Weather Channel to deliver white Christmas in Keys

It once snowed as far south as Sebring in 1977 but there's never been any flakes falling on the Florida Keys.

On Christmas Day, however, 6-year-old Michael Walker, a resident of the lower Keys, will wake up to snow, thanks to The Weather Channel.

Michael and his grandfather Howard Livingston are the winners of the network's "Guaranteed White Christmas" contest.

Livingston, a Key West musician and songwriter, submitted the winning "why we want snow" video in a nationwide contest.

Livingston's 60-second epic shows him at his sunny waterfront yard trying to make snow for Michael in a blender powered by a 1952 Johnson outboard motor. While that's great for margaritas it doesn't make good snow.

The Weather Channel and meteorologist Adam Berg will report live from the Keys on Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to capture the family's reaction as their waterfront home transforms into a winter wonderland.

The Weather Channel is to orchestrate a massive man-made snowfall from shaved ice by Sturm's Special Effects, a Wisconsin-based company that specializes in making snow which supposedly is "packable" - making it ideal for shaping snowmen and snowballs.

Other contest finalists include Phoebe Garcia of Spring Hill, who will receive a $100 gift card for the Weather.com store and DVDcollector's editions of The Weather Channel programs.

CHUCK MARATHON: The Syfy network celebrates the return of NBC's "Chuck" with an eight-hour marathon of episodes from the action-comedy's second season airing
Jan. 7 beginning at 5 p.m.

"Chuck" returns for a third season on NBC Jan. 10 with a two-hour premiere from 8-10 p.m., before resuming its regular Monday 8 p.m. time slot on Jan. 11.

BACHELOR PAD: Not one of the 25 single women competing on the 14th round of "The Bachelor" is from the Tampa Bay area.

But there are two Central Florida competitors: Corrie, 23, a wardrobe consultant from Kissimmee, and Vienna, 23, a marketing representative from Sanford.

The bachelor is Jake Pavelka, a commercial pilot from Dallas. "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love" premieres Jan. 4 on ABC.

HEAVY WEIGHTS: No one from the Bay area made the cut on the next "Biggest Loser," but Orlando twin brothers will compete when the show returns Jan. 5 on NBC.

They are James and John Crutchfield, both 30, who together weigh close to 1,000 pounds.

The new season features the heaviest contestant yet: Michael Ventrella, a Chicago DJ who weighs 526 pounds.

UNDERCOVER BOSS: CBS has picked a reality show, "Undercover Boss," to follow the telecast of the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. The show has corporate bosses secretly joining the work force at their companies to learn about conditions. Reportedly, the pilot was packed with laughs and tear-jerking moments. One of the bosses is Hooters' CEO Coby G. Brooks of Atlanta.

SIR CHARLES: Charles Barkley hosted "Saturday Night Live" 16 years ago and returns on Jan. 9. Musical guest will be Alicia Keys.

ENCORE TONIGHT: Fox repeats "Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special" at 8 tonight.

TUNE IN TONIGHT: "Dirty Jobs," 9 p.m., Discovery. Host Mike Rowe visits Florida where he learns the skills needed to be a "worm grunter," which involves harvesting fishing worms in Apalachicola.