Top Morning Talker 'Live with Regis and Kelly' Announces 'Regis and Kelly's Project Playground' in New Orleans

Top Morning Talker 'Live with Regis and Kelly' Announces 'Regis and Kelly's Project Playground' in New Orleans

Initiative Will Create a First-Class Play Space for Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School

NEW YORK, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- When top morning talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly" travels down to New Orleans May 22-25, 2007, "Live's" hosts and production team will produce four exciting shows designed to capture the distinctive flavor of the Big Easy. But long after Philbin, Ripa and company have traveled back to New York, the students of New Orleans' Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School will have a permanent reminder of the talk show duo's visit.

Wanting to do something lasting that would benefit the community long after "Live with Regis and Kelly's" visit, "Live" and distributor Disney-ABC Domestic Television (formerly Buena Vista Television) are spearheading construction of a playground for Drew Elementary, a 600-student campus located in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans.

Drew Elementary sustained significant damage from Katrina flooding. All of the students and staff were displaced, and the school has struggled to rebuild. There is no playground for the students; the only play space is a large area with potholes, buckling asphalt and the remnants of two basketball backboards.

"We've been bringing the show down to New Orleans for years, and the city has given us so much each time we've visited," said Michael Gelman, executive producer of "Live with Regis and Kelly." "It feels great to be able to return the favor not only by putting a spotlight on the renewed vibrancy of the city with our 'Live' broadcasts, but also leaving a permanent 'thank you' with this playground."

Disney-ABC Domestic Television President Janice Marinelli noted, "It's extremely gratifying to have the chance to bring something positive to an area that was so hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. It's going to be wonderful to watch the children of Drew Elementary enjoy their beautiful new play area."

Disney-ABC Domestic Television parent The Walt Disney Company has been active in supporting the Gulf Coast region since Katrina, and this playground initiative is part of the Company's overall efforts. "Live" and Disney-ABC Domestic TV have brought on community-build playground specialists KaBOOM! to coordinate the project, the 50th of 100 play spaces the KaBOOM! staff has pledged to build in the area.

The Drew Elementary effort began with a special "Design Day," during which a group of students from the school gathered to come up with their own ideas for the playground. The kids' ideas will be included in the final design, which will officially be named "Live with Regis and Kelly Playground," and will be unveiled on "Live" the week of May 22-25, during the show's week in New Orleans.

"Live with Regis and Kelly" airs in New Orleans Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. on WWL-TV. The show is executive produced by Michael Gelman, and is distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Produced by WABC-TV in New York, "Live with Regis and Kelly" airs in more than 200 markets across the country. For more information on KaBOOM!, log on to their website at www.kaboom.org.

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Source: Live with Regis and Kelly

CONTACT: Barbara Warren, +1-212-456-0417, for Live with Regis and Kelly

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