#heartland season 12 countdown

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 4 Days || 11x15 - Strength of Bonds

Well, I suspect you all know what I’m gonna say, since I say the same thing every single year. But it hasn’t changed. The thing I’m most thankful for is...is this family.

[warsofasoiaf]

The Celtic Tiger - A Kaiserreich Ireland AAR Chapter 2: An American Tragedy

12 February 1937 - Home of Michael Collins, Cork, Ireland

“The United States of America has faced challenges since its founding, but it is an enduring republic. When we were invaded, we fought off our attackers. When the Great Storm hit Galveston, we built cottages from the storm lumber. When Black Monday reached our shores, we passed the Garner-Wagner Act to deliver our people relief. The American people, through this election, have made their will clear. They do not want the empty promises of Jack Reed. They demand more than the sayings of Huey Long. Words are not enough, action is required. That is what I shall promise: action. We will stand firm against the threat of populism and syndicalism.”

Benjamin Franklin, after the Constitutional Convention, was asked whether the United States was a democracy or a republic. His words were: ‘a republic, if you can keep it.’ That was not mere wit, but a charge; a sacred duty given to every citizen. Today we say: it is our republic, and we shall keep it.” -US President John Garner, Excerpt from Inaugural Address

In Michael Collins’s case, war never seemed to have a countdown, but sure enough, the war looked like it would begin in 30 days. Just the thing to ruin his vacation; he had hoped to spend a few days in Cork to recharge his batteries, and ended up having indigestion and headaches the entire trip.

The United States had been a roiling mass of discontent since 1925, but it had only gotten worse during Black Monday. President Garner had won a lot of support in his campaign, which had focused on trumpeting the successes of the Garner-Wagner Act and touting the President’s willingness to fight any who threatened democracy. “A snake is a snake is a snake,” Garner had been fond of quoting on the campaign trail, swaggering with a pair of revolvers. “I plan on working to fix the mess that we’ve found ourselves in. If Jack Reed and Huey Long want their voices heard, I’ll listen to them. If they want prosperity for America, they’ll listen to me. And if they want to fight, they’ll get one. I don’t plan on striking first, but as God is my witness, I’ll be striking last!” 

That had been enough for the Presidency. Jack Reed’s Socialist Party of America and Huey Long’s America First Party had strong regional support, but neither movement received enough votes to beat the Republican candidate Alf Landon, let alone Garner. Yet the victory was narrow, and both candidates claimed voting irregularities arranged at the polling places by supporters within the state voting commissions, along with other accusations of beatings and intimidation campaigns. Herbert Hoover endorsed Garner in a show of cross-party American solidarity, and Landon himself was a guest of honor at Garner’s inauguration. Garner had already promised the Republicans some Cabinet appointments in the hopes of building a coalition government strong enough to stop Long and Reed. It was an uphill battle; the 1936 voting season had been marred by political demonstrations turning violent, they had even called it the Red Summer, and now Long and Reed were railing against the legitimacy of the vote.

When the populists had made their accusations, the governors in their regional strongholds had backed Long and Reed. The populists, it seemed, had called President Garner’s bluff. The governors demanded a “national reconciliation council” under their talking head, and both had made it plain that the other would not be welcome on it, making it all but certain that war would come, and it would not be small. Jack Reed was popular in the Steel Belt and Huey Long had an almost religious appeal in Louisiana and in the rest of the Southern United States. Reed had much of the industrial heartland, but Long had far more pull among the military including high ranking officers. It wouldn’t be an easy fight, no matter what Texans had to say. In both ways, it was bad for the United States.

Collins had hoped it wouldn’t be war, but he was sure that it would be. If Jack Reed was able to successfully overthrow Garner, the Internationale would be emboldened. The Communards might still be reluctant to face Germany, given how large such a war would be, but Mosley would almost certainly want to snap up Ireland to carry forth syndicalist momentum. Anti-Irish rhetoric had only intensified in the months following Ireland’s meteoric 1936 rise, with Mosley claiming that Michael Collins had become “every inch the oppressive king he fought against.” Collins laughed when he was first told it, but as the days went on he seethed against the man, wishing he could have five minutes alone in a room with him. He was sure his sainted ma would not look fondly on him for beating on a man with a limp, but she’d forgive him.

When the reporters asked for a quote, Collins was sure to give them one. “Look at Mosley in the war. Gallivanting around in an aeroplane like war was just boys at camp, crashing trying to be a showboat. I suppose I must be kind, he tried to prove he was a brave man, I’m sure it’s not his fault he ran behind a desk before a year was out. That’s where he’s most comfortable, hiding and sipping his gin while he sends young boys to do the fighting and dying.”

Collins had a good laugh, but he made sure to tell his diplomatic service to make sure that Ireland would have plenty of friends on both sides of the Atlantic, just in case the Union tried anything. Laugh in public, but service your pistol in private.

---

14 March 1937 - Áras an Uachtaráin, Dublin, Ireland

It was war. The entire world was aflutter with the news that the United States had descended into a civil war. President Garner’s deadline had come and went, and both Jack Reed and Huey Long had declared war on the United States. In response, Garner had appointed General George Marshall as Chief of Staff of the Army. The Internationale had already voiced its support for Jack Reed, with Chilean, Communard, and Union supporters already on their way to support the newly-formed Combined Syndicates of America. The German Empire was far more reserved in its support. German-Americans primarily lived in areas controlled by the Combined Syndicates, and the United States government had primarily conducted a pro-Entente policy during the Weltkrieg, leading the Kaiser to support Huey Long out of pure pragmatism. Canada had fallen into debate within the Houses of Parliament on who they were supporting. 

Collins had no such reservations about debating who to support in the Dail. Collins had sent out a call for a volunteer division, the 1st Thunderbolts, and had placed them under the command of Daniel McKenna. The East Coast was dense with urban areas, and McKenna was just the man to fight in that difficult urban war, having fought the English in the cities before. The Thunderbolts had been training for months in preparation for the outbreak of hostilities. Most were young men, too young to have seen the Independence War, but their officers and senior NCO’s had. That would carry them, fighting in unfamiliar territory would mean they would have to adapt quickly and rely on the experience of the leaders. Other IRA volunteers, particularly those with families in the United States, had opted to go there themselves, fight in the American army, and return later.

The first target would have to be the syndicalists. With their position in the American industrial heartland, they’d have the manufacturing prowess and the civilian manpower to build and repair war materiel far faster than the mostly rural southern states. They would have to trust in their greater manpower and equipment to hold the southern front against the aggressive generals of the American Union State. The United States had begun mobilizing forces on the West Coast to get them to move east, and requisitioned several rail lines for exclusive military use, but it would be hard fought. America was going to need all the help it could get.

---

13 April 1937 - Northern Maryland, United States of America

“We have traitors to our left, and traitors to our right

Our Congress and our president have long since taken flight

No ammo, no armor, no pills, no cargo

No prayers, no chance, no hope of tomorrow

Just you and me and a hell of a lot of fight.” -Frank McHewlitt

Pennsylvania had become a battlefield for the Second American Civil War just as it had for the first. The Pennsylvania governor had declared for Jack Reed, but the Federals had made a march into central Pennsylvania, seizing York to Fulton counties, but lack of manpower, difficult terrain, and Communard volunteer tank brigades had ensured any excursion was short-lived. From New York to the Midwest was controlled by the Syndicalists. Fearing being overrun, Joseph Kennedy Sr. had asked Canada to send an occupation force to protect them from the Syndicalists. This had infuriated President Garner, but pragmatists in his Cabinet had argued that the region was indefensible since the Syndicalists held New York, and better that the Canadians occupy it, and the Combined Syndicates risk a war with the Entente, than the factories be taken over by Jack Reed. Further south, Canada had sent a force to occupy the Panama Canal after the Americans had withdrawn their garrison force. The Canadians had said their mission was to protect trade, but had banned ships flying Communard, Union, or Chilean flags.

Further south, Texas to the Carolinas, and everything south, had pledged loyalty to Huey Long’s vision. Several companies had even signed on to the “Share Our Wealth” program. His men were heavily-armed and competently led, and they had already made significant inroads pushing north into Kentucky from Tennessee, even making contact with and fighting Jack Reed. George Patton had been named the overall commander of the American Union State, and on land the America First Party had shown themselves to be exceptional fighters pound-for-pound. Their goal had been to push and seize whatever territory they could, to turn the factories over to Longist control and get their war materiel production up to match the Federals and the Syndicalists. It had been remarkably successful, Patton’s armor techniques had run circles against disorganized Kentucky militia and revolutionary syndicalists alike. Already there were unconfirmed reports of mass shootings of CSA prisoners by AUS irregulars. The Federals were hard-pressed, often surrounded and potentially encircled by hostile forces in Kentucky. Only the chaos of the war and the close proximity of all three forces, kept them from being killed outright. Desertions, particularly from militia unfortunate enough to be in the encircled regions, were high.

Washington was no longer the capital. With Maryland under fire and the Firsters pushing from the south into Virginia, Garner had decided to temporarily move the capital to Denver, where he could oversee the political business of state. MacArthur had elected to remain in place as the commander of the East Coast Enclave, suggesting that Dwight Eisenhower take command of the main Federal forces in the Midwest. “He’s a Kansas man, there’s no man better in command from the Midwest. The troops will fight tougher and harder if they know we haven’t abandoned them. Don’t worry, Mr. President. Those bastard traitors won’t set a foot in D.C.” With his trademark corn cob pipe and a wave to the press, MacArthur took a ride on a Vultee V-1 to take up command, with Eisenhower being named the overall commander of Army Group West, with the goal of pushing east from Kansas into Missouri. 

MacArthur welcomed the service of the volunteers sailing and landing on the Chesapeake, no traitor forces had been able to ensure naval supremacy on the East Coast and none were willing to risk firing upon a flagged vessel and invite any nation’s full-blown entrance into the conflict. Lavr Kornilov, eager to project strength and stability after the assassination of President Kerensky. Hirohito had also dispatched volunteers citing the strong relationship between the United States and Japan and the need for legitimate government to be re-established in the United States to project stability in the Americas. Calles in Argentina, eager to re-establish the Monroe Doctrine to act as a bulwark against the Patagonian Worker’s Front, and always eager to fight syndicalists. Brazil likewise had ordered troops to support the United States. Mexico, eager to avoid any war spilling over their borders, had closed the borders to the American Union State and had sent divisions through the Gulf of Mexico before the Longist navy could seize control of the waters and potentially cut off trade and transit. MacArthur ensured that each division had several bilingual Americans to serve as liaisons and communications personnel. He couldn’t command the volunteers, but he did demand adherence to military law and that any abuse of US civilians or military personnel would be dealt with by firing squad. Similarly, MacArthur promised his own men that they would be punished harshly if they stole from or fought with Federal volunteers. Regular correspondence was mandatory, and passwords changed regularly to allow foreign soldiers to identify themselves quickly to friendlies, passed via radio operators who had signed up with the Federals in record numbers when President Garner forced a bill and executive order expanding the civil rights of Native Americans to shore himself up for the upcoming emergency. The Navajo Nation, who provided one of the largest units, dispatched signals operators to coordinate with the volunteer brigades, providing exceptional communications security and coordination between the Federals on both fronts.

Yet things were not going well. MacArthur had enforced military law within the East Coast enclave, and garrison forces frequently looked to seize supplies and materiel for their war effort. Oftentimes, a token effort at compensation or promise of restitution to come later was the only balm in Gilead; it did not help those who starved.

The volunteer forces moved north to the Mason-Dixon line, where the Combined Syndicate militia were threatening to move south into Maryland from their regional headquarters in Philadelphia. The Russians opted to secure themselves in Baltimore, while the Argentine and Mexican forces moved to Cecil County to secure Delmarva from the syndicalists seizing the east bank and potentially cutting off vital access to the Chesapeake. McKenna and the Irish 1st Thunderbolt, acting aggressively, crossed into Pennsylvania and secured themselves in York. Not willing to pass up a fight, Russian and Irish volunteer brigades pushed into Lancaster County, threatening Philadelphia and forcing the Communards to reinforce their position lest Philadelphia fall and the road to New York be pushed wide open.

---

17 April 1937 - Economic Committee of the Dail, Dublin, Ireland

It had been a constant flurry of activity in the new year. The Dail was debating loosening immigration restrictions to help bring in new blood to help support Ireland’s effort to modernize. Even if good policy and hard work had led Ireland out of the depression following Black Monday, manpower was still the hard limit on everything they could do. Once unemployment fell, there would be no new employees for businesses, and they’d turn away from Irish investment. 

There had been two major sources of pushback against immigration reform. The Unionists in Ulster had been vocal opponents, calling the efforts part of a planned demographic shift to stock the north with people that would sideline their concerns as Unionists. Their proposal had instead suggested an increase in immigration from select countries, notably Canada, Australasia, and the British Dominion of India. Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin was far more hostile to immigration overall, demanding no immigration save from Celtic-majority countries, particularly those who wished to depart the Union of Britain from Scotland and Wales. Some of the measures proposed had truly been radical, such as instituting a Gaelic language entrance exam to new immigrants. The hAiséirghe crowd had always been a touchy subject, they had enough support in Munster that they couldn’t be ignored as much as Collins wanted to throw the bastards into the ocean. 

Collins had been lucky, his Dublin financial capital idea had already been receiving positive responses. The German Kaiserreich, still deep within the throes of Black Monday, had debated whether or not to permit German businesses to invest in Ireland. The protectionists in their government had argued that the last thing that they needed to do was open up subsidiary companies in Ireland and send work away from Germans. The market liberals were far more enthusiastic, suggesting that the profits made could be reinvested in Germany; an influx of cash that wouldn’t increase the money supply and devalue the Mark. In the end, Wilhelm II had agreed to the proposal. He had known that the Irish Republican Army had been looking to re-equip their forces, and Krupp could easily manufacture rifles and mortars with a sizable government contract. Krupp opened Krupp Rüstungsbetriebe Irland, redesigning the Krupp Radreifen into the shape of a shamrock.

The Kingdom of Spain had also looked to establish an arms company in Ireland, eager to arm those who were also hostile to the syndicalists, and quite isolated on the European continent, with France and the German Protectorate of Morocco making an uneasy set of neighbors. Having a well-armed Irish Republic was a benefit to King Alfonso, who agreed to set up a subsidiary of Llama-Gabilondo y Cia SA, taking the name Dóiteáin-Gabilondo Incorporated, and selling their famous pistols to the Irish Republican Army. With regular army drills, and now a larger armaments industry within Ireland itself, a more significant and professional Irish Republican Army was starting to take shape.

The Italian Republic, floundering in the wake of massive German and Austrian stock selloffs, were eager to find ways to bring in cash and stabilize their own economy. Seeing a pressing need, the Italian Republic opted to establish a naval manufacturing dockyard in Dublin as Gio Ansaldo Irish Sea Shipwright, Ltd, to help produce submarines for the Naval Service. Italian engineers could work in Ireland, the revenue would flow into Italy, and the Irish would receive a powerful deterrent against the Union of Britain’s navy. Working in the choppier northern waters was different from the warmer and calmer Mediterranean, but the Italians proved up to the challenge, christening the first Irish U-Boat the new Fenian Ram.

The rush of European activity to invest in Ireland had not gone unnoticed in the Netherlands. After a fierce and competitive bidding war, the Dutch government, very busy with their preparations for the upcoming elections in May, had given the go-ahead for Royal Dutch Airlines KLM to do business within Ireland. Rather than operating a strict subsidiary, as the government was still facing the worst of Black Monday, Royal Dutch instead opened a joint venture with Aer Lingus, operating a civilian airfield that would bring in much needed tax revenue, and providing expertise for the construction of a military airfield in Leinster. The Union of Britain had lodged a formal complaint against the move in the Netherlands, but the ambassador had been dismissed out of hand, the official response being “Ireland has a right to the sky, and Britain has no right to dictate policy to the Netherlands.”

The United States had been considered highly unlikely to invest in Ireland. Even with the positive relationship that had existed between the two countries, the USA had been facing an existential crisis. To Collin’s great surprise, Garner had actually encouraged American companies to open subsidiaries in Ireland before hostilities broke out. In a diplomatic message to the Irish President, Garner had written: “I am certain there will be war. American industry will certainly not be spared. This initiative may save American lives and enrich both our countries. If the worst comes to pass, may God protect us both.” General Irish Electric, as the company titled itself, designed a logo incorporating the Irish harp in the signature “G” of the GE logo. The company received a grant from the National Industrial Investment Fund and purchased a factory abandoned during the Black Monday fallout, bringing up to speed in record time to produce civilian and industrial-grade electronics. Almost immediately, GIE had orders tasked almost to capacity for factories across Ireland to upgrade their own operations, throwing itself into the greater industrialization efforts that Michael Collins had championed the previous year.

