DIANE KEATON STARS IN "SURRENDER DOROTHY," A NEW TELEVISION MOVIE TO BE BROADCAST JAN. 1 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Tom Everett Scott and Alexa Davalos Also Star

SURRENDER DOROTHY, a new television movie starring Academy Award winner and four-time Academy Award nominee Diane Keaton ("Annie Hall," "Something's Gotta Give," "Marvin's Room," "Reds"), will be broadcast as the "CBS Sunday Movie," Sunday, Jan. 1 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The drama centers around Natalie (Keaton), a mother who, following the accidental death of her only child Sara, (Davalos), decides to move into the summer house Sara shared with friends to try to learn more about their relationships with her daughter and to find her daughter's diary. Tom Everett Scott ("ER") and Alexa Davalos ("The Chronicles of Riddick") also star.

Natalie and Sara are as close as a mother and daughter can be and share every detail of their lives with one another. When Sara dies suddenly in a car accident, Natalie's world is shaken to the core. Confused and not knowing where to turn, Natalie visits the last place that Sara spent time, a summer home she shared with a group of young friends, in an attempt to hold on to Sara and to gain insight into their relationships with her child. She also desperately wants to find her daughter's personal diary.

But what was initially a drop-in visit turns into a longer stay as Natalie gets to know each of Sara's friends, especially Adam (Scott), a gay playwright who thought of Sara as his muse and who was in the car with her the day she died. Long-held secrets are slowly revealed as Natalie spends time with everyone in the household, making them all feel vulnerable and exposed. Then, as both Natalie and Sara's friends see the special place that Sara held in their lives, they begin to understand more about their late friend and the effect she had on all who knew her.

Diane Keaton's television credits include the movies "Crossed Over," on the Network, "On Thin Ice" and "Sister Mary Explains It All." Her extensive feature film credits include "Town & Country," "The First Wives Club," "Father of the Bride," "Father of the Bride, Part II," "The Good Mother," "Baby Boom" "Crimes of the Heart," "Mrs. Soffel," "The Little Drummer Girl," "Manhattan," and "The Godfather," "The Godfather: Part II" and "The Godfather: Part III."

Tom Everett Scott's television credits include the series "Philly" and "The Street" and guest appearances in "Will & Grace," "ER," "Grace Under Fire" and "Law and Order." His feature film credits include "Attraction," "Boiler Room," "The Love Letter," "River Red," "Dead Man on Campus," "An American Werewolf in Paris" and "That Thing You Do!"

Alexa Davalos appeared in several episodes of the series "Angel" as well as in the television movie "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself." Her feature film credits include "The Chronicles of Riddick" and "The Ghost of F. Scott Fitzgerald."

SURRENDER DOROTHY was produced by Stu Segall Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. Diane Keaton, Bill Robinson ("Elephant") and Academy Award winner Wendy Finerman ("Forrest Gump," "Stepmom") are the executive producers; Diana Kerew ("Hitler: The Rise of Evil") is the producer. Matthew McDuffie ("The Stranger Beside Me") wrote the script based on the book by Meg Wolitzer.

RATING: To Be Announced