Today’s post is from the I-Wish-I-Thought-of-That Department.

You know how, at the end of the year, newspapers and magazines always devote lots of copy to recalling all the big-name celebrities who died during the previous 12 months? Well, television writer Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly has taken the concept and applied it to TV characters who kickled the bucket in 2006. The tribute includes folks like Denny Duquette (”Grey’s Anatomy”), Mr. Eko (”Lost”) and Marissa Cooper (”The O.C.”).

It’s a fitting way to emphasize how this was a particularly ghoulish year for prime time. More than ever, it seems, TV producers are upping the storytelling ante with shock-value plots that call for a character’s demise. You can read Michael’s roll call of obits right here.

And speaking of the end of the year, I still want to hear from you on what you believe to be the best/worst shows of 2006. You have my list. Now I want your’s.You can also simply vote for your single TV favorite show on our contracostimes.com poll. As of now, “24″ is kicking butt. Not a good sign for my 2006 champ, “The Office.”

Man, I go away to Tahoe for a few days and what happens? We lose a former president (Gerald Ford) and a pop-cultural icon (James Brown).

Unfortunately, I never got to see Brown perform in person. But I did once get to meet Ford, thanks to my role as a TV critic. A few years ago, Ford appeared at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena as a guest of PBS, which was preparing to air a multi-part documentary on the presidency. I remember the room being packed for that session and seeing something you don’t usually see at TCA: Stern-looking Secret Service agents stationed at the doorwarys.

I also remember that Ford, while slowed physically, was very eloquent and engaging.The whole thing made quite an impression on me because it was the first time I’d ever been in the same room with a past or present president. And it was one of those days when it felt pretty darn cool to have the job I do.

Well, the Freak is taking off with the family for a few days to Tahoe. There, we’ll join our relatives for our traditional Christmas celebration at my sister’s cabin. Bring on the white stuff.

The trip is already starting off on a bad note because Diane and I failed to secure a Nintendo Wii for our sons. We tried standing in line several times only to come up short. Bah humbug. If you got one, congratulations, but don’t talk to me!
So in Tahoe our kids will be forced to play on “antiquated” game systems. Poor them. So abused. … We”ll also go out looking for a tree for the cabin, sled in the snow, maybe go on a sleigh ride, etc. etc. And, at night, we’ll sit around the fire and watch a lot of old Christmas movies.

Speaking of which, whenever I’m getting ready to join the family for the holidays, I’m reminded of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” which is the funniest holiday movie ever. I love it because it captures — in absurdly exaggerated fashion — all the tension and conflict and frenzy that happens when families feel the pressure of trying to get along and have the “perfect” Christmas.

Of course, nothing goes right for poor Clark Griswold in this film and all his family is about to abandon him when he goes ballistic and delivers this classic rant:

Where do you think you’re going? Nobody’s leaving. Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas! … No, no. We’re all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We’re gonna press on, and we’re gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny (bleeping) Kaye! And when Santa squeezes his fat white (butt) down that chimney tonight, he’s gonna find the jolliest bunch of (butt)holes this side of the nuthouse!

I’m sure I’ll be thinking of Clark at least a couple times during our trip. Hopefully, though, all will be calm and bright. … And I hope that you, too, enjoy a happy and safe holiday wherever you are.

I’ll be on break until Thursday, the 28th. Until then, please keep in mind that every time you read this blog, an angel gets its wings.

Ever since it aired on Dec. 4, I’ve heard from a lot of “Studio 60″ fans who fell in love with the show’s beautifully written holiday episode. That night, the show contained a very moving rendition of “O Holy Night” performed by a horn section made up of New Orleans musicians as a tribute to the city that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

A clip of that section of the show is now up on YouTube and you can check it out here. If you didn’t catch the show, you miss some of the context that accompanied the scene, but, still, it’s quite stirring.

Also, on the NBC.com site, there is a link to Tiptina’s Foundation, a group that offers assistance to New Orleans musicians in need. In addition, it contains some information on the musicians who performed in the “Studio 60″ episode.

Finally, we should point out that NBC is re-airing the “Studio 60″ holiday episode at 10 p.m. Dec. 18.

Before I get to the winner of the “M*A*S*H” DVD set, I want to thank everyone who participated. This was probably the most coveted set we’ve given away so far. That fact, plus a little promotional boost from our Web team, added up to the most entries we’ve ever had for a trivia challenge.

I saw a lot of fresh names among those entries — people new to the Freak blog. Hopefully, many of you will feel compelled to drop by in the future and let us know your opinions about the current TV scene. Also, once the new year starts, we’ll be resuming our weekly giveaways. So come join us and tell your friends.

Anyway, I threw all your names in a bucket and had my son Sam do the honors. The name he pulled out was (drumroll please) … Heather Larsen! … So happy holidays and congrats to her.

BTW, I wanna point out that we were pretty loose on our acceptance of answers. The Entertainment Weekly book we were cribbing from had these cities listed for the “M*A*S*H” signpost: Coney Island, Burbank, San Francisco, Death Valley, Indianapolis, Decatur, Tokyo, Boston and Seoul. But some of you pointed out that the sign varied at times and so we accepted “Toledo” as well.

I’m so glad that the winner of ‘Survivor’ is going to be from the minority. I think it speaks volumes that often the strongest teams are the ones that have a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. — Yul Kwon.

It was the work of a mastermind, and at times, it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Calmly pulling strings in ways Richard Hatch never could have imagined, Walnut Creek native Yul Kwon won “Survivor: Cook Islands” Sunday night, prevailing in a classic brains-vs.-brawn showdown.

The hunky Kwon, a Northgate High School grad who who now lives in San Mateo, became the second Bay Area resident to rule “Survivor.” He joins Hayward’s Vecepia Towery, who captured the Marquesas edition and was the first African-American to win the game.

