Actress Danica McKellar has moved to Tennessee. In a recent interview, the Hallmark and Great American Family star said she and her family have left Los Angeles to live on a rural homestead an hour north of Nashville.

“My husband and I have been wanting more nature for a long time,” McKellar told People magazine. “We were kind of ready to not be in a city anymore.”

In an Instagram post, McKellar said she feels like a character in one of the romantic-comedies she stars in.

“Yep, my Christmas movie characters are definitely rubbing off on me,” she wrote. “Big city life traded in for the country!”

The actress added, “I’ve lived in beautiful California my entire life; in Los Angeles since I was 7 years old. And I’ve never been happier. Excited for the seasons, too!”

Danica McKellar has moved to Tennessee

Tennessee has a special place in McKellar’s heart. Soon after she started dating her husband, Scott Sveslovsky, she had to shoot a movie on location in Kentucky. They missed each other so much that he flew to Nashville to see her and she drove an hour-and-a-half to see him. They spent a romantic weekend in Nashville and fell in love with the city.

“Memphis and Nashville are both entertainment cities. They’re known for music,” McKellar said. “Being from L.A. and being an entertainer, it’s nice to have creative people around.”

Career move

McKellar made headlines last year when she announced that she had signed an exclusive contract with Great American Family, a new network started by Crown Media Family Network’s former CEO Bill Abbott. As part of the deal, she will star in and executive produce four movies for the company.

One of these films, Christmas at the Drive-In, will premiere as part the network’s Great American Christmas lineup.

Though she is a fan of romantic comedies in general, she loves Christmas movies.

“…I think what audiences love about Christmas is this feeling of nostalgia and family and traditions and warm fuzziness,” she said in an interview. “Really, what we want is that warm fuzziness.”

Danica McKellar in the movie Christmas at the Drive-In. The actress revealed that she has moved to Tennessee.
Danica McKellar in the movie Christmas at the Drive-In. (Image: Great American Media.)

A Californian born and bred, McKellar first appeared on the small screen as Winnie Cooper in the ABC program The Wonder Years, which ran from 1988-1993. After finishing the series, she went on to study mathematics at UCLA.

In her work as an undergraduate, she helped author a mathematical-physics theorem, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem. She has written 11 books about math and runs a website devoted to the subject.

She continued her acting career as well, making guest appearances on The West Wing and the The Big Bang Theory. Over the years, she has appeared in the Hallmark romcoms Crown for Christmas (2015), Christmas at Grand Valley (2018), and Christmas at Dollywood (2019). She also starred in Crown Media’s Matchmaker Mysteries series.

New place

McKellar is now living on her homestead with her husband, her son, Draco, (whom she shares with ex Mike Verta), and her mother, Mahalia. They have begun renovating their new home and they hope to eventually put in a pool, though McKellar is enjoying the trampoline they have too much to make serious plans.

The actress said she loves being around nature and her family.

“I am just loving the fact that my Christmas movie characters have rubbed off on me,” she said. “I think it’s just a wonderful example of life imitating art.”

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We made a list of all the new Christmas movies premiering this year. It includes the movies on Hallmark, Great American Family, and Lifetime to Netflix, BET+, and Discovery+. We will update it as more information becomes available.

Enjoy!

All the new Christmas movies:

Saturday, Oct. 22

“Destined at Christmas”
Stars: Shae Robins and Casey Elliott
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“We Wish You a Married Christmas”
Stars: Marisol Nichols, Kristoffer Polaha
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“We Need a Little Christmas”
Stars: Erica Durance, Patrick Sabongui, Lynn Whitfield
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c
Sunday, Oct. 23

“A Kismet Christmas”
Stars: Sarah Ramos, Carlo Marks, Marilu Henner
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

Marilu Henner stars in A Kismet Christmas, one of the original movies that will premiere during Coutndown to Christmas 2022.
Marilu Henner in A Kismet Christmas (Image: Hallmark Media)

Friday, Oct. 28

“A Cozy Christmas Inn”
Stars: Jodie Sweetin, David O’Donnell
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

Saturday, Oct. 29

“Catering Christmas”
Stars: Merritt Patterson and Daniel Lissing
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Jolly Good Christmas”
Stars: Reshma Shetty, Will Kemp
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Christmas Bedtime Stories”
Stars: Erin Cahill, Steve Lund, Charlie Weber
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

All the new Christmas movies premiering on TV this year, including Jolly Good Christmas
Jolly Good Christmas (Image: Hallmark Media)

Sunday, Oct. 30

“Ghosts of Christmas Always”
Stars: Kim Matula, Ian Harding, Beth Leavel, Lori Tan Chinn, Reginald VelJohnson
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

Tuesday, Nov. 1

“Another Christmas”
Stars: Sheena Faust, Ryan Toby, Malik Brazil
Premieres: The Roku Channel (streaming platform)

Thursday, Nov. 3


“A Wesley Christmas”
Stars: Dorien Wilson, Jasmine Guy, Terrence Carson, Loren Lott, Terayle Hill, Mike Merrill
Premieres on: BET+ (streaming platform)

Friday, Nov. 4

“Unperfect Christmas Wish”
Stars: Alys Crocker, David Pinard
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“A Magical Christmas Village”
Stars: Alison Sweeney, Luke Macfarlane, Marlo Thomas
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

All the new Christmas movies premiering on TV, including Christmas Bedtime Stories
Christmas Bedtime Stories (Image: Hallmark Media)

Saturday, Nov. 5


“Christmas in the Pines”
Stars: Jillian Murray, Dean Geyer
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“A Royal Christmas on Ice”
Stars: Anna Marie Dobbins and Jonathan Stoddard
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Lights, Camera, Christmas!”
Stars: Kimberley Sustad, John Brotherton
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Merry Swissmas”
Stars: Jodie Sweetin, Tim Rozon, Mikaela Lily Davies, David Pinard, Jane Wheeler
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“A Maple Valley Christmas”
Stars: Peyton List, Andrew Walker
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

Sunday, Nov. 6

“Christmas Masquerade”
Stars: Erin Agostino, David Lafontaine
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“Love At the Christmas Contest” (working title)
Stars: Samantha Cope and Ross Jirgl
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“All Saints Christmas”
Stars: Ledisi, Roger Cross
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Well Suited for Christmas”
Stars: Mercedes de la Zerda, Franco Lo Presti
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Lifetime will release 26 Christmas movies, including A New Orleans Noel
A New Orleans Noel (Image: A+E Networks)

Thursday, Nov. 10

“The First Noelle”
Stars: Novi Brown, LaLa Milan, Todd Anthony
Premieres on: BET+

“Falling for Christmas”
Stars: Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, George Young, Jack Wagner
Premieres on: Netflix

“Christmas on Mistletoe Lake”
Stars: Genelle Williams, Corey Sevier
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Friday, Nov. 11

“A Christmas Open House”
Stars: Katie Stevens, Victor Rasuk, Ben and Erin Napier
Premieres on: Discovery+

“Designing Christmas”
Stars: Marco Grazzini, Jessica Szohr, Mykee Selkin, Hilary Farr
Premieres on: Discovery+

“A Gingerbread Christmas”
Stars: Tiya Sircar, Sugith Varughese, Ktana Teresa, Duff Goldman, Marc Bendavid
Premieres on: Discovery+

“One Delicious Christmas”
Stars: Vanessa Marano, Kathy Maloney, Bobby Flay, Alex Mallari, Jr.
Premieres on: Discovery+

“The Christmas Retreat”
Stars: Rhiannon Fish, Clayton James
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“In Merry Measure”
Stars: Patti Murin, Brendan Penny, Jennifer Robertson
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“The Dog Days of Christmas”
Stars: Georgia Flood, Ezekiel Simat
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Lifetime will release 26 Christmas movies in 2022, including Merry Textmas
Merry Textmas (Image: A+E Networks)

Saturday, Nov. 12

“A Tiny Home Christmas”
Stars: Rebecca Dalton, Christopher Seivright
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“A Merry Christmas Wish”
Cast: Jill Wagner and Cameron Mathison
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“The Royal Nanny”
Stars: Rachel Skarsten, Dan Jeannotte, Greta Scacchi
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Reindeer Games Homecoming”
Stars: Sarah Drew, Justin Bruening
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“Our Italian Christmas Memories”
Stars: Sarah Power, Beau Bridges
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

Sunday, Nov. 13

“The Picture of Christmas”
Stars: Chelsea Hobbs, Giles Panton
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“My Best Friend’s Christmas”
Stars: Breanne Hill and Colton Little
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Christmas at the Golden Dragon”
Stars: Kara Wang, Osric Chau, Sara Canning, Antonio Cupo, Barbara Niven
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Six Degrees of Santa”
Stars: Kathryn Davis, Steve Lund
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Six Degrees of Santa (Image: A+E Networks)
Six Degrees of Santa (Image: A+E Networks)

Thursday, Nov. 17

“Christmas Party Crashers”
Stars: Skye Townsend, Jaime Callica, Cocoa Brown
Premieres on: BET+

“Christmas With You”
Stars: Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr.
Premieres on: Netflix

“A Christmas Story Christmas”
Stars: Peter Billingsley, Erinn Hayes, Julianna Layne, River Drosche
Premieres on: HBO Max

“Sweet Navidad”
Stars: Camila Banus, Mark Hapka
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Friday, Nov. 18

“Spirited”
Stars: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page
Premieres on: Apple TV+

“Inventing the Christmas Prince”
Stars: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Ronnie Rowe Jr.
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“A Country Christmas Harmony”
Stars: Brooke Elliott, Brandon Quinn
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Saturday, Nov. 19

“The Holiday Switch” (working title)
Stars: Alex Paxton-Beesley, Morgan David Jones
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“Christmas At Pine Valley”
Stars: Kristina Cole and Andrew Biernat
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Three Wise Men and a Baby”
Stars: Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, Margaret Colin
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Santa Bootcamp”
Stars: Emily Kinney, Patrick Cassidy Rita Moreno
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“Long Lost Christmas”
Stars: Taylor Cole, Benjamin Ayres
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

Lifetime will premiere 26 Christmas movies during It's a Wonderful Lifetime, including Wrapped Up in Love
Wrapped Up in Love (Image: A+E Networks)

Sunday, Nov. 20

“Christmas Lucky Charm”
Stars: Sugenja Sri, Adrian Spencer
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“My Favorite Christmas Tree”
Stars: Emma Johnson and Giles Panton
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“When I Think of Christmas”
Stars: Shenae Grimes-Beech, Niall Matter, Beth Broderick
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“A Show-Stopping Christmas”
Stars: Jamie Perez, Thomas McDonnell
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“The Case of the Christmas Diamond”
Stars: Kelly Daly, Billy Baldwin
Premieres on: ION, 8/7c

Thursday, Nov. 24

“The Christmas Clapback”
Stars: Nadine Ellis, Porscha Coleman, Candace Maxwell, Kara Royster, Eltony Williams, Brandon Sutton, Lisa Arrindell
Premieres on: BET+

“Holiday Hideaway”
Stars: Camille Winbush, Vivica A Fox, Leonard Earl Howze, Rodney Van Johnson
Premieres on: BET+

“The Sound of Christmas”
Stars: Ne-Yo, Serayah, Draya Michele, Michael Bless, Alijah Kai
Premieres on: BET+

“Christmas at The Greenbrier”
Stars: Alicia Leigh Willis and Josh Murray
Premieres on: Fox Nation

“A Christmas Mystery”
Stars: Violet McGraw, Eddie Cibrian, Christoph Sanders, Drew Powell
Premieres on: HBO Max

“Holiday Harmony”
Stars: Annelise Cepero, Jeremy Sumpter, Carla Jimenez, Sisanie
Premieres on: HBO Max

“The Noel Diary”
Stars: Justin Hartley, Barrett Doss, Essence Atkins, Bonnie Bedelia, James Remar
Premieres on: Netflix

“My Southern Family Christmas”
Stars: Jaicy Elliot, Bruce Campbell, Ryan Rottman, Moira Kelly, Brian McNamara
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Baking All the Way”
Stars: Cory Lee, Yannick Bisson
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Friday, Nov. 25

“The Hip Hop Nutcracker”
Stars: Allison Holker Boss, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Rev Run, Caché Melvin
Premieres on: Disney+

“#Xmas”
Stars: Clare Bowen, Brant Daugherty
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 6/5c

“Christmas at the Drive-In”
Stars: Danica McKellar and Neal Bledsoe
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8 /7c

“A Royal Corgi Christmas”
Stars: Hunter King, Jordan Renzo
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Steppin’ Into the Holiday”
Stars: Mario Lopez, Jana Kramer, Courtney Lopez
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

We Need a Little Christmas will air this weekend as part of Hallmark's Miracles of Christmas
We Need a Little Christmas (Image: Hallmark Media)

Saturday, Nov. 26

“A Tale of Two Christmases”
Stars: Kat Barrell, Chandler Massey, Evan Roderick
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 6/5c

“I’m Glad It’s Christmas”
Stars: Jessica Lowndes, Paul Greene and Gladys Knight
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Haul Out the Holly”
Stars: Lacey Chabert, Wes Brown, Ellen Travolta, Peter Jacobson, Melissa Peterman
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“The 12 Days of Christmas Eve”
Stars: Kelsey Grammer, Spencer Grammer
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“Faith Heist: A Christmas Caper”
Stars: Jonathan Langdon
Premieres on: Bounce, 8/7c

“Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas”
Stars: Holland Roden, Tyler Hynes, Tenille Townes (Executive Producer: Blake Shelton)
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

Sunday, Nov. 27

“A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe”
Stars: Rachel Boston, Victor Webster
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 6/5c

“Candace Cameron Bure Presents: A Christmas…Present”
Stars: Candace Cameron Bure and Marc Blucas
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“A Holiday Spectacular”
Stars: Ginna Claire Mason, Derek Klena, Eve Plumb, Ann-Margret; featuring the Radio City Rockettes
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“A Christmas Spark”
Stars: Jane Seymour, Joe Lando (Executive producer Toni Braxton)
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“Dognapped: Hound for the Holidays”
Stars: Sara Ball, Noah Fearnley, Vivica A. Fox
Premieres on: ION, 8/7c

Eighteen new Christmas movies will premiere on Great American Family this year including I'm Glad It's Christmas
I'm Glad It's Christmas (Image: Hallmark Media)

Thursday, Dec. 1


“Rolling Into Christmas”
Stars: Rhyon Nicole Brown, Donny Carrington, Brandee Evans, Gary Dourdan
Premieres on: BET+

“A Hollywood Christmas”
Stars: Jessika Van, Anissa Borrego, Josh Swickard, Riley Dandy
Premieres on: HBO Max

“Serving Up the Holidays”
Stars: Britt Irvin, Zach Roerig
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Friday, Dec. 2

“Scrooge: A Christmas Carol”
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Johnny Flynn
Premieres on: Netflix

“Christmas in the Wilds”
Stars: Kaitlyn Leeb, Victor Zinck Jr.
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“A Big Fat Family Christmas”
Stars: Shannon Chan-Kent, Shannon Kook, Tia Carrere, Jack Wagner
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Cloudy with a Chance of Christmas”
Stars: Valery Ortiz, Brandon Quinn, Nicole Bilderback
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Saturday, Dec. 3

“Christmas on the Slopes”
Stars: Olivier Renaud, Soma Chhaya
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“Christmas on Candy Cane Lane”
Stars: Andrea Barber and Dan Payne
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“A Fabled Holiday”
Stars: Brooke D’Orsay, Ryan Paevey
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“A New Orleans Noel”
Stars: Keshia Knight Pullman, Brad James, Patti LaBelle
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“The Holiday Stocking”
Stars: Nadine Ellis, B.J. Britt, Karon Riley, Tamala Jones, Mykelti Williamson
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

“The Great Holiday Bake War”
Stars: LeToya Luckett, Finesse Mitchell
Premieres on: OWN, 9/8c

Sunday, Dec. 4

“Christmas on the Rocks”
Stars: Lyla Porter-Follows, Jon McLaren
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“B&B Merry”
Stars: Jen Lilley and Jesse Hutch
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Undercover Holiday”
Stars: Noemi Gonzalez, Stephen Huszar
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Merry Textmas”
Stars: Ariana Ron Pedrique, Rodrigo Massa
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“The Search for Secret Santa”
Stars: Skye Coyne, Alex Trumble
Premieres on: ION, 8/7c

“Fit for Christmas”
Stars: Amanda Kloots, Paul Greene
Premieres on: CBS, 8:30 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT

Eighteen new Christmas movies will premiere on Great American Family this year, including Christmas on Candy Cane Lane.
Christmas on Candy Cane Lane (Image: Great American Media)

Thursday, Dec. 8

“A Miracle Before Christmas”
Stars: LeToya Luckett, Romeo Miller, Keith David, Demetrius Shipp Jr, Paula Jai Parker and Porscha Coleman
Premieres on: BET+

“Scentsational Christmas”
Stars: Nanzeen Contractor, Mykee Selkin
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Friday, Dec. 9

“Something From Tiffany’s”
Stars: Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Smith Sampson, Ray Nicholson, Shay Mitchell
Premieres on: Amazon Prime Video

“It’s a Wonderful Binge”
Stars: Eduardo Franco, Dexter Darden, Zainne Saleh, Marta Piekarz, Kaitlin Olson, Danny Trejo
Premieres on: Hulu

“Big Box Christmas” (working title)
Stars: Jennifer Freeman and Garrett Watson
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“The Most Colorful Time of the Year”
Stars: Katrina Bowden, Christopher Russell
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“A Recipe for Joy”
Stars: Erin Agostino, Dillon Casey
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Saturday, Dec. 10

“A Royal Christmas Match”
Stars: Jordana Largy, Matthew MacCaull
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“A Prince for the Holidays” (wt)
Stars: Cindy Busby and Jilon VanOver
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Christmas Class Reunion”
Stars: Aimee Teegarden, Tanner Novlan
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas”
Stars: Naturi Naughton, Lorea Turner, Luke James, Kirk Franklin
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“A Christmas Fumble”
Stars: Eva Marcille, Devale Ellis
Premieres on: OWN, 9/8c

“The Gift of Peace”
Stars: Nikki Deloach, Brennan Elliott
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

"Kirk Franklin's A Gospel Christmas" (Image: A+E Networks)
"Kirk Franklin's A Gospel Christmas" (Image: A+E Networks)


Sunday, Dec. 11

“Santa’s Got Style”
Stars: Franco Lo Presti, Kathryn Davis
Premieres on: Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“A Belgian Chocolate Christmas”
Stars: Jaclyn Hales and Zane Stephens
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“The Holiday Sitter”
Stars: Jonathan Bennett, George Krissa, Chelsea Hobbs
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Single and Ready to Jingle”
Stars: Natasha Wilson
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“A Prince and Pauper Christmas”
Stars: Brittany Underwood
Premieres on: ION, 8/7c

“Must Love Christmas”
Stars: Liza Lapira, Neal Bledsoe
Premieres on: CBS, 9/8c

Thursday, Dec. 15

“A Blackjack Christmas”
Stars: Dawnn Lewis, Charmin Lee, Adam Lazarre-White
Premieres on: BET+

“Record Breaking Christmas”
Stars: Michelle Argyis, Andrew Bushell
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Friday, Dec. 16

“Holiday Heritage”
Stars: Lyndie Greenwood, Brooks Darnell, Holly Robinson Peete
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“A Christmas to Treasure”
Stars: Taylor Frey, Kyle Dean Massey
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

Lifetime will release 26 Christmas movies during It's a Wonderful Lifetime
Record-Breaking Christmas (Image: A+E Networks)

