Schedule Update: TV One to Air All Star Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration Produced by David Gest Tonight at 8 and 11 PM ET
- Special is first of weekend full of programming devoted to the memory of the legendary superstar -
SILVER SPRING, Md., June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- TV One will pre-empt its regular schedule this weekend to air special programming in memory of Michael Jackson, beginning tonight at 8 and 11 PM (all times ET) with the two-hour Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, a star-studded salute to the legendary superstar that hasn't been broadcast in nearly a decade.
Tonight from 8-10 PM and 11 PM - 1 AM, TV One will air Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, the all-star concert salute to the King of Pop, produced by David Gest, which celebrated his 30 years as a solo performer. The special hasn't been broadcast in nearly a decade and has the distinction of being the highest-rated musical special in television history. Taped at New York'sMadison Square Garden on Sept. 7 and 10, 2001, this special was Michael Jackson's first live U.S. performance in more than a decade and the first reunion with his brothers in 17 years. The roster of performers and guests include Destiny's Child, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Usher, Britney Spears, 'N Sync, 98 Degrees, James Ingram, Gloria Estefan, Mya, Chris Tucker and a host of others. TV One obtained the rights to the special from World Events LLC, a company owned by David Gest and Michael Jackson. The show is being distributed by Alfred Haber Distribution.
On Saturday, June 27, from noon- 5 PM and 7 PM - midnight, the network will air The Jacksons: An American Dream, the award-winning five-hour mini-series that takes a look at the origins of one of the most successful family groups in the history of the music industry. The Jacksons were an average working-class family from Gary, Indiana, but when their father discovered the kids have an extraordinary musical talent they form a band. Winning talent show after talent show, they soon hit it big when Motown called. From there they became the now famous Jackson 5. But along the way their success brought trouble and turmoil. The mini-series stars Angela Bassett, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Holly Robinson-Peete, Terrence Howard, Billy Dee Williams and Jermaine Jackson II, and is produced by Suzanne DePasse, Jermaine Jackson and Stan Marguilies.
On Sunday, June 28 at 7 PM, immediately preceding TV One's original episode of Unsung on Florence Ballard of the Supremes, TV One will air The Life & Times of Michael Jackson, a one-hour documentary produced by the TV Guide Channel.
Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvoneonline.com) serves more than 47.5 million households (Nielsen June 2009 estimate), offering a broad range of entertainment, reality and lifestyle -oriented original programming, classic series, movies, and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers. TV One's investors include Radio One (Nasdaq: ROIA; ROIAK; www.radio-one.com), the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners; Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA; CMCSK; www.comcast.com), the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.
