And at the other end of the spectrum....

Day 2: SCROOGED

As much as Scrooge is classic, traditional English Dickens, Scrooged is not. This movie was released in 1988 with Bill Murray playing Frank Cross, an Ebeneezer Scrooge type character who is the head of a huge television network. Greed and the lack of building relationships and caring for your fellow man are still the running themes, but we are thrown into a totally different world. As you can expect from a movie starring Bill Murray, there are plenty of laughs, but don't think it's played totally for comedy because that's just about the time you'll be surprised as you're shedding a tear. This cast is packed with stars: Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Robert Mitchum, Carol Kane (my personal favorite as Christmas Present), Buddy Hackett, Bobcat Goldthwaite, and Alfre Woodard, just to name a few. So many times when someone tries to reinvent a classic, it comes off stale or just plain bad, but not this story by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue. It's so inventive and fresh. Christmas past is played by David Johansen in the form of a cigar smoking cab driver that transports Frank through his past. Christmas present is played deliciously ditzy by Carol Kane as a fairy princess type who can really pack a punch and the scene between Frank Cross and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in the elevator is priceless! If you're not that into Dickens traditional telling, you'll love this rendition. It promises laughs. Few people have a way with comedy the way Bill Murray does, but it will warm your heart as well at this season.