GAL APPROVED! Lifetime Wraps Us Up In Christmas; Ghana’s Mean Girls & Miss Universe Is Back!

By Delaina Dixon | November 24, 2017 | Gal Approved

WATCH. The Christmas season has officially begun ΓÇô which means Christmas-themed movies galore! LifetimeΓÇÖs Wrapped Up in Christmas features Tatyana Ali as Heather, the manager of the upscale mall, reluctantly tasked to end the leases of underperforming stores. She meets mall ΓÇ£SantaΓÇ¥ ΓÇô a.k.a Ryan ΓÇô who is helping his aunt run her failing toy store at the mall. Love ensues, though neither wants to admit their true identity. Kim Fields, Jasmine Guy and Jackee Harry also star. Watch Wrapped Up In Christmas on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

SEE. The new play School Girls; or The African┬áMean Girls Play, has a familiar premise: Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her mind set on being a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter and PaulinaΓÇÖs friend-followers, leading Paulina to take drastic measures to stay on top. But this play is much more than an exploration of teenage girl behavior. It examines issues of racial identity, skin tone, body shaming and self-esteem, in ways that will make you laugh and think. We donΓÇÖt know how 2017-18 Tow Playwright-in-Residence Jocelyn Bioh captures so much in just 70 minutes, but weΓÇÖre so glad she did – we can’t wait to see it turned into a film! Now playing at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City through Dec. 23. For tickets┬áand info, visit mcctheater.org.

WITNESS. Steve Harvey is back for the third time to host Miss Universe 2018, and even heΓÇÖs taking bets on whether heΓÇÖll make a major faux pas. The 66th Miss Universe Competition will air live from The Axis at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas on Nov.26, at 8 p.m. on FOX. Meet all the contestants at missuniverse.com.

Photo credit: Lifetime, Joan Marcus, Miss Universe