Spend Memorial Day with Meg Ryan on Lifetime

When I think about my favorite actresses of all time, all I need to do is step into my time machine and transport myself back to the eighties and nineties. You see, while I’ve probably seen hundreds of movies in my lifetime, the actresses who I’ve come to love over the years, are the ones who made me laugh and cry as a teenager, college student and single girl living on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

In fact, when I first became engaged, my friends sent me the movie poster for Sleepless in Seattle just to commemorate the occasion and I hung it proudly in my office for nearly a decade. So imagine my excitement when the team at Lifetime told me that they plan to air a Meg Ryan movie marathon just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Seriously? Can it get any better than that? I don’t think so.

The Meg Ryan movie marathon will air on Lifetime Television from 11am to 11pm et and coincides with the television premiere of Ryan's latest romantic comedy, Serious Moonlight where she stars along with Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell, and Justin Long. But before we get to see what she’s up to now, let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

11a-1p My Mom's New Boyfriend

A federal agent (Colin Hanks) is assigned to spy on his mother (Meg Ryan) and her new boyfriend (Antonio Banderas) -- a suspect in an international art theft ring.  

1-3p When Harry Met Sally

Starring Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher, this classic 1989 film centers on the age old question - can a man and woman still be friends after they sleep together? I still have flashbacks from Ryan’s infamous fake “O” scene in the deli and the hilarious punch line “I’ll have what she’s having!” Take a look...

3-5p Hanging Up

Three sisters (Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow and Diane Keaton) grow closer to one another as they cope with their dying father (Walter Matthau), an alcoholic ex-screenwriter who never enjoyed a close relationship with his daughters.  

5-7p Sleepless in Seattle

Make sure you plan your Memorial Day barbecue early in the day so that you can park yourself front and center for one of Meg Ryan's most memorable roles.  No matter where I am, if this movie pops up on my TV screen, I am hooked.  I can still picture the scene of the Christmas Eve phone call that Jonah makes to radio talk show psychologist Marcia Fieldstone wishing that his widowed dad find a new wife.

Meanwhile, clear across the country driving from Baltimore to Washington DC is bride-to-be Annie Reed, who instantly falls for Sam as she hears him share all the things he misses so much about his late wife. Remember this classic movie moment?:

Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?

Sam: Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were suppose to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic.

There are not enough great things I can say about “Sleepless” - the music will make you tear up - from Harry Connick Jr. to Carly Simon; and the cast is sheer perfection - I adore Rosie O’Donnell in this film, Rob Reiner makes me laugh with his infamous "Tiramisu" line and Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks?  They are by far a perfect movie couple combination.  

7-9p In the Land of Women

Completely distraught after breaking up with his girlfriend, Carter Webb (played by Adam Brody) leaves L.A. for suburban Detroit to take care of his grandmother. Soon after meeting the Hardwicke family across the street, Carter is drawn into the lives of the Hardwicke women played by Meg Ryan, Kristen Stewart and Elena Anaya. His special bond with the women affects each of their lives, and ultimately Carter's life as well.  

9-11p Serious Moonlight

Meg Ryan stars as a high-powered female attorney learns that her husband (Timothy Hutton) is about to leave her for a much younger woman, played by Kristen Bell. Consumed by a dangerous romantic cocktail of love and desperation, she holds him captive until he "promises to stay with her and love her forever" by binding him to the toilet with duct tape. However, the wife's plan becomes complicated when the couple's home is overtaken by a robber (Justin Long).

So grab your kleenex and get the popcorn ready girls for the Meg Ryan movie marathon...and hope you enjoy Memorial Day as much as I will!