ABC FAMILY CASTS JENNY MCCARTHY AND IVAN SERGEI IN THE ORIGINAL MOVIE �MARY CHRISTMAS� (working title) TO AIR DURING �25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS� PROGRAMMING EVENT

George Wendt Cast in the Beloved Role of Santa Claus

Burbank, CA (Feb. 28, 2006) � ABC Family has cast comedienne Jenny McCarthy (�Stacked,� "Hope & Faith"), George Wendt ("Cheers") and Ivan Sergei ("The Opposite of Sex," "Charmed") to star in the original movie MARY CHRISTMAS (working title) which will begin principal photography next month in Calgary. The movie is set to premiere as part of the branded holiday event 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS in December 2006.

In MARY CHRISTMAS, uptight, driven MBA Mary Class (McCarthy), is a Fortune 500 success story, which is acknowledged by everyone but her dad�who happens to be Santa Claus (Wendt). Tired of being overshadowed and not recognized for her thoughts on modernizing Christmas, Mary left home and her boyfriend Luke (Sergei) four years ago to make a name for herself as a top branding consultant with her own company. But after she receives a call from her mom that Santa has suffered a heart attack, Mary eagerly returns ready to implement her ideas and overhaul the elves, the work shop, everything. This year is going to be Mary's Christmas. The film is directed by Ron Underwood ("Boston Legal," "City Slickers," "Tremors") with the teleplay by Garrett Frawley & Brian Turner, and executive produced by Steve Carr, Heidi Santelli, and Jody Brockway of Granada Films.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas� this holiday season with ABC Family�s ninth annual 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS programming event. ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" is the channel's highest rated event of the season averaging over 2.3 million viewers. This year features over a hundred hours of holiday-themed entertainment for the whole family from December 1- 25, with holiday favorites like RUDOLPH'S SHINY NEW YEAR, FROSTY'S WINTER WONDERLAND and SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN.