Hi all,

I'm passing this along from a documentary list I'm on 'cuz I thought some of y'all might be interested...

----------------------------------------------
Quick plea for help spreading the word!

The past year I have been co-producing the PBS biography of Julia Child, which was originally scheduled to air in early 2005 on American Masters. In response to the sad news of her death this past Friday, the film, Julia! America's Favorite Chef, will be broadcast this coming Wednesday, August 18th, at 8pm (Check local listings.)

Because of this sudden development, we have only a few short days to spread the word about the broadcast as widely as possible. I would be very grateful if any of you would forward the brief press release below to any potential viewers or members of the press whom you think would be interested.

Also, as of right now, KQED has not scheduled the film because of pledge. If any of you know anyone who might be able to encourage the programmers at KQED to take a one hour break from the orginally scheduled pledge programming for this film, it would be an enormous help. (Other stations that have not scheduled it are KERA in Dallas and WPBT in Miami. If anyone can help there too, it would be fabulous.)

Thank you very much.

Robin Hessman


PRESS RELEASE

THIRTEEN/WNET NEW YORK'S AMERICAN MASTERS PAYS HOMAGE TO JULIA CHILD IN JULIA! AMERICA'S FAVORITE CHEF AIRING WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, AT 8 P.M. ON PBS

(New York, N.Y..August 16, 2004) "My point of view was if I can do it, you can do it - and here's how to do it!" So says Julia Child, who single-handedly changed the way Americans cook, eat and think about food. In January 1963, Boston public television station WGBH began airing half-hour episodes of The French Chef. Literally peppering her recipes with humor, Child received rave reviews for her homey style, her no-nonsense attitude and the theatrics that came naturally. Her television series and her best-selling cookbooks revolutionized America's relationship with food.

Produced and written by Marilyn Mellowes, narrated by Michael Murphy, co-produced by Robin Hessman, and edited by Bernie Schneider, Julia! America's Favorite Chef premieres Wednesday, August 18, 2004, at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). The one-hour documentary airs as part of AMERICAN MASTERS, the Peabody Award-winning series that was recently nominated for the 2004 Emmy for "Outstanding Primetime Non-Fiction Series," a category the series has won four times in the past five years.

Julia! America's Favorite Chef tells two completely intertwined love stories - Julia's love for her husband, Paul Child, and her love for the food to which he introduced her. Beginning with Julia McWilliams's birth in 1912 and her upbringing in Pasadena, California, this documentary examines how a woman who had no natural talent for cooking became America's favorite chef.

Susan Lacy is the creator and executive producer of AMERICAN MASTERS. Jac Venza is director of cultural and arts programs at Thirteen/WNET New York. Funding for AMERICAN MASTERS is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rosalind P. Walter, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Jack Rudin, the André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, and public television viewers.

Press Contacts:
Matthew Baumoel
Thirteen/WNET New York
212.560.3118
BaumoelM@thirteen.org