[disneyaholic]

By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Celebrity sightings will be taken to a new level this weekend as entire casts from ABC Television's fall primetime lineup descend on the Disneyland Resort for a two-day campaign to attract viewers to the ailing network.

More than 70 stars, from John Ritter and Eric Roberts to Drew Carey and Dylan McDermott, will ride in parades, answer questions from park guests and, in the case of actor/musician Jim Belushi, sing the blues.

Pilot episodes for some of the new shows on ABC's schedule will also play for guests at Disney's California Adventure.

The unprecedented gathering is part of a companywide effort mounted by The Walt Disney Co. to drive viewers to its sagging ABC network this fall.

Primetime ratings have slipped badly at the network, which just two years ago was riding the success of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ( news - web sites)."

ABC has often been called upon to help promote the release of a new Disney feature film or the opening of a theme park. But since the entertainment giant acquired ABC in 1996, the network has never needed Disney to return the favor — until now.

The promotional effort also involves Disney stores, its ESPN Zone restaurants, record labels and even Disney-branded cereals and juices.

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Tim aka disneyaholic
Webmaster of The Unofficial Disney Animation Archive