Inaugural ceremony by '02 Olympics producer

The same man who produced the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City is also producing the opening celebration for Barack Obama's inauguration.

Don Mischer — who produced the opening ceremonies in Salt Lake City, which won six Emmy awards — is producing and directing "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" on Sunday. HBO will broadcast it at 5 p.m. MST and is working with cable and satellite companies to allow free access to the show for all their subscribers (not just those with HBO).

"This is a great opportunity to capture an historic event in a very meaningful setting," Mischer said. "We will have the statue of Abraham Lincoln looking down on our stage and a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people lining the mall — a tableau any director would relish."

Mischer will direct a Who's Who of popular entertainers.

Musical performers scheduled to appear include: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder.

Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee said the opening celebration "will be a declaration of common purpose and new beginnings," and it "will be grounded in history and brought to life with entertainment that relates to the themes that shaped Barack Obama and which will be the hallmarks of his administration."

The executive producer of the show, George Stevens Jr., said, "Our intention is to root the events in history, celebrating the moments when our nation has united to face great challenges and prevail."

The show's writer, Michael Stevens, added, "We have found that the great artists are eager to take part and each one is working with us to find music that expresses the optimism and hope that people bring to the Obama inauguration."

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