Each year, the Museum of Television & Radio (now known as "The Paley Center for Television") in Beverly Hills conducts a special program at the Directors Guild Theatre, a celebrity affair of the first magnitude, which offers you a marvelous opportunity to see some of your favorite TV stars up-close and personal.

Not only can you see some of your favorite stars in person at this event, but you can actually talk to them!

The Television Festival has been a part of the Hollywood scene since 1983. It is held for two weeks each March, and it features star-studded reunions, bringing together the cast members and producers of classic TV shows, past and present, for special screenings of their classic TV episodes. Best of all, the event is open to the general public (for a modest admission fee), so you can be a part of it.

The Festival frequently reunites the entire cast of a beloved TV show, often for the first time since the show went off the air. See the details below about this year's schedule.

In 1992, for instance, the TV Festival was highlighted by a salute to the beloved "Mary Tyler Moore Show," which included a screening of two episodes of the legendary sitcom, as well as a live reunion of the cast (and creative team) of the hit show, including Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Ed Asner, Betty White, Gavin MacLeod, Grant Tinker and others.

The screenings and reunions are usually followed by discussions, with the celebrities fielding questions from members of the audience. So you not only have the opportunity to see your favorite stars, but you have the chance to talk to them as well.

That same year, similar screenings and cast/crew reunions were also held for favorites such as "Star Trek: the Next Generation," "Hill Street Blues," "Roots," "Brooklyn Bridge," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Maude" and "Police Story," among others.

This year, in 2009, the 26th annual Television Festival (now called the "Paleyfest") will be held from April 10 to April 23, and will include cast gatherings from "True Blood", "Desperate Housewives", "90210", "The Big Bang Theory", "The Mentalist", "Dollhouse, "Fringe", "The Hills", "Battlestar Galactica/Caprica", "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia", "Swingtown", "Big Love" and the Internet hit "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog". See the details below.

The Paleyfest will take place at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. (In the past, the Festival was held at the Directors Guild)

General admission tickets will go on sale to Paley Center Members on February 26, 2009, and then will be available to the general public on March 1, 2009.

(Tickets sometimes sell out to members only, so you might want to consider joining - it costs $70 - to get first crack at the tickets.)

As you would expect, these screenings are not free. Ticket prices are $50 & $35 per event for members. For the general public, tickets are $60 and $45 per event. Over 10,000 people attended last year's festival, and the most popular events can sell out quickly.

( If you have money to burn, you can drop $1,200 on a Premium Festival Pass that guarantees you early admission to all 12 events at the Festival, as well as premium seating, parking, a year's membership at the Paley Center, and an invitation to three private after-parties. )

Tickets will be on sale three days early to members only. (You can become a member for $50, by going to this link at TicketMaster).

Starting March 1, tickets will be on sale to the general public via TicketMaster.

But tickets to the best shows sell out fast - so get your tickets early. There is a six-ticket limit per person, per event.

(For sold-out evenings, tickets may sometimes become available at the ticket table in the lobby five minutes prior to starting time.)

(Bear in mind that not all festival panels include a cast reunion, although most do - some are simply screenings. So check the Museum's schedule carefully.)

In 2008, the 25th annual Television Festival (now renamed "Paleyfest") was held from March 14 to March 27, and featured a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion", "Pushing Daisies", "Gossip Girl", "Chuck", "Dancing with the Stars", "Dirty Sexy Money", "Mad Men", "An Evening with Judd Apatow", and a "40th Anniversary Salute to Elvis Presley’s’68 Comeback Special" (with Priscilla Presley).

In 2007, the 24th annual Television Festival was held from March 1 to March 15 and the shows honored included "Ugly Betty," "Heroes," "American Idol," "Prison Break," "Nip/Tuck," "Dexter," "The Office," "Brothers & Sisters," "The Closer," "Jericho" and "The Simpsons".

In 2006, the 23rd annual Festival was held from February 28 to March 15, at the Directors Guild. Shows honored included "Grey's Anatomy", "Entourage", "Everybody Hates Chris", "Battlestar Galactica", "Supernatural", "Medium", "My Name Is Earl", "House", "Family Guy", "The Golden Girls", "How I Met Your Mother", "An Evening with Sally Field", and "Weeds".

In 2005, the 22nd annual Television Festival was held from March 2 to March 16 . Shows honored included "NYPD Blue," "In Living Color," "Adult Swim," "Law & Order," "Desperate Housewives," "Jack & Bobby," "The L Word" "An Evening with MICHAEL PALIN," "Lost," "Veronica Mars," "Boston Legal" and "Deadwood."

In 2004, the 21st annual Television Festival was held from February 26 to March 12. Shows honored included "THE O.C.," "SMALLVILLE," "CARNIVÀLE," "ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT," "TRADING SPACES," "THE WIRE," "CREATING CHARACTERS: J. J. Abrams and 'Sydney Bristow' & 'Felicity Porter'," "An Evening with WILLIAM SHATNER," "An Evening with ANGELA LANSBURY," "A Salute to SHERWOOD SCHWARTZ Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch," and "TRADING SPACES."

In 2003, the 20th annual Television Festival was held from February 26 to March 12. Shows honored included "Boom Town," "Laugh-In," "CSI: Miami," "Without A Trace," "Columbo," "Monk," "The George Lopez Show," "24," "American Dreams," "Life With Bonnie" and "Sabato Gigante".

In 2002, the 19th annual Television Festival was held from February 26 to March 12 . Shows honored included "Alias," "St. Elsewhere," "King of Queens," "Six Feet Under," "Scrubs," "The Bernie Mac Show," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Queer As Folk," "Futurama," "Christina," "Undeclared," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and a "Salute to Fred Allen".

In 2001, the Festival was held from February 28 to March 13. The shows honored in 2001 included "Angel," "Malcolm in the Middle," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Dark Angel," "Gilmore Girls" "Dark Shadows," "Judging Amy," "Boston Public," "Gideon's Crossing," "The Ruttles" and "Survivor".

The 2000 Television Festival was held from February 29 to March 13. The shows honored in 1999 included "An Evening With Garry Shandling," "Will & Grace," "South Park," "The Carol Burnett Show," "Once & Again," "M*A*S*H*," "The West Wing,"
"Dharma & Greg," "Get a Life," "The Outer Limits," "Freaks & Geeks" and "That 70's Show".

The 1999 Television Festival was held from March 2 to March 16. The shows honored in 1999 included "The Jeffersons," "L.A. Law," "NewsRadio," "Felicity," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Sports Night" and "Moesha." plus a tribute to Carl Reiner.

The 1998 Television Festival was held from March 3 to March 16 at the Directors Guild of America. A screening of a rare 1957 "I Love Lucy" special brought out Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lucie Arnaz, as well as the show's original writers and film editor. The shows honored at the 1998 Festival included "Ally McBeal," "The Nanny," "Touched by an Angel," "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer," "The Practice," "King of the Hill," "MacGyver" (reuniting the original cast and crew), "Fawlty Towers" (featuring a live one-man show by John Cleese, in his role as the manager), a "Fernwood 2-Night" reunion (including in-person guests Norman Lear, Martin Mull, Fred Willard, Harry Shearer and Alan Thicke), plus a tribute to magicians Penn & Teller.

1997's lineup included the casts of "The Drew Carey Show," "Millennium," "Murder One," "Pee Wee's Playhouse," "EZ Streets," "Tales of the City," "Jeopardy!" &  "Wheel of Fortune," as well as "Tracey Takes On..." starring talented comic Tracey Ullman. The highlight may have been a salute to "SCTV" with appearances by cast members Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas.

In 1995, the shows honored included "The X-Files," "Frasier," "ER," "Melrose Place," "Batman," "Law & Order," "Sisters," "Magnum P.I.," and "Knot's Landing," along with salutes to Jonathan Winters, Tom Snyder and "Star Wars" creator George Lucas.

In 1994, the honorees included "Mad About You," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Roseanne," "Dallas," "Home Improvement," "Barney Miller," "NYPD Blue," "Hart to Hart," "WKRP in Cincinnati," "Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman," "77 Sunset Strip" and an evening with Norman Lear.

The Museum of Television and Radio's west coast branch is located at 469 Beverly Drive (at the corner of Little Santa Monica Blvd.), in Beverly Hills. (Besides the Festival, the Museum also hosts regular seminars, often featuring with celebrity guests.)

Admission Price: $30, $45 or  $60 per event ($25, $35 & $50 for museum members). Tickets go on sale the early to members, and goon sale to the public a few days later, all via TicketMaster. All seating is general admission; seats can't be reserved.

Hours: The TV Festival is an annual event, and times & dates vary from year to year. It usually begins in late February or early March, and lasts approximately two weeks. In 2007, the Festival will be held from March 1 to March 15, with most show times starting at 7 PM. Phone ahead for the days and times and location of this year's festival.

 Getting there: The Museum of Television and Radio is located at the southwest corner of Beverly Drive and Little Santa Monica Blvd., in Beverly Hills. / From Rodeo Drive, go north to Little Santa Monica Blvd., and turn right (northeast). Go one block to Beverly Drive and turn right.

 The Directors Guild Theatre, where the Festival is held, is located on the Sunset Strip, just one block west of Fairfax, in Hollywood. From Hollywood & Vine, go two blocks south to Sunset, turn right (west), and go about two miles west, to just past Fairfax. The Directors Guild will be on your left (south) side.

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