The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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coverstory Made for TV Television darlings are inducted into the Hallmark Hall of Fame The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 19, 2013 By Shona Dustan TV Media M ade for TV movies are making a splash in prime time. The second Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of 2013 is set to air, and ABC is hoping to build on the success of the first. The original movie "Remember Sunday" airs Sunday, April 21. The film is a remarkable love story that follows Molly (Alexis Bledel), a waitress who feels her life is in a rut, and Gus (Zachary Levi), a man with severe memory problems. The stars are really coming out for ABC in 2013. January's "The Makeover" was the first ABC original movie of the year. The lovely Julia Stiles ("10 Things I Hate About You," "Silver Linings Playbook") starred in this modern retelling of the classic "Pygmalion," and her star power pulled in many viewers. The film co-starred such recognizable actors as David Walton (TV's "Bent," "New Girl"), Frances Fisher ("Unforgiven," "Titanic") and Camryn Manheim (TV's "The Practice," "Ghost Whisperer"). Pulling in a decent 5.1 million viewers, "The Makeover" was a good start for ABC's 2013 prime-time films. The network is hoping that the success of "The Makeover" will help bolster interest in its next Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. When Molly and Gus meet in "Remember Sunday," their connection is immediate. Unfortunately, that spark has to be reignited every single day. Gus, having survived a brain aneurysm years ago, awakes every morning with no memory of the day before. He begins each day with a clean slate, meeting Molly for the "first" time over and over again. This concept is not exactly a new one. The idea of shortterm memory loss and reliving Zachary Levi and Alexis Bledel in a scene from "Remember Sunday" Traveling Pants 2" (2008). days has been explored in such films as "Memento" Zachary Levi starred in a be(2000), "Groundhog Day" loved television series of his (1993) and "50 First Dates" own, though his didn't stay on (2004). But "Remember Sunthe air quite as long as Bleday" has a sweetness that del's. Levi played titular charmakes it stand out from the acter Chuck Bartowski in others. NBC's "Chuck," which aired "One of the interesting par- from 2007 to 2012 and earned adoxes of the story," said Levi, itself a very loyal fan follow"is that I think we all, deep ing. Levi has many other teledown, yearn to be with somevision credits to his name, one who essentially falls in most notably "Curb Your Enlove with us every day. That's thusiasm," "Robot Chicken" what Gus offers Molly. Every and "Less Than Perfect," on time he sees her, he doesn't re- which he co-starred from 2002 ally remember her — but he to 2006. His most notable film falls in love with her all over credit to date was his gig as again anyway! That's an the voice of Flynn Ryder, bad amazing and powerful thing." boy and love interest of RaWhile past Hallmark Hall of punzel in Disney's "Tangled" Fame movies have done well, (2010). "Remember Sunday's" stars Rounding out the cast of are sure to pull in a huge audi- "Remember Sunday" are even ence of their own. The two acmore familiar faces: Larisa Oltors are already television dar- eynik ("10 Things I Hate About lings with sizeable, dedicated You," "The Babysitter's Club"), fan bases. Bledel is best Merritt Weaver ("Nurse Jackknown — and much-loved — ie," "Michael Clayton") and for her portrayal of Rory Gilmore on the long-running series "Gilmore Girls" (2000 to 2007). No stranger to the silver screen, Bledel has also had major roles in box office hits such as "Tuck, Everlasting" (2002), "Sin City" (2005), "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (2005) and its sequel "The Sisterhood of the Barry Shabaka Henley ("Collateral," "State of Play"). This formula -- casting known stars in television movies -- has been working for Hallmark for decades. The Hallmark Hall of Fame series is, in fact, the longest-running series in television history and has been around almost as long as network television itself. Making its debut on NBC in December 1951, the first Hall of Fame productions were live stagings of operas, plays and novels. Silver screen legends such as Peter Ustinov, Grace Kelly, James Dean and Richard Burton all made appearances in those early productions. In the 1970s, Hallmark Hall of Fame began developing some of its own material, airing original movies as well as television versions of classics or biographies, often casting known stars in its films. Throughout the years, this Hallmark Hall of Fame tradition has continued. Recent movies have featured stars such as Laurence Fishburne ("The Matrix"), John Corbett ("Sex and the City") and Cuba Gooding Jr. ("Jerry Maguire"). The Hallmark Hall of Fame films, which moved to ABC in 2011, are family favorites, and ABC hopes to put a fresh face on the series this year. Casting young but stalwart stars is a good start, and Bledel and Levi are sure to come through for the network. With its freshfaced stars and quirky romance, "Remember Sunday" airs Sunday, April 21, on ABC. Chirstopher's Coins 2x2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: A friend of mine was telling me that one of the kids from "The Bill Engvall Show" went on to be famous, but he couldn't remember who. Is he right? Who was it? A: Your friend is describing a young star by the name of Jennifer Lawrence, who went from being a supporting player on the TBS sitcom to a best-actress Oscar winner in just six short years. She stuck with the show for all three of its seasons, but immediately afterwards she set off for film stardom. The first role she took after it ended in 2009 was the lead in the 2010 drama "Winter's Bone," which would earn her an Oscar nod. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. B/ Yoders 2x2 A/Krazy Tom's B/State FarmMelisa Manikas 2x3