TVSquad

The new ABC comedy Sam I Am, about a bad amnesiac woman (Christina Applegate) who has to start her life over as a good person, has to change its name before it starts this fall. And it's all Dr. Seuss' fault.

The estate of the Green Eggs & Ham author has refused to give the network permission to use the phrase as the title of the show. They did not like that ABC/used the phrase/illegally. They did not like it here, there, or anywhere.

But it all works out in the end. The new title, Samantha Be Good, fits the above premise of the show too. I was sort of surprised they were going to use the title Sam I Am anyway. Not for the Dr. Seuss connection, but because of that Sean Penn flick I Am Sam.

One by one, Generation X's favorite holiday specials are hitting big anniversaries, reminding us that we're about to hit middle age ourselves. Last year, A Charlie Brown Christmas turned 40, much to our chagrin. Now it's The Grinch's turn as the classic cartoon version of Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas will celebrate it's 40th anniversary with an extended special, which ABC will air on December 12.

According to the network's press release, this "sepcial edition will include a "making of" documentary, including interviews with Theordore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, director Chuck Jones, and many of the other people who helped put the show together back in 1966. Considering Geisel, Jones, and many of the other people involved are dead, I'm curious to see how long ago these interviews were done.

Okay. Now that I've eaten turkey and pumpkin pie, bring on the holiday TV! Already, we've been subjected to Christmas commercials, but now the good holiday television really begins. USA Today was kind enough to put together a comprehensive list of holiday specials (new and traditional) that air between now and Christmas Day.

Here are some of the notables:

• A Charlie Brown Christmas, ABC, Tuesday Nov. 28 at 8 pm;
  
• Polar Express, ABC, Friday December 1 at 8 pm;
• Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, ABC, Tuesday December 5 at 8 pm;
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, CBS, Friday December 8 at 8 pm;
• Frosty the Snowman, CBS, Friday December 8 at 9 pm;
• Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey version), ABC, Saturday December 9 at 9 pm;
• Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated version), ABC, Tuesday December 12 at 8 pm;
• It's a Wonderful Life, NBC, Saturday December 16 at 8 pm;
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, TBS, Sunday December 17 at 8 pm;
• A Christmas Carol (Patrick Stewart version), TNT, Wednesday December 20 at 8 pm;
• A Christmas Story (24-hour marathon), TBS, Sunday December 24 at 8 pm;
• Yule Log, INHD, Monday December 25 at 7 am.