or


[08/17/09 - 12:58 PM]
ABC Family Fetches Starz Media's "The Dog Who Saved Christmas" for Network's 'Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas' Programming Event
Mario Lopez, Dean Cain, Elisa Donovan and Gary Valentine co-star in the project, bowing Sunday, November 29 at 8:00/7:00c.

[via press release from ABC Family]

ABC FAMILY FETCHES STARZ MEDIA'S "THE DOG WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS" FOR NETWORK'S 'COUNTDOWN TO 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS' PROGRAMMING EVENT

Mario Lopez Joins Dean Cain, Elisa Donovan and Gary Valentine In the Original Movie About a Problem Pooch Who Saves the Holiday

Burbank, CA (August 17, 2009) � ABC Family and Starz Media will be barking in the holidays together this season, with the network buying the U.S. cable TV rights to the new holiday movie, "The Dog Who Saved Christmas," as part of its November "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" programming event. A Starz Media presentation, the two-hour original movie makes its worldwide premiere on ABC Family on Sunday, November 29 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. Jeffrey Schenck, Zelma Kiwi and Barry Barnholtz are executive producers on the film, which was written by Michael Ciminera and Richard Gnolfo, from a story by Schenck, Ciminera and Gnolfo. Michael Feifer directed the movie.

"Dog" stars Dean Cain ("Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," "Out of Time"), Gary Valentine ("The King of Queens"), with Mario Lopez ("Saved By the Bell," "Pacific Blue") featured as the voice of Zeus, the misguided guard dog who saves the Bannister family's Christmas when he thwarts a burglary attempt by two inept thieves. Elisa Donovan ("Clueless," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), Sierra McCormick ("Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"), Charlie Stewart ("The Suite Life of Zach & Cody," "Life with Bonnie"), Mindy Sterling (the "Austin Powers" trilogy) and Adrienne Barbeau ("Maude," "Carnivale") also star.

"Jeffrey and Barry put together a terrific cast and a very appealing story with 'The Dog Who Saved Christmas'," said Gene George, Starz Media EVP, Worldwide Distribution, who is overseeing all distribution for the title. "It attracted the interest of TV programmers around the world, and we were thrilled to ultimately bring it to ABC Family as part of its lineup this holiday season."

"We're very excited to be partnering with Starz Media on the 'The Dog Who Saved Christmas'," said Tom Zappala, Senior Vice President, Disney ABC Television Group. "It will be a perfect addition to our highly successful 'Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas' event."

Anchor Bay Entertainment, Starz Media's market-leading home entertainment division, will release the movie on DVD just nine days later, on December 8, 2009.

"We expect 'The Dog Who Saved Christmas' to be one of the hit titles of this holiday season, and for years to come," adds Anchor Bay Entertainment EVP, Worldwide Marketing, Gordon Prend.

About Starz Media

Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children's entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray� formats. It is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of the theatrical titles from Overture Films. Headquartered in Burbank, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

About ABC Family

Part of the Disney-ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relevant stories about today's relationships, all told with diversity, dysfunction, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a mix of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas!" ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.





  [august 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER? (NICKELODEON)
· CARNIVALE (HBO)
· DOG WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· KING OF QUEENS, THE (CBS)
· LIFE WITH BONNIE (ABC)
· PACIFIC BLUE (USA)
· SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH (WB)





[10/01/26 - 09:10 AM]
ESPN Announces 2026-27 "Inside the NBA Presented by Eli Lilly" Regular Season Schedule
The schedule begins with coverage of NBA Opening Week on October 21 and 22 and continues weekly throughout the season's first four weeks, giving fans an early-season destination alongside ESPN's NBA coverage.

[10/01/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Max Celebrates Halloween 2026 with "Horror Comes Home" Collection
Available today and throughout October, viewers can explore a best-in-class lineup of acclaimed new releases, blockbuster franchises, genre-defining classics, and exclusive titles, delivering a month of unforgettable scares.

[10/01/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for "Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook," Premiering November 6
The eight-episode series follows Nora Lum, aka Awkwafina, on a cross-country culinary road trip as she attempts to revive her family's beloved Chinese restaurant.

[10/01/26 - 08:35 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Kicks Off Season 39 with Best Premiere Week in Three Years
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 189 consecutive weeks (more than three years) across all key measures.

[10/01/26 - 08:03 AM]
ESPN Reveals ABC Lineup for Women's and Men's College Basketball Seasons
In all, the ABC schedule showcases 17 ranked women's and men's teams, with 12 top-25 games according to ESPN.com's Way-Too-Early rankings.

[10/01/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: The Official "Dexter: Resurrection" Season 2 Trailer Is Here.
The series returns to Paramount+ on October 30 only on the Premium Plan.

[10/01/26 - 08:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces Three Additional New Cast for Season Two of Original Series "Bloodaxe"
Maddy Ambus, Steven Brand, and Lasse Steen join the cast for the second season of the historical drama based on the epic true story of Erik Bloodaxe and his wife Gunnhild.

[10/01/26 - 08:00 AM]
"Young Washington" Now Available on Wonder Project's Subscription Service
The film anchors "Stories Worth Knowing," a new collection spotlighting the stories behind figures and moments in American history and culture.

[10/01/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Gentle Monster" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After moving to the countryside, Lucy hopes for a fresh start with her family - but a police visit and her husband's dark secret shatter her world.

[10/01/26 - 07:20 AM]
Tubi Expands R.L. Stine Partnership with New Original Film "Afraid of Clowns"
The film stars Frankie Honey, Ava Ferrer, Azriel Dalman, Joe Moore, and Jimbo.

[10/01/26 - 06:54 AM]
Roku Announces "Battle of the Streaming Stars," Hosted and Executive Produced by Terry Crews
Roku has ordered two specials, the first launching on October 23 and the second in early 2027 exclusively on The Roku Channel.

[09/30/26 - 09:01 PM]
Video: "Balaraw: Blood Island" - Official Trailer - Netflix Philippines
A woman's search for her missing mother leads her to the sinister Balaraw Island, where survival, dark secrets and her own identity hang in the balance.

[09/30/26 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Dead-End Job" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Drowning in debt, a young man takes lucrative part-time jobs from a mysterious agency - only to find his hustle for more money turning nightmarish.

[09/30/26 - 04:44 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Sails to 7 Million Total Viewers on "Yacht Rock Night"
At 10 p.m., "R.J. Decker" hit a season high in early Live+Same Day Panel Only numbers with 3.20 million Total Viewers.

[09/30/26 - 03:50 PM]
Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery Announce Anticipated Closing Date of Paramount Merger
The merger is expected to close on October 6, 2026.