The True Story Behind Blake Shelton's New Hallmark Christmas Movie Will Melt Your Heart
Calling all country fans who also happen to love Hallmark: There's a new Hallmark Christmas movie inspired by Blake Shelton's life! Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas premieres Sunday, December 9 at 9 p.m. EST on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries-and it has quite the backstory.
The family-friendly flick is based on the 2012 song Blake wrote and recorded with his mother, Dorothy Shackleford, called "Time for Me to Come Home," as well as her 2013 book by the same name.
"Blake was writing the song for his Christmas album and said he needed help with the second verse," Dorothy said to CountryLiving.com. "So I came up with the second verse and that's how the song was born."
Then, when it was time to record the country Christmas song, Blake asked his mom if she'd lend her voice on the track, too.
"That thrilled me but at the same time it made me very nervous because I'm not a great singer," Dorothy continued, adding that the duo also performed it for Blake's Christmas special in 2012. "I just about passed out," she said, "but somehow I got through it."
Following the song's release, Dorothy teamed up with Travis Thrasher to turn the lyrics into a novel inspired by real holiday memories with her superstar son. Now, five years later, Blake co-executive-produced the TV movie version alongside Harvey Kahn, Orly Adelson, and Michael Shepard.
In the film, famous musician Heath (Josh Henderson) and small-town girl Cara (Megan Park) are each traveling back to Oklahoma (Blake's actual home state!) for the holidays when they get stranded in Chicago. Despite his fame, she has no idea who he is, but they hit it off-and she even ends up providing some inspiration for the Christmas song he's writing.
"Heath has some of Blake's personality," Dorothy explained. "He's a little witty, and he's a nice guy. Heath's father has passed, and Blake's father has passed in real life. There are bits and pieces of Blake in it. But mostly all fiction."
Though the story is set in the U.S., the network tells us the movie was actually filmed in a variety of locations in British Columbia, Canada: Langley, Maple Ridge, Chilliwack, Pitt Meadows, and Abbotsford.
Whether she'd agree with it or not, Blake appears to get his musical talent, in part, from his mother: Dorothy has written dozens of songs, including several with her son. Let's hope these two continue to make music (and maybe even more movies) together!
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