The best Christmas TV special ever made – for that matter, the best holiday special, period – gets one more unedited airing in 2012, thanks to ABC. Why CBS, the original network to present this Charles Schulz animated delight, ever let it go to a rival network is an amazing example of a stupid, stupid move. A Charlie Brown Christmas may age, but it will never get old.

2012

Dec

THE VOICE By David Bianculli

SEASON FINALE: A winner is crowned, and two of the four judges, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, say their goodbyes to the swiveling red chairs. They’ll be replaced, next year, by Usher and Shakira, as Green and Aguilera step down to spend more time with their families. (Just kidding about that last part – but they will be leaving, if only temporarily.) Guess what will get more screen time tonight: the winning voice or the departing judges?

2012

Dec

RAMSAY'S CHRISTMAS COOKALONG By David Bianculli

How does this happen? In this new special, temperamental chef Gordon Ramsay opens up his home to a few select guests, and invites TV cameras in, too, to give advice on how to prepare a stress-free holiday meal. If Ramsay acts the way he does on all his other shows, that seems positively antithetical – and impossible. Especially since one of the guests is – ready? – David Hasselhoff. Quick: Hide the eggnog.

2012

Dec

REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL By David Bianculli

These end-of-year wrap-up specials are always worth watching. Not only does host Bryant Gumbel reconvene all his major correspondents to present, update and comment upon their favorite stories of the year, but he also leads a roundtable discussion about the year’s big topics – which, in football alone, should cover major stories about violence both on and off the field.

2012

Dec

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS By David Bianculli

This 1944 film musical is noteworthy for several reasons. On screen, it stars Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien and Mary Astor in a musical that launched two pop standards: “The Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” And offscreen, it’s directed by Vincente Minnelli. This is the film on which he met Garland, whom he later married. One result of their later collaborations: daughter Liza Minnelli.

2012

Dec

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER By David Bianculli

Two new episodes are presented back-to-back – both of them geared to the holidays. And if you’ve been watching this show regularly, you know the holiday episodes tend to be pivotal, and often a little tender. Keep your eye on Robin (Cobie Smulders), who’s lost her way romantically of late.

2012

Dec

THE VOICE By David Bianculli

SEASON FINALE: Part 1 of 2. The finale actually stretches out over tomorrow as well – that’s when we get the voting results, preceded by yet another live performance show, featuring celebrity guest artists. But if you care more about the contestants than the judges or the guest stars, tonight’s the night to watch. That may, however, put you in the minority. When all the smoke and mirrors have cleared on this show, it’s the judges, not the singers, who walk away as the big

2012

Dec

PICTURE PARIS By David Bianculli

This 2012 film short stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a dark comedy directed and written by her husband, Brad Hall. The Veep star plays a wife and mother whose children are about to leave the nest empty – a nest she’s been filling with romantic dreams of Paris. But when the time comes, her husband (D.W. Moffett) doesn’t want to go, and doesn’t want her any more, either. So she packs off to Gay Paree anyway, where fantasy clashes with reality. This short movie is darker than y

2012

Dec

1600 PENN By David Bianculli

SNEAK PREVIEW: Capitalizing on the flow-through audience inherited from The Voice finale, NBC is presenting a sneak peek of one of its new 2013 comedies. But not the pilot episode – one of the later ones already produced, which may make it more of a challenge. Josh Gad, from The Book of Mormon, is an executive producer and star of this show, which is a sitcom set in the White House. Also starring: Jenna Elfman and Bill Pullman.

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