Cindy Busby and Virgin River star Benjamin Hollingsworth find love while on a wilderness retreat in the new Hallmark movie A Whitewater Romance. “Maya (Cindy Busby) is a big city girl with limited outdoors experience. Matt (Benjamin Hollingsworth) loves the outdoors. Can these opposites ever learn to see eye to eye—and open their hearts to each […]
New Hallmark romance showcases beauty of Niagara
Joceyln Hudon plays a jilted bride who goes on her honeymoon in the new Hallmark romance Falling In love in Niagara. The film will premiere on Hallmark Channel as part of the network’s Spring Into Love programming event. New Hallmark romance In Falling In Love in Niagara, Jocelyn Hudon stars as Maddie, a bride-to-be who […]
A book club leads to true love in new Hallmark movie
Erin Krakow and Robert Buckley find true love through a book club in the new Hallmark movie Blind Date Book Club. Krakow plays a bookstore owner and Buckley an author in the romantic comedy, which will air as part of Hallmark’s Spring Into Love lineup. “Your heart can be a real page-turner,” reads the movie’s […]
Hallmark premieres new version of Sense & Sensibility with diverse cast
A new version of Sense & Sensibility will premiere on Hallmark as part of its Loveuary lineup. The movie, which is part of Hallmark’s Mahogany series, stars Deborah Ayorinde, Bethany Antonia, and Dan Jeannotte. At a recent press event, a Hallmark exec spoke of how the movie was part of the company’s commitment to diversity. […]
Tyler Hynes, Kat Barrell, and Kristin Booth to star in new movie directed by Crystal Lowe
Four of Hallmark’s favorite stars are collaborating on a new movie. Tyler Hynes, Kat Barrell, Kristin Booth, and Crystal Lowe announced they have finished shooting Shifting Gears, a new Hallmark romance that will premiere in March. Lowe directed the movie as part of Hallmark’s Make Her Mark directing program, a new initiative to make movies […]
Cobra Kai’s Martin Kove shows softer side in new romantic comedy for Hallmark
“Mean guy” Martin Kove will show fans his sensitive side the new Hallmark romance A Taste of Love. Kove co-stars with Erin Cahill and his real-life son Jesse Kove as a chef in danger of losing his restaurant. The actor, who is well-known for playing hard-nosed karate instructor John Kreese in the Karate Kid and […]
A librarian finds true love in new Hallmark movie
A librarian finds true love when she wakes up inside her favorite Jane Austen novel in the new Hallmark romance An American in Austen. The film, which will premiere this weekend on Hallmark Channel, stars Eliza Bennett, Nicholas Bishop, and Nell Barlow. New Hallmark romance In An American in Austen, Eliza Bennett stars as Harriet, […]
Luke Macfarlane solves a murder in new movie
Luke Macfarlane plays a detective who needs the help of a famous actress to solve a murder in the new movie Crimetime: Freefall. Lyndie Greenwood will co-star in the mystery, which will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Greenwood promoted the film on Instagram from the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. “I’m honored to […]
Ali Sweeney and Benjamin Ayres find romance in new movie
Ali Sweeney plays a Jane Austen fan who comes face-to-face with her idol in the new movie Love and Jane. Not only does Sweeney get to meet Jane (played by Kendra Anderson), she gets help navigating a romance with Benjamin Ayres. “I am beyond thrilled to share this movie with you all,” Sweeney wrote in […]
A gilded-age heiress is a witness to murder in new Hallmark mystery
Ali Skovbye plays an heiress who witnesses a murder in the new Hallmark movie Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers. The movie, which takes place in Newport, Rhode Island in 1895, also stars Nathan Witte and Brady Cross. It is based on the book by Alyssa Maxwell. New Hallmark mystery In Gilded Newport Mysteries: […]
Laci J. Mailey is unlucky in love in new movie
Chesapeake Shores star Laci J. Mailey plays a woman who is unlucky in love in the new Hallmark romcom Betty’s Bad Luck in Love. The movie, which will premiere this weekend as part of Hallmark Channel’s New Year New Movies lineup, also stars Virgin River’s Marco Grazzini. In an Instagram post, Grazzini talked about how […]
New Hallmark mystery set on a remote island
The scariest part of the new Hallmark mystery movie Mystery Island is that it takes place on a remote island with NO CELL SERVICE. If that isn’t terrifying enough, there is also a murder. New Hallmark mystery In Mystery Island, Elizabeth Henstridge stars as Dr. Emilia Priestly, a noted British criminal psychiatrist. When her friend, […]
Grey’s Anatomy star Sarah Drew will headline new Hallmark movie
Sarah Drew will star in the new Hallmark movie Guiding Emily. The drama, which will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, also features Will and Grace star Eric McCormack. In an Instagram post, Drew shared a photo and a plot summary of the movie, telling fans they might want to have some tissues on hand […]
Everything you need to know about the new Hallmark movie Family History Mysteries: Buried Past
The new Hallmark movie Family History Mysteries: Buried Past will premiere this weekend as part of the January lineup on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. The film stars Janel Parrish and Niall Matter and offers a new twist on the typical whodunit-cozy-mystery typically featured on the network. In this movie, the detective must solve a mystery […]
Erin Krakow would love to make a sequel to the Hallmark movie It Was Always You
Hallmark star Erin Krakow told a fan she would love to make a sequel to her 2021 movie It Was Always You. In a post on Twitter, a fan asked Krakow, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how much would you love to do a sequel to It Was Always You?” Krakow responded with […]
A new Hallmark mystery starring Niall Matter and Janel Parrish is coming to TV
A new Hallmark mystery is coming to TV. Family History Mysteries: Buried Past will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries in January 2023. The movie will star Niall Matter and Janel Parrish. “What I’ve been up to,” wrote Parrish in an Instagram post, “and what a joy it was.” (Image: Hallmark Media) New Hallmark mystery […]
Danica McKellar will put her dancing skills to use in a new film for Great American Family
Actress Danica McKellar says she will put her dancing skills to use in a new film for Great American Family. “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 during an interview with The List. “I haven’t done […]
Former Hallmark star Lori Loughlin returns to TV in January in a new movie for Great American Media. The When Calls the Heart star will headline Fall Into Winter for the new network, which was started by Hallmark’s former CEO.
