John Ritter to Host TV Land Awards Show in March

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8 Simple Rules and Three's Company Star John Ritter to Host TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV

- JOHN RITTER TO HOST TV LAND AWARDS PREMIERING ON MARCH 12
- "8 Simple Rules" and "Three's Company" star John Ritter to host "TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV."
- Two-Hour Special From Hollywood Palladium Honors the Best and Brightest from the History of Television

NEW YORK, Jan. 28 -- Emmy-award winning actor John Ritter,
star of the current hit comedy series 8 Simple Rules...for Dating My Teenage Daughter and the enduring hit sitcom Three's Company will host the TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV, premiering on TV Land and simulcast on Nick at Nite on Wednesday, March 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, it was announced today by Larry W. Jones, Executive Vice President and General Manager, TV Land and Nick at Nite. The event will be taped on Sunday, March 2 from the renowned Hollywood Palladium.
The TV Land Awards represents the network's first ever foray into awards show programming. The special recognizes the shows from television's rich history that have truly withstood the test of time. TV Land, together with some of the most beloved celebrities of modern and classic TV, will honor the legends, innovators, pop culture favorites and unsung heroes of television's past. The telecast is presented by Chevy Trucks and in part by Revlon.
"We are thrilled to have John Ritter host our milestone inaugural TV Land Awards," states Larry W. Jones, Executive Vice President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "John has been a long-time friend of TV Land and Nick at Nite and is the perfect choice to host the show."
John Ritter is currently the star of ABC's hit comedy 8 Simple Rules...for Dating My Teenage Daughter. His character, Paul Hennessey, is a sports writer who has grown accustomed to his wife staying at home to raise their son and two teenage daughters. When she decides to return to work, he agrees to write his sports column out of their home, thus allowing him time to share the experience of raising their kids together.
A native of Los Angeles, John came to national prominence as the star of television's long-running hit comedy series Three's Company, which earned him Emmy, Golden Globe and People's Choice awards for his role as Jack Tripper. He returned to series television in Hooperman, receiving Emmy and Golden Globe
nominations and winning a People's Choice Award. He then starred in the comedy series Hearts Afire, which ran from 1992 through 1995. Most recently, his show 8 Simple Rules won a People's Choice Award for Best New Comedy.
John has starred in more than 25 television movies, including "Unnatural Causes," which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Actor, "Stephen King's It," "The Dreamer of Oz," "The Only Way Out," "Unforgivable" and "A Child's
Wish" -- featuring a special appearance by President Clinton.
He has guest starred on many popular television series and earned an Emmy nomination for his appearance on Ally McBeal. He can presently be heard every day as the voice of Clifford, the Big Red Dog on the popular PBS animated series, a role which has earned him two Emmy nominations.
John's motion picture credits include Peter Bogdanovich's "They All Laughed" and "Noises Off", Blake Edwards' "Skin Deep," "Problem Child," "Sling Blade" and "Panic". He most recently co-starred with Sigourney Weaver in "Tadpole".
He has appeared in more than 50 plays all over the country and recently completed a nine-month starring role in the Broadway premiere of Neil Simon's "The Dinner Party," which won a Theatre World Award and the 2001 Outer Critics Circle Award. John returned to the Los Angeles stage last March, starring in
"J for J" in a six-week run at the Court Theatre.
The TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV features celebrity presenters and special guests. Winners will be decided by TV Land's experts and viewers who have cast their votes on http://tvland.com .
The TV Land Awards is presented by Chevy Trucks and in part by Revlon. Other major sponsors include Orbitz, McDonald's, and Walgreens.
Michael Levitt (Billboard Music Awards, Hollywood Squares) serves as Executive Producer, Glenn Weiss as Director (The 51st Annual Miss USA Pageant -- 2002, Christmas in Washington, Star Search), Bruce Vilanch as Writer (The Academy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Hollywood Squares) and Sal Maniaci as Executive in Charge of Production for The TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV.