'Twas the Night'is a season treat from HBO
Twas the week before Christmas When we prematurely Unwrapped our new TiVos For Christmas comes early To the land of TV shows As you'll see in what follows! If you loved HBO's adaptation of the children's book Goodnight Moon, you'll probably get a kick out of "Twas the Night," a new special celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The special, airing at 6:30 tonight on HBO, repackages tidings from entertainers past (Louis Armstrong, for instance, reading "A Visit From St. Nicholas," and Nat King Cole singing "The Christmas Song") and present (Los Lobos, whose members once complained that covering "La Bamba" nearly ruined them, are heard covering "Feliz Navidad"). The soundtrack is artfully matched with drawings from Grandma Moses that seem to move, thanks to the miracle of animation. In between songs, incredibly cute kids talk about what this time of year means to them. CBS seems determined to tug at our heartstrings this week with two programs on foster children. "A Home for the Holidays" (7 p.m. Friday, Channel 5), the network's annual adoption appeal, features Mariah Carey and other musical performers, while "The Sons of Mistletoe" (8 p.m. Wednesday, Channel 5), stars TV angel Roma Downey as a woman who inherits a foster home after her father dies. "Everybody Loves Raymond" mom Doris Roberts plays, no fooling, the local sheriff. There's nothing heartwarming about "12 Tiny Christmas Tales," a devilishly funny program from the mind of cartoonist Bill Plympton. It had its premiere earlier this month on Cartoon Network and is re-airing at 7:30 p.m. Friday. From the seemingly innocent premise of Grandma reading holiday stories to the kiddies, Plympton spins a web of wonderfully weird visions: Blitzen going off to Las Vegas, a snowflake that terrorizes a village, an ugly tie that yearns to become someone's gift. They aren't "tales" so much as 60-second impressions, and much of their humor comes from the minimalist, whimsical drawings by Plympton set into motion. Cartoon Network also is airing one more repeat of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at 6 tonight. Among public TV's numerous specials are the annual "St. Olaf Christmas Festival" (9 p.m. Tuesday, KCPT, Channel 19) and "Nutcracker Swing" (8 p.m. Wednesday, KCPT), a "Live From Lincoln Center" encounter between the New York Philharmonic and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in a performance of a classic arrangement by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Finally, one last cartoon: "Santa, Baby!" (7 tonight, Fox, Channel 4) features the voices of Gregory Hines, Patti LaBelle and Vanessa Williams in a special based on the 1953 Eartha Kitt single. Listen for a new version of the song sung by Kitt, LaBelle and Williams. Heard enough inspiring stories about those who showed courage during the World Trade Center attacks? Me neither. Combine that with our innate love for animal stories and you get "Tales From Ground Zero," an Animal Planet special airing at 9 tonight. Though I didn't see a preview tape, I recognized some of the stories as having been covered previously by TV news, such as the "therapy dogs" who help survivors deal with grief and the rescue dogs who spend hours each day sniffing through the rubble. Still, the critter channel always has a unique way of telling its tales. Time Warner Cable is changing channels again. On Tuesday the area's dominant cable provider will add seven, including the National Geographic Channel, which features a nightly science-news program in addition to years of programming from the famed National Geographic library. Also being added: HGTV spinoff DIY (as in "do it yourself"), VH1 Classic, Nick Gas and the West Coast feeds of three additional Showtime channels (Next, Women and Family Zone). To accommodate the additions, some premium channels will be moved to new locations on Time Warner's digital lineup. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com.
