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The night shift: Late-night talk shows fared well in 2018

Author: 
Kenneth Andeel / TV Media
Busy Philipps hosts "Busy Tonight"

Busy Philipps hosts "Busy Tonight"

A Home for the Holidays, on CBS

Stars raise awareness about adoption and foster care by sharing uplifting stories in the one-hour holiday special. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the program also features performances by popular musical acts.

Josh Groban in last year's "A Home for the Holidays"
Josh Groban in last year's "A Home for the Holidays"

Q: There's an episode of "The Golden Girls" where Bea Arthur did some lounge singing, and she did an amazing job. Was she ever in any musicals or on stage?

Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

Long before she was the witheringly sarcastic Dorothy Zbornak in "The Golden Girls," Bea Arthur was a musical sensation on and off Broadway.

She first attracted attention for her role in a 1954 off-Broadway production of the classic musical "The Threepenny Opera," but her biggest stage credit is probably being the first to play Yente in "Fiddler on the Roof" on Broadway. She held that role over eight years, from 1964 to 1972.

A Christmas Story Live!, on Fox

Andy Walken stars as Ralphie Parker, a 9-year-old who desperately wants to find a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot Range Model air rifle under the tree on Christmas morning in this rebroadcast. This musical adaptation of the classic tale also stars Matthew Broderick.

The cast of "A Christmas Story Live!"
The cast of "A Christmas Story Live!"

The Wonderful World of Disney: Olaf's Frozen Adventure, on ABC

When Anna and Elsa realize they don’t have any family holiday traditions, Olaf tries to help in this animated holiday special. He and Sven the reindeer set out to comb the kingdom for the best holiday traditions.

Olaf in "Olaf's Frozen Adventure"
Olaf in "Olaf's Frozen Adventure"

Q: What is the true reason "Ray Donovan" killed off [that character it killed off]? It doesn't make sense to me.

Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

It seems crazy to offer a spoiler alert for a fact that defined the entire previous season of a show, but in the age of DVRs and binge-watching, who knows how far behind people are. In that spirit, here goes: spoiler alert. I'm about to reveal a major plot point from the beginning of the most recent season of "Ray Donovan."

The Voice, on NBC

After weeks of intense competition, the remaining singers take the stage to prove they have what it takes to make it in the music industry in this special two-hour edition. Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and Jennifer Hudson serve as judges in this season of the hit reality TV show.

Kelly Clarkson in "The Voice"
Kelly Clarkson in "The Voice"

Q: How is the show "Love It or List It" able to renovate three bathrooms and a kitchen, redo a garage into a rec room and then paint the entire house for a budget of $70,000? Are the products donated and the workers volunteering?

Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

Spoken like someone who knows their way around a renovation project. And your expertise hasn't failed you here. "Love It or List It" is able to make such spectacular transformations on unspectacular budgets thanks to a lot of donations. However, you shouldn't necessarily confuse donation with generosity.

Happy Together, on CBS

Young suburban couple Jake (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Claire (Amber Stevens West) continue to adjust to life with a celebrity in this new episode. Pop star Cooper James (Felix Mallard) has been living with them in an effort to escape the paparazzi and live a normal life.

Amber Stevens West and Damon Wayans Jr. in "Happy Together"
Amber Stevens West and Damon Wayans Jr. in "Happy Together"

New Releases for the week of Dec. 16 - 22

A Simple Favor

Widowed single mother Stephanie (Kendrick) meets fellow mom Emily (Lively) while they're both dropping off their sons at school, and the two women quickly become close friends, sharing secrets and enjoying each other's company while their boys have play dates. Things change when Emily calls Stephanie out of the blue and asks her to babysit since Emily's husband, Sean (Golding), is out of town. When Emily disappears and doesn't respond to calls or texts, both Stephanie and Sean become increasingly worried that something terrible has happened to her.

Director: Paul Feig. Stars: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Ian Ho, Joshua Satine. 2018. 117 min. Drama.

 

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt (Vaccaro) finds his life going in a direction that he'd never imagined after his parents are killed in a car crash and he's sent to live with his uncle Jonathan (Black). He meets his uncle's neighbor and best friend, Florence (Blanchett), and not long after, he is woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of a clock ticking in the walls of his uncle's house. He learns that his uncle is a warlock, but when Lewis starts teaching himself magic without Jonathan's supervision, he ends up casting a spell that could bring doom to the entire world.

Director: Eli Roth. Stars: Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Kyle MacLachlan, Renée Elise Goldsberry. 2018. 105 min. Comedy.

 

Venom

When investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Hardy) digs into the unethical and secret experiments being run in the secret lab of a major corporation, he ends up exposed to an alien organism that bonds with his body and speaks only to him. Calling itself Venom, the symbiotic creature helps Brock evade capture by both the company's security forces and by police as it prepares the Earth for an invasion by its villainous species.

Director: Ruben Fleischer. Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott, Jenny Slate. 2018. 112 min. Action.

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