RP International Spreads Holiday Cheer with The Eyes of Christmas™
Los Angeles (PRWEB) December 10, 2013 -- RP International Spreads Holiday Cheer with 19th Annual “The Eyes of Christmas™” Telecast For The Visually Impaired - Kicks-off with NBC Airing Frank Capra Classic “It’s A Wonderful Life,” Audio Described by former US President George H.W. Bush Followed by Special Holiday Programming For The Visually Impaired On ION Media Network, WE, and Fox/KCOP in Los Angeles
Broadcast includes eye test for early detection of visual disorders and degenerative eye diseases.
19th annual “The Eyes of Christmas™” stars Tom Hanks, Nichole Kidman, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Jay Leno, Sting, and U2, sharing music and holiday memories so the blind can experience the magic of holiday season.
This Christmas some of Hollywood’s top stars, including Tom Hanks, Nichole Kidman, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks , Reba McEntyre, Jay Leno, U2, Sting and many others, will take part in “The Eyes of Christmas” international telecast on Christmas eve and morning, December 24th and 25th. This special holiday programming allows millions of unsighted children and adults an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the holidays, through the “eyes” of Hollywood’s top stars who share their own personal holiday memories of the season.
The “Eyes of Christmas” telecast, produced by RP International, the nation’s leading non-profit organization fighting degenerative eye diseases, will air on multiple cable networks, including ION Media Network, WE -Women’s Entertainment Network and FOX-KCOP Los Angeles (check your local listings for days and times).The telecast follows NBC’s 8 p.m. Christmas Eve airing of Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” also described for the blind and visually impaired, narrated by former President George Herbert Walker Bush and produced in TheatreVision™ by RP International.
This year’s “Eyes of Christmas” telecast is hosted by legendary sportscaster Vin Scully, will feature top celebrities’ personal holiday memories and Christmas songs, intercut throughout another holiday movie classic, Charles Dickens’ “Scrooge,” also narrated in TheatreVision™, which describes the on-screen action in-between the actors’ dialogue, so the blind can experience the magic of motion pictures.
The Eyes of Christmas telecast also features footage of Christmas from around the globe described by Bob Costas, as well as Christmas music from Sting, U2, 98 Degrees, Christina Aguilera, Brian McKnight, Jon Bon Jovi, Kenny G, Natalie Cole and Vanessa Williams, as well as live performances from The Blind Boys of Alabama and José Feliciano.
Hollywood studios supporting the telecast and participating in the broadcast with special holiday movie trailers include, Paramount (“Jack Ryan”), Universal (“47 Ronin”), Disney (“Saving Mr. Banks”), Sony (“American Hustle”), 20th Century Fox (“Secret Life of Walter Mitty”) and Warner Bros. (“The Hobbit: Chase III”).
“The Eyes of Christmas” telecast benefits RP International (http://www.rpinternational.org) is the longest-standing non-profit organization leading the way for medical and technological advancements for the visually impaired. “The Eyes of Christmas” telecast initiates a Holiday Season fundraising campaign for RPI. Funds raised by this year’s 19th Annual “The Eyes of Christmas™” television special will go directly towards the charity’s efforts to support the visually impaired.
“The Eyes of Christmas™" television special is the brainchild of blind activist and RP International (RPI) founder Helen Harris. Mrs. Harris has tugged at the heartstrings of Hollywood’s elite, partnering with many of the biggest movie studios to produce TheatreVisionTM versions (described for the blind) of such films as, “Titanic,” “Star Wars,” “Forrest Gump,” “Twister,” “Apollo 13,” “Braveheart,” and many more. In this year’s broadcast, Harris invites sighted viewers to tune-in to take the "traveling eye test." This simple visual test is designed to help people spot possible signs of eye disorders in order to seek early diagnosis and treatment, possibly averting vision loss.
