TONY® AND CMT MUSIC AWARD NOMINEE LAURA BELL BUNDY STARS IN “DEAR DUMB DIARY,” A “WALMART AND P&G PRESENT WALDEN FAMILY THEATER” ORIGINAL MOVIE, BASED ON SCHOLASTIC’S POPULAR CHILDREN’S BOOK SERIES BY JIM BENTON
HALLMARK CHANNEL WORLD PREMIERE AIRS SEPTEMBER 6 AT 8/7c
SOURCE: Rogers & Cowan
CINCINNATI (Aug. 9, 2013) – Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) will premiere their latest made-for-TV family movie, “Dear Dumb Diary,” on Friday, September 6 (8 p.m. ET/PT, 7C) via Hallmark Channel. The two-hour original movie world premiere features a delightfully imaginative middle-schooler who learns that it’s not just what’s on the outside that matters but what’s on the inside as well. Based on Scholastic’s popular “Dear Dumb Diary” children’s book series by Jim Benton, the movie stars Tony(R), CMT Music and American Country Music Award nominee Laura Bell Bundy (“Hart Of Dixie, “Guiding Light”), James Waterston (“Dead Poets Society”), Emily Alyn Lind (“Revenge,” “Won’t Back Down,” “All My Children”), Mary-Charles Jones (“Identity Thief,” “Hannah Montana”) along with Sterling Griffith (“Easy Rider: The Ride Back”) and David Mazouz (“Touch”).
“Dear Dumb Diary” is part of the new Friday night appointment viewing franchise, “Walden Family Theater,” presented in collaboration with Hallmark Channel, award-winning family entertainment producer Walden Media (“The Chronicles Of Narnia,” “Bridge To Terabithia,” “Holes”) and fast-growing independent studio ARC Entertainment. “Walden Family Theater” is designed to further fill the void on TV for quality family entertainment.
Jamie (Lind) marches to the beat of her own music video. As an artistic and energetic glitter-loving diva in the making, the 11-year old’s vivid daydreams about how life should be are often played out as full-blown musical productions. In her mind, Hudson Rivers (Mazouz), the eighth cutest boy in Mackerel Middle School, returns her affections and Angeline (Griffith), the prettiest and most popular girl in school, and other perfect people like her, are banished so that average folk get their due. Real life, however, is somewhat different and as a result, Jamie pours out her innermost thoughts in her cherished diary and shares some of her feelings with her beloved Aunt Carol (Bundy) as well as her shrewd best friend Isabella (Jones), who may not be the best influence on her.
When Mackerel Middle School’s arts program is threatened because of budget cuts, Assistant Principal Devon (Waterston) announces the district’s first-ever Jump-a-thon fundraiser. Jamie sees her winning participation as an opportunity to not only save the arts program but to impress Hudson, and by beating Angeline, bring justice to ordinary people of the world. At the same time, she becomes the unwitting participant in one of Isabella’s schemes and her diary goes missing. As the story progresses, Jamie recognizes the importance of doing the right thing, learns not to judge by appearances and puts aside personal feelings for the greater good. She also discovers her own sparkling inner beauty, which was there all along. ”
Dear Dumb Diary,” presented by ARC Entertainment, Walden Media, Walmart and Procter & Gamble, is a Zucker Production. Janet Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jim Benton, Louis J. Grieci III, Ben Simon, Janet M. Morrison and Aaron Tucker serve as executive producers. Bonnie Greenberg, Patrick Panzarella and Julie Kane-Ritsch serve as co-executive producers. The film is produced by Don Schain, Sean Gesell and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and directed by Kristin Hanggi. The teleplay is by Kristin Hanggi and Jim Benton, based on the book series Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton, published by Scholastic.
Link to Dear Dumb Diary Trailer: www.walden.com/dear-dumb-diary/#.Uh4n5xbvz-Y
About P&G
Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), Braun(R) and Fusion(R). The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
For over five decades, P&G Productions has produced more than 50 movies of the week, 35 years of “People’s Choice Awards,” 20 soap operas and a number of beauty pageants and variety shows.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), or “Walmart,” serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,600 retail units under 59 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment
opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine’s 2010 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting
www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.
About Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in
high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming
with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel’s sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library. Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter (Join the conversation at #HeartofTV), Pinterest, GetGlue, YouTube
About Walden Media
Walden Media creates films and books for the whole family to enjoy together. Past award-winning films include: “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, “Holes,” “Nim’s Island,” “Charlotte’s
Web,” the Sundance Audience Prize Winning documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman’” and the
recent hit “Parental Guidance.”
About ARC Entertainment
ARC Entertainment, founded in 2010, is a fast growing, fully integrated production and distribution company providing both physical and digital distribution and sales services entertainment-based products. ARC Entertainment has a robust distribution platform which enables it to monetize Content through key revenue streams such as Theatrical Distribution, SVOD, VOD, PPV, Digitally and Physical DVD. The Company has unparalleled relationships with major national retailers and a management team with a history of success in the Entertainment
and Consumer Products industries.