'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Pulls Out All the Stops for November Sweeps

'Millionaire' Partners With 'US Weekly' Magazine for Special 'Celebrity Scoop' Edition

Hot Seat Contestant Makes It to the Million-Dollar Question

Celebrated Jeopardy Champ Tries His Hand at 'Millionaire' on Thanksgiving Day

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 -- "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," hosted by Meredith Vieira, is giving its viewers millions of reasons to tune in during the month of November. Starting off the month with a bang, viewers will be treated to a week of "all-things-celebrity" as "Millionaire" features its second annual edition of "Celebrity Scoop." Things really heat up in mid-November when a hot seat contestant makes it all the way up to the million-dollar question. Finally, on Thanksgiving Day, the game show will have a very special contestant in the hot seat -- Eddie Timanus, a former Jeopardy champ. Tune in on "Turkey Day" to see if Eddie has what it takes to become a champ on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

US WEEKLY "CELEBRITY SCOOP" EDITION (November 8 - 12, 2004):

"Millionaire" has once again partnered with "US Weekly" magazine to bring viewers a week-long installment of "Celebrity Scoop," featuring contestants who get their daily dose of news straight from the gossip columnists! Contestants for this special edition were specifically chosen based on their knowledge of celebrity trivia. Photos from "US Weekly" magazine will be used as visual elements for some of the celebrity driven questions. "Celebrity Scoop" will air November 8 - 12 (check local listings).

MILLION-DOLLAR WINNER? (November 15 - 19, 2004):

The syndicated version of "Millionaire" has seen two contestants walk away with the top prize of one-million dollars (Kevin Smith of Los Angeles, CA in Feb. '03 and Nancy Christie of Tulsa, OK in May '03). It has been a year and a half since "Millionaire" has given away a million. Has 'the drought' ended? Find out the week of November 15 - 19 as one of our contestants climbs the money tree, all the way up to the million-dollar question. Our confetti is ready to fly and we've got a million-dollar check ready to fill out. You won't want to miss this!

FORMER JEOPARDY CHAMP ON MILLIONAIRE (November 25, 2004):

Eddie Timanus (36 year-old Sports Journalist from Oak Hill, VA) is a former Jeopardy champion, having won $69,700 over five days on the game show. But now, he's ready to try his luck in the hot seat at "Millionaire." What makes Eddie Timanus a unique contestant is that he is blind. Unable to see since birth, Eddie has learned to rely heavily on his other senses, such as hearing. He can actually tell what dollar level a question is on "Millionaire," by the pitch of the music cue. He's hoping to hear the "million-dollar-music" when he appears on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26.

NEW ADDITIONS FOR SEASON #3:

This current season of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" features new additions to the format of the game show. Once a contestant successfully answers the $25,000 question, they are now given a new lifeline called "Switch The Question." If the contestant doesn't know the answer to the question, he or she can ask to "Switch The Question" and they will be given a new randomly selected question at the same dollar level.

In addition, "Millionaire" made TV history this season by becoming the first syndicated show where viewers can interact with the show during production tapings. The "Ask The Audience" lifeline has been enhanced, by partnering with AOL to poll registered Instant Message users during live tapings when the "Ask The Audience" lifeline is used. Contestants will see the polling results of the in-studio audience as well as online participants before giving their "Final Answer" to Meredith Vieira. Over 110,000 people have added "MillionaireIM" to their Buddy List. To register, viewers can go to http://www.millionairetv.com.

With the addition of "Switch The Question" and an enhanced "Ask The Audience" lifeline, contestants are now given even more opportunities to reach the million-dollar question, ensuring that viewers at home will see more dramatic, high-stakes moments in the game.

Meredith Vieira and the "Millionaire" Team:

Meredith Vieira, host of the half-hour program, is fresh off of her 2004 Daytime Emmy nomination. A critically-acclaimed broadcaster and moderator of ABC's "The View," Vieira has brought her unique style to the game show. TV Guide has dubbed her "the thinking person's game-show host," and raved "Vieira has made the show her own, with daily doses of intelligence, wit and that million-dollar smile. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" is produced by the same Emmy Award-winning team, Valleycrest Productions Ltd., which brought the original "Millionaire" to ABC in 1999. Michael Davies, Paul Smith and Leigh Hampton are executive producers; Vincent Rubino is co-executive producer.

If you would like artwork from "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," or of host, Meredith Vieira, please contact Trisha Miller.

SOURCE Buena Vista Television
Web Site: http://www.millionairetv.com