That’s 4 Entertainment

Despite a lot of setbacks due to the pandemic, Christmas Con NJ finally went off without a hitch last December for the second annual installment of the holiday event that brought Christmas movie fans, the stars, and festive activities together in one place to celebrate the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ — and it’s coming back this year for round three of holiday cheer!

That’s 4 Entertainment announced the first 10 celebrity guests out of the 30 who will be in attendance for Christmas Con New Jersey* when it takes place this December 9, 10 and 11th at the NJ Expo Center in Edison, NJ, including returning host Jonathan Bennett and headliner Lacey Chabert.  Show hours are: Friday 12/9 – 2pm-8pm, Saturday 12/10 – 10am-6pm and Sunday, 12/11 – 10am-5pm.  Check out the first batch of stars announced below!

UPDATE (9/18/22): We have updated the attendance list with a plethora of celebrities who will be taking part in the event!

UPDATE (11/7/22): Kimberley Sustad and Kristoffer Polaha had to cancel their appearances at Christmas Con: New Jersey 2022 due to scheduling conflicts.

UPDATE (11/10/22): Victor Webster had to cancel his appearance at Christmas Con: New Jersey 2022 due to scheduling conflicts. Jessica Lowndes and Benjamin Ayres have been added to the attendance list!

Photo: Lifetime via Mario Lopez

Last month it was announced that Jana Kramer and Mario Lopez would be co-starring in an upcoming dance-centric holiday movie for Lifetime‘s It’s A Wonderful Lifetime programming event later this year, and it looks like the two have been hard at work filming in Nashville, Tennessee.

The film is tentatively titled “Mr. Holiday” (Update 07/25/22: The working title is now “Steppin’ into the Holiday”!) as Mario plays the role of Billy Holiday, a former Broadway star, who meets Rae (Kramer), the charismatic owner of a local dance studio. After Billy volunteers to help Rae with a dance recital fundraiser, and the two enjoy working together, romantic sparks fly.

The two actors have been sharing photos from set as well as a ‘first look’ at the movie with official promotional photos, which you can check out below!

L-R: Pulliam, LaBelle, James & Reid (Photos: Courtesy)

We may be heading into March, but Christmas movie magic is in the air thanks to this latest announcement from Lifetime.  The network revealed three upcoming titles that will premiere during the It’s A Wonderful Lifetime holiday programming slate later this year.

Keshia Knight Pulliam will return for her fourth holiday movie alongside real-life husband Brad James in “A New Orleans Noel”, which will co-star Tim Reid and legendary entertainer, Patti LaBelle.  Pulliam will also executive produce alongside Whoopi Goldberg.

Network favorites Jana Kramer and Mario Lopez will star in a currently untitled dance-centric movie with comedian Cheri Oteri and Lopez’s real-life wife, Courtney Lopez. Finally, Brooke Elliott — who previously led the critically acclaimed Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva, returns to star in and executive produce “A Country Christmas Harmony”. The movie also stars Brandon Quinn and Danny Pintauro. Read more about each film below!

Photos: iHeartRadio

Get ready to sing in the season with Kelly Clarkson, Michael Bublé, Train and Pentatonix as they perform for this year’s iHeartRadio Holiday Special!

Host Mario Lopez will be on-hand to help everyone get into the holiday spirit when the event airs on Wednesday, November 24th at 7pm ET via iHeartRadio’s YouTube and Facebook pages, as well as the exclusive VR performance in the Horizon Venues app on Meta Quest.

Will you be tuning in and singing along?

Follow the #iHeartHolidaySpecial so you don’t miss a moment of the fun!

Toubia and Lopez wrapping production. (Photo via @emeraude on IG)

Mario Lopez has been spending the past few weeks in Santa Fe, New Mexico as he films his brand new Lifetime Christmas movie with co-star Emeraude Toubia. The two will star in “Holiday in Santa Fe,“ which is set to premiere during the annual It’s A Wonderful Lifetime event later this year.

In the movie, sparks fly when a greeting card executive arrives in Santa Fe to acquire a tight-knit family company that creates ornaments inspired by Mexican Christmas traditions. Mario stars as Tony Ortega and Emeraude plays Belinda Sawyer.

Photos and Key Art: NBCUniversal

The time-honored tradition of lighting the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will take place tonight during the NBC special, “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,“ with a live telecast hosted by “TODAY” show co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Al Roker.

The iconic special will feature performances from top names in the business like Kelly Clarkson, Goo Goo Dolls, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brett Eldredge, Jimmy Fallon, Tori Kelly, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Dan + Shay, Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainor, as well as the cast of Broadway’s “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations” and the legendary Radio City Rockettes.

(L-R): Haddish, Stoker and Priestley. | Photos courtesy of Lifetime

As we get closer and closer to the holiday season, Lifetime has given us a summer treat with a preview of their upcoming 2020 It’s A Wonderful Lifetime programming slate…and it’s going to be the networks biggest year for Christmas! With 30 new movies and over 1200 hours of programming on the agenda, Lifetime is planning to go full-festive 24/7 from mid-October through December.

There will be many network favorites returning as well as some fresh faces, and the network is committed to include ‘diverse storytelling with its storylines, talent and characters,’ including their first LGBTQ-led Christmas movie, “The Christmas Setup” and a film centered on a Chinese-American Family in “A Sugar & Spice Holiday”, directed by Jennifer Liao and written by Eirene Donohue. Both movies are currently casting and go into production this month.

“We are thrilled to continue our legacy of creating a holiday destination that is welcoming to all at Lifetime,” said Amy Winter, EVP and Head of Programming, Lifetime and LMN. “With more new movies than any one cable network for streamer, I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible talent joining us in front of, and behind the camera, on these new holiday movies.”

As previously reported: Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez are back for this year’s lineup; Hart will team up with Jason Priestley and Robin Givens for “Dear Christmas”, while Betty White will star in her own film, and Kelly Rowland will return for the sequel to the 2019 holiday hit “Merry Liddle Christmas”. Tiffany Haddish is set to executive produce “Christmas Unwrapped” led by Amber Stevens West, Marco Grazzini and Cheryl Ladd, and Tony® award winning actress Ali Stroker will lead her first Christmas movie in “Christmas Ever After”.

While a full programming report will be released in September, check out this sneak peek below!

(L-R) White, Hart, Lopez and Rowland | Photos Courtesy of Lifetime

It’s been a very anxious and uncertain time lately, which makes the news of Betty White starring in an upcoming Christmas movie even more exciting!

Lifetime announced that the iconic actress, known for her roles in “Golden Girls”, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Hot in Cleveland”, will lead an upcoming film — currently untitled — for their annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime holiday programming. The network says the eight-time Emmy winner will play a character that ‘helps whip would-be Santas into shape, spreading the true meaning of Christmas and leading everyone to wonder: Is she secretly Mrs. Claus?’

That’s 4 Entertainment

IMPORTANT UPDATE (7/14/20): That’s 4 Entertainment announced on Twitter on 7/11/20 that they have officially postponed the Christmas Con California event to next year due to the pandemic. The new dates are June 25th-27th of 2021. Refunds are available if you can not make the event next summer, but if you can, hold onto your tickets as they will be valid for the new dates!

NEW UPDATE ALERT (04/05/21):  With June 2021 being too soon for large gatherings in California, That’s 4 Entertainment announced that they will have to once again push Christmas Con back another year.  The company posted today on Instagram that Christmas Con: California will now take place August, 5th-7th of 2022!

If you weren’t able to attend That’s 4 Entertainment’s first Christmas Con in New Jersey last year, and wanted to attend but you lived on the West Coast, you’ll be excited to know that Christmas Con is coming to California! The event was originally scheduled to be a fun-in-the-sun Christmas in July convention, but due to the current COVID-19 global crisis, they had to push the event to a later date.

Join your favorite actors from beloved Christmas movies (including a whole slew of Hallmark Channel stars!) for a jolly weekend of professional photo ops, special Q&As, and many more surprises, at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California on August, 5, 6 & 7 of 2022*!

“Christmas Made to Order” star and “Cake Wars” host, Jonathan Bennett, will return as the official host, and his former “Mean Girls” co-star (and Hallmark Christmas movie princess), Lacey Chabert, will be the official headliner. Many of the actors that attended the 2019 event will also take part in the California event, so if you missed out on seeing them last year, here’s another chance!

Photo: NBCUniversal

The holidays are filled with tradition, and one of the biggest annual events during the season is when the giant Christmas tree lights up for the first time at Rockefeller Center in New York City! NBC revealed a star-studded slate of celebs that will take part in the beloved “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special this year, and I have the scoop for you below!