[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_divas_christmas_carol.jpg]]

Yep, [[YetAnotherChristmasCarol another retelling]] of Creator/CharlesDickens's ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', only this time Scrooge is a diva singer and a Black woman. Almost all of the genders have been swapped for the characters. Premiering on Creator/{{VH1}} in 2000, it stars [[Music/VanessaWilliams Vanessa L. Williams]], [[Music/{{TLC}} Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas]] and Creator/KathyGriffin.

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!!''A Diva's Christmas Carol'' provides examples of the following tropes:
* AlphaBitch: As is often the case with gender-flipped ''Christmas Carol'' adaptations, Ebony Scrooge is this—she's pushy, demanding, bossy, unreasonable, greedy, and entirely self-centered.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: After Ebony's redemption, we briefly see Marli manifest at her concert, only now her clothes are white and the chains on them are gone, implying that her role in saving Ebony has also saved her own soul. She smiles at her old bandmates before looking upward and disappearing into white light, suggesting that she has made it to Heaven.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the book, it is Belle who breaks up with Scrooge because of his obsession with money and furthering his career, but in the film it is Ebony (the Scrooge counterpart) who breaks up with Bob (Belle counterpart) in order to focus more on her career.
* AdaptedOut: Played with. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not show up as a physical manifestation, but rather as a future episode of ''Behind the Music''.
* ALadyOnEachArm: How the Ghost of Christmas Present is introduced, although he has ''three'' (one of which is [[LegCling on his leg).]]
* AlcoholicParent: Ebony and Ronnie's estranged father.
* AmicableExes: [[spoiler:Ebony initially doesn't want Bob to leave work to be with his family, and it hurts him. Still, despite their ongoing business relationship and his finding a new love, Ebony continues to think of Bob as one of his best friends years after they break up.]]
* AsHimself: Brian [=McKnight=] and Nile Rodgers.
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:Olivia and her husband are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl by the end of the film.]]
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Marli.]]
* BenevolentBoss: Par for the course with the redeemed Ebony, only since she has a much larger entourage than Bob, we get to see it in fuller force—she buys up every ticket to her own concert that she can and passes them out to her crew, telling them to invite their families to visit (and promising that she'll pay for their travel, too), then calls in a favor with Wolfgang Puck himself to get a massive catered feast before the show, personally serving them. She also flies Kelly and Tim to New York and arranges for him to be admitted to the best hospital in the city, swearing that she'll finance his recovery no matter what.
* BigWhat: Ebony says one when she sees her ''Behind the Music'' episode that showcases [[spoiler: her death.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Ebony's "trusted" financial advisor, Ernie.
* BreakTheHaughty: Since Ebony became a conceited bitch along with the typical Scrooge's crankiness and miserliness, this version qualifies.
* BrokenPedestal: Patrice was a fan of Ebony and Desire as a child, but comes to find out her true nature. That being said, though, she isn’t as hardened as her coworkers and even is still a fan of her music regardless of her poor treatment of her and others.
* CareerVersusMan: In the past, Bob and Ebony have a fight about the latter prefers success over love, so even though he genuinely loved her, they broke up due to her career coming first.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "You're fired!"
* CoincidentalBroadcast: Lampshaded in the beginning, when Ebony's crew is [[{{Exposition}} talking about her career]] and her old group's music video just so happens to air on tv.
--> "No way! How's ''that'' for timing?"
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: This happens to The Ghost of Christmas Past (played by Creator/KathyGriffin).
-->'''Ebony:''' You skinny bitch.\\
'''The Ghost of Christmas Past:''' ''[gasps]'' Did you say 'skinny'?
* CompositeCharacter: Bob Cratchitt is able to take on his traditional role and the "First Love That Got Away" role Belle had in the original story. This is due to both Gender Flipping and Ebony being relatively young for an analogue to Ebenezer Scrooge.
* CruelToBeKind: Ebony's grandmother is the one who calls Child Services to transport her and her brother into foster care, as she's too old to look after them herself and realizes that their father is a dangerously abusive alcoholic. It clearly breaks her heart to do it, but she has no other choice.
* CurseCutShort: Ebony tells room service she wants her pasta ''al dente'', and ''not'' soggy.
-->'''Ebony:''' No, if it's soggy, I'm coming down there and I'm shoving it up your—''[grandfather clock chiming]''
** And a little later after seeing Marli and thinking she was hallucinating:
-->'''Ebony''': That Pharmalain's some powerful sh...''[passes out]''
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Poor Ebony. She had an abusive and alcoholic father, an absent (and most likely dead) mother, she was taken into foster care away from her beloved older brother ''on Christmas Day'', she reunites with him only to lose him to a brain aneurysm some years later and she pushes away the only man who ever loved her due to her working very hard to secure her success.
