Ovation Original Series The Scenic Route Premieres Sunday, April 11, as Part of the "Passport Ovation" Programming Event

”Passport Ovation” Features Series and Documentaries Bringing the World’s Most Fascinating Art and Cultural Icons to Viewers’ Living Rooms

Santa Monica, CA – February 24, 2010  -- Ovation, the only US television network dedicated to art and contemporary culture, is premiering the brand new original series The Scenic Route beginning Sunday, April 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET.  The series will be part of the channel’s two-week “Passport Ovation” programming event, featuring documentary series that take viewers to some of the most intriguing cultural destinations in the U.S. and abroad.

“Passport Ovation” begins with the world premiere of the Ovation original series, The Scenic Route, featuring the initial four of six, 30-minute episodes, hosted by David Keeps.  Inviting viewers to flip on the cruise control and take a breezy drive down historic highways and hidden country roads, Keeps delves into California’s nooks and crannies to find the oft-overlooked wonders that lie far away from the busy freeways.

“The Scenic Route’s David Keeps is a Los Angeles Times travel and design writer who is no stranger to Ovation,” said Kris Slava, SVP Programming, Ovation. “David hosted one of our first original series, Art & the City, so we are very pleased to have him back and on the road to uncover some of those real treasures you can only find when you head off the beaten track.”

Episode highlights of The Scenic Route include:

•    The Scenic Route: “Weston,” Ovation Original, Premiering Sunday, April 11, 10:00 pm ET -- Up a lone dirt road that leads to the coastal cabin of photographer Edward Weston, David Keeps delves into the myth behind the man and even recreates one of his famous photographs with his grandson.  Keeps also explores the agricultural history of Salinas valley, where many of John Steinbeck’s novels were set, and visits the fields that inspired Grapes of Wrath.  

•    The Scenic Route: “Lighthouses,” Ovation Original, Premiering Sunday, April 11, 10:30 pm ET -- Lighthouses are a testament to 19th century architecture. David Keeps boats to Alcatraz and visits the island’s famous lighthouse. Then it’s off to the Lighthouse Inn, where a select few guests experience the life of a light-keeper during their stay.

•    The Scenic Route: “Gardens,” Ovation Original, Premiering Monday, April 12, 10:00 pm ET -- David Keeps meets with Kerry Clasby, a “food forager,” who’s been sought after by California’s most renowned chefs.  Kerry knows which farms have the freshest, most beautiful produce, and ensures their delivery to California’s hottest eateries.  Afterwards, Keeps follows citizen vigilantes who garden at night with the simple purpose of beautifying the city with landscape art.  

•    The Scenic Route: “Deserts,” Ovation Original, Premiering Monday, April 12 at 10:30 pm ET -- The Mojave Desert is otherworldly and inspirational. Artists are flocking to the Mojave town of Joshua Tree, home to the eponymous rarity, and renovating shacks into studios.  As Keeps journeys further into the desert, he finds caves nestled within the Joshua trees that feature some of the earliest pictographs from America’s native civilizations.

In addition to The Scenic Route, “Passport Ovation” will also feature This is Civilization, in which BAFTA Award-winning art critic Matthew Collings travels to stunning locations throughout Europe and China to explore how art reflects the fantastic leaps that civilization has made; and Paris: City of Dreams, Paris: Blood & Chocolate and Paris: Bohemian Rhapsody hosted by art historian and passionate Parisian Sandrine Voillet, who reveals the tempestuous history, immortal beauty and Bohemian soul of this fascinating city.

The Scenic Route  is produced by Chromatic Films for Ovation.

About Ovation:  
Ovation is the only multi-platform network devoted to art and contemporary culture. The network creates and curates one-of-a-kind programming about all the art people enjoy most, from the popular to the avant-garde and everything in between. The channel reaches a national audience of 38 million households through carriage on DirecTV (channel 274), Dish Network (channel 157) and on cable and telco systems in major markets across the country. Ovation’s programming is also available on video on demand (in both standard and high definition) in the US. Ovation’s popular website (http://www.OvationTV.com) is a dynamic experience, featuring information about local and national happenings in the art world, as well as a vibrant community of artists who have uploaded over 100,000 pieces of original art.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Patricia Frith Marketing (for Ovation)
Tel:  +1 818 876-0480
Email:  pfmarketing@roadrunner.com
Ovation TV Press Website:  www.OvationTV.com/media
Twitter:  ovationtvpr

Michelle Orsi (for Ovation)
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications
Tel: +1 310 418-6430
Email: michelle@360-comm.com