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Meet the Vancouver actor who’s been in 27 Hallmark movies — usually as Kenny

Fans of the romantic comedy genre may know the movie 27 Dresses, in which Katherine Heigl’s character serves as a bridesmaid an astonishing 27 times. 

Vancouver actor Nelson Wong can relate to that number — his claim to fame is his 27 roles in Hallmark movies. 

Wong’s Hallmark ties started when he played Kenny Kwon, a sidekick to a detective, in the 2005 mystery movie Third Man Out for director Ron Oliver. 

When Oliver started directing for Hallmark, he made sure to find a place for Wong — often as a character named Kenny.

“As Ron started working for Hallmark, Kenny started working for Hallmark. It’s just grown into a thing. The fans seem to respond to it and 27 movies later, here we are,” said Wong, laughing. 

Wong as Kenny in the 2017 Hallmark film The Christmas Train, which starred Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Danny Glover and Joan Cusack. (The Christmas Train/Hallmark Hall of Fame)

Wong moved to Vancouver when he was around six years old from New Zealand. He has been acting since 1999, and has also appeared in video games like Far Cry 4 and TV shows like Arrow and Riverdale.

He has said in previous interviews that he comes from a Jehovah’s Witness background, and left the organization after he entered the film industry. 

Wong said he did not really celebrate the holiday season until after he became an actor in Hallmark movies.

As Kenny, he has shown up in various odd jobs and clerical roles. 

“Kenny has been a kitchen TV show director, a wedding planner. He’s been a concierge at a plaza. He’s been a baby daddy,” said Wong.

“The whole time, I’ve been thinking Kenny is still undercover as a detective. He’s just got these identities that allow him to go to these different universes.”

A source of comfort

Hallmark Christmas movies — and close cousins on the Lifetime network and Netflix — have become an essential part of the holiday season. This year, Hallmark is releasing 41 Christmas or holiday themed movies, many of them filmed in and around Vancouver. 

Vancouver director Linda-Lisa Hayter, whose own Hallmark movie Five More Minutes comes out this season, said the core value of the film is love. 

“Whether it’s romantic love, whether it’s parental love, whether it’s beautiful friendships, sisterhood, brotherhood, I think it’s just love,” said Hayter.

She said the movies are a source of comfort during hard times.

“We’re going through so much trauma in our lives everywhere on the planet,” she said.

“You’ve got beautiful lights. You’ve got some sweet music. It’s like having a blanket around you. It’s something that is soft, and comfortable and it feels good.”

Nikki Deloach and David Haydn-Jones in Five More Minutes (2021), directed by Linda-Lisa Hayter. Hayter says Hallmark movies offer a sense of comfort during difficult times. (Five More Minutes/Hallmark Movies and Mysteries)

The movies have sometimes been criticized as being too schmaltzy, something Wong contends with in his other role as an acting coach with Haven Studio.

“[Actors] struggle with the Hallmark genre sometimes. They think it’s a little too positive, too happy. I’m reminding these actors who always want to play the drama … like The Bourne Identity,” said Wong. 

“These Hallmark movies are actually more true to real life, I’d say — nice people trying their best given their circumstances.”

Wong said his experience on the Hallmark set has led to other opportunities. 

“They’ve afforded me so much in the way of working relationships and oftentimes on set and moments on screen, I can’t help but be in the Christmas spirit when I’m doing them now.” 

Adapting for the times

A more serious criticism — that the stories lack diversity and almost always skew heterosexual — has been met with efforts to change from studios. 

“Personally, Hallmark’s gone through a big change over the last few years and they are far more inclusive now, and I think that’s attracting a far larger audience,” said Hayter.

Wong said he’s seen improvements over the past decade.

“There has been such a great movement … [and] people are not satisfied with homogenous depictions of families, work families or Christmas,” he said.

“It’s kind of interesting to watch over the past decade as an LGBTQ Asian-Canadian artist myself to go into this world and to get to develop within it … It’s nice to be able to graduate from the clerical principal roles to actually have a relationship and to have belonging within these seasonal holiday pictures.”

Vancouver actor Nelson Wong shares his thoughts about Hallmark movies after being in 27 of them and his plans to appear in even more. 7:04

2021 Best Released Movies

8.

