Is Your Name Raymond? Then TV Land is Calling You!

[Pavan]

TV LAND LOVES RAYMOND WHEN CLASSIC TV NET SALUTES

SERIES FINALE OF EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND

May 16 Salute Features 210 Guys Named Raymond Paying Tribute to

Every Episode of Acclaimed Series

New York, NY, May 2, 2005 – In a fitting tribute to Everybody Loves Raymond, one of television’s most popular and beloved sitcoms, TV Land will pre-empt regularly scheduled programming to salute the series on Monday, May 16 – the night of the series finale on CBS. TV Land’s tribute to Everybody Loves Raymond is presented by Earthlink.

Beginning at 9 p.m., as the finale of Everybody Loves Raymond begins, TV Land will be closed for business. Instead of regularly scheduled programming, viewers tuning in to TV Land will instead see a room filled with 210 guys actually named Raymond. Each Raymond represents an episode of the series, and will wear a t-shirt identifying which episode they represent. They will stand and introduce themselves, one by one, by name and episode, for the entire half hour. Throughout this tribute, TV Land will remind viewers that they should really be watching the finale on CBS.

TV Land has pre-empted programming to pay tribute to a series finale twice in the network’s nine-year history. The first time was in 1998 to salute the finale of Seinfeld. Throughout the entire hour, TV Land aired nothing to salute the show about nothing. The only thing seen on the channel was an image of TV Land’s closed office doors accompanied by a note explaining that the network would return after the conclusion of Seinfeld’s finale. More recently, in 2004, for the entire hour that the Friends finale aired, viewers watching TV Land were treated to a room full of TV Land staffers – purportedly watching the Friends finale -- periodically addressing the camera to remind viewers that the Friends finale was on and that we really weren’t airing anything so there was no point staying tuned.

“Everybody Loves Raymond is poised to take its place as one of television’s most memorable family sitcoms,” states Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. “TV Land wants to be sure that no viewers accidentally miss this historic television event.”

TV Land knows that Everybody Loves Raymond but the network wants to prove our love to 210 Raymonds (and by “prove our love” we mean put them on TV!). Space is limited so all Rays are asked to please email RayTV@tvland.com or call 866-99-RAYTV to reserve a spot for the tribute taping on Wednesday, May 11. Rays should leave their first and last name as well as a phone number in order to be contacted with detailed information.

[hhjp]

an hour full of watching people named Raymond.... how you like that????

[ClassicSitcomsGirl]

Oh how exciting and original .......NOT