Kate O'Hare's Hot Cuppa TV

Santa Claus Is Trippin' Into Town Tonight on ABC

Today's cuppa: Barry's Classic Blend Irish tea

Tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT, ABC offers up "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," a 1970 stop-motion-animated special from Rankin/Bass Productions, also known for such perennial faves as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (one of my personal obsessions -- much of what I know about life I learned from "Rudolph," such as, if you look a little off, cultivate usefulness instead) and "Frosty the Snowman" (yes, I do yell, "Hap-py Birthday!" from time to time).

(More on "Rudolph" tomorrow, which is when it airs on CBS. "Frosty" comes up on CBS on Dec. 12.)

Despite the folksy presence of the voice of Fred Astaire as as postman S.D. Kluger, be warned, this is one seriously whacked-out mind trip of a Christmas special.

It's also one of the few animated specials still airing regularly, along with "A Charlie Brown Christmas," that explicitly refers to God. This is often edited out these days because the world will no doubt spin backwards on its axis if we have any religious references to a religious holiday like Christmas.

But there's nothing to be done about "Charlie Brown," unless you want to lose the whole pivotal scene where Linus recites the Biblical Nativity story  -- yet the world keeps on turning. The half-hour show airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday, Dec. 8, and Tuesday, Dec. 16, on ABC as part of a one-hour special that includes a group of animated vignettes featuring the Peanuts characters, called "Charlie Brown Christmas Tales."

And by the way, Hanukkah is just about the pretty candles and chocolate coins. No religion in that one either. Nope. Not a bit of it.

Anyway, "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" has only a cursory relationship to the popular song from which it takes its name. It purports to be a biography of Kris Kringle -- if that biography was written someone preoccupied with the idea of an orphan blowin' in the wind, the dark side of Bavaria (there's a lot of lederhosen in this one), busty Victorian women whose buns are undone by birds (click here to see that scene, also sometimes trimmed, either for time or because it's an exuberantly tacky example of '70s hippy-dippy graphics) and magic channeled from Tolkien by way of Disney's "Cinderella."

So, you may want to think once or twice before letting your youngest tykes watch this special, unless you don't mind doing some 'splainin' afterward.

Pop Poll!

Variety Shows Are Dead! Dead, I Tell You!

Today's cuppa: Medium roast from the coffeeshop

Apparently "Rosie Live!," Rosie O'Donnell's attempt to revive the variety series, which premiered on Thanskgiving Eve on NBC, was a big bomb, drawing only 5 million viewers (she should have done it on Lifetime or Oxygen -- they'd be elevating her to minor TV-deity status with those numbers).

Now certain pundits are claiming the failure may represent the end of any hope the variety show has for a revival.

Really?

Really?

My question is, what programming genius at NBC thought even 5 million people would tune in to watch Rosie O'Donnell try to be funny right before Thanksgiving? If it was on Thanksgiving night, just for the sake of their full tummies, even more viewers might have taken a pass.

Rosie O'Donnell once had a hit talk show, but that was another time and another Rosie. In the mid-'90s, when "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" launched, O'Donnell had carefully crafted an image as the happy, cheerful, friendly "queen of nice." She burbled over her guests, lavishing praise on Barbra Streisand and gushing about her crush on Tom Cruise.

Then O'Donnell went on "The View," and fans got a look the person behind the persona.

I've never been an O'Donnell fan, but I wish her only the best in her life and career -- and she overcame many difficulties to achieve what looks from the outside like a satisfying family life and professional success. These days, though, she seems to be to be an angry and combative person.

She feuded with her "View" co-workers -- and continues to feud with executive producer and co-host Barbara Walters -- and became extremely outspoken and forceful, even belligerent, in expressing her views.

There's nothing wrong with that, in the right setting. Heaven knows, folks like Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, CNBC's Chris Matthews and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann have made careers out of being loud and opinionated. "The View" continues, without O'Donnell, to be loud, opionionated ... and popular.

