|
Celebrities and Notables From the Worlds of Film, Television, Music and Sports Join Lifetime Television's 13th Annual Multi-Platform 'Stop Breast Cancer For Life' Campaign
Whoopi Goldberg, Reba McEntire, NFL Players Among Stars Participating in
PSA Campaign Created by Breast Cancer Survivors: Advertising Legend Linda
Kaplan Thaler, Renowned Photographer Mary Ellen Mark and Cancer Vixen
Author Marisa Acocella Marchetto
Partnership with iTunes for First-Ever 'Sneak Peek' of a Lifetime Original
Movie, 'Matters of Life & Dating,' Starring Ricki Lake and Holly Robinson
Peete, Which Premieres October 22nd and Includes Original Song Recorded by
Grammy Award-Winner Mya
NEW YORK, Oct. 2 -- Lifetime Television's 13th annual
"Stop Breast Cancer for Life" campaign gives new meaning to the word "bra"
-- slang for "friend" -- when celebrities and notables from the worlds of
film, television, music and sports, ranging from Fran Drescher, Daisy
Fuentes, Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, Ricki Lake, Reba McEntire, Mya,
Holly Robinson Peete to a William Morris Agency executive and an ABC News
Executive Producer to NFL stars Ronde Barber and Jake Delhomme, all share
their very personal connections to breast cancer and lend their talents to
the network's largest ever, multi-platform public awareness and advocacy
campaign running throughout National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in
October.
Informed by the leading breast cancer advocacy organizations, the new
"Be My Strength, Be My Support, Be My Bra" on-air, online and print
creative was developed by advertising executive Linda Kaplan Thaler,
award-winning photographer Mary Ellen Mark and Cancer Vixen author Marisa
Acocella Marchetto -- all breast cancer survivors -- to encourage more
women and men to become part of a support system to promote early
detection, donate to or volunteer for local charities and offer hope and
friendship to those facing breast cancer. All three creators appear in the
spots, as well as other survivors, activists and celebrities including
Goldberg.
The campaign also includes its first-ever theme song -- "My Bra" --
written specifically for Lifetime's effort by multi-platinum songwriting
sensation Kara DioGuardi (Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion,
Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill) and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter James
Poyser (Common, The Roots/Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill), and recorded by Grammy
Award-winning singer Mya, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor. The
song is featured in various on-air and online elements of the campaign,
including its programming centerpiece, the specially-themed Lifetime
Original Movie "Matters of Life & Dating," premiering Monday, October 22 at
9PM (ET/PT). The movie stars Ricki Lake as a single woman living with
breast cancer who relies on help from her friends, including co-star Holly
Robinson Peete, who returns to the dating scene following her mastectomy.
Lifetime Digital contributes to the campaign with a new version of its
2006 award-winning "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" mini-site on
LifetimeTV.com along with offering both the song "My Bra" and the
first-ever "sneak peek" of a Lifetime Original Movie "Matters of Life &
Dating" on iTunes. This year's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" initiative is
sponsored by Lean Cuisine, Campbell's, Payless and Cancer Treatment Centers
of America, with advertising support online from Lean Cuisine and Arimidex
(AstraZeneca).
As well, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, Cablevision, Insight,
Bright House, Mediacom, Suddenlink, CableOne plus many others are
participating in the initiative, reaching over 100 million homes -- the
most ever for the campaign. Lifetime also teamed up with Comcast and
breastcancer.org to create a VOD and broadband campaign entitled Breast
Cancer Hope, which offers viewers new, original educational content
featuring Dr. Marissa Weiss, founder of breastcancer.org; a
behind-the-scenes look at BRIDES Magazine's "Something Pink" fundraising
effort featuring top designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Nicole Miller;
and original movies and episodes of series previously aired on Lifetime
Television.
"For 13 years, Lifetime has taken the lead in the cable industry by
raising awareness of this terrible disease which claims the life of one
woman every 13 minutes. This year, we are honored to work with a veritable
who's who of stars contributing their talents, along with partnerships with
nearly 200 distributors, advertising sponsors and 12 leading non-profit
organizations, all banding together to fight breast cancer," said Meredith
Wagner, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Lifetime Networks.
Highlights of Lifetime's 2007 "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" Campaign
ON-AIR
* Lifetime Original Movie: "Matters of Life & Dating," premiering
Monday, October 22, at 9PM (ET/PT).
