- Hosted by Jimmy Smits, America's Biggest Birthday Party Offers
Patriotic Send Off to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing with the
National Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Erich Kunzel -
WASHINGTON, July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On July Fourth, there's
no place like our nation's capital for America's biggest birthday party.
The 28th annual broadcast of A Capitol Fourth, hosted by Emmy and Golden
Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, will feature a special salute to our
country's summer Olympians. Gold medal winner Scott Hamilton will lead the
tribute to Team USA, honoring past and present Olympians on stage before a
crowd of hundreds of thousands live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
A musical tribute from the National Symphony Orchestra with maestro Erich
Kunzel will include John Williams' "Olympic Fanfare" and the inspirational
song "This is the Moment" performed by Tony Award-winning Broadway star
Brian Stokes Mitchell. Kunzel will also conduct the Cincinnati Pops at the
Beijing Olympics this summer, the only American orchestra to perform in
this year's Olympic Games. Olympians to be honored during the tribute
include: Eli Bremer (Modern Pentathlon); Tim Morehouse (Fencing); Dominic
Grazioli (Shooting), Jake Deitchler (Wrestling), Kendrick Farris
(Weightlifting), Nancy Rios (Sailing), Bob Malaythong (Badminton) and
Jessica Long (2006 Paralympian of the Year). The multi-award winning event
will be broadcast in high definition and commercial free on PBS Friday,
July 4, 2008 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET (check local listings), simulcast on
National Public Radio and around the world to our troops on the American
Forces Network.
"I can't think of a better venue than the U.S. Capitol to honor and pay
tribute to my fellow Olympians," said Scott Hamilton. "These athletes
represent all of the qualities that have made America so great and it's
only fitting that we give Team USA a patriotic send off to Beijing on the
4th of July when we celebrate our nation's birthday!"
The most popular and beloved male figure skating star in the world,
Scott Hamilton is also a network TV skating commentator, actor, performer,
producer, Emmy Award nominee, best-selling author, role model, humanitarian
and philanthropist. As a cancer and brain tumor survivor, he is constantly
reminding others that, with fortitude and determination, anything is
possible. In 1990, Hamilton was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of
Fame, adding that achievement to his more than 70 titles, awards and
honors. This includes winning four consecutive U.S. Championships
(1981-1984), four consecutive World Championships (1981-1984) and the 1984
Olympics. Also in 1990, he became a privileged member of the World Figure
Skating Hall of Fame. Scott appears regularly on television. He has
recently signed a three year exclusive agreement with NBC Sports to cover
all of their skating broadcasts including the upcoming winter Olympics in
2010. This past season, he hosted Fox's reality series Skating with
Celebrities. On the big screen, Hamilton recently starred in the mega box
office motion picture comedy hit Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell and Jon
Heder. An acclaimed author, Hamilton received critical praise for his New
York Times best-selling autobiography Landing It (Kensington Books, October
1999), an intimate, candid and insightful look at his professional and
personal life on and off the ice. His new inspirational book, The Great
Eight, will be published by Thomas Nelson Publishing in January 2009.
A Capitol Fourth will include special performances by Grammy
Award-winning musicians Huey Lewis and the News, American Idol winner
Taylor Hicks, Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame legend Jerry Lee Lewis, Tony
Award-winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, classical superstar
Hayley Westenra and American soprano Harolyn Blackwell in performance with
the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor
Erich Kunzel.
A Capitol Fourth 2008 is made possible by grants from The Boeing
Company, the National Park Service, the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, the Department of the Army, the National Endowment for the
Arts, PBS and public television stations nationwide. Air travel is provided
by American Airlines.
Web Site: http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth
Press Web Site: http://www.pbs.org/pressroom
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