The Dominion of Canada was a much more difficult beast to wrangle. Edward VIII had made no secret that he wished to reacquire not just the British Home Isles, but the British Empire as well; he would not be a second-fiddle to the Kaiser. That would mean the Six Counties, surely, perhaps even re-establishing the Free State as a Dominion. Collins had debated even making the offer to Canada, but a good relationship with Canada was, putting Edward aside, a sound policy. Canada needed money to support their war efforts, and a friendly relationship with Ireland would mean less problems when launching their operation to take back the Home Islands. Collins privately feared that they would want to use Ireland as a staging ground. Ireland had situated itself as a prominent financial hub, and since Dublin was designated a Special Economic Zone, it could potentially be very lucrative and offer a way to sell to the rest of Mitteleuropa without dealing with the Kaiser. The Canadian government had assented to Canadian Arsenals, a crown corporation to open a subsidiary in Dublin named North Atlantic Arms. Collins made sure that it acted in all things as a private company, insisting that King Edward appoint an executive staff the same as any other business. That had been a headache in the Dail, with Eamon de Valera angrily demanding not to sell Irish land to King Edward. Collins had countered that Ireland was a free and independent republic, and that the King had to obey Irish law rather than dictating laws to Ireland.When rumors came around that Jim Larkin had supported Dev’s objections, the Fianna Fail politician withdrew his opposition in favor of a more moderate compromise, asking only that the Dail be presented the terms of the contract in open session so that they could vote on them. Dev’s desire not to give Larkin more ammunition had rapidly diminished opposition to the measure within Fianna Fail, and Sinn Fein offered only a token dissent, permitting the venture to go forward.

With the outbreak of war in the United States and Ireland’s rapid industrialization, Sweden had sensed an opportunity to open a subsidiary business in Ireland as well. AB Landsverk had originally sought to open a tank manufacturing plant, since the Irish tanks were largely outdated and the Irish Republican Army was going to need to modernize its arsenal. Fierce protest erupted from the social democrats within Sweden’s Parliament, opposing the idea of arming Ireland and facilitating a possible war between Ireland and the Union. The hawks within Sweden had supported the venture, but military arms, even support equipment, could not secure a large enough coalition for the Economic, Defense, and Foreign Ministers to agree to the venture. Not wanting to lose out on the potentially lucrative deal and already facing their own problems with syndicalist unrest, Sweden’s market liberals had offered a compromise within the Riksdag, allowing Landsverk to open Landsverk Inneal, specializing in tractors and harvesting equipment to support the modernization of the Irish agricultural sector. Several prominent military analysts noted that the new Inneal tractors, with a few modifications, looked suspiciously similar to a light tank with the turret removed, but these were dismissed as products of an overactive imagination by both Swedish and Irish military analysts.

The Austrian Empire was in a difficult position in 1937. Emperor Karl I had been making significant plans for his Ausgleich Federation plans, and saw the Irish initiative not simply as a means to support his economy, but as a means to demonstrate both Austrian power and his willingness and initiative to support cooperation efforts for mutual gain. The Emperor had made his commitment to pluralism plain within his proposed federative model, he had hoped that participating in Collin’s economic initiative would help sway skeptics and naysayers to his side to give him greater support against Hungary. If it could help his economy and put neutral voters who cared more about their own personal livelihood than the greater plans of Austria-Hungary, that was fine as well. Daimler founded Irish-Daimler and focused on developing automobiles and lorries. While the Emperor could not be there in person, he had prepared a statement for the opening of the plant in Dublin. “Irish-Daimler is in the business of Irish business. Her success is our success, and our success is her success. May we both prosper in the days ahead.” 

Eight nations had opted to do business with Ireland in such a short period of time, and there had already been murmurs for other nations to do likewise. The success of Irish Black Monday reforms had been the talk of the European financial sector. Even distant Japan had expressed an interest in perhaps opening a branch of one of their zaibatsus in Ireland to sell to Western markets, though such a discussion was in the planning stages. When interviewed by The Financial Times, Lemass had made the quote that had made the headlines. “Ireland is the Emerald Isle. She always sparkled in our hearts, now everyone can see it.”

When Michael Collins had heard that, he smiled. The man had the head of a businessman but the heart of a poet. The head and the heart needed to complement each other if he wanted to see Ireland through.

---

8 May 1937 - Áras an Uachtaráin, Dublin, Ireland

As the war passed into its third month, Collins started to wonder about the upcoming elections in the fall. America had been on his mind a lot lately. An emergency act by the Oirechtas called the Díodean initiative had allowed Americans seeking refuge to come to Ireland, and plenty had taken Collins up on his offer. Many immigrants came with much of their wealth with them, which had provided an influx of capital. Even more valuable, however, was the technical knowledge. Many of the immigrants had been factory managers or entrepreneurs, and they had knowledge which made them highly valuable in the industrial sector. Not every tale was so fortunate, however. Some culture shock was perhaps inevitable, but it had been incredibly slow going. Collins had remembered the first time he saw a new settler to Ireland drive on the wrong side of the road and cause a car accident. This felt like seeing that unfold in slow motion on a national scale. The poor Americans had felt the Irish were cheating them out of wages and exploiting their desperate circumstances, while the wealthy felt their standard of living drop precipitously. 

The hAiséirghe crowd again troubled him. Reports of nativist gang uprisings in the poorer parts of cities and rural areas were on the rise. There were demonstrations that the new arrivals were stealing all of the good-paying jobs; this had been going on since the new immigration reform but now was reaching a fever pitch. The Unionists again rallied against Collins, accusing him of colonizing the north with people opposed to King Edward under the guise of humanitarian aid to defeat the Ulster Unionists at the ballot box. They demanded a series of refugee and work permits that did not confer voting rights as opposed to outright immigration and naturalization. That had caused a firestorm on the debate floor, causing no shortage of headaches for Collins.

To alleviate the shortages, Collins had organized refugee brigades in the Republican Army, where young men could earn a wage and provide a livelihood for their families. The Yanks were excellent shots, and Collins had hoped that seeing immigrants wearing a uniform would cause the locals’ respect for the military to undermine nativist tendencies. It was a mild success at best, mostly in Leinster where there had already been fewer problems overall. Collins had weighed outright banning the Ailtirí na hAiséirghe, but that would just send them underground like the Labour Party had. He had to settle for punishing assaults when they were reported, and increasing Gardaí patrols to keep the peace. 

In the leadup to the elections, Collins had seen cracks start to form in his ironclad voting bloc. While syndicalism had little popularity in Ireland itself, Sinn Fein had seen an upsurge in popularity with Black Monday despite Collins’s efforts. The Irish Christian Front and the Ailtirí na hAiséirghe had campaigned against him thanks to his immigration policies. Fianna Fail had campaigned on greater liberalization, and the National Centre Party had wanted to re-orient foreign policy to a more pro-Entente position. Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail had opted to engage in tactical voting, with candidates withdrawing from ballot races in order not to split the vote. Jim Larkin had endorsed the move, promising to work with Sinn Fein to provide greater relief to the Irish working class. The Irish Christian Front opted to boycott the elections and both they and the Ailtirí na hAiséirghe accused Collins of bringing in foreign refugees to ensure he had the votes needed to win.

At a closed door meeting, Collins was asked a simple question. “Sir, what should we do about the election?”

Collins, his hands shaking, had only one response. “Whatever it takes.”

---

15 July 1937 - West Virginia, United States of America

“We’re in the right thick of it now, ain’t we?” Daniel McKenna shouted over the din of battle. 

The East Coast Enclave had stabilized its borders after the early initial push, but still faced the difficulties of being surrounded by the enemy. Food and water shortages, irregular supply shipments, and losses from attrition were starting to take their toll on the beleaguered Federals. The Appalachian mountains had stymied Syndicalists pushing in from Ohio and Illinois, and the hilly and forested terrain had helped somewhat slow the push by Long’s forces, but only barely. Eisenhower had more success on the west, where the greater manpower has really started to pressure the American Union State on their Texas front. 

The Federals still controlled the air though. That had made securing their defenses much easier. Flying over the Great Plains was effectively a death sentence, and few had the nerve to establish air cover on the east coast. That was a small comfort to Dan McKenna, who had gone to the Applachians in response to a new Syndie push. The Federals had retaken Charleston in June, but their position was tenuous there, and with new militia units being sent into battle, someone had needed to defend this key western outpost. 

American militia units had stayed to defend the city, but McKenna had looked to secure the hills to the northeast. The Applachian plateau looked to give a good vantage point for artillery if any could succeed in the arduous task of towing them up to that position. Loyalist civilians had offered to do it on their own, pulling the units with their own work trucks, but that would be a dangerous undertaking without escort. McKenna took his Thunderbolts, with their own artillery pieces, to secure the hills first, while the militia guns could follow second when the way had been cleared. The Syndicates, tipped off by sympathetic informants, launched a massive push with their own 45th Thunderbirds, supplemented by local revolutionary forces, to prevent bombardment. The battle plan called for an overwhelming attack to break the dug-in mountain entrenchments, attacking from multiple directions in an attempt to dislodge the stubborn Irish defenders and find a weak spot.

McKenna demanded that the forces hold, using high-explosive burst shells over the heads of the enemy to maximize effect on the enemy. The engineers had dug in extensively, and had used dynamite to blast further fortifications and built entrenchments. The Thunderbolts only had a few guns, which were primarily pointed toward the northwest against the more highly-trained Thunderbirds. At such high elevation, and with such difficult terrain, evacuating casualties was difficult on the mountain, and men sometimes collapsed where they stood due to a combination of fatigue and high elevation.

That had been days ago, and the Thunderbolts were in tatters. The less wounded had even taken up shifts at night, or taking over service positions so able-bodied men could shoot and spot for the artillery. They had been holding, but just barely so. If it hadn’t been a mountain, they would have already been overrun. “I’ll be damned if I die on some cold rock half the world away from home.” McKenna defiantly continued to stand, hoping to wear down the superior numbers with artillery shells. He was the Wall of West Virginia, and he wouldn’t let the bastards through.

---

10 September 1937 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

It had been months of hard fighting. Charleston had remained in Federal hands, and the front had stabilized, but all hopes of recovering the Federals in Kentucky were lost. The loyalists could only hope that the army groups had disbanded to make their way back to Federal territory in smaller numbers rather than being shot en masse, or worse, deserting to fall in with the enemy for their own salvation. 

MacArthur had relied on the volunteers to fight a great deal of battles, more than he had preferred. The states under his control were tapped out for manpower resources, and if he started poaching from the factory floors for more able bodies he’d run out of supplies. Supply was irregular, especially for fuel, which he needed to keep the planes in the sky and the troops moving across the front. Olds and Tunner were able to airlift a lot of supplies, but demand always outstripped supply, and the more supplies he lifted the more danger there was for explosions in the cargo holds. 

Ultimately, MacArthur decided that he needed to attack, to keep the pressure on the east so that the Syndicalists did not pull more men to prevent Eisenhower from marching toward Chicago from Kansas and the Dakotas. The Syndicates had been attacking south against the American Union State and fortifying out of New York City, and MacArthur had theorized that they would be weak in between those two strongpoints. The Brazilian and Argentine volunteers offered to push toward Philadelphia, with the hopes of breaking the regional command post and sending Syndicalist forces into disarray, while the Irish opted to push into Pittsburgh to seize the valuable steel mills and threaten a push into Ohio. The Mexican volunteers opted to remain in Virginia to help guard the line against the Longists; they had feared if the American Union State won, there may have been calls to expand further south to seize valuable oil and mining territories; fears of the Golden Circle expansion as it was dubbed in Mexico had been a hot button issue for the Mexican volunteers. If the Irish could secure Pittsburgh, that would give them control of the railroad junctions and the rivers, and allow MacArthur to bring in militia units to bring the territory under control with little fighting. With that, they could push further north toward Erie, splitting the Syndicalists and isolating them in New York. With Canada closing the border to the Combined Syndicates, even to the point of having the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrest suspected border crossers and turning them over to the Federal government in Denver, that would render a similar fate to the lost Federals in Kentucky. MacArthur just hoped that his south could hold against the Firsters. Trading Virginia for Pennsylvania was not a winning proposition.

The B&O Line had been cut early, forcing McKenna and the Thunderbolts to march for most of the trip. Even in September, Pennsylvania was still hot, to help with water and the unfamiliar terrain McKenna had largely followed the Mononghaela river. To the east, he had Federal troops supplemented by Maryland militia moving north to take Harrisburg. McKenna force-marched his troops into Syndicate territory, hoping to secure a clear pathway along the rail lines for American repair crews to fix the B&O.

McKenna had been fortunate, western Pennsylvania had been defended by irregular militia units, poorly armed and lacking artillery support. In many cases, McKenna found that they didn’t have enough rifles for every man and only a few machine guns, some had taken to using shotguns better suited for partridge than men. When he was lucky, a few barrages from the field guns was enough to send them packing, but even without that, a dedicated attack usually was able to force back the disorganized units. A pity he didn’t have tanks, even a couple of old Weltkrieg landships would simply be able to drive to Pittsburgh unimpeded as long as it was gassed up.

The locals were fiercely divided. A few times McKenna had gone near towns, he had been welcomed and told where the Syndicates had kept their ammunition depot. Most of the time, however, the homes were ransacked, the supplies taken. Horror stories came to McKenna about “war syndicalism,” Reed’s name for the efforts taken to ensure his fighting men had the food they needed to fight. Sometimes it was the Combined Syndicates directly, but more often it seemed to be neighbors seizing on old grudges, summarily beating those they suspected of disloyalty and stealing their possessions, donating them to Reed as an act of solidarity. Worse still was what happened to those suspected of disloyalty. The Combined Syndicates offered a bounty on saboteurs and informants, and that had led to hastily-convened People’s Courts, serviced by hanging judges. Even so, there were plenty of people loyal to the Combined Syndicates, shouting their approval at finally destroying the brutal oppressors of Wall Street and their puppets in the Federal government. For a moment, McKenna thought of Ulster, and remembered everything he had heard 15 years before, and then he remembered the refugees from the British Isles after their revolution.

Pittsburgh had been hastily-fortified, with burned out hulks of cars blocking the bridges into town, forcing McKenna to navigate the crude fortifications with great care. The civilian population had largely huddled in buildings with boarded-up windows. The large buildings had been long ago hit by artillery fire or bombings from aircraft. Rail tunnels had been places of safety, McKenna’s scouts had found a few brave souls trading for various materials on picnic blankets. The mayor, who had thrown in his lot with the Syndicalists, had fled the city with the rest of the CSA, and they had thrown those city councilmen loyal to the Federal government into the Ohio. Coordination was largely infrequent, done by amateur radio. The civilians largely wanted to be left alone, out of the civil war, but the war had come to them despite their best wishes.

McKenna set to work, ordering his engineering corps to get the guns into firing positions. He positioned men near the Alleghany to prevent any CSA attack using the river to bypass his fortifications, and fortified the major exits with sandbags and machine guns. He had barely gone through half of his fortifications when he had heard the bad news: The Syndies were on the march along the Alleghany, and they would attack the city soon.

Yet, McKenna was not alone. The 12th Hohei Shidan, volunteer forces from far-off Japan, had come to support the Irish forces, and they had brought with them their Type 90’s, doubling McKenna’s supply of artillery. The Japanese and Irish soldiers met on the south side, and drew up plans for an attack. McKenna was given overall command, and elected to put his Irish veterans in the more dangerous forward position while the Japanese would fire on the CSA to draw them in under a battery of withering artillery fire. Once the enemy had descended past Lower Lincoln and could no longer enjoy visibility from Upper Lincoln, the Irish would ambush them in close quarters. 

The CSA announced their attack with a radio command ordering all civilians to remain indoors, and all “foreign invaders” to surrender to the 2nd New York Revolutionary Guard, for handling by the legitimate United States government for repatriation. The 12th Hohei Shidan responded with a cannon barrage, thus commencing the Battle of Pittsburgh at 0900 on 10 September. McKenna’s Thunderbolts fought in ambush-and-retreat tactics, dividing themselves into seven-man fireteams. McKenna would fire on advancing CSA forces, retreat into a building, then have a second fireteam flank the New York Revolutionaries from across the street. Casualties were high on both sides, especially among the Irish who often refused to fight until in incredibly close combat, hoping the shock of the ambush would carry the day. Friendly fire incidents were high, especially as the day went into night, both from accidental fire on friendly troops and sympathetic civilians accidentally firing on who they believed were enemy soldiers. Yet the day stood. On 14 September, his squads battered and American troops pushing through central Pennsylvania, Oliver Law reluctantly ordered a retreat to the northeast. Western Pennsylvania stood liberated, but the war was not over yet.

---

20 December 1937 - Welfare Island, New York City, United States of America

The icy winds of winter were howling, but the pit in Daniel McKenna’s stomach wasn’t from the cold. He had hoped to warm himself with a cigarette as he surveyed the successful conquest of New York City, but that had all left him. Naught but a short time ago, the celebration had been high. The Syndies had lost both a major symbol and, perhaps more pragmatically, their eastern command center. The Dominion of Canada had officially supported the Federal Government, and there had been Canadian, Indian, and French Republican volunteers sailing to Maryland to join MacArthur and the Volunteer Brigades, along with massive shipments of weapons from the Entente. Manhattan had surrendered rather than risk a massive urban brawl amongst the skyscrapers. That too, had seemed like a cause for celebration, but there was little sense of Christmas cheer among those who were picking through the ruins of New York City, for they had finally come to Welfare Island.