Saturday, Dec. 17

“Sappy Holiday”
Stars: Vanessa Sears, Jon McLaren
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“A Brush with Christmas Romance” (wt)
Stars: Jillian Murray and Joseph Cannata
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“’Twas the Night Before Christmas”
Stars: Torrey DeVitto, Zane Holtz
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“The Holiday Dating Guide”
Stars: Maria Menounos, Brent Bailey
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“Five More Minutes: Moments Like These”
Stars: Ashley Williams, Lucas Bryant
Premieres on: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, 10/9c

Sunday, Dec. 18

“A Vintage Christmas”
Stars: Hannah Gallway, Jeremy Walmsley
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

“The Art of Christmas”
Stars: Brigitte Kingsley and Joe Towne
Premieres on: Great American Family, 8/7c

“Hanukkah on Rye”
Stars: Jeremy Jordan, Yael Grobglas, Lisa Loeb
Premieres on: Hallmark Channel, 8/7c

“Wrapped Up in Love”
Stars: Brittany Bristow, Olivier Renaud
Premieres on: Lifetime, 8/7c

“When Christmas Was Young”
Stars: Karen David, Tyler Hilton
Premieres on: CBS, 8:30 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT

Thursday, Dec. 22

“A Christmas Gift”
Stars: Blue Kimble, Noree Victoria, Javon Johnson, Victoria Rowell, Aaron D. Spears, Nadia Simms, Tiffany Snow, Marc Jones, Cayen Martin
Premieres on: BET+

Saturday, Dec. 24

“The Snowball Effect”
Stars: Anjali Khurana, Landon Moss
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

Sunday, Dec. 25

“Christmas in Wolf Creek”
Stars: Nola Martin, Tim Rozon
Premieres on: UPtv, 7/6c

December, date TBD

“Dolly Parton’s Magic Mountain Christmas”
Stars: Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus
Premieres on: NBC

“Hotel for the Holidays”
Stars: Madelaine Petsch, Mena Massoud
Premieres on: Amazon Freevee

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Fans have mixed reactions to news that Candace Cameron Bure leaving Hallmark Channel

By now, most fans have heard about Candace Cameron Bure leaving Hallmark Channel to work with GAC Family. The Full House actress made the announcement on Instagram last week.

“Excited to join the @gactv and @gacliving family!” she wrote in the caption.

The actress, who has starred in more than two dozen movies for Crown Media Family Networks, received support from other actors who have signed deals with GAC Family.

“Yayayay!!!! Welcome to the family, my friend!!” Danica McKellar wrote in the comments.

But among fans, the reactions were mixed.

Some fans thrilled that Candace Cameron Bure now working for GAC Family

“I’m so excited for you and for GAC family,” one wrote on Bure’s Facebook page. “Can’t wait to see what you and Mr. Abbot will create together. Crossing my fingers in hopes of seeing some mysteries on this channel too. Oh! And bring back the home and family show. God Bless and enjoy this new adventure.”

Some fans are thrilled that Candace Camerone Bure leaving Hallmark Channel for GAC Family

“This is such great news!” wrote another. “I was hoping we would see you there especially when they picked up Full House & Fuller House. May God continue to richly bless you in all that you do!”

Another fan comments on Bure's Facebook page

Some fans upset that Candace Cameron Bure leaving Hallmark Channel

Most fans who have objected to Bure’s departure say the issue is straightforward: they don’t have access to GAC Family.

Though the new network is included in some basic cable packages — you can check yours here — in others, it can cost extra. It’s also available on several streaming platforms, but some fans they can’t afford to pay.

“I’m on disability and a fixed income and can’t afford to have a bunch of extra channels,” one wrote on social media. “I hate that so many have abandoned ship at Hallmark. Will miss seeing them.”

A fan comments on Candace Cameron Bure's move to GAC Family

Fans in Canada say they can’t even get GAC Family.

“This makes me a little sad because GAC Media isn’t currently available in Canada!” one wrote. “Neither is Hallmark but I could at least watch your movies on WNetwork through StackTV.”

A fan says she can't get GAC Family in Canada

What is GAC Family?

GAC Family is one of two networks launched by former Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott. Abbott left Crown Media — which produces content for Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama — in early 2020.

In June of 2021, he announced that his new company, GAC Media, had purchased two cable networks. Programming on GAC Family and GAC Living began in September. In addition to old episodes of family-friendly shows such as Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and Father Knows Best, GAC Family released 12 original movies for the holiday season in 2022.

Other Hallmark stars such as Jen Lilley, Jessica Lowndes, and Danica McKellar have also signed contracts to work with GAC Media. Holly Robinson Peete, Brennan Elliott, and Lacey Chabert have signed contracts to continue to work for Crown Media.

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When Calls the Heart co-creator tells fans their support is crucial for Season 10

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The co-creator and executive producer of Hallmark Channel’s longest-running original series posted a letter on social media telling fans their support could help keep the show on the air. In his letter, Brian Bird thanked When Calls the Heart fans for their “eFangelism.”

“If indeed there is to be a season 10 and beyond of WCTH, it will be because you reached down into your hearts and found that same excitement and passion for rallying your friends and family to watch the only show on TV that celebrates hope, faith and love every week,” he wrote.

Season 9 of the series premiered on March 6. Around 3.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the episode, according to Nielsen.

In his letter, Bird said he had seen levels of support among fans that reminded him of the “halcyon early days.”

“You wore WCTH T-shirts, drank coffee out of WCTH mugs, collected thousands of little hand-made hearts from all over the country, bearing messages of support, and you strung them together in a giant heartstring and sent it to the Hallmark Channel, pleading for just one more season,” Bird wrote.

Brian Bird and Daniel Lissing on the set of When Hope Calls Christmas
Brian Bird and Daniel Lissing on the set of When Hope Calls Christmas. (Image: @brbird/Instagram)

When Calls the Heart

When Calls the Heart premiered on Hallmark Channel in 2014. Based on a series of books by Canadian author Janette Oke, the show followed a wealthy woman, Elizabeth Thatcher (played by Erin Krakow), who moved to a small Canadian mining town to work as a teacher. She fell in love with and eventually married a mountie — short for Royal Canadian Mounted Police —named Jack Thornton (played by Daniel Lissing).

The series has had its share of controversy. At the end of Season 5, Jack Thornton was killed shortly after his wedding to Elizabeth. In Season 6, two men were brought in to replace him, and they vied for Elizabeth’s hand until she chose between them in the Season 8 finale.

Many fans were upset when Elizabeth chose businessman Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally) over Mountie Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry). Some vowed never to watch the show again.

Erin Krakow says that Season 10 of When Calls the Heart will have 'jaw-dropping' drama. (Image: Hallmark Media)

Renewed enthusiasm

In his letter, Bird said he had been touched by the show of enthusiasm he has seen for Season 9. He also said the support is needed if the series is to continue.

“And if you would like to see it continue, it’s your time to shine once again,” he wrote.

There has been no word yet from Hallmark Channel about whether the series will be renewed for a tenth season.

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Henry shares a powerful lesson with Hope Valley’s children on When Calls the Heart

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Hearties were treated to some of the feel-good, old-fashioned moments that have made When Calls the Heart famous during the second episode of Season 9 on Sunday.

Businessman Henry Gowen, who has been Hope Valley’s on-again, off-again villain since Season 1, set the record straight with the town’s children after he got involved in a saloon brawl during the first episode.

After spending the night in jail, he went to the schoolhouse and stood before the students. He explains what led him to attack businessman Jerome Smith in the saloon but said that violence is never the answer.

“If all we do is hurt each other, we all end up in pain,” he said.

Though some of the boys seemed disappointed, teacher Elizabeth Thornton was downright shocked. Henry has obviously come a long way from his early days in Hope Valley, when he made self-serving decisions that cost coal miners their lives.

 

Election results

In other developments, the votes in the town’s mayoral race were tabulated, and Mike Hickam was the winner. Though Bill and Lee were disappointed, Rosemary consoled her husband and even offered him the job as managing editor of her newspaper.

Hickam went to Fiona and told her it would be a conflict of interest for him to hold public office and be part owner of Gowen Petroleum. He turned over his shares to Fiona.

Waiting on the election results
Rosemary, Lee, and Bill await the results of Hope Valley's mayoral election. (Image: Crown Media)

Nathan on the mend

Fans tuning into the second episode of Season 9 were expecting the worst after Nathan was hit by a car during the Season 9 premiere. After he was brought to Dr. Carter’s clinic, Elizabeth rushed to his bedside. When Nathan saw her, he didn’t recognize her, leading many fans to believe he was suffering from amnesia.

But almost immediately during Episode 2, it became apparent that Nathan was just kidding. He knew who Elizabeth was, there was no evident damage to his brain, and he would simply need rest and the doctor’s care to get better.

Several fans mentioned how much they appreciated Lucas visiting Nathan’s bedside. The two former rivals sat and ate ice cream together, giving some fans hope that it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Finally, viewers were introduced to a softer side of newcomer Mei Suo (Amanda Wong). When Elizabeth went to check on Nathan’s horse, she found Mei there, soothing the animal, who was still skittish from the accident.

 

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Heather Hemmens signs multi-picture deal with Hallmark Channel

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Roswell, New Mexico star Heather Hemmens has signed a deal to make several movies for Hallmark Channel. The actress made the announcement in a post on Instagram.

“Manifestation update!!” Hemmens wrote in the caption. “As a black girl from rural Maine, an offer to spread joy, love and fun with the @hallmarkchannel is a dream come true! And on #internationalwomensday! I’m overcome with gratitude. Thank you to the wonderful team at #Hallmark for this very official welcome to the family. I am honored!”

Hemmens has already made two movies for Crown Media Family Networks. Love, Take Two premiered on the Hallmark Channel in 2019. Christmas In My Heart aired on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries in 2021.

