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Diva's Christmas Carol
Paramount // PG // November 19, 2002
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although the opening credits sequence seems an awful lot like outtakes from a Hallmark ad, "Diva's Christmas Carol" proved to be a fun and entertaining holiday program that had some inspired moments and a terrific lead performance. Vanessa Williams stars as Ebony Scrooge, a demanding (to put it lightly) singer who yells at each member of the film crew of her latest video in the opening scenes of this VH1 picture.
When the Diva reaches New York City for a charity concert (where all of the money for the charity will end up in her pocket), she gets into the hotel and settles in for the night. As the sun sets, she finds herself visited by a former backup singer (TLC's Chilli) Christmas Past, Present, and Future ("Suddenly Susan"'s Kathy Griffin, Duran Duran's John Taylor and an episode of "Behind The Music") who all attempt to change her bitchy ways.
You can probably see where this is going (the Diva's kind manager has a sick son named Tim), but the fun is in the performances. Williams is unexpectedly terrific, playing the Diva role with a capital D. Kathy Griffin is at her funniest playing off of Williams's mean-spiritedness. There's also some very good supporting and minor parts - some of the flashbacks are especially moving and well-acted. I expected a series of predictable moments and potentially sappy emotion from "Diva's Christmas Carol", but found it to be a much more rewarding and satisfying program than the usual holiday fare.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Diva's Christmas Carol" is presented by Paramount in 1.33:1 full-frame, the original aspect ratio of the broadcast on VH-1. The picture quality is above-average for this kind of material and the budget also appears to be fairly high. Sharpness and detail are generally very strong, with some scenes appearing especially crystal clear.
The presentation offers little in the way of concerns throughout. Edge enhancement is an occasional issue, but only light amounts are present. No pixelation or print flaws were visible, either. Colors remained warm and vivid throughout, with no smearing or other faults.
SOUND: The program is presented with its original stereo soundtrack. Dialogue and the occasional songs are presented with fine clarity and detail.
EXTRAS: Nothing.
Final Thoughts: "Diva's Christmas Carol" proved to be an entertaining and unexpectedly well-done holiday program that provided solid performances and just enough twists on the classic tale. Paramount's DVD provides fine audio/video quality, but the $29.99 price for the short program with no supplements seems a little high. Definitely worth checking out as a rental during the holiday season, though.
Although the opening credits sequence seems an awful lot like outtakes from a Hallmark ad, "Diva's Christmas Carol" proved to be a fun and entertaining holiday program that had some inspired moments and a terrific lead performance. Vanessa Williams stars as Ebony Scrooge, a demanding (to put it lightly) singer who yells at each member of the film crew of her latest video in the opening scenes of this VH1 picture.
When the Diva reaches New York City for a charity concert (where all of the money for the charity will end up in her pocket), she gets into the hotel and settles in for the night. As the sun sets, she finds herself visited by a former backup singer (TLC's Chilli) Christmas Past, Present, and Future ("Suddenly Susan"'s Kathy Griffin, Duran Duran's John Taylor and an episode of "Behind The Music") who all attempt to change her bitchy ways.
You can probably see where this is going (the Diva's kind manager has a sick son named Tim), but the fun is in the performances. Williams is unexpectedly terrific, playing the Diva role with a capital D. Kathy Griffin is at her funniest playing off of Williams's mean-spiritedness. There's also some very good supporting and minor parts - some of the flashbacks are especially moving and well-acted. I expected a series of predictable moments and potentially sappy emotion from "Diva's Christmas Carol", but found it to be a much more rewarding and satisfying program than the usual holiday fare.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Diva's Christmas Carol" is presented by Paramount in 1.33:1 full-frame, the original aspect ratio of the broadcast on VH-1. The picture quality is above-average for this kind of material and the budget also appears to be fairly high. Sharpness and detail are generally very strong, with some scenes appearing especially crystal clear.
The presentation offers little in the way of concerns throughout. Edge enhancement is an occasional issue, but only light amounts are present. No pixelation or print flaws were visible, either. Colors remained warm and vivid throughout, with no smearing or other faults.
SOUND: The program is presented with its original stereo soundtrack. Dialogue and the occasional songs are presented with fine clarity and detail.
EXTRAS: Nothing.
Final Thoughts: "Diva's Christmas Carol" proved to be an entertaining and unexpectedly well-done holiday program that provided solid performances and just enough twists on the classic tale. Paramount's DVD provides fine audio/video quality, but the $29.99 price for the short program with no supplements seems a little high. Definitely worth checking out as a rental during the holiday season, though.
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