Photos: A&E Networks/Crown Media

I love Christmas surprises in May, especially when it’s as fun as this one!

Hilarie Burton revealed on her Instagram yesterday that she’s working on another Christmas movie for the Lifetime network, titled “A Christmas Wish”, with her friends Tyler Hilton and Megan Park.

It’s actually another mini “One Tree Hill” reunion; Burton and Hilton starred as Peyton Sawyer and Chris Keller, respectively, on the former long-running hit drama. Last year the two co-starred in Lifetime’s “The Christmas Contract”, which featured many more of their former OTH co-stars.

It was quite the holiday treat!

Pictured: Melissa Joan Hart and Deanne Foley. | Photo: Instagram

Melissa Joan Hart announced on her Instagram yesterday (see below) that she had wrapped filming on another Lifetime holiday movie, “Christmas Reservations”, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I don’t know the plot yet, but MJH mentioned that it was produced by HartBreak Films — a production company that she owns with her mother, Paula Hart.

The film is directed by Deanne Foley and also stars Michael Gross, Markie Post, Ted McGinley and Ricardo A. Chavira. I’m sure we’ll get some more information on the project soon, and we can expect to see it this holiday season when it premieres during the It’s a Wonderful Lifetime programming, beginning after Thanksgiving.

(left) Ryan Cooper, (right) Katie Leclerc | Photos: Headshots via IMdb

For the past few weeks, Ryan Cooper and Katie Leclerc have been in Massachusetts filming an upcoming Christmas movie titled “A Sweet Romance”. Cooper and Leclerc will play Charlie Blanchard and Emily White, respectively, in the holiday rom-com about raising money through an ice cream flavor contest (‘Christmas a la mode’, anyone?) to save a family farm.

Photos: Crown Media

Lacey Chabert and Sam Page are returning to Hallmark this holiday season!

EW reported today that the two are teaming up for “Christmas in Rome”, set to film partially in Italy.

Chabert plays the role of Angela, an independent-minded American tour guide who is fired from her job in Rome just before Christmas and ends up crossing paths with Oliver (Page), an American executive, who wants to buy a high-end Italian ceramics company. In true Hallmark holiday movie style, Oliver hires Angela to be his guide around the city because the owner of the company won’t sell to him until he learns “the heart and soul of Rome”.

But, Oliver might just win the heart of more than just Rome.

Just like Candace Cameron Bure, this will be Chabert’s 8th Christmas movie with the network, but we’ll have to wait until Hallmark kicks off the 10th anniversary of their epic Countdown to Christmas programming event later this year to see “Christmas in Rome”.

Between both the Hallmark Channel and its sister channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, we can expect 40 new movies to roll out this Christmas. However, knowing their jolly history, we could end up with even more! I’m so excited!

Stay merry!

Photo: Crown Media

It wouldn’t truly feel like Christmas on the Hallmark Channel without a new movie from network favorite Candace Cameron Bure, and we don’t have to wait long to hear about the latest one because it was announced today!

Bure will star in the Countdown to Christmas Hallmark Channel original movie, “Christmas Town,“ based off of the 2016 bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere.

In the movie, Lauren Gabriel (Bure) leaves everything behind in Boston to embark on a new chapter in her life and career. But an unforeseen detour to the charming town of Grandon Falls has her discover unexpected new chapters – of the heart and of family – helping her to embrace, once again, the magic of Christmas.  Tim Rozon (“Wynonna Earp”) will co-lead in the role of Travis, a town local who helps Lauren out with a ride from the train station in to the town of Grandon Falls.

Photo: Crown Media

Today’s movie news is sure to be major for all my fellow Andrew Walker & Jodie Sweetin fans!

We didn’t get a new *Hallmark* Christmas movie from Walker last year but — not only did he return this spring for “Bottled with Love”, he’ll also appear alongside Sweetin (“Finding Santa”, “Entertaining Christmas”) for the ‘most wonderful time of the year’!

Walker and Sweetin will lead “Merry and Bright”, the story of Cate (Sweetin), CEO of the Merry & Bright Candy Cane Company, who meets Gabe (Walker) during the busy Christmas season. She assumes Gabe is the suitor her well-meaning mother is trying to set her up with when in reality, he works for Empire Corporate Recovery, which has been hired to take a closer look at Merry & Bright’s operation and find ways to make the company more profitable. As Cate and Gabe begin to work together, they find ways to elevate the business and find that they have more in common than savvy business sense.

