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Tag: Hallmarkopedia

  • The complete list of Christopher Russell Hallmark movies

    The complete list of Christopher Russell Hallmark movies

    In the Hallmark romance movie A Costa Rican Wedding, Christopher Russell plays a nature guide who falls for his longtime rival (played by Rhiannon Fish). The Summer Nights movie is the 20th title Christopher Russell had made for Hallmark Media.
     
    The actor says he loves his partnership with the company.
     
    “It feels good to work on these films especially due to the subject matter that we are presenting,” he said during an interview with Digital Journal. “There is so much negativity going on in the world so it’s nice to present people with something that can help provide them with an escape and deliver a cathartic experience in a positive way.”
     

    The complete list of Christopher Russell Hallmark movies

     
    The following is a complete list of all the movies Russell has starred in for the network:
     

    Catch a Christmas Star (2013)

     
    In this Christmas romance, Russell played a supporting character named Henry. The movie starred American Pie’s Shannon Elizabeth as a pop star who falls in love with her high-school sweetheart (played by Steve Byers).
     
     

    Midnight Masquerade (2014)

     
    In one of Hallmark’s few Halloween-themed movies, Autumn Reeser starred as a young woman who has just inherited a billion-dollar company. Christopher Russell was the handsome stranger she met at a costume ball.
     

    Love, Again (2015)

     
    Russell was once again a supporting cast member in this 2015 movie, which starred Teri Polo. In the movie, Polo and Paul Johansson play a couple on the brink of divorce who keep their marital troubles a secret in order to throw their daughter the wedding of her dreams.
     

    Merry Matrimony (2015)

     
    Meghan Ory starred as a fashion magazine ad executive who lands her dream job organizing a Christmas wedding. The only problem is that her ex-boyfriend (played by Russell) has also been assigned to the project. As the two work together, they realize they still have feelings for each other.
     
     

    Wedding Bells (2016)

     
    Russell co-starred with Danica McKellar and When Calls the Heart’s Kavan Smith in this romantic comedy about two commitment-phobic people asked to be the maid of honor and best man at a wedding.
     

    A Puppy for Christmas (2016)

     
    This was the first of four movies Christopher Russell made with fellow Hallmark star Cindy Busby. In the film, Busby plays a woman invited to spend Christmas with a co-worker.
     
     

    A Dream of Christmas (2016)

     
    Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker starred in this film about a married woman who wishes herself single again and then finds she desperately wants her old life back.
     
     

     Love Unleashed (2019)

     
    In this romantic comedy, Jen Lilley starred as a woman who throws a puppy party and ends up falling for one of the guests, a handsome single dad (played by Christopher Russell).
     

    All Summer Long (2019)

     
    Russell starred with Brennan Elliott, Autumn Reeser, and Peter DeLuise in this movie about a woman who scores her dream job as the captain of a ship only to find out that the chef assigned to her crew is her ex-boyfriend.
     

    The Mistletoe Secret (2019)

     
    Country music star Kellie Pickler starred in this movie about a woman caught in a love triangle when two writers arrive in a small town for the holidays.
     

    Love in the Forecast (2020)

     
    Cindy Busby plays a city girl assigned to write a magazine article about a posh camping resort who falls for one of the handsome employees (played by Russell).
     

    Chasing Waterfalls (2021)

     
    In his third rom-com with Cindy Busby, Russell played a nature guide who falls for a photographer trying to get the perfect shot of local waterfalls.
     
     

    High-Flying Romance (2021)

     
    Russell played a widower with a young daughter who falls for a woman during his town’s kite festival.
     

    Warming Up to You (2021)

     
    Cindy Busby starred as a fitness trainer tasked with whipping a bad-boy movie star (Russell) into shape for his next project.
     

    A Lot Like Christmas (2021)

     
    Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell played the owners of rival Christmas tree lots who fall for each other in this romance.
     

     Where Your Heart Belongs (2022)

     
    In this rom-com, Jen Lilley played a New York marketing exec who returns to her small hometown for a friend’s wedding and finds herself attracted to a handsome local (played by Russell).
     

    Yellowstone Romance (2022)

     
    Stephanie Bennett played a woman who accompanies her friend on a trip to a Wyoming dude ranch and finds herself attracted to one of the employees (played by Russell).
     

    The Most Colorful Time of the Year (2022)

     
    Russell played an elementary school teacher who discovered he was color blind and received help from a beautiful optometrist (played by Katrina Bowden).
     

    The Secret Gift of Christmas (2023)

     
    Chesapeake Shores star Meghan Ory played a personal shopper hired by a handsome man (Christopher Russell) to help find the perfect Christmas gift for his daughter.
     

    A Costa Rican Wedding (2024)

     
    Rhiannon Fish and Christopher Russell starred in this movie about two longtime rivals who must band together to make their friends’ destination wedding perfect.
     
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  • Everything you need to know about Nelson Wong, the actor who has starred in more than 30 Hallmark movies

    Everything you need to know about Nelson Wong, the actor who has starred in more than 30 Hallmark movies

    Over the years, Nelson Wong has appeared in 31 Hallmark movies. The actor, whose first role with the network was in the 2006 film All She Wants For Christmas, says he has a fondness for the stories Hallmark tells.

    “Ultimately, they are human stories,” Wong said during a recent interview with TV Cheddar. “…These barriers we create, money, class or race or geography, they dissolve when we get to the heart, which is what Hallmark is so good at.”

    Nelson Wong

    Any self-respecting Hallmarkie has seen Nelson Wong in at least one movie. He has starred alongside such Hallmark greats as Paul Greene, Jen Lilley, Ryan Paevey, Taylor Cole, and Ali Liebert.

    He’s had roles in two different Hallmark mystery series, appearing with Jesse Metcalfe in Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries and Carlos and Alexa PenaVega in Picture Perfect Mysteries.

    He’s a staple in Hallmark’s annual Countdown to Christmas lineup. He can be seen in fan favorites including A Christmas Detour, Christmas at the Plaza, A Timeless Christmas, A Christmas Treasure, and Long Lost Christmas.

    About the actor

    Nelson Wong moved to Canada from New Zealand at the age of six. A huge fan of television and movies, the actor would impersonate characters such as Mr. Belvedere and C-3PO for his classmates. He said he always knew he wanted to be an actor.

    Though he didn’t have any formal training, Wong was persistent in his pursuit of a career in the business.

    “I think I listened carefully to the pitfalls that make a lot of people quit,” he said during a recent interview with TV Cheddar. “It’s a life of job interviews and you’re not really guaranteed a career.”

    One of Wong’s first professional roles was in Third Man Out, a movie directed by Ron Oliver that starred Chad Allen. Wong played a character named Kenny Kwon. He did such a good job that Oliver continued to cast him in movies.

     

    Jen Lilley and Nelson Wong in Where Your Heart Belongs
    Nelson Wong with Jen Lilley in the 2022 Hallmark romance movie Where Your Heart Belongs. (Image: Hallmark Media)

    The legendary Kenny Kwon

    Whenever Wong was cast in a new project by Oliver, the character’s name would be changed to Kenny Kwon. A quick glance at Won’g credit shows that he has played a character named “Kenny” or “Kenny Kwon” 17 times.

    Though Wong has had an impressive career with the network, he has also worked extensively outside the network.

    In a career that has spanned more than 20 years, Wong has had roles in Riverdale, Arrow, Psych, Once Upon a Time, and Van Helsing.

    He even teaches acting at the University of British Columbia.

    Over the years, Kenny Kwon has had a variety of professions., including DJ, bartender, airline attendant, and doctor.

    Representation

    Wong says he has seen a lot of changes in the industry since he first began acting in 1999. In the beginning, when he sent out photos and resumes to agents, they all had the same two questions.

    “Almost uniformly they would ask, ‘Do you know the accent? Can you do kung fu?’” he said.

  • Why Hallmark’s Ryan Paevey decided to take a break from acting

    Why Hallmark’s Ryan Paevey decided to take a break from acting

    Fans of Hallmark star Ryan Paevey were surprised when he announced he was taking a break from acting,

     In a statement to a fan website, the actor cited hacked bank accounts, stolen money, and a desire to be near his mother during a health crisis for his break.
     
    “The industry hasn’t felt like the place for me in quite some time now, and my mental health has suffered from it,” Paevey, 39, told heavy.com. “It’s taken me to a bit of a dark place, made me into a version of myself I don’t like very much. I’ve vented some of my anger and frustration publicly, and for that, I apologize.”
     

    Ryan Paevey

     
    A native of California, Paevey was spotted and signed by a modeling agent when he was a teenager. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, he said that after high school he was doing a few shoots and tending bar to make ends meet when he landed the role on General Hospital.
     
    “My managers were like, ‘Quit your day job. You got a thing,’” he said.
     
    Paevey said he learned about acting on the job. When his run on General Hospital came to an end, he didn’t know what he would do next. That’s when Hallmark stepped in.
     

    Paevey on Hallmark

     
    The actor’s first role for Hallmark Channel was in the 2016 movie Unleashing Mr. Darcy. In this modern take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Paevey starred opposite Cindy Busby as Donovan Darcy, a dog show judge.
     
