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March 16, 2006                                                          Sheri Helmers, 818.755.2490

FIVE-TIME EMMY^® AWARD WINNER DORIS ROBERTS

AND ‘SCRUBS’ STAR JUDY REYES

PORTRAY A WEALTHY WIDOW AND A HOMELESS WOMAN

WHO EACH DISCOVER A LIFE WORTH LIVING IN

‘OUR HOUSE,’

A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE AIRING NOVEMBER 23

“Anyone Can Fall Prey to Hitting Rock Bottom” – Judy Reyes

“How Ashamed Should We Be That Millions of Americans Call NOWHERE Home?” – Doris Roberts

Five-time Emmy^® Award winner Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) and “Scrubs” star Judy Reyes portray a wealthy widow and a homeless woman who each discover a life worth living in Hallmark Channel’s Original Movie “Our House,” which premieres Thursday, November 23 (3/2c). 

While filming “Our House,” both Roberts and Reyes made promises to themselves to learn something about the real-life plight of America’s 3 ½ million homeless people and to use every promotional opportunity within the film to create awareness.

Roberts met with Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tem and homeless advocate Bobby Shriver, Corporation for Supportive Housing’s President and CEO Carla Javits and Director/CSH Jonathan Hunter.

Both stars have made public pleas on behalf of the homeless in national print interviews and on television programs. 

“How ashamed should we be that in America there are millions of people whose home address is NOWHERE?” asked Roberts.

Reyes adds, “It was devastating to me to see the tens of thousands of people on the streets during the recent snap of cold weather.

“It was mind-boggling to learn that it actually costs less to provide housing than to leave people on the streets.  In fact, it can be up to five times cheaper!

“This movie meant the world to me because it allowed my character, Billy, a homeless woman, to show that homelessness is not about behavior; it’s about having a house.  Anyone can fall prey to hitting rock bottom.  “Our House” shows what can happen when we help – rather than turn away from – those who have hit their own personal bottom.

The love between these characters is reason enough to watch the movie.  I felt it in my heart!” Reyes concludes.

“Having a safe place to call home strengthens families, communities, and the nation as a whole,” Roberts says.

In “Our House,” Roberts’ character, Ruth Galloway, attempts suicide after the death of her husband, but a chance encounter with Billy (Reyes), a homeless woman who rescues Ruth from a pill overdose, helps each woman discover a life worth living.

“Our House” is a Hallmark Entertainment presentation of an Alpine Medien Production in association with Larry Levinson Productions.  Robert Halmi, Jr. and Larry Levinson are executive producers.  Nick Lombardo and Amy Goldberg are co-executive producers. Randy Pope and Lincoln Lageson are co-producers.  “Our House” was directed by Mark Griffiths and written by Michael Lach.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 75 million subscribers.  The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,300 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country.  Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Total Day and Prime Time household ratings and is the nation’s leading network in providing family-friendly programming.  Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel, Hallmark Movie Channel.

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