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 16
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Alpha Males and the Power of Prayer" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mandy tries to make things right with Pastor Jeff (Matt Hobby) when she learns her controversial comments have hurt the tire store’s business. Meanwhile, Jim and Audrey butt heads over Connor’s allowance.
Ghosts - "Woodstone Royale" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Needing to raise a large sum of money to pay the IRS, Sam and Jay agree to host a high-stakes poker game at the mansion. Meanwhile, in an act of generosity, Sass and Pete gift Jay’s recliner to the basement ghosts. Iain Armitage Guest Stars as a Player Joining a High‑Stakes Poker Game for Upcoming Acting Role Research.
Animal Control - "Coyotes and Eagles" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
A movie star shadows Frank for his upcoming role as an Animal Control officer; Shred and Patel go on a juice cleanse; Emily forgets Templeton's birthday.
Going Dutch - "General Dearest" (Fox, 9:32PM ET/PT)
Due to flooding from a massive storm, The Colonel invites Gen. Martin and her troops to stay at Stroopsdorf; Shah and Maggie turn up the heat on their romance.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 13)
Thursday, April 16
- Molly Shannon (I Love That for You/The Other Two/Divorce/Kath & Kim/Craking Up) - Catch Molly on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Daniel Radcliffe (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Miracle Workers) - Daniel is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Elizabeth Perkins (Minx/The Moodys/How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)/Weeds) - Andy Cohen interviews Elizabeth on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon talks about The Audacity on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - NBC's Today catches up with Nick in the 9am hour.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean and Tony Goldwyn talk about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Paul Walter Hauser (The Afterparty) - Paul tells Drew about his new movie Balls Up 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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