Here’s today’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.

UP TV continues Love Finds You franchise. Production has wrapped on the UP Original Movie Love Finds You In Charm, a romantic, coming-of-age drama set in Amish country, The film,  starring Trevor Donovan (Texas Rising, 90210), Danielle Chuchran (Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, UP’s Nowhere Safe), Drew Fuller (Army Wives, Charmed) and Tiffany Dupont (Born to Race: Fast Track, Greek), is based on the popular book by Annalisa Daughety and is set to air in early 2015.

Love Finds You In Sugarcreek, the first film in the romantic anthology series is, thus far, UP’s highest-rated original movie of 2014.

In this second film, Emma Miller (Danielle Chuchran) is a beautiful, young Amish woman with a loving family, a good job as a teacher, and an Amish man, Jacob (Kellen Boyle), who would like to marry her.  But Emma is restless and unsure about her commitment to the Amish faith.  She longs for new experiences, so when her father suggests that she spend the summer in Charm, Ohio with her cousin Lydia Ann (Meg Whitman), Emma jumps at the opportunity.  In Charm, Emma meets librarian Kelly Bennett (Tiffany Dupont), an “Englischer” who is visiting her Aunt Irene (Dawn Lafferty) in Charm to get over a bad breakup with a cheating boyfriend.  Despite their very different backgrounds, Emma and Kelly bond over their love of books and become good friends.  As she becomes exposed to an entirely different world, Emma become increasingly torn between her two worlds – not to mention her growing attraction to handsome, inquisitive Noah (Trevor Donovan), an Amish man who also questioned his faith at one time.

Love Finds You In Charm is a George Shamieh production, directed by Curtis Grey, and produced by Terry Cunningham.  Chevonne O’Shaughnessy and Cindy Bond of Mission Pictures are executive producers.  Bryar Freed-Golden (UP’s upcoming Paper Angels and Love Finds You In Sugarcreek) wrote the adapted screenplay based on Daughety’s book. 

 “Love Finds You In Charm is the second in what we hope becomes an ongoing franchise for UP, based on the success of this year’s Love Finds You In Sugarcreek  and the continuing popularity of the ‘Love Finds You…’ book series,” says UP SVP of Original Programming Barbara Fisher,

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 Hallmark’s 12 New Movies of Christmas. Hallmark Channel’s annual Countdown to Christmas programming slate actually launches on tomorrow (10/31). Between Halloween and Christmas Day Hallmark Channel is set to serve more than 1300 hours of holiday fare, including 12 original new movies.  This year’s list of world premiers includes:

1. One Starry Christmas starring Sarah Carter and George Canyon (Saturday, November 1 @ 8:00 PM ET)
Note: I’ll review One Starry Night tomorrow.

2. The Nine Lives of Christmas  starring Brandon Routh and Gregory Harrison (Saturday, November 8  @ 8:00 PM ET)

3. A Cookie Cutter Christmas starring Erin Krakow and Alan Thicke  (Sunday, November 9 @ 8:00 PM ET)

4. Northpole starring Tiffani Thiessen, Josh Hopkins, Bailee Madison, Max Charles, American Idol winner Candice Glover, Robert Wagner and Jill St. John  (Saturday, November 15 @ 8:00 PM ET)

5. Angels and Ornaments starring Jessalyn Gilsig (Sunday, November 16 @ 8:00 PM ET)

6. A Royal Christmas starring Jane Seymour, Lacey Chabert and Katherine Flynn (Saturday, November 22 @ 8:00 PM ET)

7. The Christmas Shepherd starring Teri Polo (Sunday, November 23 @ 8:00 PM ET)

8. Christmas Under Wraps starring Candace Cameron-Bure (Saturday, November 29  @ 8:00 PM ET)

9.  Debbie Macomber’s Mr. Miracle starring Rob Morrow (Saturday, December 6 @ 8:00 PM ET)

10. Christmas At Cartwright’s starring Alicia Witt and Wally Shawn  (Sunday, December 7 @ 8:00 PM ET)

11. Best Christmas Party Ever starring Torrey DeVitto (Saturday, December 13 @ 8:00 PM ET)

12. The Christmas Parade starring AnnaLynne McCord and Drew Scott  (Sunday, December 14 @ 8:00 PM ET)

Additionally, Hallmark Channel will broadcast of the 126^th Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day.  For more info about Hallmark Channel’s holiday programming click here.

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11