Somewhere, Jennings Osborne is smiling.
It’s hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the late philanthropist stirred things up with his family’s massive 3.2-million-light Christmas display.
The Osborne’s three house compound stretched 600 feet along busy Cantrell Road in Little Rock and the display attracted hordes of visitors, garnered international attention, and royally ticked off the neighbors.
Lawyers got involved in 1993.
A chancery judge declared the light display a public nuisance and imposed restrictions. Osborne appealed.
The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Dec. 5, 1994, that the Osborne lights were a nuisance, as neighbors had contended, and barred the family from setting up such a massive display.
Depending on your perspective, the light show was either glorious or gauche, inspiring or insipid, excellent or egregiously excessive.
Traffic jams are not an issue with a new competition series airing on ABC.
The Great Christmas Light Fight debuted last week and continues at 8 p.m. Monday with two episodes back to back. The competition concludes with double episodes at the same time Dec. 23.
ABC has tapped into something of great interest here. Most neighborhoods have at least one house that goes all out with Clark Griswoldian extravagance. We used to have one across the street that featured a giant white star that took up most of the roof. I’m certain it was visible from the Space Station.
It didn’t seem like Christmas until the star was blazing. (I always wondered if it melted the shingles.)
With The Great Christmas Light Fight, ABC is presenting “a tree-mendous battle of the bulbs” that boasts $250,000 in total prize money ($50,000 won each episode). That’s almost enough to pay the seasonal electric bills for these folks. One family even uses four miles of extension cords.
ABC claims it’s “the most electrifying competition on TV.”
In the program, 20 families from across America have decorated their homes to the extreme. The families were chosen through an extensive nationwide search based on their previous elaborate Christmas light displays, dazzling choreography and over the-top designs.
Michael Moloney and Sabrina Soto from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition are the judges.
Finally, if you’ve settled for a few strings of lighted icicles along the gutter and an inflatable snowman in the yard, maybe these folks will give you some inspiration.
TV lesson. Here’s how you get an early renewal in the television business. First, have good storytelling and brilliant acting. Next, become the No. 1 drama in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic.
It’s also helpful to be the most-watched new drama on the network in 19 years.
That’s the accomplishment so far for NBC’s The Blacklist, starring James Spader and Megan Boone. The reward? A rare, 22-episode, full second season order only eight weeks into its first season run.
The Blacklist is a breakout hit, earning 16.9 million viewers in its same-day plus seven-day recorded viewing. Note: The networks routinely figure in delayed viewing (On Demand, DVR) these days. An average of 6.1 million view The Blacklist on a delayed basis.
The Blacklist returns from its winter hiatus at 9 p.m. Jan. 13.
Obamas decorate. It’s always interesting to see how the Joneses have their home decorated for Christmas. In this case, the home is the White House and the Joneses are the Obamas.
White House Christmas 2013 airs at 7 p.m. today on HGTV.
Viewers get to follow along with host/interior designer Genevieve Gorder (Dear Genevieve) in a behind-the-scenes look at how the White House is decorated for the holidays.
HGTV will show how each room is transformed to reflect first lady Michelle Obama’s “Gather Around” theme for 2013.
From the official Christmas tree in the Blue Room to the iconic gingerbread replica of the White House, viewers will see designers, White House staff and volunteers bring the theme to life.
Using handmade crafts and recycled classic pieces, the Gather Around decorations tell a story with each room. Special art displays and Christmas trees made from repurposed books “contribute to the theme that uses warm, traditional colors inspired by nature.”
Finale tonight. In case you’re still watching (I’m not), the latest Survivor finale airs at 7 p.m. today on CBS.
The series, which debuted in 2000, is in its 27th season. Titled Survivor: Blood vs. Water, this version featured former contestants competing against their loved ones.
It’s the latest gimmick in a series that long ago ran out of fresh ideas for me.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: [email protected]
Style, Pages 48 on 12/15/2013