UPtv's "Rock N' Roll Christmas" Upends the Christmas Movie Formula

Family TV stalwarts Beverley Mitchell and Catherine Mary Stewart play daughter Ashlyn and mother Bonnie respectively amp8212 a former musical duo in Nashville Emphasis on quotformerquot as the two have been estranged for years until Bonnie39s manager sneakily places them both on the same bill at a Christmas concert At the urging of both Bonnie39s manager Michael Dickson and Ashlyn39s teenage daughter Riley Kelaiah Guiel the two women decide to try to put another Christmas album togetherWhat follows is as Mitchell put it in an interview quotthe process of a broken family mending itselfquot There are fits and starts Ashlyn and Bonnie are both stubborn strongwilled and carry years of emotional baggageThe appeal of this movie for Mitchell was explicitly the motherdaughter focus quotI love what UPtv stands for with their programmingquot Mitchell said quotThey39re not pushing storylines where it39s always the damsel in distressquot Ashlyn is sassy and a bit messy having to balance her fears and hopes about her daughter39s relationships with Riley39s mostly absent musician father and grandmotherquotThere39s so much heart in this scriptquot Mitchell addedMitchell has found a bit of a career groove with this kind of movie having appeared in several other holidaythemed joints and that39s intentional quotBeing a mom now I39m a lot more aware of the projects I take on and there are a lot of things like violence that I just have no interest in doingquot Mitchell said quotYou know I did Saw II But now I look for roles that are a more natural fit that speak to my experiences as a wife and motherquotRoles she added that hearken back to her 7th Heaven days quotI love that show and not just because I was on itquot Mitchell said quotI still feel connected to these characters just like so many other peoplequot She sees a void in the place where 7th Heaven and other similar shows used to be amp8212 a void being filled by UPtv39s programmingWith Rock N39 Roll Christmas there was the bonus too of Mitchell being able to make use of her vocal talentsquotIt was terrifying at firstquot Mitchell admitted But the joy of the creative process soon overcame that fear quotThere was one song we were doing it was this really slow song that I wasn39t sure was working They really let me collaborate on it and we changed it up kind of in the moment and it really worked I was so proud of that and so happy to feel so much a part of the processquotHowever unlike Ashlyn Mitchell doesn39t play the guitar quotI never learnedquot Mitchell said quotSo having to pretend to play guitar was fun This was just a really fun shoot in generalquotFun despite the fact that most of these Christmas movies are filmed in the dead of summer quotIt39s always funny to have to wear all these jackets and sweaters in that heatquot Mitchell says What made it easier especially with Rock N39 Roll Christmas was the family atmosphere on setWhen Guiel who plays Ashlyn39s daughter Riley had a scene in which she had to sing Mitchell took Guiel under her wing quotShe was amazingquot Mitchell said quotI was a sobbing mess during that scene amp8212 you could see this young girl so nervous and she nailed it and the magic of her voice hit me like a ton of bricksquotMitchell39s family has their own set of holiday traditions including matching PJs and baking Christmas cookies like Mitchell39s character in Rock N39 Roll Christmas Every year Mitchell and her husband and children trundle off to Colorado to get the full snowy Christmas experienceMitchell39s children are six and four and like most kids that age they enjoy the material goods of this world But while Mitchell and her husband do indulge them at Christmas more important to her is to teach them the value of experiencesquotThey39re so innocent in their joy of the holidaysquot Mitchell said quotBut we39re trying to drive home the idea that not everyone has homes or gifts to really teach them about the joy of giving to othersquotAnd the joy of family as wellPhotos courtesy of UPtvClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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UPtv's "Rock N' Roll Christmas" Upends the Christmas Movie Formula

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Oriana Schwindt

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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UPtv's "Rock N' Roll Christmas" Upends the Christmas Movie Formula

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Oriana Schwindt

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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