15 unexpected Christmas specials you have to see to believe
Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale
Speaking of A Christmas Carol, not surprisingly, that’s a story that has been parodied a million times in movies, TV shows, and on holiday specials. If you don’t know the story before reading this list, I seriously question what you know. You don’t even need to celebrate Christmas to know about this one.
Kelly Clarkson decided to take a page out of Charles Dickens’ book when it came time for her own Christmas special, Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale to promote her Christmas album, Wrapped in Red. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking, “But what’s so unexpected about a Kelly Clarkson special?” Well, instead of just performing her Christmas songs, the entire show was a musical comedy variety show loosely based on A Christmas Carol, and I definitely never saw that one coming from Kelly!
To start off the story, a little girl narrates what’s happening as she reads the story from a book. Kelly Clarkson’s star is starting to fade, so she needs to come up with a plan fast. Her manager and assistant — played by Ken Jeong and Jai Rodriguez, respectively — help her come up with the perfect idea: starring in a star-studded holiday special! She lands a deal with an NBC executive, played by William Shatner, and she lies and says it will benefit children so she can get more publicity. She even goes on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote it. How meta!
She blackmails Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood to appear on the special and perform “Silent Night” with her, and she gets turned down by celebs like Whoopi Goldberg, Danica Patrick, Heidi Klum, and even the late Robin Williams. Blake Shelton agrees to appear, but Kelly is worried he’ll outshine her, so she puts him to work like an elf. On the night of her special, she’s so embarrassed that there are no celebrities that she storms out of the theatre, unable to face the public.
While she’s outside in the snow, she sees a man and his daughter begging on the street. It’s her assistant, Chad, who sees her and gives her his coat to warm her up. When they bring her to the homeless shelter they’re living in, she is so touched by their generosity that she has a whole new outlook on the holiday.
There are lots more performances and more superstar appearances to come from there. If you’re a fan of Kelly and want to see more of a fun, acting side of her, you should definitely check it out this holiday season!