Holiday Specials are coming to town . . .

There are some things that no matter how much technology advances, I still like to kick it old school style.

And holiday TV specials are definitely one of those times. Sure we can go out and buy Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer or Frosty or Santa Claus is Coming to Town and watch it whenever we want. But there is something so nostalgic about scheduling your evening around a TV special and watching it in real time, commercials and all.

I can remember the giddy anticipation I felt, the special dinner my mom would make and how my sister and I would be glued to the TV set. Maybe it's the passage of time that makes remember this as something out of a Norman Rockwell painting but I do absolutely love this time of year.

Today ABC Family kicks off its 25 Days of Christmas (www.abcfamily.com/25days) where you can catch many of your favorites. And this week, the networks have Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC), Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC), and Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer (Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS).

Rudolph and The Year Without a Santa Claus are my two favorites. Rudolph gave me one of my all time favorite phrases and, as you know, I use it all the time. As in, "You guys will totally play my reindeer games." And I do love that Mr. Heat Miser which is why I'll be tuning into the new TV special A Miser Brothers' Christmas on December 13 on ABC Family.

Which ones of the holiday TV classics are your favorites? Have any new shows come close to living up to the memories of the originals? Talk about it below.

Couples We Don't Want Together

I have to say I'm surprised by how many people do not want Sam and Jack together on Without a Trace. As you know, I'm kind of for the idea. But it got me thinking that this season we already have House and Cuddy, another couple we're not so sure we want together and Izzie and Denny, a couple we liked better when they were both alive.

Sometime television couples don't work --- whether it's because of bad writing, worse acting, or two lovely people with zilch on-screen chemistry --- they simply don't have what it takes.

Who were your least favorite TV pairings . . . the couples who fizzled instead of sizzled.

Here are a few of my picks:

Mark and Elisabeth on ER: It does seem kind of cruel to pick on the dead, doesn't it? But I can't help myself. It was under their tutelage that ER became the place where romance went to die. Plus the whole thing turned Elisabeth into a cranky brat.

Dawson and Joey on Dawson's Creek: Yes, I'm biased because I'm definitely a Pacey gal, but Dawson and Joey were so dull together. And in the end, I was proven right. The show totally should have been called Pacey's Creek.

Josh and Amy on West Wing: Mary Louise Parker almost succeeded in ruining one of my all time favorite television characters.

Lorelai and Digger on Gilmore Girls: It's not that we only wanted Lorelai with Luke -- there were quite a few of us who always rooted for Christopher. It's that no one wanted Lorelai with this self-centered jerk, even if he was played by the ever-charming Chris Eigeman.

Marissa and just about anyone on The O.C.: Really it's why they had to kill off her character. She was miserable with Ryan, miserable with D.J., miserable with Alex, do I need to go on? The girl was romantic kryptonite.

Bailey and Annie on Party of Five: This story was created the season after the phenomenon that was Jerry Maguire. The only problem was, despite Scott Wolf's resemblance to Tom Cruise, we didn't want to see Bailey with a downtrodden older woman and a child.

These are some of my least favorite TV couples. What are yours? Talk about it below

Kicking off the Best of Lists

As most of you know, every December talk about the best shows, the best quotes, the best moments, best characters, and the best of everything television. And here's where I need your help! Email me your nominations for best TV moments of 2008 and best quotes of 2008.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for December 1-6

I haven't really been paying that much attention to Heroes (Monday, NBC, 9 p.m.) these days but a guest star appearance by Seth Green is practically bribing me to tune in.

Privileged moves to a new temporary time slot for the next couple of weeks. One of the best new shows of the season gets a cushy post-Gossip Girl outing Monday at 9 p.m. on the CW.

Don't look for Bones this week. FOX preempts the series in favor of the new reality show Secret Millionaire (Wednesday at 8 p.m. on FOX). In the series, millionaires live "undercover" in low-income areas and at the end of their stay, they decide which of their new neighbors deserves $100,000 of their own money. Let's hope it's better than it actually sounds. Because it sounds more than a little patronizing.

Liz goes to her high school reunion on 30 Rock (Thursday, NBC, 9:30 p.m.) but things aren't exactly how she remembers them. It's another fantastic outing for a series that has totally hit its stride this season.

It looks like Meredith's annoying and surgery loving friend Sadie is here to stay, at least for a little while. This week she flirts with Callie on Grey's Anatomy (Thursday, ABC, 9 p.m.). Hmmm . . . wonder how long until Callie fights with her in the parking lot and we never see Sadie again.

I'm not proud of this fact but I suddenly find myself wanting fraternity boys Dan and Andrew to win The Amazing Race (Sunday, CBS, 8 p.m.). It would seem to defy all odds if they were first to cross the finish line.

That's all for today. I'm back on Wednesday with a review of the new series Leverage, this week's familiar faces and more. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com.

Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal ®

E-mail

• Digg
• Facebook
• Fark
• Yahoo Buzz
• Stumbleupon