric skills to get to the root of his attachment to the fuzzy blan- ket. Meanwhile, a well-inten- tioned Charlie just can't bare to see his friend suffer. A greedy Snoopy, however, has no qualms about trying to forcibly take the blanket from Linus because he wants it for himself. In classic Schultz style, the wisdom of a child is the final word. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Was there ever a live-action TV series about the comic-book character The Flash? I think I remember one. A: Well before the character appeared in the CW series "Smallville," which Centre on an even more famous DC Comics hero, The Flash sprinted around the Warner Bros. lot in the early '90s. The aptly named CBS series "The Flash" aired for just one season, 1990-91, and was produced by Warner, which also produced "Smallville" (in fact, Time-Warner owns DC Com- ics). Longtime soap star John Wesley Shipp, who'd previously been on "Guiding Light," "As the World Turns" and "Santa Barbara," and was at the time appearing on "One Life to Live" as Eddie Ford, starred as The Flash, whose mortal alter ego was named Barry Allen. Poor ratings, at least partly due to a time-slot that put it against "The Cosby Show" and "The Simpsons," led to its cancelation after one season. If you're really interested, that season was released on DVD in 2006. There's also a script floating around Hollywood that would put the Scarlet Speedster onto the big screen. Penned by TV writer Greg Berlanti ("Everwood," "Brothers & Sis- ters"), the film is currently stuck somewhere in the Warner Bros. to-do pile. A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com.