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| Danielle Panabaker - image via Hallmark Crown Media |
Hallmark Press Release:
AND MATT LONG
STAR IN
‘CHRISTMAS JOY,’
A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE,
PART OF THE TOP-RATED
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS PROGRAM EVENT
Film is Based on the Bestselling Novel by Nancy Naigle
STUDIO CITY, CA – April 24, 2018 – Hallmark Channel announces Danielle Panabaker (“The Flash”) and Matt Long (“Timeless”) are set to star in “Christmas Joy,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere for Holiday 2018. “Christmas Joy” is part of the network’s #1-rated program event, COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS. Hallmark Channel is historically the #1 television network in all of Q4.
“Danielle Panabaker is known for quality work in a number of genres, and we are especially grateful to have her on our air this Christmas,” said Michelle Vicary, EVP, Programming & Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks.
“Danielle and Matt Long deliver lively performances in this romantic comedy about love in a small town at Christmastime, all while capturing the theme of Nancy Naigle’s bestselling novel which is that the magic of Christmas will open your heart and bring you everlasting joy,” Vicary concluded.
In “Christmas Joy,” Joy Holbrook (Panabaker) is a keenly intelligent market researcher with an eye on her company’s top account and garnering a sweet promotion just in time for the holidays. Just as Joy is capturing the attention of the account’s CEO, she receives a call from her Aunt Ruby’s best friend back home in Crystal Falls, NC. Ruby has broken her ankle and needs surgery. Though the timing couldn’t be worse, Joy immediately comes to her Aunt’s bedside only to be reunited with former crush, now hospital administrator, Ben Andrews (Long), son of Ruby’s best friend Shirley. Joy also must navigate Ruby’s stubborn determination to be in control of everything, including the town’s legendary annual Cookie Crawl, a walking home tour where owners display holiday decorations and treat each other to Christmas cookies all while vying to win the prized Golden Wreath Award. To keep Ruby focused on healing, Joy volunteers to take her aunt’s place as chair of the Cookie Crawl much to the amusement of Ben who knows Joy has no idea of the Herculean task before her. Though Joy initially refuses Ben’s attempts to “co-captain,” she begins to soften and let him in, all the while remembering that there truly is no place like home for the holidays.
Christmas Joy is a Silver Bells Production Ltd. Vicki Sotheran and Greg Malcolm are Producers. Monika Mitchell directs from a script written by Jennifer Maisel and Tracy Andreen. “Christmas Joy” is based on the bestselling novel by Nancy Naigle.
Thanks for the heads up! I was wondering about this movie when I saw it listed as one of the movies filming.
ReplyDeleteMisty
With the devastating season finale of WCTH, we can definitely use a little of what the title of this movie offers. So I am going to put aside WCTH for now and focus on my favorite theme and my favorite time of year, Christmas!
ReplyDeleteIt is the 25th and so it is time to continue with our countdown. Only 8 months until Christmas day, which means that in about 6 months I will start playing my favorite Christmas tunes non-stop and begin putting up the decorations!
As you may know, Net and I "mark" the 25th of each month by watching a Christmas movie. Since I need one with lots of humor right now, I am going to go with one of my favorites, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
I wish everyone "Christmas Joy"!
That's an excellent Christmas movie choice, Mark! I love that one, no matter how many times I've seen it! Thank you for sharing in the "Christmas Joy!"
DeleteOh, by the way, I shared my Christmas movie pick for "Mark"ing the 25th here...
http://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2018/04/lets-mark-25th-of-April-as-we-Countdown-to-Christmas.html
Blessings! Net
I love that movie too! It’s become a yearly movie for me!
DeleteI love the idea of watching a christmas movie every 25th. I do watch them quite often, laSt night I watched Nine Lives of Christmas and Snowed Inn Christmas and I will be sure to watch one tonight.
DeleteAwesome idea Mark! Love that movie! I have already chosen The Christmas Card for this month...but I will say for May it will be The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
DeleteOh Joyce, I love your choices. I got out The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and also NorthPole to watch soon, but seeing your post makes me want to watch it now. There are so many wonderful Christmas movies.
DeleteOh I know Sabrina! So many choices! Great problem to have in these troubled times we live in! I might not can wait till May 25th to watch The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!
DeleteIsn't it interesting... all the numerous movies that pour out each year, and our hearts still pull us back to an endearing favorite from years before!
DeleteI, indeed, know how much you love "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Jim, and it sounds like you have good company, with Mark, Catherine, Sabrina, Joyce, and me, too!
As for May 25th, I'm with Sabrina & Joyce... I "may" not be able to wait for "May"!!!!
We'll see!!! :)
I think this movie stands out because the chemistry among the three leads is so strong, and that there is so much humor, especially by Henry Winkler.
DeleteI don't think I quote any movie as much as this one! There are so many great lines, but one I quote a lot, whenever I am enjoying myself at Christmastime (which, okay, is always), I say, "Now this is my kind of Christmas!"
I also think there is a lot of ad-libbing, which adds to the fun. For example, if you watch the scene when they send the boy upstairs after playing cards, Henry says, "I myself will have a red nose by the time you come down", and Henry and especially Warren start cracking up! And so do I.
I could go one and on, but I am sure you can see how much I love this movie!
Totally agree Mark. Another thing that I love about this movie is Andy Williams singing! Just sets the mood right off!
DeleteI agree, Joyce! I've always felt Andy Williams doesn't get the credit he deserves as one of the all-time great singers! He and Bing Crosby...in my humble opinion, the true voices of Christmas!
DeleteThose are two incredible, phenomenal singers, Mark and Joyce! They should be in a class all by themselves. It almost wouldn't be Christmas without hearing them sing the cherished classic Christmas carols we love... "White Christmas," "I'll be Home for Christmas," "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," etc...!
DeleteThat is beautifully put, Mark. They are truly "the true voices of Christmas!" I love that!
Blessings, Net
Oh Mark, I love so many lines from that movie too. I love when Morgan sees Jenn in the towel and he screams and then Uncle Ralph says "did you see her naked" and morgan says no.
DeleteAnd I love when he is replaying the Denver weather, and Jenn sees that it was the same broadcast as yesterday. I love when Uncle Ralph keeps telling Richard that his shoes are so nice, and the best of all:
when Jenn and Richard are breaking up and Ralph is entertaining Richards parents, and then when they are leaving Richards dad says "I don't want to eat Chinese food". Now I want to go watch this again tonight.
My husband watches this show Barry on HBO and Henry Winkler is in it, and everytime I see him, I am like "I have to go watch TMWTOTY again. "
Oh Sabrina....you're right. The list just goes on and on of all the good lines from TMWTOTY!
DeleteDon't you just love it when Ralph is jerking Richard around by telling him the things he misses the most about being retired from the police force are the bribes!!
This is just too funny! I know now for sure I can't wait till the 25th to see this again! Might watch tonight!!
Sabrina, yes, I love those lines that you mention! Another of my favorites is right after the first one you quote, when Morgan goes "No!", Uncle Ralph says, "I told you, this girl is weird!" Just the way Henry Winkler says this line makes me laugh!
DeleteOkay, another favorite of mine is when Uncle Ralph tells Jenn, referring to Richard, "I just wish he would loosen up his tighty-whities"! (Not a line you would hear in many Hallmark movies!)
FYI - The dvd version has a couple of scenes that are not shown on TV. Nothing major, but for those who prefer complete versions...
Mark those are great. I love Ralph talking about Jennifer making those lists, and then you see her in the bathroom writing something on the list. He said that girl was always making lists, and then later on he tells her to put it on one of her lists. I am going to have to watch the dvd again tonight, I may not notice what the additional scenes are as I usually just watch the dvd and don't have it on my dvr. But my dvd is the one that is a movie pack with 4 movies, I think one of the other movies is A Holiday Engagement, which has several additional scenes not on tv.
DeleteI have to admit to all of you, I have been watching a Hallmark Christmas movie or 2 every single day or night for quite a while now, I just love the movies so much. Last night.......A Bride For Christmas. And Let is Snow while I was going to sleep.
I am going to watch Naughty or Nice tonight, the Hallmark movie not the Lifetime movie. I love that movie and it has some great lines too. I love when they go to the community meeting and one of the prizes is the tuperware kit, and Marco says, "you're going to be keeping a lot of stuff fresh". I alos love when Debbie is telling her to decorate her house, and she says "you're the nightmare before Christmas Chrissy Kringle." I am in Christmas movie mode all the time :)
I do exactly the same thing each night, Sabrina. I love choosing a different Hallmark movie to watch every evening as I drift off to sleep... it just puts my mind at peace and my heart at ease.
DeleteLast night was "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: One in a Million" for me. The one about the missing letter with the lottery ticket! So good!
Anyway, I agree with you all above - there are so many fantastic lines in "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". I love when the little boy, Brian, tells Morgan "Organization saves time." It's perfectly said, almost like he's Jennifer's programmed robot. I love how Morgan and Uncle Ralph work together to get the boy to eventually loosen up a bit and believe in Santa again!!!
Blessings, Net
Sabrina & Net....I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to know I have "sistas" that do the same thing I do...let a Hallmark movie put me to sleep. You described it perfect Net. Puts my mind at peace and my heart at ease. So great knowing I'm not the only one that thinks this way or does this wonderful habit!!
DeleteBlessings to you both!!
We are Hallmark sistas :) I am so happy to know others fall asleep to Hallmark too. But, don't be like me and accidently delete the movie when you awake in the middle of the night and its on the screen of keep or delete. I did that with 2 of my movies, but luckily I have those on dvd.
DeleteA lot of people tell me its bad to sleep with the tv on, well I can't think of anything being bad about a wonderful, wholesome movie playing in my dreams :)
Thank you Net for sharing...how exciting! We as viewers of Hallmark could use a little joy after this past week. Bless You!
ReplyDeleteWe sure do - need Christmas Joy!!! Thank you, NK!!! :)
DeleteBlessings back to you, Net
Wasn't this one of the movies on the list last year? I am glad they are doing it this year. I remember seeing it on the list of movies last year but it got cut. So happy its only about 6 months to count down to christmas.
ReplyDeleteI adore Nancy Naigle AND her books. What a wonderful thing for her and her fans. Good job, Hallmark
ReplyDeleteThis is great news, Net! Not only will this be Danielle’s first Hallmark movie in about four to five years, but this will be her first Hallmark Christmas movie! I believe this will be Matt Long’s first Hallmark movie as well! The story also sounds creative.
ReplyDeleteAll of the upcoming Christmas movies that you’ve talked about on your blog have gotten me more excited for the Christmas season! There seems to be some strong potential from the movies we already know of. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date when it comes to new Christmas movies!
Chridtmas Joy will premiere on October 26, 2018
ReplyDeleteStarring Danielle Panabaker & Matt Long
I wonder about that date, as I saw this also on the Hallmark wiki page, but that is a Friday night. Hallmark doesn't usually play a new movie on Friday night. That is a tough night for people to be home to watch too.
DeleteAccording to Nancy Naigle; Christmas Joy will premiere on October 26, 2018
ReplyDeleteStarring Danielle Panabaker & Matt Long
October 26th is a Friday, and is the first day of the Countdown to Christmas (the event usually starts on the last Friday in October), according to Hallmark. That's what Nancy was saying, although her sentence was worded in kind of a misleading way, and I can see how people would misunderstand what she meant.
DeleteThe first new movie of the season will probably air on Saturday, October 27th. If Christmas Joy airs during that first weekend at all, it would probably be on October 27th, not on Friday, October 26th. But it's really too early to know when any movie is going to premiere. We just started May, and the Christmas event starts at the end of October. I doubt that any firm premiere dates have been set this far in advance.
Yeah, I think it's probably too soon to know any of the exact premiere dates, quite yet. And, even when they are released for the first time, those may change, too.
DeleteAbout the only thing we can probably count on, at this point, is Candace Cameron Bure's Christmas movie (whatever it will be?) will most likely premiere Thanksgiving weekend!
Oh, the anticipation of it all - is most fun!!! ;)
Net -- Agreed. After witnessing the dizzying array of changes Hallmark made to the Christmas movie premiere schedules on the 2 channels in 2016 and 2017, I think that, other than Candace's movie (whatever it ends up being) airing during Thanksgiving weekend, the only thing we can truly be certain of in terms of Hallmark's holiday lineups is that there will be many, many changes, probably all the way up to early December!
DeleteSpeaking of Christmas, on HMM website, there are Christmas movies on the list, so it must really be starting on June 29th on HMM. I am so excited seeing Christmas movies on the list, sont be long for the Christmas in June/July.
ReplyDeleteHMM is even playing Once and Twice Upon a Christmas during Christmas in July, I am so excited :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! That is so cool, Sabrina! Those are just newly added! I looked Friday morning/afternoon and they weren't there and now - here they are! I'm so happy to see "Mrs. Miracle," "Hearts of Christmas," "Love Always, Santa," "The Christmas Secret," and just about every movie that has Christmas in the title! ha! ha! This is such a fun time of year! I would, however, love to see "A Joyous Christmas" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: For Christmas" added to the list. Hopefully, there will be more to come!
DeleteEven if we don't get a new Christmas movie in July - unwrapping all of these is still like Christmas morning!!! :)
Thank you so much for sharing even more Christmas Joy!!! Net
I am stalking the hallmark site every day for the June Weddings movies, still don't know the 4th movie have some ideas. They have June 2nd schedule up, but nothing in the 9 pm slot that will most certainly be Marrying Mr Darcy. It has to be posted any day now, I know some of the movies are still being filmed.
DeleteI love it, Sabrina... I'm much the same way! I'm pretty sure I know the title, but I'm waiting for Hallmark to officially announce it, add it to their schedule, or put a promo up on TV! Oh, the possibilities!!!
DeleteI'm sure, like you said, the news will be posted any day now!!! :)
The 4th June Wedding movie is now officially listed on Hallmark's web-site... "Love at First Dance" starring Becca Tobin ("A Song for Christmas") and Niall Matter ("Engaging Father Christmas"). It will premiere - June 16th!
DeleteThis is fun surprise news for me! But I guess I was thinking "Wedding in the Vineyard" was one of the June wedding movies. When do you think that will play? A whole year from now? Thx.
DeleteNo date has been given, yet. It's anyone's guess right now, but I still think it's in the works.
Delete