    He went on to star in Harvest Love (2017), Marrying Mr. Darcy (2018), Hope at Christmas (2018), From Friend to Fiance (2019), A Summer Romance (2019), Christmas at the Plaza (2019), Matching Hearts (2020), A Timeless Christmas (2020), Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (2021), A Little Daytime Drama (2021), Coyote Creek Christmas (2021), Two Tickets to Paradise (2022), A Fabled Holiday (2022), Fourth Down and Love (2023), and Under the Christmas Sky (2023).
     

    Taking a break

     
    Paevey told fans that a number of things led to his decision to take a break from acting.
     
    “I’ve had bank accounts hacked, money embezzled, investments stolen….things that, while difficult, can be recovered from,” he said. “But after all that, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. I left Los Angeles to be closer to her, and feel the need to devote more of my time, energy, and resources closer to home.”
    Pascale Hutton and Ryan Paevey will star in the new Hallmark movie Fourth Down and Love. (Image: Hallmark Media)

    RELATED NEWS: The complete list of Ryan Paevey Hallmark movies

    Paevey told fans he would be focusing on his jewelry-making business, Fortunate Wanderer, and staying in touch through his newsletter.
     
    “I have so, so much to be grateful for,” he said. “I am grateful to this industry as a whole, I am grateful to General Hospital for giving a green actor a chance and tolerating his learning curve, to Hallmark for changing my life and taking me to places that have become my favorite on Earth, to my managers for seeing something in a grunt with no resume and helping to architect a whole new trajectory and life for him, and to all of YOU who have helped raise up this handyman and bartender and taking him on a decade-long adventure the likes of which he never imagined.”
     

    Hallmark responds

     
    A spokesperson for Hallmark Media said the company wishes Paevey well.
     
    “We’re very sorry for all that Ryan is going through and our thoughts are with him in his effort to take care of himself as well as his mother and we wish him well,” read Hallmark’s statement.
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  • Betty White starred in this classic Hallmark movie

    Betty White starred in this classic Hallmark movie

    Betty White is not only everyone’s favorite Golden Girl, she also starred in the Hallmark movie The Lost Valentine. The film, which premiered in 2011, also featured Jennifer Love Hewitt. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie became an instant classic and garnered Betty White a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild.

    Betty White

    In The Lost Valentine, Betty White played Caroline Thomas, a woman whose husband was declared missing in action during World War II. Every year, she returns to the train station where she bid her husband farewell on Valentine’s Day in 1943. Jennifer Love Hewitt portrayed Susan Allison, a young journalist assigned to profile Caroline for the local news station.

    Before she can even begin reporting the piece, Susan clashes with Caroline’s grandson Lucas (played by Sean Faris). When Lucas overhears Susan describing the story as a “fluff” piece, he becomes incensed. His grandmother’s devotion to her husband after all these years is an important story to tell, he insists to Susan.

    Though she doesn’t tell Lucas, Susan doesn’t believe in true love, which is why she thinks the profile is unimportant.

    The Lost Valentine

    Susan soon becomes intrigued by Caroline and her story. Caroline describes how difficult life was during the war, and how everyone in the neighborhood dreaded a visit from Western Union as the telegrams were usually messages letting them know that a beloved son, father, or husband had been killed.

    But when Caroline received a telegram, it was to tell her that her husband was missing in action. She decided that she would not give up hope that he was still alive.

    Susan pulls some strings to have a friend in the military locate the man who last saw Caroline’s husband alive. He tells her that her husband died a hero, taking a bullet from the enemy while protecting a little boy.

    Caroline finally lays her husband to rest. Though she is sad, she is cheered by the fact that Susan and her grandson seem to have found love with each other.

    Hallmark movie

    The movie was based on the novel by James Michael Pratt, which became a New York Times bestseller when it was released in 1988.

    The Screen Actors Guild nominated White for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.

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  • Eight fascinating facts about Brittany Bristow

    Eight fascinating facts about Brittany Bristow

    Brittany Bristow is a well-known face in the Hallmark universe. The actress has starred in a long list of Hallmark titles, including all four of the movies in The Love Club series.

    Here are eight fascinating facts about one of our favorite actresses:

    1. She acted in her first movie at the age of 10

    In 2002, Bristow appeared in Perfect Pie, a movie about two best friends who reunite in their hometown after 30 years apart. Bristow played a young version of Patsy, a character also played by Rachel McAdams and Wendy Crewson.

    2. She comes from a filmmaking family

    Bristow’s parents are Agnes and Leif Bristow, who are well-known in the filmmaking industry for their skills as writers, directors, and producers.

    They have worked together on several projects, including the Hallmark movies A Tail of Love and Love on Safari.

    Bristow said her mother was able to write the lead character in A Tail of Love, Bella, with her in mind.

    “My mom definitely tried to throw in a couple of little jokes she felt I could run with,” Bristow said in an interview with Media Village. “I felt close to Bella. I loved her as a character and feel very lucky I got to play her. She’s very sure of who she is. She knows what she wants out of life. She’s very confident, incredibly caring, generous and selfless. She’s just [cautious] about being vulnerable.”

    3. She studied filmmaking at the University of Toronto

    “That was, for me, an interesting foray into understanding film from a different perspective,” she said in an interview with TV Goodness. “…And when I left that program, I started working as a junior producer for a film production company that a friend of mine was in charge of and had started a number of years prior.”

    “I learned the ropes through that and then started working with my parents a little bit more. And I started doing script coverage and helping with the budgets for things. All the while, of course, my true passion was acting, and I was hopeful that that would be my career one day.”

    4. She has starred in more than a dozen Hallmark movies

    Bristow’s first Hallmark movie was 2017’s Love Blossoms. The film starred
    Shantel VanSanten as a perfume designer who is trying to replicate her late father’s signature scent in time for Valentine’s Day.

    (On a side note, it was on the set of this film that VanSanten met Victor Webster, who would later become her husband.)

    She went on to star in Christmas Next Door (2017), Royal Matchmaker (2018), Love on Safari (2018), Christmas at the Palace (2018), Love, Romance & Chocolate (2019), Holiday Date (2019), A Tail of Love (2022), A Safari Romance (2023), The Love Club: Nicole’s Pen Pal (2023), The Love Club: Sydney’s Journey (2023), The Love Club: Lauren’s Dream (2023), The Love Club: Tara’s Tune (2023), and Love on the Right Course (2024).

    5. She guest starred on the Hallmark series Good Witch

    Bristow played a character named Marinda in Spellbound, the 2017 Halloween special episode of the series.

    6. She is a ride-or-die Hallmark fan

    In several interviews, Bristow has mentioned how grateful she is to work with Hallmark.

    “I’m so grateful to be a part of the Hallmark family, and I don’t take the fact I was welcomed so beautifully by them for granted,” she said. “As an actor, it’s rare you feel completely supported. But here you are, supported by these wonderful people who go to work every day making family-friendly [entertainment] where everyone can feel hopeful. Honestly, one of the greatest gifts of my life is being a part of the Hallmark family. I wouldn’t be where I am had they not welcomed me.”

    7. She is pals with fellow Hallmark stars Lacey Chabert, Will Kemp, and Andrew Walker

    Bristow got to know Chabert and Kemp when they worked together in the 2019 Hallmark movie Love, Romance & Chocolate. The movie was filmed on location in Belgium. In an Instagram post from the set, Bristow talked about sneaking out with Chabert for snacks.

    “no @thereallacey & I did not run away from set to find hot chocolate & waffles…” she wrote.

    She later posted a birthday message for Kemp.

    “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” she wrote. “You are such a wonderful person. Thank you for being someone who’s always there for me, you’re a voice of reason (sometimes), a shoulder to cry on, let’s face it — you’re one of my very favourite people. I’m so grateful that we’ve had the opportunity to work together twice and I hope we get to do it again soon! Thanks for being the best big brother (sometimes little brother) and friend I could ever ask for.”

    Andrew Walker posted a tribute to Bristow and her parents from the set of their 2023 movie A Safari Romance.

    “With all that’s going on right now in our industry and a lot of our peers out of work, this has been a trip and a job that we truly feel so fortunate to be a part of,” he wrote. “This was a family project, written, produced, acted and directed by the beautiful Bristows. I was brought into the fold and immediately felt like family. Thank you for this unforgettable experience, jobs like this are few and far between.”

    8. Her love life is like a Hallmark movie

    Bristow met her husband, business owner Dustin Keating, in 2019. The pair became engaged exactly two years later, according to a social media post by Bristow.

    “Two years to the day from our first date that we weren’t sure was a date (but both wanted it to be a date) you asked me to marry you…,” she wrote, “but I wasn’t sure if you were really asking but I wanted you to be really asking so I asked you if it was really happening and you said yes!”

    The pair married in September 2022.

    “I want to go as far as possible, as long as it’s with you,” she wrote in an Instagram post from their special day.

    Brittany Bristow with her husband, Dustin Keating, in Italy. (Image: Instagram/@britbristow)
    Brittany Bristow with her husband, Dustin Keating, in Italy. (Image: Instagram/@britbristow)
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  • Everything you need to know about Chyler Leigh

    Everything you need to know about Chyler Leigh

    In an industry where careers come and go, Chyler Leigh has remained a force to be reckoned with. The North Carolina native began working in Hollywood in 1997 and has appeared in countless movies and TV shows since.

