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TONIGHT: AMC Alum Jonathan Bennett in Hallmark’s First LGBTQ+ Led Rom-Com ‘The Holiday Sitter’

Photo: Crown Media

In Hallmark’s first holiday movie offering featuring a same-sex love story at its epicenter, Jonathan Bennett (ex-JR Chandler, All My Children) not only stars, but is the project’s executive producer.  And, on Sunday night, when The Holiday Sitter premieres at 8 p.m. EST, it’s a big deal.

After much outcry for Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas programming block to be more inclusive, the channel is now poised to be on the right side of history.

The set-up of this ‘meet-cute’ rom-com goes something like this: Sam (Bennett) who is a workaholic has to ditch his Hawaiian holiday plans when he is asked to watch his sister’s children (his niece and nephew).  However, when Sam becomes overwhelmed, he gets a helping hand from his sister’s neighbor, Jason played by George Krissa. And within a blink of an eye, Sam and Jason find they are both unattached and attracted to each other, and Christmas becomes a lot brighter for the two of them.

As for Bennett, he previously appeared in Hallmark’s 2020 film, The Christmas House which was the channel’s first holiday movie to include a same-sex storyline. He later returned to that role in last year’s sequel The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls.

Bennett told USA Today on tonight’s milestone Hallmark holiday tale: “What’s so special about The Holiday Sitter is that it’s the first time we’ll see two men meet-cute and fall in love at Christmas. We tell a story that’s really important, so people that are watching it feel seen when they watch it. But just like Christmas is for everybody, The Holiday Sitter is for everybody… It just happens to have two men as the lead.”

Photo: HallmarkChannel

Hallmark Media’s Executive Vice-President, Lisa Hamilton told Deadline: “We felt that it was time for a story with a gay couple. We are really trying to make it so that everybody sees themselves when they tune in. We are trying to stay true to the Hallmark brand values, one of which is inclusiveness. It’s a true of Hallmark cards, which has a card for every kind of occasion. In the past, there was a focus on one particular kind of love story, and I think everybody thought, ‘wow, we’re not telling the whole story here.’”

The timing of The Holiday Sitter comes after Candace Cameron Bure received much backlash for her sentiments when she told the Wall Street Journal that the Great American Family network in which she stars in several of their holiday films, will “keep traditional marriage at the core” and never do stories/movies featuring same-sex couples.

Check out a preview for The Holiday Sitter below.

Now let us know, what do you think of the Hallmark Channel finally featuring a gay love story for one of its holiday films? Will you be checking out the landmark movie? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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I will check out The Holiday Sitter. But not news to me that Hallmark has been showing more inclusive stories in the last couple of years. These include racial, ethnic, and gender. Even a Hanukah story. Sometimes even more than the soaps.

I’ll skip it, just like I do all these sappy cheesy Helliday Hallmark movies. That said, a gay couple in a sappy movie is just as good as a straight couple, if you want to watch those things.

As for what Candace Cameron or her brother think about anything….. well, I think you all can guess how a Devil feels about those two.

Satan … You should LOVE Candace and Kirk!!!!! They push exactly the type of divisive, hateful Christianity that makes it easy for you to debunk it! Those two (and all of Hollywood) make your job easy!! What do you got to complain about?

If you really want to see something HELLarious, look up the videos Kirk made with one if his preacher friends named Ray Comfort. Especially the one where he insists that bananas are proof of my Former Employer’s existence & creation plans. (even though the common banana you find in your grocery stores was actually a hybrid created by the agriculture industry and never existed in the “wild”.)

No report here for The Holiday Sitter. I watched for a while, but it was one of the Hallmark shows that didn’t appeal to me. And not because of the gayness. So I changed the channel, and found a Harry Potter that I hadn’t seen for a while. Satan, A few of characters that belong in your domain. :)))

Maybe they’ll do a Voldemort Hallmark movie next?

Yay! Loved it as much, if not more than any other HM Christmas movie!

This is so encouraging!!It is hard to believe that in this day and age that anyone working in Hollywood can be homophobic as is Candace Bure.

Steve Burton is also said to be so. Very disappointing since he is now working and has been working on shows with gay writing regimes.

Yea. It is REALLY sad when people have an opinion contrary to yours. You expect people to bend over backwards (literally) to follow your opinion … But if anyone disagrees with your opinion, they ought to be killed. Let people live!!

That reply is rather satirical. The bending over backwards mention is crude. Nobody mentioned anything about killing anyone. And letting people live is what LGBT+ people have been seeking for decades, so thank you for agreeing in a roundabout way.

I will gratefully pass … But hope it does well.
In the ratings and such!!! These actors need to make a living!

When I first watched Hallmark a few years ago it was a nice, happy ending network. No academy awards here. A diversion from real life dramas and violence going on everyday in the news. And I liked their stores, But now controversy re program content between the newer competing network and some actors leaving to join it. Very disappointing.

I case anyone is interested just saw a cleaned up version of Josh Kelly/Cody/GH is in a Hallmark movie Christmas Bells Are Ringing 2018. :)))

Just to keep you updated on Hallmark. :)))). It was featured on CBS Sunday Morning today as the happy show, that has a good ending, with romance, high cable ratings, and many women viewers of all ages. I’ve even noticed the major big three cable networks have a happy Christmas movie or two this year. Daytime soaps could take a lesson. Since they are shown 24/7, in a way these Hallmark movies are also taking the place of soaps for “romance in the afternoon” instead of all of the violence on GH recently. It showed about how Hallmark has gotten more inclusive over the years, including a gay story “The Holiday Sitter.”

