Over the next two days, WBNX has a sleighfull of holiday specials and Christmas-themed programs to keep your family occupied—before and after Santa’s arrival.  Wednesday night, Emma Roberts and Norm McDonald are the voice stars of our brand new animated hour, The Flight Before Christmas; followed by The Story of Santa Claus—featuring old pals from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Betty White and Ed Asner.  Earlier risers on Christmas morning will find TV specials beginning at 6am; and throughout the day, sitcom families celebrate the season in their own humor-filled ways.  Sam and Dean Winchester aren’t laughing, however, when they track down the Anti-Santa on A Very Supernatural Christmas.  Here’s a quick rundown of at least a dozen Yuletide shows you can enjoy: 

Christmas Eve:

8pm The Flight Before Christmas
9pm The Story of Santa Claus
11:30 Frasier

Christmas Day:

6am Red Boots for Christmas
6:30 The Stableboy’s Christmas
7am Christmas Memories
7:30 A Fresh Prince Christmas
6:30p According to Jim: Christmas Party
9pm A Very Supernatural Christmas
10pm Friends: Christmas in Tulsa
11pm George Lopez: Christmas Punch
11:30 Frasier: Fight Before Christmas

Eight popular WBNX series have DVD releases scheduled for this summer.  Here’s a quick rundown of the shows and extras you can expect.  Many of these sets can be pre-ordered now on amazon.com.

Degrassi: The Next Generation, Season 6, with 19 episodes: (now available)
Extras include deleted moments and bloopers, cast auditions, the Degrassi Yearbook and more.

Girlfriends, Season 4, with 24 episodes: (July 29)
No extras announced.

Gossip Girl, Season 1, with 18 episodes: (Aug. 19)
Features include unaired scenes; 3 new featurettes; music videos; gag reel; and a free audio download of the original best-selling book, read by Christina Ricci.

One Tree Hill, Season 5, with 18 episodes: (Aug. 26)
Bonus material includes unaired scenes; 100th episode celebration; OTH musical stars behind-the-scenes; “Fast Forward” discussion with cast and crew about moving the storyline ahead four years; commentary on two episodes by series creator Mark Schwahn and key cast and crew; gag reel; and a bonus offer for a digital copy of the entire season.

Everybody Hates Chris, Season 3, with 22 episodes: (Aug. 26)
Extras include featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and commentaries on selected episodes.

Supernatural, Season 3, with 16 episodes: (Sept. 2)
Features include an in-depth look at the series’ special effects; inside the classic 1967 Chevy Impala; segments with creative team members discussing favorite aspects of episodes; Ghostfacers! Confessionals gallery; gag reel; and a digital copy of the entire season.

Smallville, Season 7, with 20 episodes: (Sept. 9)
Extras include featurettes on Supergirl and Jimmy Olson; Smallville Legends mobisodes; commentaries with producers Al Gough and Miles Millar, plus cast members John Glover and Justin Hartley; a comic book; and unaired scenes.

According to Jim, Season 1, with 22 episodes: (Sept. 9)
After seven years and 162 episodes, this family comedy finally gets a DVD release!  No details yet about extras.

Jim Belushi isn’t about to take it easy when According To Jim wraps up its seven-year network run this spring. He and Dan Ackroyd are rumbling into major cities with The Blues Brothers concert tour, 30 years after the music act’s debut album reached #1 on the Billboard charts and went double-platinum. At that time, of course, Jim’s brother, John (“Jake”), was performing alongside Ackroyd (“Elwood”). It was also two years before their now cult-classic film, The Blues Brothers, rocked the box-office. Years after John’s death in ‘82, Jim was persuaded to join the group as younger sibling “Zee,” and the blues/soul/R&B icons have continued to make sporadic live appearances as their schedules allow. On the recent Grammy Award weekend, Jim and Dan joined the MusiCares tribute to Aretha Franklin, recreating her famous Think diner scene from the original BB film. The guys’ love of blues music led to Ackroyd co-founding the nationwide House of Blues chain, with Belushi also investing in the enterprise. In fact, prior to his role as Zee Blues, Belushi was the singing frontman for the House of Blues’ own band, The Sacred Hearts—and they’ve released two albums, one a 14-song soundtrack from According to Jim! Then, five years ago, Jim and Dan recorded their lone album together:  Have Love, Will Travel. It’s a rare success story, how one sketch on SNL could launch a rugged blues act that’s endured for decades, spawned hundreds of “tribute” clones, enjoyed film success and continues to pack ‘em in at concert venues. Ackroyd, incidentally, has guest-starred four times on According to Jim, and you can see his most-recent episode next Wed., March 3, at 6:30pm on WBNX.