“Lori is a genre-defining star that I have had the honor to call a close friend and collaborator for more than 15 years,” said Great American Media CEO Bill Abbott in a statement. “We have a shared vision for creating meaningful and memorable movies that resonate with our passionate fans, and I look forward to welcoming her back to Great American Family to anchor our 2023 winter programming slate.”
Lori Loughlin returns
Loughlin has largely been absent from the small screen following her involvement in a college admissions bribery scandal. In March of 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts charged 50 people with falsifying their children’s test scores and athletic abilities to gain admission to top universities. Both Loughlin and her husband, J. Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty to charges of wire and mail fraud. She served two months in prison, paid a $150,000 fine, and was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service.
Following her star role on the ABC sitcom Full House, Loughlin starred as widow Abigail Stanton on the popular Hallmark series When Calls the Heart for five seasons. She was in the middle of shooting Season 6 when news of the scandal broke. The show took a month-long hiatus as writers and producers decided what to do with her character. They eventually wrote her out of the show.
But series co-creator Brian Bird later said he would love to bring Lori back.
“If anyone should return to Hope Valley, it should be Abigail,” he said in a June 2021 interview.
He got his wish in a roundabout way. In December 2021, Loughlin played Stanton in a Christmas special for When Hope Calls, a spinoff series of When Calls the Heart. The special was produced not by Hallmark but by Great American Family.
‘America’s Sweetheart’
Great American Media was founded by Abbott following his departure from Hallmark Media in 2020. The company launched two new channels, Great American Family and Great American Living.
The company has already produced more than a dozen made-for-TV romantic comedies and has many more in the works.
Fall Into Winter is slated for a January premiere. In the movie, Loughlin plays Keely, who is aghast when her brother sells his half of their family-owned, upscale candy shop to his best friend from high school, Brooks. Keely and Brooks have never been able to get along, but they are forced to work together in order to save the business. It’s possible romantic sparks will fly.
In an interview with Variety, Abbott called Loughlin “America’s sweetheart.”
“At the end of the day, she represents all that is positive about entertainment, and has had a stellar career,” he said. “Not only on screen, but also the way she’s conducted herself personally, in terms of being someone who has a track record of doing the right thing in the world at large, aside from whatever happened. I don’t know the details. She’s beloved and for good reason.”
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Writing for Hallmark was a dream come true for author Caridad Piñeiro
Even best-selling authors can become star-struck. When Caridad Piñeiro first heard that Hallmark was interested in collaborating with her on a project, she began fangirling big-time.
“My agent asked me if I was interested,” Piñeiro said during an appearance on the Hallmarkies Podcast. “I said, ‘I’m really, really interested.’”
Piñeiro wrote the novel South Beach Love, released by Hallmark Publishing in May 2021. The book has been adapted into a film that will air Saturday, October 9 as part of the network’s Fall Harvest event.
While the story includes the typical features of any Hallmark movie — romance, family-friendly content, a happy ending — South Beach Love is a little bit different.
“Hallmark has done a great job of increasing their diversity,” said Piñeiro, a native of Cuba. “So I said, ‘Why not set the story in Miami?’”
Not only was the location a change from the typical snowy backdrop of many Hallmark movies, but it also ensured that Latino culture would be woven into the plot, she said.
Love and rivalry
In the story, two rival teenage girls are holding their quinceañeras the same weekend. One enlists the help of her uncle, Tony Sanchez, a local boy who made it big as a chef in New York City, to cater her event.
The other hires Sara Kelly, who is hoping to promote her family’s restaurant. Sara turns to her sister-in-law for help making traditional Cuban food.
The two chefs begin competing for a chance to be featured in a magazine, but they can’t deny their attraction to each other.
In the film, Tony is played by William Levy and Sara is played by Taylor Cole. Ariel Yasmine and Giselle Torres play the birthday girls.
Trying different things
During the Hallmarkies interview, Piñeiro talked about writing her first book in fifth grade. The teacher assigned everyone the task of putting together a 20-page book. Piñeiro’s came in at 120 pages, typed with help from her mother.
“I was hooked,” she said.
Piñeiro continued to write during college and law school, and during her commutes to New York City where she worked as an attorney for many years.
In 1999, she published the first in a series of Latino romance novels. She then turned her attention to the world of the paranormal, helping Silhouette launch its successful Nocturne line with the first of her vampire romance series The Calling.
After conquering those genres, she turned her attention to cultural experiences, launching the Chicas series of books, published by Simon & Schuster’s Downtown Press.
Piñeiro, who has sold more than a million copies of her books worldwide, said she has also written another piece for Hallmark, a Christmas story, which she is still waiting to hear about.
The author, whose website can be found here, will be interacting with fans on social media before and during the premiere of South Beach Love on Saturday.
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