was the night before Christmas and all through the house, all I could hear was… Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey? Yep, this November, expect an unfriendly Carrey playing the Grinch, the famed character from the popular Dr. Seuss children's book.

  We all remember the Grinch from the '60s cartoon that airs countless times when nothing is worth watching on TV. Now Carrey is bringing the ungrateful soul to life, and he's ready to wreak havoc on everybody's favorite time of year.

  He plots his Yule-time revenge perched atop Mt. Crumpit with his faithful dog Max. Seeing all the children of Who-ville enjoy the festive occasion is a little tough for the Grinch, especially since his heart is two sizes too small.

  Instead of joining in the yearly fun, the reclusive Grinch plots the sleepy town's demise in his cave, armed with his lettuce juice, extra virgin castor oil and sour milk. And on the night 		 actors
Jim Carrey
Jeffrey Tambor
Christine Baranski
Molly Shannon
Anthony Hopkins (Narrator)
Josh Ryan Evans

director
Ron Howard

locations
Los Angeles

outtake
Busta Rhymes and Kevin Spacey were both early considerations for the narrator.
before Christmas, he rides into town on his sled, taking the
presents, trees and stocking stuffers from all the unsuspecting kiddies.

  Asides from being a live-action movie, there are a couple of differences you'll notice in this remake. For one, the famed Sir Anthony Hopkins acts as the narrator with his wonderfully deep English accent. It's something Boris Karloff, who played Frankenstein in the 1931 cult-classic, had provided for the original 1966 cartoon (he also played the voice of the Grinch). It's kind of appropriate since Sir Anthony starred as the Frankenstein-like demonic Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the thrill-riding Silence of the Lambs and in the upcoming Hannibal.

  You can also expect stellar visuals with the artistic wizardry of Academy Award winning make-up effects designer Rick Baker, who's impressive resumé includes Men In Black and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. He transforms Carrey from head-to-toe into the Grinch, making him look almost unrecognizable to his fans.

  Under the skillful guise of veteran director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, EdTV), you'll see a cast that supports the wacky Carrey to make it one of the more hilarious comedies this season. Playing the mayor of Who-ville is Jeffrey Tambor (Girl, Interrupted, Teaching Mrs. Tingle), and also rounding out the cast
is Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon (Superstar), and the comedic Christine Baranski (Bowfinger, Cruel Intentions).

  But you'll be laughing in your seats with the performance from 18-year-old Josh Ryan Evans, who plays the Grinch at the tender age of eight. A relative newcomer to the big screen, he portrays the Grinch when his heart started to grow smaller.

  Ryan Evans is touted as one of the shortest actors in Hollywood, standing proud at 3'2". You may remember him as the cold-hearted child-lawyer in many episodes of the Ally McBeal series, where he wreaked havoc at the Cage & Fish
law firm.

  So forget about your humbug days and how many shopping hours you have until Santa descends down your chimney. Just see Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas and you'll forget that eggnog, family and butterball turkeys are just around the corner.

- Zack Medicoff