VH1 Greenlights New Series "Grand River Singers Project," "Black Ink" and New "100 Greatest Kid Stars" Special, Beloved Series "Best Week Ever" Returns To VH1 To Anchor Humor Block On Friday Nights

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Having increased primetime ratings year-to-date by 33% percent, VH1 is keeping the momentum going with new original programs that reflect the interests of its "adultster" audience – adults who are balancing new responsibilities with their desires to stay current with what's happening in music and pop culture.  

As part of that momentum, the network is building a beachhead of humor-based shows on Friday nights beginning in January 2013.  Leading off the Friday night block of humor will be the return of the audience favorite "Best Week Ever." The show will be coupled with additional series including the new pop culture nostalgia series "Miss You Much," hosted by Catherine Reitman.

"Fridays are when we exhale at the end of another hard week and embrace our weekends. Our Friday night block will reflect that spirit with shows that celebrate pop culture of the past – whether it's the past decade or the past week," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming & Production, VH1. "'Best Week Ever' is still revered among critics and viewers for deftly skewering and praising the pop culture events and celebrities of the week, so we're happy to bring it back refreshed and slightly tweaked for these social-media saturated days. 'Miss You Much' lovingly uncovers today's stories about our teenage idols of the past, led by Catherine Reitman who brings infectious curiosity and nostalgic anticipation to each of her upbeat adventures." 

VH1 has also given the greenlight to new series "Grand River Singers Project," which focuses on a show choir of young adults blindly reaching for glory in their home state of Wisconsin, and "Black Ink," centered on a successful Harlem tattoo shop staffed by a tight crew of male and female adult employees who draw in hip hop stars, athletes and celebrities.  

In addition, VH1 has acquired Ice-T's feature-length documentary "Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap" for its Emmy Award-winning "Rock Doc" franchise. VH1 viewers will also see Catherine Reitman in November when she hosts "100 Greatest Kid Stars" countdown series.

"Nostalgia, hip hop and authentic storytelling covering diverse aspects of pop culture are all topics that are connecting with VH1's audience.  Our new slate strengthens that connection while expanding upon our viewers' interests.  We can't wait to share these shows," said Olde.

NEW SERIES

"MISS YOU MUCH" Sneak Peek Premieres Sunday, December 2 at 10PM ET/PT

Have you ever wondered what's up with some of your favorite TV, movie or pop stars from the last 20 years?  VH1 will give you the exclusive details in its new series "Miss You Much," hosted by actress-comedienne Catherine Reitman.  Not all young celebrities end up with a mug shot and an arrest record.  Some have moved on to careers outside of entertainment, while many are still active in showbiz.  Each week the show will profile three of your favorite celebrities as we take a peek inside at what they are doing now with their lives.  Catherine spends a day with each celebrity and asks the questions all adoring fans would love to ask – even getting a little too 'personal' at times.  Some of the celebs who will share what they have been up to include: Jamie Walters (90210), Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees), Lark Voorhies (Saved By the Bell), Jeremy Miller (Growing Pains), Romeo (rapper) and Jeremy Jackson (Baywatch).  A sneak peek of the full "Miss You Much" premiere will debut on Sunday, December 2 at 10pm ET/PT. "Miss You Much" will debut as a weekly half-hour Friday night series in early 2013. 

VH1's "Miss You Much" is executive produced by Shelly Tatro, Karla Hidalgo and Jeff Olde for VH1.

"GRAND RIVER SINGERS PROJECT" (Working Title) Premieres Summer of 2013

The series revolves around a young adult show choir in Wisconsin called the Grand River Singers where cliques, jealousy and love all blend together in this quirky musical family. 

What some may say they lack in talent and execution, no one can deny they make up for in pure determination and heart. And this group has a LOT of heart.  They have but one goal: to take the Grand River Singers out of La Crosse, Wisconsin and onto a much larger stage like the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival or the Sheboygan Bratwurst Festival.  Will they be able to set aside their egos and reach their goal or will they sabotage their own dreams and remain as unknowns in La Crosse? 

"Grand River Singers Project" is executive produced by Tim Hamilton, Colleen Steward and Shannon Keenan Demers for Tremendous! Entertainment, Inc.  Executive producing for VH1 are Jill Holmes, Tom Huffman and Jeff Olde.

"BLACK INK" (Working Title) Premieres Early 2013

Located in the middle of Harlem on 113th and Lennox Avenue, Black Ink is one of the few black-owned and operated tattoo parlors in New York City. It's a magnet for hip hop stars both old school and new (Cam'ron, Jadakiss, Jim Jones, Asap Rocky, Corey Gunz) as well as pro athletes (Amare Stoudamire, C.C. Sabathia, Stephon Marbury, Brandon Spikes), video vixens and a who's who of urban elite (Tyson Beckford,  Keri Hilson).  The employees are a tight but totally dysfunctional "family."  For many of them, this shop is the key to turning around their lives and for some of them it's their first legitimate job off the streets. But can they survive all of the drama that is part of everyday life at the shop?

