Cedar Cove’ Marked the Beginning of a New Era for Hallmark Channel”

Press Review http://www.betafilm.com/cedarcove “…it seems too good to be true” “‘Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove’ marked the beginning of a new era for Hallmark Channel” “What a burst of sunshine!” “’Cedar Cove’ has a very high "paint-drying" factor, but it's very pretty paint, professionally applied.” Back to Work, Armed With a Gavel After modeling and a flurry of notable film appearances early on — Andie MacDowell Stars in ‘Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove’ the repressed wife in Steven Soderbergh’s “sex, lies, and By KATHRYN SHATTUCK videotape,” a grieving mother in Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts” and Published: July 12, 2013 Hugh Grant’s love interest in Mike Newell’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral” — Ms. MacDowell has in recent years taken smaller parts while focusing on her children. “Cedar Cove” would be her first star “Hi, it’s Andie,” comes the voice on the phone, conjuring up Southern turn in a series, but she also has a new role at home too: empty peaches and silk lingerie, and you can’t help feeling a little nester. intimidated. “It’s especially different because I’m a single woman,” Ms. Such is the allure of Andie MacDowell, who at 55 looks just an extra MacDowell said. “It opens me up for any opportunity. I’m just living eye-crinkle away from her modeling days describing the naughty day to day and waiting for it to come.” stuff she did in her Calvin Kleins. Ms. MacDowell, calling from Vancouver, British Columbia, where the So what’s she doing as the star of the Hallmark Channel’s first show is filmed, recently spoke with Kathryn Shattuck about child original prime-time scripted series ? rearing, long workdays and how, all these years later, she still fits “There’s not a lot of light on television,” said Ms. MacDowell, who into those jeans. Following are excerpts from their conversation. equates positivity with beauty. “If you want to relax and feel good, Q. Last year, you had a small role on “Jane by Design” on ABC Hallmark’s about that.” Family. Were you in the market for another series? In “Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove,” a two-hour movie and pilot for A. At first, I didn’t know if I wanted to do this because my children a whimsical hourlong drama set in a picture-perfect Washington have been my priority, and my youngest daughter, Margaret, was State coastal community, she portrays Judge Olivia Lockhart, a finishing her senior year of high school. She was my last, and when small-town magistrate turned federal court nominee with Botticelli you get down to the end of [childhood] in a mothering role, it’s a very curls and a Yale law degree. Pedaling through town with flowers in valuable experience. But Margaret said, “I don’t want to stop you her bicycle basket and a chiffon scarf trailing from her neck, Olivia from doing this.” balances ambition with nurturing — of her daughter (Sarah Smyth), who has attracted the attention of a real estate developer (Brennan You’ve spoken about the light on the Hallmark Channel. Were Elliott) nearly twice her age, and her well-intentioned if gossipy you looking to escape some sort of darkness? mother (Paula Shaw). Her Honor, meanwhile, has caught the eye of Yes, I think I was. One of my best friends — I’ve since lost her — Jack Griffith (Dylan Neal), the local paper’s new editor. (About that was sick with cancer. I worry enough as it is, and the world’s crazy. title: Ms. Macomber is a best-selling author who earned a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America; four of her novels have been adapted into television movies, including three by the Hallmark Channel.) One of the reasons I was excited about doing the series was The good news is they have me to bring a sense of reality into it. The because when I went to work every day, I was going to be in a warm, work is wonderful, and you need to be thankful and gracious. And fuzzy place. It’s very wholesome. There’s no profanity. It’s uplifting, not believe in the fantasy because it really isn’t true. At the same and the fans are super nice and kind. time, it’s a sacrifice because you will be in the public eye, and that Olivia has a certain strength. won’t be easy. Once you choose it, you will have to live with it. One of the reasons she resonated with me was that I like women You’ve been a L’Oreal spokeswoman since the mid-’80s. I can’t being in powerful places. I like the idea that the strongest woman in help asking your beauty tips. this whole show is Olivia. She is the one that people look up to. They I think sleep is my No. 1 — that’s why I fight for it. I watch my come to her for advice. thoughts, I watch my monkey mind. If you carry around anger and Kind of like you? ugly emotions it will show on your face, so the biggest thing you can I hope so. It’s a hard position to put yourself in because I’m not do is work on your mind, your heart and your soul, drink a lot of allowed to be human and make a mistake. You’re bound to trip up water, wear sun block and exercise. I do a lot of yoga. I do somewhere. And so will Olivia. People have expectations of what handstands in class. My goal is to do cartwheels for the rest of my she’s supposed to do, but she has to stay within the law. But I think life. she has the essence of me. What are the demands of re-entering the industry full time with a series? We’re working so hard. We have 14-, 15-hour days. I try very hard to get my 12 hours off. I need some downtime before I go to sleep. And we do block shooting, which was a first for me. We’ll shoot, say, three scenes in one direction and then flip sides and shoot all three scenes in the other direction. There’s a lot of memory work, and it’s super, super fast. Like Olivia, you’re left on your own now that the children have moved out. How’s that? I’m learning a lot about parenting young adults. Because of technology today, we expect kids to stay in touch with us too much. I think that’s unnatural. We really do have to give kids their freedom and allow them to go off and become adults. I had to recognize my clinging and stop it. Your son, Justin, lives a quiet life in Montana, where you also spend much of your time. Your daughters, Rainey and Margaret, are, like you, actresses and models. What advice do you give them? Tuned In: Hallmark's debut scripted series likely to please the "Movies represented an opportunity for us to do original network's regular viewers programming where you didn't have to be committed to 13 episodes July 14, 2013 12:05 am Rob Owen / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a series," Mr. Kenin told Multichannel News in 2009. "We often refer to our movies as series because it basically has that concept of regularity -- same night, same time all year long. Basically every Andie MacDowell stars as a judge and Jack Griffith is a newspaper other week there's a new movie on, which gives our audience an editor in Hallmark Channel's new original series, "Debbie opportunity to make a schedule for it, and our audience is very loyal." Macomber's Cedar Cove.“ But given the tide of the TV business, it became inevitable that Airing a scripted TV series has become de rigueur for cable Hallmark would follow other cable channels that have jumped into networks. So it was only a matter of time before Hallmark Channel original scripted series programming. evolved from its all-movies, all-the-time original programming model. This year William J. Abbott, president and chief executive at Crown This week the network gets its scripted drama series, "Debbie Media Holdings, Hallmark Channel's parent company, was singing Macomber's Cedar Cove," which launches with a two-hour movie at the praises of series. 8 p.m. Saturday. It's been a long time coming. "It's really to brand yourself and be different," Mr. Abbott told The Hallmark has aired reruns of classic TV dramas but resisted New York Times in March. "Running original series, original content, developing scripted series, instead relying on original movies, which is critical." often spawned sequels. The network has set a goal of four original prime-time series by In a 2008 interview with the Post-Gazette, then-executive vice 2014. president of Hallmark programming David Kenin suggested movies that paired an established actor with a young newcomer better fit its Hallmark executives announced the network would produce a pilot marketing budget. "Cedar Cove" movie in March 2012 and the series received a green light in October 2012 with an eye toward a January 2013 premiere date. But that got pushed back, first to June, then to July. 'Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove' And, as is often the case, there were changes made to "Cedar Cove" When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Hallmark Channel. between production of the TV movie and the one-hour episodes that Starring: Andie MacDowell and Jack Griffith.

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