But none of the above is what one wants in a variety-show host. If you look at some of the great ones -- Ed Sullivan, Lawrence Welk, The Smothers Brothers, Donny & Marie Osmond, Sonny & Cher, Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson -- they were not angry or combative. They were charming and welcoming. Their humor, while it could have an edge, was not threatening or dark. They never got overtly political.

They created a safe space for the whole audience, allowing viewers to relax, get comfortable, laugh and sing along.

O'Donnell might have pulled it off back in the '90s, but it's too late to put that genie back in the bottle. Today's Rosie is about as fuzzy and welcoming as a cranky grizzly bear with a bad rash. Talk about a buzzkill.

I loved variety shows growing up (and yes, I can sing THAT song from "Hee Haw," and did so today at lunch). I'd dearly like a new one to succeed, with the right host and the right mix of comedy and music. I wonder where our next Flip Wilson (one of my personal faves) or Carol Burnett might be.

But I know one thing for sure -- it's not Rosie O'Donnell. And if she's allowed to kill the format, shame on TV.

HGTV does the whole 'Holiday'

Today's cuppa: Barry's Classic Blend Irish tea

I can't find a link to a complete version of my syndicated feature story on tonight's HGTV special, but it's such a nice show, and I enjoyed doing the story so much, I thought I'd share the whole thing below...

Come Christmastime, even celebrity designers and carpenters like to kick back with friends and family and revisit some cherished traditions.

On Sunday, Nov. 30, HGTV lets viewers go home with a few of its stars, who get to show off their decorating, party planning and culinary tips to make the holidays shine.

Designer Monica Pedersen (“Designed to Sell”) is host for the one-hour “HGTV’s Home for the Holidays,” which also features designers Vern Yip (“Deserving Design”), Lisa LaPorta (“Designed to Sell”), Kim Myles (“Myles of Style”) and Angelo Surmelis (“Rate My Space”), and carpenters Eric Stromer (“Over Your Head”) and Steve Watson (“Don’t Sweat It”).

Chicagoan Pederson is the only one of the stars who doesn’t actually go home for Christmas in the special. Instead, she heads to the historic Deer Path Inn, located on the North Shore of Lake Michigan, in the town of Lake Forest, Ill.

Her father-in-law owns the 55-room inn, which opened in 1929 and is modeled after the 15^th-century Manor House, a half-timbered and stucco Tudor home in the English county of Kent.

“This place has got such integrity,” Pedersen says. “There aren’t many places like it. It’s in a town that’s very WASP-y and tree-lined, with perfect, great old homes.”

It also represented a dream that Pedersen had with her mother, who, like Pedersen, is a dedicated crafter.

“We’ve gone there every Christmas Eve,” Pedersen says. “My mom and I would walk by, and they had this little pastry village, and we would always say under our breath to each other, ‘We could do such a better job that.’ We always had this fantasy to do it.

“When this came up, HGTV said, ‘Can we come to your house?’ I said, ‘No, my house is a disaster. I’m decorating, and my house is so not done. But I can tell you about this place that we can do it in.

“’I was already planning to do the holiday decorations there, and I’ve hired a couple of assistants to help me. I’m going to be doing this anyway. Do you guys want to film there?’

“So my mom and I were psyched.”

Not only does Pedersen get to show off her decorations – which include a 30-foot-tall poinsettia tree – but she, her mother and a longtime family friend create a very special gingerbread house.

“We’d wanted to do a gingerbread replica of the Deer Path for so long,” Pedersen says, “we were giddy, just giddy. We were so excited. It’s a family affair, doing something that we love and have wanted to do for a long time.

“Then they said, ‘Do you want to host it?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, this is awesome.’”

Watson – who has done musical theater, acting and stand-up comedy, as well as home remodeling – offers up a somewhat different version of getting a ring out of the old jingle bells.

He and his girlfriend hop on four-wheelers and head into the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California in search of a Christmas tree.

“A buddy of mine’s got a huge property up in Altadena, up in the foothills,” Watson says. “There are lots of small pine trees and medium-size ones. So I would cut a tree and plant a couple of saplings.

