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Entertainment Industries Council Airs Award Show Honoring Accurate Mental Health and Substance Abuse DepictionsLOS ANGELES, Sep 21, 2009 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- The Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC), the premiere non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of health and social issues through the entertainment industry, today announced the simulcast airing of the 2009 PRISM Awards Showcase, hosted by "Access Hollywood" anchor Nancy O'Dell, will take place on Sept. 26, 2009. The show honors those in the entertainment industry whose work accurately portrays mental illness and substance abuse. Health media personality Dr. Reef Karim will join as a guest co-host, along with "Everybody Hates Chris" co-star Terry Crews. The PRISM Awards Showcase airs annually in September during National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. In collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the FX Network, EIC awards those in the entertainment industry who shine light on the real-life effects of mental health and substance abuse. "In the past, addiction and mental illness were thought of and too often portrayed as personal weaknesses or failures. Decades of research now show that these problems are not due to weakness, but to illness. The entertainment industry is truly providing a valuable service to the public which literally no other industry can provide," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. Entertainment can be a messenger to the public portraying not only those dealing with the issues themselves, but also the many family members affected. The entertainment industry becomes a catalyst and a vehicle for communicating a vital truth to millions of people. "It is exciting to have this year's PRISM Awards Showcase air on nine different networks, particularly because we will be reaching a vast multi-generational audience by airing the program on a variety of networks ranging from FX, to Lifetime Real Women, to Retirement TV and mtvU," said Brian Dyak, President & CEO of Entertainment Industries Council Inc. "Mental health and substance abuse affect all people of all ages and ethnicities, and EIC is proud to educate the American viewing public about these important issues." This year, the PRISM Awards Showcase will air on the FX network (EIC's airing partner for the last six years), and additional partners E! Entertainment, ION Life, Lifetime Real Women, mtvU, National Geographic Channel, Retirement Living TV, ReelzChannel, and Starfish Television Network. The 2009 PRISM Awards Showcase's primary simulcast will air at 4:00 p.m. on Sept. 26 with an encore at 1:00 a.m. on Sept. 27. The mtvU airing will be at 8:00 p.m. and the National Geographic Channel airing will be at midnight PT / 3 a.m. ET. Additional airings on Retirement Living TV will be at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on both Monday (9/28) and Friday (10/2), as well as at 1 p.m PT / 4 p.m. ET on Oct. 3 and at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. on Oct. 4. E! is making the show available free on-demand through Time Warner Cable and other cable carriers. "Substance abuse among older adults is often not discussed, but studies indicate that 10 percent of the people entering drug rehab facilities are over age 50," said Elliott Jacobson, VP of Programming at Retirement Living TV. "RLTV is proud to broadcast the PRISM Awards and shed more awareness on substance abuse among older Americans." "Starfish Television Network is about making a difference. By recognizing the truthful portrayal of addiction and mental health issues, PRISM encourages discussion about these often hidden subjects," said Joseph Lake, Starfish CEO. EIC works to bridge the gap between Capitol Hill and Hollywood. The show enjoys the ongoing support from top congressional leadership, including Rep. Grace Napolitano and Rep. Tim Murphy, Chairs of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, Rep. Diane Watson, Chair of the Entertainment Caucus and Rep. Mary Bono Mack, Vice Co-Chair of the Congressional Addiction and Recovery Caucus. "Mental health is the crisis we all know about but never mention out loud. We need to move past the fear, shed the stigma and speak out on these issues for the sake of future generations," said Rep. Napolitano. Rep. Murphy commented on the entertainment industry's positive work in addressing mental illness and substance use issues by saying, "The truth of mental illness and addiction can bring tears and laughter and can touch our deepest emotions on every level. And it is because this reality itself is so powerful that it is important for the entertainment industry to portray these issues accurately." The PRISM Awards Showcase is produced by EIC, in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and FX Network. This year's show features Anne Hathaway, Chandra Wilson, Jessica Lange, Benjamin Bratt, Bryan Cranston, Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, Sharon Lawrence, Andrea Bowen, Mariette Hartley, Christian Clemenson, Stephen Root, Gary Anthony Williams, JoBeth Williams, Henry Simmons, Cassidy Freeman, Navi Rawat, Dee Wallace, Jayne Brook, Tammy Blancherd, and Danny Arroyo. Shadoe Stevens lends his distinct voice as announcer. The show is executive produced by Brian Dyak, Lawrence Scot Deutchman and Marie Gallo Dyak and is written by Deutchman and Brian Dyak. Angela Snow is Supervising Producer. The PRISM Awards' Mental Health and Substance Abuse Partners include Ad Council, American Association of Pastoral Counselors, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Faces and Voices of Recovery, Friends of NIDA, Friends of SAMHSA, Legal Action Center, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association for Children of alcoholics (NACoA), National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, National Association of Drug Court Professionals, National Association on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS), Partnership for A Drug-Free America, Suicide Prevention Resource Center and Women in Film and Video. The PRISM Awards' Entertainment Industry Partners include the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Entertainment Merchant Association (EMA), Hollywood Radio & Television Society (HRTS), Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), International Documentary Association (IDA), National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Women in Film (WIF), Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America west, Inc. (WGAw). About Entertainment Industries Council: A non-profit organization, EIC was founded in 1983 by leaders of the entertainment industry to bring the power of the industry to bear on health and social issues. The organization is considered one of the premiere success stories in entertainment education and information resources for entertainment creators, through innovative and time-proven services and methods of "encouraging the art of making a difference" from within the industry. EIC addresses health issues such as drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and addiction; firearm safety and injury prevention; sun safety and skin cancer prevention; human trafficking; terrorism and homeland security; mental health and mental illness, including bipolar disorder, depression and suicide; diabetes; seat belt use and traffic safety; and HIV/AIDS prevention. For more information, please visit http://www.eiconline.org . About SAMHSA: SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services delivery systems. About Airing Partners: FX Network is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 94 million homes. The diverse schedule includes an award-winning line-up of original series, an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other major studios, and an impressive roster of acquired hit series. E! Entertainment Television is a 24-hour network with programming dedicated to entertainment and available in 96 million homes. It is operated by Comcast Entertainment Group, along with E! Online; The Style Network, the destination for women 18-49 with a passion for relatable, inspiring and transformational lifestyle programming (64 million); G4, the #1 podcasted cable network in America, offering gaming, technology, animation, interactivity and "geek culture" for males 18-34 (65 million); and FEARnet, the premier horror and thriller destination on demand, online and on mobile devices. The E! Everywhere initiative is dedicated to making E! content available on all media platforms anytime and anywhere from online to broadband video to wireless to radio to VOD. ION Life, launched in February 2007, is the country's first multiple platform network with programming dedicated to the celebration of positive living, which will entertain, inform and inspire viewers to live up to their personal best. It features content covering fitness, diet & nutrition, pro-social and community engagement, travel & adventure, design & decor, and all categories promoting personal growth and achievement. Parent company, ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group plus several TV networks including ION Television and Qubo. For more information, visit http://www.ionmedia.com . Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company. mtvU is MTV Networks' Peabody and Emmy Award-winning 24-hour college network - the largest and most comprehensive media network just for college students. The heart of the channel is the emerging music students live their lives to, including music videos and a range of series profiling the up-and-coming acts bubbling on the college scene. Broadcasting to 750 campuses and over 7.5 million college students nationwide, mtvU can be seen in the dining halls, fitness centers, student lounges and residence halls on campuses throughout the country. National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. NGC has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to nearly 68 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.natgeotv.com . ReelzChannel (www.ReelzChannel.com) is the only cable/satellite network and website dedicated to "Everything About Movies - 24/7." The network features entertaining original programs that offer a fresh perspective on the movies, from behind-the-scenes to what to see tonight. ReelzChannel covers movies wherever they are playing - in theaters, on DVD, VOD, and premium channels. In addition to cable and telco carriage in markets across the country, ReelzChannel is carried via satellite on DIRECTV (Channel 238) and DISH Network (Channel 299), and is currently reaching more than 35 million homes nationwide. Retirement Living TV (RLTV) is the only cable network dedicated to serving the needs of adults 50+ with information and entertainment that inspires and enhances the perception of aging. The network has Emmy award-winning programming that addresses a variety of subjects and genres including health, finance, travel, reality, comedy and drama. For more information, log onto http://WWW.RL.TV. Starfish Television Network is a revolutionary channel that gives voice to charitable organizations and helps them to better fulfill their missions by airing news, entertainment, documentaries and other programming about giving and service 24 hours a day - at no cost to the organization. Starfish exists to tell the stories of the individuals and organizations that are making a difference ... in their lives, in their communities and around the world. Starfish is carried on DISH Network, and can also be viewed on the Internet at http://www.starfishtv.org . - - - - For more information, please contact: Larry Deutchman, 818-522-6229, [email protected] Complete Airing Schedule: September 26 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT - FX Network East (and DirecTV), Starfish TV, ION Life, ReelzChannel, Lifetime Real Women 4:00 p.m. PT - FX Network West, Starfish TV, ION Life 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT - mtvU East (and DirecTV) 8:00 p.m. PT - mtvU West 1:00 a.m. ET / 10:00 p.m. PT - FX Network East (and DirecTV), Starfish TV, ION Life, ReelzChannel 3:00 a.m. ET / 12 Midnight PT - National Geographic 1:00 a.m. PT - FX Network West, Starfish TV, ION Life September 28 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT - Retirement Living October 2 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT - Retirement Living October 3 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT - Retirement Living October 4 11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT - Retirement Living Sept. 27 - Oct. 3 Video On-Demand - E! 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