New article about "The Good Witch". Chris is playing the sheriff:

Hallmark`s New Movie Madness

http://www.playbackmag.com/articles/daily/...0/whizbang.html

Whizbang makes drama, not war
by: Tracy Nita Pender Jul 30, 2007 Print Share email this article
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ZOS: Zone of Separation, the new drama produced by Whizbang Films (Men with Brooms), has returned from its 12-day stint in Bosnia and is now filming in Toronto and southern Ontario.

The eight-parter, about the enforcement of a UN-brokered ceasefire in the fictional Sarajevo-like town of Jadac, isn't a story about war, stresses executive producer Frank Siracusa (H2O).

"It's about what happens when you remove civility from a community; about the absence of law... Our log line is 'The truth is a lie,' so it's about how all of the [people] involved deal with finding the truth in this zone of separation."

With a budget of $12 million, ZOS will film interiors in Toronto. Exterior shoots are planned for nearby Hamilton and Dundas. "Oddly enough, both Hamilton and Dundas look a lot like Tuzla," a valley in Bosnia, says Siracusa.

Drawn from the rich history and experiences of Canada's peacekeepers, Siracusa credits writer Malcolm MacRury (Canada Russia '72 ) with really bringing ZOS to life. MacRury, Paul Gross (Slings and Arrows) and Mario Azzopardi (Savage Messiah) are also exec producers, with Azzopardi directing.

ZOS expects to wrap filming Sept. 27, with an anticipated delivery of early spring 2008. It will air on Movie Central in the west and The Movie Network in the east later that spring.

On a lighter note, Whizbang is set to begin filming the two-hour TV movie The Good Witch. The 16-day mainly exterior shoot begins Aug. 10, and will also take the cast from Toronto to Hamilton.

"It's about a woman with mystical, magical powers who comes to a small town," says Siracusa. There's also a bit of love thrown into the mix.

Catherine Bell (Army Wives) and Chris Potter (Hairspray) are the leads. Craig Pryce (Life with Derek) directs, Ian McDougall (Whistler) produces and Orly Adelson (Ruffian) and Siracusa exec produce. A smaller budget production, The Good Witch will air in the U.S. on the Hallmark Channel later this year. Movie Central is handling Canadian distribution.

Synopsis:
A Hallmark Channel Original Movie stars Catherine Bell as Cassie Nightingale, the enchanting new resident of a cozy little community. She moves into the supposedly-haunted Grey House and opens Bell, Book and Candle, a curiosity shop filled with candles, oils and enticing scents. Although the local police chief and his children are charmed by her ways, it may take a little magic to win over some of her more ardent opponents.

Dove Worldview:
Hallmark scores again with this wonderful presentation of “The Good Witch.” Cassie moves into the “haunted” house of the neighborhood and this story keeps you guessing if she is a witch, as some people assume, or just the mysterious new girl in town. The assumption that Cassie is a witch comes because of the good things that happen when numerous people follow her advice. The movie keeps you wondering until the end if she is magical or simply a student of human behavior. In the end, the latter is proven…or is it?
This is a refreshingly clean movie with only mild content such as low-cut shirts, drinks over dinner, and a couple that kisses two times. “The Good Witch” is a fantasy film and does not encourage occult practices. It earns the Dove Seal for family-friendly viewing and is recommended for ages twelve plus due to the mature themes.

Content Description:
Sex: A couple kisses two times.
Language: None
Violence: None
Drugs: A couple has wine over dinner.
Nudity: Low-cut shirts.
Other: A tasteful scene where a woman buys some aromatherapy oils to improve the intimacy between herself and her husband. Mature themes.

I didn't even know sites like this exists, that's nice, but I'm actually surprised about the content description. I wonder what they'd say about the scene in The Waiting Game.

A look at the Good Witch

Catherine Bell is Cassie Nightingale, a mysterious woman who moves into an old house in a small town with the intention of putting down roots. Cassie also opens a mysterious shop in town called, Bell, Book and Candle, which harkens viewers back to the movie by that name about witches. Cassie sells candles, oils, potions, masks, and everything to help with personal problems facing residents. She has a better understanding of people and the human condition than most and manages to ingratiate herself to many of the townsfolk. However some residents don't feel she is the kind of person they want living in their upright -and uptight - town. She's a free spirit and the town is straight and narrow.

Cassie meets Police Chief Jake Russell (Chris Potter), a widowed father of two who is intrigued by this beautiful woman who has moved into the long-abandoned and legendary "Grey House" which kids in the town feel is haunted. He is taken with her ease about life and the casual manner in which she faces everything. To say she is enchanting is putting it mildly. Cassie wins the hearts of Russell's two children and others in the town, and although she is a newcomer, she begins to feel at home there. However the Mayor's snooty busybody wife has other plans for the new resident, which involves closing down her shop and booting her out of town.

When her store is vandalized, she considers leaving and finding another place to call home, even though she loves the town and most of the residents. But the Chief is not about to let some hoodlums run her out of town. Cassie has a lot to offer the folks of Middleton, and he wants her to stay. Of course, he also feels a strong affection for the beguiling beauty. He's a man, after all.

This cute movie is enjoyable and pure entertainment. It premiers Saturday, January 19th (9/8c) on Hallmark Channel.