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[08/17/09 - 12:58 PM]
ABC Family Fetches Starz Media's "The Dog Who Saved Christmas" for Network's 'Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas' Programming Event
Mario Lopez, Dean Cain, Elisa Donovan and Gary Valentine co-star in the project, bowing Sunday, November 29 at 8:00/7:00c.

[via press release from ABC Family]

ABC FAMILY FETCHES STARZ MEDIA'S "THE DOG WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS" FOR NETWORK'S 'COUNTDOWN TO 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS' PROGRAMMING EVENT

Mario Lopez Joins Dean Cain, Elisa Donovan and Gary Valentine In the Original Movie About a Problem Pooch Who Saves the Holiday

Burbank, CA (August 17, 2009) � ABC Family and Starz Media will be barking in the holidays together this season, with the network buying the U.S. cable TV rights to the new holiday movie, "The Dog Who Saved Christmas," as part of its November "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" programming event. A Starz Media presentation, the two-hour original movie makes its worldwide premiere on ABC Family on Sunday, November 29 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. Jeffrey Schenck, Zelma Kiwi and Barry Barnholtz are executive producers on the film, which was written by Michael Ciminera and Richard Gnolfo, from a story by Schenck, Ciminera and Gnolfo. Michael Feifer directed the movie.

"Dog" stars Dean Cain ("Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," "Out of Time"), Gary Valentine ("The King of Queens"), with Mario Lopez ("Saved By the Bell," "Pacific Blue") featured as the voice of Zeus, the misguided guard dog who saves the Bannister family's Christmas when he thwarts a burglary attempt by two inept thieves. Elisa Donovan ("Clueless," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), Sierra McCormick ("Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"), Charlie Stewart ("The Suite Life of Zach & Cody," "Life with Bonnie"), Mindy Sterling (the "Austin Powers" trilogy) and Adrienne Barbeau ("Maude," "Carnivale") also star.

"Jeffrey and Barry put together a terrific cast and a very appealing story with 'The Dog Who Saved Christmas'," said Gene George, Starz Media EVP, Worldwide Distribution, who is overseeing all distribution for the title. "It attracted the interest of TV programmers around the world, and we were thrilled to ultimately bring it to ABC Family as part of its lineup this holiday season."

"We're very excited to be partnering with Starz Media on the 'The Dog Who Saved Christmas'," said Tom Zappala, Senior Vice President, Disney ABC Television Group. "It will be a perfect addition to our highly successful 'Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas' event."

Anchor Bay Entertainment, Starz Media's market-leading home entertainment division, will release the movie on DVD just nine days later, on December 8, 2009.

"We expect 'The Dog Who Saved Christmas' to be one of the hit titles of this holiday season, and for years to come," adds Anchor Bay Entertainment EVP, Worldwide Marketing, Gordon Prend.

About Starz Media

Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children's entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray� formats. It is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of the theatrical titles from Overture Films. Headquartered in Burbank, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

About ABC Family

Part of the Disney-ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relevant stories about today's relationships, all told with diversity, dysfunction, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a mix of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas!" ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.





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· ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER? (NICKELODEON)
· CARNIVALE (HBO)
· DOG WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· KING OF QUEENS, THE (CBS)
· LIFE WITH BONNIE (ABC)
· PACIFIC BLUE (USA)
· SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH (WB)





[06/01/26 - 02:03 PM]
Exclusive Announcement Live From Crime Con 2026: Season 4 of the Hit Docuseries "Betrayal" to Stream on Hulu This August
In a room of thousands of fans of true crime and scandals, the team made a surprise exclusive announcement that Season 4 of the popular docuseries will stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for Bundle subscribers this August.

[06/01/26 - 02:02 PM]
"Squatters: Get the F*** Out of My House," A New Docuseries from Executive Producers Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Begins Streaming June 4 on Hulu
The six-part series follows ordinary people blindsided by manipulators who know exactly how to weaponize tenant protections and turn the legal system against the very people it's supposed to protect.

[06/01/26 - 01:00 PM]
Starz Sets September 18 Premiere Date for Epic Time-Traveling Romantic Drama "Outlander: Blood of My Blood"
Season one introduced viewers to the two different, but equally passionate, love stories of Claire's and Jamie's parents as they met and fought to be together against all odds.

[06/01/26 - 12:50 PM]
ESPN Announces June MLB Game of the Day Schedule
The Game of the Day schedule is an out-of-market offering and is subject to local blackout restrictions.

[06/01/26 - 12:06 PM]
2026-27 CFP Broadcast Schedule Revealed
The home of the CFP since its inception in 2015, ESPN is in the first year of its new expanded package, which includes five games sublicensed to TNT Sports.

[06/01/26 - 11:04 AM]
ESPN Scored Most-Watched NCAA Women's College World Series Opening Thursday on Record
Arkansas-Nebraska averaged 1.4 million viewers, with a peak of 1.6 million.

[06/01/26 - 11:00 AM]
Thor and Loki Join the Iron Friends in New "Marvel's Iron Man and His Awesome Friends" Episodes, Rolling Out June 11 on Disney Jr. and Next Day on Disney+
guest stars for the series were also announced today, including Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts as Dizzy Doubleday, a baseball player who loves to help young kids learn the game.

[06/01/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Love Island UK" - Season 13 - Trailer
Stream the new season June 4 on Hulu.

[06/01/26 - 09:03 AM]
Paramount+ Sets Streaming Debut for Baz Luhrmann's "EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert"
The film will make its streaming debut June 3, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and in Canada on July 24.

[06/01/26 - 08:27 AM]
ESPN Scores Most-Viewed Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final Since 2015, The Latest Viewership Successes Headed Into the Stanley Cup Final
Across four games on ESPN, the series averaged 2.2 million viewers and was up 44% vs. the Western Conference Final last year (Edmonton vs. Dallas) which went five games on ESPN.

[06/01/26 - 07:15 AM]
ABC's Exclusive Coverage of the 2026 NBA Finals Begins June 3: New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs
The matchup marks the Knicks' first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 - and their first ever on ABC - and the Spurs' sixth NBA Finals appearance on ABC.

[06/01/26 - 07:15 AM]
Queen Latifah, P!NK, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Whitney Leavitt, and More to Celebrate "Chicago's" 30th Anniversary with Special Performance at "The 79th Annual Tony Awards" Live Sunday, June 7 on CBS
Broadway's biggest night will also feature performances from "The Lost Boys," "Schmigadoon!," "Titaníque," "Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)," "CATS: The Jellicle Ball," "Ragtime" and "Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show."

[06/01/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "I Will Find You" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Wrongfully imprisoned for murdering his own son, a father sets out on a desperate rescue mission after learning the boy may still be alive.

[06/01/26 - 06:19 AM]
BAFTA Award-Nominated Drama "What It Feels Like for a Girl" Heads to the U.S. on Prime Video Starting This Pride Month
The eight-part series has quickly become one of the UK's most celebrated new dramas, earning widespread critical acclaim and significant industry awards recognition for its fearless storytelling, emotional honesty and ground-breaking portrayal of queer working-class life in early 2000s Britain.

[05/31/26 - 11:31 PM]
Video: "Raakh" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
"Raakh" is a haunting crime investigation that begins with the disappearance and murder of two teenagers in Delhi.