Inside, McKenna had found cell after cell of prisoners, skin stretched and hair falling out from starvation and malnutrition, their bodies broken from months of hard labor. When New York had fallen to the Syndicalists, they had imprisoned anyone who had worked in the financial sector, any who rented an apartment to another, or any who they considered to be bourgeoise, and demanded that they atone for the crimes of their previous lives with new, honest labor for the Syndicalist cause. They had been forced into the most dangerous jobs of the arms industry, like manufacturing artillery shells to the point where their skin had turned to a greasy yellow. Bleeding gums and fingers, limbs lost in machinery or explosive accidents were routine, each prisoner was a laundry list of atrocities written out upon their bodies.

Each horror that McKenna heard made him feel numb. He had nearly torn his gloves in two after listening, but he had made sure that he had heard it all, and that his staff heard it as well. A patriotic young woman, formerly a social columnist for the New York Tribune who had signed on to help with the support staff, volunteered to transcribe every word. “Be damned, lass, you’re a damn sight braver than any fella. Write it down, every bloody word, and know that ye’ve got a ironclad heart three times larger than any bastard who tells ye different.” 

McKenna had dispatched three messages from New York. The first was to General MacArthur, who had said: “Am pleased to deliver to you New York as an early Christmas present.” The second was to Michael Collins, relaying a request for more reinforcement of men and materiel. The third, a private correspondence, bemoaned what he had seen. “The brutality of what I’ve seen is beyond words, and the only thing that breaks me more is the thought that this is not some singularly unique moment of malice, that we’ll find another Welfare Island in the South run by those America First bastards. God help me, is this what we left the English to in ‘25? Did we look at an Englishman for all those years and see the English and not the man?”

“Private. Bring all the Syndie prisoners we’ve got, make them see what went on here, make ‘em stare at each one. If they look away, hit ‘em. Then find the officers, and see which ones knew about it. And if ye find one that did...hang ‘em from the Brooklyn Bridge.”

---

Alright, that’s the second chapter, with the Syndicates on the ropes and the Firsters being slowly ground down in the western theater. The third chapter will handle the defeat of the Syndicalists and the Firsters and Mosley’s opening shots for his invasion of Ireland. Let me know what you think. And yes, I know some of the pictures are from 0.12, I’ve already mentioned that in my first post on the topic, and I know the battle map is crude; I suck at art. Also, what do you think about cropping the screenshots to make them easier to read? I think it looks fine, not too pixelated or zoomed in, but it does lose the sort of authentic “AAR screenshot” feeling. Which do you prefer, readers?

Images

Cactus Jack Becomes President

Standoff in America

Second American Civil War Begins

Battle of Baltimore

Encircled Federal Troops in Kentucky

US Moves the Capital to Denver

Germany Approves the Irish Business Initiative

Spain Approves the Irish Business Initiative 

Italy Approves the Irish Business Initiative

The Netherlands Approves the Irish Business Initiative

The United States Approves the Irish Business Initiative

Canada Approves the Irish Business Initiative

Sweden Approves the Irish Business Initiative

Austria Approves the Irish Business Initiative

Rigged 1937 Election

The Wall of West Virigina

The Battle of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Battle Map

The Fall of New York

-SLAL

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries 2020-2021 Programing Announcements - Press Release

100 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS 2020 BEGINS ON HALLMARK, CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS ANNOUNCES ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING SLATE FOR HALLMARK CHANNEL AND HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES

NEW CASTING, MOVIES, AND SERIES RENEWALS HEADLINE AN ALL-STAR SLATE

HALLMARK DRAMA, HALLMARK PUBLISHING, HALLMARK MOVIES NOW SEE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH; BUBBLY SESH PODCAST RETURNS FOR SEASON TWO

STUDIO CITY, CA – Wednesday, July 15, 2020 – Following unprecedented success across its 2019-2020 programming slate, Crown Media Family Networks today unveiled new casting announcements, Original movies, and renewals of hit series and movie franchises on its two flagship networks, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries for 2020-2021.  The news comes 100 days prior to the launch of Christmas on Hallmark’s channels, the most anticipated holiday program event on any network.

“The Hallmark brand on TV has always championed positivity and emotional connection, and thanks to the dedication of our development teams and producing partners, we are excited to welcome new talent on both sides of the camera, as well as, announcing renewals of all of our original series and the return of beloved stars. Hallmark Channel Original Series are enviable within the industry for their longevity and for creating one of the most winning schedules on television,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming & Network Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks.

-- CASTING NEWS --

Crown Media Family Networks casting news includes the return of fan favorite network stars such as:

Alexa PenaVega (Spy Kids)

Alicia Witt (“Our Christmas Love Song”)

Andrew Walker (“Bottled with Love”)

Benjamin Ayres (“Chronicle Mysteries”)

Brennan Elliott (“Crossword Mysteries”)

Candace Cameron Bure (“Aurora Teagarden Mysteries”)

Carlos PenaVega (“Big Time Rush”)

Chaley Rose (“Christmas Duet”)

Eion Bailey (“Switched for Christmas”)

Holly Robinson Peete (“A Family Christmas Gift,”)

Jesse Metcalfe (“Chesapeake Shores”)

Jill Wagner (“Christmas In Evergreen: Tidings of Joy”)

Julie Gonzalo (“Supergirl”)

Kristoffer Polaha (“Condor”)

Lacey Chabert (“Crossword Mysteries”)

Laura Osnes (“In the Key of Love”)

Luke Macfarlane (“Just Add Romance”)

Marilu Henner (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)

Mark Taylor (“Memories of Christmas”)

Merritt Patterson (“Picture a Perfect Christmas”)

Michael Rady (“You’re Bacon Me Crazy”)

Nathan Witte (“Supernatural”)

Niall Matter (“Christmas at Dollywood”)

Nikki DeLoach (“Two Turtle Doves”)

Rachael Leigh Cook (“Frozen in Love”)

Rick Fox (“Greenleaf”)

Rukiya Bernard (“One Winter Weekend”)

Sarah Drew (“Grey’s Anatomy”)

Tamera Mowry-Housley (“The Real”)

Tyler Hynes (“The Mistletoe Secret”)

With several more announcements in the coming weeks, today we are pleased to announce new talent joining the Hallmark family, including:

Aaron Tveit (“The Code”)

Alvina August (“Nancy Drew”)

Janel Parrish (“Pretty Little Liars”)

Jeremy Jordan (“Supergirl”)

Krystal Joy Brown (“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”)

Lucia Micarelli (“Treme”)

Mallory Jansen (“Shooter”)

Marisol Nichols (“Riverdale”)

Rochelle Aytes (“S.W.A.T.”)

Ronnie Rowe (“Star Trek: Discovery”)

-- DEVELOPMENT DEALS --

Crown Media is working with some of its most compelling talent in a development capacity. The company is currently in development with network stars Ashley Williams and Kimberly Williams- Paisley on a two-part movie about real sisters, with each of them playing the lead in one of the films. In addition, the company is developing projects with Holly Robinson Peete and Tamera Mowry-Housley.  

Behind the scenes, directors Catherine Cyran and Clare Niederpruem return to direct new original movies, joined by new female directors, Linda-Lisa Hayter, Erica Dunton, and Jessica Harmon.

--HALLMARK CHANNEL PROGRAMMING NEWS--

Hallmark Channel’s upcoming slate includes the return of seasonal events, Fall Harvest and Countdown to Christmas, as well as new seasons in the network’s three scripted dramas and daily, lifestyle program, “Home & Family.” Additionally, Crown Media Family Networks has renewed Hallmark Channel’s pet-centric specials, “Kitten Bowl,” “American Humane Hero Dog Awards,” and “American Rescue Dog Show.”

-- HALLMARK CHANNEL SEASONAL FRANCHISES --

Fall Harvest - Programs currently slated for this year’s autumnal event include:

“Country at Heart” starring Jessy Schram and Niall Matter – October 3

“Neverbrides” starring Chaley Rose and Nathan Witte – October 10

10th Anniversary Edition of American Humane Hero Dog Awards Show – October 19

--NO ONE DOES HOLIDAY LIKE HALLMARK --

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS 2020 – Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas – which along with sister network Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ holiday franchise, Miracles of Christmas, draws nearly 85 million unduplicated viewers each year – kicks off Friday, October 23. Hallmark Channel will premiere 23 all-new original films, including:

“A Royal Holiday”, starring Laura Osnes, Aaron Tveit and Krystal Joy Brown

“Jingle Bell Bride”, starring Julie Gonzalo and Ronnie Rowe

“A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn”, starring Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor

“If I Only Had Christmas”, starring Candace Cameron Bure

“Deliver by Christmas”, starring Alvina August and Eion Bailey

“On the 12th Date of Christmas”, starring Mallory Jansen and Tyler Hynes

“Christmas Waltz”, starring Lacey Chabert

“Christmas in Vienna”, starring Sarah Drew and Brennan Elliott

“Christmas in Evergreen 4”, starring Rukiya Bernard and Holly Robinson Peete

“Chateau Christmas”, starring Merritt Patterson and Luke Macfarlane

“Cross Country Christmas”, starring Rachael Leigh Cook

“Christmas Carnival”, starring Tamera Mowry-Housley

“When Calls the Heart Christmas 2020”, starring Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Paul Greene, Andrea Brooks and Martin Cummins

HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES HOLIDAY EVENT, MIRACLES OF CHRISTMAS -- Kicking off Friday, October 23, “Miracles of Christmas” will feature 17 all-new original movies, including:

“Christmas Tree Lane” starring Alicia Witt and Andrew Walker

“Holly & Ivy” starring Janel Parrish, Jeremy Jordan, and Marisol Nichols

“The Christmas Bow” starring Lucia Micarelli and Michael Rady

“Cranberry Christmas” starring Nikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayres

“Christmas Doctor” starring Holly Robinson Peete

-- HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL SCRIPTED SERIES --

Returning for new seasons in 2021, are Hallmark Channel’s three original scripted programs, which are some of the longest-running and highest-rated series on cable television.

“When Calls the Heart,” Hallmark Channel’s longest-running series, will soon go into production on Season 8. The #1 series year-to-date across cable among W18+, “When Calls the Heart” stars Erin Krakow (“Army Wives”), Pascale Hutton (“Arctic Air”), Jack Wagner (“Melrose Place”), Kavan Smith (“Mistresses”), Chris McNally (“Altered Carbon”), Kevin McGarry (“Heartland”), Paul Greene (“Bitten”), Andrea Brooks(“Supergirl”) and Martin Cummins (“Riverdale”).

On the heels of its recently concluded successful sixth season, “Good Witch” has been greenlit for Season 7.  The series stars Catherine Bell, whose 13-year portrayal of Cassie Nightingale is one of the longest-running performances on television, Sarah Power (“Killjoys”), James Denton (“Devious Maids,” “Desperate Housewives”), Catherine Disher (“Abby Hatcher”), Katherine Barrell (“Wynonna Earp”), Scott Cavalheiro(“The Indian Detective”), Kylee Evans (“The Strain”) and Marc Bendavid (“Murdoch Mysteries”).

Multi-generational family drama, “Chesapeake Shores”, is set to return for Season 5.  Based on the novels of the same name by New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods (Trinity Harbor), the series stars Jesse Metcalfe (“Dallas”), Meghan Ory (“Once Upon a Time”), Golden Globe® nominee Treat Williams(“Everwood,” Hair), Academy Award® nominee Diane Ladd (Wild at Heart), Barbara Niven (“Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove”), Laci J. Mailey (“Falling Skies”), Emilie Ullerup (“Sanctuary”), Brendan Penny(“Motive”) and Andrew Francis (“Final Destination 3”).

-- HALLMARK CHANNEL’S DAYTIME, LIFESTYLE SERIES, “HOME & FAMILY” --

Hallmark Channel has renewed its three-time Daytime Emmy ®-nominated lifestyle program, “Home & Family,” for Season 9.  Two-time Emmy ® nominee Debbie Matenopoulos and three-time Emmy ® nominee Cameron Mathison will continue as hosts of the show that features celebrity interviews as well as a fun, fresh perspective on cooking, DIY, gardening, wellness and more.

-- HALLMARK CHANNEL’S ANNUAL PET SPECIALS --

Hallmark Channel’s annual pet specials are a component of the network’s pet adoption initiative, Adoption Ever After, which has helped more than 70,000 shelter pets find forever homes. These returning specials include:

“Kitten Bowl VIII”, slated for February 2021

Third Annual “American Rescue Dog Show”, slated for February 2021

10th Annual “Hero Dog Awards”, premiering Fall 2020

--HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES PROGRAMMING NEWS--

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will bring back popular programming including all new installments of its highly popular mystery movie franchises and the return of the network’s highly rated holiday event, Miracles of Christmas.

-- HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES MYSTERY MOVIE FRANCHISES --

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ movie franchises have propelled the network to be one of the most competitive in cable.

Mystery franchises returning to the network in 2020 and 2021 include:

“Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage Death”, starring Alexa and Carlos PenaVega, premiering this Fall

New installments in “Morning Show Mysteries”, starring Holly Robinson Peete (“A Family Christmas Gift”) and Rick Fox (“Greenleaf”), from Executive Producer Al Roker

New installments in “Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries” starring Jesse Metcalfe (“Chesapeake Shores”)

“Mystery 101”, starring Jill Wagner (“Christmas In Evergreen: Tidings of Joy”) and Kristoffer Polaha (“Condor”)

“Aurora Teagarden Mysteries”, currently in production on its 14th installment and starring Candace Cameron Bure (“Fuller House”), Niall Matter (“Christmas at Dollywood”) and Marilu Henner (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), slated to premiere in early 2021.

--HALLMARK DRAMA NEWS--

Crown Media Family Networks announces that its third linear channel, Hallmark Drama, continues distribution success most recently with a launch on Charter’s “Silver Package.” Charter is the nation’s second largest MVPD. Hallmark Drama also launched on Comcast, DISH, DirecTV, Cox, Verizon, Altice, Frontier, and a majority of NCTC members.

--HALLMARK MOVIES NOW NEWS--

Crown Media Family Network’s subscription video on-demand service, offering over 1,000 hours of commercial-free Hallmark-branded content, is nearing one million subscribers. The service includes beloved Hallmark content not available on Crown Media’s linear networks and is in high demand among consumers for high-quality movies and featured events like “Jingle In July,” a Christmas in July event only available to HMN subscribers. New on Hallmark Movies Now in October is season four of “Chesapeake Shores,” the premiere of “Home for Harvest”, and season 12 of “Heartland”. And, coming this holiday season, Hallmark Movies Now will launch its holiday franchise, “Movies & Mistletoe,” headlined by a library of Christmas content to rival any network offering.

--HALLMARK CHANNELS’ BUBBLY SESH PODCAST--

Hosted by Jacklyn Collier (Jacks) and Shawlini Manjunath-Holbrook (Shawl), Hallmark Channels' Bubbly Sesh podcast returns for a second season, giving network fans a VIP pass inside the world of Hollywood celebrities and movie-making, with a primary focus on Hallmark Channel fan-favorites.

--HALLMARK PUBLISHING--

Crown Media Family Network’s publishing division, has achieved great success in its short existence, including two USA Today bestsellers and an exclusive partnership with Walmart that brings new mass market paperback novels to stores each month through February 2021. Coming in August: two new cozy mystery novels: Behind the Frame: A Shepherd Sisters Mystery by Tracy Gardener and Dead End Detective: A Piper & Porter Mystery from bestselling author and Agatha Award winner Amanda Fowler. And new for Christmas: Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn, the sequel to the 2019 USA Today bestseller Wrapped Up in Christmas.

“Crown Media Family Networks is looking forward to entertaining viewers with all-new original programs across all of our services, all while continuing to communicate the value of the Hallmark brand on TV to consumers through other touchpoints within our ancillary businesses. Today’s announcements are only the beginning for a company that is growing exponentially in the U.S. and around the world,” Michelle Vicary concluded. 

ABOUT CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS Crown Media Family Networks is the umbrella unit subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc., housing cable’s leading family friendly networks, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama. Hallmark Channel features an ambitious slate of new, original content, including movies, scripted series, annual specials, and a daily, two-hour lifestyle show.Hallmark Channel is also home to the popular annual holiday franchise “Countdown to Christmas,”featuring a lineup of 24/7 holiday programming. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is a 24-hour cable network featuring a unique mix of new, original movies and acquired series focused on the lighter side of the suspense and mystery genres. The network also features its own annual holiday programming franchise, “Miracles of Christmas”. Hallmark Drama showcases the rich legacy of the Hallmark Hall of Fame library and with zero duplication, spotlights movies and series from Crown Media’s collection of original dramatic content. Crown Media Family Networks is also home to Hallmark Movies Now, the company’s subscription streaming service, which offers wholly distinct content from the company’s linear channels. Crown Media Family Networks’ publishing extension, Hallmark Publishing, creates novelizations of previously aired original movie favorites. It also accepts author submissions for original, on-brand manuscripts that can be greenlit as a new movie or series for one of the company’s three linear networks.

    For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com     Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest     Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter     Hallmark Drama on Social Media: Twitter       Hallmark Publishing on Social Media: Twitter 

LINK

[laresearchette]

Sunday, December 12, 2021 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: 90 DAY FIANCÉ: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS (TLC Canada) 8:00pm BLENDING CHRISTMAS (Lifetime Canada) 8:00pm SISTER SWAP: CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY (W Network) 8:00pm THE 15th ANNUAL CNN HEROES ALL-STAR TRIBUTE (CNN) 8:00pm A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL (Global) 8:30pm GREATEST HOLIDAY COMMERCIALS COUNTDOWN 2021 (Global) 10:30pm WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT 70th MISS UNIVERSE COMPETITION (FOX Feed) KEN AND BARBIE KILLERS: THE LOST MURDER TAPES (Premiering on December 13 on Investigation Discovery at 9:00pm) WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS 2021 (Premiering on December 17 on HGTV Canada at 7:00pm) SECRETS OF THE CELTIC GRAVE (TBD)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME/CRAVE/NETFLIX CANADA/CBC GEM:

NETFLIX CANADA JUST MERCY

NBA BASKETBALL (SN) 12:00pm: Bucks vs. Knicks (SN Now) 7:00pm: Pelicans vs. Spurs (SN1) 7:00pm: Mavericks vs. Thunder (SN1) 9:30pm: Magic vs. Lakers

NFL FOOTBALL (TSN2) 1:00pm: Seahawks vs. Texans (TSN2) 4:00pm: Giants vs. Chargers (TSN2) 8:15pm: Bears vs. Packers

CFL GREY CUP (TSN/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5) 6:30pm: Blue Bombers vs. Ti-Cats

OUR CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (W Network) 6:00pm: As a single mom and her teenage son come to a crossroad during Christmas, she must learn to let go so he can flourish as she finds her own heart healing in unexpected ways.

HEARTLAND (CBC) 7:00pm: Amy enters Spartan into an endurance race after realizing he's not ready to retire; Jack is set on gentling an unbroke horse despite the danger; Lou and Katie reveal hidden feelings while camping....WITH A HORSIE!

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 8:00pm: Panthers vs. Avalanche (SNPacific) 10:00pm: Hurricanes vs. Canucks

THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (CBC) 8:00pm: The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show is back! Four bakers from past seasons return to the tent, Ann gives us her best party aunt outfit, and all Bruno wants for Christmas is more butter!

BACHELOR IN PARADISE CANADA (City TV) 8:00pm (SEASON FINALE): It's time to commit or quit; then, campers reunite for an explosive "After the Final Rose" special.

LIFE BELOW ZERO CANADA (APTN) 8:00pm:  Pike Mike tries to improvise a new source of bush power; Kim and Pierre are forced to exploit their survival food supply; Becky and Bentley hit the hunting trail, hoping to harvest an animal that will keep their families fed all winter long.

THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND: DIGGING DEEPER (History Canada) 8:00pm: Solving the Oak Island mystery feels closer than ever when the team learns they may have been reading Zena Halpern's templar map incorrectly all along.

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW (CBC) 9:00pm: Noel, Sandi, Prue and Paul gather for their traditional festive get-together, welcoming former contestants for Yule-themed challenges and Status Quo with Rockin' All Over the World.

PSYCH 3: THIS IS GUS (Showcase) 9:00pm:  As Gus plans a wedding and Selene delays signing the divorce papers from her previous marriage, Shawn launches an investigation to uncover her mysterious past.

OUTBACK OPAL HUNTERS (Discovery Canada) 9:00pm: The Rookies battle their biggest claim yet; Col's Crew must bring out the old machines to hunt a new opal seam; things heat up as the Fire Crew races a fuel leak while chasing legendary red fire opal.

BACHELOR AFTER SHOW: AFTER PARADISE (City TV) 9:30pm (SEASON FINALE): Daryn and Deepa celebrate the finale by stripping it down alongside Brendan Morgan, Angela Amezcua and Camp Paradise cowboy, Joey Kirchner.

THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND (History Canada) 10:00pm:  The team uncovers significant evidence that the stone road in the swamp was built long before the discovery of the original Money Pit just as the future of archaeology investigation on the island is threatened.

[sleepykittypaws]

2018 TV Holiday Premieres

Updated: December 30, 2018

ABC

Mickey’s 90th Spectacular (two-hour celebration of Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday featuring music and appearances by Skylar Astin Kelsea Ballerini, Miles Brown, Anna Camp, Josh Gad, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Sage Steele, Luis Fonsi and Tori Kelly. Original Mouseketeers Bob Burgess and Sharon Baird will also appear) - Nov. 4

Mary Poppins Returns: Behind the Magic (Behind the scenes look at the upcoming feature film sequel starring Emily Blunt) - Nov. 22

I’m Coming Home (stars Kristen Chenoweth, Tiffany Haddish and Tyler Perry return to their hometowns for a documentary-style special produced by Whoopi Goldberg) - Nov. 22

The Great Christmas Light Fight (season 6 of the limited-run reality competition featuring outrageous holiday displays judged by Carter Oosterhouse and Taniya Nayak) - weekly starting Nov. 26

The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration (musical celebration from the Disney parks hosted by Jordan Fisher and Sarah Hyland, featuring Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainor and Andrea Bocelli) - Nov. 29 

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Holiday Special (holiday fashion show featuring top models and musical acts Bebe Rexha, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Kelsea Ballerini, Rita Ora, Shawn Mendes and The Struts) - Dec. 2

The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition (season 4 of the American version of the popular cooking contest, The Great British Baking Show, focused on holiday treats; hosted by Emma Bunton and Anthony Adams, with judges Sherry Yard and Paul Hollywood) - weekly starting Dec. 6

Dancing with the Stars: Holiday Special (special holiday-themed season finale of the series) - Dec. 9

CMA Country Christmas (annual musical celebration of the season, featuring Country artists performing original music and Christmas classics, hosted by Reba McEntire and featuring Tony Bennett, Dan+Shay, Brad Paisley and Martina McBride. Filmed in front a live audience in Nashville) - Dec. 10

The Year in Memoriam 2018 (Robin Roberts and Jimmy Kimmel pay tribute to the legendary stars and icons the world lost this year) - Dec. 17

The Year: 2018 (two-hour special looking at the most iconic moments of 2018, hosted by Robin Roberts) - Dec. 23

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade (annual holiday parade/musical showcase taped in Disney World, Disneyland and other worldwide Disney Parks) - Dec. 25

Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (47th annual Times Square New Year’s countdown) - Dec. 31 

NBC

A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving (look back at 44 years of SNL Thanksgivings) - Nov. 21

Macy’s 92nd Thanksgiving Day Parade (official parade coverage, LIVE)  - Nov. 22 (also available on the NBC app and Verizon’s YouTube Channel)

The National Dog Show (annual pet competition hosted by John O’Hurley ) - Nov. 22

86th annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center (annual New York City tree lighting featuring musical performances, LIVE) - Nov. 28

A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy (musical special featuring real-life husband-and-wife John Legend and Chrissy Teigen) - Nov. 28 ***Review***

LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit (original animated special set before first Jurassic World movie; A trio of dinosaurs needs to be moved to a new super-secret exhibit.) - Nov. 29 (Trailer) **Review**

Deal or No Deal: Happy Howie Days (a special $1 million dollar holiday offering of the game show which last aired 10 years ago) - Dec. 3

Saturday Night Live: Best of Christmas (holiday retrospective from the late-night sketch series) - Dec. 4

Penatonix: A Not So Silent Night (third holiday special with the a cappella group, featuring special guests Kelly Clarkson, the Backstreet Boys, Marren Morris, and Penn & Teller; filmed in Las Vegas) - Dec. 10

Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas (one-hour musical special starring the 13-year-old winner of 2017′s America’s Got Talent, singing and celebrating the season in her Oklahoma City hometown) - Dec. 11

Ho Ho Hollywood Game Night: Holiday Edition (one-hour holiday-themed game special) - Dec. 11

Ellen’s Game of Games Holiday Spectacular (holiday edition of game show hosted by Ellen Degeneres) - Dec. 12

Little Big Holiday Special (one-off return of the Steve Harvey-hosted series with holiday fan favorites) - Dec. 12

America’s Got Talent: Holiday (holiday edition of the popular series) - Dec. 17

Timeless: The Miracle of Christmas (the two-season NBC series gets a holiday-themed, wrap-up movie, starring the original cast, including Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter and Malcolm Barrett; according to the release, “ride through the past, present and future, with a healthy dose of Christmas spirit”) - Dec. 20 **Review**

Christmas Eve Mass (from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, conducted by Pope Francis) - Dec. 24

NBC News Special: A Toast to 2018 (year-end review hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb) - Dec. 31

NBC New Year’s Eve (live from Times Square hosted by Carson Daly and Chrissie Teigen with special guest Leslie Jones) - Dec. 31

130th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade (LIVE parade coverage) - Jan. 1

CBS

The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS (unofficial parade coverage of the Macy’s parade hosted by Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight, LIVE) - Nov. 22

Garth: Live at Notre Dame (LIVE concert with country singer Garth Brooks, broadcast from South Bend, Ind.) - Dec. 6

A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary (20th annual special celebrating foster children and their caregivers) - Dec. 21

The 41st Annual Kennedy Center Honors (celebration recognizing groundbreaking work in entertainment, featuring this year’s honorees: Cher, Reba McEntire, composers Philip Glass and Wayne Shorter, and Hamilton co-creators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler and Alex Lacamoire) - Dec. 26

FOX

MasterChef Junior: Celebrity Showdown (Thanksgiving-special battle with celebs and their kids, with money going to charity) - Nov. 22

FOX’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey: Live from Times Square (New Year’s eve countdown special featuring special guests and musical performances from Sting, Robin Thicke, Florence + the Machine, Jason Aldean, Juanes and Why Don't We) - Dec. 31

CW

87th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (tape-delayed presentation of the annual holiday parade, featuring Grand Marshal Nancy O’Dell, filmed Nov. 25 in Hollywood) - Dec. 14

iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2018 (holiday concert special featuring Shawn Mendes and Cardi B) - Dec. 16

Greatest Holiday Commercial Countdown 2018 (ET’s Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight host this holiday countdown of the top 12 holiday commercials) - Dec. 18

Greatest Holiday Video Countdown (hosted by the Holderness family, taking a look at viral holiday video clips) - Dec. 18

Masters of Illusion: Christmas Magic (holiday special featuring well known magicians) - Dec. 23

Popstars Best of 2018 (musical special looking back at the year’s biggest pop hits, hosted by Elizabeth Stanton) - Dec. 28

PBS

Hanukkah: A Festival of Delights (documentary featuring American Jewish families from a variety of backgrounds along with actors William Shatner and Lainie Kazan, all sharing their personal Hanukkah experiences, plus archival film and images) - Nov. 25

Let’s Go Luna: Christmas Around the World (Christmas special of the preschool series) - Dec. 10

15th Annual Christmas with the Morman Tabernacle Choir (holiday concert with the famed choir, featuring Sutton Foster and Hugh Bonneville) - Dec. 17

Lidia Celebrates America: A Heartland Holiday Feast (chef Lidia Bastianich undertakes a cross-country journey to find traditional American holiday cuisine) - Dec. 18

Happy Holidays with the Boston Pops (one-hour music special showcasing the best of the New England holiday season) - Dec. 22

Call the Midwife Christmas Special (special holiday episode of the series, airing same day as in the UK) - Dec. 25

Nova: Apollo 8 (in-depth look at the Christmas Eve mission that circled the moon and perhaps saved NASA, featuring exclusive interviews with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders) - Dec. 26

Great Performances: Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood (celebrate the legendary composer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra) - Dec. 28

ACL Hall of Fame New Year’s Eve 2018 (celebrate the induction of new Austin City Limits Hall of Famers: Ray Charles, Los Lobos and Marcia Ball, with performances by Boz Scaggs and Norah Jones; Hosted by Chris Isaak) - Dec. 29

Live from Lincoln Center: New York Philharmonic New Year’s Eve (LIVE concert performance to ring in the New Year) - Dec. 31 

Hallmark Channel

Hallmark Channel’s Christmas: First Look (Lacey Chabert gives a sneak peek at Hallmark’s 2018 Christmas movie line-up) - Jul. 21 (Watch Online)

Christmas: A Second Look Preview Special (Kellie Pickler hosts a follow-up preview to both the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas 2018 line-up) - Sep. 29 (Watch Online)

2018 Countdown to Christmas Preview Special (preview of the 22 new movies set to air during Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas, hosted by Kellie Pickler) - Oct. 20 (Watch Online)

Christmas at Pemberley Manor (holiday movie starring Jessica Lowndes and Michael Rady, an event planner crosses paths with a surly billionaire while organizing a small town Christmas festival) - Oct. 27 (On Location)

Christmas Joy (movie starring Danielle Panabaker and Matt Long, based on the book by Nancy Naigle; a marketer reluctantly returns to run the family farm for her ailing aunt, then she and her one-time crush must organize the town’s cookie crawl) - Nov. 3 (Preview) (On Location) **Review**

Road to Christmas (holiday movie starring Jessy Schram and Chad Michael Murray; An assistant is charged with making sure her employer’s adult sons make it home for Christmas, but a blizzard interferes with travel plans) - Nov. 4 (Preview) (On Location) **Review**

It’s Christmas, Eve (movie starring and featuring three original songs by LeAnn Rimes: It's Christmas, Eve, The Gift of Your Love and You and Me and Christmas; also starring Tyler Hines. A school superintendent sent to cut costs at her hometown High School meets a handsome, single music teacher, who is desperate to raise enough money to protect his program) - Nov. 10 (soundtrack available Oct 12, featuring, The Gift of Your Love and You and Me and Christmas and It’s Christmas, Eve) (Preview) (On Location)

Christmas in Love (holiday movie starring Mary-Margaret Humes, Daniel Lissing and Brooke D’Orsay; A daughter tries to protect her family bakery, famous for its Kringle Christmas cookies, from a corporate takeover ) - Nov. 11 (Preview) (On Location)

Christmas at Graceland (movie starring country singer Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown, directed by Eric Close and set in Memphis and featuring both Elvis Presley’s music and his iconic Tennessee estate; Chicago exec returns to Memphis hometown at holidays on business and reunites with an old flame who rekindles her musical dreams) - Nov. 17 (On Location) (NOTE: Special world premiere at Graceland, Nov. 15)

Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa (movie sequel to 2017′s Christmas in Evergreen starring Jill Wagner, Mark Deklin, Holly Robinson-Peete, Andrew Francis, Barbara Niven, Rukyia Bernard and Ashley Williams; When she finds out Evergreen’s quaint General Store has been closed, a woman enlists the help of townspeople, and a little Christmas magic, to save it and a mysterious 25-year-old letter to Santa.) - Nov. 18 (Preview) Review

Reunited at Christmas (holiday movie starring Mike Faiola and Nikki DeLoach as a novelist struggling with writer’s block who returns with her boyfriend to her late grandmother’s house for the holidays and rediscovers the true meaning of Christmas.) - Nov. 21

Christmas at the Palace (holiday movie starring Brittany Bristow, Andrew Cooper and Merritt Patterson; A former figure skating champ is hired by a European monarch to coach his daughter for a Christmas skating pageant and finds himself falling in love at the holidays, but is she ready to be royalty?) - Nov. 22

Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe (holiday movie starring Lacey Chabert and Brendan Penny, based on the book by Melissa de la Cruz; Christmas-themed, modern update of the Jane Austen classic, but with a role reversal that casts Chabert as Darcy, returning to her hometown to plan a holiday event with a rival restaurant owner and restore her relationship with her father) - Nov. 23

Christmas Everlasting (Hallmark Hall of Fame movie directed by Ron Oliver, who also helmed 2017′s The Christmas Train, based on the book The Second Sister by Marie Bostwick, starring Tatyana Ali, Dennis Haysbert, Patti LaBelle and Dondre T Whitfield; A corporate lawyer returns home after her sister passes away to settle her estate, not knowing her will stipulates she must live there for 30 days. While back in a place she never thought she’d return to, she discovers what she’s been missing.) - Nov. 24

A Shoe Addict’s Christmas (holiday movie starring Candace Cameron Bure, Jean Smart and Luke Macfarlane, based on the book by Nicole Harbison; in this modern take on A Christmas Carol, a holiday hater is locked in the department store she works in on Christmas Eve and visited by her guardian angel in the shoe department, before getting a glimpse of Christmases past, present and future.) - Nov. 25 *Review*

