Legendary Radio Show ‘A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor’ Comes to the Big Screen in a Digital Cinema Presentation This February

ST. PAUL, Minn. & CENTENNIAL, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Garrison Keillor, host of “A Prairie Home Companion,” brings the beloved radio show to select movie theaters in communities nationwide with a special live performance of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor – LIVE in HD! on Thursday, Feb. 4^th, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. EST / 7:00 p.m. CST / 6:00 p.m. MST / (time delayed) 8:00 p.m. PST, Arizona and Hawaii. The live event will originate from the famed Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn., where the show has been performed since 1978. An encore presentation will be shown in select movie theaters on Tuesday, Feb. 9^th.

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Tickets for the live and encore events are available at presenting theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of participating theater locations, please visit www.FathomEvents.com or http://prairiehome.publicradio.org (locations and participants may be subject to change).

Presented by NCM Fathom, Prairie Home Productions, American Public Media and BY Experience, Inc., A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor – LIVE in HD! will feature several special guests, as well as regular show performers including actors Sue Scott and Tim Russell, sound-effects wizards Tom Keith and Fred Newman and the “Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band” led by keyboardist, composer and arranger Richard Dworsky, guitarist Pat Donohue, percussionist Peter Johnson and bassist Gary Raynor.

With his usual understated wit, Keillor noted: “After all these years, we’re starting to get the hang of doing this show and feeling like we’re ready for the big screen. Let people see what Dusty and Lefty and Guy Noir look like, and how the guy does the sound effects, and make sure ‘The News from Lake Wobegon’ is not read from a script. It’s a radio show that has lasted 35 years and now audiences can see why.”

For more than 35 years, legions of fans have tuned in to Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” to be entertained by his low-key reflections, sharp insights and trademark humor. Each week, “A Prairie Home Companion” is heard by more than four million listeners of every age, on more than 600 public radio stations across the country. The show — performed live on stage in front of an audience — features comedy sketches, music and Keillor’s signature monologue, “The News from Lake Wobegon.” The show has been host to thousands of guest artists and has been broadcast from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, Iceland and nearly each of America’s 50 states.

“‘A Prairie Home Companion’ has been a treasured jewel of American radio entertainment for more than three decades and will now come to life like never before on the big screen,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of Fathom. “Garrison Keillor and the show contributors will deliver an unforgettable entertainment experience for communities of loyal fans, all in the comfort of their local movie theater.”

A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor – LIVE in HD! appears on the big screen in high-definition with Cinema Surround Sound in 490 select movie theaters, including AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Georgia Theatre Co., Goodrich Quality Theaters, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Malco Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as Bainbridge 5 (Seattle, WA), The Carolina (Asheville, NC), The Grand Theatre (Bismarck, ND), Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT), Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA) and the State Theatre (Traverse City, MI), through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network. Several independent venues and performing arts centers will also participate in the event.

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia (NCM) LLC operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America through long-term agreements with its founding members, AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest theatre operators in the U.S., and through multi-year agreements with several other theatre operators. NCM LLC produces and distributes its FirstLook pre feature program; cinema, lobby and online advertising products; comprehensive meeting and event services and other entertainment programming content. NCM LLC’s national network includes approximately 16,800 screens of which approximately 15,400 are part of the company’s Digital Content Network (DCN). NCM LLC’s network covers 171 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50). During 2008, approximately 660 million patrons attended movies shown in theatres currently included in the network (excluding Regal Consolidated Theatres). National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 41.5% interest in and is the managing member of NCM LLC. For additional information, visit www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com.

About Prairie Home Productions

Prairie Home Productions LLC is the producer of radio programs for national distribution, including A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer’s Almanac, and televised programs for PBS, including the APHC specials for Great Performances, as well as tour shows, concerts, and special events such as the APHC At Sea Cruises and the A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION WITH GARRISON KEILLOR — LIVE IN HD! Cinecast.

About American Public Media®

American Public Media, a nonprofit organization, is the second largest producer and distributor of public radio programming and the largest owner and operator of public radio stations in the nation.

About BY Experience

BY Experience is the pioneer of global live "alternative content" digital cinema events. Credits: Worldwide Distribution Representative of "The Met: Live in HD," International (ex-UK) Distribution Representative of the British National Theatre's series "NT Live"; Co-Presenter with the New York Times of its speaker’s series, “TimesTalksLIVE” (2009); Cinema Distributor of the “BBC Electric Proms: Robbie Williams” (October 2009) and "BBC Last Night of the Proms 2009" (September 2009); BY Experience as Executive Producer for Cinema: "This American Life — Live! with Ira Glass" (May 2009) and (April 2008); "David Gilmour: Remember That Night — Live from the Royal Albert Hall" (September 2007); "David Bowie: Reality — Live & Interactive" (September 2003). For more information, visit www.byexperience.net.