GSN, The Network for Games is Going Hollywood With 'STARFACE'

Danny Bonaduce Set to Host His First Game Show

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 22 -- GSN has begun production on STARFACE, a new photo pop culture game series hosted by Danny Bonaduce that is scheduled to premiere Tuesday, August 1 (9:30 -- 10:00 PM, ET), it was announced by Rich Cronin, President and CEO of GSN, the network for games. STARFACE was created by Jeff Rothberg and executive produced by Pat Finn, Brennan Huntington and Rothberg, under Finn's Rubicon Entertainment banner.

"We're thrilled to launch a new game that pokes fun at the tabloid world," said Cronin, "and Danny Bonaduce is the perfect celebrity host. He knows pop culture inside out, he has lived the tabloid celebrity life, and his ad libs are hilarious."

"Of all the people in the world to host a game show, GSN picks me," said Bonaduce. "These guys really do take chances."

STARFACE is a funny, fast-paced plunge into fame's deep end, where contestants put their knowledge of the biggest celebrities in contemporary culture to the test. With a cool, quirky attitude and sharp wit, host Bonaduce adds his uniquely irreverent spin to the comic absurdity of the tabloid universe.

The series pits three contestants against one another to demonstrate their knowledge of everything having to do with the famous and the infamous in four rounds. In round one, Bonaduce unveils a series of unique, provocative celebrity photographs, each with a set of questions having to do with that individual. For each correct answer, the player wins 50 points. Round two is played the same way, but point values are doubled.

In round three, our trio of players becomes instantly famous when they don masks and are all transformed into that day's chosen celebrity. Bonaduce proceeds to ask them questions as if they actually were the celebrity and, in turn, the players must answer in the first person. At the end of this round, the player with the highest point score bids farewell to the other players and moves into the final round.

Round four is a challenge where two photos are shown side by side. The player has 60 seconds to answer a series of either-or questions, i.e. the answer will always be one of the two subjects. If, before the clock runs out, the contestant gets 10 or more correct answers, he/she will win the STARFACE grand prize, a trip for two to an exotic location.

STARFACE will air at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday through Saturday nights as the second half of an hour block with Michael Davies' CHAIN REACTION as its lead- in. CHAIN REACTION, in which teams of men and women complete phrases after being given the first and last words of a chain, also premieres Tuesday, August 1.

STARFACE's host is perhaps best known to television audiences for his role on "The Partridge Family," but is also star of VH1's highly rated "Breaking Bonaduce," which has recently wrapped production on its second season, set to premiere in the fall. Bonaduce was also host of "The Jamie and Danny Show" on KYSR-FM in Los Angeles and has made appearances on a number of television series, including "That 70s Show," "The Drew Carey Show," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and "Eight is Enough."

The executive producers bring a broad range of experience. Finn has been producing television for over 20 years and hosted several national game shows including "Shop 'Til You Drop" and "Joker's Wild." Rothberg is a writer and producer for television and films and has among his feature film credits "A Simple Wish," "The Amazing Panda Adventure" and "Bogus." Huntington's credits include "Shop 'Til You Drop," "Legends of the Hidden Temple" and "National Lampoon's Funny Money," which aired on GSN.

GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 133 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via GSN.com. Now reaching more than 60 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.

Rubicon Entertainment (formerly In-Finn-Ity Productions) is helmed by Finn. Rubicon has produced numerous projects for networks and for cable, and in the world of games they have produced the series "National Lampoon's Funny Money" and "Instant Comedy with the Groundlings." They also produced an independent feature film, "Soulmates," which premiered on HBO as was also seen on the Starz Network.

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SOURCE GSN
http://corp.gsn.com