Preview will be available to record 45 Million Households 

 

(New York, NY, March 17, 2006) CRASH, winner of the 2005 Academy Award® for Best Picture, makes its United States television premiere as part of SHOWTIME’s “It’s All for You” free preview weekend, Friday, March 31 through Monday, April 3.

 

SHOWTIME is presenting a very strong line-up of top shelf programming for the preview, which for the first time in its 30 year history will be available to be viewed by a record 45,000,000 households. 

 

Saturday, April 1 will showcase SHOWTIME’s presentation of the exclusive airing of the fully-restored, digitally re-mastered 1972 classic,    LIZA WITH A “Z”   (9 ET/PT) starring Liza Minnelli and directed and choreographed by the legendary Bob Fosse. This Emmy® award-winning program hasn’t been seen on any television network since 1972 and viewers will get a chance to see the brilliance of both Fosse’s and Liza’s breathtaking performance brought to SHOWTIME by producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

 

No less of a knockout will be SHOWTIME Championship Boxing’s showcase of the match up of WBO Heavyweight Champion Lamon Brewster vs. Sergei Liakhovich (11 PM ET/PT) as SHOWTIME celebrates its 20th anniversary of presenting Championship Boxing.

 

The U. S. television premiere of the Academy Award® winning Best Picture of the Year, CRASH (8 PM ET/PT), starts the Sunday night excitement followed by the eagerly awaited, second season premiere of HUFF®(10 ET/PT). HUFF® stars Hank Azaria as a psychiatrist struggling with a mid life crisis and trying to balance his roles as son, father, husband and doctor. The series also stars Paget Brewster, Anton Yelchin, Andy Comeau, with Blythe Danner, Emmy® winner for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and Oliver Platt.

 

The “It’s All for You” preview weekend will conclude on Monday with the season premiere of the award-winning PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT! (10 PM ET/PT).

 

Throughout the weekend, SHOWTIME is also offering consumers a chance to win prizes, including a $50 American Express gift card for every 100th caller and a grand prize of a 2006 BMW 650i Convertible, similar to the car as seen on “Huff®.”

 

SHOWTIME has been consistently taking bold creative risks by developing compelling series which have resonated with critics and viewers that comprise the core of its original programming strategy. Recent successes include the Golden Globe® winning WEEDS, SLEEPER CELL, and THE L WORD®.

 

“Our programming is among the most talked about on television today,” said Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime. Showtime’s “It’s All for You” weekend is the perfect opportunity for non-subscribers to get a taste of what everyone is talking about at the water coolers,” he concluded.

 

Throughout 2006, SHOWTIME will continue to build on its successful original programming franchise by launching the following new programs:

 

BROTHERHOOD, a drama series about Irish-American brothers on opposite sides of the law in Providence, Rhode Island. Starring Jason Isaacs and Jason Clarke, the pilot is directed by Phillip Noyce (“Clear and Present Danger,” “The Quiet American”) from a script by Blake Masters (writer of the upcoming McG military thriller “Dreadnaught”).

 

DEXTER, an unusual one hour crime thriller series starring Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominated actor Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under). The series is about Dexter Morgan (Hall), a forensics expert for the Miami Metro Police Department who also happens to be a serial killer with a penchant for inflicting his own unusual brand of justice – he kills people who truly deserve it.

 

THIS AMERICAN LIFE is a new documentary series based on the award winning NPR Chicago Radio Show of the same name created by Ira Glass. Each episode, hosted by Glass, will explore a single subject with the same whimsical narrative voice that has made his radio show one of the most popular on the air.

 

SEXUAL HEALING is a new reality series produced by Emmy® Award-winners Joe and Harry Gantz of “Taxicab Confessions” fame. Each episode will depict the renowned sex educator and therapist Dr. Laura Berman guiding three new real-life couples through an intensive week-long relationship workshop.

 

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND®. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME® PPV. Additionally, the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.