Raya and the Last Dragon
(2021)

PG
|
107 min
|

Animation, Action, Adventure

In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

Directors:
Don Hall,
Carlos López Estrada,
Paul Briggs,
John Ripa
|
Stars:
Kelly Marie Tran,
Awkwafina,
Gemma Chan,
Izaac Wang

Votes:
125,614

Omicron scare: Christmas, New Year celebrations banned in Delhi

The DDMA has directed all the district magistrates and DCPs to ensure that no cultural events, gatherings or congregations take place for celebrating Christmas or New Year in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

As many as 213 cases of Omicron have been detected across India so far, with Delhi recording 57 cases, the highest among all states and UTs, followed by Maharashtra (54), Telangana (24), Karnataka (19), Rajasthan (18), Kerala (15) and Gujarat (14).

Amid the growing Omicron cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday hold a review meeting on the Covid related situation in the country.

Meanwhile, the Centre has said that the new Covid variant Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant.

The Centre has asked the states to review the emerging data of Covid-19 affected population, geographical spread, hospital infrastructure and its utilisation, manpower, notifying Containment Zones and the enforcement of perimeter of containment zones at the district levels. The Centre has also asked the states to formulate a strategy that can ensure infection is contained at the local level itself before it spreads to other parts.

Amid the Omicron threat, the states have been asked to ‘activate war rooms and keep analysing all trends and surges, no matter how small and keep taking proactive measures at the district or local level’.

‘Don’t Look Up’ delivers a scathing satire that occasionally veers off course

Updated 10:43 AM ET, Sat December 25, 2021

Critics Choice Awards ceremony postponed due to Omicron concerns

“The Critics Choice Association is working with LA County Public Health Officials and a premiere Covid Compliance service, and at this time, we are currently still planning to host an in-person 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards, following the strictest and safest protocols, including mandatory proof of vaccination, negative PCR tests 48 hours in advance, proper social distancing and masking requirements,” the org said in a statement on Monday.

“We will continue to carefully monitor the situation as events progress.”

Last year, the Critics Choice Awards unfolded as a hybrid show with both in-person and virtual appearances. Host Taye Diggs and some of the presenters broadcast from a stage in Los Angeles, while nominees appeared remotely from various locations around the world.

The Critics Choice Awards is considered a major precursor to the Academy Awards and one of the first major film awards shows of the new year.

The Palm Springs Film Awards has also cancelled its upcoming ceremony for January 6 due to concerns over rising Covid-19 cases.

Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ led the field for this year’s crop of nominations for the Critics Choice Awards. ‘West Side Story’ landed nods for best picture and best director, while Ariana Debose and Rita Moreno nabbed nominations for best supporting actress and newcomer Rachel Zegler is up for best young actor or actress.

‘West Side Story’ also landed nominations for its ensemble and nods for its screenplay, costume design, production design, editing and cinematography.

Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Opens to Tepid Box Office Receipts

Among A-list filmmakers, Spielberg is one of the last streaming holdouts. Although his company, Amblin, signed a multiyear deal in June to make feature films for Netflix, Spielberg has pushed for his directorial projects to remain theatrical exclusives. At the New York City premiere of “West Side Story,” he thanked Disney executives for giving his film an old-fashioned theatrical rollout, despite the pandemic, rather than rerouting it to a streaming service, as the company had notably done with “Hamilton.” (On Thursday, Disney removed a Ben Affleck thriller, “Deep Water,” from its January theatrical release schedule; the movie is expected to stream on Amazon Prime or Hulu instead.)

So it was distressing for Hollywood traditionalists to see “West Side Story” arrive to even lower ticket sales than “In the Heights.” That euphorically reviewed Warner Bros. musical took in $11.5 million over its first three days in theaters in June — even though it was simultaneously available to stream at no extra cost on HBO Max. Box office analysts used words like “fizzled” and “dismal” to describe opening-weekend ticket sales for “In the Heights.”

Live-action musicals have long been a challenged genre at the box office. But they can still be winners, especially if they have starry casts. “The Greatest Showman” had Hugh Jackman, Zendaya, Michelle Williams and Zac Efron. The successful “Les Misérables” (2012), had Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter. Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp and others powered “Into the Woods” (2014), to $31 million in opening-weekend ticket sales. (One exception: Universal’s all-star “Cats.”)

