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G4 Orders ‘Spaceballs’ Series

Sep 25, 2006  •  Post A Comment

G4 is teaming with Mel Brooks for an animated series based on the 1987 movie “Spaceballs.” The network has ordered 13 episodes of “Spaceballs: The Animated Series,” which will be produced by Brooksfilms and Berliner Film Co. and distributed internationally by MGM Studios. “As the go-to network for men 18 to 34, irreverent humor is one of the benchmarks of our programming philosophy, as is animation,” said Neal Tiles, president of G4. The series will debut in fall of 2007.-JAMES HIBBERD

Fox Stations Unveil Multiplatform Dating Business

Fox Television Stations plans to make dating a multiplatform business that will attract viewers to a program titled “My Dating Place” and drive traffic to stations’ Web sites by bringing together people in their hometowns. The show, which will air five nights a week, will launch in Phoenix on Fox-owned MyNetworkTV station KUTP-TV. After a shake-out, the show will roll out to other Fox-owned stations. “My Dating Place” was created and will be executive produced by John Terenzio, whose experience includes network news, cable sports and syndication. Mr. Terenzio will continue to executive produce “Judge Joe Brown” for Paramount Domestic Television.-MICHELE GREPPI

Cingular’s VOD Ads Outperform Expectations

Cellular provider Cingular Wireless said Tuesday its early work with video-on-demand advertising has outperformed its expectations by more than a third. The advertiser began a major campaign at the start of the year across VOD networks including RipeTV, Havoc, Music Choice, Concert and TV Guide. In the first two months of that campaign, those networks delivered more than 17 million views for Cingular, said Vance Overbey, executive director of advertising for Cingular, during a Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau event in New York. Those impressions represent a 36 percent overdelivery of its guarantees, Mr. Overbey said. “These are not big numbers, but it’s a great start,” he said. “We are very bullish on the growth of VOD.” -DAISY WHITNEY

Starz Orders a Trio of Series

Starz has ordered three new series, including a stand-up comedy program being executive produced by actor-comedian Martin Lawrence. The projects represent the channel’s ongoing foray into original programming, which the movie network typically uses as short interstitial between theatrical films. The project with Mr. Lawrence, however, is a half-hour stand-alone series. Called “Martin Lawrence’s 1st Amendment Stand-Up,” the 12-episode series will showcase young comedians and debut in the first quarter of 2007. Another program, “The Bronx Bunny,” is a celebrity interview show hosted by rude puppets based on a U.K. series of the same title. Ten 15-minute episodes have been ordered. The third project is “Head Case,” a scripted original series about a celebrity therapist. Twenty five-minute episodes have been ordered.-JAMES HIBBERD