Turn On, Tune In

Cable World, Nov 3, 2003

Byline: SHIRLEY BRADY

'Tis the week after Halloween and all across the land, cable television programmers are ramping up holiday plans. From stunts and awards shows to turkey cooking tips and more, these networks will bring viewers some festive cheer to keep the holidays from being a bore...

ABC FAMILY This year's 25 Days of Christmas (Dec. 1-25) event includes a Celine Dion special (Dec. 1) and animated classic shows from Rankin Bass (Dec. 6 and 21). Other highlights include animated versions of classic seasonal tales: Nuttiest Nutcracker (Dec. 9), with the voices of Jim Belushi and Phyllis Diller, and A Christmas Carol (Dec. 14), featuring Nicolas Cage and Kate Winslet.

A&E A week of countdown shows (such as Top Ten Hitched and Ditched) leads up to its Biography of the Year (Dec. 14). Two new Horatio Hornblower movies (Dec. 2 and 3), Holiday Ice Dreams (Dec. 4), Holiday at Pops with the Boston Pops (Dec. 12), Biography: Santa Claus and Ultimate Holiday Town USA (Dec. 18). Playboy's 50th Anniversary special (Dec. 7).

AMC Movie marathons include Star Studded Thanksgiving (Nov. 26-30) which includes uplifter The Shawshank Redemption, Gift Wrapped Comedies (Dec. 14-19), Cowboys for Christmas (Dec. 25) and the Three Stooges on New Year's Eve Countdown with the Stooges.

BBC AMERICA Ground Forces Goes Festive (Dec. 16) and The Office Christmas Party marathon (Dec. 18).

BRAVO The net dons its gay apparel with a Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Holiday Special (Dec. 16), featuring a reunion of the straight guys to see if the Fab Five's hip tips have stuck; new episodes start Nov. 18. An Entertainers of the Year special is also scheduled for Dec. 19.

CARTOON NETWORK Powerpuff Girls in their first one-hour Christmas special, 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas (Dec. 19).

CMT Time to get its holiday twang on with the Christmas in Cowboy Country special (Dec. 5).

COMEDY CENTRAL ThanXgiveaway Weekend (Nov. 27-30) features classic Thanksgiving-themed episodes of Saturday Night Live with movies and prizes from Xbox and Best Buy. Viewers can vote for the funniest moments of 2003 for The Commies Awards Show (Dec. 7). Original movie The Hebrew Hammer teams the Jewish Justice League with the Kwanzaa Liberation Front to save Hanukkah from a "psychotic, anti-Semitic Santa" (L'chaim!). Other seasonal highlights: A Saturday Night Live Merrython (Dec. 14), Fifty Greatest Episodes of SNL (Dec. 24-28) and on New Year's Eve, The Best of Comedy Central Stand-Up 2003 followed by World Comedy Tour with Lewis Black (Dec. 31).

CSTV In Pigskin Pigout on Thanksgiving Day, CSTV: College Sports Television presents the best games to date from its college football game-of-the-week package.

DISCOVERY Holiday-themed episodes on Christmas Eve and Jesus: The Complete Story (Dec. 25).

DISCOVERY TIMES The Lives They Lived (Dec. 28), a companion doc to the New York Times Magazine's annual tribute issue, pays tribute to remarkable people (from famous to obscure) who passed away in '03.

DISNEY CHANNEL Playhouse Disney's weeklong Holiday Surprises event plus new and holiday-themed episodes of Kim Possible, Lilo & Stitch: The Series and That's So Raven. Its sixth annual New Year's Party features a full day of viewers' choice programming on Dec. 31, with the evening festivities hosted by Raven and her cast mates.

DIY Five-part series Holiday Workshop (Nov. 17) features Christmas and Hanukkah projects.

E! Thanksgiving Day sitcom-themed daylong stunt; exclusive Julia Roberts interview on Dec. 14.

ESPN On Thanksgiving day ESPN will televise all seven episodes of the 2003 World Series of Poker. ESPN2 starts the day with Cold Pizza at 7 a.m. and ends with the Great Alaska Shootout featuring Pacific vs. Duke at 11:30 p.m. Christmas Day has a LeBron James bio on ESPN followed by an afternoon telecast of his Cleveland Cavaliers at the Orlando Magic. That's followed by SportsCenter: Top 10 Games and the 2003 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at 8 p.m. ESPN kicks off with the New Year With College GameDay Built by the Home Depot at 9:30 a.m. followed by the 2004 Outback Bowl at 11 a.m. ESPN2's New Year's Day coverage features the World's Strongest Man Competition marathon.

FAMILYNET Big Band Christmas with Ralph Carmichael (Nov. 27), The Candy Maker's Christmas (Dec. 2), Cherub Wings: The Angel Song (Dec. 3), A Dennis Jernigan Family Christmas (Dec. 5), Birth of a King (Dec. 10).

FINE LIVING Ultimate Gift Guide special (Nov. 23) features the best of the network's 600 Fine Living Holiday Selects interstitials. An Aspen Christmas (Nov. 30) mixes "the four best chefs west of the Rockies" with master sommelier Andrea Immer. A Sheila Bridges Holiday (Dec. 14) brings a fresh twist to Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. A Swell Holiday (Dec. 17) offers hip holiday tips from Cynthia Rowley and Ilene Rosenzweig. 10 Perfect Winter Wonderlands (Dec. 25) is hosted by Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street.

FOOD NETWORK Thanksgiving-themed In the Kitchen marathons hit prime time (Nov. 13-23), Emeril's Thanksgiving With Our Troops and Food Finds: Thanksgiving (both Nov. 16), Follow That Feast (Nov. 19), Tyler Talks Turkey (Nov. 21) and the Let's Talk Leftovers marathon (Nov. 28). December highlights include Season's Eating marathons all month plus specials such as Holiday Cookie Extravaganza With Sara Moulton (Dec. 4), A Barefoot Contessa Holiday (Dec. 7), The Holidays From Martha's Kitchen (Dec. 7), Emeril Kicks Up the Holidays (Dec. 14) and Christmas in America, hosted by Deborah Norville (Dec. 14).