Genre:
Christmas story

Cast:
Vanessa Williams as Ebony, Kathy Griffin, Chilli, John Taylor

Written by:
Richard Schenkman

Directed by:
Richard Schenkman

Timeline:
First aired in the US on VH1, December 13, 2000

Vanessa´s appearance:

What´s special about this one:

Filmed in Montreal, "A Diva’s Christmas Carol" features new music sung by Vanessa Williams, including the original songs "Heart of Christmas" and "Heartquake," plus a remake of the 1948 holiday classic "Sleigh Ride."

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Denis Sperdouklis (Costume Designer) had only to read Richard Schenkman’s script for "A Diva’s Christmas Carol" in order to begin visualizing the brand new creations he would bring to star Vanessa Williams and the film’s other principals.

"It was very clear from reading the script what kind of person Ebony is from the character’s descriptions and dialog, and what she would wear," he says. "My job is to see things. When you read a good script, the first thing you see, you have to design – and this script was so rich in visual clues."

While his creations for Williams’ character include singular versions of some very diva-esque staples such as a long, eye-grabbing synthetic fur, he counts as one of his favorites a holiday outfit he describes as "a woman’s version of Santa-as-diva."

One of the industry’s most sought-after costume designers, Sperdouklis has worked in movies since the ‘70s, outfitting top stars from Kirk Douglas to Jodie Foster, and working with the likes of award-winning Canadian director Denys Arcand on acclaimed films such as "The Decline of the American Empire." His costumes have also graced TV productions including the series "The Hunger" as well as the ‘70s period piece "More Tales of the City."

In Vanessa Williams, Sperdouklis found not only one of the planet’s most beautiful women, but "a unique person, very quiet, lovely and easy to work with. I just love actors, you have to come close to them and work with them."

"A Diva´s Christmas Carol" Links:

Story:

Sometimes, one bad night is all you need to get your head straight. Even if it’s the night before Christmas.

Superstar singer-actress Vanessa Williams, actress-comedienne Kathy Griffin ("Suddenly Susan"), TLC’s Chilli and Duran Duran’s John Taylor head the cast of the new VH1 Original Movies presentation "A Diva’s Christmas Carol".

A modern-day remake of the classic "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, "A Diva’s Christmas Carol" centers on ego-driven diva superstar singer Ebony (Vanessa Williams), who decides at the end of a long European tour that she wants to headline a Christmas Day charity show in New York City. While her overworked manager Bob Cratchett (Brian McNamara) and touring crew balk at the added inconvenience of being away from their own long-suffering families for the holiday, Ebony rules regardless, telling Bob that "Christmas is a marketing machine we can’t ignore."

At her luxury hotel suite in New York City on Christmas Eve, Ebony rejects an invitation from her niece Olivia to spend some time with her family, then settles in for the night. A loud rap on the door signals not room service, however, but a frightening appearance by the ghost of Marli Jacob (Chilli), Ebony’s late former singing partner, who warns the diva that her loss of holiday spirit will ultimately mean the loss of her soul. According to Marli, Ebony has but one chance to turn her life around, and that chance will come tonight when she’s visited by three spirits, led by the Ghost of Christmas Past (Kathy Griffin) and the Ghost of Christmas Present (John Taylor).