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☆ Chris Gauthier, ‘Once Upon a Time’ and Hallmark movies actor, dead at 48
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Chris Gauthier, an actor whose credits included roles in “Once Upon a Time,” “Eureka” and several popular Hallmark Channel projects, died on February 23, according to a statement posted by his agent. “We can confirm that our friend and client, Chris Gauthier, passed away on Friday morning, February 23, at the age of 48 after a brief illness. As a beloved character actor, Chris shared his talents with so many of us both on television and in film,” read a statement provided to CNN by TriStar Appearances/Event Horizon Talent. Joe Lederer/NetflixThe English born Canadian based actor was also mourned by his “Once Upon a Time” costar, Raphael Sbarge. Christmas Comes to Town.”“We are sorry to hear about the passing of Chris Gauthier.

Persons: Chris Gauthier, Chris, ”, Chad Colvin, ” Colvin, “, William Smee, ” Malina Weissman, Joe Lederer, Raphael Sbarge, ” Sbarge, Joe Pickett ”, Ms Organizations: CNN, Hallmark Channel, TriStar, Netflix, Hallmark

☆ Ample Hills Founders Are Out of the Business Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Julia Moskin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Despite what the Hallmark Channel tells us at this time of year, fairy-tale endings don’t always stick. Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna, the Brooklyn couple who founded Ample Hills Creamery, have been fired by the same investors who came to the rescue of the popular ice cream brand in June. Mr. Smith said in an interview that he and Ms. Cuscuna had lost everything. But Mr. Brodsky said the terms of the couple’s departure have yet to be negotiated. “That talent does not extend to running a business.”

Persons: Brian Smith, Jackie Cuscuna, Norm Brodsky, Brodsky, Smith, Cuscuna, “, ” Organizations: Hallmark, Brooklyn, Inc

☆ She Writes Storybook Endings. Of Course She Got the House.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Joanne Kaufman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The house, a traditional 1940s white stucco ranch, felt just right to Nina Weinman. It was in central Los Angeles, where she and her husband wanted to live, and it was in their price range. It had a dishwasher and a garbage disposal, central heat and air-conditioning — all things lacking in the couple’s rental apartment. The house was in disrepair, but it had a solid foundation and a roof of recent vintage, making it catnip to flippers. Ms. Weinman and her husband, Will Swift, a talent manager, had several contingencies and needed a loan.

Persons: Nina Weinman, ”, Weinman, Claus, Will Swift Organizations: Hallmark Channel Locations: Los Angeles

There's music to enjoy too, with Hannah Waddingham leading an Apple TV+ special and the annual Tabernacle Choir concert airing on PBS. Here's where — and when, in Eastern Standard Time — to watch this year's holiday TV bonanza. Hatcher offers a second holiday movie helping this season with a rekindling romance rom-com. The quintet portray former soap opera co-stars who come together for a live holiday special and play matchmakers with their producer and director. HOLIDAY TUNES“Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham taps into her musical theater background by hosting her own Christmas special for Apple TV+ called “ Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas."

Persons: Charlie Brown, ”, Melissa McCarthy's, Hannah Waddingham, Lori Loughlin, Teri Hatcher, Lacey Chabert, Denise Richards, Hatcher, Kate Hudson's “, Loughlin, James Tupper, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, “, Joel McHale, Phoebe Robinson, Heather McMahan, Chris “ Ludacris ” Bridges, Eddie, Teyonah Parris, Nick, Lil Rel Howery, Santa Claus, Varun Saranga, Jean, Luc Bilodeau, Devyn Nekoda, Nadine Bhabha, Sarah Levy, Leighton Meester, Robbie Amell, “ EXmas, Graham, Ali, Scott Wolf, Jenn Lilley, Matthew Morrison, William DeVry, Chabert, Holly, Kristoffer Polaha, Bethany Joy Lenz, Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Nicollette Sheridan, Jonathan Bennett, Cherry, Vincent Rodriguez III, Erin Cahill, John Brotherton, James Denton, Catherine Bell, Tia Mowry, Kringle, Buddy Valastro, Melissa McCarthy, Paapa, Candace Cameron Bure’s, Natasha Bure, Natasha, Cheryl Ladd, Wolf, Andy Rooney, he’s, Rudolph, Red, “ Frosty, Frosty, Nick Jr, “ Bossy, Vic Michaelis, Bryan Greenberg, Ted Lasso ”, Broadway’s Lea Salonga, Sir David Suchet, Fox’s, Singer ”, ” alums, Nick Cannon, Jenny McCarthy, Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger Organizations: Disney, Apple, Tabernacle Choir, Hulu, Amazon, “ Party, Hallmark, Hallmark Channel, Biltmore Estate, “ Ladies, Lifetime, Netflix, TBS, TNT, CBS, Paddington, London Coliseum, Tabernacle, PBS Locations: Peacock, Milwaukee, Santa, “, North Carolina, New York, Santa Claus

☆ Sony's faith-based streaming service merges with Hallmark rival Great American Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sony Pictures Entertainment and its streaming service Pure Flix are making room on the cable TV dial. The company's streaming service, known for faith-based content, is merging with Great American Media, a recent upstart cable rival to the Hallmark Channel. It will also beef up the slate for Great American's TV networks Great American Family and Great American Living. As part of the deal, which has yet to close, content from both Pure Flix and Great American Media will cross each other's platforms. Great American Media and its two cable TV networks were launched in 2021 by Bill Abbott, former CEO of Crown Media, the parent of the Hallmark Channel.

Persons: Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Abbott Organizations: Los Angeles, Hilton Los Angeles, Universal City, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Great American Media, Hallmark Channel, Sony, Crown Media, Hallmark Locations: Universal City , California, U.S, Canada

☆ Wonya Lucas is making big changes at the Hallmark Channel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

And she's done it all while staying true to the Hallmark brand, which Lucas said is always on her mind. Courtesy: Hallmark MediaUnder Lucas, Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas" movie slate has increasingly changed. When Lucas became CEO of Hallmark Media, which also includes the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries network, it had also been coming out from under a firestorm of controversy. There needed to be more diversity in both casting and storylines," Hamilton Daly said. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Three Wise Men and a Baby Hallmark Media

☆ You won't be able to watch movies and TV shows for free anymore on Peacock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Peacock is no longer offering its free plan for new subscribers. As of Tuesday, Peacock has turned off its free tier for new users — meaning if you weren't already subscribed to Peacock, you'll now have to sign up for a paid membership. The free plan included ads and limited content compared to the paid tiers. An NBCU spokesperson told Variety that the change was part of the company's growth strategy for Peacock, but that existing users of the free plan will continue to have access to it for now. By Q1 2021, the service had just 9 million paid subscribers.

☆ I work as a Christmas elf in Arizona dancing and chatting about Santa to visitors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I'm an aspiring dancer and actor, and I auditioned for the Christmas elf role in early October through my school. I'm working as a holiday elf at Enchant, a holiday celebration sponsored by the Hallmark Channel in eight U.S. cities. Enchant Christmas features a 100-foot Christmas tree and a maze where guests can find sculptures of each of the nine reindeer. Enchant Christmas ScottsdaleWe also tell the kids stories about how we got to the Phoenix area from the North Pole. My friends and family have come to see me at work s so it's a great experience all around.

☆ The golden age of streaming TV is over
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Paris Marx | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

That August, the streaming analyst Eric Schiffer told The Verge that the "golden age" was over as competition increased, and Netflix was putting creators on a shorter leash. But just as Netflix was pulling back from its most creative content, the streaming wars were heating up. Netflix is now churning out cheap and broadly appealing reality TV shows like "Is It Cake?" Despite positioning itself for years as the ad-free way to watch TV, Netflix in October launched a lower-cost, ad-supported tier in many of its major markets. As the cheap money disappears, we're starting to get a better picture of the actual price of streaming media.

☆ Why Have Netflix, Hulu, and the Rest of Streaming TV Gotten so Boring?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Paris Marx | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

As a result, Netflix and other streamers are retreating from any sort of creative risk in favor of humdrum, lowest-common-denominator shows. But just as Netflix was pulling back from its most creative content, the streaming wars were heating up. Netflix is now churning out cheap and broadly appealing reality TV shows like "Is It Cake?" Despite positioning itself for years as the ad-free way to watch TV, Netflix in October launched a lower-cost, ad-supported tier in many of its major markets. As the cheap money disappears, we're starting to get a better picture of the actual price of streaming media.

☆ Make the yuletide gay: Inside the making of this year's LGBTQ holiday movies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Max Gao | Max Gao Is A Freelance Entertainment | Sports Journalist Based In Toronto. He Has Written For Nbc News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Premiering Sunday on Hallmark, “The Holiday Sitter” follows Sam (Jonathan Bennett), a workaholic bachelor who reluctantly agrees to babysit his niece and nephew before his solo vacation. Jonathan Bennett, left, George Krissa and Mila Morgan in "The Holiday Sitter." Bennett, as an executive producer, originally came up with the idea of a “gay ‘Uncle Buck’ for Hallmark” on the set of another holiday movie three years ago. “We both love the Christmas holiday. After watching “The Holiday Sitter," people are “going to feel that the Hallmark holiday table is bigger than ever,” Bennett added, "and that no matter who you are, there is a seat for you."

Over the next six years, each of the other members of my family would leave. I entered the diner having functioned as an only child for nearly 50 years. As the youngest in my family of five, I looked up to my oldest brother as little sisters often do. I entered the diner having functioned as an only child for nearly 50 years. This was no Hollywood family reunion, but I sensed that his validation of my perspective would lessen my internal demons.

☆ Tosca Musk, Elon’s sister, has a business venture of her own – and it’s all about romance and female sexuality
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Faith Karimi Cnn Photographs Austin Steele | Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

It’s their first public film premiere since the pandemic started. Musk, 48, is the force behind Passionflix, which adapts romance novels into movies and streams them to a devoted niche audience. “Passionflix focuses on adapting romance novels exactly as the fan and the author envision it,” Musk says in a separate CNN interview. From left to right: Tosca Musk, Kimbal Musk, mother Maye Musk and Elon Musk at Maye's 50th birthday party in 1998. One of the founding members, she says she spent the pandemic years curled up on her couch, watching Passionflix movies.

☆ Candace Cameron Bure faces backlash after announcing ‘traditional marriage’ project
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The actor Candace Cameron Bure is facing backlash following her recent comments about her new TV project that she said will prioritize portraying "traditional marriage." “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core,” she reportedly told the magazine. A representative for Cameron Bure did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. On its social media pages, the Great American Family describes its programming as "celebrating faith, family and country." In a September interview with Variety, Cameron Bure said she would have an "executive role" at the network and act in its films.

☆ Candace Cameron Bure working on putting Christ back in Christmas movies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Candace Cameron Bure has moved on from being Hallmark Channel’s queen of holiday movies. In a recently published interview with the Wall Street Journal, the actress talked about leaving that cable channel to work with another, the faith based Great American Family. “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” Bure told the publication. Bill Abbott, chief executive of Great American Media, oversees the new network. “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core,” Cameron Bure told the Journal.

☆ Michael Kopsa, ‘X-Files’ and ‘Fringe’ actor, dead at 66
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Michael Kopsa, the actor who appeared on FOX’s “X-Files” and “Fringe” among many other titles, has died, according to his talent agent Jamie Levitt. Kopsa, who had been battling a brain tumor, died on Sunday morning, Levitt said. Levitt said after he was diagnosed with his brain tumor, he had to walk away from a project and “his concern for me struck me.”Michael Kopsa in a 2008 episode of "Fringe." 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection“‘Sorry,’ he said, ‘to not be able to show up for us,’” Levitt wrote in her statement, recounting their conversation. Lucia Frangione, an actress and Kopsa’s ex-wife, also shared the news of his passing, writing on Instagram, that he was “a present and loving father” to their daughter, Nora.

☆ How political candidates are targeting you on social media based on your music tastes, shopping habits and favorite TV shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Casey Tolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

(CNN) Marco Rubio hopes to sway voters interested in Chick-fil-A, Ram trucks, and Duck Dynasty. "Political campaigns are using that to their advantage." Rogan, a controversial figure who's popular on the right, attracted more attention from campaigns targeting Facebook ads than any other interest topic in the period analyzed by CNN. The targeting data shows a wide variety of approaches. But most people likely have no idea that they're seeing certain political ads because of their interests in a band or TV show, Woolley noted.

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