TLC TAKES YOU BACK INSIDE THE REALITY OF CHILD BEAUTY PAGEANTS

"Painted Babies at 17" and "Toddlers & Tiaras" premieres Sunday, September 7 at 9 & 10 PM ET/PT

August 28, 2008--New York, NY--On Sunday, September 7, 2008 TLC premieres back-to-back specials, showcasing the reality and behind-the-scenes dynamics of child beauty pageants, with the follow up of the acclaimed "Painted Babies���Painted Babies at 17�-- and the premiere of "Toddlers & Tiaras".

First at 9PM, "Painted Babies at 17" revisits and captures the lives of Asia Mansur and Brooke Breedwell, two of the subjects from the special "Painted Babies". Now that they are 17, Asia and Brooke voice their own opinions and reveal the impact their exposure to the pageant scene had on them at such a tender age. By cutting back to their lives as five-year-olds, combined with the cut and thrust of pageants today, a fascinating portrait of pageant life, ambition, class and culture emerges. Viewers will also witness their struggles and tribulations under all the make up, hairspray and glitter, as they present themselves as vulnerable young women and candidly discuss the highs and lows of their lives over the years, as well as what their goals and aspirations are for the future. They also reveal whether they are still competing, and why they've either chosen to stick with the trade or walk away from pageant life for good.

Following at 10PM, "Toddlers & Tiaras" follows four young girls and their families, as they prepare to compete in the Universal Royalty Pageant in Texas. With hundreds of child and baby beauty pageants every year in the U.S., this special portrays how numerous young girls are being exposed to this competitive landscape. The hour follows Karlee Hunt, 7, who has already been competing for two years and has several crowns to her name; sisters Aja and Brionna Purvis, who are new to the circuit but seem to be adjusting quickly as they have their own dress designer traveling with them; and 5-year-old Bella Flores, the veteran and defending champion everyone is out to beat. Viewers will see the incredible demands these young tots face, and the emotional roller coaster they endure as they experience both winning and losing beauty queen titles at such a young age.

About TLC

TLC's innovative docu-series and reality-based programming include favorites What Not to Wear, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Little People Big World and LA Ink. The channel introduced Miss America Reality Check in 2007, which helped drive the Miss America Pageant to its highest rating in years. TLC defined home design with Trading Spaces and continues to renovate the genre with series such as Holmes on Homes. TLC's daytime lineup includes the Emmy Award-winning A Baby Story as well as Take Home Chef, featuring one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men, Curtis Stone. The channel is available in more than 96 million homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website at www.tlc.com. TLC is part of Discovery Communications which is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman.