PRESS RELEASE:

This July 4, the celebration of America's Independence Day will be filmed by the multi-award winning program, A CAPITOL FOURTH, broadcasting live from the west lawn of the United States Capitol. The spectacular show will kick off the country's 234th birthday with a musical extravaganza unlike any other, topped off by the nations most dazzling display of fireworks. The program will air live before an audience of thousands in D.C., with millions of viewers watching from home. It will also air to U.S. soldiers around the world on the American Forces Network. KUED airs A CAPITOL FOURTH, Sunday July 4, at 7:00 p.m.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of A CAPITOL FOURTH. Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits will host the program, with special performances by some of the country's best-known musicians. Performers include Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, David Archuleta (American Idol), actor and singer John Schneider, renowned classical pianist Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra, just to name a few.

A CAPITOL FOURTH will capture the stunning pyrotechnics from 18 high definition cameras positioned around the city's best vantage points - including the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument and across the Potomac River. The show will be capped off with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery.

"As we celebrate our freedoms and the nation's birthday, we continue the tradition of founding father President John Adams, who called for 'pomp and parade, bonfires and illuminations,'" said executive producer Jerry Colbert. "Over the past three decades, A Capital Fourth has been America's national Independence Day celebration. There is truly no place like the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the Fourth of July!"

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