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2016 is coming. No matter what your mood is when the clock strikes midnight, we've got your streaming needs covered for that cold, cold morning of January 1.  Lighthearted acceptance: "Meet the Fockers" (Netflix) I prefer to think of "Meet the Fockers" as a tag team Celebrity Deathmatch: Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner vs. Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. Whose wisecracks land hardest? Whose anxiety-inducing jabs make Greg Focker tweak hardest? It's hard to say. I feel like conventional wisdom tells you this movie is inferior to the original, but Dustin and Barbra are wholly original, hilarious characters. Along with "The Guilt Trip," this makes two times Barbra Streisand has played believable, quirky Jewish mothers who don't seem all that much like Barbra Streisand. Unthinkable devastation: "We Need to Talk About Kevin" (Netflix)   Tilda Swinton's kid is a born psychopath. I know we're supposed to find his wrath horrifying,...

As many people come together and spend time with their families, the television landscape becomes a lot more festive. A bunch of networks have put together a slew of TV marathons to celebrate Christmas, but this also 'tis the season for holiday movies to come out in full force.

Chances are after the presents are open, dinner eaten and family time spent, you and yours will want to settle down to watch a nice movie. To make Christmas a little easier, here's a guide to the Christmas movies playing on television over the holiday. All times Eastern

Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve

4 p.m. - "Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Clause," Hallmark Channel

4 p.m. - "A Christmas Story 2," Cmt

4 p.m. - "Holly's Holiday," Lifetime

5 p.m. - "The Santa Clause," ABC Family

5 p.m. - "Beethoven's Christmas Adventure," Disney Xd

5 p.m. - "Christmas Belle," Ion Network

6 p.m.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are offering up a few gems this year in terms of marathons or specials. You've got everything from "Doctor Who" to a winter-themed marathon of Syfy monster movies to more Christmas movie marathons than you can shake a stick at. Plus, the Hub is offering four hours of the "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" yule log on Christmas morning, which we're intrigued by.

Don't forget to set your DVRs if you aren't able to watch live. All times Eastern.

Tuesday, Dec. 24

ABC: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" animation, 8 p.m., Jim Carrey movie, 8:30 p.m.

ABC Family: Christmas movie marathon, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. ("Deck the Halls," "Prancer," "The Polar Express," "The Santa Clause," "The Santa Clause 2," "The Santa Clause 3") 

BBC America: "Doctor Who" marathon, 8 a.m. to 6 a.m. the next day

Bet: "Roots" marathon, 8 a.

Throw away your pageant sash and glower at America Ferrera, because it is Vanessa Williams' 50th birthday. The woman who was crowned the first black Miss America in 1984 only to have that title revoked once nude photos of her resurfaced in Penthouse rebounded to enormous fame with a staggering music, TV, and Broadway career. She's a talent and a vision and one awesome gay advocate. In 1984, she was pro-choice and pro-gay in an era when beauty pageant contestants tried their best to express forgettably palatable opinions. She's righteous, sweet, and an Hrc honoree. Love this woman. So without further ado, let's honor Vanessa Williams with a quick countdown of her five most fabulous moments. Fight me in the comments, pleeeease.

5. The kickass self-possession of "Work to Do"

I understand that Vanessa may be more well-known for "Save the Best for Last," "Colors of the Wind," and her Christmas renditions,...

Dave White (left) and Alonso Duralde

This is probably my Los Angelesness kicking in, but I'm dumbfounded that we're about to begin December. I like to prepare in advance for my Christmas preparation, you know? I still feel like we just got done dancing to Kylie Minogue's "Timebomb" on the shores of Laguna. To be fair, maybe I just did.

Luckily, kickass movie critic gays Dave White (of Movies.com) and Alonso Duralde (of The Wrap and, formerly, AfterElton) are here to catapult us into the holiday season with the help of the New York Times' premiere crititrix, Manohla Dargis. Whether you're viciously pro- or anti-Christmas, both sides are adequately represented on the newest episode of White and Duralde's podcast Linoleum Knife, in which the couple and Dargis shout out their favorite holiday films. It's no surprise based on his comprehension of Christmas cinema alone that Duralde wrote the...

New Miss USA Olivia Culpo

Yesterday's Miss USA pageant was kind of a snore, even though I support the coronation of Miss Rhode Island, Olivia Culpo, who plays cello, supports transgender contestants, and cares about old movie stars. She cited Audrey Hepburn as her hero, which is kind of a cliched move, but at least she knew who Audrey Hepburn was. I consider that a victory for movie fanatics, however slight. At least it wasn't Marilyn Monroe, am I right?

