Bill Cosby, Rosie O'Donnell, Cynthia Nixon Lead Salute to Favorite Teachers in Thirteen/WNET Music Special.

Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Judy Collins, Elmo Featured

NEW YORK -- Remember that favorite teacher and the impact he or she had on your life? Rosie O'Donnell, Bill Cosby, Cynthia Nixon, and Tim McCarver of Fox Sports recall theirs - keenly, affectionately and humorously - as they lead Tribute: A Concert Honoring the Teachers of America, an all-star back-to-school special set to air Thursday, October 4 at 8 p.m. on Thirteen. Providing the musical honors: icons Peter, Paul & Mary, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, and Odetta, plus Steve Seskin, Christine Lavin, folk duo Bethany and Rufus, 16-year-old Houston rapper Jonathan "Baby Jay" Gutierrez, and 16-year-old rock/pop singer Christine Evans. Not quite in school but also on hand to pay tribute will be Sesame Street's favorite rambunctious four-year-old, Elmo, as will his creator Kevin Clash, to sing a special song written to honor a teacher who made a huge difference in his life.

"Next to our parents, our teachers may be the most important people in our lives," says Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, who organized the concert. "They do their job with a gentle grace, not for fame and fortune, but because they want to participate in the amazing process of bringing inspiration and skills to our children that they will need as future citizens of our country and the world. Teachers are centrally responsible for our future and, in important ways, for the health and happiness of society. How privileged we are, as performers, to honor them and acknowledge them, as they so richly deserve, in this wonderful 'Tribute' public television concert special."

To be recorded September 6 at New York's historic Town Hall, the telecast will be directed by Jim Brown (Peter, Paul and Mary: Carry It On), with David Horn, series producer of Thirteen/WNET New York's Great Performances series, as executive producer. Tribute: A Concert Honoring the Teachers of America is a production of Thirteen/WNET, in association with the United Federation of Teachers and generously supported by HIP Health Insurance Plan of New York, Barnes & Noble, City University of New York - Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, Forest City Ratner Companies, and Americans for the Arts.

Says Randi Weingarten, UFT president: "If you ever thought back to a teacher who had a profound effect on your life, you know the importance of these selflessly committed, seldom acknowledged individuals whose lives are dedicated to our children, our families, and who serve their communities in inestimably important ways. They guide, inspire and prepare our children for adulthood as ethical, thoughtful and active contributors to our society."

The local October 4 broadcast of Tribute: A Concert Honoring the Teachers of America in the greater New York metropolitan area will be followed by its distribution and airing on public television stations nationwide.

Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, NOW With David Brancaccio, and Cyberchase - as well as the work of Bill Moyers - to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each week, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York. Thirteen extends the impact of its television productions through educational and community outreach projects - including the Celebration of Teaching and Learning - as well as Web sites and other digital media platforms. More information can be found at: www.thirteen.org.