“I’ve been riding dirt bikes my entire life. I used to race dirt bikes, and I do desert races now. My houses kept getting larger and larger, and it kept getting harder to find good trees. So I started riding around on my dirt bike, looking for a tree.

“That sort of a hunt became a little bit of a tradition.”

Watson then invites friends and family over for a gourmet dinner. It turns out that when he’s not swinging a hammer, a chainsaw or a power drill, Watson’s a whiz in the kitchen.

“I love to cook,” he says. “That’s how I Zen out at my house. I like to bury myself in it. I put on my iPod or put on some music, then I just sit down. I like to chop my own shallots. I like to mince up my fresh garlic.”

While you may immediately think of turkey or perhaps roast beef for Christmas, Watson had a different idea for the meal HGTV filmed being prepared.

“The roasted pork loin with rosemary was pretty amazing,” Watson says. “I’ve got a huge rosemary bush in my front yard. It’s there, so I use it.”

This year, Watson is flying in family from Tennessee for a celebration and another sumptuous feast.

“This year,” Watson says, “I think I’m going to do a nice, big prime-rib roast. Sometimes I like to do a prime rib in the smoker; sometimes I like to put it on the grill.

“This year, I think I’m going to put it in the oven very low, let it slow roast for a good eight, nine hours.”

Holiday Greetings From HGTV and to America's Soldiers

Today's cuppa: Mystic Monk decaf chocolate mint coffee

On Sunday, Nov. 30, HGTV premieres a special called "HGTV's Home for the Holidays," in which some of the network's stars share their culinary, party and decorating hints. Here's a link to an edited version of my feature story on the special -- if I find more links tomorrow, I'll pop them in here.

The full version of the story as offered into syndication also featured an interview with HGTV star Steve Watson ("Don't Sweat It"). In case you don't see that in your paper, click here to see my Thanksgiving Day post, which features a holiday recipe from Watson, who's as much a whiz in the kitchen as on the construction site.

(Or you can read the whole story, which is embedded in the post for Nov. 30)

Hope you had a safe, happy and yummy Thanksgiving, and good luck in the holiday shopping spree that began on Friday.

But as you prepare for Hanukkah and Christmas, don't forget that there are many serving in the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world that will be spending the holidays away from their friends and family (and many families will have an empty seat at the holiday table on the homefront).

The American Red Cross has partnered with Pitney Bowes for a program called Holiday Mail for Heroes, with a goal of delivering one million holiday cards to serving military personnel, their families and veterans in the United States and around the world.

(Photo: 12/25/2007 - U.S. Army soldiers from Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, take part in a candlelight ceremony during a Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmuk, Iraq, on Dec. 25, 2007. DoD photo by Spc. Charles W. Gill, U.S. Army.)

Click here for information on the program -- and a free, download-able card -- but don't waste time, as all cards must be postmarked by Dec. 10.

If you'd like to send care packages to service men and women overseas, the Red Cross recommends visiting America Supports You for information on how to do more than just post a card.

And if you have specific military personnel on your gift list, just a reminder that the U.S. Postal Service offers flat-rate boxes to APO/FPO military addresses. Visit your local post office or click here for more information. BTW, I've discovered that military folks really enjoy -- along with goodies and messages from home -- getting movie and TV DVDs.

After all, just because you're far from home serving your country doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to watch all three seasons of "Deadwood," catch up on the recent "24: Redemption" movie or grab a few laughs from "Shrek the Halls" or "Kung Fu Panda." (No endorsement of any particular on-line retailer is intended or should be inferred. Spend your money wherever you like.)

 

Thanksgiving: A Little History, a Little O'Hurley and TV Men Who Cook

Today's cuppa: hot spiced cider for Thanksgiving

While waiting to go eat a fabulous Thanksgiving meal not cooked by me -- thanks, MaryAnn! -- I thought I'd offer up some cool linkage and a look at the culinary side of a couple of my favorite TV men.

