IMG ENTERTAINMENT HAS THAT FRIDAY FEELING

MIPCOM SLATE 2008 – New Titles Announced

IMG Entertainment, the entertainment distribution division of IMG Worldwide, will be taking an additional 130 new hours of programming to Mipcom 2008, bringing the total number of hours in its catalogue up to more than 800.

IMG Entertainment’s new portfolio includes original programming and formats, across a range of genres, including: drama, reality, comedy, entertainment and factual.

Among the several highlights in the new catalogue is IMG Entertainment’s very first animated series, Friday: The Animated Series (8x 30’), an urban comedy based on Ice Cube’s successful Friday movie franchises.  Originally aired on MTV 2, ‘Friday’ follows popular characters Smokey and Craig as they struggle to survive family, friends and life in south central.

Another show that joins IMG Entertainment’s catalogue this week is Tiger Aspect’s Mr Eleven (1x90’), a romantic comedy written by Amanda Cole (Shameless, As If, Elizabeth David).   Mr Eleven follows Saz Clarke (Michele Ryan) a school teacher who is obsessed with the fact that the average British woman is said to marry their eleventh sexual partner, so when she agrees to marry doctor Dan (Sean Maguire), her Mr Eleven, she couldn’t be happier - that is until she bumps into old flame Alex (Adam Garcia) and realises that the numbers don’t quite add up.

U B Dead (1x120’) by Darlow Smithson Productions will also be on IMG Entertainment’s Mipcom 2008 slate.   Award winning script writer Gwyneth Hughes transforms the true story of Maria Marchese’s obsession with a London doctor, the worse case of stalking the metropolitan police has ever seen, into a gripping factual drama.

Mark Young, IMG Entertainment’s Senior Vice President, Entertainment Sales & Acquisitions Worldwide, said: “We are extremely proud of this year’s catalogue, after doubling our sales in 2007 from 2006 we look set to triple them this year with our exciting new slate.  Our new line-up of quality programmes is a reflection of the variety we can offer to our broadcasting clients; from the chilling tale of obsession in U B Dead to the hilarious cult animated series ‘Friday’ there will be something for everyone to get excited about.

We are especially pleased that this year sees the return of some of our favourite shows which have been re-commissioned for further series, these include: Secret Diary of a Call Girl series 2, Benidorm series 3, Harry and Paul series 2 and Make Me a Supermodel US.  Their return to our screens is a testimony to their success and popularity, and we are thrilled to be representing them again.”

IMG Entertainment’s 2008 Mipcom slate overview:

Comedy:

Badly Dubbed Porn
Building on the strong success of previous hit series Badly Dubbed Porn is back with a vengeance, overflowing with celebrity storylines, film pastiches and TV parodies. 24 x 22’, Tiger Aspect Productions.

Benidorm: Series 3
Written by award winning Derren Litten. Benidorm is back for a thirds series, a comedy set in the all inclusive holiday resort in one of the more infamous destinations on the Costa Blanca. Series 1: 6 x 22’, Series 2: 8 x 22’, Series 3: 8 x 45’ showing on ITV1, Tiger Aspect Productions.

Friday: The Animated Series
Based on the hugely successful ‘Friday’ movie franchise produced and written by Ice Cube. This urban comedy follows the misadventures of Craig & Smokey as they struggle to survive family, friends and life in South Central LA. 8 x 23’, MTV/Cubevision/New Line Television.

Harry and Paul: Series 2
Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse are back! Two of the biggest comedy names in Britain have produced a second series, HArry and PAulHfeaturing even more hilarious characters.
Series 1: 6 x 30’ and Series 2: 6 x 30’ showing on BBC1, Tiger Aspect Productions.

Ladies and Letters
Following the same love / hate relationship enjoyed by radio audiences between two widows as they swap barbed insults with each other while divulging frequent anarchy in their lives. Starring Anne Reid Life Begins, The Mother and Maureen Lipman Agony, The Pianist, He Kills Coppers. 10 x 26’ showing on ITV3, Tiger Aspect Productions.

Sordid Lives: The Series
Black comedy about white trash! Starring Olivia Newton John Grease, Xanadu, Bonnie Bedelia Heart Like A Wheel, and Beth Grant No Country For Old Men, Little Miss Sunshine.
12 x 22’ showing on Logo, Scout Productions & Once Upon A Time Film.

Drama:

Mr Eleven
According to statistics women in the UK will on average settle down and marry their eleventh sexual partner. But does Mr Eleven necessarily equal Mr Right? Starring Michelle Ryan Bionic Woman and Sean Maguire, Meet the Spartans. 1 x 85’, showing on ITV 1, Tiger Aspect Productions.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl 2
Belle is back in the second series, starring Billie Piper and based on the best-selling, real life diaries of an upmarket escort.
Series 1: 8 x 23’, Series 2: 8 x 23’, now showing on Showtime and ITV2, Tiger Aspect Productions.

U Be Dead
Based on the extraordinary true story of a women’s obsession, that spiralled dangerously out of control. Starring: David Morrissey The Other Boleyn Girl, Tara Fitzgerald Waking The Dead, 1 x 93’, showing on ITV 1, Darlow Smithson Productions.

Factual:

Killer in a Small Town
This is the story of how the lives of five ordinary women from an ordinary English town descended into drugs and prostitution; how they became the victims of one of Britain’s most prolific serial killers of modern times.
1 x 92’ showing on Channel 4, Darlow Smithson Productions.

Ross Kemp on Gangs, Series 4
The fourth series of BAFTA Award winning documentary strand sees Ross Kemp continue his investigation into the world’s most notorious gangs, plus an exciting special report on politically unstable Kenya following the recent electoral violence.  5 x 45’ showing on Sky 1, Tiger Aspect Productions.

Designer People
Each episode is a self-contained profile of one of the world’s leading designers, including architectural, fashion, communication, interior and industrial design.
13 x 30’ showing on Ovation TV (USA) and Foxtel (Australia), Demon Angel.

Inside: LA Gang Wars
An unprecedented first-person account of the lives of young gang members caught up in a ruthless gang war in Los Angeles.  1 x 50’ Hoggard Films, National Geographic US.

Factual Entertainment:

Must See Places in the World
Each episode explores rare natural beauty, man made wonder and fantastic wildlife, creating a one-of-a-kind journey across the planet. 3 x 60’, Readers Digest.

Designer Traveller
Including the cities hip hotels, cutting edge restaurants and iconic & insider design led attractions, structures and individuals, create an entertaining guide map to the cool and cutting edge. 13 x 30, showing on Foxtel (Australia).

About IMG Entertainment

IMG Entertainment, the entertainment production and distribution division of IMG Worldwide, is one of the world’s largest independent producers of drama, comedy, unscripted, fashion, documentary and children’s content.  With offices in Los Angeles, New York and London, IMG Entertainment’s production subsidiaries include the award-winning Darlow Smithson Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions and Tigress Productions.  IMG Entertainment produces and distributes 5,000 hours of network, cable and syndicated programming annually, including “Make Me a Supermodel,” “Secret Diary of a Call Girl,” “Sordid Lives: The Series,” “Bingo America,” and “Vanity Lair.”