See Darth Vader Before He Went to the Dark Side

See Darth Vader Before He Went to the Dark Side

Hayden Christensen Stars as the Ultimate Rebel in 'Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith,' Which Opens on May 19th, Then on Encore Wam May 21st in the Teen Drama Series 'Higher Ground'

'Higher Ground' Marathon Only on Encore Wam

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Want to see Hayden Christensen in his breakout role? Check out Encore Wam's all day marathon featuring him in the teen drama "Higher Ground." You'll see him join the dark side in the theatrical premiere of "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith" on May 19th, but only on Encore Wam will you see him as a troubled teen in back to back episodes of "Higher Ground" on May 21st from 1:30 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

"'Higher Ground' was Christensen's first big break, and he really shows off his acting talent in the series," said Midge Pierce, vice president Encore Wam programming. "We felt that the release of 'Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith' was a great time to give Christensen fans a chance to see him in one of the parts he was first recognized for."

Set at Mount Horizon, a wilderness school in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, "Higher Ground" follows a group of troubled teens as they pull their lives together in an outward-bound setting. Christensen stars as Scott Barringer, a teen who mysteriously traded in his promising football career for drugs and petty theft -- and harbors a painful secret.

Other teens featured in the show include seductive Shelby Merrick (A.J. Cook), a former street kid who overcomes her father's rejection; Juliette Wayboure (Meghan Ory), a bulimic beauty queen whose phalanx of stepfathers and half-siblings eroded her self-confidence; the gentle, well meaning Ezra Friedkin (Kyle Downes) a pawn in his parent's divorce; Katherine Ann Cabot (Kandyse McClure), an adopted child who lapsed into depression when she began feeling caught between her African American heritage and her white parents, and; Auggie Ciceros (Jorge Vargas) a former gang member, who has been hiding incredible talent.

The school's headmaster Peter Scarbrow (Joe Lando, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"), a recovering addict himself, is determined to turn the kids around with help from his colleagues Sophie Becker (Anne Marie Loder) who shares his passion for extreme sports and the fresh-scrubbed Hannah Bauer-Barnes (Deborah Odell). "Higher Ground" also stars Jim Byrnes ("Wiseguy," "The Highlander") as the school's owner and founder Frank Markasian.

"Higher Ground," shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, is executive produced by two of television's most successful creator/producers Michael Braverman ("Chicago Hope," "Life Goes On,") and Douglas Schwartz ("Baywatch").

Encore Wam is the first and only 24-hour commercial-free channel dedicated entirely to teens. Encore Wam provides a cool place to see great movies and teen entertainment. Encore Wam is the destination for hit movies every night with "Teen Ticket," plus music, sports, anime, and lifestyle, sci-fi, drama and comedy series that reflect contemporary teen life. Encore Wam provides teens with movie and celebrity news, plus opportunities to showcase their talent including teen videos. For more information, log on to www.encorewam.com.

Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG) is the largest provider of premium movie services in the United States with approximately 173 million pay units. SEG offerings include the Starz Encore Movie Pack with 13 digital movie channels and more than 750 movies per month, Starz HDTV, Starz On Demand, and Starz Ticket, the first and only on-demand premium TV subscription service available on the broadband platform. Starz Entertainment Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, www.starz.com.

Contacts: Michelle Ellis Tom Chen Starz Entertainment Group mPRm (720) 852-6269 (323) 933-3399 michelle.ellis@starz.comtchen@mprm.com

Source: Encore Wam

CONTACT: Michelle Ellis of Starz Entertainment Group, +1-720-852-6269, michelle.ellis@starz.com; or Tom Chen of mPRm, +1-323-933-3399, tchen@mprm.com, both for Encore Wam

Web site: http://www.encorewam.com/ http://www.starz.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photo available upon request.

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