![]() ![]() "We're going to bring jobs to Memphis," he said. Speaking before Thursday night's premiere at the Graceland Soundstage (the venue that is a cornerstone of the relatively new Elvis Presley's Memphis museum-and-more tourism complex on Elvis Presley Boulevard), Weinshanker said that Graceland is committed to "making Memphis better," with more film and television projects and a greater diversity of exhibits, including a 2019 Muhammad Ali tribute. No wonder, then, that both Hallmark and Graceland executives have high hopes for "Christmas at Graceland," which is being heavily promoted by the network and which could serve as a model for future film and television dramas produced in cooperation with the Presley estate, according to Joel Weinshanker, managing partner for Graceland Holdings LLC, the majority owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises. View Gallery: Lighting Ceremony, 'Christmas at Graceland' PremiereĪccording to Hallmark, the cable channel attracts some 85 million viewers during its holiday "countdown," and its Christmas movies frequently beat the broadcast networks in prime time. The movie is one of 22 new heart-tuggers set to air between now and the end of the year during the 10th annual "Countdown to Christmas" marathon, a ratings juggernaut and programming tradition that is the Hallmark Channel's equivalent of the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," but with fewer kills if just as many teeth. "Christmas at Graceland" was filmed primarily in Memphis in July, with cast members sweating beneath their winter coats and wool caps in 100-degree heat while crew members laid sheets of white cotton on the Graceland lawn and sprayed the bushes and trees with artificial snow. ![]() More: 5 things to know about 'Christmas at Graceland' movieĬhristmas in July? Hallmark Channel and Kellie Pickler bring the holiday to Memphis, Graceland (The plot basically asks: How long before the band gets back together, so to speak?) "New York has its pluses, but my heart is in Memphis," affirms handsome piano-playing concert promoter Clay Sheppard (Wes Brown), Laurel's ex in music as well as love. "Memphis is so pretty," enthuses Laurel's young daughter, Emma (Claire Elizabeth Green). "There was nothing grandma loved more than Christmas in Memphis," says Memphis singer turned Chicago bank executive Laurel Couper (Pickler), who has returned to her hometown during a snowy December to complete a financial merger. But few who watch the film would be surprised if Memphis Tourism and Elvis Presley Enterprises were named as script consultants. Saturday - credits its screenplay to veteran Hallmark romance-wranglers Gregg Rossen and Brian Sawyer (sample titles: "Rocky Mountain Christmas," "Undercover Bridesmaid" and "The Seven Year Hitch"). ![]() The 90-minute production - which makes its television debut at 7 p.m. ![]()
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