Top 10 Basic Cable Network VH1 Greenlights Seven New Productions to Continue Record-Breaking Momentum in 2008

Top 10 Basic Cable Network VH1 Greenlights Seven New Productions to Continue Record-Breaking Momentum in 2008

Margaret Cho and Luther Campbell Join the VH1 Celebreality Family, 'New York' Moves to Los Angeles, Brooke Hogan Moves Out on Her Own, James Brown and Elton John Get Their Own 'Rock Docs' and Snoop Dogg Scores His Own 'VH1 Storytellers'

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Make room for VH1. For the first time in its 23-year history, VH1 has cracked the list of top 10 basic cable networks among 18-49 viewers in primetime, quarter-to-date. The network is currently tied for 7th place, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The music and pop culture network plans to keep the momentum going well into 2008 by greenlighting seven new productions under Jeff Olde, VH1's new Executive Vice President of Programming and Development.

The greenlights include four new Celebreality sitcoms including "The Cho Show," which stars Margaret Cho and chronicles her interactions with her friends AND her beloved parents; "Luke's World" starring Luther Campbell from 2 Live Crew, as he manages to balance fatherhood with the demands of overseeing his adult entertainment empire; "New York Goes To Hollywood" starring Tiffany "New York" Pollard as she tries to catapult from reality show maven to A-list actress; and "Brooke Hogan Knows Best" which chronicles Brooke Hogan as she leaves the family nest and strikes out on her own.

Also being greenlit are new editions of VH1's Emmy Award-winning "Rock Docs" franchise featuring stories on James Brown and Elton John and a brand new "VH1 Storytellers" starring Snoop Dogg.

VH1 is rapidly approaching its 23rd consecutive quarter of growth among total viewers due to the success of such hit series as "Scott Baio Is 46 ... and Pregnant," "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," "Best Week Ever," "Salt-N-Pepa Show," "Rock Of Love 2," "My Fair Brady 3" and "Flavor Of Love 3." VH1 kicked off the first quarter of 2008 by expanding from two to three nights of original programming per week, airing "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" on Thursdays.

"Breaking into cable's overall top 10 network rankings is a new milestone in VH1's ratings ascent that's been propelled by some of the most talked about shows in television this year including 'Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew' and 'Rock Of Love 2,'" said Olde. "VH1 has never had so many hit shows on our air at one time. This new slate of provocative 'Celebreality' shows, insightful music documentaries and exclusive music performances will keep our success streak going while fueling our expanding original programming efforts."

THE CHO SHOW (7 Episodes - 30 Minutes)

Thirteen years after her catastrophic foray into television, Margaret Cho is triumphantly returning to television in a new reality-sitcom on VH1 in "The Cho Show." This time it's on her own terms.

Margaret burst onto the scene in 1994 with her sitcom "All American Girl" and her struggles with the network over that show are legendary. After the show was canceled, Margaret channeled all of that negative energy from her network experience into a wealth of comedy material that fueled her rise as one of the hottest comics in the business.

This VH1 series will follow the irrepressible Margaret Cho and her eccentric entourage as she fights to be herself in an industry that in the past wanted her to be something other than herself. The series will touch upon all aspects of Margaret's "anything goes" lifestyle, from the strained and awkward moments provided by her somewhat traditional Korean parents to the more irreverent and outrageous moments shared with her colorful cast of friends and colleagues.

"The Cho Show" is executive produced by Rico Martinez and Margaret Cho for Crossroads Television. Jill Holmes, Alex Demyanenko, Noah Pollack and Jeff Olde executive produce for VH1.

LUKE'S PARENTAL ADVISORY (8 Episodes - 30 Minutes)

Over the years, Luther "Luke" Campbell has had many monikers including raunchiest man in Hip Hop, musical mastermind and even activist for constitutional rights. But he is best known as the hype man for 2 Live Crew, the bawdiest hip hop group of the late 1980's/early 90's, and pioneer of the modern music video featuring scantily clad girls.

What people don't know about Luke is that he is now a loving father, successful CEO and most surprising of all, faithful fiancee. However, don't think Luke has changed completely. His life may look like the picture of typical suburbia, but his adult entertainment business ventures prove he's still going to be as nasty as he wants to be.

This reality series will follow the day-to-day adventures as Luke navigates fatherhood with two teenage children, while running his adult business Luke Entertainment Group and planning a wedding with his straight-laced lawyer fiancee Kristin. Whether it's wedding cake shopping, giving a "birds and the bees" lecture to his son or casting dancers for his adult Web site, Luke Campbell does things his own way and he doesn't give a *!#@ what anybody says about it!

"Luke's Parental Advisory" is a production of VH1 in conjunction with Pink Sneakers Productions. Kimberly Belcher Cowin is executive producer and John Ehrhard is co-executive producer & director. Warren Cohen is supervising producer for VH1 and Shelly Tatro, Brad Abramson and Jeff Olde are executive producers for VH1.

NEW YORK GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (10 Episodes - 30 Minutes)

Having at long last conquered her quest for love, New York is ready to tackle her other life dream: superstardom. Don't get it wrong -- New York is already a star but she wants to be on the A-list -- as a legit actress.

In order to focus on her new mission, New York has to put her last conquest, Tailor Made, on the backburner as she tries to take on Tinsel Town. She's moving out west to see if she can climb the Hollywood ladder. Question is, will she reach for the stars or fall flat on her face.

"New York Goes To Hollywood" is created and executive produced by Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego for Mindless Entertainment and 51 Pictures. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Kristen Kelly oversee the series for VH1.

