Turn On, Tune In

Cable World, Nov 3, 2003

NY1 New Yorkers can get ready for Thanksgiving Day the night before with The Great Big Balloon Inflation (Nov. 26), a look at the floats getting primed for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

PAX Seasonal episodes of original series Doc and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye plus holiday movies (such as Pax original I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause, Dec. 13) galore.

SCI FI Holiday movie fests include the Nov. 29 premiere of Sci Fi original movie Epoch: Evolution during the Thanksgiving marathon (Nov. 27-30), plus a Christmas Day movie marathon and a Tremors: The Series marathon on Dec. 26. The ninth annual New Year's Eve Twilight Zone marathon features 46 hours of the classic TV series. Original series Battlestar Galactica premieres Dec. 8,

SHOWTIME Original movie Stealing Sinatra (December) stars William H. Macy and David Arquette in a comic recreation of the 1963 botched kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr.; also slated for a run on Showtime's HD service.

SOAPNET Post-Thanksgiving digestion aided with a Sonnylicious marathon, devoting Nov. 28 to General Hospital's resident baddie with a heart of gold, Sonny Corinthos. Christmas Day brings the second annual Christmas with the Carringtons Dynasty marathon.

SPIKE TV The Goods: Holiday Shopping Guide special (November) and its first Video Games Awards (Dec. 4).

STYLE Specials in December include Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? (Dec. 5) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Dec. 10).

SUNDANCE CHANNEL Holidays documentary (Dec. 8) follows spiritual quests to Jerusalem, Florence and (yes) Las Vegas while the Beyond Belief triple-feature looks at faith, spirituality and struggle (Dec. 8 and 23). Pre-Christmas celebration of the shortest day of the year with Shorts All Day, a 24-hour lineup of short films (Dec. 21).

TBS The net urges viewers to "give thanks this isn't your family" with original movie National Lampoon's Thanksgiving Reunion (Nov. 28).

TECHTV Highlights include Top 20 Gifts: A Holiday Buying Guide Special (Nov. 24), Call for Helpathon (Dec. 26) and Best Innovations of the Year (Dec. 28).

TLC Trading Spaces Family Special (Thanksgiving Day) and Don't Dress Like a Turkey What Not to Wear marathon (Nov. 28).

TNT Holiday-themed lineup includes Word of Honor movie (Dec. 7) and Christmas in Washington special (Dec. 14).

TRAVEL CHANNEL Specials include Christmas in New York (Nov. 27), Top 10 Toylands (Dec. 12), Magical Disney Holidays (Dec. 14) and Holy Land Secrets Night (Dec. 24)

TRIO Miniseries all Thanksgiving weekend (including Shogun, Brideshead Revisited and Holocaust) kicks off Nov. 26 with original documentary, Epic TV: The Top ten Miniseries of All Time, narrated by Jane Seymour. December features star-struck and awards-related programming highlighted by original special, The Award Show Awards Show (Dec. 7), narrated by Tatum O'Neal. Special White Noise is a humorous take on the best and worst of 2003 (Dec. 18).

USA Originals Santa Who?, starring Leslie Nielsen, and Stealing Christmas, featuring Tony Danza, both premiere on Nov. 30.