TV's all-time top 10 Christmas-iest people
12/10/06 13:51
By ED BARK
Let's get right to it. We're excluding reformed meanies such as The Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge to bring you TV's top 10 holiday cheerleaders. Or, if you prefer, the Christmas-iest people on the planet, both present and past. Remember now, we're not talking movies either. So A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life aren't eligible. Did Uncle Barky forget anybody? Check this list, check it twice. Tell me if I've been naughty or nice.
10. Martha Stewart -- She milks Christmas like a cow in Dairyland. See Martha turn a turnip into a stunning holiday centerpiece. Or watch her bake cookies laced through and through with all those 100 percent sinful ingredients. A holiday heavyweight to be sure, she runs wreaths around all imitators.
9. Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan -- Not sure exactly when they first performed this, but "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" became Saturday Night Live's version of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." Never get tired of hearing it. They should bring 'em all back for an encore performance on this Saturday's Justin Timberlake-hosted show.
8. Darlene Love -- "It wouldn't be Christmas without a visit from our next guest," David Letterman says annually on CBS' Late Show. Indeed it wouldn't, so that's why Love is on the air to sing "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)." She's been doing it for close to 15 years now and it's assumed she'll be scheduled again this year. Until then, here's the video from her truly spectacular Dec. 23rd appearance last year.
7. Homer Simpson -- Don't let the above image fool you. Homer really loves Christmas. It's just that Bart sometimes gets on his nerves. "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire," the first full-length episode of The Simpsons, premiered on Dec. 17, 1989. It's long since become a contemporary classic.
6. Bing Crosby -- His last of many TV Christmas specials featured the famed "Little Drummer Boy" duet with David Bowie. On paper it's an even odder pairing than a suited Edwin Newman interviewing Kiss in full costume for an NBC News special. But in fact, the Bing/Bowie performance, originally presented in 1977, holds up amazingly well. As proof, we pause now to bring you the video.
5. Jimmy Durante -- The Schnozz's rendition of "Frosty the Snowman" returns every year in the evergeen animated special, which first graced prime-time in 1969. An assist goes to the late deadpan comic, Jackie Vernon, who voiced Frosty after Jimmy set the stage.
4. Andy Williams -- Smoother than a spiked cup of Christmas Eve egg nog, Andy and his sweaters made the holidays melt. He still tours with his Christmas show when able. Otherwise he hasn't been near a tree on TV since 2001's Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Specials.
3. Burl Ives -- He's forever enshrined as the voice of the rotund snowman host of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which made its TV debut in 1964. Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas" is still the bounciest holiday jingle around, although Brenda Lee's "Jingle Bell Rock" comes in a very close second.
2. Charlie Brown -- Roly-poly, indomitable "Chuck" first came calling during the 1965 holiday season. You won't find a sweeter cartoon character at any time of year. A Charlie Brown Christmas always makes our spirits bright.
1. Perry Como -- Our journey ends where you know it must. Perry's annual network TV specials began on Christmas Eve, 1948 and ended with ABC's 1986 hour from San Antonio. His anthem, "Ave Maria," climaxed most of those shows, with "O Holy Night" another keeper. I had the privilege of meeting him during the taping of that last special from San Antonio. He proved to be as nice as advertised, even nicer. Perry died peacefully in his sleep on May 12, 2001. Perfect.
Let's get right to it. We're excluding reformed meanies such as The Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge to bring you TV's top 10 holiday cheerleaders. Or, if you prefer, the Christmas-iest people on the planet, both present and past. Remember now, we're not talking movies either. So A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life aren't eligible. Did Uncle Barky forget anybody? Check this list, check it twice. Tell me if I've been naughty or nice.
10. Martha Stewart -- She milks Christmas like a cow in Dairyland. See Martha turn a turnip into a stunning holiday centerpiece. Or watch her bake cookies laced through and through with all those 100 percent sinful ingredients. A holiday heavyweight to be sure, she runs wreaths around all imitators.
9. Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan -- Not sure exactly when they first performed this, but "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" became Saturday Night Live's version of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." Never get tired of hearing it. They should bring 'em all back for an encore performance on this Saturday's Justin Timberlake-hosted show.
8. Darlene Love -- "It wouldn't be Christmas without a visit from our next guest," David Letterman says annually on CBS' Late Show. Indeed it wouldn't, so that's why Love is on the air to sing "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)." She's been doing it for close to 15 years now and it's assumed she'll be scheduled again this year. Until then, here's the video from her truly spectacular Dec. 23rd appearance last year.
7. Homer Simpson -- Don't let the above image fool you. Homer really loves Christmas. It's just that Bart sometimes gets on his nerves. "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire," the first full-length episode of The Simpsons, premiered on Dec. 17, 1989. It's long since become a contemporary classic.
6. Bing Crosby -- His last of many TV Christmas specials featured the famed "Little Drummer Boy" duet with David Bowie. On paper it's an even odder pairing than a suited Edwin Newman interviewing Kiss in full costume for an NBC News special. But in fact, the Bing/Bowie performance, originally presented in 1977, holds up amazingly well. As proof, we pause now to bring you the video.
5. Jimmy Durante -- The Schnozz's rendition of "Frosty the Snowman" returns every year in the evergeen animated special, which first graced prime-time in 1969. An assist goes to the late deadpan comic, Jackie Vernon, who voiced Frosty after Jimmy set the stage.
4. Andy Williams -- Smoother than a spiked cup of Christmas Eve egg nog, Andy and his sweaters made the holidays melt. He still tours with his Christmas show when able. Otherwise he hasn't been near a tree on TV since 2001's Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Specials.
3. Burl Ives -- He's forever enshrined as the voice of the rotund snowman host of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which made its TV debut in 1964. Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas" is still the bounciest holiday jingle around, although Brenda Lee's "Jingle Bell Rock" comes in a very close second.
2. Charlie Brown -- Roly-poly, indomitable "Chuck" first came calling during the 1965 holiday season. You won't find a sweeter cartoon character at any time of year. A Charlie Brown Christmas always makes our spirits bright.
1. Perry Como -- Our journey ends where you know it must. Perry's annual network TV specials began on Christmas Eve, 1948 and ended with ABC's 1986 hour from San Antonio. His anthem, "Ave Maria," climaxed most of those shows, with "O Holy Night" another keeper. I had the privilege of meeting him during the taping of that last special from San Antonio. He proved to be as nice as advertised, even nicer. Perry died peacefully in his sleep on May 12, 2001. Perfect.
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