The annual 24-hour Christmas Story marathon begins at 8 p.m. ET, with Peter Billingsley still craving that BB gun, and that one-legged lamp still a prominent part of the household.

2012

Dec

A CHRISTMAS CAROL By David Bianculli

This month I’ve highlighted several versions of the Charles Dickens classic holiday story. Here’s one more: the 1999 version starring Patrick Stewart as a perfectly gruff, and perfectly British, Ebenezer Scrooge. I give it the highest of Christmas Carol ratings: four humbugs.

2012

Dec

1966: NEW YORK'S WPIX INTRODUCES 'THE YULE LOG' By Christy Slewinski

On this day in 1966, New York television station WPIX introduced its beloved broadcast tradition, 'The Yule Log...

2012

Dec

BROADCAST NEWS By David Bianculli

After a full season of Aaron Sorkin’s take on HBO’s The Newsroom, now’s a good time to revisit James L. Brooks’ 25-year-old (!) exploration of the same themes: love and news ethics in a broadcast newsroom. In this one, the anchor is William Hurt, the talented reporter is Albert Brooks, and the feisty female producer is Holly Hunter. And somewhere in here is the question posed to me by my son, shortly before his wedding. And the answer. But I’ll keep it to myself.

2012

Dec

1951: DUMONT BROADCASTS TV'S FIRST NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME By Christy Slewinski

On this day in 1951, DuMont presented the first coast-to-coast broadcast of a National Football League championship game...

2012

Dec

THE SOUND OF MUSIC By David Bianculli

This may seem longer than previous telecasts, and, if so, it’s not just because you’re getting older. It’s because this 1965 musical has been restored to its original length, thereby gobbling up all four hours of ABC’s Sunday night prime-time slot. So tonight, if you tune in to Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and company, you’re likely to feel even more (von) Trapped.

2012

Dec

60 MINUTES By David Bianculli

Though there’s been plenty of breaking news to explore of late, 60 Minutes is taking the easy holiday way out, and presenting a compilation of recent personality profiles under the umbrella title An Evening of Music. The featured artists, whose stories and profiles are well worth encores, are Adele, Taylor Swift, and the lesser-known but just as inspirational Rodriguez.

2012

Dec

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS VS. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS By David Bianculli

NBC was supposed to show a New York Jets-San Diego Chargers game tonight, but, since those teams have won only 11 games between them, used its “flex time” contractual option to select and substitute another game instead. This one features the San Francisco 49ers (10-3-1) and the Seattle Seahawks (9-5), and two young quarterbacks on the rise: Seattle rookie QB Russell Wilson and 49ers second-year QB Colin Kaepernick, whose record since coming off the bench has been 4-1.

2012

Dec

MASTERPIECE CLASSIC: "DOWNTON ABBEY" By David Bianculli

Season 3 is just around the corner, once the New Year begins – so wallow in Season 2, and get back up to speed, while you can. Besides, on what usually is TV’s most competitive night among quality TV dramas, there’s nothing else on. Check local listings.

2012

Dec

A BREATH OF ‘FRESH AIR’: CHATTING WITH TERRY GROSS ABOUT THE YEAR IN TV By David Bianculli

Everyone has his or her favorite holiday traditions. Lately, among mine has been sitting in the Fresh Air studios to wrap up the year in TV and field questions by Terry Gross…

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