or


[08/16/05 - 12:00 AM]
Oxygen Leaves Viewers Hungry for More! Women's Network to Air Mo'Nique's Fat Chance Behind-The-Scenes Special

[via press release from Oxygen]

OXYGEN LEAVES VIEWERS HUNGRY FOR MORE! WOMEN�S NETWORK TO AIR MO�NIQUE�S FAT CHANCE BEHIND-THE-SCENES SPECIAL

------

Bloopers, Outtakes And Candid Interviews Give The Inside Scoop On Oxygen�s Highest Rated Original Program

------

NEW YORK, AUGUST 16, 2005 -- Oxygen goes behind the stage of network cable�s only plus-size reality pageant and its highest rated original program in Mo�Nique�s Fat Chance: A Second Helping, a 30-minute special airing Sunday, August 21 at 10p.m ET/PT. The special follows an 8p.m. encore presentation of Mo�Nique�s Fat Chance. This behind-the-scenes program features exclusive outtakes including off-camera clips of Fat Chance judge and NBA superstar Shaquille O�Neal; Boot Camp challenges gone awry; and in-depth interviews with the competition�s nine transformed contestants and Joanne Borgella, the competition winner and first Ms. F.A.T. (Fabulous and Thick).

�We knew we were doing something special when we first joined with Mo�Nique to put this competition on-air, but we could only dream of the widespread affect its had on our audience and on Mo�Nique�s fans,� said Debby Beece, Oxygen�s President of Programming. �This special is our thanks to our audience for their outpouring of support � we�re giving them a peak behind the scenes at a program that�s proving to be the beginning of a movement.�

Mo�Nique�s Fat Chance is network cable�s first full-figured reality competition and Oxygen�s highest rated original program in the network�s history. The two-hour August 6 premiere received a 1.1 HH rating and had 3.8 million total viewers tuned in for the premiere and the weekend�s encore airings. The special was created and executive produced by plus-size icon and comedienne-actress Mo�Nique, a recipient of four NAACP Image Awards� for her work on the hit UPN sitcom, The Parkers and the first female host of the acclaimed Saturday night series, It�s Showtime at the Apollo.

Both Don Weiner and Steven Imes serve as executive producers for the special. Weiner served as the executive producer for both UPN�s The Player and Fox Television�s The Swan. Imes is currently the associate producer for It�s Showtime at the Apollo. He has executive produced Mo'Nique�s One-Night Stand for DVD, the motion picture Hair Show and the upcoming feature film Phat Girlz.

Kristen Connolly Vadas is the executive in charge for Oxygen Media. At Oxygen, Vadas has also supervised Nadine in Date Land, Girls Behaving Badly, Good Girls Don't, Naked Josh, and Oxygen�s comedy/reality series Mr. Romance.

After multi-city casting calls in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta where over 2,000 women auditioned in person and receiving over 5,000 tape submissions, 10 women were selected and flown to LA to participate in Mo�Nique�s Beauty Boot Camp, a series of mind and body training exercises focusing on attainable beauty and confidence building.

The contestants competed in front of a panel of expert judges that included NBA star Shaquille O�Neal and plus-size supermodel Mia Tyler, who evaluated them on beauty, style, poise and personality and how those qualities are reflected in each woman�s overall transformation. The winner�s grand prize includes a $50,000 cash prize, a new wardrobe from full-figure clothing brand Just My Size and a modeling appearance in an upcoming Just My Size catalog or print ad.

About Oxygen Media

Oxygen, the only cable network owned and operated by women, is currently available in 55 million homes. The network was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape -- creating a network targeted to younger women. The fastest growing independent network, Oxygen became profitable in 2004. Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women's television, with the most original programming of all the women's networks including Oprah After the Show, Talk Sex with Sue Johanson and Girls Behaving Badly. Geraldine Laybourne, the network's founder, Chairman and CEO, has led the company to be a strong advocate for women. Through programs like The Mentor's Walk, Oxygen's national program for bringing along the next generation, and "Who Cares About Girls," Oxygen's new documentary series -- Oxygen is creating The New Girls Network.





