Warner Bros.

"A Christmas Story 2."

Christmas is just under four months away, which should give most people enough time to recover from the following bad holiday news: "A Christmas Story," the "you'll shoot your eye out" holiday classic from 1983  ... now has a sequel.

That's right: "A Christmas Story 2" will be released direct-to-DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 3. Based on the trailer (see below), the film features the same cast of characters, just aged a few years. Ralphie Parker is a teenager and is desperate not for a BB gun, but a car. His dad still swears up a storm and adores his leg lamp.

It's hard to imagine real fans of the original getting too excited about the sequel. "A Christmas Story" was not well-received by critics or audiences when it was released, but over the years has become a holiday classic thanks to DVD rentals and multiple holiday viewings. The film's story is based on the hilarious recollections of writer Jean Shepherd, who wrote about his childhood in "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories," and focuses on little Ralphie's holiday pursuit of a Red Ryder BB Gun. 

The film's style of wry humor mixed with a nostalgic voice-over (Shepherd's voice is the narrator in the original film) ultimately translated in the 1986 movie "Stand By Me" and the TV series "The Wonder Years." In that series, the narrator was voiced by Daniel Stern -- who is one of the stars of the "Christmas Story" sequel.

But wait, there's more -- not only is "Christmas Story 2" being released, but an adaptation of the original will hit Broadway starting Nov. 5. Of course, it's a musical. 

Still, before everyone starts thrashing around in the snow over the unfairness of it all, bite on this piece of soap: Shepherd's tales have been adapted into no fewer than three other films already. The Parkers have appeared in "Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss," a TV movie from 1993, and "It Runs in the Family," a 1994 movie that was released on DVD as "My Summer Story."

Still, "A Christmas Story 2" looks particularly egregious in tapping into nostalgia for the original. If it makes anyone feel any better, apparently it will be one of the final direct-to-DVD releases from Warner Bros., according to Yahoo!

Is a ‘Christmas Story’ sequel a good idea or should the original movie just be left alone? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Reuters

"The Blind Side."

Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real-life couple who were depicted by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw in "The Blind Side,"  are defending that movie against LifeWay Christian Stores, which yanked the DVD from its shelves last month citing inappropriate language.

LifeWay, which operates 165 stores, pulled "Blind Side" after a Florida pastor complained of cursing and a racial epithet in the film. LifeWay says it capitulated because the Southern Baptist Convention was about to convene its annual gathering and elect the first black leader in its history.

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“What I hate about what LifeWay has done is that it just makes Christians look stupid,” Leigh Anne Tuohy tells The Hollywood Reporter. “The fact that this would offend the new black leader of the Southern Baptists -- well, I don’t give a rat’s (expletive).”

In "Blind Side," the Tuohys are accurately depicted as a white Christian couple who adopt Michael Oher, a troubled black teenager who eventually plays for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. At the time, the movie was heralded by Christians for its uplifting and charitable message and for its reverential treatment of faith.

In a statement issued to THR, LifeWay says it “decided last month to stop carrying it because of the likelihood it would be the focus of debate and division at our annual denominational meeting. We were electing the Southern Baptist Convention’s first African-American president and did not want to distract from that historic moment.”

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The fact that LifeWay invoked race in its decision is particularly distressing to Leigh Anne, she says.

“Those who put color on 'The Blind Side' are missing the point. They need to look in the mirror and self-examine," she says. "They’re drawing attention to the wrong things. I’d like to kick every one of them in the butt as hard as I can."

After the Southern Baptists elected the Rev. Fred Luter their first black president on June 19, he said that he supported LifeWay’s decision to stop selling "Blind Side," a position that didn’t sit well with the Tuohys. But it's the decision-makers at LifeWay that really irk the couple.

“They should have put on their big-boy pants and manned up and said, ‘We’re going to stand by this movie just like we have for two years and we’re sorry if it offends you, but we think the good far outweighs the bad,’ ” Leigh Anne says.

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Sean Tuohy, who runs 53 Taco Bell restaurants in seven states, says the decision to ditch "Blind Side" after successfully selling it for two years doesn’t even make sense from a business perspective.

“If LifeWay and the Southern Baptist Convention are the gatekeepers to what is right and wrong in all of our lives, then they’re not doing a very good job, because by the time they made this decision 100 million people had already seen the movie,” he says. “When I first heard of this, I thought it was comical, and certainly not very effective. If I ran my company that poorly, it might take you two years to get a taco at one of my stores.”

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Lionsgate

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games."

The week ahead's a good one for entertainment. The most awaited movie of the year, "The Hunger Games," hits theaters, "Mad Men" returns to TV and a whole bunch of great movies come to DVD and Blu-ray. Between this and the NCAA tournament, there's a lot to feast your eyes upon.

Movies
"The Hunger Games" is part of an enormously popular book series, like "Twilight," and like "Twilight," it features a young woman torn between two young men. But there the comparisons end. No vampires in "Hunger Games," and heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) doesn't depend on a man to save her -- she goes out and fights to survive all by herself. Warning: If you don't already have your tickets, you may not be able to see this one right away. Tickets went on sale Feb. 22, and early screenings sold out in many theaters weeks ago. (Opens March 23.)

TV
The sexy 1960s ad men and women of "Mad Men" are back for season five. Star John Slattery told TV Guide, "There are some surprises coming this season that are so out of control. I wish we had cameras in people's houses and could watch them go, 'No way!' as they watch the show." The magazine says the two-hour season premiere is "built around a memorable party" and calls it "a clever and often bitterly amusing piece of writing by creator Matthew Weiner." (Premieres March 25, 9 p.m., AMC.)

DVD and Blu-ray
It's time to play the music! It's time to light the lights! "The Muppets" bet it all on their 2011 comeback movie, and it seems to have worked -- the movie was critically acclaimed and names such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear are now familiar to a new generation. And the classic "Man or Muppet?" won the Oscar for best song. Manly Muppets and Muppets of men (and women) will want to see this. (On DVD and Blu-ray March 20.)

Stieg Larsson's "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" books have spawned not one but two separate movie series. The Swedish film trilogy was so acclaimed that many wondered why Hollywood even needed to make an American version. But the first film in that series, with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara starring, earned raves. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! (Out on DVD and Blu-ray March 20.)

"Hop" might make a fun Easter basket addition for the kids in your life. Animation and live-action blend in this entertaining offering, with Russell Brand offering the voice of a young rebellious Easter Bunny and Hugh Laurie as his dad, who dreams of passing his title down to Junior. Pick up the movie and nestle it right in there next to the chocolate bunny. (Out on DVD and Blu-ray March 20.)

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" didn't earn all the headlines that "The Artist" did, but the film was nominated for three Oscars, including Gary Oldman as best actor. Many fans of John LeCarre's spy novels felt that his hero, George Smiley, could never be played better than Alec Guinness did in the 1979 miniseries, but then came Oldman. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone calls his performance "flawless in every detail." (Out on DVD and Blu-ray March 20.)

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