JOHN RICH RETURNS WITH A SECOND SEASON OF CMT'S HIT SERIES "GONE COUNTRY"

Sebastian Bach, Irene Cara, Mikalah Gordon, Jermaine Jackson, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lorenzo Lamas and Sean Young Head to Nashville to Make it in Country Music

Premiering Friday, August 15 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT

BEVERLY HILLS, CA � July 9, 2008 � CMT's highest rated series ever, GONE COUNTRY, returns with Nashville hitmaker, John Rich, as host for a second season of antics with a brand new cast of characters who are each vying for a chance at country success. Featuring a cast that includes performers from various facets of the entertainment industry, GONE COUNTRY indoctrinates seven celebrities in the ins and outs of the country music business for a chance to break into the country music genre, and premieres on Friday, August 15 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT.

The cast for GONE COUNTRY includes Sebastian Bach � singer, songwriter, Broadway actor, former lead singer of Skid Row; Irene Cara � GRAMMY� and Academy Award� winning singer, songwriter, actress, "Fame"; Mikalah Gordon � singer, host, actress, 2005 "American Idol" finalist; Jermaine Jackson � television personality, lead singer of The Jackson 5; Chris Kirkpatrick � television personality, music producer, member of *NSYNC; Lorenzo Lamas � musical theater actor, actor "Renegade" and "Falcon Crest"; and Sean Young � actress, "Blade Runner" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."

The competition heats up in this second season with even more drama as Rich enlists help from his Nashville friends to put these seven country music-driven celebrities to the test during this two-week challenge. Each celebrity will again be paired with two of Nashville's finest songwriters with whom they write a country single. In addition to meeting with songwriters, the cast will compete in challenges that test them musically and physically to adapt to a life in country music, both on and off the stage. At the end of the two weeks, the artist that is most prepared to impress a country audience, as determined by Rich, will record and release their single to country radio.

GONE COUNTRY is executive produced by David Garfinkle and Jay Renfroe of Renegade 83 Productions. Marc Oswald serves as executive producer. Melanie Moreau and Bob Kusbit serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom , is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with 137 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.