  [august 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· GOOD GIRLS DON'T (OXYGEN)
· MR. ROMANCE (OXYGEN)
· NADINE IN DATE LAND (OXYGEN)
· NAKED JOSH (OXYGEN)
· PARKERS, THE (UPN)
· PLAYER, THE (UPN)
· SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO (SYNDICATION)
· SWAN, THE (FOX)





[09/08/26 - 05:06 PM]
Netflix Announces New Drama Series "Lonesome Dove"
The new Larry McMurtry adaptation will reunite Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart, who will co-showrun the new series after also serving as co-showrunners for Netflix's highly anticipated limited series, "East of Eden."

[09/08/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Love Village" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
This romantic reality series sees men and women aged 35 to 60 move in together into a vintage house in Love Village in search of one last shot at love.

[09/08/26 - 02:59 PM]
Video: "NCIS: Origins" Season 3 Official Trailer - CBS
Mark Harmon returns for Season 3, premiering Tuesday, October 6.

[09/08/26 - 12:34 PM]
ESPN and Apple Music Collaborate on "Monday Night Football" Music Curation for the 2026-27 Season, Leading Up to ESPN's First-Ever Super Bowl and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show
The first song and artist Apple Music has selected is the recently-released single, "Dead Fresh" by Lil Baby, which will run in ESPN's Week 1 promotional efforts.

[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 31 - "The Whisper Man" Tracks Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Death of the Pastor's Wife" held the top spot of the English TV list with 13.9 million views.

[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Drama and Rumors Bloom as "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Season 11 Launches on Sunday, Oct 11. at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Returning "housewives" include Karen Huger, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Stacey Rusch and Tia Glover.

[09/08/26 - 11:13 AM]
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to Host Next Two Episodes of "Saturday Night Live UK," with Musical Guests Royal Blood and Rachel Chinouriri
They'll join the previously announced Jeff Goldblum and CMAT.

[09/08/26 - 10:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces September 24 Premiere Date for "Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story"
The groundbreaking documentary traces the story of a father, his two sons, and their family's pursuit of the American Dream through football excellence.

[09/08/26 - 10:09 AM]
FOX MLB Posts Best Regular Season Thursday Night Baseball Telecast Since 2022
2,668,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Thursday for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Brewers in most of the country.

[09/08/26 - 10:03 AM]
"Moonshiners" Celebrates 250 Years of American Rebellion, Risk and Reward in All-New Season Premiering Tuesday, September 29 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
It's a 250-year celebration of life, liberty and the pursuit of tax-free liquor when America's favorite Appalachian distillers return in an all-new season.

[09/08/26 - 10:02 AM]
ESPN Studio Lineup Continues 2026 Momentum with Record August Audiences
As a year-long pattern of strong viewership continued, multiple programs delivered their best August viewership on record, while overall studio show audiences increased 13% year over year.

[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Scores Four Special Episodes Post-"Sunday Night Football" This Fall on NBC
The first Sunday night show is set for September 27 when Fallon will welcome an all-star lineup of guests, including Sylvester Stallone and Luke Bryan.

[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Siren: The Voices of Shelley" Beattie Debuts September 22
While searching the internet one day, Hollywood veteran Marlee Matlin came upon the story of athlete Shelley Beattie - a fellow Deaf woman whose life felt eerily like her own.

[09/08/26 - 09:40 AM]
Following Their Emmy Win for Outstanding Animated Program, "South Park" Is Making a Big Change
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced: "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation."

[09/08/26 - 09:29 AM]
Paramount+ and T-Mobile Arena Launch Paramount+ Plaza in New Multi-Year Partnership
The agreement establishes a prominent new platform for the streaming service to connect its expansive portfolio of original series, films, live sports and iconic franchises with millions of fans visiting Las Vegas.