If They Could Only Get Rudolph to Go Bad

It’s a surprise no programmer has thought to combine a holiday special with the newly popular genre of video-based “reality” programs. Anyway, easily overlooked in this week’s barrage of holiday shows is “Forces of Nature 2,” a CBS program airing Friday dealing with floods, fire and other natural disasters--the latest of the shows that have spurred debate within the TV industry over the propriety of such programs. NBC initiated the controversy when an executive criticized Fox’s “When Animals Attack” and “When Disaster Strikes”--shows actually depicting people being killed in some footage--likening them to “snuff films.” CBS (which also repeats the similarly themed “World’s Most Dangerous Animals” on Dec. 20) maintains that its programs are more responsible and shouldn’t be lumped in with the Fox fare. Aside from network bickering, these specials present programmers with a dilemma: At a time when it’s become increasingly difficult to attract viewers, such programs have demonstrated their ability to do so. Yet they have also opened the industry to criticism at an inopportune time, with plans for a TV ratings system to be unveiled next week under the government’s watchful eye. If the new system doesn’t mollify critics, in fact, the networks may have to contemplate another, more frightening concept: “When Congress Attacks.”

Time for Critics to Pick Their Darlings

The first of the critics groups’ year-end movie awards are announced this week, so look for ads to show up almost immediately trumpeting their picks. The New York critics unveil their choices Thursday, with the L.A. group voting two days later, but don’t necessarily read their choices as Oscar-prescient. Last year both groups chose the dark alcoholic drama “Leaving Las Vegas” as best picture (Oscar voters went with “Braveheart”) and agreed in 1994 on “Pulp Fiction” while “Forrest Gump” took the Oscar. So just how important are the critics’ awards? “For films like ‘Shine’ or ‘Crying Game’--smaller films in limited release without $20-million advertising budgets to back them up--these awards are a way of penetrating the public consciousness,” said Gerry Rich, president of worldwide marketing for MGM/UA. “Last year, they created curiosity about ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ and generated considerable editorial space. Particularly for the more discriminating art-house crowd that doesn’t go to the movies each week, these nods anoint a picture as a ‘must-see’ and uncover hidden gems. It’s hard to break through the clutter and that’s where critics come in.”

Houston, Do We Have a Problem?

Record retailers and label execs are eagerly awaiting SoundScan sales figures Wednesday to see if a blockbuster album will emerge to lead buyers into the record stores this holiday season-- possibly an album such as “The Preacher’s Wife,” the latest soundtrack collection from Whitney Houston. The singer’s “The Bodyguard” soundtrack was a runaway bestseller during the 1992 holiday season, selling a SoundScan record 1.1 million copies in a single week. The “Preacher’s” soundtrack was released Nov. 26, but sold only about 91,000 copies in its first week, entering the chart at No. 12. But distribution problems caused the album to be shipped late to an unknown number of outlets, meaning it was only available in some stores for two days that week, according to Arista Records. Album sales could also pick up when the film opens Friday. “If something like the new Whitney Houston album really generates a lot of excitement among the buying public, other records will benefit,” says Bob Bell, new-release buyer for the 265-store Wherehouse Records chain. The record industry is especially nervous about holiday sales this year because retail growth has slowed considerably from the double-digit annual increases it has enjoyed over the last decade.

We Don’t Want to Be a Scrooge, but . . .

When is a preview not a preview? “Forever Plaid” returns to the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills Friday, but the official opening isn’t until Jan. 6. Before that date, there will be 29 preview shows, although tickets won’t cost less--usually a defining mark of a preview. Co-producer Joan Stein explains that this “Plaid” quartet hasn’t performed the show together--although two of the four were in the Canon production in 1992. It boils down to when critics are allowed to see the show: “The actors deserve to play the play before it’s professionally critiqued,” Stein said. But the show will include some holiday material through the end of the year, so it’s not quite what will open for critics in January. Still, why break the usual tradition of charging less for previews? “Our expenses are exactly the same,” Stein replied. “We have a fiduciary responsibility to the investors.”

Compiled by Times Staff Writers and Contributors