    The actress has become a new staple at Hallmark Media, where she stars in and produces the surprise hit series The Way Home. Written by mother-daughter team Alexandra Clarke and Heather Conkie, the drama follows three generations of women in the same family who are searching for a missing loved one and trying to make peace with themselves and each other.

    The series debuted in January 2023 and quickly picked up a devoted fan base. As Season 2 plays out on TV, we are turning our attention to each of the show’s stars.

    Chyler Leigh

    Chyler Leigh is well-known to television audiences. From 2007 to 2021, she played Lexie Grey on the hit ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy, the half-sister of series lead Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). She went on to appear in Supergirl and The Flash, becoming a fan favorite in each.

    But Leigh has played many roles in her life. In addition to successful careers in modeling and acting, she has recorded music with her husband, Nathan West, and has acted as an advocate for those suffering from mental illness.

    A little history

    Leigh was born in Charlotte, NC, and lived in Virginia Beach before her family moved to Miami. She began modeling in 8th grade and acted in commercials and a Florida TV show called Hall Pass. At the age of 16, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue a career in acting.

    She met fellow actor Nathan West at the age of 17 when the two appeared on the series 7th Heaven. They married in 2002 and have three children: Noah, Taelyn, and Anniston.

    Leigh had roles in The Practice and That ’80s Show before starring in the 2001 hit comedy Not Another Teen Movie.

    Mental health advocate

    Leigh has been open about her mental health struggles. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 29 after voluntarily checking herself into a hospital.

    “I was so terrified because of my past,” she said in an interview with Prevention. “I was so worried about turning into all of the things I hated when I was growing up, but it was life or death. I was going to make a change, or I wouldn’t be here anymore.”

    About 7 million Americans live with bipolar disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. A person going through a manic episode may feel elated, energized, and reckless, while a depressive episode can result in total loss of energy, trouble concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.

    Leigh said she first noticed the signs as an adolescent when the sound of clinking dishes filled her with rage. She also experienced recklessness, mood swings, and trouble sleeping. She said she suppressed her feelings for years.

    “I closed off and developed a shell around me,” she said.

    The actress threw herself into her work and into the responsibility of raising three children. Eventually, she became overwhelmed.

    “I was constantly hiding layers of myself, trying to come off as pretty and palatable,” she says. “I wanted to pass off as ‘I’m doing fine,’ but when I went to the hospital it was very clear that I was not.”

    Helping others

    Leigh became an advocate with Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health, which meant coming out of her comfort zone.

    “I’ve always been a very kind of private person,” she said. “I think mostly because of being afraid of having my story out there and being labeled as anything because there is very often such a negative stigma about it. That fear of judgment and ‘Oh, if people see me this way, that means that I’m not good enough or I’m not well enough to be able to take care of myself’ or whatever it might be. But, being able to have a fantastic platform to be able to speak my story and know that it’s going to reach a tremendous amount of people, that was major motivation for me [to speak out].”

    The Way Home

    In a 2022 Instagram post, Leigh shared the news that she would be joining the cast of a new series on Hallmark Channel.

    “Took time off to work hard on myself,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s not been easy. Letting go of the past can be quick or a lifelong journey. But it’s a journey that is so so worth the climb. My thanks to those who have helped me along the way. I’m standing on a new mountain top and am so excited for what’s on the horizon. @hallmarkchannel #TheWayHome #KatLandry … here we go.”

    Leigh plays Kat Landry on The Way Home. When the series started, Kat was living in Chicago with her teenage daughter, Alice (played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow), and dealing with her recent divorce. After getting fired from her job as a journalist, she decided to return to her hometown and visit her estranged mother (played by Andie MacDowell).

    When she arrived home, she was forced to deal with the pain of losing her brother, Jacob, who disappeared when she was a teenager. But when her daughter discovered a way to time travel, Kat became determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her brother.

    Executive producer

    Leigh has been enthusiastic about her new role as executive producer on The Way Home.

    “I had much more space to give my input this year and it has been so rewarding,” she said in an interview with Uinterview. “Being behind the camera is something that I absolutely love, so watching the processes of creating these environments and creating these worlds and how difficult that actually can be, I love being a part of that.”

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  • Everything you need to know about Victor Webster

    Everything you need to know about Victor Webster

    Victor Webster will co-star with Alison Sweeney in the Hallmark movie One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. The actor will replace Cameron Mathison as the romantic lead in the series, playing a handsome prosecutor who faces off with Hannah as she tries to solve another mystery.

    Though Webster is new to the Murder, She Baked mystery series, he is no stranger to Hallmark. Over the years, the actor has starred in more than 15 movies for the network, co-starring with everyone from Catherine Bell to Candace Cameron Bure.

    Webster has said he appreciates how positive and uplifting Hallmark movies are.

    “After you watch a Hallmark film, you have a big smile on your face and you feel positive about the values that can be enjoyed by the entire family,” he said in an interview with Digital Journal. “Everybody can watch these movies together and they are the perfect family bonding experience.”

    Victor Webster

    Victor Webster was born in Calgary, Alberta, and moved with his family to California at the age of 13. In an interview, Webster said his parents enrolled him in martial arts classes in an attempt to improve his behavior. He excelled and went on to compete as an amateur kickboxer with an undefeated record and as a heavyweight in Tae Kwon Do.

    Though Webster enjoyed doing school plays, he didn’t set out to become an actor when he graduated college. Instead, he worked as a stockbroker and started his own import-export business before landing a role on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.

    Despite his success, the actor had words of caution for anyone thinking of pursuing a career in Hollywood.

    “Don’t become an actor, unless you are absolutely 100 percent drawn to it and have to do it,” he told Digital Journal. “The life of an actor is very unpredictable, and there is a very small percentage of actors that work all the time. If you are drawn to the artistic value of acting, then do that. Make sure you are doing it for the right reasons and that it fulfills you.”

    Days of Our Lives

    Webster landed the role of Nicholas Alamain on the NBC series Days of Our Lives in 1999. He said he learned a lot from working on a soap opera.

    “That show involved a lot of memorization,” he said. “We would shoot an episode a day so I had to learn 20 to 30 pages each time.”

    “In my last day that I worked there, I came in and did 75 pages of dialogue, which was 31 scenes, and we filmed them all in five hours. It really trained my brain on how to get dialogue to stick,” he added.

    He went on to appear in Sex and the City, Charmed, Reba, CSI: Miami, NCIS, and Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. He is well-known to fans of the Scorpion King movies as Mathayus.

    Hallmark

    Webster’s first movie with Hallmark was the 2012 rom-com Puppy Love, which co-starred Candace Cameron Bure. He went on to have parts in Chesapeake Shores and the Matchmaker Mysteries series and starred in The Magic Stocking (2015), Summer Villa (2016), Love Blossoms (2017), A Harvest Wedding (2017), Home for Christmas Day (2017), Homegrown Christmas (2018), Hearts of Winter (2020), Five Star Christmas (2020), The Wedding Veil Legacy (2022), A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe (2022), The Wedding Veil Journey (2023), and Mystery On Mistletoe Lane (2023).

    Personal life

    Webster met his ex-wife, Shantel VanSanten, when they co-starred in the movie Love Blossoms. The couple had three separate wedding celebrations in 2021. The first was a civil service at Pasadena City Hall in California on Aug. 9, her grandparents’ wedding date.

    “When my grandfather unexpectedly passed away on Father’s Day, the heartbreak was unbearable; I had been planning on him walking me down the aisle in Minnesota,” VanSanten told Brides. “In the midst of my grief, I looked at Victor and said I wanted to do a spontaneous civil ceremony on my grandparents’ wedding date, August 9.”

    The second celebration was in Napa in October and the third was in the bride’s hometown of Luverne, Minn.

    Webster filed for divorce in January 2023. Neither he nor VanSanten have spoken publicly about the reasons for their separation.

    Working with Alison Sweeney

    Alison Sweeney and Victor Webster have worked together several times, both on Days of Our Lives — where she plays Sami Brady — and in Hallmark movies.

    The pair appeared as a couple in The Wedding Veil series, which also starred Laci Chabert and Autumn Reeser.

    “I’ve always loved working with Victor — from our years in daytime [TV] to our work together on ‘The Wedding Veil,’” Sweeney said in a statement through Hallmark. “When writing the script and developing this movie, I knew he’d be a great addition to the Hannah Swensen family and am thrilled that he said yes.”

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  • Andrew Walker tells fans they can expect two more movies in popular mystery series

    Andrew Walker tells fans they can expect two more movies in popular mystery series

    Andrew Walker recently revealed that there will be at least two more movies in the popular Curious Caterer mystery series. The actor co-stars with Nikki DeLoach in the movies, which are based on a series of books by Diane Mott Davidson.

    Walker and DeLoach were appearing at a fan convention when they got the news.

    “We were together, it was amazing,” Walker told Heavy. “Nikki and I are, you know, seven movies deep now and people still want to see us. We got approved for another — we actually got approved for two more ‘Curious Caterers.’ The executive producer called us and it was a nice little birthday gift.”