A network spokeswoman said Hallmark was thrilled to have the star on board.

“We are excited to sign this multi-picture deal with Heather Hemmens,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming for Crown Media. “Heather is such a pro at what she does, making every movie she works on unique and special. We are lucky to have her on-board, starring in multiple movies for us.”

Hemmens and Hallmark

In a statement through the network, Hemmens said she was pleased to continue working with Hallmark.

“Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries are the go-to networks for feel-good entertainment, and I feel very lucky to be a part of that,” Hemmens said.

In a 2019 appearance on Hallmark’s Home and Family, the actress shared one of her many talents with co-hosts Debbie Matenopoulos and Cameron Mathison, teaching them how to make candles.

“We grew up in the woods with no TV or entertainment, so my mom was always trying to find stuff for us to do,” Hemmens said.

From Maine to Hollywood

Hemmens grew up in Maine and attended the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Boston, where she received weapons training and earned a black belt in martial arts. After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles. She landed bit parts in The Dukes of Hazzard and Glory Road before being cast as Alice Verdura in the CW series Hellcats in 2010. She also appeared in the OWN series If Loving You is Wrong and the CW show Roswell, New Mexico.

Neither Hemmens nor Hallmark gave details about the movies Hemmens will make. She is the second actress to announce a multi-picture deal with the network. In February, Laci Chabert said she had signed a two-year agreement to make movies with Crown Media.

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Danica McKellar uses her love of math and physics on new Fox reality show

For years now, actress Danica McKellar has worked hard to help children (and adults) understand and appreciate math. She has written 12 books on the topic, with titles such as Math Doesn’t Suck and Kiss My Math, and runs a website, McKellar Math, dedicated to the subject.

Now on Fox, the mathematician will get a chance to share her knowledge on the reality show Domino Masters. Produced by the same team that put together the show Lego Masters, the program will feature teams building domino structures and then knocking them down.

“I can’t wait for you to see the mind-blowingly impressive domino structures our brilliant teams created,” the actress wrote in a post on her Instagram page. “It’s a wild, nail-biting ride and you’re gonna love it! It’s almost….TOPPLE TIME!”

The show is hosted by Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet. The other judges on the show are former NFL player Vernon Davis, and expert domino artist and YouTube star Steve Price.

The three teams competing will create structures using blocks and kinetic devices.

“I can’t believe what our teams were able to create in less than in 16 hours,” McKellar said during an Instagram Live appearance.

Love of math

McKellar first became known to television audiences as Winnie Cooper on the series The Wonder Years, which ran from 1988 to 1993 on ABC.

After the show ended, she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UCLA. As an undergraduate, she helped author a mathematical-physics theorem, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem. She has also testified before Congress on the state of women in the fields of math and science.

New projects

Domino Masters is only one of many new projects McKellar has taken on recently. In October, the actress announced she had signed a contract to make four movies with GAC Family, a new network started by Crown Media Family Network’s former CEO Bill Abbott.

The Winter Palace, which she starred in and produced, premiered on GAC Family on January 8. In an interview with The List, she said she would use some of the skills she learned on Dancing With the Stars in one of the movies.

“I can’t give you a lot of details yet, but I’m working on one that involves some dance, which is a lot of fun,” she said.

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Five new movies coming to Hallmark during Spring Into Love event

Five new rom-coms will premiere on Hallmark Channel during its Spring Into Love event, which begins the last weekend of March and runs through the month of April. Melora Hardin, Illeana Douglas, Chris McNally, and Brittany Bristow are among the stars who will headline the films.

“We’re all in the mood for love (and puppies),” Bristow wrote on her Instagram page. “A Tail of Love will be premiering Saturday, April 23rd on @hallmarkchannel and I’m so excited to share it with you all!”

In addition to featuring Crown Media favorites such as Bristow, McNally, and Brant Daugherty, Spring Into Love also includes some actors new to the network.

Illeana Douglas, who starred in Goodfellas, Cape Fear, and Seinfeld, will appear in Just One Kiss, alongside Krysta Rodriguez, Santino Fontana, and Aida Turturro. In the romantic comedy, Douglas and Turturro play matchmakers for their children, a professor (Rodriguez) and the headliner at a supper club (Fontana), who keep having chance encounters.

Another newcomer is Melora Hardin, who appeared in The Office as Jan Levinson-Gould. In Love, Classified, she plays a romance novelist who returns to her hometown and reconnects with her children, who are both trying out a new dating app.

Brittany Bristow posts on Instagram about her new Hallmark movie

Reunions

Also premiering during the Spring Into Love event is Always Amore, which stars Autumn Reeser and Tyler Hynes and is being produced by celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis. A Second Chance at Love, which premieres in March, will reunite ER co-stars Gloria Reuben and Eriq LaSalle.

“It’s true! Reunited and it feels so good!” Reuben wrote in an Instagram post.

Brant Daugherty will appear in his second rom-com this year for Hallmark in A Royal Runaway Romance. He plays a bodyguard who falls for the princess (Philippa Northeast) he is protecting.

The family man

On his Instagram, Daugherty shared how difficult it was to be away from his wife and infant son during filming.

“I had to spend 4 weeks away from this boy while I was filming in Canada and let me just tell you that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Daugherty said.

Daugherty was on location in Canada shooting Hallmark Channel’s The Baker’s Son (2021) when his wife went into early labor with their son, Wilder David, in Los Angeles.

“I thought, I’ll take the film as a way of providing for my family, and hopefully I’ll make it,” he said. “A lot of first babies come late.”

But Wilder didn’t want to wait. On one of the last days of filming, Daugherty’s wife, Kimberly Hidalgo, went into labor. He ended up checking in on her in between takes via Zoom. After 30 hours in labor, she had a C-section, which he watched over FaceTime.

“My sister-in-law held the camera up for an hour while it all happened,” he said.

Spring Into Love starts on March 26 on Hallmark Channel.

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Pascale Hutton: 'Rosemary has always been Team Elizabeth'

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On Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart, Rosemary Coulter (played by Pascale Hutton) has worn many hats over the years.

“She’s been an actress, and she’s been a gossip columnist. She has worked in the restaurant, she has played the piano, she has worked in the dress shop, of course,” Hutton said during a recent appearance on the Sarah Scoop Show.

In Season 9, Rosemary will find a new purpose, according to Hutton. But not before she attempts to — once again — do several things at once, she said.

“We’ll see her trying to wear a bunch of different hats and succeeding and not so much succeeding,” she said. “Rosemary is one of those people who always thrives in a bit of chaos.”

Hutton has played the character since the first season of When Calls the Heart premiered on Hallmark Channel in 2014. A former flame of Jack Thornton (played by Daniel Lissing), Rosemary arrived in what was then called Coal Valley and threw herself into small-town life by trying to start a theater company. She ended up falling for Lee Coulter (Kavan Smith), and the two married in Season 3.

Becoming Rosemary

A native of British Columbia, Hutton had a long list of credits to her name when she tried out for When Calls the Heart. In addition to bit parts on Supernatural, Dead Like Me, and Royal Pains, she had lead roles on the series Arctic Air and Sanctuary.

In the interview, Hutton said she tried to dress the part for her Rosemary audition. Since she knew the series was a period piece, she styled her hair in an elaborate updo. Because the character was supposed to be wearing a red dress, she showed up in a red blouse.

But all it took was one look at her audition video for the show’s executive producer and director Michael Landon Jr. to know she was right for the part.

“He thought, ‘Oh, this is who should play Rosemary,’” she said.

When Landon left work and pulled into traffic, he got another sign. “I was on was on a different TV series at the time that was being advertised a lot,” Hutton said. “A bus pulled up right beside him, and he looked over, and there was a big billboard on the side of the bus with my face on it.”

Champion of true love

During her interview, Hutton touched on the complexity of the character she plays. Rosemary has a public persona that is confident and theatrical. In private, she is quite sensitive, according to Hutton.

“I love her flair and her excitability and her enthusiasm and her theatrics,” she said. “But I also like those softer, quieter, vulnerable moments.”

As for whether Rosemary is Team Nathan or Team Lucas, Hutton said she is Team Elizabeth.

“Hands down, and this has always been unwavering, Rosemary has always been Team Elizabeth,” she said. “She just wants Elizabeth to find love again. There’s no bigger champion of love than Rosemary of love in Hope Valley.”

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Meghan Markle in the Hallmark Channel movie When Sparks Fly. (Image: Crown Media)

Before she was royalty, Meghan Markle was a Hallmark star. (She also read The Rules.)

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Before she was royalty, Meghan Markle was a TV star. Some viewers knew her as Rachel Zane from the series Suits. Others watched her on CSI: Miami and CSI: New York. Hallmark fans knew her from the two romantic comedies she made with the network, Dater’s Handbook and When Sparks Fly.

On Monday, Hallmark will air Dater’s Handbook as part of a Valentine’s Day movie marathon. In the film, Markle plays Cassandra Barber, a young woman who is tired of picking the wrong guy. She decides to follow the advice given by a relationship expert in her best-seller The Dater’s Handbook.

In the end, she finds herself caught in a love triangle with two men: reliable George (played by Jonathan Scarfe) and fun-loving Robert (played by Kristoffer Polaha).

“It’s hard to change old habits and place your faith in the experts, especially when your heart tells you something different,” reads a synopsis from the network.


“I think the reason Cassandra still has to refer to a handbook is the same reason all of us are trying to find our way and a little bit of guidance and trying to balance having it all,” Markle said in an interview to promote the film. “And having it all isn’t easy. I think we’re all still striving for that, so I think watching Cassandra’s journey is pretty fun.”

Happily ever after

Markle met her own true love on a blind date arranged by friends in 2016. She and Prince Harry were married two years later in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The couple welcomed son Archie in May 2019.

“It’s magic. It’s pretty amazing,” she said during her first public appearance after giving birth. “I mean, I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”

The couple welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana, in June 2021.

