or


[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.





  [august 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· 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)





[05/18/26 - 11:16 AM]
FOX Sports Races Full Throttle Into Indianapolis 500 Powered by a Stacked Roster of Elite Broadcasters
Play-by-play announcer Will Buxton is alongside nine-time Indianapolis 500 competitor James Hinchcliffe and 10-time Indy 500 racer Townsend Bell on the call for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

[05/18/26 - 11:00 AM]
AMC Global Media and Chris Hardwick Announce Partnership on Relaunch of "I Think You're Overthinking It" Podcast
In this vodcast series, Hardwick invites friends and fellow celebrities for deep-dive, free-flowing conversations that explore the intersection of personal hobbies, life lessons, and the obsessive side of fandom - all while attempting to navigate the beautiful, neurotic mess of overthinking everything.

[05/18/26 - 09:45 AM]
ESPN Presents the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks Exclusively on ESPN Networks
ESPN's lead NBA broadcast team - Mike Breen, analysts Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler, and reporter Lisa Salters - will provide commentary throughout the series.

[05/18/26 - 09:31 AM]
"Call My Agent! The Movie" Premieres Globally on Netflix September 10, 2026
The original cast officially reunited Friday night on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet to announce their return in a brand new feature film.

[05/18/26 - 09:30 AM]
Disney+ Joins Hulu to Livestream Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits Music Festivals Globally
The addition of the Disney+ global livestream further enhances Hulu's historic run of streaming these Live Nation festivals by offering globally shared live events that can be watched simultaneously across continents.

[05/18/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases New Teaser from the DC Studios Series "Lanterns," Starring Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, and Kelly Macdonald
Additionally, the teaser revealed a first look at critically acclaimed actress Laura Linney, who will appear in the DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television series.

[05/18/26 - 07:01 AM]
TNT Sports Expands Roland-Garros U.S. Coverage in 2026 with All-Day, Multi-Platform Presentation Across TNT, truTV, HBO Max & Bleacher Report
For the second consecutive year, TNT Sports will present comprehensive live coverage of every day of the tournament, with main draw matches beginning on Sunday, May 24.

[05/18/26 - 07:01 AM]
Disney+ and Hulu to Stream New Series "Adventure Time: Side Quests" on June 29
The new series follows young hero Finn and his magical dog best friend Jake as they embark on adventures across the fantastical land of Ooo - partying with cloud people and punching evil in the butt along the way.

[05/18/26 - 03:01 AM]
"Oasis" Premieres on Netflix June 19
The series follows the guests and staff of an exclusive resort where appearances are deceptive and every character hides secrets that could change the course of the investigation.

[05/18/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Clarkson's Farm" Series 5 - Official Trailer - Prime Video
More Jeremy Clarkson brainwaves, more sheep and certainly more chaos on Diddly Squat Farm!

[05/16/26 - 07:38 AM]
It's the Wild West! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Defending Champion Thunder Face Victor Wembanyama and Spurs in Western Conference Finals Beginning Monday, May 18, at 8:30 P.M. ET on NBC and Peacock
NBC Sports' Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford (analysts), and Zora Stephenson and Ashley ShahAhmadi (courtside reporters) will call every game of the series.

[05/15/26 - 02:03 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late-Night and on Friday Night
"20/20" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, hitting 4-week highs in both measures.

[05/15/26 - 10:42 AM]
The Biggest Home Cook Competition of All-Time Heats Up Food Network This Summer with New Series "100 Cooks"
Hosted by Terry Crews, the series welcomes 100 of the country's best home cooks to run through an epic seven-week culinary gauntlet where 99 cooks will be eliminated and only one is named America's best home cook and wins as much as $250,000.

[05/15/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Maggie and Negan Unite to Save Manhattan in New Action-Packed Teaser for Season Three of "The Walking Dead: Dead City"
Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan as fan-favorite characters Negan and Maggie, the compelling new season premieres Sunday, July 26 on AMC and AMC+.

[05/15/26 - 09:31 AM]
Ella Rubin Joins Netflix's Series Adaptation of "The God of the Woods"
Rubin joins previously announced cast members Kerry Condon and Maya Hawke.