“In the Heights,” in contrast, lacked household names. Ditto “Dear Evan Hansen,” which face-planted in September. And “West Side Story” only has one proven box office star: Spielberg.

‘Harry Potter’ stars to reunite for special, but J.K. Rowling notably left out

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since the first “Harry Potter” film graced the big screen. But two decades, eight films, two spinoff movies and a theater play later, the original stars are reuniting.

The magical trio — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — are coming together for the “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” retrospective special on HBO Max.

But it looks like one VIP doesn’t seem to be joining them: the creator of the Wizarding World herself and author of the famed Hogwarts universe, J.K. Rowling, who made some controversial comments about the trans community last year.

The Post reached out to Rowling’s reps for comment.

Other stars set to join the three actors include director Chris Columbus, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Ian Hart.

The special will hit HBO Max on New Year’s Day 2022. The episode will also drop on TBS and Cartoon Network in spring 2022 ahead of the release of the franchise’s third spinoff, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”

A one-minute teaser was released Tuesday, announcing the reunion and featuring highlight clips from across the eight films. The franchise began in 2001 with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and ended a decade later with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.”

Eight films of the “Harry Potter” series debuted in theaters between 2001 and 2011.
Getty Images

“It has been an incredible journey since the debut of the ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ film, and witnessing how it has evolved into this remarkable interconnected universe has been magical to say the least,” Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics said in a statement. 

He continued, “This retrospective is a tribute to everyone whose lives were touched by this cultural phenomenon — from the talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into this extraordinary film franchise to the passionate fans who continue to keep the Wizarding World spirit alive 20 years later.”

“There’s magic in the air here with this incredible cast, as they all return home to the original sets of Hogwarts, where they began 20 years ago. The excitement is palpable as they prepare to take their fans on a very special and personal journey, through the making of these incredible films,” executive producer Casey Patterson said.

On Tuesday, Watson, 31, shared a throwback photo of herself standing with Grint, 33, and Radcliffe, 32, when they were kids back in the early 2000s. She looked back on her time starring as Hermione Granger and expressed her excitement for the reunion.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are coming together for the “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” retrospective special on HBO Max.
Getty Images

“‘Harry Potter’ was my home, my family, my world and Hermione (still is) my favorite fictional character of all time. I think a journalist once said it was irritating how many times during an interview I mentioned how lucky I was and started counting… BUT I DAMN WELL KNEW!!! And still know,” the Brown University grad penned.

“I am proud not just of what we as group contributed as actors to the franchise but also as the children that became young adults that walked that path. I look at my fellow cast members now and I am just so proud of who everyone has become as people. I am proud we were kind to each other that we supported one another and that we held up something meaningful,” she continued. “Happy 20th Anniversary Potterheads!”

SBS World Movies Highlights: December 27 – January 2 | Movie News | SBS Movies

  • Audio Description (AD) available for Strangerland, The Rehearsal, Burning Man, Esio Trot and Donnie Darko
  • Closed Captions (CC) available for Strangerland, Burning Man, Esio Trot, Booksmart, Donnie Darko and Room in Rome

 

MONDAY 27 DECEMBER

T-34
8:40pm

M
Russia, 2018
Genre: War, Action, Drama, History
Language: German, Russian
Director: Alexey Sidorov
Starring: Alexander Petrov, Victor Dobronravov, Irina Starshenbaum, Vinzenz Kiefer
What’s it about?
A group of Russian soldiers led by tank commander Nikolay Ivushkin (Petrov) are captured by German forces marching on Moscow during World War II. To save his team and his country, Ivushkin launches an escape plan with the help of Russian translator Anya (Starshenbaum) and a battered, legendary Soviet T-34 tank.

The Infinite Man
10:45pm

MA15+
Australia, 2014
Genre: Comedy
Language: English
Director: Hugh Sullivan
Starring: Josh McConville, Hannah Marshall, Alex Dimitriades
What’s it about?
A young inventor (McConville) obsessively attempts to engineer the perfect romantic weekend and record every happy moment between him and his girlfriend, Lana (Marshall). When his idea is thwarted by the unexpected arrival of his partner’s aggressive ex-boyfriend (Dimitriades), the technical wiz invents a time-travelling device to return to the exact moment the incident occurred to prevent it from happening. As a result, the three characters become trapped in an infinite metaphysical time loop. 

