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Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXXVII -- Ahrens & Menken deliver delightful "A Christmas Carol: The Musical"

Jim Hill

"Tell the truth. You're getting kind of tired of writing about ' A Christmas Carol ,' aren't you?" No, this wasn't an e-mail that some disgruntled JHM reader sent me. But -- rather -- the ever-wise & patient Nancy (Who -- FYI -- has been formatting each & every one...

on28 Dec 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXXV -- How "A Carol Christmas" kick-started William Shatner's career

Jim Hill

Are you a fan of William Shatner 's Emmy Award-winning work on ABC 's " Boston Legal "? If so, then you should be aware that one of the main reasons that William was cast as daffy Denny Crane was because " The Practice " creator David E. Kelley supposedly caught Shatner's...

on26 Dec 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXXI -- "A Diva's Christmas Carol" puts a silly but cynical spin on the season

Jim Hill

Some adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" are like a huge holiday meal. Rich, meaty, memorable. Really stick-to-your-ribs kind of shows. And then there are those holiday specials like " A Diva's Christmas Caro l." Which are the television equivalent of Chinese food. Don't get...

on22 Dec 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXVIII -- "Ms. Scrooge" is kind of hit & ms. ... er ... miss

Jim Hill

As I mentioned in this past Sunday's review of " Ebbie ," " A Christmas Carol " is a surprisingly resilient story. It can survive a change of location or time period. Even giving Ebenezer Scrooge a sex change operation doesn't necessarily undercut the emotional effectiveness...

on19 Dec 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part XXVI -- "Ebenezer" is just " ... blah-blah-blah"

Jim Hill

On paper, this sounds like such a clever idea. Shifting the location of "A Christmas Carol" out to the Old West. I mean, what better place is there to tell a ghost story than around a campfire? And then the truly genius notion of hiring Academy Award-winner Jack Palance to play a westernized...

on17 Dec 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part XIX -- Missing scene mars "Muppet Christmas Carol"

Jim Hill

Just how good is The Muppet Christmas Carol "? Well, to be honest, that depends on whether or not you saw the version that ran in theaters back in 1992 OR the version of this Brian Henson film that now runs on television and/or is currently available for sale on DVD. "What's the difference...

on10 Dec 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part X -- A second chance fumbled

Jim Hill

I don't really need to explain who Basil Rathbone was, right? I mean, we're talking about the acclaimed actor who crossed swords with Errol Flynn in " The Adventures of Robin Hood ," traded quips with Danny Kaye in " The Court Jester " and even served as the narrator of the...

on1 Dec 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part IX -- Little's special is a lot of fun

Jim Hill

It is one of my favorite Hollywood "What If" stories. And -- appropriately enough -- you can read a full-blown account of this tale over on one of my favorite blogs, Mark Evanier's great " newsfromme.com ." Here's the Reader's Digest version: W.C. Fields (Who was a Dickens...

on30 Nov 2006
Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part VIII -- Williams wins an Oscar

Jim Hill

Okay. I know. We all love those moments in "A Christmas Carol" after Scrooge has been redeemed. When the old skinflint tries to make amends to all those he's wronged over the years. That's when Dickens' classic holiday tale becomes truly heart-warming. But -- prior to this point...

on29 Nov 2006

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Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXXVII -- Ahrens & Menken deliver delightful "A Christmas Carol: The Musical"

Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXXV -- How "A Carol Christmas" kick-started William Shatner's career

Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXXI -- "A Diva's Christmas Carol" puts a silly but cynical spin on the season

Blog Post: Scrooge U: Part XXVIII -- "Ms. Scrooge" is kind of hit & ms. ... er ... miss

Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part XXVI -- "Ebenezer" is just " ... blah-blah-blah"

Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part XIX -- Missing scene mars "Muppet Christmas Carol"

Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part X -- A second chance fumbled

Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part IX -- Little's special is a lot of fun

Blog Post: Scrooge U : Part VIII -- Williams wins an Oscar