A Carol Christmas

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PREVIOUSLY RELEASED                          CONTACT:       Pam Slay, 818.755.2480

November 10, 2003                                                   David Johnson, 818.755.2675

NAUGHTY OR NICE?

TORI SPELLING STARS AS HIGH-POWERED, HIGH-HEELED SCROOGE

IN HALLMARK CHANNEL’S HIGH-SPIRITED ‘A CAROL CHRISTMAS'

Dinah Manoff, Jason Brooks, Nina Siemaszko Star

In Contemporary Spin On Dickens’ Classic;

Gary Coleman, William Shatner Play Ghosts Of Christmas Past And Present

Airing November 28; December 3 and 23

            ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the TV studio, staff members scurry at the sight of tempestuous talk show host Carol Cartman (Tori Spelling, “Beverly Hills, 90210”).  Insensitive, self-centered and downright stingy, the celebrity is working her crew to the bone, oblivious to the hardship – and hard feelings – she leaves in her wake.  But this high-maintenance, high-heeled Scrooge is about to experience a holiday she’ll never forget, in "A Carol Christmas,” Hallmark Channel’s high-spirited spin on Charles Dickens’ classic tale, airing Tuesday, November 28 (9pm/8c).  Encore presentations on Sunday, December 3 (7pm/6c) and Saturday, December 23 (3pm/2c).

          Although she’s reached the pinnacle of success, Carol’s personal life has suffered on her climb to the top, thanks to the machinations of her opportunistic Aunt Marla (Dinah Manoff, “Empty Nest”), a modern day Jacob Marley.  On Christmas Eve, when the egomaniacal Carol lays down for a nap before her big holiday show, she gets a series of visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, who present her with a priceless gift – the chance to change her ways and change her life.

          “A Carol Christmas” stars Jason Brooks (“Days of Our Lives”) as Carol’s true love, a humanitarian whose selfless world seems light years from hers; Nina Siemaszko (“The West Wing”) as Carol’s thoughtful assistant, a single mother struggling to make ends

meet on the meager wages her penny-pinching boss pays; Gary Coleman (“Diff’rent Strokes”) as a former child star who confronts Carol with her past; and William Shatner (“Star Trek”) as TV psychologist Dr. Bill, who gives Carol an eye-opening view of her present – and the error of her ways.

          “A Carol Christmas” is a Hallmark Entertainment Presentation.  Robert Halmi, Jr. and Larry Levinson are executive producers and Nick Lombardo is co-executive producer.  Al Dickerson is the producer.  Director is Matthew Irmas.  Writer is Tom Amundsen.  The Hallmark Channel Original Movie is A Mat IV Production in association with Alpine Medien and Larry Levinson Productions.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 75 million subscribers.  The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,300 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country.  Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Total Day and Prime Time household ratings and is the nation’s leading network in providing family-friendly programming.  Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel, Hallmark Movie Channel.

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