MARIA THAYER AND VIVICA A. FOX STAR WITH EMMY(R) WINNING ACTRESS VICKI LAWRENCE IN "ANNIE CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN" A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE, HOLIDAY 2011

Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas," Preeminent TV Holiday Destination

Maria Thayer ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), Vivica A. Fox ("Farewell Mr. Kringle," "Independence Day"), Sam Page ("Mad Men," "Desperate Housewives") and Ryan Bittle ("Backyard Wedding," "Dawson's Creek") star with Emmy winner Vicki Lawrence ("The Carol Burnett Show") in "Annie Claus is Coming to Town," a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, Holiday 2011. Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas," one of the most anticipated seasonal events in entertainment, features more hours of holiday-themed programming than any other network.

In "Annie Claus is Coming to Town," Santa's daughter (Thayer) takes her first trip away from the North Pole during the Christmas season hoping to find adventure and love in sunny California. While Santa watches his daughter through a magic snow globe, Annie arrives in L.A. and becomes friends with the owner of Candy Cane Inn, Lucy (Fox), and her daughter, Mia (Nay Nay Kirby, "Dance Flick"). She also quickly lands a job at Wonderland Toys. Wonderland Toys' owner, Ted (Page) is struggling to stay in business selling old-fashioned toys in a digital world. Annie soon realizes that she wants Ted's business to thrive because she has feelings for this Christmas traditionalist. Annie also knows that when she finds her true love, she and her mate will move back to the North Pole to take over the family business. But Santa isn't the only one watching Annie through the looking glass. So is a senior Santa Elf who himself wants to inherit the Ho Ho Ho of Holidays, so much so that he hires a Hollywood actor to feign affection for Annie. Although Annie temporarily falls for the imposter, she realizes there is something about Ted that is unforgettable. Will Annie's choice make her Christmas - and everyone else's - - merry and bright?

"Annie Claus is Coming to Town" is a Larry Levinson Productions production. Larry Levinson is the executive producer. Randy Pope and Amanda Phillips are co-executive producers. Lincoln Lageson is producer. Kevin Connor directed from a script by Nina Weinman.

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 available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87.5 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 is the nation's leading network in quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies, lifestyle and general entertainment content, and is the home of "The Martha Stewart Show", which anchors the channel's new daytime HOME block. Hallmark Channel's sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, which focuses on the family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.