Nick Stabile

Intended as a five-times-weekly presentation of MyNetwork's "Secret Obsessions" package, the English-language telenova Saints and Sinners was based on the TV Azteca prime-time soaper La Calle de las Novias ("Bride's Avenue"). An updated rehash of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", the series focused on the bitter rivalry between the Capshaws and the Martins, rival hotel owners in Miami Beach. Widowed Sylvia Capshaw (Mel Harris) was determined to break up the romance between her daughter Julia (Tyler Kain) and young Roman Martin (Scott Bailey), son of unscrupulous hoteliers Diana and August Martin (Maria Conchita Alonso, Charles Shaughnessy). It was not merely hatred of the Martins which motivated Sylvia: Roman had been arrested on the charge of murdering Julia's father. Acquitted of the crime, Roman endeavor to save his family from financial ruin by opening his own nightclub, "The Verona" (!) He also hoped to win back Julia from her current beau Richard Vargas (Chris Engen), the son of shady business mogul Antonio Vargas, who may or may not have actually been the infamous underworld boss known as "The Guerrero." Weaving in and out of the proceedings was the series' "Friar Lawrence" counterpart, a handsome bogus priest named Marcus (Ryan Scott Greene), and New York fashion designer Kelly Mitchell (Robin Givens), who wanted Robin all too herself. This series was originally filmed under the title "A Dangerous Love"; in the early developmental stages, the warring families were named Olivera and Manzini, Kelly Mitchell's name was Kelly Dodd, Maria Conchita Alonso's character had been conceived as the starring role. With the overall ratings for MyNetwork's various "original" telenovas plummeting precipitously, by the time Saints and Sinners debuted on March 14, 2007 the series had been reconfigured as a weekly rather than a nightly offering, with two episodes shown back-to-back each week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character in this made-for-cable comedy is a youthful slacker (Nick Stabile) who has long been a source of disappointment and embarrassment for his famous jolly-old-elf father. Anxious to prove his worth, Nick (as our hero is known) decides to clamber down a few chimneys just prior to Christmas Eve. Alas, his efforts coincide with a string of burglaries, and Nick is promptly arrested by cops Daryl Bedford (Judd Nelson) and Norm Potter (George Wallace). As Nick frets away the hours before Christmas under house arrest, Bedford grows attached to Nick's court-appointed attorney, Susan Flynn (Lauren Holly) -- and inevitably, the real burglar strikes again. Santa Jr. was first telecast over the Hallmark Channel on November 30, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though not the first TV dramatization of the lives and careers of the popular 1960s singing group the Beach Boys, this two-part miniseries was the first that did not concentrate exclusively on Brian Wilson, arguably the most brilliant and troubled member of the quintet. Instead, the production details the triumph and heartbreaks of all five Beach Boys: Brian (here played by Frederick Weller), his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, and non-related members Mike Love and Al Jardine. Played by Kevin Dunn, the Wilson brothers' father Murray Wilson is cast as a complete monster, shown to be both verbally and physically abusive to his grown sons, as well as a money-grubbing dictator while managing The Beach Boys during their most prolific period. The miniseries also delves into the darker side of the singers themselves, especially when Dennis Wilson (played by Nick Stabile) begins carousing with a would-be tunesmith named Charles Manson (Erik Passoja). Producer John Stamos had originally wanted to appear in the production as Dennis (who died in a surfing mishap in 1983), but the ABC network decided that Stamos was too old for the part. Many (including, reportedly, Brian Wilson himself) complained loudly about the gross liberties taken with actual events in this picture. The Beach Boys: An American Family was originally telecast on February 27 and 28, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This horror film, directed by Ronnie Yu, marked a return (after an eight-year lapse) of Chucky and the Child's Play series that began in 1988. At the moment of his death, the spirit of former serial killer Charles Lee Ray was mystically relocated in the doll Chucky (voice of Brad Dourif). After being salvaged from the evidence morgue by his ex-girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) and a corrupt cop, Chucky is put back in action when Tiffany sews his pieces back together and works a voodoo spell to revive his sinister self. Tiffany sees her dreams of marriage aren't working out, so she keeps Chucky locked away. After an escape, Chucky electrocutes Tiffany by pushing a radio into the bathtub, delivering a chant that puts the spirit of Tiffany into a bridal figurine. Chucky's amulet can switch them back into their original human forms, so they head for New Jersey where the amulet is buried -- putting cops in motion, along with car-crash carnage. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide