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ETV Airs the 28th Annual LIVE Broadcast of “A Capitol Fourth”

Award-winning Actor Jimmy Smits Hosts Star-spangled Celebration Friday, July 4 at 8 p.m.

For Immediate Release
June 13, 2008

Columbia, SC...On Friday, July 4 at 8 p.m., ETV airs the 28th annual LIVE broadcast of America’s biggest and best-loved birthday party, A Capitol Fourth.

Hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning film, theater and television actor Jimmy Smits, this festive celebration will feature unrivaled musical performances from some of the country’s best-known artists, as well as the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere in the nation.

Broadcast live from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., this hour-long program brings together rock 'n' roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis, Grammy Award winners Huey Lewis and the News, "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks, Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, classical superstar Hayley Westenra and soprano Harolyn Blackwell for memorable performances of patriotic and celebratory music with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Erich Kunzel.

Following this musical salute, the Washington, D.C. skyline will come alive with the most colorful and creative display of fireworks ever set against silhouettes of the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument andthe Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Capping off the show will be a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s "1812 Overture," complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite and a yearly tradition.

This multiple-award-winning annual celebration will be broadcast to U.S. military personnel in over 175 countries and aboard more than 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea over the American Forces Radio and Television Network (AFN).

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.