EMMY(R) AND GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEE MELISSA GILBERT WON'T BE UPSTAGED IN "THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT" A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE, HOLIDAY 2011

Robert Mailhouse, Ed Herrmann and Lennon Wynn Co-star; Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas," Preeminent TV Holiday Destination

Emmy(R) and Golden Globe nominee Melissa Gilbert ("Little House on the Prairie") gets top billing starring as a recently-fired-again, domineering Broadway director whose only job option is getting a community Christmas play up and going in "The Christmas Pageant," a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, Holiday 2011. Co-starring with Gilbert are Robert Mailhouse ("Love is a Four Letter Word," "Easy to Assemble"), Ed Herrmann ("Gilmore Girls") and Lennon Wynn ("Flash Forward"). Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas," one of the most anticipated seasonal events in entertainment, features more holiday-themed programming than any other network.

Vera Parks (Gilbert), an overly intense and demanding Broadway director gets fired from yet another job, leaving her no choice but to take a gig directing a small town Christmas pageant in upstate New York. Stunned at how basic the production is, Vera attempts to back out, but is convinced by some of the locals to give their town a chance. To her surprise, the warmth and charm of the small town grows on Vera and she even enjoys the experience of directing the pageant. When Vera discovers her former fiancé Jack (Mailhouse) recommended her for the job, she is outraged. But over time Vera appreciates the gesture, as she grows close to both Jack and his young daughter (Wynn). Will love stay in the wings this time around? Or is this Vera's eleven o'clock number after all?

"The Christmas Pageant" is a Larry Levinson Production. Larry Levinson is the executive producer. Randy Pope is co-executive producer. Jim Wilberger is the producer. Dave S. Cass, Sr. directed from a script by Mark Valenti.

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.