    Popular mystery series

    The first movie in the series premiered in April 2022. In Dying For Chocolate, DeLoach played caterer and single mom Goldy Berry. When her best friend is killed, Goldy becomes determined to find the murderer. She ends up joining forces with local detective Tom Shultz (played by Walker).

    A second movie, Curious Caterer: Grilling Season, followed in February 2023. In a Facebook Live event to promote the movie, Walker asked fans to keep watching the series so he could continue to work with DeLoach.

    In addition to the Curious Caterer movies, Walker and DeLoach have paired up in the Hallmark films A Dream of Christmas (2016), The Perfect Catch ( 2017), and Sweet Autumn (2020).

    Andrew Walker

    A native of Canada, Andrew Walker got his start on TV in the series Student Bodies. He had roles on NYPD Blue, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, ER, and the Big Bang Theory.

    He has starred in more than 20 movies for Hallmark, including The 27-Hour Day, Three Wise Men and a Baby, and A Safari Romance. In an interview, he talked about how great it was to work with the network.

    “You know, there’s no stability anywhere out there,” he said. “And here are all of these actors in our 40s, where in the general landscape of our industry we would be kind of at the tail end, which is sad to say. But here we are now…. [The fans] watch the movies and give us that ability to continue to thrive and to bring them new stories with the same faces, just different combinations and storylines.”

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  • Seven fascinating facts about The Way Home star Andie MacDowell

    Seven fascinating facts about The Way Home star Andie MacDowell

    As Hallmark’s hit series The Way Home heads into its second season, fans have been anxiously awaiting answers to the questions brought up in the Season 1 finale. (What did happen to Jacob? Why are Del and Kat still on such bad terms? Are the Landry women witches?)

    The show’s stars have been out and about promoting new episodes but we’ve decided to focus on the actress who plays Del Landry, the family matriarch. Andie MacDowell is a fan favorite on the Hallmark Channel, having played Judge Olivia Lockhart on the short-lived series Cedar Cove (2013-2015). She’s also a writer, producer, model, mom, and lover of the simple life. Read on for a list of fascinating facts about Andie MacDowell.

    1. Her first name is Rosalie

    MacDowell was born in 1958 as Rosalie Anderson MacDowell. In an essay for Guide Posts, MacDowell talked about how people in her hometown of Gaffney, South Carolina still use that name for her.

    “Folks in Gaffney would stop me on the street. ‘Rosie, how are you?’ ‘Rosie, tell me about your mother,’ ‘Rosie, are you and your sisters going up to Asheville again for the summer?’ they would say.”

    2. She’s a Southern gal at heart

    Though MacDowell left South Carolina to pursue a modeling career in her early 20s, she returned often to her hometown of Gaffney to visit. When she had her own children — Justin, Rainey, and Margaret — she chose to raise them in Asheville, North Carolina.

    Some fans may have trouble catching a hint of a Southern accent on MacDowell these days but when she began acting, directors didn’t know what to do with her South Carolina drawl. When she booked her first movie gig in 1984 playing Jane in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, the producers ended up dubbing her voice using Glenn Close because they felt MacDowell’s Southern accent was too pronounced.

    3. She loves small-town living

    In her Guide Posts essay, MacDowell talked about identifying with the town of Cedar Cove when Hallmark offered her the role.

    “The first thing I thought when I read the script for the Hallmark Channel series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was, ‘I know this place,” she wrote. “…My hometown of Gaffney, in upcountry South Carolina, with its blossoming peach trees and Southern drawls, is thousands of miles from the mist-shrouded coast of the Pacific Northwest, where the fictional Cedar Cove sits, but they have that same small-town spirit.”

    Of small towns, she wrote, “I know, deep in my heart and soul, the wonders and blessings of such places.”

    4. From a young age, MacDowell was a caretaker

    MacDowell has been open about her mother’s struggle with alcohol. In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, the actress talked about getting up in the middle of the night when she was 10 years old just to check that her mother had extinguished her cigarettes.

    “There were burn marks all over the floor and on the couch; it’s amazing we didn’t burn down,” she says. “…I think I’ve felt responsible all my life. But I’m good at it. I’ve been in training for a long time.”

    5. She almost gave up on her career as a model

    MacDowell was spotted by a scout for Wilhelmina Models when she was only 20 years old. But in her early days in New York City, the Gaffney girl almost quit. She found herself in the 1979 world of Studio 54 and was extremely uncomfortable.

    “There was a lot of cocaine around,” she told the Guardian. “…I actually went into my agency and said I wanted to go home, and they said: ‘You need new friends. You’re around the wrong people.’”

    John Casablancas, the founder of Elite Model Management, flew with her to Paris and introduced her to a new companion, a young man who didn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs.

    “…And it was like, I had a boyfriend,” she said

    The young man in question was Olivier Chandon de Brailles, the heir to Moët & Chandon. From there, MacDowell went from strength to strength.

    “I don’t know if they prearranged the whole thing, but it sure did work out well for me. I started working non-stop and my whole life opened up. I was about to go home for a few seconds there.”

    6. She was one of the first models to make the move successfully to acting

    These days there are scores of actresses who got their start in modeling but when MacDowell made the transition in the 1980s, it was practically unheard of. But she blew critics away with her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Steven Soderbergh’s 1989 movie Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

    “Everything changed when that movie came out,” says Andie. “That’s the way it goes in this business. Nobody believes in you but then if you get the right job, everyone believes in you. You’re the same person but the perception changes.”

    7. She has a soft spot for Hallmark

    MacDowell has made it clear that she appreciates the stories Hallmark chooses to tell.

    “We have got so used to extremes of horror, terror, and darkness on TV,” she said in an interview with The Express.

    Hallmark, on the other hand, chooses to tell real stories.

    “Cedar Cove is warmer and fuzzier than most TV and that’s why we are successful,” she said. “I also think that makes us one of the most creative things around, because we’re different. And there are enough reality shows – I don’t know why people watch them. Who wants to see women yelling at each other?”

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  • How a family health crisis changed Nikki DeLoach’s life

    How a family health crisis changed Nikki DeLoach’s life

    Nikki DeLoach has been in the public eye since she was a child. After starring in the Mickey Mouse Club alongside Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, and Christina Aguilera, she went on to appear in movies such as The House Bunny and TV shows such as Days of Our Lives, CSI: NY, Cold Case, NCIS, Mad Men, Criminal Minds, and Grey’s Anatomy. In an interview with Us Weekly, the actress said making a living as an actress has been a dream come true.

    “It’s everything I wanted to do when I was a kid,” she said. “Every single day, I honestly go, ‘I cannot believe I am doing the thing that I wanted to do when I was three years old and getting paid to do it.’”

    But in recent years, the actress and mother has pivoted in her career. Though she still stars in movies, DeLoach has also become a successful screenwriter. This change came about because of a health crisis in her family.

    Family health crisis

    Nikki DeLoach married her childhood sweetheart, Ryan Goodell, and went on to have two sons, William and Bennett. But it was during her pregnancy with her second son, Bennett, that the actress realized her life was about to change dramatically.

    Nikki DeLoach with her husband, Ryan Goodell, and their sons, Bennett and William. (Image: Instagram/@nikdeloach)
    Nikki DeLoach with her husband, Ryan Goodell, and their sons, Bennett and William. (Image: Instagram/@nikdeloach)

    While undergoing a prenatal scan, DeLoach noticed that the technician was focusing on a specific area. When she asked if there was a problem, the technician replied, “You’ll have to wait for the doctor.” In an interview with People, DeLoach said that was when she knew something was wrong.

    It turned out that Bennett had multiple heart defects.

    “For an entire month we were waiting to find out if our pregnancy was something that we would be able to continue with,” she said. “I didn’t know if my son would live. It was paralyzing.”

    Bennett was born in September 2017. Days after his birth, he underwent a heart transplant. DeLoach knew she would no longer be able to continue on the same career path.

    “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to act again,” she told Retaility. “I had no idea what we were up against and we were told a lot of really scary scenarios. So I said, ‘Listen, if I can never leave him or I don’t want to leave him, I’ll pivot. I will write. I can do that from home and that’ll be the new way forward.’”

    She turned to friend and writing partner Megan McNulty and the two began churning out scripts.

    The romance between Andrew Walker and Nikki DeLoach heats up in new Hallmark mystery Curious Caterer: Grilling Season. (Image: Hallmark Media)

    RELATED NEWS: Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker share a behind-the-scenes look at their new Hallmark mystery

    Screenwriter

    DeLoach said she was fortunate to have a good relationship with Hallmark Media. Not only have they produced some of the scripts she has written with McNulty — Christmas For Keeps (2021) and True Justice: Family Ties (2024) among them — they have given her the opportunity to continue to work in front of the camera.

    “Luckily, Hallmark wanted to use me,” she told Retaility. “It was perfect because I could work for three weeks and come back, be a mom, and take care of Bennett.”

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  • The romantic scene Tyler Hynes had added to a Hallmark movie

    The romantic scene Tyler Hynes had added to a Hallmark movie

    Tyler Hynes is an unapologetic romantic. The actor has appeared in 17 movies for Hallmark, including Sweet Carolina with Lacey Chabert, An Unexpected Christmas with Bethany Joy Lenz, and It Was Always You with Erin Krakow. In more than one interview, he has made it clear that he is a big fan of movies about love.

