Fierstein Heats Up Santa Claus

Say you're remaking a beloved stop-motion animated Christmas special as a live-action TV movie, and you need someone to play a campy, over-the-top singing fire spirit with flaming orange hair - who ya gonna call?

The producers of NBC's upcoming The Year Without a Santa Claus went to legendary queer actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein to play the Heat Miser in this holiday adventure, which co-stars John Goodman as Saint Nick, alongside Delta Burke, Chris Kattan, and Carol Kane.

The Heat Miser's arch-nemesis, the Cold Miser, will be played by Michael McKean; Broadway fans will recall that McKean stepped into Fierstein's houseshoes after the Tony-winner left the cast of Hairspray, so this Christmas will be all about dueling Edna Turnblads.

And keep a look out for Queer Eye guy Carson Kressley, who'll make an appearance as a certain dentistry-minded elf.