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�IT WAS THE CANDLESTICK IN THE BEDROOM!�
Hallmark Channel Casts Adelphia Programming Exec Abby Aronsohn as
Murder Victim in Upcoming Original Movie �Mystery Woman�
Movie is Part of �Hallmark Channel�s Mystery Movie� Franchise
Hallmark Channel has embarked on a killing spree, with Adelphia
Communications Vice President of Programming, Abby Aronsohn cast as its first �victim.�
In the network�s upcoming Original Movie �Mystery Woman,� Aronsohn portrays a young
mother who meets an untimely end in a pivotal flashback scene. The network is
producing 12 Original Movies for its three �Hallmark Channel Mystery Movie� franchises,
providing future opportunities for affiliate partners to be cast as �victims.�
�We thought this would be a fun way to get our valued affiliate partners involved
with one of our most ambitious original programming initiatives,� stated Janice Arouh,
Senior Vice President of Network Distribution and Service for Hallmark Channel. �These
mystery movies will take us to the next step in original programming, especially
considering the genre is already a hit with our viewers. The murder victim appearances
are a great way to establish excitement among our affiliates from the beginning. In real
life, we love Abby and are thrilled she was our first �victim.��
�Mystery Woman,� starring Emmy�-nominated Kellie Martin (�Christy,� �Life Goes
On�), is one of three movie franchises, with the other two featuring John Larroquette
(�Night Court) as �McBride� and Lea Thompson (�Caroline in the City�) as �Jane Doe.�
Each of the three franchises will include four movies, with 12 total mystery movies. The
�Hallmark Channel Mystery Movie� will premiere in early January 2005.
In �Mystery Woman,� Martin reprises the role she originated in Hallmark
Channel�s second-highest rated Original movie of all time. Martin plays Samantha
Kinsey, a talented photographer and mystery buff who inherits the �Mystery Woman�
bookstore from her beloved uncle and mentor. Now an accomplished amateur sleuth,
Samantha uses her knowledge of crime novels, characters and clues to solve the most
baffling real-life crimes. Helping Samantha navigate the precarious twists and turns of
her new avocation is Philby (played by Clarence Williams III, �Mod Squad�), a former
CIA agent with a cloak-and-dagger past who is now the enigmatic manager of the
mystery bookstore.
Hallmark Channel is a 24-hour basic cable channel that provides high-quality,
entertainment programming to a national audience of 63.5 million subscribers. The
program service is distributed through nearly 4,500 cable systems and communities and
direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Crown Media Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ: CRWN) owns and operates Hallmark Channel, which, in addition to the U.S.,
is distributed worldwide to more than 122 countries. The combined channels reach
more than 116 million subscribers globally. In January 2004, Crown launched its first
digital service, the Hallmark Movie Channel, which is its second 24-hour linear channel.
Through its subsidiary, Crown Media Distribution, LLC, Crown also distributes awardwinning
titles from the Hallmark Entertainment collection for exhibition in a variety of
television media including Video-on-Demand and High Definition Television.
- HALLMARK CHANNEL -
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