All My Children

Malachy McCourt, ‘Ryan’s Hope’ and ‘All My Children’ Actor, Dead at 92

If you watched Ryan’s Hope through its 14-year-run, you know that Kevin the bartender became a beloved “member’ of the Ryan clan on the defunct ABC daytime drama series. The character of Kevin MacGuiness became so loved by the fans because of the actor who portrayed him, Malachy McCourt.

Sadly, according to his wife Diana McCourt to The New York Times, Malachy passed away on Monday from a heart condition and battling cancer. The actor was 92-years-old.

Playing Kevin on Ryan’s Hope was not much of a stretch for McCourt, because in his lifetime, he was the owner of 1950s Irish pub Malachy’s on Third Avenue in Manhattan. Known as one of the city’s great story-tellers, patrons from longshoremen to the actor Richard Harris would stop in and talk all things Irish with . On Ryan’s Hope, Kevin was best friends to “Ryan’s Bar” owner, Johnny Ryan (Bernie Barrow) and he tried to keep Delia (Ilene Kristen) on the straight and narrow.

Photo: ABC

In his soap opera career, McCourt also was widely-known for his role of Father Clarence McCourt on All My Children especially come Christmastime. Was Clarence, actually St. Nick? That was always the proverbial question. McCourt also appeared on the New York soaps: One Life To Live, Search For Tomorrow and Another World. Other roles included: Devil’s Own, Brewster’s Millions, The Molly Maguires, and Starman, to name 

Later in 2006, Malachy ran for governor of the state of New York as a Green Party candidate. He tackled social issues of the time including being an advocate for gay and lesbian groups to march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Photo: ABC

McCourt’s childhood was recounted within his brother Frank McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes, which detailed their mother’s attempt to raise the four of their surviving seven children in poverty in Limerick, Ireland. Later, Malachy wrote his own memoirs: 1998’s Monk Swimming, and 2000’s Singing My Him Song.

Malachy is survived by his aforementioned wife, Diana, daughter Siobhan McCourt; sons Malachy Jr., Conor and Cormac; stepdaughter Nina Galin; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Share you remembrances and condolences for Malachy McCourt via the comment section, but first check out this scene from a 1983 episode of “Ryan’s Hope” featuring the late actor with Ilene Kristen.

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All My Children

‘Live with Kelly and Mark’s’ Annual ‘After the Oscars’ Show Brings Backstage Interviews, Fashion Review and Red Carpet Arrivals from Movie’s Biggest Night

Monday morning, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the talk show’s annual Oscar post show.

However, this time it would be Consuelos’ first time as the co-host of ‘Live’ for an Oscars episode. Mark took over the gig from Ryan Seacrest to team with his wife back in April of 2023 and since then the show has seen a ratings spike hitting several all-time highs.

The After the Oscars show opened with a tribute to the movies were the former All My Children stars took on iconic roles from: Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct to Barbie and Ken in Barbie, to the Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller role’s in the romantic comedy Something About Mary and more.

Courtesy/DisneyABC

During After the Oscars, Kelly and Mark were shown in clips backstage as the first stop for the newly-anointed Academy Award winners including: Finneas and Billie Eilish and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The Bachelor host, Jesse Palmer was the talk show’s guest correspondent who spoke to the nominees, and celebrities as they were entering the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night.

Singer Andy Grammar took to the stage and performed on Live’s  After the Oscars show as well, and Project Runaway’s Elaine Welteroth shared her thoughts on the night’s Oscar fashion.

You can watch the full ‘Live with Kelly and Mark After the Oscars’ show below, plus the full movie parody below that. Now let us know, what do you think of Kelly and Mark’s first post-Oscar show together on ‘Live’? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

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All My Children

EXCLUSIVE: Jacob Young, Joan Collins and Nadia Bjorlin to Prague to Film ‘Murder Between Friends’

On Thursday night during the Michael Fairman Channel’s livestream interview centering around Jason Cook’s (ex-Shawn, DAYS and ex-Matt, GH) latest movie Four For Fun which stars Brytni Sarpy (Elena, Y&R) and Jacob Young (ex-JR, AMC, ex-Rick, B&B and ex-Lucky, GH), revealed another upcoming film project with some very familiar faces.

Jacob Young shared an exclusive that he is set to direct, produce and star in a Agatha Christie-like murder mystery feature film aptly tiled Murder Between Friends.

Speaking on the upcoming project, Jacob said, “I’m flying at the end of the March to Prague to direct, produce and star in a film with Joan Collins (ex-Dynasty). Nadia Bjorlin (ex-Chloe, Days of our Lives) is in it, and Toby Alexander Smith from Eastenders (ex-Gray Atkins). Plus, a couple of my Broadway friends and a very well known Czech actress (Hana Vagnerova).”

Photo: BBC

According to Jacob, the production start date is April 1st. He added on the premise of the film, “It’s very Agatha Christie sort of ‘Knives Out’ without having a hundred million dollars to shoot it, but still will be a lovely film nonetheless.” Young said the plan is to finish all principal photography by April 17th.

Photo: JPI

IMDb has more on the film. It shared that former All My Children star Trent Garrett (ex-Asher Pike) is listed as co-directing the feature. Mark Rozzano is listed as writer of Murder Between Friends.

So, what do you think about this upcoming feature from Jacob that will feature Joan Collins, Nadia Bjorlin et al? Share your thoughts in the comment section. 

Then below, check out the full livestream conversation with Jason Cook, Brytni Sarpy and Jacob Young on ‘Four For Fun’ and their notable soap roles.

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Peter Reckell returns for a second visit with Michael Fairman following the wrap-up of his recent run as Bo Brady on Days of our Lives.Leave A Comment

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