Mingle All the Way (holiday romance starring Brant Daugherty, Lindsay Wagner and Jen Lilley; In an effort to prove to her family that her app matching compatible couples for events, without romance, works, she uses it herself. When she’s matched with someone she’s already had disastrous encounters with, she’s forced to save face and make it work.) - Dec. 1 Review

A Majestic Christmas (holiday movie starring Jerrika Hinton and Christian Vincent; an architect returns to turn her hometown theater into a modern multiplex, much to her chagrin, as she tries to convince the theater’s owner that the playhouse, and the town’s Christmas traditions, are worth preserving.) - Dec. 2 (Preview)

Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas (holiday musical special, featuring musical experiences and holiday reminisces with singer Amy Grant) - Dec. 3

Meet the Peetes Christmas Special (special featuring Holly Robinson Peete and family) - Dec. 3 (Preview)

Homegrown Christmas (holiday movie starring Victor Webster, Lori Loughlin and Kate Isaac, who plays a CEO who returns to her hometown at the holidays to regroup after being forced to step down. There, she reconnects with her high school sweetheart when they’re forced to plan a dance together for the local high school.) - Dec. 8

Welcome to Christmas (movie based on the book The Trouble with Christmas by Debbie Mason, starring Jennifer Finnigan and Eric Mabius as a small town sheriff desperate to convince a resort developer to save their community by turning it into a Christmas vacation destination)- Dec. 9

Entertaining Christmas (holiday movie starring Brendan Fehr and Jodie Sweetin as a  daughter striving to impress her perfectionist cooking and crafting expert mother, and prove she’s worthy of taking over the family business, by creating the perfect Christmas for a young girl whose father is deployed) - Dec. 15

A Gingerbread Romance (holiday movie starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Duane Henry; an architect pairs with a local baker, and single dad, to build life-size gingerbread houses in hopes of getting a promotion) - Dec. 16 **Review**

Candace Cameron Bure’s Christmas Across America (holiday special, produced and hosted by Candace Cameron Bure, featuring Christmas celebrations from across the U.S.) - Dec. 17

Jingle Around the Clock (holiday movie starring Brooke Nevin and Michael Cassidy, a young advertising exec must ditch her holiday college reunion to work on a new Christmas campaign with a partner who doesn’t share her vision.) - Dec. 22

Christmas Made to Order (holiday movie starring Alexa PenaVega and Jonathan Bennett; an architect hires an event planner to help his family Christmas go off without a hitch.) - Dec. 23

When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing (4th holiday movie based on the television series, starring Lori Loughlin, Erin Krakow, Jack Wagner, Pascale Hutton, Kavan Smith and Paul Greene; A group of orphans become stranded in Hope Valley for the holidays with two mysterious sisters) - Dec. 25

A Midnight Kiss (holiday movie starring Carlos PenaVega and Adelaide Kane; a family of party planners has only one week to prepare for the biggest New Year’s Eve event of their lives, but when her brother breaks his leg and her parents have to leave, their daughter is forced to enlist outside assistance to get the job done.) - Dec. 29

2019 Winterfest Preview Special (preview special of the Winterfest movies set to air in January 2019) - Dec. 29

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Miracles of Christmas Preview Special (preview of the 15 new movies set to air during Hallmark Movie & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas hosted by Candace Cameron-Bure) - Oct. 14 (Watch Online)

Marrying Father Christmas (movie starring Erin Krakow, Niall Matter and Wendie Malick; sequel to 2017′s Engaging Father Christmas and 2016′s Finding Father Christmas, based on the book series by Robin Jones Gunn) - Nov. 4 (First Look)

A Veteran’s Christmas (holiday movie starring Eloise Mumford and Sean Faris; a decorated solider separated from her service dog returns home from Afghanistan and finds herself stranded in the town of Rivers Crossing for the holiday.) - Nov. 11 (Preview) (First Look) **Review**

Return to Christmas Creek (holiday movie starring Steven Weber, Tori Anderson, Stephen Huszar and Kari Matchett; after her app is rejected by Silicone Valley a young woman returns to her family’s hometown and, along with her childhood best friend, works to reunite her father with his pilot brother, who flies over the town each Christmas Eve dressed as Santa delivering toys to needy children) - Nov. 17 ***Review***

A Godwink Christmas (movie starring Kimberly Sustad, Paul Campbell and Kathie Lee Gifford, based on the book by SQuire Rushnell; an antiques dealer reluctantly gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend at Christmas, but her aunt invites her to Nantucket after sensing her reluctance) - Nov. 18 (First Look)

Last Vermont Christmas (holiday movie starring Justin Bruening, Catherine Corcoran and Erin Cahill; Parents decide to sell the family home—to their daughter’s high school sweetheart—telling their grown children at the holidays that this will be their last Christmas in Vermont.) - Nov. 19

Hope at Christmas (holiday movie based on the book by Nancy Naigle, starring Scottie Thompson and Ryan Paevey, who plays a school teacher that dreams of being a writer, with a holiday job as the local Santa, determined to make a little girl’s Christmas dreams come true) - Nov. 20

Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane (movie starring Alicia Witt, Mary McDonough, Laura Leighton and Colin Ferguson, based on McDonough’s novel, House on Honeysuckle Lane; siblings return home for one last Christmas before selling their family home after their parents’ passing, but a discovery changes everything) - Nov. 24 **Review**

Christmas Wonderland (holiday movie starring Kelly Hu, Emily Osment and Ryan Rottman; an overworked gallery owner returns to her hometown due to a family emergency to watch her niece and nephew, where she reunites with her high school boyfriend, now a teacher, and helps him plan the school’s annual Christmas Snow Ball) - Dec. 1

Once Upon a Christmas Miracle (holiday movie starring Lolita Davidovich, Aimee Teegarden and Brett Dalton, based on the true story of Heather Krueger and Christopher Dempsey; A dying woman receives a liver transplant from a kind stranger and, over three Christmases, they fall in love.) - Dec. 2

Memories of Christmas (holiday movie starring Mark Taylor and Christina Milian as Noelle, who returns to her late mother’s house for the holidays, and reluctantly regains her passion for Christmas through her mother’s love of the holiday and a handsome holiday decorator) - Dec. 8 *Review*

Time for Me To Come Home for Christmas (holiday movie based on the song by Blake Shelton and book by Shelton’s mother, Dorothy Shackleford, and Travis Thrasher, starring Josh Henderson and Megan Park; a country star and a small-town business woman returning to Oklahoma for Christmas are stymied by a snowstorm and decide to drive to their destination together, learning how much they have in common along the way.) - Dec. 9

Northern Lights of Christmas (holiday movie starring Ashley Williams and Corey Sevier, based on the book Sleigh Bell Sweethearts by Teri Wilson; when an aspiring pilot inherits a reindeer farm she finds herself overwhelmed until a mysterious stranger shows up to help at the holidays.) - Dec. 15

Small Town Christmas (holiday movie starring Kris Polaha and Ashley Newbrough; a first-time novelist’s book tour to promote her surprise best-seller takes her to the hometown of an old colleague who broke her heart and unwittingly helped inspire her novel.) - Dec. 16

A Christmas for the Books (holiday movie starring Chelsea Kane and Drew Seeley a life guru with a best-selling book all about finding love finds herself single at the holidays. When she’s asked to host a major holiday gala she’s got to find someone who will pretend to be her boyfriend, or risk being exposed as a fraud) - Dec. 20

Christmas at Grand Valley (holiday movie starring Danica McKellar, Brennan Elliott and Dan Lauria; A burned out Chicago art dealer wants to spend a quiet Christmas relaxing and rejuvenating in her favorite town, where she meets up a single dad and his kids who are reviewing the hotel they’re all staying in) - Dec. 21

Christmas Bells Are Ringing (holiday movie starring Emilie Ullerup and Josh Kelly; a photographer returns to Cape Cod to celebrate her father’s Christmas Eve wedding and finds an inspiring winter wonderland through the eyes of a local) - Dec. 22

Happy and Friends Yule Log (visual “Yule Log” featuring Happy the Dog and other cute canine and feline friends) - Dec. 24-25

Lifetime

It’s a Wonderful Lifetime Preview Special (holiday preview special hosted by Melissa Joan Hart) - Nov. 17 (Watch Online)

My Christmas Inn (holiday movie starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Rob Mayes, Jackee Harry, Tim Reid and Erin Gray, shot on location in Utah; A San Fran ad exec inherits a small-town Alaska inn at the holidays and falls in love with the town, and a handsome architect she meets there) - Nov. 21 (Preview) **Review**

A Christmas Arrangement (holiday movie starring Nicky Whelan, Miles Fisher, Julie McNiven, Leslie Easterbrook, and Daphne Zuniga; when a flower shop owner enters a holiday floral show that features a $5,000 grand prize, she finds a worthy rival, and love blossoms) - Nov. 21

The Christmas Contract (holiday movie starring One Tree Hill alums Hilarie Burton, Robert Buckley, Danneel Ackles and Antwon Tanner with an original song from Tyler Hilton; also starring Jordan Ladd, Cheryl Ladd, Bruce Boxleitner and Jason London; A women not wanting to face her newly-coupled ex during a hometown Christmas celebration, so she hires her best friend’s brother to pretend to be her boyfriend) - Nov. 22 (Preview) ***Review***

'Tis the Season: A One Tree Hill Cast Reunion (holiday special featuring the cast of One Tree Hill plus special guests) - Nov. 22

Poinsettias for Christmas (holiday movie starring Bethany Joy Lenz, Sharon Lawrence, John Schneider, Lauren London and Marcus Rosner; Daughter comes home to help on her family’s poinsettia farm as a disaster looms as the plants aren’t ready for the holiday.) - Nov. 23 (Preview) ***Review***

Every Other Holiday (holiday movie starring Schulyer Fisk, David Clayton Rogers, Dee Wallace and Abby James Witherspoon; Daughters scheme to reunite their estranged parents by getting the whole family to spend Christmas together at a family farmhouse) - Nov. 23 ****Review****

Every Day is Christmas (holiday movie starring Toni Braxton, Towanda Braxton, Gloria Reuben and Michael Jai White; Modern take on A Christmas Carol where a humbug money manager sees her past, present and future collide.) - Nov. 24 (Preview)

Christmas Harmony (holiday movie starring Kelley Jakle, Chandra Wilson, Adam Mayfield and Sally Struthers; When her pop star boyfriend breaks up with her at Christmas, a young woman returns to her hometown at the holidays and rediscovers her own dreams.) - Nov. 24

Jingle Belle (movie starring Tatyana Ali, Cornelius Smith Jr, Loretta Devine, Valarie Pettiford, Keshia Knight Pulliam and Tempestt Bledsoe; high school sweethearts once known for their flawless Christmas duet are reunited to work on the pageant they once starred in) - Nov. 25 (Preview)

Christmas Perfection (movie starring Caitlin Thompson, James Henri-Thomas and Robbie Silverman; A Christmas control freak finds herself transported into a magical Christmas village where she learns “the perfect Christmas” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be) - Nov. 25

A Very Nutty Christmas (starring Melissa Joan Hart, Barry Watson, Marissa Winokur, Conchata Ferrell and Rizwan Manji; Hart plays a workaholic baker who’s just been dumped and decides to “give up on Christmas” when a magic nutcracker comes to life; filmed on location in Conn.) - Nov. 30 (Preview) ****Review****

A Twist of Christmas (holiday movie starring Brendon Zub, Vanessa Lachey, Rick Fox and Christian Convery; Single parents accidentally switch their kids Christmas gifts and must work together to fix the mix-up or the holiday will be ruined.) - Dec. 1 *Review*

The Christmas Pact (holiday movie starring Kyla Pratt, Jarod Joseph, Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy; Childhood besties have kept their Christmas pact intact since they planted a tree together at age 8, but now life is getting in the way of their annual traditions.) - Dec. 2 (Preview)

Christmas Lost and Found (holiday movie starring Tiya Sircar, Ed Ruttle and Diane Ladd; A big city event planner is guilted into spending the holidays with her grandmother, but when she accidentally trashes the heirloom family ornaments, she ends up finding out what the season really means.) - Dec. 7 ***Review***

Santa’s Boots (holiday movie starring Megan Hilty, Fiona Vroom, Marc-Anthony Massiah, Noah Mills, June Squibb and Patricia Isaac; A young women returns home for Christmas to find her family’s store on brink of bankruptcy. To help out she fills in as one of Santa’s helpers where she meets a charming store St. Nick, who mysteriously disappears just before the holiday, leaving behind just his boot.) - Dec. 8 **Review**

A Christmas in Tennessee (holiday movie starring Rachel Boston, Andrew Walker, Patricia Richardson and Caroline Rhea; When a developer tries to turn their town, including the family-owned bakery, into a ski resort, the mom-daughter baking duo set out to stop him with a little Christmas magic.) - Dec. 9 ***Review***

Christmas Around the Corner (holiday movie directed by Megan Follows, starring Alexandra Breckenridge, Jamie Spilchuk and Jane Alexander; A woman escaping her city life during Christmas discovers her Vermont holiday rental requires her to run an attached bookshop, where she unexpectedly falls in love) - Dec. 14

Christmas Pen Pals (holiday movie starring Michael Gross, Sarah Drew and Niall Matter; Creator of a dating app heads home for the holidays following a devastating breakup where she runs into her high school love while running the town’s Christmas Cupid pen pal program.) - Dec. 15

Hometown Christmas (holiday movie starring Beverley Mitchell, Stephen Colletti, Erin Cahill, Melissa Gilbert and Danny Boaz; High school sweethearts return to their hometown and find their parents have fallen in love, filmed on location in Louisiana) - Dec. 16

Freeform

The Truth About Christmas (holiday movie starring Kali Hawk, Damon Dayoub and Ali Ghandour; a political consultant famed for her spin finds herself unable to lie after a run in with a toy store Santa on the way to meet her mayoral candidate boyfriend’s family for the first time) - Nov. 25 (Trailer) ****Review****

Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve (movie starring Tyra Banks, Francia Raisa and Gavin Stenhouse, Christmas-themed sequel to the 2000 Wonderful World of Disney film) - Dec. 2 (Teaser, Trailer)

Pop Up Santa Special (viewers are surprised with special Christmas gifts by Freeform’s “Pop Up Santa”) - Dec. 3

Disney Fairy Tale Weddings: Holiday Magic 2 (second special featuring Christmas weddings at Disney parks hosted Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Allison Holker and featuring a performance by Martina McBride) - Dec. 8

No Sleep ‘Til Christmas (holiday movie starring real life husband and wife Dave and Odette Annable as a pair of insomniacs who come to depend on one another even though one of them is engaged to someone else; also starring Sheryl Lee Ralph) - Dec. 10 (Trailer) Review

ION

A Wedding for Christmas (starring Vivica A. Fox and Cristine Prosperi; an assistant for a top wedding planner returns to her hometown to plan her sister’s Christmas wedding, only to run into her childhood sweetheart) - Nov. 25

Christmas Cupid’s Arrow (starring Elisabeth Harnois and Jonathan Togo; After Holly’s younger sister announce she’s pregnant, the college professor signs up for a dating service, determined to find a mate, but maybe the guy she’s looking for is fellow faculty member, and single dad, David, who she’s planning the winter formal with) - Dec. 2

Rent-an-Elf (holiday movie starring Kim Shaw and Sean Patrick Thomas; Type-A Ava runs a full-service holiday planning company called Rent-an-Elf, but finds herself wanting to share the Christmas she plans for a single dad and his son, until his ex-wife returns for the holidays) - Dec. 8

A Snow White Christmas (starring Carolyn Hennesy and Liam McNeill; stuck with her evil stepmother for the holidays, Bianca Snow tries to make the best of it, bonding with the decorator, much to her stepmother’s chagrin, who tries to hypnotize Bianca into forgetting about her inheritance) - Dec. 9 (Trailer)

Country Christmas Album (starring Hannah Barefoot and Evan Gamble; a country singer tries to save her career by reluctantly agreeing to make a Christmas album with a former teen heartthrob) - Dec. 15

A Christmas in Royal Fashion (starring Cindy Busby and Diarmaid Murtagh; a PR assistant is put in charge of a charity Christmas fashion show sponsored by the royal family of Edgewater, when the prince confuses her for her boss and falls for her, the assistant is too scared to tell him the truth) - Dec. 16

UP

Beverly Hills Christmas II (a.ka. This Is Our Christmas; sequel to 2015′s Beverly Hills Christmas starring Margaret O’Brien, Ronn Moss and Kira Reed Lorsch; when a Beverly Hills family suffers financial hardship at the holidays, they’re in need of a true Christmas miracle) - Nov. 3

The Christmas Switch (holiday movie starring Jackie Seiden, Ashley Wood, Oana Gregory; Two moms swap bodies and have to figure out how to switch back before Christmas) - Nov. 4

Chandler Christmas Getaway (movie starring Malinda Williams, GregAllen Williams, DeEtta West and Victoria Rowell, fifth in the series that began with 2013′s Marry Me for Christmas; The Chandler family heads to a cabin for Christmas) - Nov. 11

