VH1 GREENLIGHTS THREE,
RENEWS TWO

In addition, Frank "The Entertainer" Morosco, the 32-year-old slacker from the I Love New York and I Love Money shows, who lives in a bachelor pad in his parents’ basement, will have his own series.

These programming additions come on the heels of recent announcements about several new original primetime series on VH1, including Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty; an as-yet untitled show which centers on the family and career of American Idol winner Fantasia as she refocuses and tries to get her career back on track; The OCD Project, centering on OCD patients living together as they strive to overcome their disorder; and The Aspen Project, focusing on the highs and lows of living and dating in one of the wealthiest communities in the world.

VH1’s total primetime viewership was up 12% during the second quarter of 2009 compared to the same period the year before. And, the network has launched nine new and returning series averaging at least 1 million total viewers in their premiere episodes. In fact, VH1 has launched five new series year-to-date averaging at least 1 million total viewers, more than any other cable network this year.

“No matter if you’re a Grammy Award-winning artist, a film actor or a TV reality star with millions of loyal fans, we all share the same desires of the human experience…to succeed, to love, and to live our lives to their fullest potential,” said the net’s EVP Original Programming & Production Jeff Olde. “VH1 has generated a lot of buzz over the years by evolving from an outlet that commented on pop culture to a brand that creates it. With these projects, we’re continuing to evolve, building on our core storytelling expertise to delve deeper into personalities and issues that connect with millions of our viewers."

The untitled "Pepa” series is a real-life comedy following Denton of Salt-N-Pepa fame as she emerges from her self-imposed romantic and sexual dormancy of the past four years and begins to search for love again. After years of living a celibate life in order to focus on finding “the one,” Pep has realized that giving up sex actually got her nowhere in the relationship world. The only close relationship she formed was with her exercise bike. But she's not the only one. Her three closest girlfriends are all single and searching, too. The series has been picked up for eight half-hour episodes and is set to premiere in 2010.

TLC’s Chilli has decided to take the reins of her lackluster romantic situation and launch her own all-out search for the love of her life in the yet-to-be titled show. Despite huge success as a recording artist and a mother, Chilli has grown tired of striking out on the romantic front, so she has enlisted the help of Brooklyn relationship expert Tionna Smalls, who has promised to give her the challenging emotional workout she needs in order to get over the hurdles that have kept her from having the long-term serious relationship she craves. The series has been picked up for eight half-hour episodes and is set to premiere in 2010.

The Entertainer stars Frank Moresco under the ever-watchful eyes of his parents. Moresco is best-known as the 32-year-old guy who still lives in his parents’ basement from the VH1 shows I Love New York and I Love Money. In a last-ditch effort to help Frank get out from under his parents’ thumb, VH1 is giving him the opportunity to find love from a bevy of naïve hopefuls and the incentive he needs to move out of the basement. The show has been picked up for 10 one-hour episodes and is set to premiere sometime in 2010.

VH1 has also renewed Celebrity Fit Club for a seventh season and Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House, which will both premiere sometime next year. The latter series has been picked up for eight one-hour episodes and will premiere after the third season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew ends its run in 2010.