    “…I mean, what is life without love?” he said during an interview with TV Fanatic. “It’s truly, this is the centerpiece of living essentially. And so all the stories that are to be told in that arena is a very worthwhile thing ’cause that is truly, in life, the center of…it all still.”

    Tyler Hynes

    Hallmark is known for romantic story lines that end in a kiss. But in the 2023 movie A Picture of Her, Tyler Hynes shared a kiss with his co-star at the end that left fans swooning.

    “Yeah, there’s some COVID being passed in those kisses for sure,” he joked.

    In the movie, Hynes plays Jake, a photographer who snaps a photo of a stranger that ends up being used on the cover of a magazine. The woman in the photo ends up tracking Jake down and the two become romantically involved.

    Erin Krakow and Tyler Hynes in the Hallmark movie It Was Always You. Krakow recently indicated she would love to make a sequel to the movie. (Image: Hallmark Media)

    RELATED NEWS: Erin Krakow says she would love to make a sequel to It Was Always You

    That kiss, though

    In the final scene of the movie, Tyler’s character Jake gives co-star Rhiannon Fish a longing kiss before the two climb on his motorcycle and take off. It was a scene that Hynes had added in.

    “Yeah, that final scene was something that wasn’t originally there and I was like, look guys, I think we’re missing an opportunity here,” he said. “I know legally it’s tough to get Rhiannon on the back of the bike with me, but there’s something to the image of the simplicity of her and I just in that moment together that’s sort of deeply simple and romantic and I’m really glad that we found the time and energy to be able to make that last sort of shot and sequence happen because I think it bookends the movie in a nice way and gives you a nice lasting image that can stay with you.”

    Um, you can say that again, Tyler.

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  • Luke Macfarlane had nothing but nice things to say about this former co-star

    Luke Macfarlane had nothing but nice things to say about this former co-star

    Don’t expect Luke Macfarlane to trash his colleagues anytime soon. In a recent interview with comedian Daniel Tosh, the actor had only nice things to say about former co-star Candace Cameron Bure.

    Macfarlane played opposite Candace Cameron Bure in the 2018 Countdown to Christmas movie A Shoe Addict’s Christmas.

    “I will admit that I was nervous to work with her, but she could not have been more lovely,” he said during an appearance on the Tosh Show.

    When Tosh asked if the two discussed Macfarlane’s sexual orientation — the actor is gay — he said they had not, adding, “She has a lot of gay friends.”

    Luke Macfarlane

    Macfarlane rose to fame playing Scotty Wandell on the ABC series Brothers & Sisters. He said when Hallmark first approached him to do a movie, he asked his agent if it would hurt his career.

    “They’re like, ‘They’re not on people’s radars,’” he said. “And I’m like, ‘They kind of are.’”


    Over the years, Macfarlane has starred in a long list of Hallmark movies:

    Christmas Land (2015),

    The Mistletoe Promise (2016)

    A Birthday Wish (2017),

    Karen Kingsbury’s Maggie’s Christmas Miracle (2017)

    A Shoe Addict’s Christmas (2018)

    Just Add Romance (2019)

    Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen (2019)

    A Valentine’s Match (2020)

    Chateau Christmas (2020)

    Taking a Shot at Love (2021)

    Christmas in My Heart (2021)

    Moriah’s Lighthouse (2022)

    A Magical Christmas Village (2022)

    Notes of Autumn (2023)

    Catch Me If You Claus (2023)

    Candace Cameron Bure

    Candace Cameron Bure made headlines in April 2022 when she announced she was leaving Hallmark to work at Great American Family, a new network started by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott.

    “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” she said.

    In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Bure was asked if any of her films would include same-sex romances. The actress said her films would focus on “traditional marriage.”

    Some fans were supportive of her comments but others were furious. Actor Neal Bledsoe, who co-starred with Danica McKellar in the Great American Family romcom The Winter Palace, publicly condemned Bure’s comments and said he would not work with the network again.

    Bill Abbott, who was part of the Wall Street Journal interview, clarified that the network could eventually include same-sex romance but that in its initial stages, it would focus on movies with messages of faith.

    “Spiritual or faith-based content is grossly underserved,” he said.

    Leaving Hallmark

    In September of 2022, the actor told the LA Times that he wouldn’t be working with Hallmark anymore.

    “They’ve been very good to me, but I think I’ve told my story for now with those folks,” he said. “I mean, how many firefighters can I play?”

    Macfarlane made it clear there were no hard feelings behind the decision, even saying that Hallmark had taught him some important skills.

    “One thing that I really enjoyed about making Hallmark movies is it’s really fun to flirt,” he said. “It’s fun to play that energy on camera, where relationships are at their best in those early times. I guess Hallmark has given me a lot of flirting lessons.”

    Macfarlane delighted fans when he announced in the summer of 2023 that — surprise — he was working with Hallmark again. The actor starred in Notes of Autumn, in which he played a gay man who finds romance when he swaps apartments with his friend, played by Ashley Williams.

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  • How Kimberley Sustad turned a love of ’90s rom-coms into a career as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after screenwriters

    How Kimberley Sustad turned a love of ’90s rom-coms into a career as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after screenwriters

    Kimberley Sustad has been a fan favorite on Hallmark Channel since her breakout role in the 2012 romcom A Bride For Christmas. But the actress, who grew up in Winnipeg, is also a sought-after screenwriter.

    In addition to the 2022 Countdown to Christmas smash hit Three Wise Men and a Baby, the actress wrote 2020’s Christmas By Starlight. And she’s not done yet. In a recent interview, the actress said she has two more movies in the works.

    Kimberley Sustad

    A self-proclaimed tomboy, Sustad grew up riding horses and playing sports. She nabbed a role in the 2009 short film Live Henry Live and went on to work in theater in Seattle. She went on to star in the TV shows Spooksville, The Romeo Section, Unspeakable, Alcatraz, Primeval New World, Motive, and Continuum, but continued to do theater roles when she could.

    Two years after starring in Hallmark’s a Bride for Christmas, Sustad landed the role of Marilee in the Countdown to Christmas movie The Nine Lives of Christmas. The film has gained a loyal following over the years and was followed up in 2021 with the sequel The Nine Kittens of Christmas.

    Over the years, Sustad has appeared in the Hallmark mystery series The Gourmet Detective and Morning Show Mysteries. She appeared in the network’s beloved Signed, Sealed, Delivered series and had a role on Hallmark’s Chesapeake Shores.

    Hallmark movies

    She also has a long list of Hallmark movies to her name:

    All Things Valentine (2016)
    Hearts of Christmas (2016)
    Walking the Dog (2017)
    Cooking With Love (2018)
    A Godwink Christmas (2018)
    A Christmas Coincidence (2018)
    Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen (2019)
    Wedding Every Weekend (2020)
    Christmas by Starlight (2020)
    Spotlight on Christmas (2020)
    North to Home (2022)
    Lights, Camera, Christmas (2022)
    Three Wise Men and a Baby (2023)
    Fourth Down and Love (2023)
    To All a Good Night (2023)

    From actress to screenwriter

    Sustad made the leap from actress to screenwriter after starring with Paul Campbell in the 2018 movie A Godwink Christmas. Though the film was a serious one, Sustad and Campbell were constantly joking around on set.

    “The movie was really sentimental, and we kept saying, oh, I wish we had the chance to do a romcom or something like that to really test this energy that we had,” Sustad said in an interview with TV Fanatic. “Because when the cameras started rolling, it was joke after joke, and we were laughing hysterically, even though that was not the movie we were filming.”

    Campbell eventually asked Sustad if she wanted to write a movie together.

    “We sort of bumped our way along, and we wrote this script on spec, and we walked into Hallmark when we had some other event to go to,” she said. “We asked, ‘Hey, can we come in for a quick meeting before the TCAs?’ And we handed them the script and pitched them the movie.”

    Hallmark loved the script and offered Sustad the lead. Christmas By Starlight was released in 2020.

    Sustad shared a behind-the-scenes look at Three Wise Men and a Baby in an Instagram post. (Image: Instagram/@kimberleysustad)
    Sustad shared a behind-the-scenes look at Three Wise Men and a Baby in an Instagram post. The caption read, “This one is special. These guys poured their hearts and souls into it. I had the honour of co-writing it with @paulcampbellofficial and we held nothing back!” (Image: Instagram/@kimberleysustad)

    Three Wise Men and a Baby

    Campbell and Sustad collaborated again and came up with the script for Three Wise Men and a Baby. The film, which starred Campbell, Andrew Walker, and Tyler Hynes, was the most-watched cable movie of 2022. In an interview, Sustad said it was great to see fans respond to it the way they did.

    “I wasn’t expecting it to sort of break the glass ceiling and go into a wider audience space the way that it did,” she said.

    Working with Hallmark

    Sustad has a few other projects in the works.

    “Paul and I are writing a script called My Week in Wyoming, which is going to be an amazing tale,” she said. “It’s almost like a City Slickers. And it’s not Christmas, but it’s really funny.”

    “We’re also working on a Christmas movie that we’re writing, and I’m not allowed to say anything about that one, but it’s also going to, I hope, blow the doors off as well. So we’re having a lot of fun doing that simultaneously, actually.”

    She also talked about how much she loves working for Hallmark.

    “And they’re just one of the most incredible networks, honestly, to work for,” she said. “They treat you so nice. They are like family; you get to know everybody. You get to work internally on these things — and they bring you back, which is, I think, very rare amongst networks. It’s almost like they have a small company of actors that they rotate, and that fans get to know and see them in different parts, and in different pairings … There’s a reason of the quality of programming that they’re doing, and then there’s just also a reason that they’re wonderful people, and actually family to me, as well.”

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  • Nine things you never knew about Christopher Russell

    Nine things you never knew about Christopher Russell

    By now, all Hallmarkies are familiar with Christopher Russell. The handsome actor has been gracing the small screen on Hallmark Channel since 2013 and has made more than 20 movies for the network.

    But the actor is more than a handsome face. Read on to discover all the things you never knew about the Hallmark star.

    Christopher Russell

    1. His first role was in a Christmas production

    Russell got the acting bug while playing a donkey in his preschool’s nativity play. He continued to perform in school plays and made his professional debut at the age of 12 in the horror movie The Whispering. While in high school, he received an award for his work from the prestigious Sears Drama Festival.

    2. He has starred in more than 20 different TV shows

    Russell is one of those actors who looks just as at home on a space ship as he does in a zombie apocalypse. Over the years he has appeared in science fiction shows, historical dramas, spy thrillers, mysteries, and teen dramas.

    The actor first appeared on television in the Canadian comedy series Show Me Yours. He went on to star in Kevin Hill and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye and has had roles in Supernatural, Nikita, Murdoch Mysteries, Flashpoint, Beauty and the Beast, Satisfaction, Air Crash Investigator, The Listener, iZombie, Lost Girl, Reign, Star Trek: Discovery, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, unREAL, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Van Helsing, BH90210, Reacher, Accused, Day of the Dead, and The Irrational.

    3. He is a family man

    A photo of Christopher Russell and his family. (Image: Instagram@chrisrussellofficial)
    A photo of Christopher Russell and his family. (Image: Instagram@chrisrussellofficial)

    In an Instagram post, he shared a photo of his family with the caption:

    “Family. Where life begins and love never ends.- I love you three bigger than the thing that’s bigger than the universe! #soulmates #bestkidsever #youhadmeathello #beautifulbritishcolumbia #familyiseverything.”

    4. He keeps his private life private

    Though he shares photos of his family on Instagram, Russell has never revealed his wife’s name. He also keeps mum on the names of his children.

    5. He and fellow Hallmark star Cindy Busby have a special friendship

    Christopher Russell and Cindy Busby have starred in four Hallmark movies together. In an interview, Russell talked about why they work so well together.

    “Cindy Busby is the best,” he told Digital Jouurnal. “We clicked right away since we have very complementary personalities.…She is a barrel of laughs.”

    6. He is a huge fan of Hallmark

    “It feels good to work on these films especially due to the subject matter that we are presenting,” he said during an interview with Digital Journal. “There is so much negativity going on in the world so it’s nice to present people with something that can help provide them with an escape and deliver a cathartic experience in a positive way.”

    The Hallmark Channel movie Warming Up to You stars Cindy Busby and Christopher Russell
    “Warming Up to You” (Image: Hallmark Media)

    RELATED NEWS: Cindy Busby and Christopher Russell star in the Hallmark romance Warming Up to You

    7. Even his daydreams are wholesome


    He once told a reporter that if he could have any superpower, it would be “the ability to deliver world peace.”

    Aaawwww.

    8. He’s a screenwriter

    In an interview with Hollywood North Magazine, he said he has written a few scripts that are in development. Let’s hope they get produced at Hallmark.

    9. He has a special technique he uses at auditions

    In an interview, Russell talked about a book that influenced his approach to the acting business called 10,000 Nos, by fellow actor Matthew Del Negro.

    “Auditioning at the beginning of your career, or even when you’ve established yourself is quite competitive,” he said. “A lot of times, people can get caught in trying to present themselves in a way that they think other people want to see. What I’ve learned is that if I prepare, prepare, prepare then I know what I’m doing when heading out. If something isn’t clicking I’ll seek outside help with a coach, and that way when I go in on set or an audition, on-screen test, chemistry test, or whatever it may be. I know that I know the material inside and out so whatever happens, happens. If I’m trying hard to manipulate the situation, and create moments out of nothing, it’s just going to fall flat.”

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  • How Hallmark launched one of the most popular Halloween movie franchises in the world

    How Hallmark launched one of the most popular Halloween movie franchises in the world

    Hallmark may be well known for its Christmas movies but the company has also has one of the most popular Halloween movie franchises on TV. In 2008 the company released a movie called The Good Witch. Starring British actress Catherine Bell, the film told the story of a mysterious woman who moved to a small town to live in an old mansion that locals believed was haunted.

    Though the townspeople were wary of the newcomer at first, eventually her kindness and generosity won them over. The movie was so popular with fans that the network made 12 in the series and even launched a TV show based on the characters.

    Halloween movie

    Rod Spence is the creator of the Good Witch characters. In an interview on the Keep Heartland Strong YouTube channel, he talked about how he came to work for Hallmark.

    In 2004, he was trying to sell action-movie screenplays when his agent suggested he take a phone meeting with a Hallmark executive. She told Spence that the network liked to do holiday-themed movies but that they always struggled with Halloween.

    “I said, ‘Well let me take a shot at that, let me see what I can come up with,’” Spence said. “So I hung up the phone and an amazing thing happened. Within 45 minutes I had the I had the basic idea for The Good Witch.”

    Though he finished the script that year, it took another three years before Hallmark brought it to life on the small screen.

    “I kind of think this was divine timing that it just laid there for three years until Catherine Bell came along,” he said. “She was absolutely Cassie Nightingale from day one.”

    Spence said he believes the character of Cassie Nightingale was responsible for much of the franchise’s popularity.

    “The key to Cassie’s character for me, and what made her so unique and successful is very simple: She’s a woman that no matter who comes to her or what situation comes to her she always responds with unconditional love,” Spence said. “That’s the whole key and that’s what makes her so unique. And you can do so much with that.”

    The TV series

    The films proved so popular that in 2015 Hallmark launched a TV series based on the characters. The show ran for seven seasons until Hallmark abruptly cancelled it in 2021. Goodies have been trying to get the show back on the air ever since.

    Though Spence doesn’t believe the series will come back, he said it’s likely that Hallmark will make a movie featuring Cassie Nightingale and her family, he said. Spence even volunteered to write the script.

    “If Hallmark needs a writer for the next Good Witch movie, give me a call!” he said. “I would certainly love to do that.”

    For a complete list of the Good Witch movies, click here.

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  • A complete list of the movies in the Good Witch series (and how to watch them)

    A complete list of the movies in the Good Witch series (and how to watch them)

    Hallmark introduced fans to Cassie Nightingale in the 2008 movie The Good Witch. Played by British actress Catherine Bell, the character developed a loyal fan base and 11 more movies would follow. In 2015, the network created a TV series based on the character, which ran for seven seasons until Hallmark abruptly cancelled it in 2021.

    Here are the movies in order and links to where they can be streamed.

    1. The Good Witch (2008)

    Cassandra “Cassie” Nightingale is a raven-haired enchantress with a hint of magic who moves into the town of Middleton’s haunted Grey House. As if that weren’t unusual enough, she also opens Bell, Book and Candle, a wondrous shop full of unique items. For some, including the captivated Police Chief Jake Russell, Cassie is a breath of fresh air and a love potion that spreads throughout the town. But before she can truly become part of Middleton, she will need to win over some of the more skeptical neighbors who don’t approve of her unique ways.

    Stream The Good Witch here*

    2. The Good Witch’s Garden (2009)

    Cassie has settled into Middleton and is busy making a home of Grey House. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Jake Russell, and his kids are happy to have Cassie in the neighborhood, but she has yet to gain the trust of some people in town. Before long, a stranger rolls into town with papers entitling him to legal ownership of Grey House. Before she knows it, Cassie is left without a home and is convinced Middleton isn’t where she belongs. Ultimately, everyone will learn holding on too tightly to something can make it more likely that it will slip through your fingers.

    Stream The Good Witch’s Garden here

    3. The Good Witch’s Gift (2010)

    Cassandra Nightingale always has a few tricks up her sleeve but is surprised when her handsome sweetheart, Police Chief Jake Russell, proposes. Getting into the spirit of the season, they set their wedding date for Christmas Eve–only six days away! As the two hurry to plan the wedding, trouble clouds their happiness when a mysterious man from Jake’s past returns to town.