Meghan Markle in the Hallmark Channel movie Dater's Handbook
Meghan Markle in the Hallmark Channel movie Dater's Handbook. (Image: Crown Media)

Hallmark history

Markle made her first movie with Hallmark in 2014. She played journalist Amy Peterson in When Sparks Fly opposite Christopher Jacot. In the movie, her character returns to her small hometown for to write a newspaper feature about her parents’ fireworks business. When she arrives home, she is enlisted by a friend to help her plan a Fourth of July wedding to Amy’s ex-boyfriend Hank (played by Jacot). As Amy and Hank spend time together, they are reminded of why they were so good together and old feelings resurface.

Dater’s Handbook followed two years later. In an interview to promote the movie, Markle talked about the futility of playing games when it comes to serious relationships.

“I remember when I was in high school and college we were still reading The Rules — do you remember that book?” she said. “So this is very much like that. And all those different things they would say like, ‘Be a creature unlike any other,’ and it’s really about playing these games but at the end of the day, when it comes down to finding the person that you’re right for, that’s not the person you’re going to play games with.”

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The stars of Chesapeake Shores are dropping hints about Season 6

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It’s been almost four months since Season 5 of Chesapeake Shores wrapped up on Hallmark Channel. Fans anxious to know if there will be a Season 6 have heard only unconfirmed rumors about whether their favorite show will be back.

Now even the actors on the series are dropping hints that they would like to know the fate of the series.

“Gee I hope I get to see these guys again,” wrote Treat Williams on an Instagram post that featured a photo of his Chesapeake Shores castmates.

He followed it up with a photo of Robert Buckley, who joined the cast in Season 5, with the caption, “I am of course hoping to see this guy soon. Mr. Buckley.”

Finally, he posted a photo of actress Laci Mailey, who plays his daughter in the series.

“This of course is my beautiful youngest TV daughter Laci who plays Jess. I hope to see you soon!” he wrote.

A photo from the Instagram account of Treat Williams
"Gee, I hope I get to see these guys soon," Treat Williams wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. (Image: @treat.williams2/Instagram)

Co-star Barbara Niven made her own social media post, sharing a photo from the first day of production on the series.

#ThrowbackThursday: Day 1 on set for #ChesapeakeShores back in 2016. I can’t believe it’s been nearly six years since we filmed season 1,” she wrote. “It’s been amazing ever since! #chessies.”

Will there be a Season 6?

Fans have been asking the stars and the network when they can expect to see Season 6 of the series ever since the last episode of Season 5 premiered in October.

In November, a website claimed it had proof that Season 6 was scheduled to begin production in April 2022.

Williams saw the article and posted a screenshot with the caption, “This was interesting.”

But the network wouldn’t confirm whether the article was correct, and Williams followed his post up a few days later with the caption, “As to this post the actors have heard nothing from Hallmark so this tweet is all we know. As I said it is interesting. I know as much as you do.”

 

A scene from Chesapeake Shores
"Um, O'Brien?" (Image: Crown Media)

The back story

Based on the best-selling books by author Sherryl Woods, Chesapeake Shores follows single mother and attorney Abby O’Brien (played by Meghan Ory), who returns to her small coastal hometown following a divorce.

She reconnects with an old boyfriend and is thrown back into the drama of her large family.

Season 5 saw the introduction of several new characters, including a potential love interest for Abby and two potential suitors for her sister Bree (played by Emilie Ullerup). Mick (played by Williams) and Meg (played by Niven) O’Brien also began reconciling after years apart. In the final episode, Connor O’Briien (layed by Andrew Francis) collapsed with a suspected heart attack.

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Ryan McPartlin turns a stylist into a super sleuth in Hallmark’s Cut, Color, Murder

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Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is known for its movies featuring unlikely sleuths. In the Aurora Teagarden series, a timid librarian (played by Candace Cameron Bure) always solves the crime. In Mystery 101, a professor of literature (played by Jill Wagner) always finds out whodunit.

In February, the network will premiere a new murder mystery in which a stylist must figure out who killed the judge in a local beauty pageant.

“We decided to make our lead female a hairstylist in a beauty salon, and I liked that idea,” said Ryan McPartlin in a recent interview with Digital Journal.

McPartlin wrote, produced, and co-starred in the movie, playing a detective named Kyle Crawford. Actress Julie Gonzalo plays Ali Bowden, a small-town beautician whose clients keep her informed of all the latest gossip. This knowledge comes in handy when the creator of the local beauty pageant is found dead, and everyone involved in the competition — including her sister — becomes a suspect.

Gonzalo and McPartlin work together to solve the crime and clear her sister’s name.

Julie Gonzalo and Ryan McPartlin on the set of Cut, Color, Murder
Julie Gonzalo and Ryan McPartlin on the set of Cut, Color, Murder. (Image: Instagram/@ryanmcpartlin)

A dream come true

In an Instagram post promoting the movie, McPartlin talked about how grateful he was that the film was getting made.

“This has been another passion project that was years in the making,” he wrote. “@heatherjnyc & I never gave up on this story that @jfilardi @waltbecker3 and I created until all the pieces fell into place.”

Born in Chicago, 47-year-old McPartlin had a few bit roles before landing the part of Hank Bennett on the soap opera Passions. He went on to star in several TV series, including Hart of Dixie, Devious Maids, and Chuck.

He’s also made movies for Hallmark Channel and Lifetime.

In Cut, Color, Murder, he will be reunited with his Passions co-star Eva Tamargo, who played Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald on the show.

“Eva and I go way back,” he said.

Ryan McPartlin in Hallmark's Cut, Color, Murder
Ryan McPartlin in Hallmark's Cut, Color, Murder. (Image: Crown Media)

Fun on the set

McPartlin said he was glad he got the chance to act with Gonzalo.

“I just had the best time, and I loved the cast,” he said

McPartlin says he plans on promoting the movie as much as possible on social media.

“I want the fans to have fun with ‘Cut, Color, Murder,’” he said. “I am already trying to figure out how to do a squares game in the same fashion that you do for the Super Bowl, so stay tuned for that.”

Cut, Color, Murder will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Sunday, February 6 at 9/8c.

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Stacey Farber says Butlers in Love is a one-of-a-kind love story

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When Stacey Farber got the script for Butlers in Love, she was fascinated. The lead character in the movie dreams of becoming a butler, an ambition she found endearing and amusing. The lead character also gets accepted into a school that trains butlers, something Farber had never heard of before.

“My big pitch for Butlers in Love is that I haven’t seen a movie like this,” she said during a recent interview on the Hallmarkies Podcast.

Farber, who plays lead character Emma in the romantic comedy, said she learned a lot while making the film, from how to dress the part to how to set a table for a full-course meal in only minutes.

In her interview, Farber also teased the romantic parts of the movie. Her character, Emma, falls for fellow student Henry, played by Corey Cott, who comes from a long line of butlers.

“My character does not like him until she starts to like him,” Farber said. “And yeah, you guys, the viewers, get to go on that journey with her fighting her feelings.”

Farber has been acting since she was in elementary school. Her breakthrough role came on the Canadian series Degrassi: The Next Generation. She said she loves working with Hallmark.

“Nothing bad happens,” she said. “It’s just good viewing. …It’s heartfelt and an escape from everyday stress.”

Not your typical 9-to-5 gig

In Butlers in Love, Emma finally gets accepted into a butler training academy after years of trying.

“She’s worked as a server, and she’s taken language classes, and she’s done everything she can to improve her application,” Farber said.

Butler academies do exist, and they offer courses in everything from silver service to household management.

“It pays extremely well, apparently,” Farber said. “And you get to travel a lot, and you get to meet fabulous people, and live in beautiful places.”

In the movie, teachers use competitions and timed exercises to train the students. Farber said this made for a lot of pressure when they were filming.

“We were working at a really fast pace,” she said.

Love in the ranks

One of the great dynamics of the film is the romantic tension between Emma and Henry, Farber said. While Emma struggles to get everything right, Henry finds it all pretty easy. Also, while becoming a butler is a dream for Emma, Henry would much rather be a chef. He’s only at the academy to make his family happy.

Overall, the movie is full of energy and heavy on comedy, according to Farber.

“I think it’s an interesting escape and an invitation to go to a butler academy with us,” she said. “And to laugh, I’m hoping.”

Butlers in Love will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, January 29 at 8/7c.

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Trevor Donovan says he would be open to appearing on When Calls the Heart or When Hope Calls

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Actor Trevor Donovan had a busy 2021. He filmed back-to-back romantic comedies, one with Hallmark, one with GAC Family, and a third with an independent film company, though he said he hopes it ends up on GAC.

“Bill Abbott, the former CEO of Hallmark, became a pretty good friend of mine while I was working there,” Donovan said in an interview with Feeling the Vibe. “We kept in contact after he stepped down.”

Donovan said he would also be open to working again with Brian Bird, the co-creator and producer of When Calls the Heart and its spinoff series, When Hope Calls. The two recently worked on a movie together and hit it off.

“Yeah, it might very well be happening,” he said in an interview with Heavy. “Like I said, I worked with Brian Bird on two movies this last year… We’ve become pretty good friends…So that’s a definite possibility.”

Bird produced the independent film The Engagement Plot, which stars Donovan and actress Rachel Boston. During filming last fall, he shared photos of the cast and crew, including a shot of himself and Donovan fishing on location in Colorado.

“Some early morning fly fishing on #TheEngagementPlot,” Bird wrote in the caption. “Trying to hook a spouse, maybe?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWjdI0tBxqB/

A long, successful career

A California native, Donovan got his start as a professional actor with a bit part in the 2004 series Quintuplets. He followed that with a stint as Jeremy Horton on Days of Our Lives.

His breakout role was on the CW series 90210. Donovan played Teddy Montgomery, a character who came out as gay and eventually married his boyfriend in a Las Vegas ceremony.

