Beverly Hills, 90210
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Fox Broadcasting Company, 'Beverly Hills, 90210' and Yahoo! Combine Efforts To Benefit Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Several Items To Be Auctioned On Yahoo! Auctions, Including A Trip To The '90210' Set; Series Star Jennie Garth Participates In Online Yahoo! Chat In Support Of RAINN SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- September 1999 -- As Jennie Garth's character Kelly Taylor confronted her rapist in the 10th season premiere of BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 Wednesday, Sept. 8 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX, FOX Broadcasting Company, BEVERLY HILLS, 90210, and Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) joined together to raise awareness and money for RAINN, the only national hotline for victims of sexual assault. Coinciding with the season premiere, the efforts kicked off on Sept. 8 -- with an online charity auction hosted by Yahoo! ® Auctions (http://auctions.yahoo.com) to benefit RAINN. During last season's BEVERLY HILLS, 90210, Garth's character, Kelly Taylor, was brutally raped. In an unprecedented partnership, 90210 and FOX included the RAINN hotline directly into the show's script. After the attack, a nurse at the hospital suggested that Kelly seek counseling and referred her to the RAINN hotline, which she later called for additional help. That episode prompted a RAINN record of 4,000 calls to the hotline immediately following the show. "Spelling, FOX and Jennie Garth worked closely with RAINN to make sure Kelly's rape and recovery were portrayed accurately and sensitively. The enormous response from 90210 fans calling the hotline is a credit to the show's popularity and a direct result of the strong commitment from the network and the producers and cast. By also joining efforts with Yahoo!, we will further increase awareness of RAINN and provide information and help to countless victims of sexual assault," said Scott Berkowitz, RAINN's president. "BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 has remained relevant to today's teenagers and young adults by accurately portraying the issues which they must face everyday. The partnership with RAINN has allowed us to bring attention to an important issue, while letting viewers know that help is just a phone call away via the RAINN hotline," said Aaron Spelling, President of Spelling Television. At the conclusion of Wednesday's 90210 premiere, FOX aired a special public service announcement from Garth, while FOX, Spelling and Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), a leading global Internet media company, have teamed for an extensive online promotion. For the charity auction hosted by Yahoo! Auctions, FOX and Spelling have donated a trip for two to the 90210 set. The highest bidder at http://auctions.yahoo.com will win round-trip airfare and two nights hotel accommodations in the most recognized zip code in the country -- Beverly Hills, 90210 -- and a personal tour of the 90210 set. Among the other featured auction items are several 90210 scripts signed by cast members, as well as three paintings from Kelly Taylor's bedroom on the series set. These paintings, according to the fictional storyline, were gifts from Kelly's mother who commissioned Andy Warhol to create them. Bids will be accepted through Sept. 24. All proceeds from the Yahoo! Charity Auction will go to support RAINN's national hotline. Yahoo! also is RAINN's online media sponsor. In addition, Garth, who has become one of RAINN's leading celebrity supporters and spokespersons since playing the role of a rape survivor, will hold an online chat for RAINN, co-hosted by Yahoo! Chat (http://chat.yahoo.com) and Entertainment Weekly. Garth will chat from the 90210 set on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1999 at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT. In the November issue of Marie Claire magazine, available on newsstands Oct. 5, Garth will be featured in an advertorial sponsored by Liz Claiborne in support of RAINN. Yahoo! Auctions is a leading interactive commerce marketplace connecting one of the Web's largest audiences of sellers and buyers. The online auction's service, which is free to all users, offers convenient access to more than 680,000 simultaneous daily auctions and more than 3,000 diverse buying and selling categories such as: Arts & Entertainment, Toys & Games, Antiques & Collectibles, Electronics & Cameras, Computers, Sports & Recreation, and Home & Garden. Through Yahoo! Auctions, sellers and buyers have access to an ever-expanding world of collectibles, a global community, a compelling and robust set of communication tools and services, and unique programs such as Auctions Express and Charity Auctions. Yahoo! has also launched local auction services in Europe (France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK), Canada, and Asia Pacific (Australia and New Zealand). Founded in 1994, the non-profit RAINN operates America's only national hotline for victims of sexual assault. To date, the RAINN hotline (1-800-656-HOPE) has provided counseling to more than 275,000 survivors of rape and sexual assault through a grassroots network of more than 800 rape crisis centers nationwide. The hotline offers free, confidential counseling and support 24 hours a day from anywhere in the country. RAINN is one hundred percent privately funded and is considered one of the most efficiently run charities in the country. For more information on RAINN: www.rainn.org. # # #.