Drew Lachey, best known for being a part of the boy band 98 Degrees, and MacKenzie Porter will star in the romantic comedy Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas premiering on December 8, 2013 at 7pm ET on UP (a network I have to admit I’ve never heard of). UP calls themselves “America’s Christmas Channel” and specializes in uplifting entertainment.
Kristoffer Tabori (Judging Amy) directed the made-for-TV holiday movie from a script by Tippi and Neal Dobrofsky. In addition to Lachey and Porter, the cast includes Peter Lacroix, Ellie Harvie, Evan Bird, Matt Ward, and Olivia Chen.
The Plot: “When his high-maintenance girlfriend Chelsea (Olivia Cheng) refuses to cook, jaded rock star Dax (Drew Lachey) is found by New York paparazzi passed out in his car with a frozen holiday turkey in the passenger seat. In order to repair his tarnished image, Dax publicly agrees to grant a fan’s “Dear Santa” Christmas wish. To his dismay, his manager Jason (Matt Ward) drops Dax off in Cedar Grove, a small Midwest town, where he’s committed to spend a week and perform in a local holiday Christmas concert.
At first, Dax is horrified to be stuck in the Reverend Harding (Peter Lacroix) family’s home under strict rules and a curfew. But he soon becomes charmed by the Reverend’s wife Lynne (Ellie Harvie), teenage son Tim (Evan Bird) and very surprised contest winner and daughter Kelly (MacKenzie Porter), a sassy, unemployed book jacket writer. Dax begins to appreciate what the Hardings have as a family – love, caring and an uplifting holiday spirit.”
“Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas throws a badly behaved rock star, in need of some image rehabilitation, into a completely unfamiliar situation – small-town America,” said Leslie Glenn Chesloff, executive vice president of programming, UP. “Although Dax – played with humor and heart by Drew Lachey – chaffs at being in a small town and under a reverend’s roof, he quickly finds the holidays with this close family and their llamas inexplicably charming. As he rediscovers his musical voice, direction, and joy, the question is what will Dax do when his holiday time-out ends?”
