Stars on Screen
Sounds like Christmas: Whether it’s soulful croons or twangy tunes that get your head nodding and your foot tapping, it’s almost certain that there’s a musical Christmas special out there putting a spin on the holiday classics that can get you humming along.
Well, Gwen Stefani’s just the latest in a long line of musical stars to embrace the holiday season with her very own festive television special. NBC presents “Gwen Stefani’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” Tuesday, Dec. 12, with the star belting out tunes from her new Christmas album, welcoming a slew of special guests and even mixing in some comedy sketches to lighten up the longer nights of this time of year. In the special, Stefani mixes holiday classics, including “Jingle Bells,” “Santa Baby” and “Silent Night,” in with some of the original pieces from her new Christmas album, “You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” which was released in October and debuted in the top spot on Billboard’s Holiday Album chart.
Stefani herself is a three-time Grammy winner with an impressive vocal range that’s wowed audiences worldwide, first during her time as the lead singer of pop-rock band No Doubt, which achieved huge success in the 1990s, and later with her impressive solo career.
She’s welcoming her boyfriend, country music superstar and five-time “The Voice” winning coach Blake Shelton, for a special duet from her new album. Other guests stopping by include Ken Jeong (“Community”), Chelsea Handler (“Chelsea Lately”), Seth MacFarlane (“The Orville”) and R&B artist Ne-Yo (“World of Dance”). “Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year,” Stefani said in a statement announcing the special. “I am excited to share my new holiday album with everyone and the joy of this holiday season. I look forward to giving audiences
a peek into our family’s favorite Christmas traditions and enjoying some of the music, old and new, that makes the holiday so special.”
Further frontiers: Looks like Seth MacFarlane’s take on the final frontier isn’t so final after all. “The Orville,” the science-fiction series created by and starring the “Family Guy” creator, has had its mission extended with a second-season renewal already engaged by Fox.
MacFarlane stars as the newly appointed captain of an exploratory ship — the Orville of the title — with an eclectic crew serving under him, including his ex-wife Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”). Actors Scott Grimes (“ER”), Penny Johnson Jerald (“24”), PSeptreirnMgsaNcoanti(o“nSahlaPmaerlke,sAs”rk)
Sage (“How to Rock”) round out the crew of intrepid interstellar explorers.
That “The Orville” has been renewed so early in the TV season shouldn’t come as a surprise.Although the series was met with lukewarm reception from critics, it’s performed much better with audiences, holding its own and consistently drawing in an impressive number of eyes to its competitive Thursday night time-slot.
Best known for his animated comedies, including “Family Guy” and “American Dad!,” MacFarlane has taken a more serious tone with “The Orville.” Although it’s not without its lighthearted moments, the comedydrama tends to lean further to the drama side of things — a fitting place for the series that’s meant to be an homage to the original “Star Trek” and “Star Trek:The Next Generation.”
Staying power: Don’t worry, Kardashian fans — the reality TV family isn’t going anywhere any time soon. The “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” gang has signed a new deal with cable channel E! to keep its hit series running through at least 2020.
The series, which is produced by “Live with Kelly and Ryan” host Ryan Seacrest, is in the midst of its 14th season and recently celebrated its 200th episode. Its main focus is on the lives of the three Kardashian sisters — Kim, Kourtney and Khloé — as well as their brother, half-sisters and parents.
Fans will be happy that the show is sticking around, and there sure are lots of them. Despite both the show and the family being frequently skewered by late-night comedians, the Kardashians have built up quite the reality TV empire on E!. “Keeping Up” has expanded from the shorter half-hour format of its first six seasons to filling a full hour these days, and an impressive number of spinoffs have launched over the years as well.