FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                

August 1, 2006 

 

ACADEMY AWARD^® AND GOLDEN GLOBE^® AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS KIM BASINGER STARS IN “THE MERMAID CHAIR,”

A LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE EVENT

TO AIR IN SPECIAL THREE-NIGHT PREMIERE

SEPTEMBER 9, 10 AND 11

 

Movie Based on Sue Monk Kidd’s #1 New York Times Best Seller

 Directed By Multiple Emmy^® Award Winner Steven Schachter

 

            LOS ANGELES – Academy Award^® and Golden Globe^® Award-winning actress Kim Basinger (“L.A. Confidential,” “8 Mile,” “The Door in the Floor”) stars in “The Mermaid Chair,” a two-hour Lifetime Original Movie event, based on the #1 New York Times Best Seller, The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd.  “The Mermaid Chair” tells the haunting story of a married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk and the crisis and self-awakening it ignites within her.  “The Mermaid Chair” airs in a special three-night premiere beginning Saturday, September 9 at 9PM, followed by encore presentations on Sunday, September 10 at 8PM and Monday, September 11 at 9PM on Lifetime Television.  All times are ET/PT. 

 

            In the movie, Basinger plays Jessie Sullivan who, after her daughter leaves for college, finds herself restless in her life and 20-year marriage.  When Jessie’s mother commits an inexplicable act of self-mutilation, Jessie is forced to return to her childhood home on Egret Island, a tiny barrier island off the coast of South Carolina.  Her homecoming reignites the volatile relationship Jessie has with her mother and reawakens nagging questions about her father’s death years earlier.  Soon, she meets Brother Thomas, a Benedictine monk from the neighboring abbey with whom she shares an immediate and powerful connection. As the relationship unfolds, Jessie unlocks the roots of her mother’s tormented past and the secrets around her father’s death while undergoing a spiritual, artistic and erotic awakening.  Her experiences on the island lead Jessie to discover her true self and what she really wants from her life.

 

“I saw this as a great opportunity to bring such a beloved book to life,” said Basinger.  “By premiering it on Lifetime, I think we are giving it the best possible chance of being exposed to one of the largest television audiences.” 

 

Executive Producer Randy Robinson feels that the movie is about being true to yourself.  “On the outside Jessie might lead an idyllic life, but it doesn’t mean she isn’t lost both spiritually and emotionally.  She needed to go through a very difficult personal crisis to become a healthier, happier, more spiritually balanced person.” 

            Author Sue Monk Kidd said, “I think a woman wants love and freedom at the same time.  When I was writing the book, I was exploring that concept.  I think a lot of women can relate to it.”

 

            “The Mermaid Chair” is co-produced by Randwell Distribution and Nomadic Pictures for Lifetime Television.  Randy Robinson (Lifetime’s “The Pact” and “Lies My Mother Told Me”) is the executive producer.  Emmy^® Award winner Steven Schachter (“Door to Door,” “The Wool Cap”) is the director.  Schachter won two Emmy^® Awards in 2003 for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for “Door to Door.” He received an Emmy^® nomination for Outstanding Made for Television Movie in 2005 for “The Wool Cap.”  The teleplay is by Suzette Couture (“Million Dollar Babies,” “The Book of Ruth”).

 

Sue Monk Kidd has written two novels.  The Secret Life of Bees, published in 2002, became a genuine literary phenomenon.  It has sold over 4.5 million copies, spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and is currently being adapted into a movie.  Kidd’s second novel, The Mermaid Chair, released in the spring of 2005, has already sold over 1.5 million copies and has spent over 30 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List.  It was awarded the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction.  

 

Lifetime is the leader in women’s television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment, and Lifetime Online are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company