The actor has appeared in the Hallmark movies Strawberry Summer, Marry Me at Christmas (2017), Love, Fall & Order (2019), USS Christmas (2020), and Nantucket Noel.

New network, new partnership

Donovan’s first movie with GAC Family was Jingle Bell Princess, which premiered in November 2021. He co-starred with Merritt Patterson, another actor who has had a long working relationship with Hallmark.

Other Hallmark favorites such as Danica McKellar, Jen Lilley, Jessica Lowndes, Chad Michael Murray, and Cindy Busby have also made movies with the network.

Donovan said he had a vague idea of Abbott’s plans following his 2020 exit from Crown Media Family Networks, the company he ran for 11 years.

“…He was a little secretive about it, going, ‘I’ve got something in the works,’” Donovan told Feeling the Vibe. “He kept me in the loop, so initially, I found out through him. I think it’s going to be an amazing place for family-friendly programming.”

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Emilie Ullerup and Clayton James in Don’t Forget I Love You. (Image: Crown Media)

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Hallmark's Don't Forget I Love You is all about living in the moment

Canadian actor Clayton James is excited for audiences to catch his most recent Hallmark film. In Don’t Forget I Love You, James plays single dad Josh, who connects with a woman named Taylor, played by Emilie Ullerup.

“He moves to a new town with his daughter and meets the neighbor across the street,” James said in a recent appearance on the Sarah Scoop Show.

At first, there is a bit of a personality clash between the two.

“My character is a little bit…excited and out there,” James said. “She’s a little bit more reserved than he is.”

Taylor digs up a time capsule left by her mother and finds a series of written challenges. Each is designed to force Taylor outside her comfort zone and open herself up to the possibility of love.

Josh agrees to help her challenges, whether it’s dragging her across a suspension bridge despite her fear of heights to taking a yoga class with her in which goats roam among the students.

“I think you gotta live life in the moment,” he said. “And if they’re anything out there that you’re interested in, just go for it.”

Fun on the set

James raved about his co-star, Emilie Ullerup, who stars as Bree O’Brien on the Hallmark Channel series Chesapeake Shores.

“Emilie is a powerhouse,” he said.

He also enjoyed working with 12-year-old Daphne Hoskins, who plays his daughter. Young people don’t overthink things, he said.

“They just act,” he said. “They bring truth to it.”

One of his favorite behind-the-scenes moments was when they shot the yoga class with goats.

“I look over, and the goat was on Emilie’s back, and it was just starting to eat her hair, and we’re rolling, and she’s trying so hard to keep it together,” he said.

Hallmark fan

James has starred in several Hallmark movies over the years, including The Sweetest Heart (2018), The Last Bridesmaid (2019), and Christmas on My Mind (2019). He also has a recurring role on the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart.

In his interview, James said he loves working on projects for the network.

“I think Hallmark has just grown to be a really fantastic production company that’s making these easy-to-watch films that you can watch with your family.”

Each movie also has a positive message, he said. In Don’t Forget I Love You, that message is to take risks because the rewards will be worth it.

“Live in the moment and enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a short journey, and it goes by fast.”

Don’t Forget I Love You will air on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, January 22 at 8/7c.

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Paule Greene with his son Austin. (Image: Instagram/@paulgreeneofficial)
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Paul Greene shared the most adorable photos of his baby to Instagram

Hallmark star Paul Greene is enjoying his second time around as a father. The Canadian actor shared photos to Instagram of his new son, Austin, wishing him a happy “one-month” birthday.

“We are in baby heaven over here,” he wrote in the caption.

His Hallmark co-stars weighed in with their own comments.

“So precious!!!” wrote Erin Krakow.

“Eeeeee!!” wrote Andrea Brooks.

“Omg,” wrote Josie Bissett.

Paul Greene's Hallmark co-stars weigh in on the pics of his son Austin
Paul Greene's Hallmark co-stars weigh in on the pics of his son Austin. (Image: Instagram/@paulgreeneofficial)

Greene and his fiancé, Kate Austin, welcomed their son on December 12 after a tense few weeks. Little Austin was due on November 25 but kept his parents waiting. Greene said the baby arrived after a “four-day” marathon.

“He is a super healthy little boy, and we are thrilled,” the 47-year-old star wrote on his Instagram.

Greene has an 18-year-old son, Olivier, with ex-wife Angi Greene Fletcher.

Natural dad

In an interview with People magazine, the actor said he loves being a parent.

“It teaches me to be kind and patient, and is a total learning experience, which keeps me young,” he shared. “I was born to be a dad.”

Greene has appeared in several Hallmark Channel movies, including Christmas CEO, which aired in November. He also plays Dr. Carson Shepherd on the show When Calls the Heart.

Season 9 of the series will premiere in March.

The return of Carson Shepherd?

Though Greene did not appear in any previews for the season, he has hinted to fans that his character will stay on the show.

In Season 8, his character was trying to decide whether to stay in the town of Hope Valley and propose to Faith (played by Andrea Brooks), who works in his clinic, or accept a fellowship to Johns Hopkins University and follow his dreams of becoming a surgeon.

In an interview on the Bubbly Sesh podcast, Greene said anything could happen.

Paul Greene hinted at a to When Calls the Heart
Paul Greene as Dr. Carson Shepherd on Hallmark Channel's When Calls the Heart. (Image: Hallmark Media)

“A lot can happen in the off-season” he said. “There’s a big-time jump in between seasons. Faith’s character became a doctor in the off-season. There’s so much that can happen.”

According to Greene’s Instagram, he and his family are living in a “baby bubble,” staying at their cabin on Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains.

“Loving every minute of it,” he wrote.

Kate Austin is an actress and life strategist studying online for her master’s degree in neuro-linguistic programming.

Greene, who recently recorded an album in Nashville called “Long Way Home,” told People magazine that music is a big part of their lives.

“I sang and played guitar to Kate’s belly while she was pregnant,” he said.

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Danica McKellar in Christmas She Wrote (Image: Crown Media)

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Danica McKellar will put her dancing skills to use in new film for GAC Family

Actress Danica McKellar made headlines in October when she announced that she had signed an exclusive contract with GAC Family, a new network started by Crown Media Family Network’s former CEO Bill Abbott. As part of the deal, she will star in and executive produce four movies for the company. The first of these, The Winter Palace, premiered on January 8.

In an interview with The List, the Wonder Years alum says she is looking forward to using the moves she learned as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars in one of her GAC movies.

“I can’t give you a lot of details yet, but I’m working on one that involves some dance, which is a lot of fun,” she said. “I haven’t done a lot of dancing since “Dancing with the Stars” several years ago, but I love it. And it’s just a fantastic fun exercise and art form all at once.”

The actress said there’s nothing better than making romantic, feel-good films for viewers.

“Romantic comedies go all year round,” she said. “And I think what audiences love about Christmas is this feeling of nostalgia and family and traditions and warm fuzziness. Really, what we want is that warm fuzziness.”

Making the switch

McKellar first appeared on the small screen as Winnie Cooper in the ABC program The Wonder Years, which ran from 1988-1993. After finishing the series, she went on to study mathematics at UCLA.

In her work as an undergraduate, she helped author a mathematical-physics theorem, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem. She has written 11 books about math and runs a website devoted to the subject.

She continued her acting career as well, making guest appearances on The West Wing and the The Big Bang Theory. Over the years, she has appeared in the Hallmark romcoms Crown for Christmas (2015), Christmas at Grand Valley (2018), and Christmas at Dollywood (2019). She also starred in Crown Media’s Matchmaker Mysteries series.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the actress said she was excited when Bill Abbott approached her about working for GAC Family.

“So when he was getting ready to launch this new network, I was thrilled that he reached out to me to sign a multi-picture deal as an actress and executive producer,” she said.

A photo from Danica McKellar's Instagram
Image: Instagram/@danicamckellar

New network, new role

McKellar said she having a lot of fun in her new role at GAC Family.

“I’m executive producing and acting in these movies, and I have a little bit more creative say,” she said. “And so, it was really fun to be more hands-on and helping to make more creative decisions, not just in the script, but also just random things, like the props or whatever, just being more involved.”

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Nazneen Contractor and Brennan Elliott in Hallmark Channel’s The Perfect Pairing. (Image: Crown Media)

Hallmark debuts new wine to go with The Perfect Pairing

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It’s been six months since Hallmark Channel introduced its own line of wines and added a subscription wine service to its website.

This week, the network introduced a new wine to its collection. A late-harvest sauvignon blanc, the wine has a finished residual sugar of 17 percent, placing it in the dessert wine category. According to the network, it was “inspired by the Hallmark Channel original movie, The Perfect Pairing, which tells the story of a passionate vintner, a visiting wine critic and the happy accident that brings them together.”


A late-harvest sauvignon blanc, the wine has a finished residual sugar of 17 percent, placing it in the dessert wine category. According to the network, it was “inspired by the Hallmark Channel original movie, The Perfect Pairing, which tells the story of a passionate vintner, a visiting wine critic and the happy accident that brings them together.”

The movie will premiere this Saturday. Starring Nazneen Contractor and Brennan Elliott, it follows a woman who bumps her head during a trip to a vineyard and develops amnesia. The vineyard owner takes her in and tries to help her get her memory back.

It’s part of Hallmark Channel’s “New Year, New Movies” lineup, which includes four original movies, with a new film premiering every Saturday night in January.

Opposites attract

In the movie, Contractor plays a cynical and anonymous food and wine critic who visits a vineyard run by Elliott. When she realizes it is the same place she panned in a previous review, she turns to leave, only to slip on a patch of ice and bump her head.

Elliott is the vineyard owner, a kindhearted single father who does everything he can to help Contractor regain her memory.

In a scene Hallmark shared with ET Online, Elliott is giving Contractor a tour of the winery and takes her into a room kept at 14 degrees, which he says is the perfect temperature for making ice wine.

When she says it will make a great addition to the tour, he explains the area is only temporary.

