FAMILY CHANNEL CHILLS OUT THIS DECEMBER WITH TWISTMAS, A VERY MERRY HOLIDAY
LINEUP

Special programming includes:

• Festive Friday Nights: Premieres of new holiday specials on Fridays including The Suite Life on Deck, Zeke and Luther and Sonny With A Chance
• Marathons of Favourite Series, followed by Merry Movie Premieres
• Premiere of Wizards of Waverly Place Season 4
• New Years Eve Extravaganza Featuring I'm In The Band/The Suite Life on Deck Crossover Episode, JONAS L.A. Season Finale, Viewers' Pick Marathon and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Freestyle Jam Premiere

TORONTO, Nov. 25 /CNW/ - Astral's Family Channel is giving gifts galore this December with a Twistmas lineup that includes magic mirrors, a Joe Jonas appearance and rockers at sea. All month-long Family is getting into the holiday spirit with new holiday episodes of The Suite Life on Deck, Zeke and Luther and Sonny With A Chance. Also keeping the lineup jolly is a week-long marathon of favourite series, merry movie selections, the season four premiere of Wizards of Waverly Place and a New Year's Eve lineup that will end the year on a high note. On Family.ca kids can vote on the year's best episodes for the Viewers Pick Marathon on December 31 and play exclusive Family.ca winter games throughout the month.

Every Friday night in December leading up to Christmas, Family premieres a new holiday-themed episode from one of its hit shows at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. Beginning Friday, December 3, it's a new episode of Zeke and Luther, titled "Bro-Ho-Ho", where Zeke and Luther take jobs at the mall as Santa and an elf over the Christmas holidays. On Friday, December 10, Cody and Bailey approach their friends to help out with a charity event on The Suite Life on Deck. When London refuses, her magic mirror takes her to the past, present and future and she learns the importance of giving and being a good friend. Finally on December 17, a new episode of Sonny With A Chance sees the "So Random!" cast celebrating with holiday-themed sketches. Chad Dylan Cooper (Sterling Knight) hosts the holiday special and Joe Jonas guest stars as himself. On Friday, December 24, all three episodes will air back-to-back beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT.

From Boxing Day through the New Year, Family has a week-long Twistmas marathon featuring popular Family series followed by exciting movie premieres. Each day from Sunday, December 26 to Monday, January 3, Family presents 19 consecutive episodes of top series beginning at 9:05 a.m. ET/PT - including Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life on Deck, Hannah Montana and the new series Shake It Up, plus the Family Channel Original Series Wingin' It. Following each marathon, at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT, is a movie to keep viewers feeling festive all night long. (See marathon details below)

Another treat in the holiday schedule is the season four premiere of Wizards of Waverly Place on Tuesday, December 28 at 6 p.m. ET/PT. After escaping from a government agency that was holding them captive, the Russos return home to find they no longer have contact with the wizard world. Worried for the safety and well-being of wizards everywhere, Alex holds a press conference outside The Waverly Substation, during which she announces that she and her brothers are wizards.

Finally, Family Channel is celebrating the New Year early with a special programming lineup beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, December 31. The afternoon breaks out of the Twistmas marathon early for a special I'm In The Band/The Suite Life on Deck crossover episode where Iron Weasel ends up on the S.S. Tipton. The season finale of JONAS L.A. follows at 4 p.m. ET/PT.

New this year, Family will air a Viewers' Pick Marathon featuring fans top five favourite episodes of the year. Viewers can vote for these episodes online at Family.ca beginning November 26 and all five episodes will air back-to-back from 4:30 - 6 p.m. ET/PT on New Year's Eve. Rounding out the evening is the premiere of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Freestyle Jam edition at 6 p.m. ET/PT. In addition to deciding the episodes for the Viewers Pick Marathon, Family fans that visit family.ca will also be able to play winter and holiday baking games to keep up the holiday cheer.

MERRY MARATHON DETAILS - SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26 TO MONDAY, JANUARY 3
*with the exception of New Years Eve after 3 p.m. (Friday, December 31)

Time	Program
9:05 a.m.	Phineas and Ferb
9:30 a.m.	Phineas and Ferb
10 a.m.	Fish Hooks
10:30 a.m.	Fish Hooks
11 a.m.	The Suite Life on Deck
11:30 a.m.	The Suite Life on Deck
12 p.m.	The Suite Life on Deck
12:30 p.m.	Wingin' It
1 p.m.	Good Luck Charlie
1:30 p.m.	Good Luck Charlie
2 p.m.	Hannah Montana
2:30 p.m.	Hannah Montana
3 p.m.	Shake It Up
3:30 p.m.	Sonny With A Chance
4 p.m.	Sonny With A Chance
4:30 p.m.	Sonny With A Chance
5 p.m.	Wizards of Waverly Place
5:30 p.m.	Wizards of Waverly Place
6 p.m.	Wizards of Waverly Place

MOVIE PREMIERE DETAILS

Date	Movie
Friday, December 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT	101 Dalmatians (PREMIERE)
Friday, December 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT	The Perfect Holiday (PREMIERE)
Friday, December 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT	102 Dalmatians (PREMIERE)
Sunday, December 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	The Derby Stallion (PREMIERE)
Monday, December 27 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	16 Wishes
Tuesday, December 28 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	George of the Jungle (PREMIERE)
Wednesday, December 29 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	Starstruck
Thursday, December 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	The Shaggy Dog (PREMIERE)
Friday, December 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Freestyle Jam (PREMIERE)
Saturday, January 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	High School Musical
Sunday, January 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	High School Musical 2
Monday, January 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT	Princess Protection Program

Family Channel is a premium, commercial-free network offering the best in family television entertainment in over 6 million homes across Canada. Dedicated to celebrating family life and providing a fun experience for all, Family airs a unique mix of series, movies and specials, with a large portion of programming supplied by Disney. Family Channel also offers Family OnDemand in select areas, a Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service that features hit Disney movies and series, top-rated Canadian series and Playhouse Disney programming, and Family OnLine, a broadband service offered to Bell TV subscribers. Visit us at Family.ca.

Family Channel is a member of the Astral family. Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A/ACM.B) is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates more than 100 of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.

For further information:

For artwork and series information, visit http://tv.astral.com
For additional information please contact Jaime Werby at 416-956-8547 or [email protected]