It is not the film anyone asked for, but it is the holiday movie we deserve.

By now it has become a given that The Hallmark Channel has carved out — nay, strip-mined — its place in the holiday entertainment landscape. The annual tidal surge of new Christmas movies from the network is now spread across three channels, over the course of numerous months. It has become such a dependable success that rival network Lifetime has also entered the fray with its own catalogue of holiday cheer.

However we doubt that this upcoming concept is in any way a threat to those predictable pabulum pictures at Hallmark. It has been announced that on Sunday, December 13, at 12 Noon there will be the world premiere of ”A Recipe For Seduction”, a…romantic thriller…maybe…starring Mario Lopez as — Colonel Harland Sanders.

Yes, the star of ”Saved By The Bell” is poised to portray the man behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire.

In an effort to explain just what is going on here, Lopez is set to appear in another true Lifetime holiday premier, ”Feliz Navi-DAD”, debuting Sunday afternoon. But ahead of that offering is this mini-movie feature, a newer concept in what is being dubbed as Lifetime and KFC’s first ”branded custom mid-form content”. That is a Hollywood euphemism for fully paid-for 15 minute commercial, claiming to be a dramatic presentation.

The chicken company has been making strides in recent years to become something of an even more iconic brand, looking to entrench itself with some curious marketing moves by branching into other aspects of the culture. This past summer they teamed with Crocs Footwear to offer a pair of that company’s shoes which resembled the chicken bucket. Right now you can buy for your fireplace a wooden log that when lit will produce the aroma of the 11 herbs and spices.

This foray into the romantic side of the poultry baron is hardly his first such appearance. A few years ago there was a romance novel penned about his romantic escapades – ”Tender Wings Of Desire”. I need not say more, as the finger-licking comments just pour forth naturally.

To get a sense of the drama you just know you cannot resist this Sunday, here is the gripping trailer of what promises to be a hot and spicy affair.