SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Hallmark Channel January 2009 Highlights, I Love Lucy Joins; True Hollywood Story Gets Syndicated

As we have mentioned many times, I Love Lucy is coming to The Hallmark Channel in January, and now we have full details for The Hallmark Channel's January 2009 line-up! Everyone's favorite red-head is coming to The Hallmark Channel with an all-day marathon of I Love Lucy on Friday, January 2, 2009 from 8am-9pm ET/PT. Spend the day with Lucy as she finds herself in the most unlikely jams, scrapes, dilemmas and plain old hot water! But at the end of the day, Ricky is always there to forgive and forget. After all, who doesn't love Lucy? Cuban bandleader Ricky Ricardo does what he can to keep up with the zany schemes of his highly imaginative wife Lucy. The recurring storylines relate Lucy's continual efforts to become an entertainer, despite Ricky's endless attempts to discourage her, and their comically frantic life in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz. This iconic sitcom set the standard for all that followed. I Love Lucy starred the legendary Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley.
I Love Lucy then immediately joins the regular schedule after the launch marathon on Jan. 2...airing Saturday mornings from 6am-9am (replacing Little House), Saturday late nights from 1am-3am (replacing movie), Sunday mornings from 8:30am-10am (replacing M*A*S*H), weekday mornings 8-9am (replacing Waltons), and weekday afternoons from 4-5pm (replacing Little House). Yes, the weekday 4-5pm airings will be encores of weekdays 8-9am from earlier in the day. There will be no other changes to the Hallmark schedule. As you all know, TV Land will not be airing I Love Lucy anymore after Dec. 31, so Hallmark is the way to watch now.
Other highlights for the month include two world premiere original movies on Saturday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 10. On Jan. 3 from 9-11pm, Vanessa Marcil, Dean Stockwell, Natalie Dreyfuss and Uriah Shelton star in the original movie Nanny Express. On Jan. 10 from 9-11pm, Jason Priestley, Teri Polo, Cheech Marin and Kevin Hernandez star in the original movie Expecting a Miracle. And on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, it will be all-day movie marathons starting at 9am. Proving you can never have too much of a good thing, Hallmark Channel continues the holiday fun with two day-long holiday movie marathons on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. And finally, the weekend of Jan. 24-25, will see a Rough 'N Ready Movie marathon. Tune into Hallmark Channel to see your favorite Western tough guys - John Wayne, Paul Newman, and Clint Eastwood - in three Hallmark Channel movie premieres during these two day-long movie marathons, such as the premieres of Unforgiven, Hombre, and Rio Bravo.

Debmar-Mercury has acquired the broadcast syndication rights to E! Entertainment Television's signature documentary series, True Hollywood Story, B&C reports.
For more than a decade, True Hollywood Story has followed the lives of Hollywood's hottest stars and, in 2009, the series will reach its 500th episode. Debmar-Mercury, a Lionsgate unit, will offer select library episodes of the show to TV.
Each episode features in-depth interviews, rare celebrity footage and behind-the-scenes scoops, giving viewers an exclusive look inside the lives of their favorite Hollywood stars. Ranging from JFK Jr., Dr. Phil and Lindsay Lohan to TV series such as The Sopranos, Bewitched, Brady Bunch, Three's Company, Diff'rent Strokes, Clueless and Friends, the series uncovers real-life celebrity tales of heartbreak, happiness and scandal from across the entertainment industry.
Among the series Debmar-Mercury syndicates include South Park, House of Payne, The Dead Zone, and first-run syndicated series such as Trivial Pursuit and Family Feud.
We will let you know more about the True Hollywood Story, such as the actual episodes in this package to be aired in syndication, as soon as we know!