“My dad says it’s too expensive to maintain an ice wine room at 14 degrees,” he says, opening a bottle. “He wants us to just rely on what we know best to get our customers back.”

He explains that a particularly negative review caused them to lose a lot of customers and that he and his family are doing everything they can to keep the business alive.

“These reviewers are very brutal,” Elliott says.

“Well, they don’t sound like very happy people,” Contractor replies. “Looking for the negative in everything must be exhausting.”

Brennan Elliott in Hallmark's The Perfect Pairing
Brennan Elliott looking serious and handsome in The Perfect Pairing. (Image: Crown Media)

Hallmark favorites

Both Contractor and Elliott have appeared in a number of Hallmark movies. Contractor starred in The Christmas Ring (2020) and A Winter Getaway (2021). Elliott starred in the Flower Shop Mysteries series for Hallmark Movies and Mysteries and the All of My Heart romantic comedy series with Lacey Chabert.

In an Instagram post, Contractor called The Perfect Pairing her favorite Hallmark movie so far.

“So much love and labor went into this one,” she wrote in the caption. “From my heart to yours.”

The Perfect Pairing will air on Saturday, January 15, on Hallmark Channel at 8/7c.

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Ali Liebert takes a turn behind the camera in Hallmark Movies and Mysteries North to Home

Over the years, Canadian actress Ali Liebert has appeared in countless Hallmark productions. In 2016, she had a guest role on the series Chesapeake Shores as the love interest of Kevin (Brendan Penny). She starred opposite Peter Porte in 2017 in the film Cherished Memories, and then again in 2019 in the sequel, Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2. In December 2021, she played the youngest of three daughters in the Hallmark Movies Now film Every Time a Bell Rings.

This Sunday, Liebert will make her debut as a Hallmark director with North to Home, which airs on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

“I had been offered a few other Hallmark films but I was busy acting,” Liebert said in an interview to promote the movie. “But then this one came up, and I thought it was such a great fit.”

The movie stars Barbara Niven as Suzanne McBride, an Alaskan woman whose daughters Posy (Lyndsy Fonseca), Hannah (Erica Durance), and Beth (Kimberley Sustad) return home to help her celebrate her 60th birthday. Before they can make it to the big day, the women begin arguing about past events.

“There’s a certain amount of resentment each sister holds,” Sustad said in a Facebook Live interview. “Then the honesty comes. Everybody gets honest with one another, and the resentment starts to heal itself, and it sort of goes away.”

Lucky shoot

In a Facebook Live event, Sustad, Durance, and Niven commented on how great it was to have an actor directing the film.

“You made the set really calm for us,” Niven said. “You made me a better actor.”

The actors said it was a hectic two-week shoot. Storms that flooded Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart set touched down in the area where they were filming, but they avoided any major problems.

“We really lucked out,” Liebert said. “On days that we were exterior, it would be okay, and days when we were interior, we would look out the window and trees would be flowing by.”

Behind the camera

Liebert made her professional acting debut in the 2004 pilot of the Showtime series The L Word. In 2015, she won a Canadian Screen Award for her portrayal of Betty McRae in the series Bomb Girls.

The actress has been directing for three years and producing movies since 2011 with the boutique company Sociable Films, which she helped found.

She told aspiring directors to get as much experience as they can writing and filming, even if it’s just small projects to begin with.

“Even if it’s on your iPhone,” she said. “Just write and direct a short film, just so you get a feel for the technical stuff.”

North to Home will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Sunday, January 9 at 9/8c.

 

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Daniel Lissing and Lori Loughlin FaceTimed Erin Krakow from the set of When Hope Calls

When Daniel Lissing and Lori Loughlin reunited on the set of When Hope Calls, it was a bittersweet moment.

“I walked on set and Lori saw me and she got emotional,” Lissing said during a recent ET Online interview. “I got emotional about it.”

The two former stars of the series When Calls the Heart were happy they got to work together, but sad because they knew someone was missing.

“We FaceTimed Erin [Krakow],” he said. “The three of us had a moment together.”

Krakow, who recently finished filming Season 9 of When Calls the Heart, was thrilled that her former co-stars got to work together again, even without her.

Season 2 of When Hope Calls will premiere on Saturday, December 18 at 8/7c on GAC Family. The series, about two sisters who start an orphanage in a small Canadian town, had a successful first season on Hallmark in 2019.

But the network made no plans to release a second season, so the show’s creators turned to GAC Family, which was started by former Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott in June.

Co-creator Brian Bird has been making social media posts from the set since October. Last week, he put a photo on Instagram with the caption, “Now that the red serge is out of the bag, #Hearties… I was so pleased to be reunited with my old mate, @DLissing, for his appearance on #WhenHopeCalls.”

Jack is back (for like, a minute anyway)

Lissing, Loughlin, and Krakow originally appeared together on When Calls the Heart, which premiered on Hallmark Channel in 2014. Based on a series of books by Canadian author Janette Oke, the show followed a wealthy young woman, Elizabeth (played by Krakow), who moved to a small mining town to teach school.

Among the people she meets are widow Abigail Stanton (played by Loughlin) and Jack Thornton (played by Lissing), a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Elizabeth and Jack eventually fell in love, and in Season 5, they married. Soon after, Australian-born Lissing left the series citing personal reasons.

The show’s writers had Jack killed off, not that it stopped fans from asking Lissing to return to the series.

“These fans are just the most loyal fans in the world,” he said.

Lissing said he has always been open to reprising the character of Jack as long as his appearance “made sense.”

(Image: Crown Media)

The characters for When Hope Calls initially appeared on When Calls the Heart during Season 6. The spinoff series then had its premiere in August 2019.

When GAC Family began working on a second season, Bird approached Loughlin about appearing on the series as her When Calls the Herat character Abigail Stanton.

Loughlin was written off When Calls the Heart in the middle of Season 6 when news broke of her involvement in a college admissions bribery scandal.

But in a June interview, Bird said he would be open to having Loughlin back.

“If anyone should return to Hope Valley, it should be Abigail,” he said.

He got his wish. Sort of. Instead of appearing in Hope Valley, Abigail will make an appearance in Brookfield.

According to Lissing, Loughlin began calling him about appearing on the show several months ago. When he read the script, he thought it was perfect.

“I felt like it was a really nice, poignant way to say goodbye to this character,” he said.

Though he couldn’t say whether Jack appears to Abigail in a flashback or in a more supernatural form, he said being back was an emotional experience.

“I definitely had glassy eyes at one point,” he said.

It was also physically painful.

“I forgot how hard the boots were to put on,” he said.

When Hope Calls Christmas will premiere on Saturday, December 18 on GAC Family at 8/7c.

 
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Rob Thomas wrote his latest album while binge-watching Hallmark Christmas movies. (We like this guy.)

Rock musician Rob Thomas has a weakness for Hallmark movies and Christmas and he’s not afraid to admit it.

“I’m a Christmas geek, I’m a Hallmark movie geek,” the musician said during an interview with Us Weekly.

The lead singer of Matchbox Twenty was thrilled when Hallmark picked one of his songs to feature in their Countdown to Christmas film A Royal Queens Christmas, which stars Megan Park and Julian Morris.

The song comes from his latest album, Something About Christmas Time, which he wrote over the summer while watching Hallmark’s Christmas in July event.

“You know, every year it’s Christmas time, I’m sitting at the piano at some point, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I want to do a Christmas album,’” he said. “And it’s always too late because if you do a Christmas album, a lot of people don’t realize you have to do it in the summer.”

But this year, Thomas planned ahead.

“So the first thing I had to do was I had to kind of shut everything here in my studio, covering everything in Christmas lights, keep Christmas movies on at all times, [and] keep the Christmas vibe kind of, like, going and flowing,” he said.

 

 

Christmas in July

Thomas began work on the album in June and finished in August. When Christmas in July was playing on Hallmark, he simply left the TV on. But before and after the televised movie marathon, he brought out his collection of Hallmark DVDs.

“I think my favorite, it’s almost an asterisk one because it used to not be on Hallmark and then Hallmark bought it, but it’s a movie called Most Wonderful Time of the Year and it stars Henry Winkler,” he said.

Thomas, who has worked with musicians such as Mick Jagger, Willie Nelson, and Marc Anthony, released the album on November 1. Soon after he was contacted by Crown Media, Hallmark’s parent company, asking to use one of the songs in an upcoming movie. They also wanted the singer to appear on their float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

What's on Hallmark this weekend? The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Image: Crown Media)
The cast of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Rob's favorite Hallmark Christmas movie. (We love it, too.) (Image: Crown Media)

‘A New York Christmas’

A re-worked version of ‘A New York Christmas’ will appear in A Royal Queens Christmas. The movie stars Megan Park as DeeDee, a woman who has just returned home to Queens, New York, from a tour of duty in the army. While helping to organize a local Christmas fundraiser, she runs into Colin (played by Julian Morris), who is playing piano at a hotel.

She convinces him to play for the show, thinking he is a hotel employee. It turns out he is a prince, something he keeps hidden from her.

Thomas said he can’t wait to watch the movie.

“…My wife is from Queens and she is a Hallmark movie geek,” he said.

A Royal Queens Christmas will premiere on Saturday, December 11 on Hallmark Channel at 8/7c.

Nik Sanchez is making history as the first actor with autism to portray a character on the spectrum in a Hallmark movie

Nik Sanchez is only 17 years old, but he’s already making history. The Orange County native is starring opposite Holly Robinson Peete and Lyriq Bent in Our Christmas Journey, the first Hallmark movie to include a character with autism.

His portrayal is even more remarkable because Sanchez himself is on the autism spectrum.

In a recent interview with Monsters & Critics, the actor talked about how he got into the business, what it was like to work with industry veterans Robinson Peete and Bent, and what he wishes people understood about autism.