 

TUESDAY 28 DECEMBER

Strangerland
8:45pm

MA15+, AD, CC
Australia, 2015
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Director: Kim Farrant
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Joseph Fiennes
What’s it about?
Newly arrived in the remote Australian desert town of Nathgari, Catherine (Kidman) and Matt Parker (Fiennes) are trying to adjust, when their two teenage children, Lily and Tom disappear in the desert, just as a massive dust storm is about to hit. Rumours start swirling about what could have happened to children and, with temperatures rising and the chances of survival plummeting with each passing day, Catherine and Matthew find themselves pushed to the brink.

Streaming after broadcast at SBS On Demand:

The Rehearsal
10:50pm

MA15+, AD
New Zealand, 2016
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Alison Maclean
Starring: James Rolleston, Kerry Fox, Ella Edward, Alice Englert, Kieran Charnock
What’s it about?
First-year drama student Stanley (Rolleston) wants to impress his charismatic acting teacher, and when he discovers a sex scandal in his girlfriend’s family, he is tempted to use it as material for the end of year drama show – the result is a moral minefield. Based on the novel by Eleanor Catten (The Luminaries) and directed by Alison McLean (Jesus’ Son, Crush).

 

WEDNESDAY 29 DECEMBER

Burning Man
8:35pm

MA15+, AD, CC
UK, Australia, 2011
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Matthew Goode, Rachel Griffiths, Essie Davis, Anthony Hayes
What’s it about?
The reckless, sexy, funny, moving and ultimately life-affirming story of Tom, a British chef in a Sydney restaurant, who seems to have decided there are no longer any rules he needs to obey. Whatever Tom is up to, his actions seem to be tolerated by those around him. As Tom descends into darkness, fragments of a different story begin to emerge. All the women in his world are trying in their own, very different ways to help put him back together.

Downriver
10:40pm

MA15+
Australia, 2015
Genre: Mystery
Language: English
Director: Grant Scicluna
Starring: Robert Taylor, Kerry Fox, Tom Green, Reef Ireland, Charles Grounds
What’s it about?
James (Ireland) is serving a sentence in juvenile detention for crime he doesn’t remember: the killing of a ten-year-old boy. When he’s released he embarks on a dangerous quest for answers and search for the missing body in the hope it will bring some closure for the grieving mother.

 

THURSDAY 30 DECEMBER

Edge of Darkness
8:50pm

MA15+
USA, 2009
Genre: Thriller, Crime
Language: English
Director: Martin Campbell
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Huston, Ray Winstone, Bojana Novakovic
What’s it about?
After his daughter is shot dead in front of him, a Boston homicide detective (Gibson) slowly realises that that she was the target, not him, leading him to investigate the nuclear research facility where she worked even as shadowy security operatives, both state and private, try to ascertain what he could uncover. Based on the acclaimed 1985 BBC mini-series of the same name.

Streaming after broadcast at SBS On Demand:

Neerja
10:55pm

MA15+
India, 2016
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: Hindi
Director: Ram Madhvani
Starring: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Ravjiani, Yogendra Tiku, Jim Sarbh, Abrar Zahoor
What’s it about?
Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot (Kapoor), who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the Pan Am flight 73 in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organisation.

Streaming after broadcast at SBS On Demand:

 

FRIDAY 31 DECEMBER

Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot
6:50pm

PG, AD, CC
UK, 2015
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Language: English
Director: Dearbhla Walsh
Starring: James Corden, Dustin Hoffman, Judi Dench, Salo Gardner, Lara Rossi
What’s it about?
Retired bachelor Mr Hoppy is hopelessly in love with his neighbour Mrs Silver, but she is only interested in her pet tortoise Alfie, that is until Mr Hoppy hatches an audacious plan to win her love.

Booksmart
8:30pm

MA15+, CC
USA, 2019
Genre: Comedy
Language: English
Director: Olivia Wilde
Starring: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Jessica Williams, Billie Lourd, Diana Silvers
What’s it about?
Two academic teenage superstars (Dever, Feldstein) realise, on the eve of their high school graduation, that they should have worked less and played more. Determined to never fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.

Porto
10:25pm

MA15+
USA, Portugal, 2017
Genre: Romance, Drama
Language: English, French
Director: Gabe Klinger
Starring: Lucie Lucas, Anton Yelchin, Paulo Calatré, Françoise Lebrun, Chantal Akerman
What’s it about?
Jake (Yelchin) and Mati (Lucas) are two outsiders in the northerly Portuguese city of Porto who once experienced a brief connection. A mystery remains about the moments they shared, and in searching through memories, they relive the depths of a night uninhibited by the consequences of time.

Streaming after broadcast at SBS On Demand

 

SATURDAY 1 JANUARY

Strings
6:50pm

PG
Denmark, UK, 2004
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Language: English
Director: Anders Rønnow Klarlund
Starring: James McAvoy, Catherine McCormack, Julian Glover, Derek Jacobi, Ian Hart
What’s it about?
Strings is a mythological story about the son of a king, Hal Tara, who sets out on a journey to avenge the death of his father. To his surprise he discovers the truth of his own people – and where he least expects it – he finds true love.

Streaming after broadcast at SBS On Demand:

David Brent: Life on the Road
8:30pm

MA15+
UK, 2016
Genre: Comedy, Music
Language: English
Director: Ricky Gervais
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Ben Bailey-Smith, Rebecca Gethings, Jo Hartley, Andrew Brooke
What’s it about?
Twelve years after the airing of the hit BBC series ‘The Office’, David Brent (Gervais) is working as a travelling salesman. However, he hasn’t given up on his dream of rock stardom. Assembling a group of session musicians who are just in it for the money, and a talented rapper in an attempt to gain some street cred, Brent embarks on a self-financed tour – a last ditch effort to find fame and fortune.

Donnie Darko
10:20pm

M, AD, CC
USA, 2001
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Cult
Language: English
Director: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze
What’s it about?
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenage boy named Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, six hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. He returns home the next morning to find that a jet engine has crashed through his bedroom. As he tries to figure out why he survived, and tries to deal with people in his town, Frank continues to turn up in Donnie’s mind, causing him to commit acts of vandalism. 

 

SUNDAY 2 JANUARY

Orlando
6:50pm

PG
UK, 1992
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Sally Potter
Starring: Billy Zane, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Crisp, John Bott
What’s it about?
Tilda Swinton stars as Virginia Woolf’s gender-bending hero, the noble Orlando who is commanded by Queen Elizabeth to stay forever young. Orlando experiences four centuries of sexual politics, initially through the eyes of a man, until one day Orlando wakes as a woman, struggling to retain her property and status. From acclaimed director Sally Potter (Yes, The Tango Lesson).

Stan Ollie
8:30pm

PG
UK, USA, 2018
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: English
Director: Jon S. Baird
Starring: Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Danny Huston
What’s it about?
With their golden era long behind them, comedy duo Stan Laurel (Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (Reilly) embark on a variety hall tour of Britain and Ireland. Despite the pressures of a hectic schedule, and with the support of their wives Lucille and Ida – a formidable double act in their own right – the pair’s love of performing, as well as for each other, endures as they secure their place in the hearts of their adoring public

Room in Rome
10:20pm

MA15+, CC
Spain, 2010
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: Italian, Russian, Spanish
Director: Julio Medem
Starring: Elena Anaya, Natasha Yarovenko, Enrico Lo Verso
What’s it about?
When Alba (Anaya, The Skin I Live In) seduces Natasha (Yarovenko) in a bar, the two women agree to limit their passionate affair to a one-night encounter. However, as they begin to slowly reveal their true selves to each other, their lust is met with deeper emotions that open the door for what evolves into a poignant character study. Directed by Julio Medem (Sex Lucia, Lovers of the Arctic Circle) and nominated for four Spanish Goya Awards in 2011.

All the Young Dudes fanfic: The Harry Potter story about Remus and Sirius taking over TikTok.

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No new Covid restrictions before Christmas in UK: PM

Another 15,363 Omicron cases have been found in the UK, the biggest daily increase since the Covid-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 60,508, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed Tuesday.

The UK reported 90,629 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,542,143, according to official figures released on Tuesday.