TV News: The CW Gets Into the Spirit With Schedule of Upcoming Holiday Specials

In a press release:

THE CW GETS INTO THE SPIRIT WITH ITS SCHEDULE

OF UPCOMING HOLIDAY SPECIALS

All-New and Classic Holiday-Themed Specials Include GREATEST HOLIDAY COMMERCIALS COUNTDOWN, KUNG FU PANDA HOLIDAY,

MERRY MADAGASCAR, GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER,

MR. MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL

iHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL Airs Thursday December 17

THE 84^th ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE with Grand Marshalls

Penn & Teller Airs Friday, December 11

October 30, 2015 (Burbank, CA) – The CW today announced its slate of upcoming all-new and classic holiday specials.

Tuesday, November 24

ONE-HOUR SPECIAL

“GREATEST HOLIDAY COMMERCIALS COUNTDOWN” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)

(Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

A CELEBRATION OF THE BEST HOLIDAY COMMERCIALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD — Kevin Frazier (“Entertainment Tonight”) and Keltie Knight (“The Insider”) host this holiday celebration with a countdown of the 12 best holiday commercials ever – one for each of the 12 days of Christmas. In addition to the top 12, the special features other great commercials from both the U.S. and abroad, that capture the true spirit of the holiday season – from the heartfelt to the hilarious, from the outstanding to the ridiculous. Executive Producers are Robert Horowitz and Steve Mayer. Produced by Tony Lanni and directed by Mark Ritchie. An encore presentation will air on Monday, November 30.

Wednesday, November 25

TWO-HOUR MOVIE

“PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES” — (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

(TV-PG, DL) (HDTV)

STEVE MARTIN AND JOHN CANDY STAR— Neal Page (Martin), a high-strung advertising executive, meets Del Griffith (Candy), an eternally optimistic, overly talkative, well-meaning but clumsy shower curtain-ring salesman, who seems to live in a world governed by a different set of rules. They share a three-day odyssey of misadventures trying to get Neal home to Chicago from New York City in time for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. The 1987 comedy was written, produced and directed by John Hughes.

Friday, November 27

ONE-HOUR SPECIAL

“GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-G)

A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL BASED ON THE HIT HOLIDAY SONG — Based on the hit song that became a worldwide holiday phenomenon, this goofy and heartwarming adventure features young Jake Spankenheimer on the quest of a lifetime to track his missing Grandma down on Christmas Eve and prove that Santa Claus is indeed real. Michele Lee (“Knots Landing”) provides the voice of Jake’s greedy Cousin Mel and recording artist Elmo Shropshire provides the narration. An encore presentation of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” will air on Friday, December 18.

HALF-HOUR ANIMATED SPECIAL

“KUNG FU PANDA HOLIDAY” — (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET) (TV-G) (HDTV)

A HOLIDAY SPECIAL WITH THE VOICE TALENTS OF JACK BLACK, ANGELINA JOLIE AND DUSTIN HOFFMAN — The Winter Festival is coming and Po, the Kung Fu Panda, is asked to host the exclusive formal banquet for all the Masters of Kung Fu. However, the occasion is on the same night as his father’s own party. Feeling guilty and burdened by work he has taken on, Po is unsure which way to turn until he realizes who truly needs him more on the big night. The special was written by Jonathan Groff and Jon Pollack and directed by Tim Johnson.

HALF-HOUR ANIMATED SPECIAL

“MERRY MADAGASCAR” — (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET) (TV-G) (HDTV)

A HOLIDAY SPECIAL WITH THE VOICE TALENTS OF BEN STILLER, CHRIS ROCK, DAVID SCHWIMMER — When anta and his reindeer crash onto Madagascar it’s up to Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melvin and the penguins to save Christmas. The special was written by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and David Soren and directed by David Soren.

Friday, December 11

TWO-HOUR SPECIAL

“THE 84^th ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE” — (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

THE “LARGEST CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION” IN AMERICA— Penn & Teller serve as Grand Marshalls for the 84^th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade. Co-hosted by popular television personalities Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams, the parade on Hollywood Boulevard will include live musical performances that will take place on two stages. A true Hollywood tradition, the parade features larger-than-life inflatable character balloons, and celebrity-filled cars making the heralded trek down the parade route.

Thursday, December 17

90-MINUTE SPECIAL

“iHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL” — (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET)

(Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

THE WEEKND, CALVIN HARRIS, SELENA GOMEZ, AND MORE IN AN ALL-STAR HOLIDAY CONCERT EVENT — The star-studded concert from Madison Square Garden is hosted by Elvis Duran of iHeartMedia’s Z100, New York’s Hit Music Station. Additional musical performers will include 5 Seconds of Summer, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, and others. Encore presentations of “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball” will air on Friday, December 25 and Wednesday, December 30.

Thursday, December 24

ONE-HOUR ANIMATED SPECIAL

“MR. MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD)

MR. MAGOO STARS AS EBENEZER SCROOGE IN THE CLASSIC DICKENS TALE —This animated musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved Christmas ghost story stars the nearsighted Mr. Magoo as Ebenezer Scrooge. Featuring the voice of Jim Backus as Magoo, with voice-over appearances by Paul Frees, Morey Amsterdam, Joan Gardner, and Jack Cassidy, this 1962 special was the first animated holiday program ever produced for television. The special was directed by Abe Levitow, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill.

On Thursday, December 31, The CW will rebroadcast the “iHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL – Night 1 (2015)” with performances by Sam Smith, Coldplay, Kenny Cheseny, Kanye West and more and on Friday, January 1, a rebroadcast of the “iHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL – Night 2 (2015)” featuring performances by The Weeknd, Fall Out Boy, Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas and more.