Making vows
Hallmark Channel throws party for fans of ‘wholesome programming’ at Graceland
A tourist destination since it opened to the public on June 7, 1982, Graceland generally is a happy place.
But never has it radiated joy and rejected gloom with as much urgency as it seemed to do this weekend, when the campus of shops, museums and venues connected to Elvis’ home played host to the first-ever Hallmark Channel “Fan Celebration.”
With shades of pink and peach in abundance, the event was a sort of small-scale Comic-con for devotees of the cable network that dedicates itself entirely to tales of true love and heartwarming romance.
As Saturday’s opening day of the “Celebration” confirmed, cynicism, irony and bad vibes in general were not only unwelcome but unrecognized. The word “wholesome” emerged from exile to be employed without apology as an endorsement for a brand of original programming that eschews dragon-riding mad queens, dystopias and R-rated wisecracks in favor of “The Good Witch,” happily-ever-afters and puns (“It’s Christmas, Eve” was the name of one of last year’s Hallmark productions).
“I support Hallmark because of the quality wholesome programming,” explained Lori Meeker, 55, of Columbus, Ohio.
“I like the wholesome movies,” affirmed Reneé Johnson, 56, who drove from Knoxville.
“They’re wholesome, just like Elvis movies,” said Jerry Engelby, 76, of Jefferson City, Missouri. “It’s intoxicating,” added Johnson. Officially christened the “Hallmark Channel June Weddings Fan Celebration Weekend,” in recognition of the network’s looming “June Weddings” series of new nuptial-themed movies, the event — quickly organized, and promoted for only about a month — attracted some 200 fans from across the country. The crowd gathered for Saturday and Sunday panels, parties and meet-andgreets with such stars as Jack Wagner, Jill Wagner and Josie Bissett, who have appeared in such Hallmark wish-fulfillments as “Christmas Cookies,” “A Harvest Wedding” and “The Wedding March 4: Something Old, Something New.”
The celebrity spotlight for much of Saturday was on Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown, stars of last year’s top-rated made-in-memphis cinematic sprig of mistletoe, “Christmas at Graceland,” and the upcoming “Wedding at Graceland.” Shot in Memphis in April, that sequel premieres June 1 and launches a slate of five new “June Weddings”themed features — a total that represents a mere teardrop in the bucket compared to the 40 new movies Hallmark plans to air in December during its annual avalanche of “Countdown to Christmas” programming.
The ratings success of “Christmas at Graceland” and the popularity of a public premiere for that movie that was held at the relatively new Graceland Soundstage last November cemented the Graceland-hallmark relationship and inspired representatives of the two “brands” to to organize this weekend’s “Fan Celebration,” with an eye toward possible larger fan conventions in the future.
“Our fans are loyal fans,” said Kelley Last, senior director of production and project management for Crown Media, the Hallmark parent company. “It’s nice to be able to do this for them.”
Many fans paid the top price of $550 for “platinum package” access to all the “Fan Celebration” happenings. The lowest available price was $75, for a Hallmark “hall pass.”
At the “Hallmark Channel Lounge,” fans could view the wedding dress and tuxedo worn by Pickler and Brown in “Wedding at Graceland;” wear a “Bride To Be” tiara and pose in front of a wall of pink roses; collect tiny champagne bottles; and purchase memorabilia commemorating the Hallmark and Graceland partnership. Souvenirs included pink T-shirts stamped with a logo depicting wedding bells pealing above the facade of Elvis’ mansion.
Much of the action was at the Graceland Soundstage, where soap opera veteran Wagner — the star of all five of Hallmark’s “Wedding March” movies to date — performed a Saturday evening concert that included his 1984 pop hit, “All I Need,”
Earlier Saturday at the Soundstage, Pickler and Brown signed 8-by-10 glossies and screened a few minutes from “Wedding at Graceland.” They also shared a recording of their new duet version of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which will be heard in the new movie. Brown recorded his vocal part at Midtown’s famed Ardent Studios.
The autographs followed a latemorning panel in which Pickler and Brown were joined by several of their co-stars from the two “Graceland” movies, including Tamara Austin, Ryan King Scales, Tommy Cresswell and precocious Claire Elizabeth Green, a 10year-old scene-stealer from Franklin, Tennessee, who apologized for never having listened to an Elvis song before she came to Memphis to work on the first film.
“No one’s judging you, baby,” Pickler interjected.
Among those who netted the stars’ autographs were Meeker and her friend, Lisa Colangelo, 58, who drove from Cumming, Georgia (city slogan: “Gateway to Leisure Living”). The women are administrators for several Hallmark Channel Facebook groups that have close to 30,000 participants, Colangelo said.
According to Colangelo, these Hallmark enthusiasts have at least one thing in common with the “Star Trek” fans known as Trekkies: a cute nickname.
“We call ourselves ‘Hallmarkies,’” she said.
And that’s not all: “Hearties” are fans of Jack Wagner, whose Hallmark credits include a lead role in “When Calls the Heart,” a weekly series now in its sixth season.
“As crazy as it sounds, our volunteering all of our time is for the love of quality family television,” Colangelo said.
“It’s a happy place,” Meeker said of the Hallmark Channel. “You know you’re going to feel good at the end of the movie.”
“I love everything Hallmark,” contributed Jordan True, 30, who said she traveled from Logan, Utah, so she could “nerd out” with other Hallmark aficionados. “It’s something I can turn on and watch without worrying about language that is vulgar. I can laugh and cry and, at the end of it, smile.”
Pickler — an “American Idol” star and country music singer who made her dramatic acting debut in “Christmas at Graceland” — echoed the fans’ sentiments. She called the Hallmark Channel “a safe place,” “a sanctuary” and “an escape,” where “we don’t have to worry about anything being vulgar or explicit or ugly.”
“We want another one,” said Meeker of the fan celebration. “Tell Hallmark to do it again.”