Academy Award Nominee Mickey Rourke to Appear on HDNet's INSIDE MMA

Academy Award Nominee Mickey Rourke to Appear on HDNet's INSIDE MMA

Resurgent star of 'The Wrestler' sits down with INSIDE MMA's Bas Rutten for a two-part interview on HDNet - Friday, February 13 and Friday, February 20

DALLAS, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- This Friday, HDNet's INSIDE MMA will air the first of a two-part interview with Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for Best Actor, Mickey Rourke.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)

INSIDE MMA co-host Bas Rutten conducts the interview with Rourke and the mutual respect and instant rapport between the two former fighters makes for an especially interesting and insightful discussion.

The two talk about Rourke's love of Mixed Martial Arts and the vast differences between boxing and MMA. In the interview's second segment, Rourke tells Rutten about the making of the movie "The Wrestler" and how he prepared for the physically and emotionally demanding role.

In this clip from the interview, Rourke shares the techniques used by his director, Darren Aronofsky, and how they were successful in coaxing the best performance possible out of the actor.

http://blip.tv/file/1762915/

"The Wrestler" features performances from several professional wrestlers in the RING OF HONOR Wrestling promotion. And, in a subsequent announcement, HDNet will debut a new weekly television series, which will bring RING OF HONOR professional wrestling to a national television audience for the very first time. The program will debut on HDNet on Saturday, March 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

RING OF HONOR, founded in 2002 has become one of the most successful and recognized promotions in the world thanks to its focus on authentic professional wrestling. The stars of RING OF HONOR include ROH World Champion Nigel McGuiness, the 3-time reigning Wrestling Observer Newsletter Most Outstanding Wrestler Bryan Danielson, Necro Butcher, Austin Aries, Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn, and Mark and Jay Briscoe.

INSIDE MMA is HDNet's weekly series covering the latest news, rankings, stats and highlights from the world of Mixed Martial Arts. INSIDE MMA airs every Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET.

About HDNet

HDNet (www.hd.net) is a network that is original, thinks independently and delivers unique content and provocative, authentic programming, all in true high definition.

HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, critically acclaimed original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," the Emmy Award winning "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather. Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that is redefining the way we look at our world. HDNet News is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant - telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence.

HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the best of Mixed Martial Arts through HDNet Fights. HDNet Fights partners with leading MMA promoters including Affliction, DREAM, StrikeForce, M1, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC, Adrenaline and more. HDNet produces more live mixed martial arts events than any other network and HDNet's "Inside MMA" is the hottest mixed martial arts program on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything MMA.

HDNet also delivers the world's largest and most diverse concert line-up through the HDNet Concert Series. The HDNet Concert Series features leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer and more. HDNet also features revealing lifestyle programming featuring "Art Mann Presents," "Vegas Confessions", "Deadline" and "Get Out!" HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award winning documentaries as part of the InFocus series. "NASA on HDNet" presents all live shuttle launches through 2010.

Only HDNet Movies delivers exclusive Sneak Previews of new movies before they hit theaters. The HDNet Movies Sneak Preview series features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed performances including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey, Brian Cox, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow and Eric Bana.

Upcoming Sneak Previews include "The Great Buck Howard," starring Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Tom Hanks, and "Harlem Aria," starring Damon Wayans.

In addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet Movies presents viewers with over one hundred films and an average of twenty-five "HD Premieres" each month. HDNet Movies viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the 1950s-1970s, to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently released theatrical films.

HDNet Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than any other network.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Bright House Networks, Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. For more information visit www.hd.net.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: HDNet

CONTACT: Colette Carey, Director of Media and PR of HDNet,
+1-303-542-5576, ccarey@hd.net

Web Site: http://www.hd.net/

-------
Profile: intent