Screen on the Green Is Saved

We just came close (OK, really close) to wetting our pants

Forget the catchy lead-ins…

HBO'S SCREEN ON THE GREEN IS BACK!!

After the outpouring of complaints (three Facebook groups, thousands of letters, and we-don't-even-want-to-know-how-many Tweets), HBO has found a way to resurrect our beloved free summer movie series on the National Mall.

Enter Comcast and the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall, who have lent a helping hand -- in the form of tens of thousands of dollars, natch -- to help diffuse the enormous bill usually footed by HBO. 'Cause hey, sometimes we can only get by with a little help from our friends.

SOTG will kick off for 2009 Monday, July 20 with the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and will be followed by four more Monday night movies, coming to a sad, sad close on Aug. 10. Preceding each film, a public service announcement from the Trust for the National Mall will be shown to promote the importance of maintaining and conserving the National Mall and its monuments and memorials.

So dig up that ratty quilt from the depths of your closet, or hit up Tar-jay to splurge on one of those ground-level camping chairs. Find a new, creative way to stash your bottle(s) of wine, and pack up a yuppie picnic. And get ready once again for that famous flail HBO dance.

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