"Weekend Today" live from Cincinnati

The Purple People Bridge Climb gets national publicity on NBC’s “Weekend Today” show Saturday. Channel 5 anchor Sheree Paolello will report live from atop the bridge during the 7 a.m. national telecast – which isn’t seen here at that hour. So Channel 5 will cut away from its local 7 a.m. news to air the live NBC coverage. The segment will be repeated in Channel 5’s 10 a.m. news. Channel 5 also will devote a half-hour special at 7:30 p.m. Monday to the bridge climb.

More Channel 5 news
Reporter Juliette Vara leaves Channel 5 Friday for a job with a San Diego TV station, says News Director Brennan Donnellan. I'm not sure what station, or what position. I’ll provide more info when I hear from Juliette – though I suspect some Channel 5 staffers will post more details on this blog before I hear from her….

Another honor for Clooney
Oscar-winner George Clooney will receive the 21st American Cinematheque Award at the organization’s annual gala on Oct. 13. The Beverly Hills ceremony will be taped by American Movie Classics and telecast in December.

Lion’s share of publicity
The national publicity campaign for “A Lion in the House,” the June 21-22 PBS/Independent Lens documentary about five Cincinnati area children and families battling cancer, is kicking into high gear. Members of Congress were invited to a screening this morning in the U.S. Capitol. Tonight at the Aronoff Center, more than 4,000 families and Children’s Hospital Medical Center staffers will attend a screening with filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert and families in the film.
I’ve seen “A Lion in the House” twice now, and it’s a very powerful, candid film showing kids (and families) coping with cancer. This PBS film deserves all the publicity it can get. It's an exceptional documentary.