Turner Classics Announces Second Annual All Classics Cruise

Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - Turner Classic Movies (TCM) wrapped up the 2012 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood with an announcement that the gathering will continue to be a regular annual event in spring 2013 and beyond. TCM also revealed that the second TCM Classic Cruise will set sail in January 2013.

Before introducing the TCM Classic Film Festival's closing film - a 35th anniversary screening of Woody Allen's Academy Award�-winning romantic comedy Annie Hall (1977) - TCM host Robert Osborne thanked attendees and guests for making this year's event so memorable.

"After four amazing days and nights of nearly 100 screenings and special presentations, it's not going to be easy to top this year's TCM Classic Film Festival," he said to the enthusiastic audience at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, adding, "But, we're certainly going to try." The crowd gave a cheer when Osborne announced that the TCM Classic Film Festival would now be a regular annual event in Hollywood each spring.

Osborne continued his remarks by unveiling the dates for the second-annual TCM Classic Cruise, which is slated for Jan. 21-26, 2013. "Last December, Academy Award� winners Ernest Borgnine and Eva Marie Saint, along with Tippi Hedren, director Norman Jewison and Ben Mankiewicz, joined me and nearly 2000 passengers as we set sail on the first-ever TCM Classic Cruise," he said.

"The four-night cruise gave fans the chance to spend more time getting to know our special guests while also enjoying extraordinary films, taking in wonderful ocean vistas and soaking up the Caribbean atmosphere. We had such a terrific time on the TCM Classic Cruise, we've decided to do it again."

The 2013 TCM Classic Cruise will depart from Miami, traveling to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The five-night voyage aboard the luxurious Celebrity Constellation will include live appearances by Hollywood legends, as well as exclusive events with Osborne and TCM weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz. In addition to the ocean liner's amenities, travelers will be treated to a wide variety of movie-themed events and activities, from screenings and panel discussions to trivia contests and other gatherings.

The multi-faceted TCM Classic Cruise is produced by TCM in partnership with Sixthman, the industry leader in theme cruises. Presale orders are now being taken.

Osborne's announcements came on the final night of what turned out to be the biggest TCM Classic Film Festival yet. With a total attendance of more than 25,000 over the four-day gathering, the festival featured 83 screenings, 16 special presentations, exhibits and more. Movie fans from 49 states and seven countries attended the event.

Highlights of the 2011 festival included appearances by Liza Minnelli, Joel Gray, Michael York, Kim Novak, Debbie Reynolds, Angie Dickinson, Robert Wagner, Stanley Donen and many, many more. Photos, video clips and commentary on this year's TCM Classic Film Festival, are available at http://www.tcm.com/festival. Information about the 2013 festival will be released later this year.

Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 86 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests.

As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar� and Summer Under the Stars.

Additional information, including a video recap of the first-annual TCM Classic Cruise, is available at www.tcmcruise.com

Additional information is available at http://www.sixthman.net


by Mark Thompson , EDGE Style & Travel Editor

A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.

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