Comedian Carol Burnett, who hilariously spoofed classic movies on her TV show, will be introducing some of her favorite films on Thursday, Nov. 27, and Friday, Nov. 28, via Turner Classic Movies.

This Thanksgiving special will reboot Burnett’s appearance from last year in the morning Friday, with some of her brand-new choices featured in the evening.

The queen of the variety show, Burnett kept audiences yuckking for years, first with “The Carol Burnett Show,” then “Carol Burnett & Company,” as well as movies, Broadway productions, guest shots and memorable supporting roles, as she does now on the Apple TV series “Palm Royale.”

Raised by her grandmother, Burnett says they were addicted to the movies when she was a kid.

“There were times when we would see as many as — because they would be double features — as eight movies a week,” she recalls.

“Growing up in the ’40s and the ’50s — well, I am so grateful for that. Because the movies of that era — somebody might look at them now and say, ‘Oh, they’re so old-fashioned,’ and so forth. But they gave this little girl hope,” she says.

“The bad guys got their just dues, and the good guys always came through. And I was kind of raised without cynicism because I love the movies. And so I never felt cynical. I never felt angry. I never felt that I couldn’t do anything. I had really a ‘Mickey and Judy’ mentality. I think that saw me through a lot of stuff,”

Lucille Ball proved a close friend and a mentor to the comedian, as Burnett has been an inspiration to others. Jane Lynch, who’s hosting Fox’s “Celebrity Weakest Link,” says of Burnett, “She was unique in that era. I mean, she wrote, produced. She was the head honcho of that show and one of the most gracious, lovely people in the world,” says Lynch.

“When I watched that show, I said, ‘I want to do that,’ because they look like they're having so much fun. And she said it was a blast. They had such a great time. She was definitely unique. She wasn't the girlfriend type. She was kind of whacky. She wasn't the traditionally ‘pretty’ type, and so I think it was pretty amazing in that day and age she was heading up a show.”

Alyson Hannigan of “How I Met Your Mother” remembers.“ Carol Burnett was a big inspiration for me. I would sneak out of my room and crawl and watch her show through a cracked door because it was past my bedtime. But I loved it.”

Queen Latifah says Burnett influenced her. “Her ability to be an actress of such variety and comedy and singing and (then) become a serious actress just showed me that there's no barriers, you know, in that sense.”

Burnett first gained national notice when she sang the parody, “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles” on “The Jack Paar Show.” Dulles was secretary of state at the time and considered a dour, rather humorless man.

“That was written by Ken Welch,” Burnett remembers.“ And I was appearing at the Blue Angel at the time, a nightclub act, and that was my opening number. And it was about a girl who was crazy. It was like the Elvis Presley craze at the time, and then Ken said, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we wrote it about a young girl going crazy over John Foster Dulles?’ — who was aptly named. And I cracked up. I said, ‘Oh, my God, that is funny.’

“So we did it and started to get some noise and attention. And Jack Paar asked me to come on his show, and I did the number. And then I went back to the Angel that night to do the second show. And the phones were ringing off the hook,” she grins.

“One of them was a man named David Waters, who was Mr. Dulles’ television adviser. And he said, ‘Mr. Dulles didn’t see it. Could you go back on “The Paar Show’” on Thursday night and do it?’ I said, ‘It’s fine by me.’

“So I went on Thursday night, and then Ed Sullivan had me do it that Sunday night. So I did the song three nights in a row — three nights in a week. And the following Sunday, Mr. Dulles was on ‘Meet the Press.’ And I was watching, and you know, it was all very serious.

“And then finally the last two minutes, they’re ready to sign off. One of the interviewers said, ‘Well, now, Mr. Dulles, on a lighter note here, just what’s going on between you and that young lady that sings that love song about you?’

"And I’m going, ‘Oh, my God.’ And he got twinkly-eyed, and he had this little grin. Dulles was grinning. And he said, ‘Well, I make it a matter of policy never to discuss matters of the heart in public.’”

Cookbook revives 'The Gilded Age'

Do you have sugar plums dancing in your head? Well, food writer and historian Becky Libourel Diamond has pulled them out of history’s oven and is baking a batch for you. She’s written an authentic “Gilded Age” cookbook, aimed at the Christmas cooking crowd and those who devoured HBO’s delicious “The Gilded Age” series.

“The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook” updates those classic recipes for cakes, pies, puddings, candies and scrumptious morsels of all kinds. Each recipe is accompanied by a little historic pastiche and is adapted to America’s modern kitchens.

You may not set a table for 30 like the Astors or the Vanderbilts, but your best china platter dotted with orange tartlets, sugar plums, frosted cookies or a heart-shaped Christmas cake should do the trick. Published by Globe Pequot, $29. Available on Amazon.

Michelle Pfeiffer back on the screen

Michelle Pfeiffer has relinquished her cozy fireplace and is back on the screen in Prime Video’s new movie, “Oh. What. Fun.,” premiering Dec. 3. Pfeiffer plays a mom who manages everything extremely well only to be forgotten during the holiday rush. Denis Leary flounders on deck as her confused husband — along with a great cast including Eva Longoria, Chloë Grace Moretz and Jason Schwartzman.

Pfeiffer herself admits she likes to maintain control. “That was huge one for me, learning to delegate some responsibility and learning to prioritize,” she says.

“I had to relinquish so much control in so many areas, otherwise you collapse under the responsibility you pile on yourself. It becomes like your family, your friends, and your work and anything else — every day is an improvisation. It seems overwhelming at times, but you just make it work. You make adjustments. For a control freak, that's a really hard lesson because you want to have it all planned out ahead of time: If this happens, then I'll do this, and if this happens, I'll do that.”

Burns returns to the McMullens

Who says you can't go home again? Ed Burns created the seismic “The Brothers McMullen” 30 years ago. And he’s at it again. Only this time it’s “The Family McMullen,” and it premieres on HBO Max Dec. 5.

Burns is one of those men who actually deserves the term “hyphenate.” He writes, produces, directs and acts in various ventures. He’s written “The Wire,” “She’s the One,” “Sidewalks of New York,” and he’s acted in projects like “Saving Private Ryan,” “Life or Something Like It” and “Mob City.”

The part he likes best, he tells me, is the writing. “I like it because it's the one part of the process that isn't collaborative. It's the one part where you don't need $20,000 or $3 million to do it. You can lock yourself in an apartment, sit down with your computer, and you create. At the end of the day I've got my script, and I've got something.”

Acting is less demanding, he says. “When you're acting there’s a lot of down-time so you're sitting in a camper. So rather than reading some crappy magazine, I just bang out a script.”

He says there are advantages to acting too.“It's only a three- or four-month commitment. You don't have to worry about the things you have to worry about as a filmmaker. And, to be perfectly honest, the pay is a lot better.”

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