TVSquad

Where would we be without the hallowed television Christmas special? We would be engaged in enthralling conversations with relatives who like to give the backstory about the gall bladder operation pictures they still carry in their wallet. We would be playing defense against every breakable item in the house while the neighbor's kids get enough sugar in their systems to power the Space Shuttle. We would not only have to muster the courage to taste Grandma's homemade rum and Kahula fruitcake, but also to pretend that we like it without our stomach turning inside out, crawling up our esophagus and out of our mouth.

Even if those scenarios will be true for you on Dec. 25, I offer you my pity as my Christmas gift. Plus, you still would rather spend it listening to ol' Uncle Hernia Scar than watching one of these holiday hams.

TV Week reports that the ratings for various holiday special repeats are in decline as compared to last year. I'm curious as to why this is the case.

Network television is a free medium, and all but the most impoverished can afford some form of hardware to watch it. So why is viewership down? Is the recession dulling the holiday spirit? Are people selling their televisions in order to afford the mortgage?

I recall that someone once told me that the pro-wrestling industry always garners worse ratings during a recession. I always thought that was a strange statement to make, but there is some logic to it. Most pro-wrestling is on cable, which people have to pay for and is usually one of the first things to go when money gets tight. These holiday specials are on network TV.

The explanation in the article is the ubiquity of DVD and downloads. Nobody has to wait anymore to watch holiday programs. If this is the case, the television industry better step up their plans to change the medium before the viewership changes it for them.

(S03E06) "What's the past tense of scam? Is it scrumped? Liz Lemon, I think you've just been scrumped." - Tracy

Isn't it interesting how a funny, fast-paced, irreverent, sometimes surreal comedy like 30 Rock can also somehow grab you emotionally? Maybe it's because it's funny and irreverent 98% of the time the emotional parts hit you a little bit harder. They're unexpected and really welcome. Like the end of tonight's episode. Who could have expected the show would end with a piano duet between Jack and his mother? I've always liked Jack's mom, and it was really nice to see their relationship get better amidst all the usual TGS craziness. Some shows just have a Christmas show that isn't much different than their regular episodes, only with more lights and tinsel. Good to see this show actually make the holiday count.

I'm a sucker for Christmas episodes.

The BBC broadcast the pre-title sequence (about two minutes) of the Doctor Who Christmas Special slated for Christmas Day 2008 for their Children In Need special on November 14th. It can be viewed here on the BBC website. One word of caution: it can only be viewed from a European IP address, possibly even only a British one.

Fortunately, I have managed to avail myself of those two minutes and I'm already excited about the episode. While I look forward to seeing a new face as the Doctor, it's still a shame that next year is likely David Tennant's last year in the title role.

Based on his brief appearance, David Morrisey could be a potentially good Doctor. However, I am of the opinion that anybody who can have fun with the role can be a good Doctor, since the Doctor can be anybody. I'm very much looking forward to the day after Christmas, when I can download the...uh, I mean hear about the Christmas Special from those who have watched it.

Once again the fate of David Tennant's role as the Doctor on Doctor Who is in question. Earlier this year there were rumors that Tennant would not resume his role for the fourth series of the popular science fiction program. However, those rumors were quickly refuted.

Now comes word directly from the BBC that the show will not be returning for a fifth series until 2010 (the fourth series premieres in 2008). It was postponed to allow Tennant to play Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company late next year. A spokesperson for the show said it was too early to comment on whether or not Tennant would return for a fifth series.

That's what a reporter in England is pushing for. He has started an online petition to have the Bluths come back together for an Xmas special in 2009.

So far reporter Eddie Wrenn has 3000 signatures, which, while nice, isn't enough to get anyone's attention. But it's the first step in a campaign to get Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, Ron Howard and company to come back and do a special for fans. And that's something that's a lot more realistic than some fans who try to get a show to come back full time on some network's schedule (as if actors don't move on to other projects and are just waiting around to be called back).

More shows should do this. Not only would they please fans, I think it would show some good will towards those fans and probably increase DVD sales as well. Yeah, I can imagine an Arrested Development special every couple of years.

Over the past week, the U.K. press has been saturated with "exclusive" sneak previews of the forthcoming Doctor Who Christmas Day special, "The Christmas Invasion" -- most of which are just re-hashes or mash-ups of the same photographs and interviews.

However, BBC News has published an exclusive interview with the new Doctor, David Tennant, which includes an eight-minute TV video interview on Breakfast, in which the 34-year-old Scots actor discusses his preparation for the role, the well-wishes he received from former Doctors Tom Baker and Peter Davidson -- and the Cockney accent he's given his incarnation of the famous Time Lord.

More importantly, there's two exclusive clips from the Christmas special, one of which elaborates on the TARDIS crash-landing in a London council estate.