Christmas on the Coast (movie starring Julie Ann Emery and Burgess Jenkins about a New York novelist known for holiday romances who spends the holidays in a resort locale, and finds herself with her own Christmas romance) - Nov. 18 (Twitter, Trailer)  (available on DVD Nov. 6)

Christmas Catch (movie starring Yanic Trusedale, Genelle Williams and Emily Alatalo; a detective goes undercover over the holidays and might just be falling for the man she’s sent to watch) - Dec. 2

Christmas with a Prince (holiday movie starring Kaitlyn Leeb, Nick Hounslow and Charles Shaughnessy; a doctor finds herself taking care of a handsome, spoiled prince after he breaks his leg skiing; also available on DVD) - Dec. 9 (Trailer)

Christmas on Holly Lane (holiday movie starring Karen Holness, Jamie M Callica and Giles Panton; lifelong friends come together to save a house they cherish at the holidays) - Dec. 16

Hometown Holiday (holiday movie starring Kevin McGarry, Sarah Troyer and Stephen Huszar; a record exec goes to a country holiday wedding in hopes of signing a social media celeb, but falls for a small town girl instead, also available on DVD) - Dec. 23  (Trailer)

TV One

A Special Night of Rickey Smile for Real (the comedian hosts a special holiday comedy and cooking extravaganza) - Nov. 20

Merry Wish-Mas (movie starring real-life husband and wife Tamela and David Mann, as former high school sweethearts reunited for the holidays amidst family drama) - Dec. 2 (Clip)

Living by Design Holiday Special (brother and sister Jake and Jazz Smollett bring viewers into their home for a spectacular Christmas dinner)- Dec. 9

Coins for Christmas (movie starring Essence Atkins, Stephen Bishop, TC Carson and Kelly Price, as herself; the story of a single mother, struggling to make ends meet after the IRS freezes her bank account. Doing odd jobs to survive, she ends up working for a pro football player two weeks before Christmas, and the two change each other’s lives.) - Dec. 16 (Clip)

INSP

Christmas on the Coast (movie starring Julie Ann Emery and Burgess Jenkins about a New York novelist known for holiday romances who spends the holidays in a resort locale, and finds herself with her own Christmas romance) - Nov. 25 (Twitter, Trailer)  (available on DVD Nov. 6)

BYU TV

Shoelaces for Christmas (movie based on the book by Craig S Buehner, starring Bailey Chase, Mia Topalian and Austin Grant; A selfish teen learns the true meaning of service after receiving devastating news at the holiday) - Dec. 2

Christmas Under the Stars (concert featuring Train and The Band Perry) - Dec. 16

15th Annual Christmas with the Morman Tabernacle Choir (holiday concert with the famed choir, featuring Sutton Foster and Hugh Bonneville) - Dec. 20

Disney Channel/Disney Jr.

Snow Place Like Home (holiday special based on the Elena of Avalor series) - Nov. 24 (Disney Jr.)

A Very Muppet Babies Christmas (holiday special based on the series) - Nov. 30 ***Review***

Ducktales Last Christmas! (special holiday episode of the rebooted series, featuring the voices of Danny Pudi, Bobby Moynihan, Ben Schwartz and David Tennant; Scrooge avoids the pressures of the holidays by traveling back in time with a trio of fun-loving ghosts to crash history's greatest Christmas parties.) - Nov. 30 (Trailer)

Disney Parks Presents a 25 Days of Christmas Holiday Party (holiday season kickoff special featuring music from Gwen Stefani, Brett Eldredge and Asher Angel) - Dec. 1 (available on DisneyNOW app starting Nov. 23)

Doc McStuffins Christmas Special (special holiday episode of the Disney Jr. series; Doc and the toys travel back in time to the North Pole to save Christmas) - Dec. 2 (Disney Jr.) (Trailer)

Nancy and the Nice List (animated special based on the Fancy Nancy series; When Nancy struggles to make Santa's Nice List, she learns the true meaning of Christmas.) - Dec. 14 (Disney Jr.)

Nickelodeon

The Loudest Thanksgiving (holiday special of the animated series) - Nov. 12

Spacebob Merrypants (new holiday special episode of SpongeBob Squarepants) - Nov. 25

WGN

Uncle Dan’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (LIVE coverage of Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day parade) - Nov. 22

CNN

New Year’s Eve Live (LIVE coverage of the events in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen) - Dec. 31

TBS

Elf Pets: Santa’s St. Bernards Save Christmas (original animated special featuring the Elf on the Shelf, also available on DVD) - Nov. 17 (Trailer)

Full Frontal Presents Christmas on I.C.E. (commercial-free comedy special benefiting KIND, an organization dedicated to helping migrant children in detention; special guests include Adam Rippon) - Dec. 19 (Trailer, Clip)

BET

Throwback Holiday (holiday movie starring Jennifer Freeman, Robert Ri'chard and Rhyon Nicole Brown.; A harried mom in a shaky marriage wishes her way back to high school for a life do-over at the holidays) - Dec. 16 (Trailer)

BET Her

One Crazy Christmas (holiday movie starring Carl Payne, Terri Abney, Junie Hoang, Anton Peeples, Kiana Dancie and Tammy Townsend; filmed on location in Houston) - Nov. 17

VH1

RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular (one-off holiday special of the RuPaul-hosted series featuring all-star cast members in a holiday competition to be crowned the “Christmas Queen”) - Dec. 7 (Trailer)

TLC

The 12 Pops of Christmas (holiday-themed special with Dr. Pimple Popper, dermatologist Dr. Lee) - Dec. 13

Ovation

2018 National Christmas Tree Lighting (live musical performances and the official lighting of the National Christmas tree, in front of the White House, LIVE) - Dec. 2 (will also air on REELZ)

Food Network

Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge (three episode cooking competition, hosted by Giada De Laurentiis) - starting Nov. 4

Holiday Baking Championship (holiday baking contest series hosted by Host Jesse Palmer, along with judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Lorraine Pascale) - starting Nov. 5

Christmas Cookie Challenge (cookie baking contest series hosted by Eddie Jackson, with judge Roe Drummond) - starting Nov. 5

Giada's Holiday Handbook (Giada De Laurentiis shares tips and tricks for pulling of holiday parties) - Nov. 11

Worst Cooks in America: Thanksgiving Redemption (special cooking challenge) - Nov. 11

Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro Thanksgiving Special (special primetime episode of the series with guests Jennifer Garner and Nigella Lawson helping Ina Garten cook their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes) - Nov. 17

Macy’s Thanksgiving Cake Spectacular (parade themed cake contest, hosted by Martha Stewart) - Nov. 18

Holiday Wars (three teams of cake bakers compete to create the most outstanding Christmas cake possible, hosted by Jonathan Bennett with judges Shinmin Li and Jason Smith) - Nov. 25

Holiday Gingerbread Showdown (four episode series featuring master Gingerbread makers competing against one another to create holiday delights, hosted by Marcela Valladolid with judges Kerry Vincent, Molly Yeh and Adam Young) - Nov. 25

Crazy Christmas Cakes (five cake artists from across the country bake elaborate holiday cakes) - Dec. 1

Gingerbread Giants 2 (special episode following five competitors at the annual National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, N.C.) - Dec. 23

Holiday Baking Championship: Homecoming (6 past Holiday Baking Championship winners return to the kitchen for a one-off competition to prove who is the best of the best holiday bakers ) - Dec. 24

Cooking Channel

Holiday Cookie Builds (limited episode holiday reality show featuring Salt Lake City gingerbread masters Brenda Nibley and Alisha Nuttall) - starting Nov. 9

SyFy

Santa Jaws (movie starring Reid Miller, Courtney Lauren Cumming and Jim Klock; comic book author’s Christmas killer shark somehow comes to life and begins menacing his friends at the holidays) - Aug. 14

Discovery ID

The Thanksgiving Ambush (true crime special, featuring the story of an Oklahoma couple ambushed in their garage two days before Thanksgiving) - Nov. 22

Animal Planet

AKC National Championship Dog Show  (dog show with hosts Mario Lopez and Shawn Johnson) - Jan. 1

POP

Schitt's Creek Holiday Special (special one-off holiday episode of the series starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara) - Dec. 19

Bravo

WWHL: O Come OG Faithful (Watch What Happens Live holiday episode featuring original Housewives Vicki Gunvalson, NeNe Leakes, Ramona Singer, Bethenny Frankel, Teresa Giudice and Kyle Richards to deck the halls and spill some tea ) - Dec. 20

TruTV

Impractical Jokers: Staten Island Holiday Spectacular and After Party (starring Joe Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn and Sal Vulcano, a two-hour special taped live at Staten Island's St.George Theater, benefiting Toys for Tots) - Dec. 6

HGTV

House Hunters: Home for the Holidays (limited-run series featuring Christmas-loving home buyers looking for a new home to spend the holidays in) - weekly starting Nov. 27

White House Christmas 2018 (look at the decorations and design that adorn the White House for the holidays) - Dec. 9

HGTV Dream Home 2019 (look at the latest HGTV Dream Home which will be given away in a sweepstakes, in Whitefish, Montana) - Jan. 1

BBC America

Dr. Who: Who Year’s Day (stand alone episode of the long-running series, currently starring Jodie Whittaker; As the New Year begins the Doctor must save planet Earth from a terrifying evil.) - Jan. 1

BBC One

Zog (animated special based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, starring Tracey Ullman and Kit Harington) - Dec. 25 UK (US airdate TBA)

RTEjr

Hopscotch and the Christmas Tree (original animated special, based on the book of the same title) - Dec. 24, Ireland (US airdate TBA) (Trailer)

Discovery Family

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic “Best Gift Ever” (the pony friends are on an adventure to find the best gift ever for each of them ) - Oct. 27 (Trailer)

Oxygen

Homocide for the Holidays (season three of the true crime series that features Christmas crimes) - weekly starting Dec. 9

CMT

Dolly & Friends: Making of a Soundtrack (documentary special on the making of Dolly Parton’s latest album, the soundtrack for the movie Dumplin’) - Nov. 29

Get TV

The Soul and Spirit of Christmas (original music special featuring CeCe Winans, BeBe Winans, Koryn Hawthorn and Take 6) - Nov. 23

Me TV 

Pastor Greg’s Reboot: Hope for Christmas (Christmas movie shot in upstate New York, a reboot of the 2004 film starring Kevin Sizemore; a veteran turned pastor get stuck in an elevator with non-believers at the holidays ) - Dec. 2 on WBBZ (all others check local listings, airdate may vary and may not be available on all affiliates)

Hulu

Into the Dark: Flesh & Blood (Blumhouse-produced horror anthology with each monthly movie taking place on a different holiday; On Thanksgiving, teenager Kimberly tries to move on from her mom’s unsolved murder to cure her agoraphobia, but begins to suspect she’s in danger from her seemingly doting father.) -  Nov. 7

Pixi Saves Christmas (2018 animated special from Spain) - Dec. 1

Into the Dark: Pooka (Blumhouse-produced horror anthology with each episode taking place on a different holiday; When a struggling actor agrees to dress up as a cartoon character at the holidays, he finds himself developing a distinctly different personality when he’s wearing the suit. ) -  Dec. 7

Into the Dark: New Year, New You (Blumhose produced horror anthology with each episode taking place on a different holiday; As an Instagram “influencer” looks to make her mark outside social media, a New Year’s weekend with her girl group turns dark) - available now 

A Very Terry Christmas: Get Cozy With Terry Crews (Terry Crews paints a Christmas tree in front of a fire) - available now

Netflix

The Land of Steady Habits (dark comedy/drama starring Connie Britton, Charlie Tahan, Ben Mendelsohn and Edie Falco; Sick of his job in finance a man leaves his wife and Westport, Conn. enclave in search of a more “real” life at the holidays) - available now (Trailer)

Christmas with a View (holiday movie starring Vivica A Fox, Kaitlyn Leeb, Patrick Duffy and Scott Cavalheiro; a fancy new head chef makes a splash at a ski resort, but not everyone is excited about his arrival; based on a Harlequin novel) - available now (Trailer)

The Holiday Calendar (original holiday movie starring Kat Graham, Quincy Brown and Ron Cephas Jones, about a magical advent calendar that seems to predict the future) - Nov. 2 (Trailer) **Review**

The Princess Switch (original holiday movie; Christmas-set take on The Prince and the Pauper, starring Vanessa Hudgens and Sam Palladino) - Nov. 16 (Trailer) ***Review***

Puppy Star Christmas (children’s holiday film in the continuing Pup Stars franchise, starring David DeLuise, Makenzie Moss and Denisse Ojeda; the just-married dogs are spending their first Christmas with their new pups and planning a very special Christmas treat.)  - Nov. 20 (Trailer) (NOTE: also available via DVD on Nov. 22)

The Christmas Chronicles (original movie produced by Chris Columbus, starring Kurt Russell, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Judah Lewis; family holiday comedy about two brothers who, while trying to prove if Santa is real, crash his sleigh in Chicago, and must get the big guy back on track or Christmas is cancelled) - Nov. 22 (Trailer) ***Review***

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic “Best Gift Ever” (the pony friends are on an adventure to find the best gift ever for each of them) - Nov. 25  (Trailer)

Angela’s Christmas (animated special based on the children’s book by Frank McCourt) - Nov. 30 (Trailer) **Review**

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (original holiday movie; wedding-themed sequel to 2017′s A Christmas Prince, starring Ben Lamb and Rose McIver) - Nov. 30 (Teaser, Trailer)

Great British Baking Show: Holidays (two-episode Christmas special of The Great British Bake Off, which aired in the UK in 2016, but has never been seen before in the U.S.) - Nov. 30 ***Review***

Natale A Cinque Stelle (a.k.a. Five Star Christmas; Italian Christmas comedy starring Massimo Gini; when the Italian P.M. secretly meets up with his mistress during a Budapest Christmas trip, things quickly go awry.) - Dec. 7 (Trailer)

Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas (original special one-off holiday episode of the teen series; Bright Fields prepares for its Mistletoe Ball) - Dec. 7

Nailed It! Holiday! (original one-off, holiday baking-themed special episode of the series) - Dec. 7 (Trailer) *Review*

Super Monsters and the Wish Star (original animated special based on the series) - Dec. 7

Neo Yokio Pink Christmas (original animated special created by Ezra Koenig and starring Jaden Smith and Jamie Foxx) - Dec. 7 (Twitter preview, Trailer)

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter’s Tale (original special holiday stand-alone episode of the series featuring Sabrina and her coven telling ghost stories around the fire for the Winter Solistice) - Dec. 13 (Trailer)

Prince of Peoria: A Christmas Moose Miracle (original special holiday one-off episode of the tween series; A snowstorm threatens the Festival of Lights) - Dec. 14

Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas (original holiday special of the Japanese anime-style series) - Dec. 20 (Trailer)

Watership Down (original animated mini-series of the classic Richard Adams novel, featuring the voices of James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Kingsley and John Boyega; a BBC co-production) - Dec. 25

Netflix New Year’s Eve Countdowns (19, new, original countdowns based on kids and tween Netflix shows that can be watched anytime. New countdowns based on: Alexa and Katie, Prince of Peoria, Pinky Malinky, Motown Magic, Larva Island, Beat Bugs, Skylanders Academy, Super Monsters, True and the Rainbow Kingdom, Tales of Arcadia, All Hail King Julien, Boss Baby, Spirit Riding Free and Fuller House) - Dec. 26 (Trailer)

Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour (original concert film featuring the last stop of Swift’s latest tour) - Dec. 31 (Trailer)

Amazon Prime

Bigfoot (animated movie directed be Evan Tramel; An evil Yeti steals Santa’s naughty list and uses it to banish Santa from the North Pole) - available now

Clara’s Ultimate Christmas (family movie where a young vlogger documents her “ultimate Christmas” but everything goes awry when her dad has to leave for a business trip and her dog runs away right before Christmas Eve) - available now (Trailer)

Crawford the Cat’s Christmas (animated special aimed at preschoolers, directed by Russ Harris) - available now (Trailer)

Dead by Christmas (holiday slasher film starring Holly Bonney; Reunited for the holidays, a group of friends raised together in a troubled Louisiana orphanage are stalked by a killer from Christmas past) - available now (Trailer)

Discarding Santa (”found footage” mockumentary about a Kentucky town that outlawed Santa) - available now (Trailer)

Madness Farewell (black comedy about a suicidal comedian in Los Angeles who, unable to do the deed herself, hires a hit man; starring Charlene DeGuzman ) - available now (Trailer)

A Raunchy Christmas Story (very R-rated “comedy” in the Cinemax-after-dark vein) - available now

Straight no Chaser: Live in New York Holiday Edition (a cappella group’s Christmas concert, filmed live in New York City) - available now

A Unicorn Christmas (animated special featuring the voices of Alicia Condrey, Aisha Ricketts and Yasmin Palmer) - available now

