Viewing options plentiful for love bugs of all ages
COVER STORY Hallmark Channel offers two romantic movies
Valentine’s Day is Saturday and I’ve had just about enough of what I’m seeing on TV.
On one hand there’s the R-rated steaminess of the lingerie commercials for the intimate apparel outlet. Looks to me as if Victoria has no secrets left.
Then there are the ubiquitous Valentine’s Day jewelry commercials that try to convince us to spend big bucks on baubles to show our sweeties how much we
really love them. Buy that overworked woman a pass to the day spa or hire the Merry Maids for a week!
All that commercialism reminded me of almost 30 years ago, when our preschooler spent hours making his mom a Valentine. She still has it. In that spirit, here are a few preschool Valentine options this week that remind us of a simpler time before lace undies.
Ugga Mugga. If you know what that means, then you are among the Daniel Tiger/Lady Aberlin cognoscente. Add to that knowledge by watching Daniel Tiger’s
Neighborhood at 8 a.m. Monday on AETN.
It’s a special new half-hour double episode, “It’s Love Day!” and “Daniel’s Love Day Surprise.”
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, from The Fred Rogers Company, is TV’s top-rated series for preschoolers and, PBS says, it “helps reinforce Mister Rogers’ enduring messages of love and acceptance for all little tigers.”
In “It’s Love Day!,” Daniel and his friends in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe come up with special ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The kids dance, sing and tell jokes to show how much they care for one another.
In “Daniel’s Love Day Surprise,” Grandpere is coming to visit, so how can Daniel demonstrate how much he loves his grandfather? How about a treasure hunt?
Daniel hides little hearts all over the house for Grandpere to find. But what if little Margaret finds them all first?
Curious George. Everyone’s favorite monkey celebrates Valentine’s Day with a new episode at 7 a.m. Monday on AETN. In “Happy Valentine’s Day, George!,” George wants to make his friends the best Valentine’s Day cards ever, but even with four paws, it takes a long time to create cards for everyone.
With a little help from sponges, red paint and a waffle iron, George creates the first ever monkey Valentine’s printing press!
Season 9 of Curious George continues to focus on teaching preschoolers about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts, as well as use of the five senses.
Parents may want to keep an eye on the family waffle iron after their small fry watch the episode.
Clifford. He’s already the color of Valentine’s Day, so it’s only natural that Clifford the Big Red
Dog has a special double episode this week on PBS Kids.
“Big Hearted T-Bone” and “Cleo’s Valentine Surprise” air at 9 a.m. Wednesday on AETN-3 Plus, AETN’s educational programming digital channel for young viewers.
FOR THE GROWN-UPS
Nothing says romance all the time like Hallmark Channel, with its slogan “The Heart
of TV.”
First up is the Hallmark Channel Original Movie world premiere of CloudyWitha
ChanceofLove at 7 p.m. today. The light-hearted romance stars Katie Leclerc, Gregory Harrison, Stacey Dash and Michael Rady.
Quirky, studious meteorologist Deb (Leclerc) spends most of her time in the passionate pursuit of her doctorate in meteorology. Ah, but “the winds of change start blowing in her heart” when handsome news director Quentin (Rady) recruits Deb to fill in as an on-air weather personality.
The new job comes with a glamorous makeover that transforms (who knew?) the nerdy Deb into a real looker. That catches the eyes of viewers and her boss, but it also takes her away from her studies at a critical time.
When her TV job, academic commitments and budding romance collide, Deb must decide if her future will be spent studying the sky or broadcasting over the air.
It’s Hallmark and rated TV-G. Somehow I think it will all work out.
And then on Valentine’s Day itself, the Hallmark Channel Original Movie AllofMyHeart gets all TV-G romantic at 7 p.m.
The film stars some old favorites — Lacey Chabert ( Party of
Five, Mean Girls), Brennan Elliott ( Strong Medicine, The 4400), and the venerable Edward Asner ( The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant).
In the movie, young caterer Jenny (Chabert) has her life drastically changed when she inherits a house. Well, she inherits
half a house and moves to the country to start fresh.
Once there, she learns she must share the house with career-obsessed Wall Street trader Brian (Elliott), who only wants to sell the place. At first, these opposites do not attract, but feelings begin to change when they find themselves having to work together to restore their newly acquired home.
A friendship and possibly more develops, but then drama ensues when Jenny’s ex-boyfriend shows up to win her back.
Will it work out? Hey — it’s Hallmark and it’s Valentine’s Day.