Rob Lowe
Reprises Role
In Christmas Blessing
By Carol Fitzgerald
bookreporter.com
December, 2005

The Christmas Blessing is scheduled for broadcast on Sunday, December 18th, 2005 (9:00-11:00 ET/8:00-10:00 CT) on CBS. Rob Lowe has a limited role in this sequel to The Christmas Shoes, in which he starred, and which went on to become the highest-rated TV movie of the 2002-2003 season.

Both made-for-TV movies are based on best-selling books by author Donna VanLiere. The third book in the series, The Christmas Hope, has already been signed by CBS to air in 2006.

Besides Lowe, The Christmas Blessing will star Angus T. Jones (The Rookie and Two and a Half Men), Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D. and How I Met Your Mother), Rebecca Gayheart (Dead Like Me , Beverly Hills, 90210), along with country music star Blake Shelton. Dove Award-winning, Grammy nominated group NewSong also makes an appearance and performs in the movie.

A CBS Television press release describes The Christmas Blessing: "In this heartwarming holiday drama, the sequel to the highly-rated 2002 television movie The Christmas Shoes, the young boy from the original film has grown up and meets a young woman and a boy who both, with the help of a Christmas miracle, change his life."



 Here is author Donna VanLiere with Rob on the set of The Christmas Blessing, which was filmed in the summer of 2005 in Canada.





ALL ABOUT SHOES AND BLESSING

Carol Fitzgerald from bookreporter.com gives this synopsis of where The Christmas Shoes leaves off and The Christmas Blessing picks up.

The Christmas Shoes was the story of a young boy named Nathan whose mom was dying of cancer. He wanted to buy her a pair of pretty shoes for her last Christmas as he knew this would make her smile. On his shopping trip he realized he did not have enough money to buy them, and Robert (Rob Lowe), a kindly stranger stepped in to buy them on his behalf. Robert was experiencing his own challenges at this point and this small purchase made him re-think his choices. In these few moments both Nathan and Robert learn about the power of giving and of faith.

In The Christmas Blessing viewers catch up with Nathan and Robert again. With the wonderful way that VanLiere writes and recaps the story, viewers of The Christmas Shoes will feel like they are catching up with extended family on an annual holiday visit. Those who are picking up with VanLiere with this movie will have the pieces filled in.

Nathan is now a third year medical student. He chose this profession after watching the suffering that his mom went through; he wanted to help others. Nathan loves medicine and healing, but while he is on a hospital rotation in the cardiology unit he questions whether he is cut out for this career choice.

Two patients ~~ a young woman named Meghan Sullivan and a young boy named Charlie ~~ touch Nathan and share with him the power of love in the healing process. Lessons his mother shared with him in notes written before her death enhance the movie and allow VanLiere to move the story along at a good clip.

Robert, who had purchased the shoes for Nathan, is now a very successful attorney. He will cross paths with Nathan and Meghan and wrap up their stories quite nicely.

The Christmas Blessing is sweet and emotional. It's a perfect holiday gift to give or get.

    ~~ Reviewed by Carol Fitzgerald





NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, ANGUS T. JONES, AND
REBECCA GAYHEART STAR IN
THE CHRISTMAS BLESSING
~~ ROB LOWE MAKES SPECIAL APPEARANCE
Released by CBS
The FutonCritic
July 14, 2005

The Christmas Blessing is the sequel to the highly-rated 2002 CBS television movie The Christmas Shoes starring Rob Lowe, who has a limited role in this 2005 holiday offering.

Neil Patrick Harris, Angus T. Jones, and Rebecca Gayheart, star in The Christmas Blessing, a new television movie currently in production in Edmonton, for broadcast on the CBS Television Network. In this heartwarming holiday drama, the sequel to the highly-rated 2002 television movie The Christmas Shoes, the young boy from the original film has grown up and meets a young woman and a boy who both, with the help of a Christmas miracle, change his life.

Rob Lowe makes a special appearance, reprising his role from The Christmas Shoes.

Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris) has grown up and is now a medical resident. After he loses a patient and old memories are triggered, the young doctor begins to rethink his career, takes a break from practicing medicine and moves back home with his father. There, he meets a beautiful, young teacher, Megan Sullivan (Rebecca Gayheart), and falls in love with her. One of her students, Charlie Bennett (Angus T. Jones), also wins a special place in Nathan's heart as, like Nathan, he also lost his mother at an early age.

Coming home brings a whole new set of complications for Nathan, but with Megan's help, he realizes that he must let go of the past in order to embrace the present and move on with his life. Just as Nathan is settling in, his world begins to crumble when the lives of the woman he loves and an innocent young boy are in crisis. Now, Nathan finds himself questioning God, fate and the fragility of life, all the while hoping for a Christmas miracle.

The Christmas Shoes was the second highest-rated television movie of the 2002-2003 season, attracting nearly 17 million viewers. It was based on The New York Times best-selling book by Donna VanLiere which, in turn, was based on the hit song The Christmas Shoes by NewSong.

The Christmas Blessing is being produced by Craig Anderson Productions in association with Beth Grossbard Productions. Craig Anderson and Beth Grossbard (The Christmas Shoes) are the executive producers. Karen Arthur (True Women) directs the film from a screenplay by Wesley Bishop based on The New York Times best-selling book, The Christmas Blessing, Donna VanLiere's sequel to her book, The Christmas Shoes.





BLAKE SHELTON TO APPEAR
IN THE CHRISTMAS BLESSING
cmt.com

Blake Shelton finds himself in a dramatic setting when he portrays himself and performs his current single, Nobody but Me, in The Christmas Blessing. This made-for-TV movie airs December 18 on CBS. The film stars Rob Lowe, Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart and Angus T. Jones.


ROB TO APPEAR IN SEQUEL TO
THE CHRISTMAS SHOES
The Futon Critic
By Kimberly Speight
June 16, 2005

CBS will build on the success of one if its biggest movies in years with a sequel to The Christmas Shoes. Rob Lowe will make a special appearance in the sequel The Christmas Shoes 2 (working title) which stars Neil Patrick Harris and Angus T. Jones (Two-And-A-Half-Men). In the sequel, the young boy, Nathan is now grown up and now a medical resident. There, he meets a young woman and a little boy who are both in need of miracles for their holidays. Nathan, in turn, discovers that hope, love, and blessings can come from the most surprising places. Craig Anderson and Beth Grossbard (The Christmas Shoes) are the Executive Producers.







Return To Index