"Black Ink" is executive produced by Dan Cesareo and Doug DePriest for Big Fish Entertainment.  Executive producers for VH1 are Shelly Tatro, Kari Mcfarland, Rick Hankey and Jeff Olde.

MINI-SERIES

"VH1'S 100 GREATEST KID STARS" Premieres Thursday, November 29 – Sunday, December 2 at 9PM ET/PT

"100 Greatest Kid Stars" is a 5-part special hosted by Catherine Reitman (VH1's Miss You Much), providing a nostalgic look back over the last 2 decades at some of entertainment's biggest 'little' stars from Macaulay Culkin to Elijah Wood to Dakota Fanning.  Each one-hour edition features performances along with new and original interviews with some of today's biggest adult stars back in their 'kiddie' days like Anna Paquin, Lindsay Lohan, Michelle Williams, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Hanson, Lil' Romeo, Mara Wilson, Taran Noah Smith, Sam Levine and many more.  You'll also see early musical performances of today's biggest recording stars like Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, and Miley Cyrus when they were little and even more adorable. 

"VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars" is executive produced by Karla Hidalgo, Shelly Tatro Bernie Kaminski, and Jeff Olde for VH1.

RETURNING SERIES

"BEST WEEK EVER" Premieres Fridays - January 2013

VH1's sardonic hit series "Best Week Ever" is returning after a 3-year hiatus with a fresh new look.  The weekly series will examine all that was good, bad and "so-bad-it-was-awesome" in the world of pop culture news and gossip. All the juicy bits of celebrities' lives to the crazy "I-can't-believe-they-did-that" moments on the internet will all be discussed by your favorite funny talking heads.  The series will also have an expanded social media aspect to the show.

"Best Week Ever," is executive produced by Shelly Tatro, Karla Hidalgo and Jeff Olde.

SPECIALS

"SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP" Premieres Thursday, September 13^th at 9PM ET/PT

Directed by rapper Ice-T, "Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap" goes deep into the heart of rap and hip hop music, featuring masters of the game including: Afrika Bambaataa, Big Daddy Kane, B-Real, Chuck D, DJ Premier, DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Grandmaster Caz, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Kanye West, KRS One, Marley Marl, MC Lyte, Melle Mel, Nas, Q-Tip, Raekwon, Rakim, Redman, Run, Salt, Snoop Dogg and others.  More than a performance documentary, "The Art of Rap" gets up close and personal with these legends of the game to share insightful, deep and often hilarious revelations as well as classic raps, new rhymes and acappellas. The documentary will air as part of VH1's Emmy Award-winning "Rock Doc" franchise. 

"Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap" is executive produced by Paul Toogood, Jorge Hinojosa, Simon D. Pearce, David Kaplan, Alison Toogood and Jelena Nikolic.

2012 DO SOMETHING AWARDS Premieres Tuesday, August 21 at 9:00 PM ET/PT

The Do Something Awards honors the nation's best young world-changers. One extraordinary do-er (age 25 and under) will receive a life-changing $100,000 for his or her project.  This year's five nominees address crucial issues from improving the lives of Sudanese refugees, educating the youth of Honduras, and raising awareness of the global water crisis to promoting growth and healing of children through art and providing resources for foster kids to prepare for success when they turn 18.  The 2012 Do Something Awards also credits celebrities who "do good."  This year's nominees include Kristen Bell, Ben Affleck, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Nicole Richie, Neil Patrick Harris, Channing Tatum, Emma Stone, and many others.  The show will tape Sunday, August 19 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and air Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 9:00pm EST on VH1. The star-studded event is hosted by the hilarious trio of gentlemen co-stars on the Golden Globe-nominated series "New Girl," Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield and Lamorne Morris. 

The "Do Something Awards" are executive produced by Michael Dempsey for Dempsey Productions and Lee Rolontz for VH1. Nancy Lublin and Naomi Hirabayashi oversee the awards show for DoSomething.org.

For additional information about VH1 programming visit the official VH1 site at vh1.com. Viewers can also find programing info on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/vh1 and on Twitter @VH1 with the hashtag #VH1.

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 99 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, and extensive video on VH1.com.  VH1 is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  For more information, go to www.vh1press.com or visit VH1.com, the VH1 Facebook page and @VH1 on Twitter.

SOURCE VH1

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