Nation's Most Popular Radio Variety Show Tapes Live Performance For Nationwide Broadcast with Stars from the Upcoming Movie

FRIDAY, JUNE 2, AT 8 PM

Media Sponsor: 89.3 KPCC

A Prairie Home Companion returns to the Hollywood Bowl for a live performance on Friday, June 2 at 8 p.m. The ever-popular Garrison Keillor shares news from Lake Wobegon during his signature monologue, as regular cast members Sue Scott, Tim Russell (the man of many voices), sound-effects wizard Fred Newman and Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, led by pianist Rich Dworsky, bring to life the comedy sketches, music, stories and imaginary product sponsors fans have loved for the last 32 years.

For this performance, special guests Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly and Meryl Streep lend their considerable talents to the program. The four recently appeared with Keillor in a new film, also titled A Prairie Home Companion, directed by Robert Altman and scripted by Keillor himself. The film opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 9. (For more information about the movie, log onto www.aprairiehomecompanionmovie.com or www.picturehouse.com.)

Currently in its 32nd season, the radio version of A Prairie Home Companion has made Minnesota's way of life and the fictional small town of Lake Wobegon part of American popular culture. The show is heard on more than 580 public radio stations nationwide, with a weekly audience that tops 4.3 million listeners. The program can also be heard on the Armed Forces Network Europe, the Far East Network, and in dozens of European cities via the Astra satellite network. The program is heard locally on KPCC 89.3 FM. The June 2 performance will be taped and broadcast on Saturday, June 3 during the radio station's normal airing of A Prairie Home Companion.

GARRISON KEILLOR is the host and writer of A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer's Almanac heard on public radio stations across the country and the author of more than a dozen books, including Lake Wobegon Days, The Book of Guys, Love Me and Homegrown Democrat. He was born in Anoka, MN, in 1942 and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and daughter. He has two grandsons.

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 37th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2006, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the second year in a row at the 17th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2006 at 8 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood

A Prairie Home Companion

GARRISON KEILLOR

VIRGINIA MADSEN, special guest

JOHN C. REILLY, special guest

MERYL STREEP, special guest

Tickets ($5 - $93) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records, and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at HollywoodBowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850-2050 for further details.For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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