* DeadArtistsAreBetter: PlayedForLaughs in this instance:
-->'''Nile Rodgers''': She's worth ten times more dead than she was alive.\\
'''Ebony''': ''[outraged] Ten'' times?!\\
'''Nile Rodgers''': Make that 20! ''[chuckles]''\\
'''Ebony''': I’ll have your head for this!
* DefrostingIceQueen: After being shown the error of her ways (and her terrifying future forecast), she grows friendlier and more loving.
* {{Determinator}}: Olivia, arguably. Her Dad is dead, [[MissingMom we don't know the fate of her mother]] and her only biological family member [[spoiler:initially]] wants nothing to do with her. At least she has a loving husband, [[TrueCompanions close friends who are like family]] and [[spoiler:a baby girl by the end of the film.]]
** Ebony as well. It's clear that she was willing to do almost anything and step over anyone in her way in order to be successful.
* DidNotGetTheGuy: [[spoiler: Ebony and Bob had a slight WillTheyOrWontThey relationship that even Kelly was aware of, [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy but she came to realize how wrong it was to keep him from his family, especially given how much he and his wife loved one another]] and his love and concern for Tim was worth losing his job over by leaving the tour to be with him.]]
* DontSplitUsUp: After being taken away from their abusive father on Christmas back in childhood, Ebony and her beloved brother Ronnie are taken away in seperate vehicles as they beg the foster agency's authorities to stay together.
* TheEighties: When Ebony and Desire first hit it big, which as expected, both Ebony's crew and The Ghost of Christmas Past mock, especially in regards to the [[EightiesHair looks]] [[TwoDecadesBehind involved.]]
* EpicFail: Ebony asks for French toast while in France.[[note]] French toast is an American creation.[[/note]]
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** Ebony draws the line at anyone making light of Marli's accident. See MakeItLookLikeAnAccident.
** Even though The Ghost of Christmas Past is a DeadpanSnarker, even she couldn't make any comments about the sad circumstances of Ebony's abusive past as well as she and her big brother getting taken away by social services on Christmas Day.
* FreudianExcuse: A good amount of Ebony's backstory goes toward explaining (though not justifying) her behavior. Her miserliness seemed to stem from growing up in poverty, and losing her entire family made her leery of letting anybody get close to her.
* GenderFlip: The majority of the characters that were in the story were gender flipped (Bob Cratchitt and Tim being notable exceptions).
* GentleGiant: Ebony's personal bodyguard T-Bone is this—he's a hulking guy, but soft-spoken and sweet. When Ebony serves up a massive feast to her crew after her redemption, T-Bone very politely asks for more stuffing, prompting a chorus of laughter from the group.
* {{Greed}}: Ebony sells her Christmas [=CDs=] at $25 each (standard music albums around that time would typically be somewhere between half to a third of that price.) Also, she puts her large crew into fleabag motels, pockets the rest, and forces them to perform on Christmas Day instead of allowing them to go home to be with their families.
* HappilyMarried: Ebony's niece Olivia and her husband Matt. [[spoiler: Ultimately, Bob and Kelly thankfully prove to be this, being able to work through the strain that his busy work schedule and residual feelings for Ebony were causing to their marriage.]]
* HappyHolidaysDress: Ebony rocks this towards the end of the movie.
* HollywoodAtlas:
** GayParee Ebony learns the hard way that French toast didn't originate (and is, in fact, unknown) in France.
** BigApplesauce: The film's present-day action moves to New York City about fifteen minutes in.
* HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday: It's kinda baked right into the format, with the Ghost of Christmas Past stating outright that it's the only day of the year her magic works on, but seemingly almost everything tragic in Ebony's backstory seemed to take place on Christmas Day. Getting taken out of her home and put in foster care, she dumped Bob to focus on her career, Marli was in her fatal car accident. Christmas Past lampshades it; when Ebony asks about visiting a happy New Year's she remembers, the Ghost says she only does Christmas, and it's not her fault that Ebony simply doesn't have that many worth remembering.
* IAmTheBand: Discussed by Marli:
-->''One minute we were a trio and then the next, Terri and I were your backup singers, and that hurt!''
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Ebony's and The Ghost of Christmas Past's wardrobe (which she explains she has because she "[[TakeThat had to show Tom Ford his past Christmases.]]")
** Desire's matching outfits are pretty cool, too. Hell, even Marli's outfit as a ghost had a pretty unique and memorable style to it; see JacobMarleyApparel below.
* InformedPoverty: Young Ebony’s family are supposed to be completely destitute, yet are shown living in a large, comfortable, and well furnished home.