* PSAs: "Bras" featured in the spots airing throughout October include
Whoopi Goldberg supporting William Morris Agency executive Cara Stein;
Welcome to Your Crisis bestselling author Laura Day with ABC News
Executive Producer Jessica Stedman Guff; Fran Drescher posing to
underscore the support she is offering women in her new Cancer
Schmancer Movement; Daisy Fuentes advocating for her mother, a 20-year
survivor; Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme honoring the
memory of his loved ones; and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Ronde Barber
spotlighting his mother.
* Breast Cancer Awareness Vignettes: Reba McEntire, Patti Labelle, Mya,
Ricki Lake and others appear in spots throughout the month to encourage
viewers to get involved and make a difference.
DIGITAL/LIFETIMETV.COM
* The Stop Breast Cancer for Life mini-site
(http://www.lifetimetv.com/community/my-lifetime-commitment/breast-cancer)
on LifetimeTV.com provides articles, features, video, photos, quizzes,
blogs, message boards and more.
* Lifetime is working with iTunes, the world's most popular online music
and video store, to provide a sneak peek of the LOM "Matters of Life
and Dating." Both the movie and Mya's song "My Bra" will be available
only on iTunes. All of Lifetime's proceeds of October downloads will go
to charities supporting breast cancer awareness.
* In addition to adding their name to the viral "end drive-through
mastectomies" petition, Lifetime's audience can create virtual
characters to join hands in an unbroken circle of support in a fun,
interactive activity.
* Real Arcade, Lifetime's partner in such popular downloadable games as
Sally's Salon, is pledging $1 to the cause for each of the first 50,000
installations of the Lifetime Real Arcade application in October.
* The Lifetime Smilebox application offers an easy way to send loved ones
a free digital reminder to get a mammogram featuring the visitors' own
photos, videos and music. Visitors can also inspire others with their
story of survival, celebration, or remembrance with a special digital
scrapbook. Both designs give recipients a one-click opportunity to sign
the online petition to pass the Breast Cancer Protection Act of 2007.
Lifetime and Smilebox will donate proceeds to the cause.
* The "Be My Support, Be My Bra" photo gallery features 12 of Mary Ellen
Mark's images.
* The Daily Pink, a popular breast cancer blog features news on medical
research, celebrity advocates and survivors, and ways to take action.
* Lifetime's audience can also use their mobile phones to show support by
texting PINK to 58463 and sending the name of a loved one to appear on-
air or online.
* Sprint is also supporting the cause by featuring engaging breast cancer
awareness content on their WAP site in support of Lifetime's
downloadable application.
* XM Radio will feature Lifetime's partners, experts, and celebrities in
interviews as well as running Lifetime PSAs throughout the month of
October.
COMMUNITY
* Heroes Celebration: On Tuesday, October 16th, Lifetime hosts the annual
"Heroes" reception in Los Angeles, sponsored by Lean Cuisine, honoring
the courageous breast cancer survivors, advocates and community leaders
who are helping to make a difference. In addition, local advance
screenings and awareness nights are being held in select markets.
* "Be My Strength, Be My Support, Be My Bra" Calendar: The unique
calendar features the photographs of Mary Ellen Mark, interspersed with
inspiring and educational information about early detection, treatment
and ways to get involved in the cause. The brochures are being
distributed throughout the country via Lifetime's hundreds of non-
profit and distribution partners, including on college campuses by Zeta
Tau Alpha, as well as in all 50 Betsey Johnson stores, as Betsey,
herself, is a breast cancer survivor.
* NFL Partnership: Lifetime and the NFL are teaming up to highlight
breast cancer awareness at home games of participating teams on October
7th and October 14th. A co-branded PSA with cancer advocate and
football fan Fran Drescher will run on jumbotrons and "Stop Breast
Cancer for Life" tattoos will be given to fans.
LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
* Ending Drive-Through Mastectomies: With more than 20 million signatures
collected on Lifetimetv.com, the network continues to add to this
largest petition drive ever and deliver these voices to Congress to
urge them to pass the bipartisan Breast Cancer Protection Act of 2007.
The legislation would end the practice of "drive-through" mastectomies,
where women are sometimes forced to leave the hospital within hours
following their surgeries even if they and their doctors feel they are
not ready to go home.
PARTNERS
Lifetime's campaign is informed and supported by leading breast cancer
advocacy groups, including:
* The Anastacia Fund, Breast Cancer Action, The Breast Cancer Research
Foundation, breastcancer.org, National Breast Cancer Coalition, Nueva
Vida, SHARE (Self-Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer),
Sisters Network, Inc., Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, the
Young Survival Coalition and Zeta Tau Alpha.
Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. Lifetime Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime
Digital (including LifetimeTV.com) are part of Lifetime Entertainment
Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt
Disney Company.
SOURCE Lifetime Networks
http://www.lifetimetv.com
|
