Grammy, Emmy Winners to Helm 2008 Miss America Live on TLC

Jan. 26 Event on TLC to Conclude Miss America Reality Series

LOS ANGELES and ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Oct. 23 – TLC has teamed Grammy Award-winning producer Anthony Eaton and Emmy Award-winning director Bruce Gowers to helm the all-new 2008 MISS AMERICA LIVE! event, the stunning conclusion to TLC’s Miss America reality series. In its first year on TLC, the show will air live from Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas on Saturday, January 26 from 8-10 PM ET/PT (tape-delayed).

The announcement was made today by Brant Pinvidic, senior vice president of programming for TLC. “We are thrilled to have two of the best talents in the business working on this landmark television special,” said Pinvidic. “They share our creative vision for reinventing this American classic and combining their innovative styles will yield an incredible live event.”

Sam Haskell, III the Miss America Organization’s Chairman of the Board remarked upon Eaton’s award winning experience and cutting-edge style. “We have reinvigorated the Miss America brand and are delighted to have TLC as our new television partner to debut MISS AMERICA LIVE! on their network,” he said. “With the combined efforts of TLC and my friends, Tony Eaton and Bruce Gowers, we are confident that our 87-year tradition will be presented in a completely innovative and unprecedented manner.”

As produced by Eaton and directed by Gowers, the 2008 MISS AMERICA LIVE! is a new kind of competition. Designed to find the smartest, most talented and most stylish woman from among the 52 finalists, the 2008 Miss America will truly define a trend-setting modern American woman. To see how the competition will be enhanced, and get to know each contestant as she pursues the crown, viewers can watch TLC's MISS AMERICA companion reality series that culminates with the MISS AMERICA LIVE! finale.

Anthony Eaton is the head of Tall Pony Productions, the genius behind major network specials like “Fashion Rocks,” “Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope,” and “The 6th Annual Radio Music Awards.” His long roster of television credits include “David Bowie: Serious Moonlight,” and “Tim McGraw: Reflected,” among others. He has worked with such stars as Usher, Madonna, Janet Jackson and Cher on their DVD endeavors. Eaton is the beneficiary of several awards, including three Grammy Awards and two NAACP Image Awards, among others.

A two-time Emmy Award® recipient, Gowers, who is best known for directing the FOX hit “American Idol,” relocated to the US in the late 1970’s after garnering international acclaim for the landmark “Bohemian Rhapsody” video for Queen. His directing credits include television shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Celebrity Duets.” He has directed numerous awards shows, including “The Primetime Emmy Awards” and specials for artists including Prince, The Rolling Stones and others. Gowers is the recipient of a Directors Guild of America award, multiple ACE and Monitor Awards and an NAACP Image Award, among others.

About TLC
TLC's innovative hit series include perennial fashion favorite What Not to Wear; Little People Big World, now in its third season; Miami Ink and the hit spin-off LA Ink. The channel defined home design with Trading Spaces and continues to reinvent the genre with Property Ladder, Flip That House and Moving Up. TLC's daytime lineup includes the Emmy Award-winning A Baby Story as well as Take Home Chef, featuring one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men, Curtis Stone. The channel is available in more than 93 million homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website at www.tlc.com. TLC is part of Discovery Communications which is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman.

About Miss America
The Miss America Pageant - and the scholarship program itself - is among the most enduring endeavors in modern American history. From its humble beginnings as a "bathing beauty'" contest in the 1920s, the Miss America Organization today is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance, helping young women all across the country to reach their dreams and goals. For more information, go to www.missamerica.org.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Through TV and digital media, Discovery's 100-plus worldwide networks include Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, The Science Channel, Discovery Health and HD Theater. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

Source: Discovery Communications

Bookmark/Search this post with: