There will be a plethora of Latino talent gracing the airwaves this holiday as Lifetime launches its annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime programming event. Offering joyous cheer will be films that feature stars such as Rita Moreno, Mario Lopez, Camila Banus, Mario Cantone, Ariana Ron Pedrique, Rodrigo Massa and many others.
Beginning on Novemver 17 at 8/7c Sweet Navidad starts off the season with a focus on a young, hard-working pastry chef Carmen (Camila Banus), who dreams of opening her own Puerto Rican-influenced bakery, like the one her family owned on the island. When hotel owner Victor Flores (David Fumero) discovers Carmen’s treats at a local coffee shop, he invites her to apply for a position as pastry chef for his hotel’s holiday gala. When she is accepted, she’s paired with chef Jax (Mark Hapka). At first, the two do not mix well. Carmen is messy and cooks from the heart; Jax is a perfectionist fixated on technique.
Miami-born Banus, of Spanish and Cuban descent, is best known for her role as Gabi Hernandez on the soap opera, Days of Our Lives (2010-2015). “This Lifetime film does reflect my upbringing,” says Banus. “In the film, when all the chefs are competing, they brag about what important culinary schools they attended. When they ask Carmen about her training. She exclaims, ‘I studied at the academy of mi familia…in Miami.’ Also featured in Sweet Navidad are Melissa Marty, Teri Hoyos, Manny Streetz Guevara, Norma Maldonado and J. Santiago Suarez.
Sweet Navidad is produced by Ninth House Films for Lifetime. Autumn Federici and Jake Helgren serve as producers. Marianne C. Wunch, Hannah Pillemer, Fernando Szew from MarVista serve as executive producers. Script by Cristina Boada with Brittany Underwood as director.
Santa Bootcamp (November 19 at 8/7c) finds event planner Emily Strauss (Emily Kinney, (The Walking Dead) being commanded by mall magnate Ed Mancini (Patrick Cassidy of Castle) to stage the ultimate Christmas Gala for his most important investors. Emily is sent to Santa Bootcamp where she is confronted by Belle (Rita Moreno, (West Side Story), the bootcamp’s drill sergeant with a heart of gold, who helps Emily rediscover the magic of Christmas and find romance along the way.
“The director, Melissa Joan Hart, was wonderful to work with,” says Moreno. “While keeping a tight rein on the script and the flow of the movie, she allowed me to improvise a bit within the lines. That was wonderful.” Moreno further exclaims, “I have always been a holiday person. I have been known to decorate anyone in my house who happens to stand still for more than a minute, because during the holidays, I turn into a child.” Additional stars include Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur, Justin Gaston, John Schuck, and deaf actors Deanne Bray and Zyra Singleton.
Hart also serves as executive producer, along with Irene Dreayer, Gina Rugolo Judd, and Paula Hart. The film is produced by Hartbreak Films Inc with a script written by Michael J. Murray.
Steppin’ Into the Holiday (airing November 25 at 8/7c) features Mario Lopez, portraying a former Broadway star who returns to his hometown after being fired from a TV dance competition series where had served as host-producer-judge. “This has been great for me,” says Lopez. “Netflix reached out to me and asked if I would like to co-star with Jana Kramer. I think the network thought of us both because of our backgrounds, competing on Dancing With the Stars.”
As the title intimates, there is a lot of ‘steppin’ in the show. Lopez’s character, Billy, meets Rae (Kramer), the owner of a dance studio, where Billy’s 12-year-old nephew is her standout student. Billy volunteers to help Rae with the studio’s recital by reviving the town’s traditional Christmas Eve show. Along the way, the holiday spirit affects the disillusioned Broadway star and the hopeful small town dance teacher…in a good way.
Lopez and Kramer are executive producers on the movie, which served them both well. “Jana lives in Nashville where we are shooting and two of my favorite writers created the script, Peter Murrieta (The Wizards of Waverly Place) and his wife, Eliza.” Lopez, whose parents were both emigrants from Mexico, became a child actor while a student in Chula Vista, California, eventually landing a series regular role on Saved by the Bell (1989-1994). Trained as a dancer from the age of seven, he made his Broadway debut in the 2008 in a revival of A Chorus Line.
Steppin’ Into the Holiday, which also features Mario’s wife, Courtney Lopez, as well as Cheri Oteri and Mario Cantone, is produced by Via Mar and Roberts Media, LLC. in association with Motion Content Group. Mark Roberts, Mario Lopez, Jana Kramer, Jeff Stearns, Richard Foster and Chet Fenster serve as Executive Producers. David Kendall directs from a script by Aliza Murrieta and Peter Murrieta.
Additional It’s A Wonderful Lifetime Latino-themed films include: Cloudy, With a Chance For Christmas, starring Valerie Ortiz (11/5); Well Suited For Christmas, starring Mercedes de la Zerda (11/6); A Show-Stopping Christmas, starring Jamie Perez 11/20); and Merry Textmas, starring Ariana Ron Pedrique & Rodrigo Massa (12/4).