En route to the title, Yul manipulated the action with savvy leadership and politicking. He edged Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth 5-4 in the final vote to nab the $1 million prize. While Yul dominated strategically, Ozzy dominated physically, winning five immunity challenges in all. It was the strongest final two ever (even though we actually had a final three — but Becky Lee was a non-factor).

“It’s the first time I’ve ever felt bad that somebody didn’t win,” host Jeff Probst said. “It was so evenly matched.”

I haven’t been the biggest fan of “Survivor” in recent seasons and I have to admit that I bailed on this 13th edition after Week 2, when the show dismantled its controversial tribe-by-race format with a merger. But Yul’s ongoing success led me back as the game entered its stretch run and I thought the show had one of its best finishes in a long time. The way Yul was so crafty in playing the immunity idol and bringing his tribe back from the brink of elimination (without really ticking people off) made for some must-see moments.

Yul, a 31-year-old management consultant with degrees from Stanford University and Yale Law School, was deemed the “godfather” for the way he played puppetmaster. But he also won over fans with a buff bod and easygoing demeanor. “I wanted America to see Asian-American men as they truly are,” he said while speaking about the underepresentation of minorities on television. …”I want to be a very visible spokesman for talking about how we can get more minorities on TV.”

You go, Yul.

Like feverish elves working under a deadline crunch, critics all over the country — including Yours Truly — are grappling with that dreaded holiday ritual known as the best-worst list.

Yes, it’s time to look back over the year and recall what shows were naughty or nice. The task is somewhat trickier for a TV critic compared to, say, a movie or music reviewer because 1). We’re not looking at close-ended components, but something that evolves over time, and 2). TV is a seasonal, not yearly, proposition.

No. 2 comes into play for several shows. Take “Lost,” for example. The drama, now in Season 3, has shown signs of a limp this fall. But when judging “Lost,” you must also factor in the tail end of Season 2 that appeared earlier this year.

In addition, it’s important not to get too caught up in what’s wowing you now (“Heroes”) at the expense of a show that finished its run much earlier in the year (“Deadwood”).

Anyway, our lists are scheduled to appear in the Christmas Eve edition of the Times’ A&E section. But in the meantime, let’s see your lists. I want to hear from you on what you thought were the best and worst TV shows of the year. What shows can’t you live without? And what shows were so abhorrent and vile they practically made you want to gouge your eyes out?

Your list doesn’t have to consist of 10 shows. It can be less. But do tell, please. Just click on “Comments” and tap away.

Let’s talk Golden Globes today, but first a plug for tonight’s one-hour edition of “The Office,” starting at a special time (8 p.m., NBC). I’ve already seen it and I’m happy to report that it matches and/or exceeds last year’s brilliant holiday episode.

“Benihana Christmas,” as it is titled, offers up a two-pronged storyline: One has a rift that pits the very anal Angela against Pam and Karen as they plan the office party. The other has Michael wallowing in self pity during a drunken lunch after Carol dumps him. Oh, and then there’s Dwight trying to make a Christmas meal out of roadkill. … I won’t give anything else away. Just check it out an enjoy.

Now on to the Golden Globes, which always manage to surprise us. First off, the GGs deserve some credit for being less stodgy than the Emmys and consistently recognizing new shows/performers. For example, first-year shows among the drama nominees were “Heroes” and “Big Love.” (The rest of the field: “24,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Lost.”). And rookie hit “Ugly Betty” was included among the comedies (The rest of the field: “Desperate Housewives,” “Entourage,” “Weeds,” and “The Office”).

Still, I would have preferred a drama list that contained “Deadwood,” “The Wire” and “Friday Night Lights” and, among the comedies, I continue to be amazed that “My Name Is Earl” doesn’t garner more recognition.

Here are the other key nominees:

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a fan of “Scrubs” (and who isn’t?), you definitely won’t want to miss this hilarious clip of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with alternative voiceovers by the “Scrubs” cast that we found on YouTube.

J.D. plays the glum Charlie Brown, while Dr. Cox is Linus, Carla is Lucy, Turk is Schroeder and Elliot does a a hysterical turn as an inebriated Sally. Word of warning: The clip is a little coarse at times, so you won’t want to play it for your young children. Fortunately, it’s not a mean-spirited rip-off. Yes, Dr. Cox completely changes the Linus speech about the true meaning of Christmas, but it still carries a a message of love and hope.

The clip is so funny and done so well that we’d love to see it start a trend. How about having the cast of “Lost” doing “It’s a Wonderful Life”?

Fans of “American Idol” will certainly remember Jennifer Hudson. Just a couple of years ago, she was one of three female black singers on the show that judges and viewers called “the three divas.” (Oakland’s La Toya London and eventual winner, Fantasia, were the others).

Fans will also remember that Hudson, possessor of a thunderous voice, suffered a stunningly early ouster in a controversial voting decision that some pronounced as racist. After touring that summer with the other finalists, she disappeared from view and seemed destined for the same fate that greets most “Idol” rejects: show-biz obscurity.

Not so fast. Hudson now could be the belle of the Oscar ball as she’s generating major buzz for her show-stopping performance in the new movie musical, “Dreamgirls.” She also just signed a recording contract with legendary producer Clive Davis.

It’s one of those feel-good underdog stories, made all the better by the fact that Hudson seems genuinely exuberant and unassuming about the whole thing. I had a chance to interview recently in San Francisco and found her to be utterly charming. The film gets an early engagement in the Bay Area this week and, if you go, you’ll be blown away by this 25-year-old dynamo. First, though, I hope you check out my TimeOut interview with Jennifer Hudson.