So in honor of Miss Culpo's pop culture awareness, I thought we should revisit seven celebrities who once worked the pageant circuit and elect a definitive winner from the bunch. My #1 choice isn't quite a surprise, but it's the only truly scandalous pick on this roundup. "Scandal" should be a key criterion for all pageant judges. Without further ado, here they are, the seven best pageanteers-turned-celebs in ascending order.

7. Halle Berry...

Very happy news on the wire today: Wendi McLendon-Covey, whose hilarious role in Bridesmaids all but vanished in the film's third act, is set to star in A White Trash Christmas, a Christmas Carol revamp in which a "whiskey-soaked, trashy mother is visited by three ghosts who try to show her a path to a brighter future." While this character sounds like a retread of her Bridesmaids part, I'm always down for a lady-led Scrooged reboot. (A Diva's Christmas Carol, anyone?) This leads us to a larger question: Is McLendon-Covey the unsung hero of Bridesmaids? We provide evidence after the jump.

After the presents are opened, the halls are decked and the roast beast is carved, a lot of folks are looking to hit the movie theater or settle in front of their favorite holiday movies or TV show marathons. Zap2it's got you covered for all your Christmas weekend TV programming.

Friday, Dec. 24

A&E: "Criminal Minds" marathon

ABC Family: 25 Days of Christmas ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys," "Mickey's Christmas Special," "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too," "Jack Frost," "Frosty's Winter Wonderland," "'Tas the Night Before Christmas," "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," "The Year Without Santa Claus" and "Rudolph's Shiny New Year.")

 

AMC: "Miracle on 34th Street," "White Christmas" marathon

Animal Planet: "Planet Earth" marathon

BBC America: "Doctor Who" marathon

Cartoon Network: Various cartoon holiday episodes

Cmt: "A Smoky Mountain Christmas," "Larry the Cable Guy's Star-studded Christmas Extravaganza," "Larry the Cable Guy...

Mickey's Christmas Carol (Dickensian Re-Do)

ABC Family, 7 Pm Et

Disney's take on Dickens, with Mickey as Bob Cratchit and Scrooge McDuck as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Comfort & Joy)

ABC, 8 Pm Et

Everyone's favorite blockhead seeks the true meaning of Christmas.

A Diva's Christmas Carol (Dickensian Re-Do)

Lifetime Movie Network, 10 Pm Et

Vanessa Williams stars as pop singer Ebony Scrooge in this movie that boasts "Christmas can be such a bitch!"

What else is showing this season? See our The 12 Flavors of Christmas - 2010 Holiday TV Movie Guide.

Next Showing:

Link | Posted 12/7/2010 by reelz

Vanessa L. Williams | A Charlie Brown Christmas | A Diva's Christmas Carol | Mickey's Christmas Carol...

A Diva's Christmas Carol (Dickensian Re-Do)

Hallmark, 6 Pm Et

Vanessa Williams stars as pop singer Ebony Scrooge in this movie that boasts "Christmas can be such a bitch!"

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Comfort & Joy)

ABC, 8 Pm Et

Everyone’s favorite blockhead seeks the true meaning of Christmas.

What else is showing this season? See the complete Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.

And if you're wondering what to buy the movie lovers on your shopping list, check out our Holiday Gifts store.

Next Showing:

Link | Posted 12/15/2009 by reelz

William Shatner | Vanessa L. Williams | A Diva's Christmas Carol | Gotta Catch Santa Claus | A Charlie Brown Christmas...

How many reimaginings/remakes/reboots of A Christmas Carol is too many? For me, it's all been a matter of diminishing returns since Vanessa (L. Yeah) Williams cut an extra-glamorous yuletide picture in VH1's 2000 classic A Diva's Christmas Carol, but maybe that makes me crazy. (Possibly.) Seriously, though, after learning that Disney's new Jim Carrey-led Carol reigned over the weekend box office (to the tune of $31 million), I was starting to think I was the only person in America who thought the film's trailer made it the most unappealing cineplex prospect since that other Robert Zemeckis holiday movie...

Actress-singer Vanessa Williams is looking to make her foray into series television with a comedy project for NBC. She is set to star as a Broadway diva who goes back to her small town to raise her kids and teach drama to high school students. The show, which has received a script commitment from the network, is written by Adam Belanoff and Richard Schenkman. Belanoff will executive produce, with Williams serving as co-executive producer. Schenkman also produces. The NBC project reunites Williams and Schenkman. In 2000, the actress-singer toplined the VH1 musical A Diva's Christmas Carol, which Schenkman wrote and directed. Belanoff most recently was a writer and co-executive producer on Fox's comedy Titus. His series credits include Cosby, Wings and Murphy Brown. Williams most recently starred in the Showtime telefilm Keep the Faith, Baby. Her feature credits include Soul Food, Shaft and Eraser.