First, click here to see my story on John O'Hurley and today's National Dog Show on NBC. He's posing in the picture with the latest breed added to the official AKC roster. The story explains the rest.

Here's a link to a site that offers a look at a larger image of George Washington's Thanksgiving proclamation and the full text.

Lest you think I've never cooked my own Thanksgiving dinner, I have -- and I make a mean sweet-potato/apple casserole.

Like many, I've also had dinner at the family homestead and at the home of friends.

While the Norman Rockwell image of Thanksgiving has the matriarch of the family offering the bird to the waiting clan, sometimes the man of the house is the one in the kitchen.

And sometimes that man is also a TV personality.

The other day, I checked in with Steve Watson, formerly of Discovery Channel's "Monster House" (we met on the set there) and currently the host of HGTV's "Don't Sweat it." Asked about his Thanksgiving plans, Watson wrote:

"Well, I mix it up every year. I have the same group of friends over every year, so I don't want them to get bored with the menu. Two years ago, I deep-fried a turkey. I use peanut oil.

Last year, I baked Turducken! (Click here for Food Network star Paula Deen's recipe for this multi-poultry extravaganza) Big Hit. This year, I'm going traditional -- 25 lb. turkey and slow-roasted prime rib -- with my dad's old stuffing recipe.

Four loaves of cornbread crumbled into a large pot. I boil a whole chicken, slowly, the night before. I pour the chicken stock into the cornbread and mix in the meat from the chicken. Add lots of sage, salt and pepper. Chop onions and celery. Pour in 4 cans of chicken soup and 4 cans of cream of celery. Stuff the bird and bake the rest like a cake. MMMMMMM...good!

Hungry yet?"

What? Sorry. Had to get a snack in the middle of that. Anyway, on to our next amatueur chef, actor and musician Christian Kane, who has moved from The WB's "Angel" to CBS' "Close to Home" to the upcoming "Leverage" on TNT, premiering Dec. 7.

On Election Night, I did a set visit to "Leverage" in Pasadena (syndicated feature story to come). During the evening, Kane confessed to being a huge Food Network fan and claimed to be no slouch in the kitchen himself.

Asked about his holiday culinary plans, he said, "I love to cook. It's my new art form. I was an art-history major in college. I was featured in a magazine -- I went in and made a rattlesnake steak, which is a bleu cheese-, bacon- and jalapeno-stuffed filet mignon.

"(For Christmas), probably a deep-fried turkey. George Clooney gave me good advice a few years ago. I was using just regular vegetable oil. He said to use olive oil. I use olive oil now, and it comes out unbelievable. I stuff it with garlic and lemons."

And as for that sweet potato/apple casserole recipe of mine, here's what I emailed back to Watson (and no, I don't measure anything, so do it to suit your own taste):

Get an equal number of sweet potatoes and apples -- peel (and core the apples) and slice. Get a couple of big sweet onions -- peel and slice. Starting and finishing with the onions, put alternating layers of all three in a coated casserole dish. Drizzle with a mixture of dark amber maple syrup, fresh-ground nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. Dot with butter if desired. Bake in a 350-degree oven until done. You can also toss in raisins, walnuts or dried cranberries. Try it! ... I'll be making this on Friday, while watching the "Deadliest Catch" marathon.

Cuppa With Cupps: 'NCIS: Dagger'

And here it is, the first "blogcast" featuring yours truly and Tia Cupps, vamping on last night's episode of "NCIS," called "Dagger" (click here if you want to watch it online). Enjoy...

Here's part one:

And part two:

'The Shield' and 'NCIS': Something Ends, Something Begins

Today's cuppa: Barry's Classic Blend Irish tea

Click here for my extended recap of last night's finale of "The Shield." Between rainstorms, cable blips, Internet outages and general bleariness (I think this puppy got put to bed somewhere around 3 a.m.), it's a little raw and a little free-form. Hope ya like it. Feel free to comment here or at the "It Happened Last Night" blog at Zap2it.

I also just got off the phone with Tia Cupps, and am working on our first "Cuppa With Cupps" conversation focusing on last night's "NCIS" episode, "Dagger." Check back here later today for that.

Catch the 'Deadliest' Black Friday Ever

Just a quick shot to let "Deadliest Catch" fans know that there's going to be a marathon of America's favorite crab-fishing show (actually, it may be America's only crab-fishing show...) on Friday, Nov. 28, on Discovery Channel.

Check out this entry from the show's official blog, which discusses the Time Bandit's timely rescue of a crewman who fell overboard from another ship (turns out we haven't seen the last of the other fishing vessel involved in the incident).

The post also discusses the dangers of the Bering Sea, which I wrote about here in a syndicated feature story, and here in a blog post where the subject becomes more personal, both for me and for a blog commenter.

'Dancing' Through the Uprights

Today's cuppa: Barry's Classic Blend Irish tea

Tonight is the big finale of "Dancing With the Stars" (talk about a stuffed Tuesday, with "The Shield" ending and a new "NCIS," and "House" and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"), and while I'm not going to make a prediction, I am going to express a preference.

In an earlier post, I expressed my affection for NFL star Warren Sapp and how much I enjoy watching him dance. That enjoyment continues unabated. Brooke Burke is technically dazzling, but I made a cuppa tea during her freestyle last night, knowing I could watch it on my work DVR today, so I can only assume that I just wasn't that excited.

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer's hip-hop freestyle was lame. Even if I liked hip-hop, which I confess I don't, especially, it was still lame. Any dance number from "Breakin'" or "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo" -- which is about the time frame in which I last liked hip-hop -- would have blown it away.

Warren was awesome. Yeah, he's sometimes bumble-footed and not as flexible around the midriff as Lance and Brooke, but he's a real man, he's got some real skills, and he can show a lady a great time on the dance floor. And he hoists Kym Johnson around like she was a bedpillow.

He's also got a 1,000-watt smile, boundless good cheer and indefatigable energy (which he shares with a lot of my "Dancing" faves, including Helio Castroneves, Emmitt Smith, Joey Fatone and John O'Hurley, and Julianne Hough on the pro side).

There's enough stuff out there to bring me down. I don't want perfection; I don't want edginess; I want to be happy -- or, in this case, Sapp-y.

Win, lose or draw, he's my guy.

Two for Tuesday: 'The Shield' and 'NCIS'

Tonight's cuppa: decaf Irish breakfast tea

Tuesday night, "The Shield" comes to a staggering conclusion after seven seasons on FX, making it, IMHO, the best police series since "Hill Street Blues" and the single most consistent drama of any genre that I've ever seen. It never put a foot wrong, and a lot of credit for that goes to creator Shawn Ryan and his team, natch, and also to the superb cast.

Obviously, Michael Chiklis, as the unstoppable force of nature that is LAPD Detective Vic Mackey, is the captain of this ship, but don't forget his wingman and lieutenant, Det. Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins).

Click here for my finale story with Goggins -- one of the true nice guys of television. See ya down the road, darlin'.

Also Tuesday night, CBS' "NCIS" does not end its season or, as far as I know, kill, maim or fire any major characters. Despite this, expect 17-18 million people to tune in, even though not that many of them will be in New York, Los Angeles or writing for trendy entertainment magazines. But I'll be there, I suspect you'll be there, and so will my tea mentor Tia Cupps (who gave me her thoughts yesterday on "24: Redemption").

After the episode, we're going to confab cross-country for our first audio podcast. Actually, it won't be a real podcast since I'm going to post it here in the blog rather than having it fed straight to subscribers, but if you put my blog into your RSS feed reader, that's close enough.

I'll get fancier later, after I listen to the recording and see whether we're as funny as we think we are.

If not, I'll make an especially strong cuppa, and it will all float away like a lovely dream.

Oh, and BTW, click here for my story with the charming and talented Rocky Carroll, a k a NCIS Director Leon Vance.

Later...