The O.C. - 12/16/04
 

"The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't", Episode #206.



Cast: Peter Gallagher, Benjamin McKenzie, Kelly Rowan, Adam Brody, Mischa Barton, Tate Donovan, Rachel Bilson, Melinda Clarke, Alan Dale, Shannon Lucio, Kathleen York.
Producer(s): Josh Schwartz, Doug Liman, McG, Dave Bartis, Bob DeLaurentis.

Original Airdate: December 16, 2004.





Chrismukkah is here!!! :banana:

:up:

The last new episode of the year. Can't wait!

Chrismukkah!!!! I Can't wait.

'O.C.' fans are invited for 'Chrismukkah'

By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

Will this be a merry Chrismukkah for The O.C.?

The blended event has become such a cult holiday for the show, even though this is only its second year, that the "Yarmuclaus," a Santa hat/yarmulke that makes its debut tonight (8 ET/PT), is a hot seller at www.theocinsider.com.

"Last year, we felt like we got some nice traction," show creator Josh Schwartz says. "We felt like we could come back to it this year." And on tonight's episode, he teases, "There might be a Chrismukkah miracle."

Schwartz could be hoping that the miracle comes in the form of ratings. This season's move from Wednesdays to Thursdays has been tough for The O.C.

Though this season's first episode in November drew 8.6 million viewers, the numbers have dropped each week since. The show is down 1 million viewers on average from last year.

Fox still sees the move as a plus, because The O.C. has improved the networks' previous three-year season average in the time period by 57% among the young adults prized by advertisers and by 96% among teens.

"It's all sort of how you look at it," Schwartz says. The hope is that when American Idol returns in January, viewers will flock back to Fox.

"I think we'll continue to grow as people start buzzing about it in January," he says. "We're on for 12 straight episodes. I really think we'll build from there."

And there will be plenty to buzz about (warning: spoilers ahead):



and:

The Annotated O.C.: Dec. 9th Episode

and:

Have a merry little Chrismukkah

By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY

The newest faux holiday that companies are using to make a buck this season is "Chrismukkah," a mishmash of Christmas and Hanukkah.

As with "Festivus" (the Dec. 23 holiday for the "rest of us") from Seinfeld, Chrismukkah is a made-for-TV holiday. It came out of an episode last December of Fox's teen soap opera, The O.C. Character Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) creates the faux holiday for his Protestant-Jewish family. (Related: 'O.C.' fans are invited for 'Chrismukkah')

The idea has taken on a life of its own, and O.C. producer Warner Bros. now is hawking Chrismukkah greeting cards, T-shirts and more at www.theocinsider.com.

Chrismukkah "is a huge hit with consumers," says Lisa Gregorian, Warner senior vice president of TV creative services. "It's obviously something a lot of Americans can relate to: having one Christian parent and another who's Jewish."

O.C. creator Josh Schwartz told reporters in a conference call Monday that while Chrismukkah is fake, the feelings behind it are real. "What Jewish boy or girl growing up doesn't feel a little jealous? They get all the good songs, the tree, Frosty and Rudolph. We get dreidels. It's not the same."

A study of the nation's 5.2 million Jews showed 47% of Jewish spouses wed since 1996 married non-Jews, says Glenn Rosenkrantz of United Jewish Communities.

While interfaith households long have created their own holiday rituals, the catchy Chrismukkah name is new, and so are the resulting efforts to cash in on it. Details:

•The "Yarmuclaus." A fuzzy, red mix of a Santa Claus hat and Jewish yarmulke, Warner's $15.95 Yarmuclaus sold out before its O.C. debut in tonight's episode. "It's kitschy, people get it," Gregorian says.

Warner also offers O.C.-inspired Chrismukkah items such as boxes of Merry Chrismukkah cards ($15.95) and "Menorah & Candy Canes" wrapping paper ($12.95).

•Merry Mazol Tov. Inspired by last year's "Chrismukkah" episode, Web entrepreneurs Ron and Michelle Gompertz, a Jewish/Protestant couple, left their California beach house and moved to Montana to launch Chrismukkah.com. The site sells items that combine secular Christmas symbols with Hanukkah symbols, including cards with reindeer that have menorah antlers ($15 per dozen), "Merry Mazel Tov" mugs ($11.99) and "Oy Joy" coasters, teddy bears and T-shirts ($5.99-$15.99). Ron Gompertz expects revenue of $35,000 from sales of 40,000 to 45,000 greeting cards. "We're not any more offensive than the average episode of South Park. We're being wildly irreverent in a humorous way," says Ron Gompertz, a son of Holocaust survivors.

Chrismukkah marketers have tried to not offend religious groups. They drop the "t," for example, to avoid the word Christ.

But not everyone thinks Chrismukkah is hip and witty. Calling it a "multicultural mess," The Catholic League and the New York Board of Rabbis, in a joint statement, condemned Chrismukkah as "insulting" to Jews and Christians.