Although the network will air a new movie during it’s Christmas in July programming, I think it’s likely that we’ll see “Merry and Bright” premiere during the Countdown to Christmas lineup later this year.

This marks the ninth new Christmas movie announcement from Crown Media this year — following “The Christmas Song“, “Holiday for Heroes,” “The Christmas Company,” “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses,” “Five Cards for Christmas,” “A Family Under The Christmas Tree,” a third installment to the ‘Graceland’ series and an untitled Blake Shelton-produced project.

Stay merry!

L-R: DeVitto and Murray | Photos: Crown Media

Last holiday season was quite the fête for “One Tree Hill” fans when several former cast members of the long-running drama appeared in four festive movies on Lifetime, and Chad Michael Murray, who starred in the series made his Hallmark Channel Christmas movie debut in “Road to Christmas”!

Well, now it’s just the gift that keeps on giving because we’re getting another mini reunion this year during the 10th anniversary of Hallmark’s holiday programming event, Countdown to Christmas.

Murray will join forces with former OTH co-stars Torrey DeVitto (“Best Christmas Party Ever”) and Drew Seeley (“A Christmas for the Books”) for a new movie, “Five Cards for Christmas” (w/t).

Brown and Pickler on set of ‘Christmas at Graceland’. | Photo: Crown Media

Following the success of last year’s original movie “Christmas at Graceland”, starring Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown as Laurel and Clay — former Memphis sweethearts who rekindled their romance during the most wonderful time of the year at Elvis Presley‘s mansion — Crown Media Family Networks have ordered two more sequels set to air this year.

“Wedding at Graceland” finds Laurel (Pickler) accepting Clay’s (Brown) marriage proposal only to discover they can get married at the Graceland Chapel in three weeks or wait 18 months for the next opening. In addition when Laurel and Clay’s family meet the two families discover they are more different than alike.

Logo via Netflix

Here’s a little movie update news for everyone who remembers when Deadline exclusively reported last October that Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) would be starring in David E. Talbert‘s new holiday film for Netflix.

The musical movie, “Jingle Jangle” follows Jeronicus Jangle (Whitaker), a once-great inventor and toy maker who has lost his belief in himself and his inventions, but stumbles upon a second chance and a magical invention, when his granddaughter comes to town for the holidays. If he can get the thing to work in time for the holidays, it will change their lives forever.

It’s been the plan for months to begin filming this year with a Netflix 2020 premiere date in mind, but now the Talbert written-and-directed film has added a slew of talented actors to the cast list!

Yesterday afternoon Netflix’s Strong Black Lead Twitter account announced that Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, Creed, This Is Us), Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele, Toy Story 4, The Lion King), Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog, Dreamgirls), and Madalen Mills (Broadway’s School of Rock: The Musical), who will star as Whitaker’s granddaughter, have joined the film.

Update 07/11/19: As of now, Hugh Bonneville has also signed onto the film!

“Jingle Jangle” will be produced by Mike Jackson, John Legend, David E. Talbert, Lyn Sisson-Talbert, and David McIlvain with Ty Stiklorius stepped in as executive producer.

Stay merry!

Photos Used: Crown Media

Last year Hallmark debuted a record-breaking 37 original movies during the holiday season, but they’re ready to top themselves in 2019!

Crown Media Family Networks announced that they will be premiering 40 brand new films between their Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries networks later this year to help spread the joy of the season. While Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will debut 16, the remaining 24 will be celebrated during the 10th anniversary of the Countdown to Christmas holiday programming event on Hallmark Channel – including “Holiday for Heroes” and an untitled Blake Shelton project.

There are also plans to premiere a new movie during Hallmark Channel’s Keepsake Christmas, the annual event during July to coincide with Hallmark’s Keepsake Ornament Premiere preview in stores.

So, I’m guessing one of those 24 films will be that movie — and my guess is that it will be the previously announced “The Christmas Song” starring Kristin Chenoweth and Scott Wolf or, perhaps, the tentatively titled “A Family Under The Christmas Tree” starring Merritt Patterson (“The Christmas Cottage”, “Christmas at the Palace”) and Jon Cor (“Love on Safari”).

— Updated 07/14/2019: This movie has officially been named “Picture a Perfect Christmas”! —