TWIN PEAKS Presents ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’

Merry Christmas, everyone! Please enjoy this wonderful version of the holiday classic:

What’s This? ‘Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Soundtrack

On this night before Christmas, I turn attention to one of my favorite albums of seasonal music: the soundtrack from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.,

Yes, you read that correctly. Featuring a bounty of great songs written by Danny Elfman, the onetime frontman of Oingo Boingo, this album is an unexpected holiday gem. Each and every one of the songs was written in a minor key, but they still manage to run a gamut of emotions, from joy to longing, sinister to funtastic.

The 1993 stop-motion animated film was directed by Henry Selick and produced by Burton, who conceived the story in 1982 while working at the studios of Walt Disney Feature Animation. It tells the story of Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon and sung by Elfman), the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town — the source of the Oct. 31 holiday. One day Jack wanders into Christmas Town and becomes so fascinated by the candy-colored holiday that he decides to usurp Dec. 25 from Santa Claus.

Mr. and Mrs. Who — and Their Great Christmas Adventure

It’s no secret that showrunner Steven Moffat really loves the annual DOCTOR WHO Christmas specials, so bringing back the Doctor’s wife, River Song (Alex Kingston), and pairing her up with his latest incarnation must have been even more fun for the Grand Moff than usual.

He teased this year’s special:

“We’ve shot that one with the 12th Doctor. That’s been a riot to do. And that’s been sort of a big fun chase episode, really. Just Mr. and Mrs. Who battling their way past nonsense, and that’s been great fun. They’re lovely together; they are. Alex is always great value. It’s time we saw her back being a kick-ass hero instead of playing mums and sisters and all that. It’s a waste of her.”

The official BBC tease of the special:

It’s Christmas Day in the future and the TARDIS is parked on a snowy village street, covered in icicles, awaiting its next adventure. Time traveler River Song meets her husband’s new incarnation, in the form of Peter Capaldi, for the first time this Christmas.

The as-yet untitled 2015 Christmas special will air on… (wait for it…) Christmas Day on BBC America.

River Doesn’t Recognize the Doctor at Xmas!

The Doctor and River Song are forever meeting each other in the wrong order — and now it’s time for the 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi) to run into his wife at a strange time, when he crosses time streams with River (Alex Kingston) in this year’s DOCTOR WHO Christmas special.

But this time, the Doctor has the advantage — because she doesn’t recognize his 12th face!

“That’s how the Christmas special begins,” showrunner Steven Moffat told the London Doctor Who Festival. “She doesn’t know it’s him! It’s an opportunity for the Doctor to find out the terrible truth: What his wife gets up to when he’s not looking. No one should ever go through that!”

Moffat added: “The last time the Doctor saw her she was a ghost. The first time he met her, she died. So how can he be seeing her again? As ever, with the most complicated relationship in the universe, it’s a matter of time …”

DOCTOR WHO Xmas Special to Screen in Cinemas

 

The 2015 DOCTOR WHO Christmas special will be shown in U.S. movie theaters on Dec. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. (local time).

And — in a gesture that Santa Claus would love — the events will also feature an exclusive interview with Alex Kingston (River Song) and a 15-minute “making of” behind-the-scenes featurette starring Peter Capaldi (the Doctor) and executive producer Steven Moffat!

Tickets for the screenings can be purchased online beginning tomorrow, Nov. 13, by visiting the Fathom Events website or participating theater box offices. A complete list of theater locations can be found on the Fathom Events site.

Here is the official synopsis of the special:

It’s Christmas in the future and the TARDIS is parked on a snowy village street, covered in icicles, awaiting its next adventure. Time traveler River Song meets her husband’s new incarnation, in the form of Peter Capaldi, for the first time!

Celebrate Wholloween on BBC America

Weeping Angels! A mummy! The Crooked Man — and that Thing Under the Bedspread!

What’s a more fitting way to celebrate Halloween day than a marathon of the creepiest, spookiest DOCTOR WHO stories? BBC America thinks nothing could be finer, and so it has programmed a whole afternoon of regenerating delights, dubbed WHOLLOWEEN!

Wholloween begins at 1 o’clock Saturday, Oct. 31 on BBC America!

Netflix Announces Best Holiday Special Ever! (Probably)

A Very Murray Christmas!

Yes, this is going to be even bigger than the Star Wars Holiday Special….

 

Starts streaming on Netflix Dec. 4.

You’re welcome.

It’s an Early Christmas for DOCTOR WHO fans!

It’s barely September, and DOCTOR WHO isn’t even back on TV yet, but the makers of the series are working on this year’s Christmas Special harder than Santa’s elves worried about North Pole layoffs, and that means there’s BIG holiday news — chief among the announcements: Alex Kingston will reprise her role as the Doctor’s late wife, Prof. River Song!

Of course, this will be her first time interacting with Peter Capaldi‘s 12th Doctor, and his grumpy demeanor promises a much different dynamic that her previous encounters with the 11th (Matt Smith) and 10th (David Tennant) Doctors!

But never fear — the story was written by lead writer/executive producer Steven Moffat, so he’s sure to keep things light-hearted and fast-paced. Now, if we can only figure out how she will appear! A small thing like death never stopped River Song — heck, she died in her very first story! And she hasn’t slowed a step since then.

Alex told the BBC:

“To be honest, I did not know whether River would ever return to the show, but here she is, back with the Doctor for the Christmas special. Steven Moffat is on glittering form, giving us an episode filled with humor and surprise guest castings. I met Peter for the first time at Monday’s read through. We had a laugh, and I am now excited and ready to start filming with him and the DOCTOR WHO team. Christmas in September? Why not!”

What’s July 4th Without Revolution-Minded Apes?

In a clever marketing move, 20th Century Fox’s new TV spot for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes juxtaposes footage from the movie with President John F. Kennedy‘s July 4, 1962, address from Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Happy Fourth of July, folks!

Happy Easter!

Ummm… Happy Easter?

King Kong has a Skull Island holiday treat for his favorite lady, Ann Darrow, courtesy of artist Todd Schorr.