HALLMARK CHANNEL PRESENTS A STELLAR LINEUP OF LEGENDARY STARS AND QUALITY, FAMILY FRIENDLY ENTERTAINMENT AT THE TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION SUMMER PRESS TOUR
Hallmark Channel, cable television's family-friendly leader, today revealed a lineup of 13 Hallmark Channel Original Movies at the biannual Television Critics Association press tour, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. David Kenin, EVP, Programming, presented keynote announcements to the assembled press before moderating a series of 10 panels featuring 24 talented actors and actresses, on hand to represent their films, which will premiere on the network between August 2008 and early 2009.
In addressing the nation's TV critics, Mr. Kenin states that Hallmark Channel will premiere more than 30 Original Movies in 2009 � more than any other cable TV network. The network has recently reached full distribution of nearly 85 million subscribers and, for the first time in its young history, Hallmark Channel will be a profitable business. Mr. Kenin also announced that the network will be energetically investing in new and emerging media, like a hosted web-based entertainment series called 'HALLMARK ON LOCATION,' which takes viewers along for the journey of movie-making from script selection to premiere. Mr. Kenin concluded his presentation with the announcement that Hallmark Channel is in varying stages of production on 15 Original Movies and has orders for 30 more, making Hallmark Channel the leader in Original Movies for television.
DEAR PRUDENCE, Jane Seymour representing
Prudence McCoy, a humorous, Martha Stewart-like advice columnist and TV personality, escapes to a much-needed vacation from her work-driven life. There she becomes embroiled in a murder mystery by using her own quick-witted, good-housekeeping tips. In doing so, she gains a better understanding of the mother she wasn't close to in her youth, and takes her first steps toward finding a balanced life that includes true love.
FOR THE LOVE OF GRACE, Mark Consuelos, Chandra West and Corbin Bernsen representing
Firefighter Steve Lockwood is dealing with the untimely death of his wife while trying to keep his mind on his job. After he saves the life of a young woman from an apartment fire, the two begin to get acquainted, and each begins to heal from their wounded pasts and start to see the different possibilities that the future holds. In a unique promotion, Hallmark Channel has authored a Firehouse Cookbook, featuring recipes and anecdotes from firehouses across the country. As a thank you to the firefighters who contributed, as well as to their countless brethren, Hallmark Channel will donate $20,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which Sponsors programs to honor firefighters fallen in the line of duty, and to assist their families and coworkers.
LADIES OF THE HOUSE, Florence Henderson and Donna Mills representing
Three women take on the daunting task of renovating a run-down house in order to raise funds for their church. The project becomes deeply personal for each of them, and helps them examine challenges they are facing in their personal lives.
GENERATION GAP, Ed Asner and Alex Black representing
A rebellious teenager is forced to spend the summer with his grandfather, a retired World War II colonel. Their differences may go deeper than just the years that separate them, but the two slowly develop a mutual respect � and love � for one another.
MAIL ORDER BRIDE, Daphne Zuniga and Greg Evigan representing
A con woman fleeing from her handler ends up posing as her recently-deceased friend, who was prepared to move from Boston to Wyoming to marry a man she never met. But her lies begin to crumble around her when her 'fiance' becomes suspicious, and her violent past suddenly arrives on her doorstep.
ACCIDENTAL FRIENDSHIP, Chandra Wilson, Ben Vereen, Kathleen Munroe and LAPD Sgt. Tami Baumann representing
Based on a true story, a police officer and a homeless woman who share similar emotional pasts and an inability to form lasting relationships slowly form an unlikely bond, and learn to trust one another. Eventually each is able to affect the other's life for the better.
AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING, Jacqueline Bisset representing via pre-recorded video
The eldest daughter of a widow struggling to provide for her family goes behind her mother's back and contacts her wealthy grandmother, pleading for aid. But while the high-society matriarch's arrival brings new possibilities for the future, it also forces old wounds to be reopened.
EXPECTING A MIRACLE, Cheech Marin representing
A couple facing difficult marital issues tries to escape for a few days in Mexico, only to have their SUV break down, stranding them in the town of Dommatina. However, as the couple and the town residents warm to each other, it becomes apparent that they've ended up exactly where they need to be.
TEA FOR TWO, Leslie Ann Warren and Meredith Baxter representing
Two lifelong friends, Jane Tetley and Ida Mae Tutweiler, must face the past and make difficult decisions about the future when Jane learns she has precious little time left and inspires those she loves to make the most of the time they do have. But a long-held secret may tear apart the things they hold most dear.
RELATIVE STRANGER, Miss Cicely Tyson, Eriq La Salle, Michael Michele and Michael Beach representing
A former football player who left his family six years earlier is forced to return to settle his father's will. But his return opens old wounds that must be addressed in order for the family to heal, and for him to become the man he has the potential to be.
Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 83 million subscribers. The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,450 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Prime Time and Total Day household ratings and is the nation's leading network in providing quality family programming. Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel which plays the greatest family movies of all time, Hallmark Movie Channel, and launched Hallmark Movie Channel HD on April 2, 2008.
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