It’s that time of year when fluffy little holiday films are filling the airwaves. After all, in this busy time we all could use some fun stories, that aren’t deep but are entertaining. Naughty & Nice is one of those sweet little holiday films that balances just the right amount of drama with pleasure, and of course, romance.

 

When a popular Los Angeles radio host’s antics go a little too far, he is sent to a sister station in the small town of Idyllwild, Colorado. For Pepper Sterling (Tilky Jones), this is the end of the earth. The self-absorbed talk show host only wants to work out his time in the boonies so he can return to his high-powered life in Los Angeles. But when he is teamed with the local radio talk show host Dr. Sandy Love (Haylie Duff), he starts to see things differently.

 

Dr. Love’s show is 180 degrees different than his LA show. She doesn’t joke or say disparaging things to her callers. She is kind, courteous, and generally helpful to those who call in with problems. Although he interjects some annoying comments during the show, he doesn’t care. His style is completely different than hers. Somewhere along the way, they seem to find common ground, and their show becomes successful.

 

 

And, you know this is coming so I am not giving away any spoilers, the attraction between the two starts slowly but grows into love, to the dismay of the station manager who is also wooing Sandy.

 

The banter between Sandy and Pepper makes her generally slow-movie talk show a big hit. Pepper doesn’t take things as far as he did in Los Angeles, and together with Sandy they manage to entertain while helping the callers. In Los Angeles he was snarky and only wanted his show to be entertaining, but Sandy only wants her show to be helpful. After all, she does hold Ph.D. Learning to work together is a challenge, but all challenges are worth tackling, especially when their jobs are on the line. How they go from adversaries to companions is what makes this story entertaining.

 

Maureen McCormick co-stars as Sandy’s recently widowed mother, Eric Petersen plays Sandy’s assistant, and Tyler Jacob Moore plays Cole, the man wooing Sandy but who ultimately knows he is not the man for her.

 

Naughty & Nice will premier Sunday, November 9, 2014 on UP TV.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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Take two single schoolteachers, add one available widower, a dash of cuteness, a little spice, and a whole lot of competitiveness and you get the new original Hallmark Channel movie A Cookie Cutter Christmas. Erin Krakow, best known for starring in the Hallmark Channel series When Calls the Heart, stars in this fun and flavorful film.

 

Ever since they were kids, Christie (Krakow) and Penny (Miranda Frigon) have been rivals. For the last 20 years they have forgotten how close they were when they were young, and have tried to out-do each other whenever possible. Interestingly enough, they both pursued careers as elementary school teachers, and believe it or not, their classrooms are directly across the hall from each other’s.

 

It’s the holiday time and Penny is in charge of the annual holiday festival. This year she decides to have a cookie bakeoff competition, knowing her former best friend and current rival Christie doesn’t know her way around a kitchen. Penny feels she is a shoe-in to win.

 

James (David Haydn-Jones) just moved to town with his young daughter Lily (Genae Charpentier), who was assigned to Christie’s class. James and Christie have an instant connection, which irks Penny. Everything Christie does irks Penny. She has harbored a deep resentment for Christie for 20 years, and Christie feels the same about her, only Christie is ready to put the past behind them. Penny continues her tricks and backstabbing while they both try to come up with the best cookie recipe.

 

Alan Thicke appears as Chef Krueger, the judge of the cookie bakeoff. Will he prefer Penny’s tantalizing treats or Christie’s delicious delicacies?

 

Erin Krakow is adorable in this fun film. And watch for a surprise matchup for another couple! The film is enough to ignite anyone’s sweet tooth, so make sure you have plenty of cookies on hand when you’re watching this.
As with most holiday films, this one has a message for the season. While Penny is deceitful and conniving, Christie realizes, “Sometimes in our pursuit of winning we forget what’s important. Friendship.”

 

A Cookie Cutter Christmas premiers November 9, 2014 on Hallmark Channel.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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Are you intrigued by what goes on behind the scenes in the theater? Do you often wonder how the actors relate to each other off the stage? NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage takes viewers inside the production of Richard III with Kevin Spacey, as they prepare the play and take it on the road around the world to a wide variety of audiences in very different locales.

