1. I should turn off this Google Alert situation but…
2. ALL THAT REUNION IN APRIL THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!
Other things of note: Xena isn’t the only reboot with an LGBTQ take on a classic. Remember, Heathers and how I not so long ago said there was no way in hell they could make that show interesting for me? Well, I may have spoken too soon. Here’s the scoop according to Washington Blade:
Heather Chandler – The “Queen Bee” Heather will be overweight.
Heather McNamara – The “Dumb Blonde” Heather will be a black lesbian.
Heather Duke -The “Wannabee” (or “green with envy” if you like the color commentary) Heather will be gender-queer. So since all of the Heathers possess qualities that would have made the OG Heathers rip them to shreds and ruin their entire existence, I’m kind of interested to see this world in which the cool kids don’t fit the classic trope. But this will only work if it’s sincere and not just some ill-fated gimmick.
Also, MacGyver cast this dude as MacGyver and he’s so cute that I just might be on board with that reboot too. What’s happening to me??? His name is Lucas Till and I love him (even though I just learned who he is). Thank you Google Alerts.
Why didn’t anyone tell me there was an All That Christmas Special?! I should have been watching it 1995 and not finding out about it on iTunes over a decade later! Also it’s only eighteen minutes and forty-five seconds long, so there is no excuse for not watching this. If you’re like “ahhh the holidays are driving me crazy! I have no time to be festive!” then I recommend you sit down right now and watch this very short children’s program. A lot of these are greatest hits (Super Dude, Cooking with Randy and Manny, Vital Information for your every day life). Do not let the short running time fool you into thinking there aren’t a lot of sketches. There are plenty of sketches. It’s just that some of them are like one minute long.
Anyway, the episode starts off with the meaning of Christmas: materialism. All of the kids tell Santa what they want for Christmas, including Josh who says he is Jewish but is awarded a new computer anyway. Kenan and Lori Beth are excluded because they are not on the nice list this year. Everyone else pretty much asks for the most 90’s stuff ever. I’m surprised someone didn’t request moon boots.
Things All That Kids Want for Christmas:
-Katrina wants a cordless phone
-Monique wants Denzel Washington
-Alisa wants rollerblades (and a lot of other stuff)
-Kel wants $50 cash immediately for a date (well I guess that’s something that has stood the test of time. Santa, if you do exist. Please bring me $50 immediately. I don’t have a date but I would like a little help on my groceries).
So basically this is just an All That episode but every sketch has a Christmas theme. Randy and Mandy’s cooking show is all about making chocolate meals (as usual) but they also include recipes for Chocolate Matzah Ball Soup and Chocolate Turkey Stuffing. Then they mix a chocolate milkshake in Kenan’s mouth and it feels like such a choking hazard that I wonder if this would be allowed today.
Then we get to see Superdude overcome his lactose intolerance and defeat the Milkman, who has kidnapped Santa. Did anyone else feel like Josh as “Milkman” in Super Dude was just doing his best Jim Carrey impression? Actually, maybe all of Josh’s characters are his impersonation of Jim Carrey.
This is only 19 minutes long! Where is the musical guest? Did the DVD cut it?
Anyway, French with Pierre Escargot is still the best part of this show.
Very Special Lesson: There was a severe lack of Lori Beth Denberg in this episode.
Vital information only had 2 lines and neither of them were great. Lori Beth was only been in this episode for 30 seconds total! I would like to send a message to the producers of All That and ask them to get into their space-time-machine and please re-write this episode to include her as an additional villain in the Super Dude sketch. We want to see the stakes raised in a holiday episode! And why have you squandered her talent?!
Very Special Fun Fact: Malcolm-Jamal Warner directed this episode. Also, apparently the episode was 24 minutes long and iTunes ripped me off. Run DMC performs “Christmas in Hollis” in the original performance and there is also a sketch called The Girls’ Christmas Carol.
The Very Special Blog 