L-R: Chenoweth, Seeley and Rose. | Photos: Crown Media

What’s the holiday season without some carols?!

Many stars will bring their musical talents to the Hallmark networks for their respective festive movies, which are set to premiere during the 10th anniversary of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas as well as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas programming.

“The right Christmas music is key to setting the mood for the holiday season so we couldn’t be more thrilled to feature original songs in our movie premieres this year,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming & Network Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks at the networks bi-annual Television Critics Summer Press Tour yesterday. “We’re fortunate to have so many new songs performed by such talented stars, so turn up the volume because this holiday season will be triumphant and bright on Hallmark.”

“A Christmas Love Story” (Hallmark Channel)
Tony®and Emmy®Award winner Kristin Chenoweth (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, “Pushing Daisies”) will lead the Hallmark Hall of Fame film “A Christmas Love Story”, in which she will star as a youth choir director who needs to write a big song for the Christmas Eve show but becomes distracted from that endeavor when Danny (Kevin Quinn, “Bunk’d”), a boy with a golden voice joins her choir, much to the surprise of his widowed father played by Scott Wolf (“The Night Shift,” “Party of Five”). Little does she know a life-changing, emotional surprise is in store for her moments before the show as she gets ready to take the stage and sing “When Angels Land” with Danny.

L-R: Wes Brown, Rachel Boston, Alicia Witt and Kristoffer Polaha. Credit: Crown Media

I have the biggest Christmas movie announcement yet for you today!

During Crown Media Family Networks’ bi-annual Television Critics Summer Press Tour, eleven new original movie titles were announced for Hallmark’s upcoming holiday programming slate, yes, you read that correctly — 11 new movies were revealed!

“Each year our holiday movie slates get bigger, the movies get better, and the ratings grow stronger and I have no doubt that this will prove to be the most successful season yet,” said Michelle Vicary, EVP, Programming & Network Publicity.

“We are so fortunate to work with such incredible talent –from the actors, to the writers, to the director and producers –who bring our signature holiday movies to life and have been instrumental in establishing Crown Media as the leader in compelling, top-quality holiday entertainment.”

Get the full scoop below of everything we new about these upcoming features. Expect to see many of your network favorites as well as a few fresh faces you’re sure to fall in love with.

L-R: Melissa Joan Hart, Marie Osmond, Marla Sokoloff & Keshia Knight Pulliam | Photos: Lifetime

Lifetime has been increasing their Christmas cheer little by little each year, and it looks like they’re officially hit peak holiday spirit because we’ll be getting non-stop festive programming this year…starting in October!

The network’s annual holiday programming slate, It’s A Wonderful Lifetime, which usually doesn’t begin until after Thanksgiving, will kick off on October 25 and run through December 25 – aka – Christmas Day with a record-setting 28 original movies. You’ll also be able to enjoy those premieres plus old favorites 24-hours a day, seven-days-a-week, throughout the season.

Lifetime has released information on 6 out of the 28 original films — including another movie featuring a mini-“One Tree Hill” reunion, which was a hit last year, as well as more fan-favorites: Melissa Joan Hart, Tia Mowry-Hardict, Marie Osmond and Keisha Knight Pulliam, for starters.

Get the scoop below!

Photos: ABC

This holiday season is shaping up to be quite the busy one for Lea Michele as she’ll already be spreading joy with an upcoming Christmas album, but today it was announced that Michele is set to star in the upcoming Freeform Studios film, “Same Time, Next Christmas”, which will premiere on the ABC Network later this year.

Michele has starred on Broadway, had a breakout role on FOX’s “Glee”, co-lead the short-lived comedy “The Mayor” for ABC and had a part in the 2011 festive film “New Year’s Eve”, but this will be her first Christmas-centered movie.

She will play the lead role of Olivia Henderson, a young woman who met her childhood sweetheart during her family’s annual Christmas visit to Hawaii. After being separated by distance and years, the two reunite at the same Hawaii resort years later and the old chemistry between them flares up anew – but circumstances conspire to keep them apart.

“This holiday season holds special importance to me as I get to celebrate both my role in this film and my first-ever holiday album,” said Lea Michele. “I’m honored to return to ABC with this movie event, and I am excited to share the holidays with everyone.”

Here’s hoping some of that music will serve as a merry backdrop to a few scenes!

“Same Time, Next Christmas” is executive produced by EveryWhere Studios’ Tom Mazza and David Calvert Jones, while Stephen Herek (“Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus” and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”) is set to direct. There’s no current air date set yet, but keep in mind that ABC programming can also be viewed on ABC.com, the ABC app and Hulu.

Stay merry!

Photo/Screencaps: Crown Media

Lacey Chabert brought the spirit of Christmas into the summer season by celebrating Christmas in July and hosting Hallmark Channel’s “Christmas: A First Look” Preview Special. The annual sneak peek show gave us a look at some of the original movies coming to the network during the 10th Anniversary of Countdown to Christmas, which officially kicks off on Friday, October 25th!

During the special, Chabert was joined by network pet ambassador, Happy the Dog, and “Home & Family” pet rescue expert Larissa Wohl — who brought along some kittens and puppies as she explained Hallmark Channel’s pet rescue initiative, “Adoption Ever After”. Learn more here!

Read on to check out the movies that were spotlighted during the special!

McKellar (left) and Parton (right) | Photos: Crown Media/Courtesy

First the Hallmark took you to Graceland for the holidays, and now they’re heading to Dollywood!

That’s right, Dolly Parton is bringing her iconic Tennessee theme park to the Hallmark Channel for an all-new original holiday movie starring Danica McKellar.

McKellar will star as Rachel Lewis, a single mom and award-winning Broadway producer who learns investors have mismanaged her theatrical holiday extravaganza into bankruptcy, which forces the show to close before opening night. When a friend from Tennessee tells Rachel about an opportunity to produce a show for the 20th anniversary of the Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival at Dollywood, she simply can’t pass it up! However, there’s always a catch, isn’t there? In this case, Rachel will have to work alongside Luke Haman, Dollywood’s entertainment director who plans to use the show as stepping stone to advance his own career.

Durance (left), Darnell-Martin (center) and Dunne (right). | Photos: Crown Media/IMDb

It will be another few months before UPtv rolls out the movie lineup for their annual Uplifting Christmas Movies programming event, but I’ve already stumbled upon several movies in production for the network that I wanted to share with you.

ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS
According to IBTimes and Beverley Mitchell‘s recent Facebook Live chat, the former “7th Heaven” star, who lead the holiday film “Hometown Christmas” last year for Lifetime, will be returning to her musical roots in “Rock and Roll Christmas”. If you watched Mitchell on “7th Heaven” as it aired like I did, you won’t be surprised to know the actress is also a singer and released a country album back in 2007; she event featured her single “Angel” in the series finale of the show.

Well, after a long hiatus, in “Rock and Roll Christmas”, Mitchell will play one half of an estranged mother/daughter country music duo who reunite after a decade to release a Christmas single once a video of them goes viral. Now, they’re in need of forgiveness and a little holiday magic to write a song that captures the spirit of the season and brings their family closer.

Mitchell teased on her Facebook Live chat, “I’m gonna be back in the recording studio to record some original music for this film.” How exciting is that?!

Pictured: Krakow (left) and Macfarlane (right). / Credit: Crown Media

I love kicking my day off with news of an upcoming Christmas movie, but let’s triple that joy because I have info on THREE new movies! Crown Media announced the Hallmark Channel holiday features through ET today, which I will break down for you below!

“When Calls the Heart” star Erin Krakow and Luke Macfarlane (“A Shoe Addict’s Christmas”) will lead “Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen”, based on the novel by author Melissa de la Cruz. Krakow will play Ella, a Christmas enthusiast party planner alongside her sister, Marianne, who clash with their client, Edward (MacFarlane), a not-so-jolly toy company CEO.

Pictured: Grenier (left) and Doubleday (right). / Credit: Crown Media, FOX

It looks like production is underway for the third installment of Hallmark’s Graceland film series! Last year, Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown starred in “Christmas at Graceland” as exes who reunite during the holiday season at Elvis Presley’s former home, Graceland. The success of the film paved the way for a sequel, “Wedding at Graceland”, which Pickler and Brown returned for; it premiere last month during Hallmark Channel’s June Weddings programming.

While it was previously speculated that the third film would reunite Pickler and Brown once again, it appears that Adrian Grenier (HBO’s “Entourage”) and Kaitlin Doubleday (FOX’s “Empire”) will lead “Christmas at Graceland 2”, which will have an original story and not be a continuance of the previous installments.

Commercial Appeal has announced that filming will begin on July 18 and wrap in August, according to Ryan Westheimer, the film’s co-producer who served in the same role for the previous films.

The plot of this new movie will find Doubleday’s character as a Graceland tour guide who meets Griener’s character, who asks her to nanny his three children. She accepts and stays at his guesthouse and, as you can imagine, the pair develop romantic feelings for one another.

It is Hallmark, after all.

“Christmas at Graceland 2” will premiere on Hallmark Channel during the annual Countdown to Christmas, which is set to kick off the last week of October.

Stay merry!

With the various networks celebrating the most wonderful time of the summer season this month by airing Christmas movies, you can count on QVC to help you get a head-start on your holiday shopping all month long with the 32nd annual QVC Christmas in July offerings, kicking off July 1st!

The shopping network will have several Christmas in July programs throughout the month dedicated to helping you make your holiday season extra special this year – with less stress. You’ll get amazing deals on upcoming merchandise, including decorations, lights, clothing, jewelry, festive food for entertaining, and gifts. Some may think getting a jump on the winter holidays in the summer is way too early, but you’ll be glad you did when the days get shorter and your ‘To-Do List’ gets longer!

– Check out a sneak peek of the sale here! –

I, unfortunately, didn’t get an advanced full programming list this year, but you can view QVC’s schedule on their website here: QVC TV Program Guide – Click Here.

Don’t forget to enter their Christmas in July Sweepstakes (from 7/1–7/31/19) for a chance to win $25,000 and exciting prizes from some of QVC’s most popular brands!

Stay merry!