 

The production originally formed in London where the cast was assembled and the play was flushed out. Then they took it on the road to Doha, Epidaurus, Istanbul, Singapore, Sydney, Naples, San Francisco, Beijing, Hong Kong, and New York City. This film documents not only the creation and performance of the play, but also the experiences of the cast as they travel the globe with wonder and experience different cultures and environments.

 

“If you’ve never seen Kevin Spacey onstage, the premiere of NOW on Ovation is a fantastic way to experience his immersive and captivating interpretation of the tyrannical Richard III,” said Scott Woodward, SVP, Programming and Production, Ovation. “But this film does more than showcase Spacey’s extraordinary talents. It provides real insight into the art of stage acting and the creative, emotional and physical challenges of performing demanding roles night after night, in city after city.”

 

Shakespeare evokes either love or dislike. Many people have bad memories of their schooldays when they were “forced” to read a Shakespeare play or two. Others cannot wait to reread their favorite play by the man who transformed the theater. Whatever your feelings about Shakespeare, this film is interesting in that it does not focus primarily on the play, but rather, it is an interesting look at everything else that goes into creating the production.

Theater students will gain a wealth of knowledge from this film. Spacey fans will enjoy watching their favorite actor take on the difficult role of Richard III. And lovers of the arts will gain a profound appreciation for the work and dedication of those involved in this production.

 

NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage premiers Sunday, November 9, 2014 on Ovation.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter

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The 2011 film Page Eight began the Worricker trilogy. Bill Nighy starred as MI5 agent Johnny Worricker, a man with principles who saw the integrity and moral dilemmas of the business and the country in jeopardy. He leaves England and goes into hiding. This spy story concludes with two Masterpiece Contemporary films on PBS this November.

 

Turks & Caicos is where Worricker has been hiding out since leaving England. He is living a comfortable life, not overly elaborate by any means, but at least he is not under pressure. That is until a CIA agent discovers him while under cover scoping out an intricate plot involving some high- powered investors, which leads back to the Prime Minister. When one man in the group is murdered, the spotlight is focused on the entire group and Worricker is involved, to his chagrin.

 

Through some elaborate plotting this inventive and definitely intuitive man manages to use the events to his advantage and plays the situation like he would play a chess game. Setting up one move after another, Worricker manages to create an inventive little situation in which he uses his spy intuition and ingenuity to come out on top. But that is not the end.

 

The following week Johnny Worricker returns in Salting the Battlefield, the conclusion of the trilogy. This involves Worricker outsmarting MI5 and the Prime Minister to get to the bottom of an intricate scheme. But is he really one step ahead of the game or is he the piece of the puzzle?

 

Writer/Director Sir David Hare said, “Everything has changed in British intelligence since the declaration of the War on Terror in 2001.” He incorporated these changes into the Worricker storyline. “I had the idea of this heroic guy in MI5 who does thing the old way and therefore is a little bit of a fish out of water.” In the films, Worricker is against torturing prisoners. This is one of the moral dilemmas he faces in the stories. The other is corruption in the government.

 

“My original vision was that very heavy subject matter should b presented very lightly,” explained Hare. “I wanted to talk about complicated and profound moral problems – about intelligence and the way societies organize themselves to fight threats. But I wanted to do it in a way that was completely lighthearted and easy to digest – that was fun, really, and had a humorous tone to it.” Bill Nighy definitely brings that tone to the films.

 

These are sophisticated spy stories with some great actors. Christopher Walken co-stars in Turks and Caicos, along with Winona Ryder and Helena Bonham Carter. Ralph Fiennes plays Alec Beasley, the Prime Minister. He reprises this role in Salting the Battlefield, and Judy Davis reprises her role as an MI5 chief.

 

Turks and Caicos premiers Sunday, November 9, 2014 and Salting the Battlefield concludes the trilogy the following Sunday, November 16 on PBS’ Masterpiece Contemporary.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter

Like her on Facebook