Grammy® Winner Marc Anthony Joins Cast of HAWTHORNE, TNT's Hit Drama Series Starring and Executive-Produced by Jada Pinkett Smith

Grammy® Winner Marc Anthony Joins Cast of HAWTHORNE, TNT's Hit Drama Series Starring and Executive-Produced by Jada Pinkett Smith

Third Season Set to Launch in June

ATLANTA, March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy®-winning recording artist and actor Marc Anthony has joined the cast of TNT'sHAWTHORNE, the powerful drama series starring and executive-produced by Jada Pinkett Smith (The Women, The Matrix trilogy). Anthony will reprise the newly expanded role of Police Detective Nick Renata, the character he introduced as a guest star in two episodes last season. HAWTHORNE is scheduled to return for its third season this June.

Anthony joins HAWTHORNE as a series regular just as Pinkett Smith's Christina Hawthorne, Chief Nursing Officer of James River Hospital, struggles with news that she is pregnant. The two developed a strong bond last season while Renata investigated a pair of criminal cases involving the hospital. But Christina, whose on-again, off-again romance with Dr. Tom Wakefield (Michael Vartan - Alias) has been a mess of mixed signals and bad timing, told Nick she was not ready to jump into a new relationship.

As a recording artist, Anthony has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide, making him the top-selling salsa artist of all time. He has been awarded numerous gold and platinum record certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His Grammy accolades began with a 1998 Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance for "Contra La Corriente," followed with a 1999 Latin Grammy for Song of the Year for "Dimelo." In 2004 he earned a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for Amar Sin Mentiras and a Latin Grammy for Best Salsa Album for Valio la Pena. He won his third Latin Grammy for the 2008 album El Cantante. Last summer, the Miami Dolphins minority owner released his latest album, Iconos, an all-Spanish ballad collection produced with Julio Reyes. The platinum album held the #1 spot on the Billboard charts for six consecutive weeks and earned him his 12th Latin Grammy nomination.

Anthony's acting career includes roles in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead and Tony Scott's Man on Fire. Starring opposite wife Jennifer Lopez, Anthony played Puerto Rican salsa pioneer Hector Lavoe in Leon Ichaso's biopic El Cantante. He also starred opposite Salma Hayek in the television film In the Time of the Butterflies. In 1997, Anthony made his Broadway debut in Paul Simon's musical The Capeman.

HAWTHORNE premiered on TNT in summer 2009. Last summer, the second season averaged 3.7 million viewers and ranked as one of cable's top scripted series among women. Created by Emmy® winner John Masius (St. Elsewhere), HAWTHORNE is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Pinkett Smith's Overbrook Entertainment and Jamie Tarses' FanFare Productions. HAWTHORNE is executive-produced by Pinkett Smith; Jamie Tarses (Franklin & Bash); John Tinker (Judging Amy, St. Elsewhere); and Miguel Melendez (The Human Contract).

About TNT

TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Seen in 100.5 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; Hawthorne, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells (ER); as well as the upcoming Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle, and Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting in late 2011, The Mentalist; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

SOURCE TNT

TNT

CONTACT: Jennifer Greene, Atlanta, +1-404-885-0270, jennifer.greene@turner.com, or Carmen Davenporte-McNeal, Atlanta, +1-404-575-9709, carmen.davenporte-mcneal@turner.com, or Diane Herzog, Los Angeles, +1-818-729-7352, diane.herzog@turner.com, or Barrie Gruner, New York, +1-212-275-8016, barrie.gruner@turner.com

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