Turner Classic Movies Joins Cahuenga Peak Campaign

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is joining efforts to save the land surrounding one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks – the famous Hollywood sign. TCM will help raise awareness for the Campaign to Save Cahuenga Peak through a multi-faceted plan that will leverage the excitement for the first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival, which takes place in Hollywood April 22-25.

“The Hollywood sign is an iconic symbol known the world over, but the land surrounding it is in grave danger of being developed in a way that could destroy its appearance,” said TCM host Robert Osborne. “As we’re about to celebrate the history of Hollywood with our first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival, we are eager and proud to help preserve an important aspect of that history through this important initiative.”

The Campaign to Save Cahuenga Peak is an ongoing initiative to buy and preserve land surrounding the Hollywood sign. The Trust for Public Land (TPL), one of the partnering groups on the campaign, needs to raise $12.5 million by April 14 to buy the 138 acres on Cahuenga Peak, located behind and to the left of the “H” in the iconic sign. Land purchased through the Campaign to Save Cahuenga Peak will be protected and added to Griffith Park.

Will Rogers, president of TPL, said, “We are very happy that Turner Classic Movies is joining this campaign. This partnership is a very good fit; nothing says Hollywood like the Hollywood sign, and for people who care about the movies, TCM is the first place they turn. We look forward to working with TCM and its fans to protect the view of the sign. And we will continue our efforts to protect open spaces in Los Angeles, which has long been the movie capital of the world.” TCM’s plans to help raise awareness for the Campaign to Save Cahuenga Peak include the following:
On-air: A report on the campaign will be featured on TCM’s Classic Movie News, a regular feature on TCM and tcm.com that runs down the latest news about classic cinema.

Online: TCM weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz will be featured in a special video message about the campaign, including information about how to donate. The video message will run on tcm.com and savehollywoodland.org, as well as on TCM’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. In addition, the tcm.com homepage will feature a banner about the campaign, including a link to www.savehollywoodland.org.

TCM will also include information in its weekly email newsletter to fans. And TCM will invite its Facebook friends to post pictures of themselves posing in front of the Hollywood sign.

Donation of 10 TCM Classic Film Festival Passes: TCM will donate 10 Classic-level passes to TPL for the purpose of auctioning them off to raise money for the campaign. Each pass will provide access to the more than 50 TCM Classic Film Festival screenings; admission to Club TCM, the location of the festival headquarters, a lounge, a boutique, live panel discussions, social events and a poolside screening; entrance to the Opening Night welcome party on Thursday, April 22 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; admission to Friday and Saturday night passholder gatherings; attendance at the Closing Night event on Sunday, April 25; and a special commemorative festival program.

About the Campaign to Save Cahuenga Peak
The land surrounding the Hollywood sign was originally bought by industrialist Howard Hughes in 1940 to build a home for movie star Ginger Rogers, his intended bride. When that relationship ended, Hughes kept the land, and in 2002, his estate sold it to the investors who now own it. Two years ago, they put it on the market for $22 million, but it hasn’t sold. It is currently zoned for four luxury home sites.
The Cahuenga Peak partnership includes TPL, Los Angeles City Council member Tom LaBonge, the Hollywood Sign Trust, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

For additional information about the campaign or to make a donation, go to www.savehollywoodland.org.

About the TCM Classic Film Festival
The first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival will take place April 22-25, 2010, in the heart of Hollywood. The network is inviting fans from around the country to join this new festival and share their passion for great movies. This landmark celebration of the history of Hollywood and its movies will be presented in a way that only TCM can, with more than 50 screenings, major events, celebrity appearances, panel discussions and more. The four-day festival will also provide movie fans a rare opportunity to experience some of cinema’s greatest works as they were meant to be seen – on the big screen.

The festival will involve several venues in a central area of Hollywood, including screenings at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Oscar ceremony, will be the official hotel for the festival as well as a key venue for festival passholders.

The central gathering point for the TCM Classic Film Festival community will be Club TCM. This area, which is open exclusively to festival passholders, will be abuzz with activity during the entire festival, providing fans with unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Among the events slated for Club TCM are a book signing and display of original art by Tony Curtis; a special screening of Joan Crawford’s home movies, hosted by her grandson, Casey LaLonde; a presentation by special effects artist Douglas Trumbull; and numerous scheduled conversations with festival guests. Club TCM will also feature several panel discussions, including Casting Secrets: The Knack of Finding the Right Actor; A Remake to Remember: Hollywood’s Love Affair with Updating Movie Classics; The Greatest Movies Ever Sold: Classic Movie Marketing Campaigns; Location Location Location; Film Continuity: When Details Count; and TCM: Meet the People Behind the Network.

Club TCM will be headquartered in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. This lavish room is steeped in Hollywood history as the site of the original Academy Awards banquet.

The TCM Classic Film Festival is being produced by TCM. Serving as festival consultants are Bill and Stella Pence, who are well-known in industry circles as co-founders of the Telluride Film Festival.

The TCM Classic Film Festival is sponsored by Vanity Fair, the official festival partner and host of the opening night gala; Buick?, the official automotive sponsor; Delta Air Lines, the official travel partner; and Fekkai, official luxury hair care sponsor of the Vanity Fair’s Tales of Hollywood program.

Festival passes and additional information are available at www.tcm.com/festival.
Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network celebrating 15 years of presenting great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 80 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its Web site, www.tcm.com. TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.