    Stream The Good Witch’s Gift here
    A Good Witch marathon on Hallmark Drama will feature The Good Witch's Garden.
    The Good Witch’s Garden (Image: Hallmark Media)

    4. The Good Witch’s Family (2011)

    Life is going well for Cassie as she settles into marriage with Middleton Police Chief Jake Russell and as stepmom to Brandon and Lori. But evil soon blows into town in the form of Cassie’s long-lost cousin Abigail, who whips up wickedness like a tornado. The once peaceful Russell family bickers night and day; Jake is fired after an argument with the Mayor over a bridge expansion; and Martha, the Mayor’s wife and town busybody, walks out on her long marriage. As the town divides further over neighborhood expansion, Cassie is drafted to run for Mayor. Within her once-happy marriage, her family is unraveling, and Abigail’s diabolical “double, double, toil and trouble” is the apex of Cassie’s misery. What’s a good witch to do?

    Stream The Good Witch’s Family here

    5. The Good Witch’s Charm (2012)

    Good Witch Cassie Nightingale is back to her bewitching ways, but this time she’s also juggling a newborn daughter and her job as town Mayor. With such a busy schedule she and her husband, town sheriff Jake Russell, aren’t getting much sleep. Hoping for a break, Cassie plans a much-needed vacation with her new family. But things go awry when a crime wave sweeps through town and an investigative reporter tries to ruin Cassie’s image after a video of her magically disappearing turns up on the internet. Supported by her loyal family and friends, Cassie must rely on her signature charm to put a stop to the troubles before they completely destroy the town, and a Good Witch’s reputation!

    Stream The Good Witch’s Charm here

    6. The Good Witch’s Destiny (2013)

    All Cassie Nightingale wants for her birthday is for her family and friends to be together. While her husband Jake suggests an intimate dinner at a fancy restaurant in their hometown of Middleton, Cassie would rather have a party at The Grey House, with all her loved ones in attendance. As Cassie’s special day is approaching, her stepdaughter Lori discovers disturbing parallels between Cassie and Cassie’s great aunt, nicknamed the Grey Lady, who disappeared at her own birthday party years before. With signs of a curse looming over her, it’s clear that Cassie needs to conjure up more than a little magic to make things right again. Is there birthday magic in the air or is it a birthday curse?

    Stream The Good Witch’s Destiny here
    Catherine Bell and Chris Potter in the 2010 Hallmark movie The Good Witch's Gift. Screenwriter Rod Spence he believes a new Good Witch movie could be coming to Hallmark. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    The Good Witch’s Gift (Image: Hallmark Media)

    7. The Good Witch’s Wonder (2014)

    Cassie Nightingale finds herself with only days to plan her stepson Brandon’s wedding to Tara when the happy couple unexpectedly pushes up the date for their big day. Meanwhile, Martha, the newly elected mayor of Middleton has roped Cassie into chairing the silent auction to raise much-needed funds for her pet project, the Middleton Botanical Gardens. Audrey, a new arrival in town, stops by Cassie’s store, Bell, Book and Candle, and the two instantly bond. Needing help in the store, Cassie immediately hires Audrey as her new store associate and she even pitches in and helps Cassie organize the auction. But, Audrey is hiding a secret past and suspicions start to swirl around her when the donated auction items are missing. With the use of her “special” powers, as well as some teamwork by the mayor and Jake, her husband and the local chief of police, will they conjure up the truth before it’s too late?

    Stream The Good Witch’s Wonder here

    8. Good Witch Halloween (2015)

    With Halloween fast approaching, Cassie and the town of Middleton are hard at work preparing for the annual Harvest Festival. This year, Cassie is transforming Grey House into a delightful haunted house, and when a handsome stranger checks in, the family members find themselves on edge.
    9. Good Witch: Secrets of Grey House (2016)

    The author of a series of magic-and-romance-filled novels comes to Grey House to celebrate the release of her newest book, titled “The Enchantress Unites.” But it’s Cassie who ends up doing the uniting, bringing together the people of Middleton to put on the special event while also coming to a special realization about Sam.

    Stream Good Witch Halloween here
    A Good Witch marathon on Hallmark this weekend will feature The Good Witch's Wonder
    The Good Witch’s Wonder (Image: Hallmark Media)

    9. Good Witch: Secrets of Grey House (2016)

    The author of a series of magic-and-romance-filled novels comes to Grey House to celebrate the release of her newest book, titled “The Enchantress Unites.” But it’s Cassie who ends up doing the uniting, bringing together the people of Middleton to put on the special event while also coming to a special realization about Sam.

    Stream Good Witch: Secrets of Grey House here

    10. Good Witch: Spellbound (2017)

    Good Witch is back for a magical Halloween 2 part special! A long-forgotten prophecy is unearthed in the basement of city hall and – when the things that were predicted to happen start to come true – the people of Middleton begin to fear that this might be the year of a horrible curse that could change their lives forever. As Halloween night approaches, Cassie comes to realize that she and Sam might be the key to ending the curse and saving their town.

    Stream Good Witch: Spellbound here

    11. Good Witch: Tale of Two Hearts (2018)

    Cassie and Sam put all their energy into the bicentennial Halloween Harvest Festival. Everyone in town prepares for the festival’s competition with rival town Blairsville, especially Grace and Nick, who realize this is their last Halloween in Middleton. New mayor Abigail tries to outdo former mayor Martha, creating rivalries within the town as well. When a 100-carat ruby known as The Heart of Middleton is stolen from the museum where the festival’s gala is to be held, the town’s Halloween romance suffers, and Cassie suspects a Grey House guest is the culprit. She also believes it will all magically work out during the Halloween gala – one filled with romance and surprises that not even Cassie’s magic intuition can predict.

    Stream Good Witch: Tale of Two Hearts here

    12. Good Witch: Curse From a Rose (2019)

    The Good Witch meets her match when Cassie’s long-lost college roommate, Autumn Delaney, makes an unexpected visit to Grey House on a mission to disrupt Middleton’s Halloween festivities.

    Stream Good Witch: Curse From a Rose here

     *As members of the Amazon Associates Program, we earn commissions on links.

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  • The complete list of Kavan Smith Hallmark movies

    The complete list of Kavan Smith Hallmark movies

    Kavan Smith is well-known to Hallmark audiences as Lee Coulter, a prosperous businessman on the hit series When Calls the Heart. But the Canadian actor, who got his start on the TV series Destiny Ridge, has appeared in 12 movies for the network.

    Kavan Smith Hallmark movies

    Kavan Smith developed a love of performing as a teenager. Though he enrolled in the University of Calgary to study economics, he dropped out after a year and a half. Eventually, he entered the performing arts program at Mount Royal University.

    Smith went on to have roles in Sanctuary, Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Twilight Zone, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, and The 4400.

    In 2000 he landed a role in the Brian De Palma movie Mission to Mars, working alongside Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle, and Connie Nielsen.

    When Calls the Heart

    Though Smith has worked with his fellow When Calls the Heart star Pascale Hutton in several movies, he admitted in an interview that they didn’t get off to the best start.

    “We shot a scene one day and she kept trying to shove a spoon full of food into my mouth,” Kavan said during an appearance on Home and Family.

    “[It] was not written in the script—I just thought it would be funny,” Pascale said.

    “It was annoying at first,” Smith said. “I was like ‘I’m not going to like this actor,’ but after about the sixteenth time I was like, ‘This is pretty funny.’ And then from that point on it become a contest of who could out-humor the other.”

    The complete list:

    1. Growing the Big One (2010)

    Shannen Doherty co-starred with a very young-looking Kavan Smith in this movie about  woman who inherits her grandfather’s pumpkin farm.

    Shannen Doherty and Kavan Smith in the 2010 Hallmark movie Growing the Big One. (Image: Hallmark Media)

    2. Garage Sale Mysteries (2014)

    This movie was like an open casting call for future stars of When Calls the Heart. Not only did Kavan Smith appear in it, so did Johannah Newmarch (Molly) and Eva Bourne (Clara).

    Lori Loughlin starred as Jennifer Shannon, a woman who can always find a diamond in the rough at garage sales. Whether it’s a new antique to sell at her consignment shop, an Atari game for her son, or a piece of furniture for her handy husband Jason (Rick Ravanello) to refurbish, she has made a career out of her treasure-hunting prowess. But, when a string of burglaries hits her town, Jennifer must use her keen eye for detail and her natural problem-solving instincts to help her piece together the clues and catch the criminal before it’s too late.

    Garage Sale Mystery can be streamed here.

    3. Hello, It’s Me (2015)

    Kavan Smith and Kellie Martin in the 2015 Hallmark movie Hello, It's Me. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    Hello, It’s Me (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Kavan Smith co-starred with Kellie Martin in this drama, which debuted on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

    Martin played Annie, a widow with two children who doesn’t believe she will ever find love again. But then she meets James (Kavan Smith), a wealthy bachelor who is drawn to her free spirit.

    Afraid to love again, Annie longs for guidance when she starts to develop feelings for this new man. Her prayers are answered when she starts receiving communications from her late husband that encourage her to follow her heart.

    Hello, It’s Me can be streamed  here.

    4. Wedding Bells (2016)

    Danica McKellar and Kavan Smith in the 2016 Hallmark movie Wedding Bells. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    Wedding Bells (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Danica McKellar and Kavan Smith starred in this romantic comedy about two commitment-phobic professionals who are asked to be the maid of honor and best man at a wedding.

    Though at first the only thing they have in common is their disdain for relationships, they soon find they are a good match.

    Wedding Bells can be streamed here.

    5. The Irresistible Blueberry Farm (2016)

    Kavan Smith with Alison Sweeney in the 2016 Hallmark movie The Irresistible Blueberry Farm. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    The Irresistible Blueberry Farm (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Kavan Smith had a supporting role in this movie about a high-powered attorney who returns to her small Maine hometown to deliver a mysterious letter to the owner of a local blueberry farm.

    The Irresistible Blueberry Farm can be streamed here.

    6. The Perfect Bride (2017)

    Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith in the 2017 Hallmark movie The Perfect Bride. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    The Perfect Bride (Image: Hallmark Media)

    In this rom-com, Pascale Hutton starred as Molly White, a fitness instructor who runs a boot camp for brides-to-be. Kavan Smith played Nick, a wedding photographer whose fiancé signs up for Molly’s class.

    The Perfect Bride can be streamed here.

    7. The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells (2018)

    Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith in the 2018 Hallmark movie The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells. Everything you need to know about watching Hallmark without cable. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells (Image: Hallmark Media)

    In the sequel to the 2017 movie The Perfect Bride, Molly and Nick are planning their wedding when they encounter unexpected obstacles. When their big day is put in jeopardy, they have to work together to get back on track.

    The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells can be streamed here.

    8. Love on the Menu (2019)

    Kavan Smith and Autumn Reeser in the 2019 Hallmark movie Love on the Menu. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    Love on the Menu (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Autumn Reeser stars as Maggie, an executive with a frozen food company who makes a deal with a chef named Hank (played by Kavan Smith) to develop a line of gourmet ready meals.

    Maggie begins to develop feelings for Hank but soon has to choose between love and her career when her boss wants her to back out of the deal.

    Love on the Menu can be streamed here.

    9. You Had Me at Aloha (2021)

    Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith in the 2021 Hallmark movie You Had Me at Aloha. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    You Had Me at Aloha (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton played TV co-hosts with completely different styles in this romantic comedy, which was filmed on location in Hawaii.

    As they clash over their opposing ideas for their TV show, they grapple with the fact that not only do they need each other to further their careers, but they also balance each other on and off the screen.

    You Had Me at Aloha can be streamed here.

    10. Big Sky River (2022)

    Kavan Smith in the Hallmark movie Big Sky River.
    Big Sky River (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Looking to take a break from New York City and place some real distance between herself and her ex-husband, Tara Kendall (Emmanuelle Vaugier) books a summer rental in Parable, Montana. The small, rural town endeared itself to Tara as a young girl and she credits her time in Parable for her love of horses and horseback riding.

    Sheriff Boone Taylor (Kavan Smith) has finally found his footing after losing the love of his life. Boone is kind to his new neighbor but he can’t deny that there’s something very special about Tara and he’d like her to stay for more than just one summer.

    When Tara’s stepdaughter reaches out for help, the painful realities of real life step on any dreams of life in the country.

    Big Sky River can be streamed here.

    11. Big Sky River: The Bridal Path (2023)

    Emmanuelle Vaugier and Kavan Smith in the 2023 Hallmark movie Big Sky River: The Bridal Path. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    Big Sky River: The Bridal Path (Image: Hallmark Media)

    In the sequel to 2022’s Big Sky River, Emmanuelle Vaugier returns as Tara, a woman who left her life in New York City for romance in Montana. Kavan Smith is Sheriff Boone Taylor, the man who swept her off her feet.

    It soon becomes apparent that blending their families won’t be as easy as falling in love.

    12. Notes of Autumn (2023)

    Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton had a cameo appearance in this movie about two best friends (Ashley Williams and Luke Macfarlane) who switch houses for the fall.

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  • Behind the scenes of the Hallmark movie Moriah’s Lighthouse

    Behind the scenes of the Hallmark movie Moriah’s Lighthouse

    If you’ve ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes in a Hallmark movie, now’s your chance. Author Serena B. Miller kept a blog of her experience on the set of the Hallmark movie based on her novel Moriah’s Lighthouse.

    The movie, which was filmed on location in France will premiere as part of the network’s Summer Nights lineup. The film stars Rachelle Lefevre and Luke Macfarlane.

    In a 10-part series on her website, Miller wrote about everything from being approached by a director who wanted to turn her work into a film, to staying in France and watching filming on set.

    Author Serena B. Miller with producer Borga Doter on the set of the Hallmark movie Moriah's Lighthouse
    (Image: serenebmiller.com)

    The bestselling author said she was “cautiously excited” when director Terry Cunningham reached out to her about Moriah’s Lighthouse.

    “I knew the chances for an author getting a book turned into a finished movie was roughly around the same as getting struck by lightning,” she wrote.

    But after a few meetings, it looked like the movie was going to come together. And then, she wrote, COVID hit.

    “The deadline to renew the option agreement came and went,” she wrote. “I assumed the project had been cancelled. Fast forward in time. Covid eases up. Terry calls. The project is back on! He and Paul have been asked to write a script for Moriah’s Lighthouse. Big news–the movie will be filmed at a lighthouse in France!”

    Racehelle Lefevre and Luke Macfarlane star in the Hallmark Channel movie Moriah's Lighthouse.
    Rachelle Lefevre and Luke Macfarlane in the Hallmark movie Moriah’s Lighthouse (Image: Crown Media)

    On the set of the Hallmark movie Moriah’s Lighthouse

    In Moriah’s Lighthouse, an artisan woodworker sets her sights on rebuilding an old lighthouse in France. She gets some help when an American architect arrives in town and the two begin working together.

    The location is a central part of the story, so Miller was thrilled when she arrived on set.

    “Huge red granite boulders are scattered everywhere, as though tossed there by a giant hand,” she wrote. “The original lighthouse was built in 1860 but was destroyed by the Germans during WWII. This newer lighthouse was rebuilt in 1946.”

    Miller talked about meeting the stars of the movie, and how gracious they were.

    “I thank Rachelle for agreeing to be in this movie,” she wrote. “She thanks me for ‘writing the book that brought us here!’”

    When she met Macfarlane, she found out he knew quite a bit about woodworking himself.

    “He tells me that his grandfather was a cabinet maker and taught him,” she wrote. “When he moved to Los Angeles, he took classes in carpentry so that he could remodel his L.A. house.”

    Busy schedule

    One of the things that struck Miller about the movie-making process was just how much needed to get done in only three weeks. She was also surprised at how physically demanding the process was. One day, she was standing on the set when she noticed two people who weren’t moving:

    “I’m simply standing still, observing, making notes and trying to stay out of the way. Then I notice there are two people who also are not rushing around. A young man and woman stand patiently in the middle of the dining room while others buzz around them. Then they take a few steps and stand some more. Stand, move. Stand, move. It takes me a moment to realize they are standing in for the two main actors. Not only does movie making take experience and talent, it requires an amazing amount of sheer endurance.”

    To find out more about Miller’s experience, check out her blog here.

    Moriah’s Lighthouse will premiere on Saturday, June 18 on Hallmark Channel at 8/7c.

  • Brennan Elliott latest celebrity to sign a deal with Hallmark Channel

    Brennan Elliott latest celebrity to sign a deal with Hallmark Channel

    Crown Media Family Networks announced that actor Brennan Elliott has signed a deal to make multiple pictures with the company. The parent corporation of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries shared the news on social media.

    “Brennan brings tremendous talent and charisma to every role,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming for Crown Media Family Networks. “He’s a joy to work with and we look forward to collaborating with him on new movies we know our viewers will fall in love with.”

    Elliott has starred in movies for both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, including the All Of My Heart series and the Crossword Mysteries series. He joins fellow Hallmark stars Lacey Chabert and Heather Hemmens in signing an exclusive contract with the network.

    Hallmark has been making announcements about multi-picture deals as its new rival, GAC Media, gains steam. Started by former Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott, GAC Media began programming on two cable networks in September 2021. It aired 12 original movies during the holiday season, and has premiered two films, The Winter Palace and Harmony From the Heart, in 2022.

    Several actors who have also worked for Hallmark have signed agreements to work for GAC Media.

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

    Celebrity deals

    In October, Danica McKellar announced she had signed a contract to produce and star in four movies for GAC Media. She was joined in January by Hallmark favorite Jen Lilley.

    GAC has also made plans to take over Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl, which the network stopped producing this year. The Great American Rescue Bowl will air on GAC Family on Super Bowl Sunday — February 5 — 2023.

    Elliott and Hallmark

    Brennan Elliott had bit roles on Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and Criminal Minds before being cast as Warren Saget on the Hallmark series Cedar Cove. He went on to make the movie All Of My Heart with the network, and co-starred with Chabert on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries series Crossword Mysteries.

    In a statement made through Crown Media, Elliott said he was excited to officially become part of the Hallmark team.

    “It’s been a dream to have worked with the wonderfully creative and supportive team at Hallmark over the years,” Elliott enthused. “I’m thrilled to continue this relationship that’s meant so much to me and have the opportunity to bring to life new characters and tell stories that will make people smile.”

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  • Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley feed the hungry with a free grocery store

    Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley feed the hungry with a free grocery store

     

    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.

    The Store, “What We Do”