Jim Parsons to Star in NBC's BUDDY'S MUSICAL CHRISTMAS Based on Broadway's ELF!

By: Oct. 24, 2014
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NBC is bringing in the holiday spirit with the stop-motion hourlong animated special "Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas," set to air Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. Based on the popular film "Elf" and the hit Broadway show "Elf: The Musical," the special will star four-time Emmy Award winner Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") as Buddy.

"Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas" combines the humor and spirit of both the beloved 2003 holiday film, which drew glowing reviews and earned $173 million at the domestic box office, and the hit Broadway production. The special is an all-new retelling of Buddy's delightfully absurd yet heartwarming story and blends the look and feel of the stop-motion animated Christmas specials of the past with the sharp sensibility of the modern-day classic holiday film.

Santa narrates the story of Buddy's travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had. Along the way his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father's eyes to the magic of Christmas.

The voice cast also includes Mark Hamill, Ed Asner, Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Gilbert Gottfried, Kate Micucci, Rachael MacFarlane, Max Charles and Steve Higgins.

There are nine songs in the special, including "Happy All the Time," "A Christmas Song" and "Nobody Cares About Santa Claus."

"Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas" is produced by Warner Bros. Animation, directed by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh, teleplay by Thomas Meehan & Bob Martin and Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic.

Score by Matthew Sklar and Christopher Guardino. Original songs from "Elf: The Musical" - music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Based on the New Line Cinema theatrical motion picture "Elf," written by David Berenbaum, and the Broadway musical "Elf," originally produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures in association with Unique Features.

About Jim Parsons:

JIM PARSONS was most recently seen on stage in the summer of 2012, in Roundabout's Broadway revival of Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Harvey, in the role of Elwood Dowd, the genial eccentric who claims to see a six-foot-tall white rabbit Harvey. The production ran at Studio 54, with a special benefit performance supporting Education@Roundabout following the smash-hit limited engagement. A four-time Emmy winner, Golden Globe Award winner and SAG Nominee, Jim Parsons continues to bring a winning combination of indelible charm, charisma and comedic timing to his roles on screen and on stage, establishing himself as one of Hollywood's leading men.

Parsons stars as 'Sheldon Cooper' on CBS' critically acclaimed hit "The Big Bang Theory." Season eight premiered on Monday, September 22, 2014 with 18 million viewers. In 2012 it was announced that Parsons will play the lead voice in Home, a DreamWorks Animation adaption of the award-winning book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex co-starring Rihanna. In Home, a friendly alien race invades Earth and uses it as a hideout from their mortal enemy. The film is set to hit theaters on March 17, 2015.

Parsons recently starred in The Normal Heart, HBO's original movie adaptation of the Tony-winning Larry Kramer play, which was written by Kramer and directed by Ryan Murphy. The project tells the story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s. Parsons plays gay activist Tommy Boatwright, reprising his role from the 2011 Broadway revival. The film debuted on HBO on May 25, 2014. Parsons received an Emmy nomination for his role, and the film won an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie.

In 2011, Parsons received a Theatre World Award for his debut Broadway performance as Tommy Boatwright in The Normal Heart, starring opposite Ellen Barkin, John Benjamin Hickey and Joe Mantello. The Normal Heart won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play and was presented with the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play and Outstanding Ensemble Performance, as well as five Tony Award nominations. Parsons has performed in many stage productions including The Castle for the Manhattan Ensemble Theater, The Countess for the Globe Theater as well as The Tempest and As You Like It for the Houston Shakespeare Festival. Parsons has earned a Masters in Fine Arts degree from the Old Globe Theater/University of San Diego and a BA from the University of Houston. He currently resides in Los Angeles.



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