FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Nationally renowned poet Miller Williams and his daughter, Grammy Award-winning songwriter Lucinda Williams, will be featured on CNN in the first program of a new series called "America’s Best."

A collaborative project between CNN and Time magazine, "America’s Best" will identify and profile individuals who represent the highest achievers in their fields. The series will consist of five installments to appear on television and in the magazine over the next five months.

"The goal of this project is to identify those players at the top of their games who are making a difference, who are reinventing their craft, and then impart that to our viewers and readers," said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president of CNN productions, in an official news release.

"We wanted to do this series because we believe the viewers of CNN and readers of Time want to learn about these people and their contributions to society," Schiller added.

The "America’s Best" series celebrates people in 21 different fields, including best actor, best singer, best fashion designer and best photographer. Nominations for each category were submitted by the general public as well as editors and producers of CNN and Time magazine. Winners were selected by the editors of Time.

The first installment of the series will focus on arts and entertainment and will air on CNN at 9 p.m. (Central Time) on Sunday, July 1. Each program in the series consists of three majorprofiles, flanked by several smaller profiles of individuals who have made an impact through their talents or expertise.

Named Best Songwriter, Lucinda Williams represents one of the major profiles to be aired on the first show. The production of her profile included interviews and candid shots of her father Miller Williams, professor of English in the creative writing program at the University of Arkansas.

"It’s looking at two generations of wordsmiths and how Miller’s significant accomplishments have helped to shape his daughter’s. We wanted to glimpse how growing up in a household of letters and music and art, surrounded by great poets and players, contributed to Lucinda’s artistic development," said Ted Rubenstein, producer of the Williams profile. "Lucinda and her father share an ability to take simple language and turn it into something deeply meaningful."

The other major profiles for the July 1 show will focus on Best Film Director and Best Broadway Director. A special issue of Time magazine will hit newsstands on the morning of July 2, featuring the same three profiles. Subsequent installments of the "America’s Best" series will cover the following fields:

• Science and Medicine (Aug. 12 on CNN; Aug. 13 in Time)
• Culture and Society (Sept. 9 on CNN; September 10 in Time)
• Business and Technology (Oct. 7 on CNN; Oct. 8 in Time)
• Politics and Community (Nov. 4 on CNN; Nov. 5 in Time).

CNN represents one of the world’s foremost leaders in news and information dissemination. A division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., the system controls 16 cable and satellite television networks; three private place-based networks; two radio networks; and 12 web sites. Time magazine, one of the world’s best-known news journals, has been in publication for nearly 80 years. It is read by more than 28 million people worldwide.

For more information about the "America’s Best" series, visit www.CNN.com/americasbest or www.time.com/americasbest. A complete list of the "America’s Best" categories of excellence is attached to this release.

Categories of Excellence for CNN/Time "America’s Best"

Best Movie Star

Best Artist

Best Fashion Designer

Best Novelist

Best Actor

Best Architect

Best Comedian

Best Photographer

Best Playwright

Best Radio Host

Best Rappers

Best Singer

Best Talk Show Host

Best TV Producer

Best DJ

Best Songwriter

Best Young Classical Musician

Best Clown

Best Film Director

Best Broadway Director

Best Rock Band

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