Our Christmas Journey

In the movie, Sanchez plays 18-year-old Marcus, a young man on the autism spectrum who lives with his mother, Lena. When his father finds a space available in a program that helps adults with cognitive challenges learn to live independently, he is immediately interested. His mother, however, is hesitant. She isn’t sure that he is ready to live so far away or without her help.

The family travels upstate to visit the facility, and Lena is forced to confront the fact that she might be the one who can’t live without her son, not the other way around.

Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL player Rodney Peete, have been vocal advocates for members of the autism community since their son, RJ, was diagnosed with the condition as a young child. In 1993 they founded the HolyRod Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and providing resources to families that have a loved one who has received an autism or Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

“It was extremely frustrating to have behaviors that you can’t control and then get put down for them, or get talked about, or not have a friendship because of it, or your mom’s nagging at you because of it,” Peete said in an interview with Monsters & Critics.

"Our Christmas Journey" (Image: Crown Media)
"Our Christmas Journey" (Image: Crown Media)

About Sanchez

Sanchez was diagnosed at a young age with autism and ADHD. His mother enrolled him in acting classes at the age of five because he enjoyed role-playing.

“The instructor told me I wouldn’t do well because I had the attention span of a gnat,” Sanchez said in an interview.

He continued role-playing on his own until a few years back, when he was signed with a Hollywood agent. Soon after, he booked his first role as a recurring character on the ABC series The Rookie.

The experience taught him a lot.

“..I didn’t realize we’d have to do the scenes over and over and over again, because of the angles and the camera changes,” he said. “I gained a much higher respect for the actors.”

He said he liked the script for Our Christmas Journey because it was an accurate portrayal of life with autism.

“In real autistic families, everybody is affected,” he said. “Everybody plays a role and this movie really portrays that.”

Sanchez described working with Robinson Peete as “amazing.”

“Working with her was probably the closest I’ll ever get to making a movie with my own mom,” he said. “She just knew things. Being around her felt very natural from day one.”

The actor said he wishes people would stop seeing autism as something negative.

“Autism isn’t a weakness,” he said. “…For me, I say that I’m awesomely autistic because I view autism as my superpower. My autism allows me to view the world in a different way.”

Alicia Witt with her new book, “Small Changes: A Rules-Free Guide to Add More Plant-Based Foods, Peace & Power to Your Life.” (Image: Instagram/@aliciawitty)

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Alicia Witt shares her journey to healthy living with new book

It seems Alicia Witt didn’t have enough credits to her name. The actress, classically trained pianist, former child prodigy, recording artist, and touring musician recently added published author to her résumé.

Small Changes: A Rules-Free Guide to Add More Plant-Based Foods, Peace & Power to Your Life is a personal, judgment-free look at fad diets and exercise plans Witt followed in the past, and how she found her way to her current health and wellness.

The Massachusetts native, who now lives in Nashville, is active on Instagram, where she shares photos and videos of the food she grows in her own yard.

In an interview with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, she said the book got its start right when the pandemic was gaining steam.

“My tour had been canceled so it was the perfect time to just hunker down and instead of focusing on the terrifying world events, just to focus on maybe being able to help people a little bit through all of my various experiences,” she said.

Witt in her Nashville garden. (Image: Instagram/@aliciawitty)

”People don’t want to be lectured,” Witt said. “They don’t want to be told how to eat or what is right for their body and their lifestyle,” Witt said. “And I think that of the most well-meaning so-called help gurus can repulse exactly the people that need the help the most by giving them a list of rules and regulations and actually telling them that you might as well just quit if you’re not going to be 100 percent vegan or 100 percent macrobiotic or 100 percent whatever … You can change a few small things at a time and you do not need to drastically overhaul your own life. And you’re going to start to feel and notice the difference.”


Small Changes: A Rules-Free Guide to Add More Plant-Based Foods, Peace & Power to Your Life is available for purchase here:

“The Wedding” (Image: Crown Media)

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Scott Cavalheiro has a message for Good Witch fans: Thank you

In a recent appearance on Let’s Dive In with Allen Vaysberg, Good Witch star Scott Cavalheiro said he was extremely grateful for all the work fans are doing to get the show back on the air.

“There is such an incredible fan base for the show,” Cavalheiro said. “If I could say anything it would be a whole-hearted thank you.”

Cavalheiro, who played Adam Hawkins on the show for three seasons, said he and the cast were shocked then they found out Crown Media was canceling the series.

“We expected to come back,” he said.

The ending that aired in July was not the one the cast originally shot, Cavalheiro said.

Still, he was grateful for the experience of working on the show.

“Especially during the pandemic, when we were all at home and isolated and so fearful of the world,” he said. “We got to come to work everyday and we got to see each other and we got to have a laugh and it was so good for our mental health.”

Vaysberg commented on the well-know “Hallmark effect,” saying the pace and tone of the films provide a well-needed balance to the craziness of the world.

The bad guy

Cavalheiro, who was a spin instructor and trainer before becoming an actor, said that being cast in his first feel-good family production was a turning point.

“I was playing a lot of bad guys,” Cavalheiro explained.

In 2018, he starred in the Netflix film Christmas With A View. Following that, he landed a small role on Good Witch. In his interview with Vaysberg, Cavalheiro said he was only supposed to be in a couple of episodes, but that showrunner Darin Goldberg decided to expand his role.

“He would ask me all these questions,” Cavalheiro said. “He’d say, ‘So if Adam stayed around, how do you think his relationship with Kylee or his relationship with Stephanie would go?’”

The Adam and Stephanie Show?

Cavalheiro said he is impressed at how broad and dedicated the Good Witch fan base is. He has been touched by the efforts to get it back on the air, and even weighed in on social media, suggesting that Adam and Stephanie would be great subnets for a spin-off series.

When he made the suggestion to Goldberg, he said the writer had a good laugh and told him, “Listen, if Hallmark wants to talk, let’s talk.”

 

Image: Crown Media

 

Candace Cameron Bure and Marilu Henner promote the latest film in the Aurora Teagarden mystery series

Candace Cameron Bure and Marilu Henner answered questions and traded jokes during a Facebook Live event to promote the latest film in the Aurora Teagarden mystery series, Honeymoon, Honeymurder, which will air on Sunday, August 22 at 9/8c.

Although this is the 17th movie in the series, viewers can still expect to find out things about Aurora (played by Bure) and her indomitable mother, Aida (played by Henner).

“I love that the viewer is getting a taste of or just getting more background as to who Aurora and Aida are and their family dynamic,” Bure said. “That’s a really big thing 17 movies in that we’re finally getting to learn about.”

In the film, Aurora and her new husband, Nick (played by Niall Matter), go on a pre-honeymoon trip and discover a dead body. Consequently, he newlyweds begin investigating and soon find themselves in danger, which leads to some action-packed scenes.

“There are a lot of thrilling moments,” Bure said.

Change of scenery

Another element that keeps the story line fresh is a new location, Bure said. Most of the Aurora Teagarden films take place in the small town of Lawrenceton, Washington. In Honeymoon, Honeymurder, Nick and Aurora go to stay in a friend’s cabin in the woods. Most of the film was made on Victoria Island, off the coast of Vancouver.

“When I saw the location I thought, ‘Damn, I should have gone with her on her honeymoon,’” Henner said.

Having the mother and daughter so far apart in this film allows each of their characters to grow, Henner said.

“It’s a nice role reversal in a way for Aida to be more vulnerable,” Henner said. “You’re starting to see the maturity in your character and the vulnerability in mine.”

For Aurora, the change comes from being married.

“We really feel like a team for the first time,” Bure said.

Marilu Henner in Honeymoon, Honeymurder.
Marilu Henner in Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Honeymoon, Honeymurder (Image: Crown Media)

Living arrangements

Throughout the interview, Henner and Bure poked fun at themselves for being so close off screen. The stars shared a home while shooting on location in Canada. While in quarantine they went on Instagram Live to play games of Never Have I Ever and answer fan questions.

“I always tell people during nine months of the pandemic I spent more time with Candace than I did with my husband,” Henner said.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Honeymoon, Honeymurder will debut Sunday, August 22 on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries at 9/8c.

 

Hallmark star Kimberly Williams-Paisley and country music star Brad Paisley provide 1.3 million meals to families in need

In the past year and a half, celebrity couple Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley have fed thousands of hungry families with their free grocery store in Nashville. The Store, as it is called, gives people the opportunity to shop for food with dignity, according to Paisley-Williams.

The couple came up with the idea during a visit to Unity Shoppe, a similar operation in Santa Barbara. They took their sons, Huck and Jasper, to visit because the boys were “acting spoiled,” according to Paisley.

They returned to their hometown and began planning. The Store opened in March 2020, working in partnership with Belmont University. In an interview with the Tennessean, Williams-Paisley said it couldn’t have come together at a better time.

“So many of us feel helpless right now,” said Williams-Paisley. “There’s so many people, who aren’t on the front lines, who want to know what they can do to help. This feels like one of those things for us. We’re pouring a lot into this.”

Located on 12th Avenue South, The Store allows people to shop for groceries at no charge.

Brad Paisley, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Helen Hunt at The Store in Nashville.
(Image: instagram/Kimberly Williams-Paisley)

Assistance with Dignity

Executive Director Courtney Vrablik told People magazine that the experience for shoppers is as important as the food.
“Our priority is our customer,” Vrablik said. “And they are customers, not clients. No one is forcing them into a situation where they have to show gratitude.”

 

To donate or volunteer, visit The Store’s website here.

The Store operates as a year-round free grocery store allowing people to shop for their basic needs. There is no charge to those referred or to the people and agencies that send them. They may shop for food to supplement their income during times of crisis and as they work toward self-sufficiency. A philosophy of community empowerment means we aim to solve hunger issues in our community by developing programs to meet the needs of the community, including partnering with other organizations on issues of food security. We believe in cooperation and collaboration between organizations to better serve the community. Over time, we will work with our partner organizations to help provide cooking and nutrition classes.

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