Andrea Bocelli Joins TNT's Annual CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON

Concert Premieres Exclusively on TNT Friday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)

Famed singer Andrea Bocelli has joined the all-star lineup for TNT's annual presentation of CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON. Bocelli is the latest addition to a show that will also feature Mariah Carey, Miranda Cosgrove, Annie Lennox, Maxwell and Matthew Morrison. Ellen DeGeneres will host CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON, which premieres on TNT Friday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). Bocelli will be performing selections from his double platinum CD, My Christmas.

Annually attended by the President and First Lady and other Washington VIPs, CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON is a holiday musical celebration benefiting the Children's National Medical Center. The show will be taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Sunday, Dec. 12. TNT's Dec. 17 premiere telecast will be the network's 12th presentation of CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON, which is in its 29th year overall. TNT's telecast will be followed at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) by a special holiday presentation of the classic The Wizard of Oz.

Bocelli is an iconic musical figure who has sold more than 60 million albums to date. In concert or on the opera stage, he has worked with everyone from Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo to Bono. His memorable appearances on such events as the Grammy Awards, mentoring contestants on American Idol and the official ceremonies of Olympic Games have propelled Bocelli to become a global household name.

CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON, a two-time Emmy�-winning program for Musical Direction and 12-time nominee overall, is executive-produced by 13-time Emmy-winner George Stevens, Jr. and directed and produced by 3-time Emmy-winner Michael Stevens for The Stevens Company. Most recently they produced the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial on the eve of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama and were awarded an Emmy for the The Kennedy Center Honors as Outstanding Special in September. For TNT, Ricki Rosenfeld and David Bryant serve as executives in charge of production, with Mark Shimmel returning for his sixth year as a Music Executive for TNT.

About TNT

TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Seen in 100 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy� winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher; and Southland, from Emmy�-winning producer John Wells (ER); as well as the upcoming Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle, and Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and Numb3rs; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards�; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA men's basketball tournament. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.