Smits to Host 'A Capitol Fourth'

This July 4, New Concert Host Jimmy Smits Invites You To "A Capitol Fourth: America's Biggest Birthday Party Live From the U.S. Capitol"

PBS' Highest Rated Musical and Fireworks Extravaganza Stars Huey Lewis & The News, Taylor Hicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hayley Westenra, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Harolyn Blackwell and the National Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Erich Kunzel

Blow out the candles at America's biggest and best-loved birthday party with our new host and an all-star cast.  Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning film, theater and television actor Jimmy Smits hosts the 28th annual broadcast of A Capitol Fourth live from Washington, D.C.  The star spangled party will feature unrivaled musical performances from some of the country's best known and award-winning artists as well as the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere in the nation.  Grammy winning musicians Huey Lewis and the News, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, Rock 'n' Roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis, Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, classical superstar Hayley Westenra and soprano Harolyn Blackwell will perform a selection 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, DC skyline will come alive with the most colorful, creative and booming display of fireworks ever set against silhouettes of national landmarks the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.  The multi-award winning event will be broadcast live in high definition on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, July 4, 2008 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET (check local listings).  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 now A Capitol Fourth tradition.

"There's no greater place to be this July Fourth than in Washington, D.C.," said Jimmy Smits.  "I am honored to host A Capitol Fourth live from our nation's capital.  You don't want to miss this year's all-star cast and the most amazing fireworks display ever.  I hope you'll join me and the millions of Americans watching at home in what is truly America's biggest birthday party."

"As President John Adams envisioned 232 years ago, we come together to celebrate the birth of our great nation with music, fun and fireworks," added executive producer Jerry Colbert of Capital Concerts.  "We're really glad to welcome our new host Jimmy Smits to help celebrate the Fourth in style from the most inspiring location in America."

Jimmy Smits is a distinguished and well-respected actor with an impressive career spanning two decades.  He is an 11-time Emmy Award nominee and won the award in 1990 for his role as Victor Sifuentes in LA Law.  He is a four-time Golden Globe nominee and won the award in 1996 for his role on NYPD Blue.  He is an eight-time nominee of the Screen Actors Guild Award and has been nominated and won a variety of other prestigious awards, including wins in 2005 at the Imagen Foundation Awards, in 1996 at the NCLR Bravo Awards, and a 1999 Humanitas Award for his work on NYPD Blue.  His television credits include Cane, LA Law, The West Wing, NYPD Blue and the award-winning TV movies The Broken Cord and Lackawanna Blues.  Smits' film credits include The Jane Austen Book Club, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Running Scared, Price of Glory and My Family/Mi Familia, for which he received an IFP Spirit Award nomination.  Theater credits include the Broadway production of Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Anna in the Tropics, The New York Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" presentations of Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night.  El Sendero Productions, his production company, has two projects in development with ABC Studios, one a miniseries at ABC and the other a drama on FX.  He is also involved in various charitable causes including co-founding the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) to promote Hispanic talent in the performing arts.  A second-generation American, Smits is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and traces his roots to Puerto Rico and Surinam.

A Capitol Fourth will also feature performances by The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery, an Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C. and The Choral Arts Society of Washington.

A Capitol Fourth can also be heard live in stereo over National Public Radio and is  broadcast to U.S. military personnel in more than 175 countries and aboard 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea on the American Forces Network (AFN).  The program is viewed by millions at home and attended by hundreds of thousands of people at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

For A Capitol Fourth executive producer Jerry Colbert has assembled an award-winning production team that features the top Hollywood talent behind some of television's most prestigious entertainment awards shows.  This includes Emmy award-winning producer Walter C. Miller, American's leading director and producer of live programs including the Grammy Awards and Country Music Awards; award-winning director Paul Miller whose credits include the Country Music Awards and Saturday Night Live; and veteran television writer Jon Macks, whose credits include the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards.  The program is a co-production of Jerry Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA, Washington, D.C.

For more than 25 years, Capital Concerts has produced the two major patriotic events at the U.S. Capitol.  In 1981, Colbert presented the first PBS Fourth of July telecast with the National Symphony Orchestra and guest artists performing live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.  In 1990, he introduced the National Memorial Day Concert.  Since then, both holiday specials have been honored with over 55 awards including the New York Film Festival Award, the Telly Award, the Golden Cine Award, the Videographer Award, the National Education Association Award, the Aurora Award, the Christopher Award, the Communicator's Award, the AXIEM Award, the Omni Award and the Writer's Guild of America Award.

A Capitol Fourth 2008 is made possible by grants from The Boeing Company, the National Park Service, 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: www.pbs.org/capitolfourth
 

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