Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas, A Musical Holiday Event, Premieres Exclusively in Canada on W Network December 20

• With Performances by Mariah Carey, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Kelsey Grammer
  
  
• Premieres on Sunday, December 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT leading into the Canadian premiere of A Christmas Melody directed by and starring Mariah Carey

TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2015 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's W Network announces the Hallmark Channel's musical holiday event Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas, premieres Sunday, December 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on W Network. The special leads into the Canadian premiere of A Christmas Melody at 9 p.m. ET/PT, directed by and starring musical legend and Grammy^® award-winning superstar Mariah Carey.

The one-hour musical special, produced by Brad Krevoy Television, features outstanding performances of holiday songs by the incomparable pop diva herself - Mariah Carey, including a duet with 11-time Grammy Award winner Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. Emmy Award winner Kelsey Grammer gives an unforgettable reading of The Night Before Christmas. Billy Gardell (Mike & Molly) appears as Santa Claus. Additionally, cast members from A Christmas Melody - Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott and Fina Strazza – join the festivities sharing holiday memories and experiences from working with Mariah on-set during production of the movie. Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas will repeat the same night at 11 p.m. ET/PT and Monday, December 21 at 6 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Mariah Carey is the best-selling female artist of all time with more than 200 million albums sold to date and 18 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles (17 self-penned), more than any solo artist in history. Mariah is a singer/song-writer/producer recognized with multiple Grammy Awards, 21 American Music Awards, Billboard's Artist of the Decade Award, the World Music Award for World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium, and BMI's Icon Award for her outstanding achievements in songwriting, to name a few – with her distinct five-octave vocal range, prolific songwriting, and producing talent, Mariah is truly the template of the modern pop performance. Currently, Mariah is in the midst of her critically acclaimed Las Vegas residency, Mariah #1 to infinity, which resumes in February 2016 at Caesars Palace and celebrates all 18 of her #1 singles. Along with also working on new music, Mariah has recently taken her talents behind the camera directing the movie A Christmas Melody for Hallmark Channel.

Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, an 11-time Grammy Award winner, channels the magic of his storied career with Return of the Tender Lover (Def Jam, December 4, 2015). Featuring nine new original songs, Babyface's first solo album in seven years is a nod to his RIAA tripleplatinum album Tender Lover. That 1989 definitive breakthrough spun off four R&B/pop crossover hits, including the R&B No. 1's It's No Crime and Tender Lover plus Whip Appeal and My Kinda Girl.

The prolific music man counts more than 125 top 10 R&B and pop hits, 42 R&B No. 1 hits and 51 top 10 pop hits (including 16 No. 1's). In turn, those stats have generated cumulative single and album sales of more than 500 million units worldwide. And that's not counting the numerous awards that Babyface has received. A triumphant first tour of South Africa with Braxton this year yielded a double-platinum award for the duo's Love, Marriage & Divorce (featuring the urban AC No. 1 Hurt You). This brought Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds his 11th Grammy with this year's win for best R&B album. That latest accolade joins a host of other honors, including the Soul Train Music Awards, BMI Awards, NAACP Image Awards, American Music Awards and BET Walk of Fame Award.

Television icon, Kelsey Grammer is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, producer, director, writer and singer. Grammer is known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier. He has won five Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards and has also worked as a television producer, director, writer, and as a voice artists on The Simpsons as Sideshow Bob for which he received his fifth Primetime Emmy.

Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas is a Brad Krevoy Television production. Mariah Carey, Brad Krevoy, Stella Bulochnikov and Adam D. Paul are executive producers. Mark Amato and Jim Yukich are consulting producers. Mariah Carey is director.

A Christmas Melody revolves around Kristin (Chabert), a beautiful, stylish divorcee who is a talented clothing designer and her young daughter, Emily (Strazza). Kristin has just had to close her small Manhattan boutique to return to her Ohio home town and live in her parents' former home. It's an adjustment for Kristin and Emily - especially when she runs into her former high school rival Melissa (Carey). Melissa is president of the PTA and tries to make Kristen feel as unwelcome as possible. Kristen and Emily struggle to find their new normal with the help of the hunky local music teacher Danny (Elliott) and coffee shop owner Sarah (Najimy).

About W Network
W Network is the leading destination for Canadian women delivering a range of compelling entertainment from original programming to lifestyle series, blockbuster movies and popular dramas. W Network's online offerings include WNetwork.com, W Dish and W View. With its extensive research capabilities and consumer insights, W Network is recognized as a leading expert in marketing to women. W Network is owned by Canadian-based media and entertainment company Corus Entertainment. For more information, visit WNetwork.com and corusent.com.

Follow Corus PR on Twitter @CorusPR 
Subscribe to the W Network YouTube channel: YouTube.com/user/OfficialWNetwork 
Follow W Network on Twitter @W_Network and Facebook facebook.com/wnetwork 
#AChristmasMelody, @MariahCarey, @IamLaceyChabert, @brennan_elliott, @kathynajimy
Follow W Dish Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube     

SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc.

Danielle Sefton, Corus Entertainment, 416.479.6094, [email protected]; Owen McCorquodale, Corus Entertainment, 416.479.6068, [email protected]