Reelzchannel's® Jill Simonian To Host 4th Annual Hollyshorts Film Festival Opening Night

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 22, 2008 – Jill Simonian from "Dailies" on ReelzChannel® the only cable/satellite network and website dedicated to "Everything About Movies, 24/7™," will host the 4th annual HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) opening night celebration which takes place on Thursday, August 7, 2008 at the Egyptian theatre in Hollywood in conjunction with the American Cinematheque. The announcement was made today by Daniel Sol, Festival Director, HollyShorts Film Festival.

The HollyShorts Film Festival opening night celebration will feature a number of high profile short film projects including "Hole in the Paper Sky," produced by and starring Jessica Biel and directed by Bill Purple, "Nosebleed," starring David Arquette and directed by Jeff Vespa, as well as the Hollywood premiere of actor Josh Brolin's short film "X." Tickets for the HollyShorts opening night celebration are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Fandango at www.fandango.com or the American Cinematheque website at  www.americancinematheque.com.

A former Miss Hollywood (Miss America Organization), Simonian is known for her movie coverage on "Dailies," ReelzChannel's® signature daily movie news and information program.  Simonian has conducted a number of insightful interviews with today's biggest stars in Hollywood including Sarah Jessica Parker, Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Steve Carell, and Nicole Kidman.

ReelzChannel® features entertaining original programs that offer a fresh perspective on the movies, from behind-the-scenes to what to see tonight.  The network covers movies wherever they are playing – in theaters, on DVD, VOD, and premium channels.  In addition to cable carriage in markets across the country, ReelzChannel® is carried via
satellite on DIRECTV (Channel 238) and DISH Network (Channel 299), and is currently reaching more than 35 million homes nationwide. ReelzChannel® also operates the website www.reelzchannel.com, which offers deeper coverage of the movies, and information on all the latest movies available at home and in theaters.

In addition, the HollyShorts opening night celebration will also feature “Red Princess Blues Animated: The Book of Violence” Directed by Dan Cregan, Written and Produced by Alex Ferrari with voice by Paula Garces (“Harold & Kumar”), “The Outlaw Emmett Deemus” Directed by Stephan S. Fleet, Written by and starring Larry Hankin (“Friends,” “Seinfeld”) and Director Martin Keegan’s Award-winning short film “Verboten.”

2008 HollyShorts Film Festival Schedule

*    HollyShorts Film Festival Opening Night Celebration, Thursday, August 7, 2008
      Egyptian Theatre in conjunction with The American Cinematheque  8-11pm

*    Inaugural HollyShorts Music Video Celebration and Competition Friday, August 8,        
     2008 Nacional in Hollywood 8-11pm

*    HollyShorts Film Festival Screenings August 9-10, 2008 Screenings take place at    
     Laemmle's Sunset 5 theatres 10:15am-7:30pm

About Jill Simonian
Since joining ReelzChannel® in January 2007, Simonian has interviewed hundreds of industry legends, A-listers and newcomers alike. In addition to covering red carpets and one-on-one interviews, her personality-driven feature stories have included learning what it takes to become a 'believable' movie cowboy, discovering the secrets underneath Sony Pictures' famous Stage 15, and exploring the reasons as to why there is a shortage of female action stars on the big screen.  A cum laude graduate of UCLA's Communication Studies program, Jill began working in television in 2005 with KTLA's The Audition, a live, month-long nationwide contest to find the station's next Weathercaster. She became the Viewer's Choice winner (garnering over 11,000 online votes) yet finished as the 1st Runner-up. The following year she served as a Feature Reporter for KTLA's Morning Show. Previous noteworthies include singing the National Anthem at LA Lakers and Dodgers games, winning a UCLA Carol Burnett Musical Theatre Award and motivational speaking for Southern California high schools (for Monster.com's
national program 'Making It Count'). She is a former Miss Hollywood and
Miss Southland, and was once 2nd Runner-Up to Miss California (Miss
America Pageant). Simonian is based in Los Angeles.

Tickets for the August 9-10 HollyShorts programs at Laemmle Sunset 5 are now available and can be purchased by visiting www.hollyshorts.com or www.laemmle.com. Complete schedule with the official selections, details on the selected films and special festival passes available on www.hollyshorts.com.