* IronicEcho: The same phrase Ebony used on Olivia to decline her offer to come over to her Christmas party—"Let me take a moment to consider your offer. Ah, mmm, ''no.''"—was also used by the Ghost of Christmas Past when Ebony herself asked to stay longer in her only happy Christmas memory: when she and Desire first debuted.
* IronicHell: Marli explains her being trapped on Earth as this. Since she never spoke up and reined in Ebony's bad behaviors while she was alive, she's now doomed to silently watch her former friend continue to indulge those behaviors and gradually self-destruct as the years go by.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Ebony comes first and foremost.
* JacobMarleyApparel: Marli Jacob's outfit is a variation of this—it's a black leather outfit with an arrangement of chains and metal woven into the fabric.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Ernie]] ends up being arrested at the end of the movie for embezzlement.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When Ebony asks Christmas Past what happened to Terri, Christmas Past asks, "This isn't ''Where Are They Now'', OK, that's on later." VH1 was known to have a sense of humor about that line and schedule episodes of ''Where Are They Now'' to immediately follow airings of the movie.
* LittlestCancerPatient: Bob's son Tim of course, although ''which'' exact disease he had remains vague. The fact that everybody seemed to sure that he would be cured at the end makes it seem like whatever he had could be easily treatable (which is was, as seen by the ending) if he simply had access to the appropriate resources, which makes his sickness all the more gut-wrenching (and Ebony's cheapness all the more horrible.)
* LoopingLines: InUniverse: Ebony lip-synches at the beginning of the film, before she chokes on the fake snow.
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Ebony’s back-up singer, Tina, believes in the old rumor of Ebony cutting Marli’s brake line, thus killing her in an effort to start her solo career. However, Bob absolutely refuses to believe it, and Ebony herself is [[ReactionShot horrified]] by the notion, calling it “terrible”.
* MeanBoss: Ebony. Aside from her greed, she also makes her band stay in fleabag motels, work on Christmas and refuses to allow them to invite their families.
* MissingMom: Ebony and her niece Olivia both have one. The former is implied to be dead and there's no mention of the latter's. Ebony's backup singer, Tina, is also a Downplayed version: she has a child that she can't see because she's on the road working for her MeanBoss.
* MoralityPet: Ebony had several throughout her life, including her brother, Marli and Bob. Unfortunately, none of them are enough to help her stop her selfish ways (at least not at first.)
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: Bob told ''Behind the Music'' that due to the busy, unrelenting schedule that Ebony had him on, wasn't able to be at Tim's side when he passed away. Thankfully, this was just in Ebony's nightmare and she was able to get him the help he needed for his illness and he was cured by the following Christmas.
* NeverMyFault: Ebony refuses to take responsibility for her actions, such as her diva behavior eventually driving Marli into drug addiction or her suing Terri for trying to recreate Desire leaving her in poverty.
* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: Averted hilariously with Ebony's ''Behind The Music'' episode, as many viewed her as a miserable person, a meal ticket, or just glad not to have to deal with her.
-->'''Patrice''': I mean, great performer...\\
'''Brian [=McKnight=]''': ...nice butt...\\
'''Tina''': ...but ''such'' a bitch.\\
'''Lance''': She ''smelled'' real bad.\\
'''Ebony''': Oh, you're all fired.
** Played straight with Marli's death—though Ebony is a royal pain, ''no one'' is allowed to make any sort of jokes or comments about that incident.
* NiceCharacterMeanActor:
** Ebony Scrooge is this in spades. Even her poor back-up singer Patrice, who was and continues to be a fan of her music, learns this upon being hired to be on her crew.
** Also when with The Ghost of Christmas Present, she outright calls her loyal fans who still bought and quickly sold out her Christmas day concert in spite of its exorbitant price losers.
* NightmareFace: When Marli reveals her “real” face to Ebony (presumably the one that's not only been decaying for a decade, but was also destroyed beyond recognition after her car accident). We don't see it, but Ebony's disgusted reaction says it all.
* NoodleIncident: Ebony when commenting on Marli's outfit:
-->"I thought you gave up the whips and chains after you broke up with the guy from Paramus."
* NothingIsScarier: Somehow, ''not'' seeing Marli's decayed, hideous NightmareFace is even scarier, because we're left to imagine what it looks like.
* NotHisSled: Since this adaptation's analogue for Belle also fills the role of Bob Crachett, he not only remains in Ebony's life, but remains an important part of it as her manager. As a result, Ebony gets a more intimate look at the family life that Bob has with Kelly and Tim and might have had with her. Bob and Ebony have a close but strained friendship, which is mended when Ebony is redeemed.
* OnlyOneName: All of Ebony’s crew. Some of them aren’t even given names, just the main three, Patrice, Tina and Lance.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Ebony, who feels that Russians can’t drive and how she must take a long shower to wash the “Parisian stink” off of her.
* PrettyInMink: Ebony rocks a big (fake) fur coat during the beginning holiday special.
* ThePrimaDonna: Guess who? Ebony is so bad that her bitchiness making a French production member ''cry''.
* RaceLift: Scrooge and Jacob Marley (now Marli Jacob) are Black in this version.
* ReclusiveArtist: In-universe, this is implied with surviving bandmate Terri. Ebony had sued her into oblivion when Terri tried to start a new Desire after Marli's death and Ebony going solo, leaving her dirt poor. One of the volunteers with Meals on Wheels tries to get Terri to sing at the homeless center where she used to live, but she refuses to go out, citing how her voice isn't what it used to be. Also given her surroundings and her appearance, she rarely leaves her apartment and even Ebony's bandmembers were unsure of what happened to her after Desire's breakup. [[spoiler: When Ebony invites her to sing at the big Christmas concert, her voice is still gorgeous, suggesting that her problem was more emotional trauma than physical ability.]]
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Kelly. Her only roles in the film are as Bob's wife and Tim's mother.
* ScrewedByTheLawyers: This happens In-Universe to Terri. She attempted to get a new Desire off the ground after Marli's death and Ebony's abandonment, but the latter's lawyers crushed her in court, leaving her destitute.
* SecondLove: Kelly is this to Bob, as Ebony was his first.
* ShoutOut: Since the movie originally aired on Creator/VH1, a couple of their now-defunct shows were mentioned, such as ''Where Are They Now?'' and Ebony's own [[BadFuture bad future-themed]] episode of ''Series/BehindTheMusic''.
** Also, Patrice jokingly declares to her bandmates, "God bless us, everyone!"
* SomeoneElsesProblem: In addition to things [[NeverMyFault never being her fault]], Ebony feels that the problems of the homeless (amongst others) have nothing to do with her. Once the Ghost of Christmas Present shows her the homeless people that her benefit concert is supposedly helping, she realizes just how out of touch she's become (especially since she herself was born into poverty).
* SorrowfulStutter: In Ebony's ''Behind The Music'' [[BadFuture episode]], Bob had this while speaking about Tim, who was growing gradually sicker throughout the film, passed away and due to the tight schedule she had him on, [[NeverGotToSayGoodbye he wasn't with him when he did.]] He tries to continue, but then asks the interviewer for a moment and breaks down in tears on camera.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: When Marli comes back to visit Ebony, the latter freaks out. The former tries to assure her that's it's truly her and to not be afraid of her, she is still understandably terrified of her best friend coming back from the dead after ten years.
* TakeThat: Several, at Los Angeles, Patterson, New Jersey, France, Music/CelineDion...
* TheOneThatGotAway: Ebony comes to realize that Bob was this for her.
* TheTwelveSpoofsOfChristmas: Discussed by Tina when she and the rest of Ebony's road crew were being forced to work on Christmas day and will only get the next two days off for the "holidays":
-->"On the two nights of Christmas, the Diva gave to me, absolutely, positively nothing!"
* TrueCompanions: Initially, Ebony, Marli and Terri were the best of friends who even grew up together.
** Olivia, Matt and their friends are this trope as well.
** Arguably, Ebony's crew are considered this.
* TwistedChristmas: Ebony hates Christmas due to a variety of hardships that happened to her:
** As a child in [[TheSeventies the 70s]], she and her brother were taken away to foster care from their alcoholic and abusive father, being separated for several years.
** She reunites with her brother as a teen, but refuses to forgive their father was had gotten [[spoiler:temporarily]] sober.
** Another Christmas after she found success, [[MarriedToTheJob she rejects the only man she loved for her career.]]
** Christmas 1990, her best friend Marli Jacob dies in a car crash while under the influence. This was the last straw for her and [[spoiler:until her reform]] she's hated the holiday ever since.
* UngratefulBitch: You don't say.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Nobody is exactly sure of what became of Terri after Ebony abandoned her, Ebony included, until the Ghost of Christmas Past showed her what happened.
* WhenYouComingHomeDad: In this adaptation, Bob Crachit is a tour manager working for Ebony. He's on duty in France, and his wife, Kelly, and very sick son, Tim, are in Cleveland. Tim is understanding, but Kelly is out of patience. [[spoiler:Before Ebony's reform,]] Bob and Kelly's marriage is teetering on the brink of divorce.
* YouBastard:
** Ebony’s reaction when the Ghost of Christmas Present shows her accountant Ernie embezzling her money on HookersAndBlow.
** She also has this reaction when Brian [=McKnight=] uses her death as a way to become richer (as he and producer Nile Rodgers quickly released a duet the two of them did just after her demise as a memorial single):
-->'''Brian [=McKnight=]''': And the workers are just about finished putting in the pool. Thanks, Ebony! I’ll never forget you!
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