BUCKLEY TAKES TIME OUT FOR AMC'S `REMEMBER WENN'.Byline: Daily News Wire Services Rupert Holmes has written a story of redemption - a bit of George Bailey, a bit of Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge is the main character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. He is a very cold-hearted, selfish man, who has no love for Christmas, children, or anything that even provokes happiness. personified by the stylish but ever-so-sad Gloria Redmond - for the holiday episode of Holmes' delightful ``Remember WENN'' series on American Movie Classics (at 6 and 9 tonight). ``Remember WENN'' is the continuing saga of a late-'30s early-'40s Pittsburgh radio station and the cast of unique characters that make it go on a shoestring budget. And in the holiday episode, titled ``Christmas in the Airwaves,'' the award-winning musical theater, film, concert and television artist Betty Buckley (Grizabella in ``Cats'') plays the downhearted down·heart·ed adj. Low in spirit; depressed. See Synonyms at depressed. down  heart Redmond. ``Rupert wrote the part for me,'' Buckley said by phone between bites of lunch and pauses to scold SCOLD. A woman who by her habit of scolding becomes a nuisance to the neighborhood, is called a common scold. Vide Common Scold. Blue, an African Gray parrot (Zool.) an African parrot (Psittacus erithacus), very commonly domesticated, and noted for its aptness in learning to talk. Also called jako. See also: Gray , part of the menagerie that travels with her. ``How could you turn down a part written just for you?'' Buckley is on the road with ``The Music of the Night,'' a concert of Andrew Lloyd Webber Noun 1. Andrew Lloyd Webber - English composer of many successful musicals (some in collaboration with Sir Tim Rice) (born in 1948) Baron Lloyd Webber of Sydmonton, Lloyd Webber music, which comes to L.A. on Jan. 8. The critters - including three dogs - and her ``dream team'' help her do what she does best, which is sing herself into exhaustion every night. ``Rupert (a Broadway institution himself) is really one of the nicest people. And he does it all himself.'' She refers to ``Remember WENN'' scripts, casting, costumes and set decoration, even the two original holiday tunes she sings on tonight's show. The gist of the story is this: Betty, Hillary, Jeffrey, Gertie, Mr. Eldridge, Mackie and all of the WENN WENN World Entertainment News Network staff are high on the holiday season, and the episode opens with a charming rendition of ``The Twelve Days of Christmas Twelve Days of Christmas presents increase with each day of Yuletide. [Am. Music: “Twelve Days of Christmas” in Rockwell] See : Generosity ,'' with Mr. Foley, the sound effects man, providing appropriate quacks, jingles, thumps and hisses. But ``firings are in the air,'' and everyone gives ``the big boss,'' Mr. Prewitt (Jonathan Freeman) a wide berth. ``I love Gloria,'' Buckley says of the character she plays. ``She wears great costumes, the real thing from antique and second-hand shops. ``And the people with the show, they're all really young ... very dedicated,'' she adds. Meanwhile, she's enjoying success with ``Music of the Night.'' ``Standing ovations every night, great reviews,'' she said, ``and one of the perks for being a survivor is I get to wear beautiful gowns and sing.'' |
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