The Miracle of Christmas Humor

The ridiculousness of Christmas has been fodder for comedians since, oh, the genesis of the holiday in the Middle Ages. But the past few decades have brought an abundant new source of yuletide yucks: popular culture. From cinema to commercials, the birth of Christ has been hijacked by the pious...

By Jason Heller

December 17, 2009

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The ridiculousness of Christmas has been fodder for comedians since, oh, the genesis of the holiday in the Middle Ages. But the past few decades have brought an abundant new source of yuletide yucks: popular culture.

From cinema to commercials, the birth of Christ has been hijacked by the pious and profiteers alike. Never ones to shy away from tradition, the men of Mystery Science Theater 3000 — the TV show that pokes fun at B-movies via running commentary at the bottom of the screen — have a new way to slay the holiday: the RiffTrax Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza. Led by Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett — who played Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot on MST3K — as well as the show's host and writer, Michael J. Nelson, and guest "Weird Al" Yankovic, the Shorts-Stravaganza lines up Christmas-related film clips (including Rankin/Bass's animated classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) to be shot down on screen, using nothing more than wit, spit and plenty of Christmas jeer. Or, as Yankovic so festively puts it, "I can't think of a better way to honor the true meaning of Christmas than by making stupid jokes over ridiculous film shorts."

RiffTrax's encore presentation of Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza screens tonight at many theaters across the Front Range, including Century Boulder, 1700 29th Street, Boulder. Seats for the 6 p.m. screening are $10. For tickets and info, call 303-442-1815 or visit www.rifftrax.com.
Wed., Dec. 16, 6 p.m.; Thu., Dec. 17, 6 p.m., 2009

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