BROOKE HOGAN KNOWS BEST (10 Episodes - 30 Minutes)

The world has come to know and love Brooke Hogan over the past four seasons of the hit Celebreality show "Hogan Knows Best." Her fans have felt for her through the years as she lived under the oppressive thumb of her father, Hulk Hogan. She's been tailed, embarrassed, spied on, controlled, and now she is finally breaking free. Brooke is moving to Miami to begin her new life of freedom with lots of temptations and many new responsibilities.

This show will follow Brooke Hogan as she embarks into a whole new world with no rules but her own. We'll see this sheltered six foot blonde bombshell take on the city of Miami. We'll see her deal with the ins and outs of daily life, the extra pressures of managing her career and finances without Mom and Dad, her new relationships, and for the first time being away from her family's safety net. Brooke is no longer the innocent teenager under Dad's lock and key, which ultimately pushes Hulk into very uncomfortable territory as a Dad.

The cast will consist of Brooke, and her two roommates, Ashley and Glenn. Other interesting characters will come in and out of the series including love interests, new friends and new business associates. But you can bet that no matter what Brooke does Hulk and Linda will never be too far behind.

"Brooke Hogan Knows Best" is a production of VH1 in conjunction with Pink Sneakers Productions. Kimberly Belcher Cowin is executive producer and John Ehrhard is co-executive producer and director. Warren Cohen is supervising producer, along with Brad Abramson, Shelly Tatro, and Jeff Olde as executive producers for VH1.

VH1 ROCK DOC: THE NIGHT JAMES BROWN SAVED BOSTON (60 Minutes - Premieres April 5)

The night is April 5, 1968 -- one night after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and America's inner cities began going up in flames. There is already violence in Boston's heavily-black Roxbury neighborhood, and word on the street is that it's about to get a lot worse.

At Boston's City Hall, Mayor Kevin White is trying to keep the fragile peace. One reported idea was to cancel that day's biggest gathering -- a long-scheduled James Brown concert at Boston Garden. But a call from one of Boston's most influential R&B DJs to the lone black city councilman points out the danger of that decision. Simply, he says, if the concert is cancelled, Boston might have the biggest uprising since the Boston Tea Party. And so, faced with the grim reality of making the wrong decision, the mayor and his team turn it around. Rather than cancel the show, they ask, "Is there something James Brown can do to help?"

Mayor White wants to know if James will encourage his fans to stay home and watch the concert on television. In so many words, the mayor is saying, "If you'll allow this concert to be on TV tonight, your fans in Boston will stay home and the night will be peaceful." Meaning that unlike what is happening in so many other cities around the country, Boston won't erupt in flames. There won't be rioting if James will give his blessing, which he does and there isn't.

Finally, 40 years after that remarkable and historic moment, VH1 Rock Docs presents "The Night James Brown Saved Boston," a film from David Leaf Productions. Through rarely seen footage of the concert and with the personal reminiscences of James Brown's band members, colleagues (including long-time manager Charles Bobbit), awe-struck concert-goers (including Newsweek's David Gates), Boston city government officials and the pointed commentary of several distinguished observers of African-American history (including Dr. Cornel West, Dr. Andrew Young, Rev. Al Sharpton) -- the dramatic and emotionally-riveting story unfolds.

"The Night James Brown Saved Boston" is directed by David Leaf, whose most recent feature documentaries include the Grammy-nominated "Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson & The Story of SMiLE" and a previous VH1 Rock Doc, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon." Arlene Wszalek, David Leaf, Eric Kulberg and Morgan Neville are producers. Mark Anstendig is supervising producer for VH1 with Shelly Tatro, Brad Abramson and Jeff Olde serving as executive producers.

VH1 ROCK DOC: ELTON JOHN: ME, MYSELF AND I (60 Minutes - June 7)

Using some of the most extraordinary and innovative special effects technology ever seen on television, viewers will see Sir Elton literally step back in time, as the superstar singer takes them on a flamboyant, intimate and entertaining journey through his colorful life. A journey that has seen a career spanning more than four decades and boasting global record sales in excess of 250 million.

In this one-hour special, Sir Elton reveals his true feelings about many key moments, both personal and professional, that have shaped his life. Viewers will get the chance to see Sir Elton interact with his younger self via an unprecedented rummage through rare archive material as Elton gives a private insight into his past unlike anything ever seen before in any television documentary.

"VH1 Rock Doc: Elton John: Me, Myself and I" was produced by Monkey Kingdom Productions in the UK.

VH1 STORYTELLERS: SNOOP DOGG - (March 31)

Snoop Dogg is set to tape his "VH1 Storytellers" episode this month in Brooklyn. Fans can watch this exclusive performance when "VH1 Storytellers: Snoop Dogg" premieres Monday, March 31. The one-hour episode will treat fans to a unique experience as Snoop Dogg performs songs from his upcoming album Ego Trippin' in addition to past hits. Following in the "Storytellers" format, Snoop will answer questions from fans and give viewers the opportunity to hear the inspiration and stories behind his songs.

"VH1 Storytellers: Snoop Dogg" is a production of VH1. Patrizia DiMaria produces with Lee Rolontz and Bill Flanagan serving as executive producers.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 90 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1 Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

   *All times ET/PT    Contacts:  Brett Henne                 Scott Acord              212-846-6752                310-752-8075              brett.henne@vh1staff.com    scott.acord@vh1staff.com  

Source: VH1

CONTACT: Brett Henne, +1-212-846-6752, brett.henne@vh1staff.com, or
Scott Acord, +1-310-752-8075, scott.acord@vh1staff.com, both of VH1

Web site: http://www.vh1.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment