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Cara J. Russell

News

Cara J. Russell

Hallmark Channel and Lifetime Writers Reveal How to Write a Holiday Rom-Com
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And while nowadays Holiday movies are made and filmed throughout the year, there is a special atmosphere around Christmas time that makes these movies even more popular, even if they are not that good. The people want to see some holiday magic, and these movies deliver such magic, even if they’re not masterpieces.

But, there is a trick to writing a good holiday movie, especially when it comes to romantic comedies, which are generally one of the more popular subgenres of holiday movies. So, if you ever want to know the story behind successful holiday rom-coms, we have something for you.

Namely, experts who write these movies for Hallmark Channel, Great American Family and Lifetime have decided to share some insight into their work for the New York Post and in this report, you will find out everything you need to know about their work and the advice they have for prospective writers.
See full article at Fiction Horizon
  • 12/14/2024
  • by Arthur S. Poe
  • Fiction Horizon
Danica McKellar And Trevor Donovan Are Grounded On Great American Family
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Danica McKellar and Trevor Donovan in Grounded on Great American Family [Images @danicamckellar and @trevordonovan on Instagram]

The new movie, Grounded, is adapted from the bestselling novel by Angela Correll and will air on Great American Family.

Great American Family has announced the new, original movie, Grounded, starring Danica McKellar and Trevor Donovan. The movie is adapted from the bestselling novel of the same title by Angela Correll and is set to premiere in the spring of 2025. Read on to find out what we know so far about the movie and its cast.

New movie Grounded to premiere on Great American Family

According to the press release, Annie (McKellar) is a career flight attendant who loves her job and traveling the world. However, her career is dealt a blow when an airline merger causes her to be furloughed. Moreover, matters get worse as she breaks up with a selfish boyfriend.

Danica McKellar and Trevor Donovan...
See full article at Celebrating The Soaps
  • 11/19/2024
  • by Anne King
  • Celebrating The Soaps
7 Best Movies Like ‘Hot Frosty’ To Watch If You Love the Film
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Hot Frosty is a fantasy Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Jerry Ciccoritti from a screenplay by Russell Hainline. The 2024 film follows Cathy, a widow who magically brings a snowman to life whose innocence helps her heal her broken heart. Hot Frosty stars Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Katy Mixon Greer, Lauren Holly, Chrishell Stause, Joe Lo Truglio, and Craig Robinson. So, if you loved the Christmas spirit, sweet romance, and a heart-touching story in Hot Frosty here are some similar movies you should check out next.

The Spirit of Christmas (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Lifetime

The Spirit of Christmas is a fantasy Christmas romantic comedy-drama film directed by David Jackson from a screenplay by Tracy Andreen. The 2015 film follows Kate, a young woman tasked with selling a historic inn that is haunted by the ghost of a...
See full article at Cinema Blind
  • 11/17/2024
  • by Kulwant Singh
  • Cinema Blind
Fall Into Winter Cast & Character Guide
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Fall Into Winter is the perfect seasonal romantic comedy, with an exceptional cast to drive the heartwarming story home. The Great American Family movie was originally released in 2023, but it has now arrived on Netflix just in time for the seasonal transition from fall to winter. Directed by T.W. Peacocke and written by Cara J. Russell, Fall Into Winter has claimed a spot in Netflix's US Top 10 Movies, placing stars Lori Laughlin and James Tupper in the streaming platform's holiday spotlight. Of course, these two aren't the only ones who make the romance of Fall Into Winter worth the watch.

Laughlin and Tupper's Fall Into Winter has a classic holiday romance premise. The film follows small-town girl Kerry Murphy (Laughlin), who loves nothing more than making spectacular candy to sell at her family's local shop. Tupper's Brooks is her old high-school rival who had been best friends with her brother...
See full article at ScreenRant
  • 11/5/2024
  • by Angel Shaw
  • ScreenRant
When Hope Calls Cast Season 2 Cast Revealed: 5 Returning Stars, 1 Departure, And 3 New Faces!
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When Hope Calls news reveals season two’s cast has been announced. There are five returning, one departure, and three new faces!

When Hope Calls News – Show Returning For Season Two

When Hope Calls is set to make its exciting return for a second season; this beloved spinoff of When Calls the Heart first debuted on Hallmark Channel in 2019.

It has just been confirmed that it will be moving to Great American Family for its upcoming season, following the success of two Christmas specials.

The new season will feature eight episodes; the initial episodes will celebrate the romance between Lillian Walsh (Morgan Kohan) and Mountie Gabriel (Rj Hatanaka).

But viewers can also look forward to the introduction of new characters who play vital roles in the orphanage, the surrounding farms and ranchlands, and the welcoming community of Brookfield.

Brookfield will soon see a new Constable from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,...
See full article at Celebrating The Soaps
  • 10/5/2024
  • by Rita Ryan
  • Celebrating The Soaps
When Hope Calls Season 2 Premiere Date Announced!
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When Hope Calls fans will be excited to know that the premiere date for When Hope Calls has been announced! The sequel series to When Calls The Heart Will begin filming this month for a premiere of January 2025 on the Great American Family Network, then it will stream to Pureflix.

When Hope Calls Spoilers: A Star-Studded Cast

This series star Cindy Busby (who also starred in The Crown Prince of Christmas.) as “Nora”, and Christopher Russel (who was in “A Dash of Christmas”) as “Constable Mountie Michael”, Wendy Crewson (Frank Drake Mysteries) as “Tess Stewart”, Nick Bateman (“A Christmas Miracle with Daisy) as “Wyatt”, Morgan Kohan (“Sullivan’s Crossing”) as “Lillian Walsh”, Hannake Talbot (Star Trek) as “Maggie Parsons”,and finally Ryan James “Rj” Hatakana and Grace Bennett (Jocelyn Hudson) in 1916 to the town of Brookfield.

When Hope Calls is set at the town orphanage and follow their journeys and struggles...
See full article at Celebrating The Soaps
  • 9/22/2024
  • by R.G. Barnet
  • Celebrating The Soaps
‘When Hope Calls’ Sets Season 2 Premiere Window At Great American Family
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We have a premiere window for Season 2 of family drama When Hope Calls. The When Calls The Heart spinoff begins filming late this month for a January 2025 premiere on Great American Family, then streaming on Pure Flix.

When Hope Calls Season 2 stars Cindy Busby (Crown Prince of Christmas) as “Nora,” Christopher Russell (A Dash of Christmas) as “Constable, Mountie Michael,” Nick Bateman (A Christmas Miracle with Daisy) as “Wyatt,” Wendy Crewson (“Frankie Drake Mysteries”) as “Tess Stewart,” Hanneke Talbot (“Star Trek”) as “Maggie Parsons,” Morgan Kohan (“Sullivan’s Crossing”) as “Lillian Walsh,” and Ryan-James (Rj) Hatanaka (“Criminal Minds”) as “Mountie Gabriel.”

When Hope Calls is a spinoff of Janette Oke’s legendary book series When Calls the Heart, which follows a pair of sisters, Lillian Walsh (Kohan) and Grace Bennett (Jocelyn Hudon) to the town of Brookfield, circa 1916. When Hope Calls centers on the town’s orphanage and its residents who...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 9/19/2024
  • by Denise Petski
  • Deadline Film + TV
Former ‘Felicity’ “Wunderkind” Riley Weston Pens Movie For Great American Family; Trevor Donovan, Jessica Lowndes To Star
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Exclusive: Riley Weston, the writer-actress who generated an extraordinary amount of attention in the late ’90s for failing to disclose her true age while working for Felicity, has quietly found another way to enjoy success in TV: penning feel-good movies.

Her latest creation is Apples, Orchards & Romance, a new confection for Great American Family that stars Trevor Donovan and Jessica Lowndes.

The movie, which will air as part of the net’s annual Great American Autumn programming event that returns this September, follows teacher Drew Granger (Donovan) who accepts a temporary substitute job in his old hometown of Chestnut Hollow, Texas, where he meets Aiden, the proverbial new kid at school, desperate for a caring friend. While he would rather have taken a job anywhere else, Drew reconsiders Chestnut Hollow when he meets Lainie Abbott (Lowndes), the...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 6/20/2023
  • by Lynette Rice
  • Deadline Film + TV
Great American Family Increasing 2023 Christmas Movie Slate; Trevor Donovan And Merritt Patterson To Reunite In ‘Christmas By Chance’
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Exclusive: Great American Family is expanding its Christmas movie slate this year with 21 new original titles, up from 18 in 2022.

Dubbed “Great American Christmas,” the network’s holiday fare will kick off in October with its largest lineup since first launching in 2021. Among the actors set to appear this year are Trevor Donovan and Merritt Patterson, who will reunite in the new Christmas By Chance.

In Christmas By Chance, Addie (Patterson), a New York City chiropractor mistakenly receives a text from “Nana.” The accidental text turns into a loving friendship between the matronly Nana and Addie who now communicate regularly. Nana invites Addie to spend the holiday in Vermont. It is picture-postcard perfect and exactly as Nana described except for one surprise. Nana’s single son, James (Donovan), a traveling doctor is also home for the holidays. Over three consecutive years, James...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 3/15/2023
  • by Lynette Rice
  • Deadline Film + TV
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 24: Jen Lilley attends the 28th Annual Movieguide Awards Gala at Avalon Theater on January 24, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
Jen Lilley and Jesse Hutch Set to Star in Great American Family's Stay for Christmas
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 24: Jen Lilley attends the 28th Annual Movieguide Awards Gala at Avalon Theater on January 24, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
Great American Family is adding some more big names to its impressive roster.

The company today announced Jen Lilley and Jesse Hutch are set to star in Stay for Christmas, an original movie which begins production today and premieres on the network this holiday season.

The movie is part of Great American Christmas, the network’s holiday programming franchise which returns on October 21 with a new slate of original holiday movie premieres every Saturday and Sunday and Christmas movies all day and all night through the end of 2022.

"In Stay for Christmas, renowned luxury travel blogger, Tracey Wise (Lilley) is invited by owner Graham Cooper (Hutch) to a Christmas getaway in exchange for her review of his family’s small bed & breakfast, Silver Peak," the official description reads.

"The bed & breakfast’s biggest concern is a sleek, upscale hotel resort that opened a hilltop away and has been siphoning off guests for several years,...
See full article at TVfanatic
  • 9/27/2022
  • by Paul Dailly
  • TVfanatic
Lori Loughlin To Star In ‘Fall Into Winter’ Romantic Comedy At Great American Family
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Lori Loughlin is returning to Great American Family to headline Fall Into Winter, her first romantic comedy for the network. The casting follows Loughlin’s appearance on the network in When Hope Calls Christmas in a reprisal of her role of Abigail Stanton from Hallmark Channel’s When Calls The Heart. Fall Into Winter begins production October 23 for premiere in January 2023 as part of the network’s annual winter programming event.

“Lori is a genre-defining star that I have had the honor to call a close friend and collaborator for more than 15 years,” said Bill Abbott, President and CEO of Great American Media. “We have a shared vision for creating meaningful and memorable movies that resonate with our passionate fans, and I look forward to welcoming her back to Great American Family to anchor our 2023 winter programming slate.”

In Fall Into Winter, Loughlin stars as Keely, who is aghast when...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 9/22/2022
  • by Denise Petski
  • Deadline Film + TV
Lori Loughlin Lands First Movie Role Since Prison in Great American Family’s ‘Fall Into Winter’
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Lori Loughlin is back with her “Full House” family on Great American Family. The actress, who has not led a film since 2018, will star in “Fall Into Winter,” a January movie for the network. Production begins in October.

“Lori is a genre-defining star that I have had the honor to call a close friend and collaborator for more than 15 years,” says Great American Media president and CEO Bill Abbott. “We have a shared vision for creating meaningful and memorable movies that resonate with our passionate fans, and I look forward to welcoming her back to Great American Family to anchor our 2023 winter programming slate.”

Abbott recently opened up to Variety about his high hopes to work with Loughlin again, noting that the pair talk three times a week and were deciding between two different scripts.

“She’s America’s sweetheart, regardless of whatever happened,” he said. “At the end of the day,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 9/22/2022
  • by Emily Longeretta
  • Variety Film + TV
Gac Family Announces First 2022 Holiday Film, Daniel Lissing and Merritt Patterson Set to Star (Exclusive)
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The 2022 holiday season is underway at Gac Family. Merritt Patterson and Daniel Lissing will star in “Catering Christmas” (working title), set to begin production on April 3. The movie is the first announced movie in Gac Family’s annual Great American Christmas slate.

“Catering Christmas” follows Molly Frost (Patterson) as she struggles to launch her new catering business and unexpectedly lands New Hampshire’s biggest event of the year. Meanwhile, Carson Jacob Harrison (Lissing), manager of the event, is the very reluctant heir to his family’s foundation who needs a reminder of all the good is his family does.

Brad Krevoy, Eric Jarboe, Amanda Phillips, Amy Krell, Vince Balzano, Jimmy Townsend, Susie Belzberg Krevoy and Tw Peacocke executive produce. David Anselmo serves as producer while James Mou, Allan Fung, W. Michael Beard and Michael Shepard serve as supervising producers and Kaitlyn Greenough as associate producer. Peacocke directs the project, written by Cara J. Russell.
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 3/30/2022
  • by Emily Longeretta
  • Variety Film + TV
Vanessa Hudgens Understands Your Netflix Rom-Com Obsession: "Everyone Needs Love"
In a small, quaint room on the top floor of a sprawling bed and breakfast in Bracebridge, Canada, Vanessa Hudgens curls up in a wicker armchair and releases a deep sigh. She spent the afternoon unpacking and repacking a cardboard box filled to the brim with Christmas ornaments as a picturesque sprinkle of snow fell gently outside the window, and now she finally has a moment to put down the glittery tree toppers and take a breather. No, I'm not casually hanging out with the superstar at home for the holidays - I'm getting a glimpse of what it's like on the set of Netflix's newest holiday rom-com, The Knight Before Christmas.

Previously a staple of networks like Hallmark and Lifetime, holiday-themed romantic comedies have become one of Netflix's most beloved seasonal offerings ever since its breakout hit A Christmas Prince in 2017. Loved for just how unabashedly cheesy it could be,...
See full article at Popsugar.com
  • 10/18/2019
  • by Quinn Keaney
  • Popsugar.com
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