In addition, RPI is pleased to announce the release of Harris’ book, How To Survive Losing Vision (AuthorHouse). As a homemaker in her 30s, Harris and two out of her three sons were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). For the next 40 years, she has engaged in a mission to find a cure for blindness. The book offers her personal experiences, support and tips for anyone managing and overcoming progressive blindness due to retinal disease. It can be purchased on Amazon.com and at AuthorHouse.com . The book is also available as an e-book and a Kindle version, which is text-to-speech enabled. The audio book version—read by actors William Atherton (“Ghostbusters,” “Die Hard,” “The Last Samurai”) and Golden Globe winner Camryn Manheim ("The Practice," "The Ghost Whisperer") will be available on December 20th, 2013.
In addition, Mrs. Harris is a cancer survivor, having undergone years of chemotherapy and hormone treatments. Harris feels that she has been given the chance for renewed life from her cancer and continues to dedicate her time, energy and emotions to improving the lives of the visually impaired.
The song, “The Eyes of Christmas™ ” in English, Spanish and Korean can be purchased at EyesOfChristmas.org or by calling RP International at (818) 992-0631. For more information, please visit http://www.rpinternational.org or http://www.eyesofchristmas.org.
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Helen Harris’ RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa) International --(http://www.rpinternational.org) the longest-standing non-profit organization leading the way for medical and technological advancements for the visually impaired — initiates a Holiday Season fundraising campaign. Funds raised by this year’s 19th Annual “The Eyes of Christmas™” television special will go directly towards the charity’s efforts to support the visually impaired.
“The Eyes of Christmas™" television special is the brainchild of blind activist and RP International (RPI) founder Helen Harris. The event features TheatreVision™ airings of Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life,” which includes an optional simulcast audio track description on the SAP channel for the visually impaired, narrated by former President George Herbert Walker Bush. NBC will air the special on December 14th and December 24th at 8:00 p.m.
“The Eyes of Christmas” features a special 2 hour TheatreVision described holiday classic movie of Charles Dickens, “Scrooge” and a 30-minute broadcast program on Christmas Day hosted by Vin Scully on Christmas Eve and morning on ION Media Network, WE -Women’s Entertainment Network and FOX-KCOP Los Angeles.
Participating stars that will be sharing Holiday messages and support for RPI include Vin Scully, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks , Reba McEntyre, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Bob Costas and Natalie Cole. Hollywood studios supporting the show and featuring special film trailers include; Paramount (“Jack Ryan”), Universal (“47 Ronin,”), Disney (“Saving Mr. Banks”), Sony (“American Hustle”), 20th Century Fox (“Secret Life of Walter Mitty”) and Warner Bros. (“The Hobbit: Chase III”). Harris invites sighted viewers to tune in to take the "traveling eye test." This simple visual test is designed to help people spot possible signs of eye disorders to seek early diagnosis and treatment, possibly averting vision loss.
In addition, RPI is pleased to announce the release of Harris’ book, How To Survive Losing Vision (AuthorHouse). As a homemaker in her 30s, Harris and two out of her three sons were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. For the next 40 years, she embarked on a mission to find a cure for blindness. The book offers her personal experiences, support and tips for anyone managing and overcoming progressive blindness due to retinal disease. It can be purchased on Amazon.com and at http://www.AuthorHouse.com . The book is also available as an e-book and a Kindle version, which is text-to-speech enabled. The audio book version—read by actors William Atherton (“Ghostbusters,” “Die Hard,” “The Last Samurai”) and Golden Globe winner Camryn Manheim ("The Practice," "The Ghost Whisperer")—will be available on December 20th, 2013.
The song, “The Eyes of Christmas™ ” album in English, Spanish and Korean can also be purchased at EyesOfChristmas.org or by calling RP International at (818) 992-0631.
For more information, please visit http://www.rpinternational.org or http://www.eyesofchristmas.org.
President George H.W. Bush Describes For The Blind The Film “It’s A Wonderful Life™” "Eyes Of Christmas™”- Celebrity Broadcast
Helen Harris, RP International, http://RPInternational.org, +1 (818) 992-0631, [email protected]
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