Hallmark Channel has a big bag of gifts for fans of Christmas movies.
Singing superstar Mariah Carey, who will be making her directing debut, headlines a slate that includes 17 new original movies on the cable network.
Other stars who will appear in the Countdown to Christmas 2015 slate, which Hallmark announces Tuesday, include Lori Loughlin, Dermot Mulroney, Danica McKellar, Candace Cameron Bure, William Shatner and Christopher Lloyd.
Overall, Hallmark Channel, joined by Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel, will present its biggest holiday schedule to date, more than 1500 hours of programming starting on Halloween and running until New Year’s Day. New original films are scheduled on Hallmark Channel every Saturday and Sunday during the Countdown, but this year the network will feature a new original film each night of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (Nov. 25-29).
“We’ve amped up the number of original movies,” says Bill Abbott, president of Crown Media Family Networks, which oversees the two cable channels. “The biggest change is the talent that is now in our original content. It’s bigger and better than ever before.”
The Countdown to Christmas, now entering its fifth year, has proven popular, helping Hallmark Channel to six consecutive weekends as the most-watched cable network during last year’s event, Abbott says.
With Hallmark’s traditional connection to the holidays and the decades-long heritage of Hallmark Hall of Fame, “You get a feeling of quality and trust. You get a feeling of warmth and family,” he says.”The channel is an environment during holiday” season.
Carey will direct, star and sing in Melody & Mistletoe (Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET/PT), the final new original film of the upcoming Countdown season. She will portray a music teacher who helps a young girl who is new in town write a song for the town’s Christmas show.
Abbott says he’s confident in Carey’s ability to handle many duties in Melody. “She is exceptionally smart and savvy. Getting to know her a little bit, I’m amazed at her capacity to multi-task.”
In other films, Loughlin and Mulroney will star in Northpole 2: Open for Christmas (Nov. 21). In the film, a woman plans to sell the rundown hotel she inherited, until Santa Claus sends elves to repair the hotel and help her rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.
Source: USA Today