QUICK TAKE

FINALISTS FOR "WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE," AIRING SUNDAY, AUGUST 16

TV Personality, Author and Cook Rachael Ray Guest Stars; John Carpenter, the Series' First-Ever Million Dollar Winner, Also Appears; Journalist Connie Chung is on the "Ask the Expert" Lifeline

"Episode 8006" -- Finalists for ABC's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," airing SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), have been selected. Regis Philbin hosts this special two-week, 10th anniversary edition of the ABC Television Network's celebration of the original primetime smash hit in which contestants are vying for the $1 million top prize. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" will air for 11 nights, Sunday-Thursday at 8:00 p.m., with the finale on SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET).

Finalists who'll compete in the Fastest Finger rounds to see who will make the Hot Seat:

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
1. Mike Frame, Novi, Michigan
2. Richard Meissner, New York, NY
3. Leah Asbury, Pryor, OK
4. Renee Vanlandingham, Pendleton, IN
5. Steve Elia, Vail, AZ
6. Benny Shum, East Palo Alto, CA
7. Rebecca Kesler, Van Buren Township, MI
8. Dale Shackley, Stanwood, WA
9. Ellen Gaines, Dunnsville, VA
10. Stephanie Osorio, Gainesville, FL

As a special feature, TV personality, author and cook Rachael Ray will conclude the episode by taking the Hot Seat, hoping to correctly answer a single question worth $50,000 for her favorite charities, Yum-O Organization and ASPCA. Journalist Connie Chung will be the expert on the "Ask the Expert" lifeline.

As the show looks back at memorable moments, John Carpenter from Hamden, Connecticut, the series' first-ever million dollar winner, and his father visited (but did not compete) in the August 16 audience. Carpenter famously called his dad on the last question for his "Phone a Friend" just to tell him he knew the answer and was about to win $1 million. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" is produced by Valleycrest Productions Ltd. Michael Davies is executive producer. The program is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. It carries a TV-G parental guideline. For more information, go to www.abc.com.