Jan. 6 ShoBox: The New Generation – Part of the SHOWTIME FREE PREVIEW WEEKEND AVAILABLE TO 60 MILLION HOMES

Posted on | December 13, 2011 | No Comments

SHOWTIME^® FREE PREVIEW WEEKEND AVAILABLE TO

60 MILLION HOMES STARTING FRIDAY, JANUARY 6

Viewers Nationwide Can Access The Season Premieres Of The SHOWTIME Original Series HOUSE OF LIES, SHAMELESS And CALIFORNICATION, The Primetime Premiere Of Academy Award^® Winner THE KING’S SPEECH,

And Can Sample The Hit Series DEXTER^®, WEEDS, THE BIG C 

And HOMELAND Among Many Others

ShoBox: The New Generation And STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts

Will Air Live on Friday And Saturday, January 6-7

NEW YORK – December 12, 2011 – SHOWTIME will be available in 60 million households for a Free Preview Weekend from Friday, January 6 through Sunday, January 8. Viewers across the country will have the opportunity to sample the premium network’s award-winning programming on SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD^™ and SHOWTIME On Demand^®. The Free Preview weekend will include the series premiere of the new SHOWTIME original comedy series HOUSE OF LIES, as well as the anticipated return of the critically-acclaimed hit series SHAMELESS and CALIFORNICATION, live offerings from SHOWTIME Sports^® including ShoBox: The New Generation and STRIKEFORCE, and the primetime premium television premiere of Academy Award-winning Best Picture THE KING’S SPEECH.

Free Preview Weekend viewers will also have access to critically-acclaimed SHOWTIME original series includingseason one of HOMELAND, THE BORGIAS, EPISODES and SHAMELESS, season two of THE BIG C, season three of NURSE JACKIE, season four of CALIFORNICATION, season six of DEXTER, and season seven ofWEEDS, all available on SHOWTIME On Demand.  SHOWTIME will also air a variety of feature films and documentaries including BLUE VALENTINE, RED, THE MECHANIC, PIRANHA, I AM NUMBER FOUR and THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON and ECLIPSE.

Live on Friday, January 6 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), SHOWTIME will air its celebrated, prospect-oriented boxing series ShoBox: The New Generation, featuring Luis Ramos Jr. vs. Raymundo Beltran. Then, on Saturday, January 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), SHOWTIME Sports will air the STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Championship featuring defending champ Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine, with four additional mixed martial arts bouts, live from The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On Sunday, January 8 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, THE KING’S SPEECH, Academy Award winner for Best Picture, will make its primetime premium television debut. The film features an all-star cast that includes Academy Award winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon and Guy Pearce. After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family and his government, the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle. Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING’S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch’s quest to find his voice.

Then, on Sunday, January 8 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET/PT, viewers nationwide will get a taste of three critically-acclaimed SHOWTIME series, with the second season premiere of SHAMELESS (9 p.m. ET/PT), the premiere of the new comedy series HOUSE OF LIES (10 p.m. ET/PT) and the fifth season premiere of CALIFORNICATION (10:30 p.m. ET/PT).

Season two of SHAMELESS finds our favorite dysfunctional family braving the heat and humidity of summertime in Chicago, trying to keep cool…and Frank (William H. Macy) out of trouble. Bearing the de facto parent badge/burden, Fiona (Emmy Rossum) spends her nights working at a nightclub and her days keeping an eye on her siblings as they run a makeshift daycare center at the house. As usual, the motley brood somehow manages to hold down the fort and make sure the bills are paid, the lights are on and there is food on the table. Based on the long-running hit UK series, SHAMELESS is executive produced by Emmy^® Award-winning television and film producer John Wells, as well as Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn.

HOUSE OF LIES is the new dark comedy about all the screwed up ways big business is practiced these days. The series, based on the hit tell-all book from best-selling author Martin Kihn (House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time), peels back the bull to reveal a world few know exists and fewer still have experienced. Meet Marty Kaan (Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle), the big-money earner at Galweather & Stearn, along with his hot, young team – The Pod – of big-balling power players – Jeannie (Kristen Bell), Clyde (Ben Schwartz) and Doug (Josh Lawson). Marty and The Pod’s work life is all first-class, top-shelf, black Am Ex, the best suites at the nicest hotels. Wild nights on the town servicing the clients are all in a day’s work. Marty is the ultimate power player and under his direction, this ruthless, pull-no-punches team is here to stick it to the man by beating the corporate suckers at their own game. HOUSE OF LIES is created and executive produced by Matthew Carnahan. Jessika Borsiczky, Stephen Hopkins and Don Cheadle also serve as executive producers.

CALIFORNICATION stars David Duchovny in his Golden Globe^®-winning role as hedonistic novelist Hank Moody who struggles to raise his teenage daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin), while still carrying a torch for his ex-girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone) This season, Hank is back in LA and in deep with mega-rich rap mogul Samurai Apocalypse (guest star RZA), who hires Hank to write the screenplay for his hot, new film property. Their friendship is tested by silky siren Kali (guest star Meagan Good), a singer who is Sam’s protégé. Guest stars this season include Natalie Zea, Drea de Matteo, Eric Stoltz, Peter Berg, Stephen Tobolowsky and Camilla Luddington, and Rob Lowe returns as the unpredictable Eddie Nero. Tom Kapinos is the creator and executive producer, along with Duchovny, who also serves as an executive producer.

The Free Preview Weekend is available to digital subscribers of participating providers only, on both SD and HD feeds. Select providers will offer the Free Preview via SHOWTIME ON DEMAND^®. The preview will be available across a number of distributors including Comcast, Charter, Cox, DIRECTV, Verizon, Mediacom and RCN. Previews may contain PG, PG-13, TV-14, TVMA and R rated programming. You must be a digital subscriber to receive video on demand and HD. Viewers who tune in and order SHOWTIME for the first time can get $25 cash back. For additional details on the offer go to SHO.com/order and for SHOWTIME Free Preview weekend (#SHOfreepreview), go to www.SHO.com/freepreview.

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