Branson Jubilee, taped in and around Branson, Missouri, is a new two-hour musical variety special hosted by Jimmy Osmond and begins airing August 1st across the country. More than 77% of the nation (more than one hundred television markets) will be able to find Branson Jubilee on their local public television stations (check your local listings).

This non-stop entertainment extravaganza features a star-studded cast of legendary and history-making greats, including many Branson favorites: Mickey Gilley, Ray Stevens, Jim Stafford, Tony Orlando, Debra Moreno Lowther, Doug Kershaw, Les Brown Jr., and Glen Campbell.

Branson Jubilee has universal appeal to audiences of all ages, covering the most popular genres from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s – from country to pop to rock ‘n’ roll. The special also features nationally known guest stars ranging from Crystal Gayle to Restless Heart and Jake Simpson performing their all-time greatest hits.

Branson Jubilee, which underscores that good family entertainment is alive and well and has a place readied for television, is produced by Branson Entertainment (founders Jerry & Debra Lowther), Bel Air Productions of Los Angeles and WLIW in New York. Branson Jubilee has already won four awards including two Telly Awards for Entertainment and Editing, a Videographer Award for Entertainment, and an Aurora Award for Platinum Best of Show in the Musical-Variety category.

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Branson entertainers Dave & Denise Hamner and Jim Barber will each be honored as recipients of the “Merlin Award” by the International Magicians Society (IMS). The prestigious awards will be presented to the stars of The Hamner Barber Variety Show in person during their August
12th, 8pm show by the World President of the IMS, Mr. Tony Hassini.

The Hamners are being honored with their second Merlin Award as “Entertainers of the Year.” In 1999 they received the coveted award for “Best Manipulation.”

Making this year’s presentation even more special, Jim Barber is receiving his Merlin Award for “Ventriloquist of the Year,” being the first entertainer ever to receive this award for ventriloquism in the society’s 38 year history.

The International Magicians Society (IMS) is the world’s largest magic society as recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The IMS began in 1968 and now has over 37,000 members worldwide. It was created to help promote and preserve the art of magic and provide a format where magicians (and magic hobbyists) could share their secrets and ideas.

In the profession of magic, the Merlin statuette is the equivalent of the Oscar for film, the Emmy for television, and the Tony for theater. It is presented only to those entertainers who have achieved the highest level in their craft. The voting members begin with approximately one hundred names and narrow the list down to a select few. The criteria considered for a winner include talent, showmanship, originality, skills, and above all, the rare ability to entertain under
any conditions.

The Merlin Award statuette was commissioned to over 100 art students from various colleges across the country. The winning design was carved and created in 1968 by New York University art student Carol Michaud.

Some of the more famous winners of the Merlin Award for excellence in magic include: Harry Blackstone, Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy and David Copperfield.

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The Hamner Barber Theater is pleased to announce that Jim Barber has been nominated as Branson’s “BEST COMEDIAN” of 2006 by BransonCritic.com, a volunteer organization of writers and researchers of Branson shows with over 2,000 reviews currently online.

In 2005 BransonCritic also honored The Hamner Barber Variety Show as it’s pick for Critic’s Choice as Branson’s “MUST SEE SHOW OF THE YEAR.”

Created by Doug Holland, the awards web site is a sophisticated method of ranking shows and entertainers by allowing fans of these shows to submit fair reviews to inform other potential Branson visitors of what there is to see and do in Branson, Missouri. It’s not a “push button” voting system, so awards are presented based on the quantity and quality of the reviews received on behalf of the nominated performers.

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