(CHICAGO) – BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD, the most talked about new show on television, will end a successful year of expansion, audience growth and critical acclaim with an "All-Star Summer" celebration from June 24 to July 19. The BDSSP's All-Star Summer will be filled with big-name guests from both the sports and entertainment worlds. Irreverent programming stunts, road trips, thought-provoking interviews, exciting viewer contests with Internet components and more, will provide viewers with an all-access pass to the summer's hottest sporting events.
From July 10-12, BDSSP co-host Tom Arnold will be in Chicago for a scheduled reunion of the 1986 Chicago Bears on the 10th live from Mike Ditka's Restaurant (8:00 PM & 10:00 PM on Fox Sports Net), plus – Arnold will be at Wrigley Field on the 12th to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and visit with Chip Caray and Dave Otto during Fox Sports Net's Cubs-Florida telecast (2:20 PM first pitch).
"The BDSSP has been a terrific compliment to our local event coverage," said James J. Corno, Senior Vice President/General Manager for Fox Sports Net Chicago. "It provides our viewers with a humorous, entertaining perspective on the world of sports, but fans can still get their sports news with the show's frequent updates."
"Over the last year, BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD has steadily evolved into the most unique show on television, and the format we've been shaping is now the right blend of sports, comedy and entertainment for its nightly prime time slot," added Fox Sports Net president Tracy Dolgin. "Summer is a time when most television networks provide very little original programming, and BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD is doing just the opposite. We're loading the show up with everything we can think of to attract new viewers to a unique sports program that has been gaining momentum since December."
BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD, which debuted July 23, 2001, features host Chris Rose, former pros D'Marco Farr (NFL), John Kruk (MLB) and John Salley (NBA) and actor/comedian Tom Arnold as the voice-of-the-fan. The versatile Lisa Guerrero provides sports updates and highlights and feature interviews, and Ken Rudulph anchors the Nightly Daily Sports Report. Leeann Tweeden is the show's correspondent and Lisa Joyner supplies the Best Damn Insider entertainment report.
BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD All-Star Summer will treat viewers almost daily to appearances by, or interviews with, the biggest stars in sports, including Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Emmitt Smith, Randy Moss, Brett Favre, Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis and Tony Hawk.
In the past, headline celebrity guests including Ben Affleck, Penny Marshall, Dennis Quaid and Arnold Schwarzenegger have joined BDSSP's cast to have fun and talk sports and many others are expected to appear during All-Star Summer.
In addition to seeing the biggest names in sports and entertainment talk about the games we love in conversation that ranges from provocative to comedic, viewers will be treated to several opportunities to have sports fantasies fulfilled, from winning a date with a professional cheerleader to securing a pro tryout. The program will also give one NFL fan the ultimate insider's perspective by awarding exclusive access to work out with the Dallas Cowboys at training camp.
Viewers will also be treated to exciting event programming nightly throughout the All-Star Summer like Tom Arnold's wild bachelor party roast, being thrown on-air by his co-stars just days before his wedding, as well a taste of the Ultimate Fighting Championship series.
BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD will also send cast members on the road frequently during All-Star Summer. Fans will receive a true behind-the-scenes experience when BDSSP hits Milwaukee for Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, Chicago and New York in July.
Finally, BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD will celebrate a successful year of sports, entertainment and comedy with the first-ever hilarious and irreverent awards competition known as the 'Best Dammies.' Awards will be handed out in more than a dozen categories to past guests and cast members for highlighting the best and the worst of BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD's first year on-air.
The two-hour show airs weeknights at 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM CT or immediately following a live event telecast on Fox Sports Net. A special Saturday night midnight edition airs each week, featuring a "Best Of" the prior week's show. Check local listings.
Fox Sports Net Chicago reaches more than 3.7 million households in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. Fox Sports Net Chicago is managed by Rainbow Sports Networks, a division of Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. Fox Sports Net Chicago's programming includes Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs baseball, Chicago Bulls basketball and Chicago Blackhawks hockey, along with select NASCAR and PGA Tour coverage.
Fox Sports Net reaches more than 79 million households nationwide and is a service of National Sports Partners, equally owned by Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. and Fox Entertainment Group. Rainbow Sports Networks incorporates Rainbow's 50% ownership of Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports National Advertising and the ownership and management of Fox Sports Net regional networks in five of the nation's largest markets: Chicago, Florida, Ohio, New England and San Francisco.