🎥🌟 The 30th Annual Movieguide Awards Gala with Candace Cameron Bure, Lori Loughlin, Bill Abbott, Terry Crews, Chrissy Metz, Donna Mills, Pat Boone, Haylie Duff, Rob Mayes, and more! 🎥🌟 SEE HERE:

* Movieguide Awards 2023 *

The 30th Annual Movieguide Awards Gala was held on Friday, February 10th, 2023, at the Avalon Theater in LA, California. These awards honor inspirational, family-friendly, and spiritual programming across various platforms, such as: television, streaming, theater, etc...

Many celebrities were in attendance, including Candace Cameron Bure, Lori Loughlin, Great American Media's CEO Bill Abbott, Natasha Bure, Donna Mills, Pat Boone, Haylie Duff, Rob Mayes, Terry Crews, Kathy Ireland, Kate Flannery, Bruce Davison, Logan Shroyer, Callaway Corrick, Marcelle LeBlanc, Christian Finlayson, Chrissy Metz and more...

The Movieguide Awards will be televised on February 26, 2023 on UPtv, which was one of the main sponsors for the event and has become well-known for their uplifting television entertainment and streaming service UP Faith & Family.

Some of the winners from the Movieguide Awards have been revealed on social media, but I won't spoil the results for those of you who want to be surprised; I'll just give a slight hint and say it was an excellent night for Great American Family and Candace Cameron Bure!

Here are some images from the event...

Lori Loughlin, Bill Abbott, and Candace Cameron Bure
image via: Great American Family

Host of the 30th Annual Movieguide Awards,
Terry Crews - screen grab via: Movieguide

Actor Rob Mayes - screen grab via: Movieguide

Actor Rob Mayes was a presenter for the Movieguide Awards, and his Pureflix movie "5000 Blankets" was one of the nominees. Rob has another movie coming out titled "Sweet on You," with actress Haylie Duff (pictured below), that will premiere on UPtv the same night as the Movieguide Awards, on February 26th!

Actress Haylie Duff - screen grab via: Movieguide

Actresses Candace Cameron Bure and Lori Loughlin
Cast of A Waltons' Thanksgiving (2022):
Logan Shroyer, Callaway Corrick,
Marcelle LeBlanc, Christian Finlayson
screen grab via: Movieguide

Young actor Carson Minnier from the Pureflix movie
5000 Blankets
screen grab via: @tyronetannofficial

Actress and singer Chrissy Metz - 
screen grab via: Movieguide

Actress Donna Mills - screen grab via: Movieguide

Legendary actor and singer, Pat Boone
screen grab via: Movieguide

Actress Lori Loughlin with Ted Baehr, Founder of Movieguide 
screen grab via: Movieguide

Here are some red-carpet videos via MaximoTV...

I hope you enjoyed this special look at the Movieguide Awards Gala. The program will be televised on February 26th at 9pm/8c. on UPtv. Be sure to stay tuned for more details!

Blessings to you all, Net

💕 UPtv's New FEBRUARY 2023 TV Movie Premieres! 💕 SEE HERE:

UPtv will be premiering 4 new rom-com movies - coming UP in February 2023!

See all the details below...

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The Happy Camper

Original Air Date: February 5, 2023

Starring: Daniela Bobadilla and Beau Wirick

Storyline: When Dillon's love life falls apart, she returns to her grandfather's farm in Colorado where she works with Jordan, a handsome hardware store owner, to restore a vintage 1960s travel trailer.

Movie Review:

💕 I've seen The Happy Camper before and while it was a good while ago I don't remember it being other than Family Friendly but I sorta remember it being boring and ended up multi-tasking while watching it. ~Florence

💕 The Happy Camper is a very nice movie! -Maria

💕 Also an interesting fact, in The Happy Camper the main leads are married in real life. ~Anonymous

💕 I also thought 'The Happy Camper' was cute. ~Joan

💕 The Happy Camper – This was a refreshing romantic comedy about second chances. I liked the little pieces of the story where it showed that the characters relied on their faith. Wish there had been even more of that in the movie. All of the campers shown in the movie were creative and fun. Loved the scene where the children sing “The Trolley Song” from the movie ‘Meet Me In St. Louis’ near the end – it’s so cute! I just adore that classic film and Judy Garland, so that was such a delightful touch to the movie for me. The Happy Camper is a very sweet, family friendly movie. (By the way, Daniela Bobadilla (Dillon) and Beau Wirick (Jordan), who portrayed the lead roles, are married in real-life. They both were also on the sitcom, The Middle.) ~Net

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Luckless in Love

Original Air Date: February 12, 2023

Starring: Paniz Zade and Brett Donahue

Storyline: A dating blogger who anonymously writes under the pen name Luckless goes viral for a post about a disastrous date with a perpetually single sports agent who refuses to settle.

Movie Review:

💕 Luckless in Love was such a funny movie!! –Maria

💕 Luckless in Love – In the first few minutes we are introduced to the leads, Winnie and Holden– by watching them go on several bad dates with other people. They both haven’t had any luck with dating or their careers, and then they meet each other through a dating app. Winnie and Holden's date together is also a TOTAL disaster. Winnie tells her best friend that Holden is Satan, and her friend responds with, “That’s why he’s sooo hot!” Um-NO, Satan is NOT hot. I did not like that line from Winnie's friend at all. Holden is a British single father to a young teenage boy and he’s a well-known player amongst the women, so that last quality instantly makes him rather unlikeable. Winnie and Holden decide to give dating each other another try, but both are using the other to further advance their careers. Their dating escapades end up being rather fun to watch, and there’s a bit of bad singing in the film that’s actually humorous. Overall, not a keeper for me, but the ending was happy; although, I had a feeling Holden was still a player, even in the end. ~Net

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Mixed Baggage

Original Air Date: February 19, 2023

Starring: Leanne Lapp and Spencer Lord

Storyline: (via IMDB) When Evie Jones rushes off a flight to make her connection, she has no idea that in her haste, she has grabbed the wrong green duffel bag. Unbeknownst to her, the flight attendant moved hers, and the one Evie has taken belongs to Jake Weber. Thus ensues a series of mishaps, missed messages and misunderstandings as each tries to get the bag back to its rightful owner. But the struggle proves well worth it when through their lost bags, they find each other.

Movie Review:

✈🛄 "Mixed Baggage review: Spoilers*** This movie must be acquired by Up because it came out last year and I saw played on PixlTV. Anyway, the movie was pretty good. I liked the story of the swapped luggage and the struggle to get things straightened out. The actors were great as well. Pretty refreshing actually, compared to what we see these days. There were two things that I did not care for. Like some other movies lately, the females were more forward and instigating movement in the relationships. This happened with the side characters, not so much the main one. The second, more unsettling, was with one of the side couples. The man kept trying to find the perfect way to propose while the woman was getting slightly impatient. At the end of the movie they end up proposing to each other at the same time. That’s semi-okay, but the weird/uncomfortable part was the female actually bought the man a wedding band that she put on his finger. I felt very strange about this. The man should not have an “engagement ring”. That seems very modern and even woke to me. Besides those two moments, I really enjoyed this movie. The lead actors were the best!" ~Anonymous

✈🛄 I saw the Mixed Baggage movie several weeks ago on Pixl. It's a great movie with nothing to be concerned about. ~Anonymous

✈🛄 Mixed baggage reminded me so much of The Holiday Swap. This was one of UPTV Christmas movies this year. Did anyone see that movie this past Christmas? ~Anonymous

✈🛄 I know I am writing a review late, but I finally had an opportunity to watch 'Mixed Baggage' and it was worth the wait. OMG! I enjoyed that movie more than I have enjoyed a movie in such a long time. The plot was complex. There were three lovely couples and best friends who seemed like 'real' best friends. The chemistry was palpable between all of the couples. This movie is a 'keeper for me'. I am definitely purchasing it when it comes out on DVD. It made me smile and my heart soar. :-) ~Joan

✈🛄 Mixed Baggage – I hope you saved up some frequent flyer miles for this one – because this movie is quite the trip! Mixed Baggage is such a fun, delightful story of chance meetings and missed chances and misunderstandings! When the two leads accidentally ended up with each other’s luggage, it was interesting to watch them try to figure out the mystery of whose bag they had in their possession. I enjoyed this sweet little rom-com. It is family-friendly, the leads have great chemistry, and it leaves you feeling good inside. This was a true UPlifting movie from UPtv! ~Net

✈🛄 MIXED BAGGAGE - I often seem to be a minority of one in my opinion so it's nice to report that on this one we're all singing from the same hymn sheet. My heart lifted immediately when I saw "Pixl" appear on the screen. They have been very quiet of late perhaps because of Covid but they generally come up with enjoyable, clean humorous Rom.Coms - Advance And Retreat and Late Bloomer spring to mind. Although they follow a well-trodden path the acting and direction usually ensure they are first class. This was an intriguing well-scripted plot of two airline passengers getting their similar looking baggae mixed-up and included two secondary romances. I was a bit apprehensive at first that the whole movie would be a series of "near-misses" as Evie and Jake tried to ensure the baggage reached the right owner but Pixl kept progressing the plot through Evie thinking Jake was getting engaged, Jake's insecurity with women and the chaos of the upcoming opening of his new business. The chemistry between the two leads was amazing and I liked the sweet and tentative romance between Evie's friend and the movie director for whom they worked. The third romance involving Jake's buddy was a bit of a downside for me - I found his girlfried whingey which was off-putting. I enjoyed Jake being an everyday guy with a complex as to how he could put himself out for Evie and went through agonies with him such as when on the plane he wrote his phone number on a serviette made it into a rose and gave it to her only to see her put in the trash! Perhaps the ending could have been a bit stronger, but overall great acting by the leads make this a charming and appealing movie even if they were casual about hopping on and off a 4 hour flight between Los Angeles and Vancouver! I'd have to say this easily the best movie I have seen this year. In fact reliving it has put me in the mood to re-watch it tonight so no further dent in our Christmas backlog. I'd rate it 9 - Florence

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Sweet on You

Previously Known As: Pearl's Pie Place

Original Air Date: February 26, 2023

Starring: Haylie Duff, Rob Mayes, and Chelsea Alden

Storyline: Kate, a small town pie shoppe owner, encounters city boy Drew who, unbeknownst to Kate, is in town to build tract homes that would run straight through her shoppe… until Drew finds his heart stuck between his family’s wishes and a chance at love.

Movie Review:

💕 Sweet on You is an outstanding movie! Highly recommend. –Maria

💕 Sweet on You was a really cute movie. It was funny and sweet and I liked the two leads together. And, the supporting actors were fun too. All in all, well worth a watch. And, it looked like the location was in California. ~Anonymous

💕 'Sweet on You' was also good. Not great but it made me smile. ~Joan

💕 Sweet on You is family friendly about Small-town pie shop owner Kate encounters city boy Drew, who has arrived to build tract homes that would run straight through her business; Drew soon finds his heart trapped between his family's wishes and a chance at love. Kate owner of the town's famous pie shoppe has always lived a sweet, simple life. She recently lost her mother and has been trying to pick up the pieces of her life, then she meets Drew who is in town to claim land that he inherited. ~Anonymous

💕 Sweet on You – This movie is rather charming. I enjoyed the country, down-home sort of feeling, where everyone knows their neighbor and community, and the locals faithfully gather at Pearl’s Pie Place for a slice of pie, some home-cooking and the friendly atmosphere, which includes the owner, Kate (Haylie Duff) and her friend/waitress, Bree (Chelsea Alden). Bree is noticeably very pregnant and added some delightful comedy to the story, especially when she was trying to pair Kate up with Drew, a newcomer in town, who is a big city business man, who has come to town to sell some land left to him by his grandfather. Unbeknownst to the locals, that land includes Pearl’s Pie Place and other special businesses important to the town. At one point, as Kate and Drew spend more time together, the two team up for a 3 legged race. It’s a fun idea, but I couldn’t believe their competition was Bree (the pregnant woman, who looks like she could deliver any day) and her police officer husband, Jake. I thought that was crazy and definitely not advisable for any woman who is expecting - at any stage in her pregnancy. Also, Drew keeps in close contact with his business assistant, Marcus, who appears to be gay. Nothing is ever said, but it’s fairly obvious. Near the end, Jake gets intensely angry towards Drew when he learns why he’s really there. I thought his anger was a bit over-the-top, but the dust finally settles, of course, and there ends up being a happy ending. Overall, “Sweet on You” lives up to its name – it’s a very sweet movie! ~Net

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I hope you find a movie or two on UPtv in February that you will love! I think one or two look pretty sweet. How 'bout you?

Disclaimer: Please know when I share a movie, this is NOT an endorsement of any of the actors involved, personally or professionally, with their other TV/film projects.

Please note: I have not pre-screened the UPtv movies listed above. If you'd like to post a review on whether a film is family-friendly, please share in comments.

Happy movie watching, everyone! Net

LIFETIME REVEALS CAST REUNIONS with TWO NEW MOVIES for the 2021 *IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFETIME* HOLIDAY MOVIE SLATE:

Looks like "we're all in this together" this holiday season as Lifetime brings together 2 popular casts to reunite this Christmas! See all the details in the press release below.

LIFETIME PRESS RELEASE:

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY AS

LIFETIME REUNITES CASTS AND REVEALS

TWO MOVIES FOR THE 2021

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFETIME

HOLIDAY MOVIE SLATE

BLENDING CHRISTMAS

DIRECTED BY MARLA SOKOLOFF

STARRING HAYLIE DUFF, AARON O'CONNELL,

BETH BRODERICK, TELMA HOPKINS, GREG EVIGAN

AND BRINGING BACK TOGETHER

THE BRADY BUNCH'S

BARRY WILLIAMS, CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT, MIKE LOOKINLAND,

SUSAN OLSEN, JENNIFER ELISE COX AND ROBBIE RIST

A CHRISTMAS DANCE REUNION

FEATURES HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL CO-STARS

CORBIN BLEU AND MONIQUE COLEMAN

Network Also Announces

It’s a Wonderful Lifetime: Summer of Santas

Featuring Beloved Lifetime Holiday Movies

Avail on Video on Demand,

Lifetime's Official YouTube Channel,

Lifetime Movie Club App and

A Dedicated

I Love A Lifetime Movie Podcast Episode this July

Los Angeles, CA (May 19, 2021) – Santa’s sleigh is overflowing for Lifetime’s 2021 annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime holiday slate. In addition to new movies featuring Reba McEntire (details soon!), and returning favorites Kelly Rowland, Melissa Joan Hart, Mario Lopez, Jana Kramer and more, the network is providing a sneak peek of what’s to come!

This year, Lifetime will reunite some memorable casts including High School Musical alums Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman in A Christmas Dance Reunion.

Additionally, Blending Christmas, directed by Marla Sokoloff, stars Haylie Duff, Aaron O’Connell, Beth Broderick, Telma Hopkins, Greg Evigan and former The Brady Bunch actors Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Susan Olsen, Jennifer Elise Cox and Robbie Rist.

Descriptions of movies below.

A CHRISTMAS DANCE REUNION

Successful attorney Lucy Mortimer (Monique Coleman), along with her mother Virginia (Kim Roberts) return to the Winterleigh Resort to help celebrate the hotel’s final Christmas season before the resort closes its doors permanently. Once there, Lucy is reunited with the owner’s nephew and her childhood Christmas Dance partner, Barrett Brewster (Corbin Bleu). Though the resort has fallen on hard times and has stopped most holiday events, Lucy leads the charge in recreating the beloved Christmas traditions, including the popular Christmas Dance, to bring together new families and new hope to the resort. Now, Lucy must decide if she's willing to take a risk on love and partner up once more with Barrett for what could be the last Christmas Dance.

A Christmas Dance Reunion is produced by Off Camera Entertainment and Brain Power Studio with Stephanie Slack, Margret H. Huddleston and Beth Stevenson as Executive Producers. Megan Henry Herzlinger and Brian Herzlinger serve as writers. Brian Herzlinger also directs.

BLENDING CHRISTMAS

The holiday season is in full swing when Emma (Haylie Duff) learns that the resort where she used to spend Christmases with her family is being redeveloped. Her boyfriend Liam (Aaron O’Connell), hatches a plan to bring her to the resort one last time to propose! He secretly invites both their families to join them and Emma is delighted when she arrives to find the whole family bunch there. Of course, no holiday gathering is complete without drama, and soon the families are bickering over every detail! The added stress from trying to blend the two families eventually takes a toll on Emma and Liam, who start questioning their own relationship. Now just days before Christmas, the two families realize that they're going to have to work together in order to reunite Emma and Liam!

Blending Christmas is produced by Hybrid LLC. Marla Sokoloff directs from a script by Peter Sullivan and Adam Rockoff.


And because everyone needs some holiday happiness all year round, Lifetime launches It’s a Wonderful Lifetime: Summer of Santas offering some of the most beloved Lifetime holiday films all month long, including Lifetime's Official YouTube Channel, six on VOD, and twenty titles on Lifetime’s app LMC.

--------------END of Press Release---------------

It's fun to see both of these casts reuniting, especially, in my opinion - The Brady Bunch! I think most everyone has grown up watching The Brady Bunch, whether it was live or in re-runs. For me personally, it was in re-runs, weekdays in the summer and after school. Favorite episodes were: Peter's changing voice - Time to Change, Marcia and her Mother, Carol, singing "Together" at the Family Frolic Night, Something Suddenly Came Up date excuse, Amateur Night with two songs - "Sunshine Day" and "Keep On," Jan complaining about being in the middle and the infamous quote "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia," and so many more great episodes! How I wish Florence Henderson (Carol Brady) was still here to be a part of this.

Please note: We don't know which Christmas movies will be family friendly this upcoming Christmas season, but I hope we will have plenty to look forward to, as we did last year.

Are you excited about these two Christmas movies? Please share in comments below. And, if you have a favorite episode of The Brady Bunch, you can share that, too!

Joyous Blessings, Net

Hallmark Premieres Movie "Sweet Surrender" TONIGHT! (with Several Hallmark Stars - You're sure to recognize!)

Check in to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries tonight as they premiere one of the films from PixL's library of movies - based on a family owned Bed and Breakfast!

Sweet Surrender

*This news is for those of you, like myself, who don't have the PixL station, or subscribe via YouTube. Please note: this Movie first premiered on PixL in 2014, but this is the first time it will air on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries!

Starring in Sweet Surrender are: Adam Mayfield (Matchmaker Santa), Arielle Kebbel (Bridal Wave) Marion Ross (Happy Days, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: For Christmas), and Haylie Duff (Hats Off to Christmas)!

Storyline: After getting his heart broken by his childhood sweetheart, Tom Campbell (Adam Mayfield) escaped from his home town to join the military. Years later, Tom returns home with the news of his grandmother’s (Marion Ross) failing health. Now Tom finds himself responsible for his grandmother’s most prized possession, Cupid’s Bed and Breakfast. A town treasure, Cupid’s is known for... Click Here to Read More...

See Sweet Surrender

THURSDAY May 4, 2017

at 9pm/8c. on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

2 New UP Original Christmas Movies Coming on DVD!

New on DVD...

the inspiring Christmas movie "Paper Angels"

starring Matthew Settle and Josie Bissett!

image via: UP (this may or may not be the actual DVD cover)

Paper Angels DVD

The "Paper Angels" UP Original Movie was inspired by the hit Christmas song of the same name, written and performed by country music singer Jimmy Wayne. The song "Paper Angels", is featured in the film, along with two more songs from Wayne.

This Movie tells the story of a couple expecting their first child, a mother trying to raise her children alone after leaving her abusive husband, a high school bully who could use a real friend, and how the Christmas project "Paper Angels" impacts all of their lives due to unexpected acts of generosity and kindness.

 

See my Paper Angels page, for more movie details.

 

Click Here for more DVD info for Paper Angels!


Also, new to DVD...
is the UP Premiere Christmas Movie
starring Haylie Duff and Tilky Jones
"Christmas Mix"!

image via: Marvista

 

Christmas Mix DVD

 

You may recall, this movie was titled Naughty & Nice when it first aired last year, during the 2014 Christmas Season on UP.

 

When two radio hosts Samantha McCoy (Haylie Duff) and Pepper Sweeney (Tilky Jones) with completely different views on Christmas and everything are suddenly thrown together to host a radio talk show, it's a mix that viewers like, but sets these two at odds... most of the time!

 

See my Christmas Mix (Naughty & Nice) page, for more movie details.

 

Click Here for more DVD info for Christmas Mix

 

 

 UPDATE:  Reviewers have shared in comments below - the suggestive dialogue in this movie "Christmas Mix" is not always family friendly. I wanted to be certain you all were aware of this.

An Interview with Jake Helgren, the Writer of 2 Christmas Movies!

"It's a Wonderful Movie" is delighted to bring to you today, an exclusive interview with Writer, Producer, and Director Jake Helgren, who has two movies premiering on our TV's this Christmas Season. The first movie is “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas” which premiered November 28, 2014 on UP, and will have additional airings throughout the holidays. The second film “A Belle for Christmas” will premiere on Starz near Christmas. See details below on both movies in my interview with Jake Helgren and future Christmas Movie Projects, as well!

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INTERVIEW

Jake Helgren

Writer/Producer/Director

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1. Thank you, Jake, for joining me for this interview today. First of all, how amazing is it for you, to have not one, but two Christmas Movies, Premiering this Christmas Season on TV?

I'm very excited about the movies I have airing on TV this Christmas! My family and I have loved watching Christmas movies since I was a kid growing up in Texas -- the Home Alone movies, Prancer, and Love Actually amongst my favorite feature films; and A Mom For Christmas, Holiday Switch, and Finding Mrs. Claus among my favorite made-for-TV films. I love that these networks still continue to provide quality holiday films each and every year to our homes, and I am so honored a couple of mine were finally produced and chosen to air on TV. This year both films happen to feature dogs at Christmastime, and I have two dogs of my own, so I am really looking forward to going home for the holidays and watching these films with my family, who are all equally excited to see them (but not too happy right now since I'm making them wait 'til I get there to watch them, haha).

 “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas”

 

2. Can you share a little about the story of your movie, “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas”?

Sure. 12 Dog Days Till Christmas was originally a story conceptualized by my producing partner and another talented screenwriter, Bret Kofford. They had a great idea about this kid Jack, an angry foster kid who gets into trouble before the holidays, who is forced to volunteer at a closing dog shelter with a trio of plucky girls, where all the remaining, unwanted dogs there--who have about as many problems as Jack does--will be sent to a kill shelter on Christmas Eve if the kids don't find homes for them first. Bret and I co-wrote the script together, and then I co-produced the film with my producing partner in South Carolina. We got a great deal of feedback on the script from our distributors at Marvista-- who have a great track record with these kinds of films--and from the UPtv network, in order to make a great film, and we really hope it is well-received by audiences on TV.

 “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas”
 

3. Please share who is in the cast in “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas”, airing on UPtv.

We have a great cast in the film, including Vincent Giovagnoli ("3 Times A Charm"), who plays troubled Jack, Reginald Veljohnson of "Family Matters" who stars as Jack's probation officer, newcomer Grainne McDermott, who stars as a girl Jack loves to hate; and Lexi Giovagnoli ("1 Chance 2 Dance"), who plays the spirited girl who runs the shelter. The film also features Petunia, a sweet dog our trainer really found at a kill shelter and rescued (and who was eventually named Petunia after her character in the film), and my dog Piper is also featured as one of the pups (she's the hairless Chinese Crested Sadie :).

“A Belle for Christmas”

4. How would you describe the plot of your Christmas Movie, “A Belle for Christmas”?

"A Belle For Christmas" is also a great holiday movie for the whole family, but this is one kids will also want to watch over and over again. It's a holiday adventure film, and I've always described it as sort of a cross between "The Goonies" and "101 Dalmatians." Here's the basic plot line for the film: When a sweet young boy and his precocious kid sister discover their newly adopted puppy Belle has been nabbed by the beautiful gold digger dating their widowed dad on Christmas Eve, the kids recruit their neighborhood friends and set out on an adventurous rescue mission to save her. So there are plenty of holiday thrills for the kids, but also romance thrown in for the adults.

“A Belle for Christmas”

5. I am so excited to hear that actor Dean Cain, who I’ve liked since “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”, and who has been in a wide variety of wonderful family Christmas Movies, will star in your movie “A Belle for Christmas”. Please share what it was like to work with him and the rest of the cast.

We had a really great cast in this one, too! In addition to Dean Cain, who obviously has an insane track record with these kinds of holiday films, it also stars Kristy Swanson (Operation Cupcake) and Haylie Duff (Christmas Belle), who have starred in a ton of these TV movies as well. And of course, the kid stars, including Jet Jurgensmeyer (Little Rascals Saves the Day), are great and definitely hold their own alongside their more experienced adult co-stars. And last but not least there is of course the beautiful white Shepherd puppy star herself who plays Belle, who I originally based on my other dog Riley. When I first wrote the script, I always thought Dean Cain would be perfect to play the father, so you can imagine how excited I was to hear he was onboard the project! And although I've always been a huge fan of Kristy Swanson, I had no idea how hilarious she could be playing a villainess you can't help but love. That aside, I am so sad to say I was actually overseas when this film was being shot, so I didn't have the luxury of meeting any of this awesome cast or crew yet. But if the film does well, we hope to do a sequel, and I will definitely plan to get to the set this time and meet the entire Belle family, because the producers are really sweet, wonderful people and I can't believe I still haven't had a chance to meet them yet!

 

6. What was the filming process like, for both movies, working with dogs?

I can only speak for "12 Dog Days Till Christmas", of course, but in that one we were working with twelve starring dogs (plus a number of extra dogs who are featured in other scenes), so needless to say things got a little crazy sometimes! Fortunately we had some great trainers onset, and our Humane Society representative was such a sweetheart, that it made our lives as filmmakers much easier. Just like with having kids onset, though, you always have to put the dogs' needs first, but fortunately our entire cast and crew is full of dog lovers (and at this point, they've gotten used to dogs being onset since my Chinese Crested is usually always with me on whichever set I'm on!).

7. What do you hope viewers will take away from watching your Christmas movies, “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas” and “A Belle for Christmas”? Are they both available on DVD?

At the end of the day, we want to make our viewers smile and feel as good about the traditions of the holidays as we do. It makes me feel so amazing inside to see how proud my family and all my friends are by the work we are doing and the kinds of positive messages we are trying to send out in these films, and I can only hope that our viewers will feel the same warmth and comfort from watching these kinds of films as we get from making them.

I am not sure when "12 Dog Days Till Christmas" will be released on DVD, but will try to let you know when I find out. Same goes for "A Belle For Christmas" -- while I am still unsure when it will air on STARZ (hopefully we will know soon!), I can tell you it is now available on Amazon.com, VoD, and Targets and WalMarts everywhere!

As for future projects, we are actually shooting another film this holiday season in Austin featuring a new set of dogs and starring Lexi Giovagnoli (of 12 Dog Days Till Christmas) currently called "A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale", and we couldn't be more excited about it! It's from a script I wrote, and will be directed by Letia Clouston. It will have more stars in it, too, which we will cast soon, and though we still aren't sure whether it will end up airing on TV or not, we can certainly hope it will! I also have two more holiday films in development called "A Kid For Christmas" and "Merry Exes", so hopefully those will get made soon and end up on television at some point, too.

Either way, we really appreciate being featured on your wonderful site this Christmas, and hope to keep bringing fun, family-friendly holiday films to TV for many years to come. Thanks for the interview, and Merry Christmas to you and all your site readers and a Happy New Year! :)

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I wish to extend a very special "thank you" to Jake Helgren for taking his time to share with us today his behind-the-scenes take on his current Christmas Movies “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas” and “A Belle for Christmas”, as well as the unexpected, yet very exciting "sneak peak" into future Christmas Movie Projects! All of us Christmas Movie fans love that... so, thank you so very much for the insider details!!!

We will definitely be looking to watch both of these family friendly films throughout the Holiday Season on UP and Starz... and we'll certainly look forward to future Christmas Movies!

*See future air times for “The 12 Dog Days Till Christmas” in the Christmas TV Schedule.

*You can find the movie, “A Belle for Christmas” on DVD, at Amazon.

I hope you all enjoy this interview with Writer, Producer, and Director Jake Helgren... and his Christmas Movies!!!

Dean Cain stars in "A Belle for Christmas"

MOVIE REVIEW


A Belle for Christmas


Network: Starz


Original Air Date: TBD

 

 

CAST:

Dean Cain ... Glenn Barrows
Kristy Swanson ... Daniela "Dani" Downy
Jet Jurgensmeyer ... Elliot Barrows
Haylie Duff ... Kate Rivers
Meyrick Murphy ... Phoebe Barrows
Avary J. Anderson ... Riley Kane
Connor Berry ... Malcolm Clinton
Babs Simmons ... Kimmy
Jonathan Guraedy ... Ralph
Christina Mandrell ... Christy Kane
Helen Cornelius ... Marnie
A Lee Stone ... Aretha
Irlene Mandrell ... Mrs. DuPont
Jamie Dudney ... Janey Barrows
Trinity Adkins ... Penny "Whiner" Reiner
Scott Jurgensmeyer ... Skip Jeffries the Plumber)

PLOT:

Synopsis via DVD Cover:
Dean Cain (Lois & Clark and The Dog Who Saved Christmas) stars as Glenn Barrows, a recent widower doing his best to raise his young kids Elliot (Jet Jurgensmeyer) and Phoebe (Meyrick Murphy) who really miss their mom. When the Barrows adopt an adorable puppy named Belle during the holiday season, it seems that their healing may have begun. But will Glen's dog-hating, gold-digging new girlfriend (Kristy Swanson of A Christmas Wish) spoil their newfound happiness, or can Elliott and Phoebe pull off a daring Christmas Eve rescue of their beloved new pet? Haylie Duff (Hats Off to Christmas) co-stars in this heartwarming comedy about family, friendship, and a four-legged holiday miracle.

Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...


--

NEW this Weekend on TV: Hallmark Channel's "The Nine Lives of Christmas" & "A Cookie Cutter Christmas", UP's "Naughty & Nice", and a Disney Movie, too!

On Saturday November 8, 2014:

It's the Purr-fect Way to Start Your Weekend- with the Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie...

The Nine Lives of Christmas

 

Premieres 8 PM/7c. on the Hallmark Channel

via Hallmark: Fireman Zachary Stone (Brandon Routh) is a confirmed bachelor who doesn’t believe in love or commitment. When a stray, tabby cat named Ambrose shows up at his door, Zachary takes him in and slowly starts to see ... click here to read more!

 

On Sunday November 9, 2014:

Grab some Milk and Cookies and enjoy the Hallmark Channel delicious treat...

A Cookie  Cutter Christmas

 

 

Premieres 8 PM/7c. on the Hallmark Channel

 

via Hallmark: Two longtime rivals and elementary school teachers (Erin Krakow and )duke it out during the holidays in a Christmas cookie bake-off, but their real feud ignites over a shared interest in... click here to read more!

 

And, UP has a New Original Christmas Movie this Weekend, too... because Santa always knows when you've been...

Naughty & Nice

 

(time on poster ^above^ is incorrect)

 

Premieres 7 PM/6c. on UP

Encore airings at 9PM/8c.

 

via UP-- It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Los Angeles and commuters have Pepper Sweeney (Tilky Jones), a cynical and funny radio comic to keep them entertained. When Pepper's latest radio antics anger an important advertising executive, he gets shipped over to...  click here to read more! Also stars Hayley Duff.

 

 

And, on Sunday... Honestly, Disney XD has the premiere of ...

 

Pants on Fire

 

 

Premieres 7 PM/6c. on Disney XD

(Please note: this is NOT the regular Disney Channel.)

 

via Disney: The funny, fantastical story introduces 15-year-old Jack Parker as all the lies he's ever told suddenly become real - including a possessive girlfriend, a roving duo of alien body-snatchers, and Mikey, the made-up friend that Jack claims to tutor. Now it's up to Jack and his buddy Ryan to figure out... click here to read more! 

 

 

Hope you all have a Wonderful Weekend...

and, perhaps, enjoy a New Movie...

as well as all the Christmas Movies from past seasons, too!

 

 

I have previewed A Cookie Cutter Christmas.

Please click here, if you would like to read my Movie Review.

 

 

 

See the Christmas TV Schedule

for Air Times for these Movies and More!