Ebenezer Scrooge

These days, the Ghost of Christmas Present is Chase Manhattan Bank, selling a credit card at the holidays. That's who called while I was watching A Christmas Carol, the latest incarnation of the Charles Dickens classic starring Kelsey Grammer as Ebenezer Scrooge and airing tomorrow night on NBC (WBAL, Channel 11). The Chase guy on the phone didn't hit any of the themes of A Christmas Carol, didn't ask if I had enough love in my life, though in fairness I didn't keep him long. OK, I hung up on him. A short time later, Grammer as Scrooge was being led by the Ghost of Christmas Past (Jane Krakowski, of Ally McBeal fame)

Adapting an old play is no big deal. But when it comes to a holiday classic such as A Christmas Carol, scriptwriter Michael Wilson and director Matt August knew they had to be a little bit more careful. Consider that the play, which runs through Jan. 2, has been an annual staple at Ford's Theatre in Washington for many years. Some people see it as a tradition. "It's a little daunting," August said. "It just makes the challenge that much greater." While keeping the production in the same time period as before, this new version introduces new costumes, sounds, lighting, set design and a new character: Charles Dickens.

THE MOUNT AIRY Players bring back a Christmas tradition with their presentation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The theater troupe has performed the holiday classic on the life of Ebenezer Scrooge five times, but the last performance was in 1999. It will be presented over two weekends this month. Performances will begin at 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 at Calvary United Methodist Church, 403 S. Main St., Mount Airy. A matinee is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 15. "This is one production that people would come to see year after year because of its message that somebody can be transformed in a positive way during the holiday season and also because it's one of the most well-known of all Christmas stories," said Charles Beck, director.

THE mailbox bulges with appeals in November and December from nonprofit corporations. It's ironic, that in this joyful holiday season these worthy solicitations make me feel like Ebenezer Scrooge -- at least when he was a moneymaker and before he evolved into a distributionist.I get appeals from the homeless, the jobless, the penniless and the artless. I don't like saying "no" but I can't possibly say "yes" to all these requests. I face a weekly ordeal of deciding among these great causes and trying to stifle guilt, confusion and frustration.

IT WAS 5 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. The fog was thick, the rain was pouring, and I was driving up Reisterstown Road, headed toward Owings Mills Mall, wondering why I wasn't still in bed.To paraphrase one especially cogent writer, Christmas was at my throat once again. My No. 1 grandson, my beloved Kaine, had seen a commercial for a talking Pokemon doll called "I Choose You Pikachu." His mother, now my formerly beloved daughter Jennifer, passed the news on to my wife, who informed me. I responded with my usual passion regarding Christmas gift-giving.

Impossible Industrial Action is gunning for something different from the standard "Christmas Carol" this season. Opening Wednesday at the Theatre Project, "Double '0' Xmas (or I was a Reindeer for the CIA)" is a James Bond sendup written by Baltimore native Don Arab.Show times at the Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St., are 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays (no performances Dec. 24 or Dec. 27), through Dec. 30. Tickets are $14. Call (410) 752-8558.

READING TOO much Dickens lately. Which reminds me of a Greenwich Village bookstore clerk. A young man. College age. I asked for a copy of "David Copperfield.""Who's the author?" he asked. "Dickens," I said. "What's his first name?" he asked. Recalling that exchange, I'll start over:Reading too much Charles Dickens lately --. First though, the dumb book-clerk story reminds me of a waiter story. If Dave Barry will forgive the plagiarism, I am not making this up. It really happened during a lunch in Martinsburg, W. Va., which doesn't matter.

Ebenezer Scrooge has taken up residence at the Annapolis Dinner Theatre through Dec. 23, and there are many good things to report.In fact, Old Humbug and his supporting players have joined together to make the ADT's "A Christmas Carol" a most colorful, festive seasonal affair.Kudos begin with the musical score crafted by lyricist Michael Hulett and composer Doug Yetter.Their version is new to this area and is definitely worth a listen."Link By Link," sung by the riveting David Reynolds as Marley'Ghost, is a tour de force, and I was quite taken with the number sung by Belle, Ebenezer's fiancee, who deserts the miser rather than endure his all-consuming materialism.

For most of America, the Thanksgiving turkey will officially usher in the Christmas season.But in Annapolis this year, Ebenezer Scrooge -- Old Humbug himself -- will be the first to announce glad tidings of the holiday to one and all.At the Annapolis Dinner Theater, the tree is trimmed, and Victorian settings are already in place for Ebenezer's annual appearances, which begin tomorrow evening at the recently reopened theater on U.S. 50 just east of the...

Every night, with Ernest Tubb's immortal "Walking The Floor Over You" creating a mood, a lowly reporter paces the room, wringing hands and losing sleep over the Baltimore Orioles' chances of signing Cal Ripken Jr., the immensely gifted shortstop and finest all-around player in the team's history.The Orioles, most assuredly, should find a way to keep him in their employ until his career is over. But no reason for panic. If it doesn't happen, and Ripken exits, the franchise will not terminate.