LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - American actor Mario Lopez will play KFC's longtime mascot Colonel Sanders in a steamy Lifetime channel holiday romance, the companies said on Monday (Dec 7), as marketing and entertainment converge to boost sales of the chain's fried chicken.

"Mark your calendars because Lifetime and @KFC have partnered for a Lifetime Original Mini-Movie you don't want to miss," the Lifetime cable network said on social media.

A Recipe For Seduction tells the story of a young chef with a secret fried chicken recipe who disrupts a woman's plan to marry off her heiress daughter to a handpicked suitor.

Lopez, 47, is known for his role in the TV series Saved By The Bell (1989 to 1993) and as a host of entertainment news show Extra (1994 to present). He is featured in the film poster clad in Sanders' trademark white shirt, black tie, glasses and goatee and clutching a young woman in a red dress.

KFC, a unit of Yum! Brands, urged viewers to curl up with a bucket of chicken to watch the 15-minute film, which will debut on the Lifetime network on Dec 13.

"Some folks take their secrets to the grave, but Colonel Sanders takes his to the deep fryer," KFC said on its social media page.