Wednesday, October 23, 2013
I Love Lucy Christmas in Color on CBS Dec. 20; Fox Now Giving New Drama a Two-Night Premiere
As we first broke on Twitter on Friday, The I Love Lucy Christmas Special, a one-hour special featuring two newly colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the 1950s series, will be broadcast Friday, Dec. 20 from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT on CBS. The two episodes - the seldom-seen "Christmas Episode" and "Lucy's Italian Movie" (aka "Grape Stomping") - were colorized with a vintage look, a nod to the 1950s period in which the shows were filmed. The main titles and end credits of the two episodes are seamlessly combined into one set - at the beginning and end of the hour - with no interruption between the episodes. The programs feature Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, and Vivian Vance and William Frawley as the Ricardos' friends and landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz.
"The Christmas Episode" finds the Ricardos and Mertzes decorating Lucy and Ricky's Christmas tree and reminiscing about how their lives have changed since the arrival of the Ricardo's son, Little Ricky (Keith Thibodeaux). Flashbacks (in black-and-white to emphasize the time lapse) recall the night Lucy tells Ricky she is pregnant, the time Lucy shows up unexpectedly as part of a barbershop quartet, and the day Ricky and the Mertzes rehearse taking Lucy to the maternity ward. "The Christmas Episode" was first presented as part of the regularly scheduled "I Love Lucy" series on CBS in December 1956. The episode wasn't included in the series' long history of rebroadcasts, first on CBS Daytime and later in syndication. Thought to be "lost," CBS rediscovered the episode in 1989.
"Lucy's Italian Movie" finds the Ricardos and Mertzes visiting Rome, where Lucy is invited by a famous Italian film director to appear in his next picture, "Bitter Grapes." Mistakenly thinking the film concerns the wine industry, Lucy sets out to visit a local vineyard where she soaks up more local color than intended. "Lucy's Italian Movie" was originally presented on "I Love Lucy" in March 1956 and became an instant classic. It was included in CBS's 1958 summer series, "The Top 10 Lucy Shows," as chosen by television critics.
I Love Lucy aired on CBS from Oct. 15, 1951 until May 6, 1957. It was voted "the best TV show of all time" in a 2012 viewer poll conducted by People Magazine and ABC News. You can buy The I Love Lucy Christmas Special colorized on DVD Nov. 5 as well from CBS Home Entertainment!
New buddy-cop thrill-ride Almost Human (starring Karl Urban, Michael Ealy and Minka Kelly) will now have a special two-night series premiere on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, following an NFL On Fox double-header, and Monday, Nov. 18 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Fox. Bones will continue Mondays at 8:00 PM ET/PT with all-new episodes on Nov. 4 and Nov. 11, followed by all-new episodes of Sleepy Hollow at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Bones moves to Fridays and makes its new night premiere on Friday, Nov. 15 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, following the season finale of Master Chef Junior the prior week. That same night, Raising Hope will have its fourth season premiere with one hour of all-new back-to-back episodes at 9:00 PM and 9:30 PM ET/PT, a week later than originally planned. Also, Bones was originally slated to move to Fridays on Nov. 8, while Almost Human was originally scheduled to premiere Nov. 4. But all that has now changed to what we just relayed!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, April 23
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Country Club, a Yokel and a New Boss" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie’s plan to make new clients at the local country club backfires when its outdated policies upset Audrey. Meanwhile, Mandy struggles to prove herself at work.
Ghosts - "The Investor" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When a promising opportunity to save Woodstone is threatened by a personal conflict, Sam and Jay are forced into a difficult choice. Meanwhile, election day arrives as Flower and Isaac go head‑to‑head to become Ghost Representative. Justin Kirk gest sars as Tad, the Mayor.
Animal Control - "Golden Moose and Wiener Dogs" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
The team arrives at the Animal Control Officer of the Year awards and party ahead of the ceremony; it's Frank vs. Templeton for the big prize; Shred and Emily's secret romance is finally exposed.
Going Dutch - "NATOcean's Eleven" (Fox, 9:32PM ET/PT)
Gen. Martin launches a takeover of the base and plans to fire its entire staff; Maj. Shah grapples with a midlife crisis.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 20)
Thursday, April 23
- Ray Romano (Running Point/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Catch Ray on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tracy Morgan (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Crutch/The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Kate is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Running Point on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- John Lithgow (Trial & Error/Twenty Good Years/3rd Rock from the Sun) - John talks about the Broadway play Giant on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Kate Hudson (Running Point and Justin Theroux (Running Point) - Kate and Justin chat with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. Justin will also be on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
- Cedric The Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric talks about Broadway's Joe Turner’s Come and Gone on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Melissa Peterman (Happy's Place/Young Sheldon/Baby Daddy/Working Class/Reba) - Melissa talks about Happy's Place on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) - D.L. tells Sherri about his latest comedy tour on Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
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