EBBIE (1995) Balladeer’s Blog’s Ninth Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon rolls along with this 1995 telefilm starring soap opera queen Susan Lucci. The eternally-sexy Lucci plays Elizabeth “Ebbie” Scrooge, our regulation “grasping and covetous” business magnate who runs the Dobson’s department store empire. This version of A Christmas Carol is kind of cute and it tries hard.
At its core Ebbie combines the Dickens tale with elements of the Diane Keaton movie Baby Boom. The dialogue self-consciously uses Big Business/ Executive Culture cliches in various exchanges. For example, where Scrooge normally says “Can’t I take them (the Ghosts) all at once and have it over with” Ebbie instead says “Can’t I just Conference Call them all in and have it over with?” Plus Marley’s Ghost refers to Scrooge “taking meetings” with the three Spirits. Sometimes these substitutions are amusing, other times just eye-rolling.
Ebbie is one of those Carols which make the Ghosts look like people that the Scrooge figure knows in real life. Personally I don’t care for that approach but others do, so it’s all just a question of taste. An interesting note is that outside of Susan Lucci and the guy who plays her late partner Jake Marley (Jeffrey DeMunn) virtually NOBODY in the cast is recognizable. It’s like The Susan Lucci Community Theater Players Present A Christmas Carol.
Taking the crucial elements of the tale in order: Continue reading
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS were hosting the defending National Champions – the UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS COUGARS. Just as much as the Mustangs were fighting USF they were also fighting their history of playoff chokes in recent years. 
SECOND SEMIFINAL – In this game the BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS traveled to take on the KANSAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY COYOTES. Not only did this clash end in an Upset but it was an odd tale of two halves. By the break the Coyotes had come back from being down 13-0 in the opening Quarter to trailing the Ravens by a much tighter score of 20-14. 
HODADEION PART 9 – BATTLE WITH A WHIRLWIND – At what is now called Niagara Falls, the demigod Hodadeion stood facing an enormous Dagwanoenyent. Those beings were the ancient whirlwinds so often fought by Iroquois deities. 
VICTORY BOWL – Last night’s 2018 edition of the post-season Bowl Game in the NCCAA pitted the OLIVET NAZARENE UNIVERSITY TIGERS against the OTTAWA (AZ) UNIVERSITY SPIRIT. The Spirit made it to the Victory Bowl in just their first-ever year of intercollegiate football! 
Privileged white one percenter Alyssa Milano told a non-existent reporter for Balladeer’s Blog that for Christmas she recommends the new book BARACK OBAMA IS AFRAID OF SHARYL ATTKISSON: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE SHENANIGANS OF AMERICA’S 44th PRESIDENT. 
15: Benghazi
26: Hillary Clinton
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Last night the Defending National Champions – the EAST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE LIONS – took on the 2016 Champions – the GARDEN CITY COLLEGE BRONCBUSTERS – for the 2018 title. Defense was the name of the game, with the Lions on top just 3-0 in the 1st Quarter and 10-0 at Halftime. 
ALL-STAR COMICS #4 (March 1941) 
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