Posted on 12/14/2004 6:41:19 PM PST by kattracks
Edited on 12/14/2004 6:43:34 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
I don't usually post vanities, but my blood is boiling over this.
My husband told me about a "Christmas" special which was airing on Bravo network tonight @ 8 pm (EST). It was supposed to be a nostalgic look back at past Christmas specials on TV, (I thought).
Actually, what it turned out to be was one huge bash of those specials.
It was like Christmas confidential.
Rather than focusing on the programs themselves, and the fun they were, this was about what was actually going on behind the scenes, from Bing Crosby abusing his children, to Judy Garland's troubles and Andy William's marital problems. They had people commenting about these things in between tapes of the shows. They even made fun of the fact that Bob Hope was "never home" during Christmas, (he was entertaining troops around the globe). And naturally they just had to mention that the women who appeared with him all had to have huge breasts.
I have never heard of most of the people who spoke, except for Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) which should tell you a lot.
The one positive was Pat Boone, who explained he always sang the old carols because to him Christmas was about the birth of Christ
They then went on to tell the "real" story behind the animated Christmas shows.
The only positive thing about them was how successful ($$) some of them were.
Then they came to the segment where the holiday "escaped" it's religious aspect and turned to a winter celebration, with snow and bells and sleighs.
That was enough for me.
BTW, during this garbage Bravo saw fit to announce one of the new programs coming up on their station.
Queer eye for the straight girl.
As far as I'm concerned the only straight I have in mind is that Bravo can go straight to HE##
Is the problem with BRAVO's Christmas Special one of factual error? You say that the FOX special will probably be "factual"... It's my understanding that people's problems with the BRAVO special have to do with the emphasis on behind-the-scenes unpleasantness and greed, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that these tawdry tales are inaccurate, just unnecessarily tawdry. Again, as someone else has already pointed out... what more do you really expect from televison?
The teevee was co-opted decades ago by evildoers. It has only gotten worse in the intervening years. I've run out of room on my tagline, but Bravo is there in spirit.
FGS
FGS
Really... I actually found it to be quite interesting. I thought it was interesting to see what really went on behind the scenes on Christmas specials. Also I thought it was quite balanced. People gave their honest opinions about Christmas Specials past and praised a lot of them. Most people talked about how much they loved Charlie Brown Christmas and some of the other animated specials. They really praised Bob Hope and his efforts at Christmas time. They also lauded the duet between Bing Crosby and Ziggy Stardust. They talked about classic, timeless performances. Also, when they were commenting on "It's A Wonderful Life" they made the point that though most people say they hate Christmas Specials, in the end, they end up watching them, crying, and enjoying them in the long run.
I walked away from the program with a smile and also a better understanding of the history of the American traditions of Christmas.
wow, you're gonna get ripped to shreds on this site, "Ice"... nothing worse than a cadre of angry social conservatives on your neck. Personally, I think you're right, and I know a woman who actually worked on the show, in post-production, so I saw some rough-cuts before it aired. Maybe I'm wrong and they'll leave you alone... maybe the furor has died out on this particular moral outrage. Let's find out, shall we?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.