Pete the Cat: A Very Groovy Christmas (animated holiday special, based on the book series; Pete and the gang try to find the Christmas Cat to get cool gifts) - Nov. 20 (Trailer)

Arty’s Holiday Masterpiece (animated holiday special, based on the Creative Galaxy series; Arty makes a Christmas ornament for his family, but it comes to life and runs away) - Nov. 20

Max’s Christmas (animated special based on the Max and Ruby storybook) - Dec. 1

YouTube

Ken Jeong Cracks Christmas (original special featuring the comedian and celebrity friends on the ultimate quest to uncover the pop-culture myths behind the world's most celebrated holiday.) - Dec. 12 on the Buzzfeed YouTube Channel (Trailer)

Nick Offerman’s Yule Log (Nick Offerman silently drinks whisky in front a fire) - available now on Lagavulin’s My Whisky Official YouTube Channel (age restricted due to depiction of alcohol); Ten Hour Version

A Very Terry Christmas: Get Cozy With Terry Crews (Terry Crews paints a Christmas tree in front of a fire) - available now on America’s Got Talent YouTube Channel

MUSEO (Spanish language movie starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Leonardo Ortizgris and Alfredo Castro; the true story of small-time, seemingly inept crooks who stole priceless Mayan artifacts from Mexico's National Anthropology Museum on Christmas Eve 1985) - TBA (Trailer)

Holiday Spectacular (family movie from Brat Studios, starring Annie LeBlanc and Mackenzie Ziegler; the story of an estranged family that is brought back together for the holiday season at the mall) - Dec. 21 on the Brat YouTube channel (Trailer)

Sony Crackle

A Prayer for Mr. T: The SuperMansion Thanksgiving Special (adult, stop-motion animation special holiday episode of the streaming series, featuring the voices of Chris Pine and Bryan Cranston; The annual Thanksgiving turkey competition between Titanium Rex and Dr. Devizo goes awry when Rex’s turkey transforms into a nightmarish bird monster.) - Nov. 15

Britbox

Upstart Crow Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the special Christmas episode of the series) - Dec. 7

Would I Lie to You Christmas Specials (U.S. premieres of the special Christmas episode of the game show) - Dec. 7

QI Christmas Specials (U.S. premiere of the special Christmas episodes of the game show) - Dec. 7

The Snow Queen (U.S. premiere of the 2005 BBC animated movie based on the classic tale, starring Patrick Stewart) - Dec. 7 

Mr. Stink (U.S. premiere of the 2012 BBC movie starring Hugh Bonneville, based on the popular children’s book) - Dec. 7

Mary Berry’s Absolute Favorites (holiday special featuring The Great British Bake Off’s Mary Berry) - Dec. 12

Clash of the Santas (US debut of the 2008 BBC movie) - Dec. 15

The Lights Before Christmas: Luminous London (Britbox original, “slow TV” holiday-themed special) - Dec. 19

Swingin’ Christmas (Michael Parkinson presents the John Wilson Orchestra with special guests, including Seth McFarlane) - Dec. 22

Hold the Sunset Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the special Christmas episode of the series) - Dec. 23

Mock the Week Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the 2018 special Christmas episode of the comedy news show) - Dec. 24

Click & Collect (2018 BBC movie starring Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry as neighbors making a cross country journey to get the perfect toy for Christmas) - Dec. 24

Carols from Kings (LIVE coverage of the celebration of Christmas from The Chapel of King’s College Cambridge) - Dec. 24

The Queen’s Christmas Message 2018 (annual holiday message delivered by Queen Elizabeth II to her subjects via the BBC) - Dec. 25

Emmerdale Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the 2018 Christmas episode of the British soap) - Dec. 25

Casualty Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the 2018 Christmas episode of the British soap) - Dec. 25

Holby City Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the 2018 Christmas episode of the British soap) - Dec. 25

EastEnders Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the 2018 Christmas episode of the long-running British soap) - Dec. 25

Coronation Street Christmas Special (U.S. premiere of the 2018 Christmas episode of the long-running British soap) - Dec. 25

The Last Leg New Year’s Special, LIVE (aired at same time as in UK) - Jan. 1

Shudder

The Dinners of Death (Joe Bob Briggs Thanksgiving meal-themed marathon which he calls, “the best deadly-dinner movies in history”) - Nov. 22

A Very Joe Bob Christmas (Job Bob Briggs-hosted Christmas horror movie marathon) - Dec. 21

Funny or Die

The 2019 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord and Tish (Live coverage of the Rose Parade with commentary by Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan, a.k.a. Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon) - Jan. 1

On Demand/Digital/DVD

Sick for Toys (horror movie starring Camille Montgomery, Jon Paul Burkhart and Justin Xavier; Sad sack nice guy accepts a Christmas dinner invitation from a beautiful woman only to find out she and her brother are not what they seem) - Sep 4 (Twitter, Trailer)

Battle of the Bulge: Wunderland (war movie starring Steven Luke, Tom Berenger and Mikeal Burgin; true story of the Christmas 1944 battle that was amongst the WWII’s deadliest offensives, available via digital and DVD) - Oct 2 (Trailer)

The Least of These: A Christmas Story (starring Tayla Lynn and Emma Faith; a homeless single mother is befriended by a feisty waitress and a store Santa in this tale of holiday love and forgiveness, shot on location in Fayetteville, Ark.; available via digital and DVD) - Oct. 22 (Trailer) 

Christmas Break-In (A blizzard strands nine-year-old at school at the start of Christmas break. When bad guys kidnap the school janitor, it’s up to the kid to save him; starring Danny Glover, Denise Richards and Cameron Seely, filmed on location in Minnesota; available via DVD) - Nov. 1 (interview)

A Christmas Village (A cynical cookbook author facing a scandal helps a single father reinvigorate his struggling Christmas theme park in hopes of getting some good PR; starring Madeline Leon and Neil Paterson; available via iTunes) - Nov. 1 (Trailer)

Best Thanksgiving Ever (starring Jay Seals, Eric Roberts and Heather Adair; Raunchy Thanksgiving-themed sex comedy supposedly based on a true holiday; this one has been floating around festival circuit for a while, but this is first time it’s widely avaiable via iTunes) - Nov. 6, Rated R (Redband Trailer)

Christmas Manger (movie starring Andrea Logan White, Steve Young and Tara Reid; A widower and his estranged foster daughter are forced to spend the holidays together after an injury leaves him unable to live alone. Can faith reunite them?; Available via DVD) - Nov. 6

Lez Bomb (movie written by and starring Jenna Laurenzo, with Kevin Pollack, Bruce Dern, Cloris Leachman and Steve Guttenberg; comedy about a lesbian determined to come out to her quirky family over Thanksgiving, but a series of mishaps may foil her plans; available via digital and blu-ray) - Nov. 9 (digital) / Jan. 8 (blu-ray) (Trailer)

Mrs. Claus (holiday horror slasher film starring Brinke Stevens, Helene Udy and Kaylee Williams) - Nov. 13 (Trailer)

A Christmas Carol (Scottish version of the classic tale, where Scrooge is a billionaire obsessed with profits, starring Stuart Brennan; available on iTunes) - Nov. 16 (Trailer)

Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer (starring Josh Hutcherson, Morena Baccarin, John Cleese, Samantha Bee and Martin Short; international animated film about a miniature horse who dreams of being one of Santa’s reindeer; available via digital) - Dec. 1, Rated PG (Trailer, Twitter) ****Review****

Holly Star (written, directed and starring Michael Nickles, with Katlyn Carlson and Brian Muller; A broke puppeteer returns home for the holidays and gets caught up in a treasure hunt with her paintball-obsessed best friend, her tango-dancing grandmother and a childhood sweetheart. Shot on location in Portland, Maine; available via DVD/digital) - Dec. 4, Rated PG (Trailer)

All the Creatures Were Stirring (holiday horror movie starring Constance Wu, Amanda Fuller and Jonathan Kite; a couple wander into a movie theatre on a Christmas Eve date to be greeted by a series of bizarre holiday tales of woe; available via digital and DVD) - Dec. 4 (digital) / Dec. 7 (DVD) (Trailer)

Smallfoot (starring Channing Tatum, Zendaya, Gina Rodriguez, James Corden and Danny Devito; animated Yeti adventure where the mythical beasts discover humans actually exist; available via DVD and digital) - Dec. 4 (digital) /Dec. 11 (DVD/blu-ray), rated PG (Trailer, Website, Twitter) ****Review****

I’ll Be Next Door for Christmas (crowd-funded movie starring Nicole Sullivan, Atticus Shaffer, Juliette Angelo and Kirrilee Berger; 16-year-old embarrassed by her Christmas-crazy family, tries to trick her long distance boyfriend by hosting a calmer Christmas celebration in the empty house next door; available via digital) - Dec. 4, Rated PG (Website, Trailer, Clip)

Little Women (modern-set take on the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, starring Lea Thompson; available via DVD and digital) - Dec. 18, rated PG-13 (Trailer)

[tabloidtoc]

TV Guide, December 10-23

Cover: The Holiday Issue -- Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie celebrate their first anniversary as Today show cohosts

Page 1: Contents

Page 2: Ask Matt Roush -- Linda Hunt on NCIS: LA, The Good Cop, Your Feedback -- FBI, God Friended Me, Deutschland 86, Fan Art -- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Page 4: Gift Guide

Page 6: Giada De Laurentiis

Page 8: The Roush Review -- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Page 9: Roma, Blood, Vanity Fair

Page 10: Cover Story -- Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie of Today

Page 14: Holday Preview -- Ellen's Game of Games

Page 15: The Goldbergs, NCIS, Fresh Off the Boat

Page 16: Holiday marathons, Seasonal Specials -- Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas, CMA Country Christmas

Page 17: Yuletide Calendar

Page 18: Behind the Scenes -- Outlander

Page 20: What's Worth Watching -- Happy Days

Page 22: Dave Annable and Odette Annable of No Sleep 'Til Christmas, Doctor Strange, Battle of the Nutcrackers, Magnum P.I., National Geographic's Explorer

Page 23: Momentum Generation, Supergirl, black-ish, Life Below Zero, The Rookie, Hollywood Game Night

Page 24: Criminal Minds, Tyler Perry's Acrimony, Modern Family, Susan Powell: An ID Murder Mystery, A Million Little Things, Today in TV History -- Kojak (Telly Savalas) on the cover of TV Guide in 1973

Page 26: The 12 Pops of Christmas, Late Nite Eats, Mom, Saturday Night Live Best of Christmas, Into the Okavango, NFL Football

Page 27: I Love Lucy Christmas Special, Atomic Blonde, RuPaul's Drag Race, Christmas Around the Corner, 87th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade, Speechless

Page 28: Blockers, The Death of Stalin, Midnight Lace, Christmas Pen Pals, Entertaining Christmas, Pete Holmes: Dirty Clean, Saturday Night Live, The Johnny Cash Christmas Show, 2018 Miss Universe, Hometown Christmas, The Sound of Music

Page 29: 5 Secrets of Hallmark Holiday Movies

Page 47: Stream It!

Page 48: Netflix -- Fuller House, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Arrested Development, Queer Eye

Page 49: Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable, Springsteen on Broadway, Travelers, Tidelands, Nailed It! Holiday!

Page 50: The Five, Roma, Bird Box, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

Page 51: Hulu -- Five reasons to binge St. Elsewhere

Page 52: Prime Video -- Revisiting Vanity Fair

Page 54: New Movie Releases, Leaving Soon

Page 57: What's Worth Watching December 17-23 -- Lidia Celebrates America: A Heartland Holiday Feast -- please try a plant-based diet this holiday

Page 58: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Who We Are Now, Fail State, The Price Is Right, America's Got Talent: A Holiday of Champions

Page 59: Cops Ho Ho Ho Marathon, We'll Meet Again, The Voice, Greatest Holiday Video Countdown, Megan Fox on Legends of the Lost

Page 60: Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy on Schitt's Creek Holiday Special, American Pickers, Live PD Presents: PD Cam, Watch What Happens Live, White Christmas

Page 61: Timeless series finale, Murphy Brown

Page 62: General Hospital, War for the Planet of the Apes, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown, A Home for the Holidays, Craft in America, Tales From the Tour Bus

Page 63: The Greatest Story Ever Told, Hunka Hunka Burning Christmas, Christmas Icetastrophe, Spotlight, Isle of Dogs, Christmas in Connecticut, College Basketball

Page 64: Homicide for the Holidays, The Simpsons, The Year: 2018, Marilyn Monroe for Sale, Dirty John -- 3 reasons we love Juno Temple, Scrooge vs. Scrooge

Page 84: Cheers & Jeers -- New Amsterdam, Netflix, Dancing with the Stars, How to Get Away with Murder, Manifest, CBS, The Flash

[wiersema1]

Those that know me best know that college football is truly my favorite sport. You know what gets me pumped for college football season? I absolutely L-O-V-E ESPN’s countdown of their Top 25 Games of last season. They do this every year in July and August as they prep for the upcoming season on the gridiron. When they started their countdown, I happened to catch the 23rd best game of 2016, #23 Florida St. at #10 Miami from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL.

By the way, have you seen the revamped Hard Rock Stadium? Hard Rock Stadium might confuse you, but this is the place that used to be known under the following seven names: Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Land Shark Stadium, and Sun Life Stadium. For the first time, it is finally a great looking park. They added a partial roof which must help against that scorching Florida sun. Anyway, it looks like a place I’d enjoy checking out a game.

Someday. But for now, I’m driving my son to closer stadiums. This Autumn…..Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana where we’ll see the beloved Huskers of Nebraska at Purdue on October 28.

I know……..not too exciting but it’s all part of seeing each and every B1G stadium. So far I’ve been to games at Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and of course Nebraska and Illinois. I’ve also been to Minnesota and Indiana on non-game days. So that leaves us with Ohio St., Penn St., Maryland, Michigan St., Rutgers, and of course, Purdue.

So here is the list of ESPN’s Top 25 games of 2016:

#25 – Florida St. 45 vs Ole Miss 34 – An offensive explosion. The QB’s in this one, Deondre Francois for FSU and Chad Kelly for Ole Miss inspired both teams to dream of the National Championship. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, Kelly was injured in his 9th game. They went 4-5 in his 9 starts but the offense wasn’t the problem for the Rebels. Their defense allowed 34.0 ppg! As for Francois, he played like a freshman at times, but a wonderfully talented freshman. Going into ’17, Francois is a Heisman contender and FSU is a National Championship contender, starting the season ranked #3.

#24 – Toledo 53 at BYU 55 – Brigham Young’s RB Jamaal Williams ran for 286 yards and 5 TD in this crazy 55-53 victory. This brought back shades of the ‘Wild Wild WAC’ days of yesteryear.

#23 – Pittsburgh 36 at North Carolina 37 – Both Pitt and UNC played in plenty of tight games in ’16. This one was no different.

#22 – Alabama 10 at LSU 0 – I don’t remember watching this one last year (or this year). Maybe I’m just all “Bama’d” out. Does this ten to nothing shutout surprise you? This was a typical SEC slobberknocker, I’m guessing.

#21 – N.C. State 17 at Clemson 24 (OT) – How many tight games did Clemson win in 2016? They won seven games by 7 points or less. They lost one. Spoiler alert! They finished as National Champions with a 14-1 record. That makes tight victories like this all the more important. When the Wolfpack took them to Overtime last October, it improved a shaky Clemson team to 7-0 with 4 tight wins. Most people were wondering what in the world was going on with them. I’ll tell you what was going on. They were forging bonds during tough, hard-fought wins that ultimately propelled them to legends.

#20 Central Michigan 30 at Oklahoma St. 27 – Games like this are what makes college football a special game. Remember this one? CMU threw a Hail Mary after Okie St. was penalized for throwing the ball out-of-bounds on a 4th down as time ran out. The refs wrongly gave CMU one un-timed down because of the Cowboys intentional grounding. So what do you think was gonna happen? Central Michigan caught the Hail Mary, the WR ran it all the way into the end zone after catching it in play and making an incredible run. CMU won! As for Oklahoma State?…….Talk about getting hosed!!!! They finished 11-2……I mean 10-3 doh! The NCAA referees acknowledged their mistake after the game but to no avail. You can’t open up Pandora’s box afterwards.

PS: A similar play happened here in Illinois in the IHSA high school state playoffs between Fenwick and Plainfield North. I know! What is wrong with these referees! If you don’t know for sure, get out the rulebook and consult with IHSA officials or Athletic Directors or somebody before you end up forcing a judge to sit through a courtroom case brought about by a lawsuit. In this case, Fenwick got hosed, losing 18-17 in OT! I can’t believe this really happened twice within a couple of months! Who got screwed more? I vote for Fenwick. They lost a playoff game whereas Oklahoma St. only lost a non-conference game that luckily, ultimately, didn’t derail their championship hopes. As for Fenwick, I’ll be cheering for them this Autumn.