The company Mixed Blessing has sold interfaith holiday cards for 14 years and expects to sell more than 250,000 this year at $13 for a box of 10. But it will not use the word Chrismukkah, owner Philip Okrend says. "We're not trying to create a new holiday. We're trying to portray the holidays side by side."

The big greeting card makers also are taking a pass on the Chrismukkah fad. "We don't want to run the risk of offending people, because Christmas and Hanukkah are very religious holidays," says spokeswoman Amanda Todorovich of American Greetings, a $2 billion company that does offer a dozen interfaith cards.

Hallmark has seven mixed-faith cards this holiday, but "until there's a large consumer demand, we won't offer Chrismukkah cards," says Deidre Parkes, spokeswoman for the $4.3 billion card giant.

Meanwhile, O.C.'s Seth might coin more holidays, Schwartz says, "like Eastover and Kwanzashonna."

Contributing: Ann Oldenburg

I love Chrismukkah. A Chrismukkah miracle? God bless us, everyone.

I lost it when Seth went into "Chrismukka Backlash" mode, and then capped it off with "Eastover". HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Love the Yama-Claus.

decent episode

things really look to get going in January

Jesus and Moses both have beards. I wanted to celebrate Chrismukkah this year but my family does not have any Chrismukkah spirit. I am looking forward to TWELVE straight weeks of the O.C. bitch!!!

Chrismukkah is about the only thing that has ever gotten me to like something about the holiday season. Not even Festivus was its equal.

And The O.C. is one of the very few programs that's ever done holiday shows I like.

I enjoyed the Chrismukka 2004 episode very much, Seth was bringing the funny, and the core of the show: family, came shining through once again.

Can't wait for Seth to start introducing Lindsay as his aunt in school and social events. :D

Good mix of drama and the funny. No punches were thrown, but we had multiple incidents involving the slap.

I like the addition of Lindsey.

Marissa is still alive. :down:
No D.J. :up:

The interaction between Summer and Seth was quite nostalgic - made me think of the first season.

Good episode. The Summer and Seth scenes were good and Seth was in 1st season form tonight.

Lindsay has been a nice addition to the show.

The end of the preview with should give the PTC plenty of time to sharpen their pitchforks and light their torches.

Great episode! Oy Humbug LOL. Loved the ending.

I can't believe that people think Chrismukkah is "insulting to Jews and Christians". Isn't is better to combine the two holidays then someone of mixed faith having to chose one? I for one think Chrismukkah is a great idea.

The whole ending was little too sugary sweet for my taste.

maybe the worst episode ever of the oc. seth, adam brody, is getting so annoying. It was okay when he was a geek now after dating 2 hotties, it is just annoying, and self absorbed. this show is spiraling down int0 902110 territory after shannon left. a lesbian relationship for marissa with alex, seth's current girlfriend, please end this show now. We all know if marissa was going to go lesbian it should be with summer, kidding. This show has slipped into unwatchable desperation mode. What the hell happened?

Well that's just like your oponion, man. I've really enjoyed the season so far, and I anticipate it every week, as do plenty of people. I still have yet to see the Chrismukah episode, but I'm sure I'll like it, just from the general reponses in this thread.

The OC has always been over the top, none of that stuff is really out of the norm. And two hot girlfriends do not rid a dork of his dorkiness, he's still Seth, and has always been self-absorbed.

Oh well different strokes for different folks, as they say.

I thought that this was one of the better episodes of the season, so far. Good mix of drama and comedy.

And just to be technical, Lindsay isn't really a Cohen since Seth gets that from Sandy's side. Technically, she's a "whatever Caleb's last name is. " But it still resulted in a good ending.

I'll be very happy if as the previews suggest,

Unfortunately I missed the episode last night, so I cannot comment on that. But what I will say is I hope the Marissa and Alex storyline is short. I cannot stand Marissa and to have her all of the sudden become bisexual or complete lesbian is such a publicity gimmick that it irritates the hell out of me.

Yeah, Lindsay is a Nickel not a Cohen. I really did not like how they wrote that part where Seth said that she was a Cohen now.

I wonder what else they can do to Marissa besides break her parents up, have her boyfriend cheat on her, have her attempt suicide, and now have her become a lesbian -rolleyes-. I read in a interview with Josh Schwartz that

Getting annoying. It's the whole Fonzie thing all over again. He becomes popular and then they over do it. He talks so fast I can barely understand him. Its as if he is schitzo.

ARe these Lesbian rumors for real? Where did people read this?

Tv Guide and zap2it.com, but remember - it is not a ratings stunt. ;)

Plus the previews pretty much spell out all lot of the plot development/twists for the 12 straight/lesbian weeks of the O.C. starting in January!!!

Some of us avoid the previews, and don't read TV Guide. So thanks for the spoilers I really appreciate it.