THE EMMY® AWARD-WINNING SERIES 'SUPER SOUL SUNDAY' RETURNS ON GAME DAY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 ON OWN
January 23, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2013
THE EMMY® AWARD-WINNING SERIES 'SUPER SOUL SUNDAY' RETURNS ON GAME DAY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 ON OWN
Chicago, IL - Soul-seekers have a reason to cheer alongside sports fans on football's big game day this year. The Emmy® Award-winning series "Super Soul Sunday" kicks off a new season beginning with three inspirational and eye-opening programs back-to-back Sunday, February 3 from 11a.m.- 2p.m. ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
"Super Soul Sunday" returns with the first nationally-televised interview "Oprah's Book Club: Oprah and Ayana Mathis Author of 'The 12 Tribes of Hattie" (airing from 11a.m.-noon). Filmed at Harpo Studios in Chicago, Winfrey and Mathis sit down one-on-one to talk about Mathis's best-selling debut novel and how her life has changed since Winfrey chose it as the second Book Club 2.0 selection. Immediately following, filmmaker Jonas Elrod ("Wake Up") presents "In Deep Shift with Jonas Elrod" (airing from 12p.m.-1pm), which documents the riveting survival story of Brian Mancini, an Iraqi war veteran. In this true story, Elrod follows Mancini's surprising journey through physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Then, a fresh, light-hearted variety show "Oprah and Rainn Wilson Present SoulPancake" (airing from 1-2pm), hosted by Winfrey and "The Office" funnyman Wilson, explores the theme of love through short films and featurettes, including a special appearance by Academy® Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon.
All-new episodes of "Super Soul Sunday" will continue throughout February and March featuring Oprah Winfrey's conversations with today's acclaimed authors and thought leaders about life's big questions. This season's line-up includes Winfrey's mentor Dr. Maya Angelou, best-selling author don Miguel Ruiz of "The Four Agreements," contemporary visionary Panache Desai, one of TED's most-watched speakers Brené Brown, and interior designer and TV personality, Nate Berkus, who, in this exclusive and revealing interview, speaks candidly about the milestones of his life's journey so far: coming out to his family, losing the love of his life, and the cancellation of his daytime talk show.
Episode descriptions for Sunday, February 3 (11 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET/PT) below:
"Oprah's Book Club: Oprah and Ayana Mathis Author of 'The 12 Tribes of Hattie'" (11a.m.-noon ET/PT)
Oprah's Book Club 2.0 returns with author Ayana Mathis and her sweeping debut novel, "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie." "Super Soul Sunday" is the television home of Oprah's Book Club 2.0 and this interview is Winfrey's first exclusive televised sit-down with Ayana Mathis. Find out why Winfrey declares Mathis "one of the next big voices." Mathis's New York Times best-selling book "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie" captivatingly tells the story of the children of the Great Migration through the trials of one indomitable heroine (Hattie Shepherd) and her unforgettable family. Winfrey and Mathis delve into the book's soul-stirring themes - including parenting, loss, survival, and redemption. In this revealing interview, Mathis shares how she overcame criticism and self-doubt, and went on to create her critically-acclaimed first novel. She divulges who from her own life inspired the book's heroine, Hattie Shepherd, and how she developed each supremely human character.
"In Deep Shift with Jonas Elrod" (12p.m-1 p.m. ET/PT)
Life is made of experiences that we choose, and some that choose us. "In Deep Shift with Jonas Elrod" features an unflinching look at people who were changed forever by an extraordinary event, one that will define the rest of their lives. Filmmaker Jonas Elrod travels to Phoenix, Arizona to meet Brian Mancini, a war veteran who served in three tours of duty in Baghdad and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of a brain injury in combat. Mancini and Elrod talk about three major elements of recovery: breakdown, breakthrough, and integration. Mancini opens up his world and about how his condition changed his life. We see the different ways he has tried to heal physically, mentally and spiritually.
"Oprah and Rainn Wilson Present SoulPancake" (1-2 p.m. ET/PT)
"Oprah and Rainn Wilson Present SoulPancake" is a one-hour pilot hosted by Oprah Winfrey and Rainn Wilson ("The Office") that offers viewers quirky, thought-provoking, and uplifting interviews and vignette segments contemplating one of life's big questions: "what is love?" Delving into this topic, the pilot explores the universal longing for love, how to sustain love, how love changes us physically and how we can put more love into the world through interviews with Academy® Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon, heart surgeon Dr. Kathy Magliato, the award-winning short film "Bottle" and Los Angeles schoolteacher Milicent "Mama" Hill.
For a sneak peek of "Oprah's Book Club: Oprah and Ayana Mathis Author of 'The 12 Tribes of Hattie'" below are the downloadable links:
Viewing: https://owncomm.box.com/s/2p4vw38fm0b0etf2rk5y
Broadcast: https://owncomm.box.com/s/nzehckv3ndw51593phuj
Audio: https://owncomm.box.com/s/zhxphpq9b89q6kdj5y3t
URL (with embed code): http://www.oprah.com/own-supersoulsunday/blogs/Ayana-Mathis-Life-Today
For a sneak peek of "Oprah and Rainn Wilson Present SoulPancake" below are the downloadable links:
Viewing: https://owncomm.box.com/s/4ohghmjxjhsw2v06cwaj
Web: https://owncomm.box.com/s/0ss1vbpl90l1o3ym1ycp
Broadcast: https://owncomm.box.com/s/pk6usrw4xo60jri1asp2
Sneak peek URL (with embed code): http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/First-Look-Oprah-and-Rainn-Wilson-Present-SoulPancake-Video
To request broadcast or audio clips and artwork, please contact Leah Sparkes at LSparkes@Harpo.com
About Super Soul Sunday: The Emmy® Award-winning series "Super Soul Sunday" delivers a timely thought-provoking, eye-opening and inspiring block of programming designed to help viewers awaken to their best selves and discover a deeper connection to the world around them. Home to Oprah's Book Club 2.0, "Super Soul Sunday" features all-new conversations between Oprah Winfrey and top thinkers, authors, visionaries and spiritual leaders. Exploring themes and issues including happiness, personal fulfillment, spirituality and conscious living, "Super Soul Sunday" presents an array of perspectives on what it means to be alive in today's world. Guests who have appeared include Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, Wayne Dyer, Gary Zukav, Debbie Ford, Marianne Williamson, Ram Dass, Eckhart Tolle, Caroline Myss, DeVon Franklin, Sarah Ban Breathnach, Michael Singer, Daniel Pink, Thich Nhat Hanh and Oprah's Book Club author Cheryl Strayed. The series also presents Rainn Wilson's collection of uplifting short films created under his SoulPancake banner. A truly unique television experience, this ground-breaking series has attracted one of the most loyal, active and engaged social communities in television. Every episode has ranked in the top ten most social shows in broadcast television and cable, spiking to number one more than twelve times (source: Bluefin Data). Produced by Harpo Studios. Viewers can join the global conversation online via Oprah.com, Facebook and Twitter using #SuperSoulSunday.
About OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network:
A joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN debuted on January 1, 2011 on what was the Discovery Health Channel and is in approximately 80 million homes. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own and www.press.discovery.com/us/own.
Media contact for Harpo Studios: Leah Sparkes/ 312.633.5270 / Lsparkes@harpo.com