#19 LSU 13 at Auburn 18 – Oh my God! Reliving these fantastic games is wonderful. Remember this one? In what turned out to be Coach Les “The Hat” Miles’ last game as LSU head coach, the Tigers (which one?) thought they threw a game-ending 15 yard TD pass. But wait! The officials reviewed it and determined that the snap on the last play was too late. The game clock had indeed just barely run out before the Tigers’ (which one?) center snapped the ball prior to the miraculous game winner. So who won? The Tigers……naturally. (ICYMI, Auburn’s ‘War Eagle’ won……naturally rather than the LSU “Geaux” Tigers. People wonder why our youth are so confused. I’m confused both reading AND writing this column. Whatever man, “This is the SEC!” I could probably delve into a whole sub-article here about academics in the B1G (Big Ten) vs the SEC but I’ll spare you.) Thanks Dutch!

#18 Ohio St. 30 at Wisconsin 23 (OT) – This was a solid B1G game. This column is getting too long so I’ll refrain from commenting on this one. Oh wait. I have a question for you: Is “Jump Around” a tradition? I mean, this tradition started based on a lousy 90s rap/crap/hip-hop song from 1992? Is that a tradition? Maybe the B1G is dumber, and closer to the SEC, than I thought. I know what you’re thinking……all my Wisky friends are enraged and throwing a fit right now, and possibly “unfollowing” the Dutch Lion concurrently.

#17 Florida St. 20 at Miami 19 – This one brought back memories of earlier games in this once national series but 2016’s edition was not a truly fantastic matchup. It’s good clean hate but it lacks the buildup of what it once was…..one of the greatest meaningful rivalries that the entire nation watched with eyes wide open. Did someone say “wide”, as in “Wide Right!”?

#16 Michigan 13 at Iowa 14 – Great game! Michigan had a perfect 9-0 record, ranked #2 going into Iowa City. Iowa was #1 (you’re dreaming again, of 1985!) In 2016 Iowa was unranked but primed for an upset of Jim Harbaugh. Is Iowa Jim Harbaugh’s kryptonite? Nonetheless, outside of the Hawkeyes current struggles, it was “Shades of 1985!” Seriously, it was eerie. Here’s a column I wrote last Autumn, detailing one of my all-time favorite college games that made me love the sport forever:

“How weird is it that Iowa beat Michigan 14-13 in almost the same way with almost the same score as when they beat Michigan 12-10 in 1985????

My favorite upset of the day was definitely Iowa over Michigan because it brought back so many memories of the epic 1985 #1 vs #2 matchup in Iowa City. It was October 19, 1985. I remember that day well for being 31 years ago. It’s like “Back to the Future”. I was a 10-year-old raking leaves on a cloudy, overcast, rainy October day in the Midwest.

The weather in Iowa City, IA was pretty much the same as Lake Zurich, IL on that day. You had CBS, you had Brent Musburger, you had Chuck Long quarterbacking one team while Jim Harbaugh QB’d the other. Boy, Chuck Long had an arm, huh! You could hear the pads popping the way they did in that era, especially when you had a wet field. For some reason, the pads “popped” differently back then.

You had Ronnie Harmon and Larry Station. I mean seriously, how GOOD was Ronnie Harmon! You had Jamie Morris. You had Bo Schembechler vs Hayden Fry! You had NO instant replay and Iowa’s #87 Scott Helverson got HOSED in the back of the end zone.

You had Rob Houghtlin, making 4 of 5 FG’s including the game winner for Iowa to win 12-10. He was allowed to use the tee. Do you guys remember that placekickers were allowed to use tees? I know, right?

You had that weird moment in time in which the QB could “complain” to the refs about crowd noise and the ref would actually STOP the game and tell the crowd to be quiet so that the QB could communicate with his teammates. I KNOW, RIGHT! Can you believe this actually was a rule for a brief moment in time?!? (I need to look into that further. Did the NFL impose that rule? For how many years? How subjective was it?) Harbaugh was complaining to the refs for parts of that game that made it drag. It was SUPER DUMB! What were the refs supposed to do? Do they penalize Iowa for….the fans being too loud? I want an ESPN 30 for 30 short about this strange story.

Nonetheless, don’t let that ruin your experience. It ended up being such a great day for the Big Ten, for College Football on CBS, for Ara Parseghian (God bless his soul as he just recently passed away) as the “color” man next to Brent. It was great for our Nation’s Heartland. Remember the struggles of the farming community in the mid-80s? Iowa’s farmers actually had an “ANF” logo on the Iowa helmets…..”America Needs Farmers”. I know, right!

Add it all up and it almost makes you want to become an Iowa fan……well, it wasn’t THAT cool 😉  I’m just kidding. It was really, really cool and near the top of my list of cool 80s college football memories.”

(For some reason, footage of this great game is hard to find. Stephen Barnett has most of the old great games posted as FULL games on Youtube.) Thank you Stephen. You’re a video God.)

1985 looks about the same as….

Iowa 14 Michigan 13 in 2016.

#15 North Carolina 37 at Florida St. 35 – I don’t think I watched this one live, unlike most of the games on this list. Now that the Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky, I have extra interest. Check it out and scout #10 in powder blue!

#14 Arkansas 41 at TCU 38 (2OT)

#13 Army 21 vs Navy 17 – This rivalry is so special. Lately, Navy wins almost every year. Not last year. Army broke a long, 14 game losing streak, winning 21-17. I watch it just to see the passion of the cadets and the midshipmen. Who cares who wins? Well, Army and Navy vets do. My buddy Bush is an Army guy. “Go Army, Beat Navy!” My buddy Thomas Sullivan Magnum, P.I. is a Navy guy. “Go Navy, Beat Army!”

#12 Tennessee 38 at Texas A&M 45 (2OT) – Another nutty game. Go watch it. You’ll see.

#11 Orange Bowl: Florida St. 33 vs Michigan 32 – I remember Michigan DE Taco Charlton ripping guys heads off. FSU won on Francois’s game-winning TD pass with 36 seconds left.

#10 Clemson 37 at Florida St. 34 – Fantastic game! The Tigers and Seminoles have such a long-lasting rivalry and it continues to play out better than ever the last few years. Both are National Title contenders as of late and they always seem to play tight ballgames. This is one of the newest great rivalries that isn’t getting enough hype. The winner of this game has won the ACC Atlantic Division Championship how many years in a row? The answer is 8. Every year since 2009. Each team has won 4 times. It’s probably gonna happen again in 2017, this time in Death Valley, South Carolina on November 11. Look for this year’s version to make next year’s Top 25……again.

#9 Alabama 48 at Ole Miss 43 – The Ole Miss Rebels seem to be the only team that can hang with the Crimson Tide the last few years. Last year, Ole Miss had a huge 24-3 lead, but then what happened? Oh, you know!

#8 Ohio St. 21 at Penn St. 24 – I was all geared up for this one. Good game in the 3rd quarter. Then all of a sudden the Chicago Cubs won the NL for the first time since 1945. All the local stations including ABC-7 (the only station showing OSU at PSU) decided they had to show the bozos celebrating in the streets. Ok. I’ll watch that for a minute or two. But ruin the entire, amazing 4th quarter comeback by PSU in Happy Valley? Call me furious! What a shame. Thanks for ruining an electric game atmosphere by showing people looting and pouring beers all over their idiot friends because their lovable losers finally won a league for the first time in 72 years. PSU! More like P-U. You stink!

#7 Notre Dame 47 at Texas 50 (2OT) – Good opening weekend capper on Labor Day weekend. Who is better, Malik Zaire or DeShone Kizer? Hmmmmm. Kizer threw for 5 TD. Zaire……he stunk more than Cubs fans. Who stunk more than Zaire? Head Coach Brian Kelly! If he had just declared Kizer the starter prior to the game, they may have avoided not only this loss but 7 others throughout that disastrous 2016 season. Coaches have off years too. Kelly admits he did a poor job in ’16. Another bad year soon and as the Hawk says, “He Gone!”

#6 Tennessee 34 at Georgia 31 – I’ve seen the end a billion times, but I’m still dying to watch the entire game that led up to that crazy ending. I have it saved on the DVR. Both teams’ fans were dumbstruck in the last minute. Spoiler alert…..not one but two Hail Mary’s!!!

#5 Louisville 36 at Clemson 42 – This game had one of the greatest buildups I’ve ever seen on television! Did you watch this? It was an ABC Saturday Night classic. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit were there and ABC showed the traditional Clemson run down the hill and touching Howard’s Rock. What made this one unique was ABC had cameras outside in the street showing the bus that drove the players and Coach Dabo Swinney to the entrance gates above Howard’s Rock. Incredible intensity! (start watching at about 10 minutes in until at least the end of Louisville’s 1st series at about 21 minutes in) I felt like I was there. Honestly, the crowd and atmosphere brewed up one of the top experiences I’ve ever seen on TV. I had it saved preciously on my AT&T U-Verse DVR until those AT&T bozos screwed up and lost all my recordings earlier this Summer. Thanks AT&T! Rather, thank god for Youtube. I NEED to attend a Clemson night game someday to experience this in person. Nonetheless, this game at #5 on the countdown, will live in my memory, hopefully forever.

#4 Pittsburgh 43 at Clemson 42 – How many times was Clemson on this Top 25 list? The answer is five, with four in the top 10! That’s insane and hard to believe. That’s what makes them all the more important, knowing that they won the Championship. When DeShaun Watson threw a late interception on a bad pass into the end zone, I recall thinking, “DeShaun will just not be a good pro QB”. Then as the NFL Draft approached, I desperately wanted the Chicago Bears to take Watson 3rd overall. As it turned out, I’m really happy the Bears selected North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky. Meanwhile, Houston drafted Watson and the whole time since, I keep thinking about that Pitt interception.

#3 Michigan 27 at Ohio St. 30 (2OT) – Wow! This was a really great game. Double Overtime!! Incredibly tough defense throughout most of the game as regulation ended with a 17-17 tie. Ohio St. won 30-27 with some controversial measurements, penalty calls, LACK of penalty calls. Everyone was talking about Coach Jim Harbaugh’s ranting on the sidelines. Well, he’s a Bo Schembechler guy and after some of these referees calls, Jimmy is http://widgets.boxxspring.com/MjA1NSw0MDUzNzM1OA” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>bitter…..bitter!

I don’t blame Harbaugh. I would’ve been stretched to my limits if I was a Michigan man too. We’re already beginning to see shades of the “Ten Year War”! Depending on the length of the Harbaugh/Meyer Era, we have just embarked on what will likely go down as the “Ten Year War: Part 2”. So far, Urban Meyer leads 2-0. When will Harbaugh “put one on the board”? I’m betting on ’17. The game is in Ann Arbor on November 25.

  #2 Rose Bowl: Penn St. 49 vs USC 52 – This could’ve been the best game of the year. Every time I watch and re-watch I’m just amazed by this nutty game. Ultimately, Trace McSorley was a little too aggressive, throwing 3 interceptions and showing his sophomore inexperience as PSU’s first time starting quarterback as they were outscored 17-0 in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, over on the other sideline USC sophomore QB Sam Darnold was proving why he’s a top option for next year’s NFL Draft. He threw for 453 yards and 5 TD in one of the all-time greatest Rose Bowls.

#1 National Championship: Clemson 35 vs Alabama 31 – ‘Bama hardly ever loses. But when they do, it’s so much fun to enjoy! Hunter Renfrow’s game-winner with 1 second left was the stuff dreams are made of. Congratulations to Watson, Renfrow, Dabo Swinney, and all of the Clemson Tigers fans who have waited since 1981 to experience that National Championship feeling all over again.

So there you have it. Another amazing season. What does 2017 have for us? It all starts this week. Pumped much?

A Summer Tradition: ESPN’s Top 25 College Football Games from last season! Those that know me best know that college football is truly my favorite sport. You know what gets me pumped for college football season?

[mcitomco-blog]

Loud and Clear !

The Pioneer Cd car stereo came in its original box along with accessories to be installed in the 2003 Hyundai Sonata. However, the car had already had a CD player and cassette deck. Now you would think with a remote , and a plug in for an aux cord to play music from my phone, the Pioneer would be a no brainer. But then I do have a lot of cassettes, including some that have old recordings of my fathers voice and irreplaceable countdowns of 70s music from WLS Chicago ! So the Pioneer set mint in the box like the Prospector in Toy Story! It sat around with the intensions of installing for at least two years. The closest it came to installation was a quote of 50 dollars. But I always believe that everything happens for a reason, and time usually tells the tale! Fast forward to today, a beautiful Monday in Kansas City. Beautiful not only weather wise but just overall. I was really starting to see value in the world around me. What it takes to live, what it means to appreciate things, and most importantly what things are worth. In this case lets just keep the focus on the Pioneer, a value all its own. Walmart has it priced at 59 dollars new, which mine was, mint in the box remember. Ok wait, before I take you to Wallyworld, a quick side note in relation to the sale of the Pioneer. It was Monday and I didn’t get paid till Friday, my Mother had already gave me a 50 spot, and I had too much pride to ask anyone else. Sadly I shouldn’t even be asking no one for anything, but I got my ass handed to me at the casino. Now if you know Kansas City, you know this is not your town if you gamble. Ameristar, Harrahs, Isle, Argosy, and Hollywood casino in Kansas are all within driving distance of each other. And as any gambler knows, even twenty miles is within driving distance when your looking to change your luck ! Something I should of considered a week and a half ago when I set up camp at the Argosy, not leaving until they took nearly two weeks worth of pay. I made it through the first week, but I’ll be damned if this Friday doesn’t feel like it’s a month away. So back into Walmart and the thought of an easy payout. I thought no receipt, no problem it’s Walmart. But there was a problem, the policy says no exchanges over 25 dollars which was my understanding. What they would do, exchange in store goods for the stereos value, up to 59 dollars. I thought I would get crafty and get items just under 25 dollars in hopes I could return those to another Walmart. This piece of the tale ends quickly with that kick in the teeth feeling. When I go up to customer service for the third time, it was the final, as the stereo rang up as never being purchased and therefore not returnable. Before I could even imagine that, I was walking out of the store Pioneer at my side. Tomorrow would be a new day, today, and today I would find a way! I never had to sell anything at a pawn shop before , all I knew is that I wouldn’t get much. Of course I just needed a few bucks for gas to get me through till Friday. I was at about half a tank thanks to about 12 dollars in dimes. I thought before I painfully embarrass myself further with nickels and pennies, why not use the Pioneer for its sole purpose, to hear pieces of the Joker by The Steve Miller Band. After work I B-lined it to Mission Pawn, the first Pawn shop of Johnson county in Shawnee. It showed, it looked like the one in Las Vegas , seasoned in a way. In fact so reputable that I thought they wanted to send me straight back to Walmart where I possibly would have bought it had it not come with the car. They were nice enough to name drop and I found an outstanding young gent who was glad to ask me what I wanted for it ! I thought with most cars having CD players, and accounting the quick cash effect, twenty dollars seemed fair. The gentleman’s quick compliance at Heartland Pawn and Jewelry in Overland Park Kansas had me thinking I should of started at 30. But again, everyone has a CD player so who knows. I just knew it wouldn’t go above sixty and if it did, someone wasn’t doing their homework. Either way it was an easy transaction. Just a few quick wire checks, Joker...smoker....midnight toker......to make sure everything was in working order and I was golden. Ready to make it through the week, and in my head I thought of a younger day. The car, a 97 Chrysler Lebaron convertible , blue, the exact car in Jumanji as I can recall. I do remember in great detail the reciprocated smile I received on that day as I pulled up next to a pair of girls, top down and 101 the Fox on both radios with yet again the Steve Miller Band and The Joker. Not to be fooled on that warm spring day, right before the light change, I looked over at the pretty young passenger and her back at me. Both of us in key, "really love your peaches, want to shake your tree".

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 5 Days || 11x14 - Past Imperfect (Happy New Year!)

...don’t apologize for your choices. Own them.

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 9 Days || 11x10 - A Fine Balance

You can have darkness [...] but you need light too. It’s the balance between them that can change lives.

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 14 Days || 11x05 - Measuring Up

If this Maggie’s franchise continues to expand and thrive, my daughters will have everything they need, and more! I think all your daughters need is their mother.

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 8 Days | 11x11 - Somewhere In Between

Come on, just because you’re scared to try something different, that’s no way to live. Yeah...you’re one to give advice.

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 7 Days || 11x12 - Out of the Shadow

I don’t think another year should pass where we don’t do something to remember your mom, and we call get caught up in our day to day routines, and we lose focus of what’s important.

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 12 Days (Merry Christmas!) 

|| 11x07 - Our Sons and Daughters

You know when you’re up in an airplane, way up above everything and you feel calm and happy? That’s what it feels like to be on a horse. It feels like you’re flying.

[welcometoheartland]

Countdown to Season 12 - 10 Days || 11x09 - Challenges

Does the well-being of a horse in Mongolia mean more to you than the well-being of your daughter? That’s not fair.

[welcometoheartland]

Season 13 Countdown → 10 days

12x02 - Hearts Run Free

Now I can say I love you And mean it even more A second chance A second dance More precious than before If your love is broken and leaves you on your own Trust that time will come and go Your heart will lead you home.