AN ALL-STAR CAST HEADLINES A VERY VEGAS CHRISTMAS STORY IN USA NETWORK'S THREE WISE GUYS

AN ALL-STAR CAST HEADLINES A VERY VEGAS CHRISTMAS STORY IN USA NETWORK'S THREE WISE GUYS

Holiday Movie from Vesuvius Productions and Lions Gate Television To Premiere November 20

LOS ANGELES -- JULY 15, 2005 -- Bethlehem was never like this. The three wise men of Christmas past will be replaced this holiday season by gun-toting gangsters Vincent, Joey and George chasing a mother-to-be across the desert when USA Network presents THREE WISE GUYS, it was announced by Bonnie Hammer, president, USA Network and SCI FI Channel. The two hour original film will debut on Sunday, November 20, at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

Tom Arnold (Best Damned Sports Show Period, Austin Powers), Judd Nelson (Suddenly Susan, The Breakfast Club), Katey Sagal (8 Simple Rules, Married...With Children) and Nick Turturro (NYPD Blue, The Longest Yard) head an all-star cast of television veterans in this genre-bending takeoff on the traditional Christmas story. The cast also features Eddie McClintock (Crumbs, Friends), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (She's All That, Nash Bridges), Arye Gross (Minority Report, Ellen) and WWE Hall of Famer Rowdy Roddy Piper as the Pastor.

"We've put together a perfect comic ensemble for this very funny holiday film," said Hammer. "'Three Wise Guys' is a truly fresh antidote to typical Yuletide fare."

"Working with Angela Mancuso and USA Network on this project has been a tremendous collaboration," said Kevin Beggs, president of programming and production, Lions Gate Television, "and we believe this fractured Christmas fairy tale will be a standout among the holiday movies this season."

'Twas the night before Christmas and Murray Crown (Arnold), owner of the Regal Crown Casino, is spreading anything but Christmas cheer. To keep his accountant Leo (Gross) from ratting him out to the feds about his not-so-legal financial reporting, Murray hires George (Nelson), Vincent (Turturro) and Joey (McClintock) to permanently shut him up -- and to find out where Jake Marley (Josh Berry), his partner in crime and the casino's drummer, is hiding out.

On their way back from burying Leo in the desert, the three wise guys swerve to avoid hitting a stranded motorist, an eight and-a-half month pregnant stunner named Mary (O'Keefe). Her tale of woe tugs at the heartstrings of the hired thugs. They drive Mary to the bus station, give her some money for her trip home and see her off. But not everything is the way it seems. They soon learn that Mary is at the heart of their mission and Murray wants her back. George, Vincent and Joey track her down, but the expectant mother is crafty and manages to give them the slip.

The next time they catch up with her, however, Joey is one step ahead and makes sure she'll lead them straight to her boyfriend, the "drummer boy." She does, but the situation soon takes a perilous turn and Murray's wife Shirley (Sagal) gets caught in the fray. The wise guys then find themselves playing hero as they try to save Mary and Shirley so they'll live to see the sun rise on Christmas morning.

THREE WISE GUYS is produced by Vesuvius Productions, Inc. in association with Lions Gate Television. Angela Mancuso (The Last Ride, Spartacus) is executive producer. Michele Greco (Spartacus, Helen of Troy) is producer. Robert Iscove (Cinderella, She's All That) directs from a teleplay written by Lucky Gold (Stealing Christmas, Coyote Waits) and inspired by the story by Damon Runyon.

Lions Gate Television is the television production and distribution arm of Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE and TSX: LGF). Continuing its strategy of being an important supplier of content to cable and broadcast networks, the company has five primetime series on the air or scheduled for launch shortly, including The Cut with Tommy Hilfiger for CBS, The Dead Zone for USA Network, Missing for Lifetime Television, Wildfire for ABC Family and Weeds for Showtime. Lions Gate Entertainment is the premier independent producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library is one of the largest in the entertainment industry. The Lions Gate brand name is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

USA NETWORK

USA Network is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. USA Network is seen in over 89 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.