GRAMMY(R) NOMINEE BILLY RAY CYRUS GIVES TV VIEWERS THE GIFT OF MUSIC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

"CHRISTMAS COMES HOME TO CANAAN," A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE WORLD PREMIERE DECEMBER 17

Cyrus Writes/Performs Original Song Home for the Film; Film is Sequel to Network's Highly Rated Original Movie of 2009; Hallmark Channel's COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: More True Holiday-Themed Programming Than any Other Network; Hallmark Channel Official Cable TV Partner with Marine Toys for Tots

"Christmas Comes Home to Canaan" is Rated: F for Family Meal, T for Tree-Trimming and P for Presents*

Country music superstar and multiple Grammy(R) nominee Billy Ray Cyrus gives TV viewers the gift of music this holiday season starring in "Christmas Comes Home to Canaan," a Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere, Saturday, December 17 (8p.m. ET/PT, 7C). The film is the sequel to the network's highest-rated film of 2009, "Christmas in Canaan" (OAD, Saturday, December 12, 2009). Cyrus, Grammy(R) nominated in 1993 for his debut album Some Gave All, has written and performed an original song - Home - which viewers will be able to receive as a download during the World Premiere of "Christmas Comes Home to Canaan" by having a second screen opened to the URL www.hallmarkchannel.com/Countdown. Mr. Cyrus also wrote, performed and produced a music video in the original Canaan story.

Hallmark Channel's COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS features more true holiday-themed programming than any other network. Hallmark Channel is proud to be the official TV partner with Marine Toys for Tots working with the foundation to fulfill their mission that every child deserves a new toy at Christmas.

In "Christmas Comes Home to Canaan," Cyrus reprises his role as Daniel Burton in the 1960s-era saga of a family's experiences in racially charged Canaan, TX. In the story, Daniel's son Bobber (Liam James, "The Killing") needs extensive orthopedic surgery and months of intensive physical therapy to recover from being struck down by an automobile. Rodney Freeman (Matt Ward, "Christmas in Canaan," "TRON: Legacy," narrates the story), the young black man who Daniel took into his home and raised as another son, has become a famous writer and offers to fly Daniel and Bobber to San Francisco and to pay for the surgery. Once in San Francisco, Daniel meets Briony Adair (Gina Holden, "Life Unexpected"), a physical rehabilitation specialist who will be working toward Bobber's recovery. When therapy progresses slowly, Bobber invites Briony to come home to Canaan to spend Christmas with the Burtons and continue his treatment. Briony is a natural at caring for a thriving family, but Sarah (Emily Tennant, "Christmas in Canaan"), Daniel's daughter distances herself not wanting to dishonor her late mother's memory with the caring woman who has captivated Daniel's time and attention. A dust-up involving a Burton family Christmas tradition causes Briony to leave, and Sarah immediately feels sad that she behaved so jealously. Daniel begins to feel just as lonely as he discovers Sarah has applied to college and will leave home soon. Concerned with the thought of losing both Sarah and Briony, Daniel busies himself helping his neighbor Shoup (Julian D. Christopher, "Christmas in Canaan," "Flashpoint") overcome the prejudice of the townspeople who refuse to do business with an African-American merchant. Before long, business is booming and Daniel is too busy to notice that Sarah has made a trip to the West Coast to smooth things over with Briony. When Daniel returns home from work, he questions an extra place setting at the table. Daniel soon learns a very special friend has returned to Canaan.

"Christmas Comes Home to Canaan" is A Canaan Films Inc. Production. Dan Angel and Ted Bauman are executive producers. Charles Lyall is producer. Neil Fearnley directed from a script by Donald Davenport.

* Hallmark Channel's COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS created a new television tradition for 2011: the Christmas TV ratings system. The Christmas ratings include: S for Santa, T for Tree-Trimming, J for Joy, F for Family Meal, G for Family Gathering, P for Presents and C for Caring. Have a very Hallmark Christmas!

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. The top tier program service is distributed through approximately 5,492 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading network in quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies, lifestyle and general entertainment content, and is the home of "The Martha Stewart Show", which anchors the channel's daytime original programming block. Hallmark Channel's sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, which focuses on the family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.