or


[10/07/08 - 12:29 PM]
Terry Pratchett's the Color of Magic Set to Make U.S. Debut on Ion Television
Sean Astin, Tim Curry and Sir David Jason star in the four-hour event, airing Sunday, November 23 at 7:00/6:00c.

[via press release from ION Media Networks]

TERRY PRATCHETT'S THE COLOR OF MAGIC SET TO MAKE U.S. DEBUT ON ION TELEVISION

RHI Original Miniseries Starring Sean Astin, Tim Curry and Sir David Jason, To Premiere Sunday, November 23

(West Palm Beach, Fla. and New York, N.Y. � October 07, 2008) � ION Television, the "Positively Entertaining" general entertainment network available to over 94 million homes, and RHI Entertainment, the leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking movies, miniseries and series for television, today announced the U.S. debut of The Color of Magic, a four-hour original production making its television premiere on ION Television on Sunday, November 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The miniseries will be broadcast in its entirety in one evening.

Based on the first two books in best-selling author Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series, The Color of Magic stars Oscar nominee Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Toy Soldiers, Rudy), Emmy nominee Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Kinsey) and Sir David Jason (RHI's Hogfather). Additionally, Emmy Award-winning actor Brian Cox (Bourne trilogy, Running with Scissors) serves as the narrator and Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars Episodes II and III) takes on the vocal role of Death.

Discworld, a magical realm, has got its first tourist! Rincewind (Sir David Jason), an incompetent and cynical wizardry student, has recently been expelled from Unseen University and been given the task of guiding Twoflower (Sean Astin) through the city state of Ankh Morpork. The two are forced to flee the city after a terrible fire and are sent on a fantastical journey across the Disc, which is unknowingly being controlled by a board game played by the Gods. Along the way Rincewind encounters a few problems: firstly, as an expert coward, he doesn't feel he's the best person to guard a naive - and extremely rich, by local standards - tourist through one of the roughest cities in the multiverse. Then, of course, Rincewind experiences a vicious and bloody struggle with his arch-enemy, the power-hungry maniac Trymon (Tim Curry). Oh, and the world is coming to an end. Can Rincewind defeat his nemesis and save Discworld from ultimate destruction?

This critically acclaimed mini-series, which first debuted overseas, received rave reviews from the British press. TV Easy called it "visually stunning"; "Menacing performances from Tim Curry and Jeremy Irons are great." � TV Times; "With a starry cast, it's a wild adventure through a land full of magic and mystery." � TV Choice; "The two-part adventure will have you spellbound." � We Love Telly; and "It's the Lord of the Rings with a comic twist." � Bella.

"Originals such as The Color of Magic are invigorating ION Television," said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks. "We are thrilled to provide compelling productions, airing alongside proven hit series, as we continue to build an entertaining network geared at the adult 25-54 audience."

"Major productions such as The Color of Magic are rapidly making the RHI movies on ION synonymous with must-see television," said Robert Halmi Jr., President and CEO of RHI Entertainment. "As we continue to deliver the finest in original event programming, awareness keeps growing and viewership keeps building." As one of the most popular authors today, Terry Pratchett has sold nearly 55 million books worldwide. Also based on another of Mr. Pratchett's Discworld novels, RHI's hit miniseries Hogfather aired on ION Television in November 2007. With a fan base spreading around the globe, the series of 36 Discworld books has been translated into over 35 languages.

Attracting over a million viewers, The Color of Magic first broadcast on Sky One, a UK entertainment TV channel, in March of 2008. The two-part television adaptation was well received by fans, garnering Sky One's highest performing program to date and scoring the largest audiences for the network since Hogfather aired in December of 2006.

The Color of Magic was filmed at London's legendary Pinewood Studios. The film was produced by Ian Sharples and Rod Brown and directed by Vadim Jean, who also directed RHI's Hogfather. RHI's Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. serve as executive producers on the project.

About ION Television

ION Television (www.iontelevision.com) is a general entertainment network which reaches over 94 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. Launched in 2006, ION Television features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of RHI Entertainment, CBS Television, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros. Parent company, ION Media Networks, Inc., owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group. Using its digital multicasting capability, ION Media Networks has launched the digital TV brands qubo, a channel for children focusing on literacy and values, and ION Life, a channel dedicated to active living and personal growth. It also has launched Open Mobile Ventures Corporation (OMVION), a business unit focused on the research and development of portable, mobile and out-of-home transmission technology using over-the-air digital television spectrum. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.com.

About RHI Entertainment

RHI Entertainment (NASDAQ: RHIE) develops, produces and distributes new made-for-television movies, miniseries and other television programming worldwide, and is the leading provider of new long-form television content in the United States. Under the leadership of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed thousands of hours of quality television programming, and RHI's productions have received more than 100 Emmy Awards. During 2007, RHI developed, produced and distributed 43 new television movies and miniseries to broadcast and cable networks around the world. In addition to the development, production and distribution of new content, RHI owns rights to approximately 1,000 titles, or over 3,500 broadcast hours of long-form television programming, which are licensed to broadcast and cable networks and new media outlets globally. For more consumer information visit www.rhitv.com.





  [october 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· COLOR OF MAGIC, THE (ION)
· HOGFATHER (ION)





[05/05/25 - 03:04 PM]
Hugely Popular #OneChicago Franchise Returns to NBC for 2025-26 Season
The current seasons of "Chicago Med," "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." have reached nearly 46 million total viewers this season to-date across NBC and Peacock.

[05/05/25 - 03:00 PM]
Video: The First Look Trailer of Paramount+ Original Series "NCIS: Tony & Ziva" Is Available Now
The 10-episode series is the newest installment of the global NCIS franchise and will premiere this fall on Paramount+.

[05/05/25 - 11:03 AM]
ABC News Live Announces Daily Show on the Trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, Hosted by Eva Pilgrim and Launching Friday, May 9
The series will deliver real-time updates and analysis of the defense and prosecution as Combs faces federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

[05/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
Meet the Brick-Tastic Duos Heading Into Season 5 of "LEGO Masters," Returning May 19 at 8/7c on FOX!
Hosted by actor and executive producer Will Arnett, hit unscripted series returns this summer with an epic fifth season featuring a new batch of talented teams and unique themed-out episodes throughout the series.

[05/05/25 - 10:29 AM]
Dive Into Summer with Your Favorite Disney Movies During Freeform's "30 Days of Disney" This June
Highlights include the world television premieres of Disney Pixar's "Elemental" and Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Strange World" and a lineup of must-watch films from the Walt Disney film catalog.

[05/05/25 - 09:55 AM]
Keith Urban to Be Honored with AMC Triple Crown Award at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards Live on Prime Video
Urban will be honored with numerous performances of his songs by fellow artists at the Academy of Country Music Awards Presented by Carnival Cruise Line.

[05/05/25 - 09:41 AM]
BET+ Greenlights "Tyler Perry's Divorced Sistas", From Tyler Perry Studios, Starring LeToya Luckett, Khadeen Indrea, Porscha Coleman, Briana Price, and Jennifer Sears in the Ensemble Cast
A fresh extension of the "Sistas" universe, the series will premiere on Monday, June 9, on BET, the day of the 2025 BET Awards, and will be available to stream on BET+ starting Tuesday, June 10.

[05/05/25 - 09:30 AM]
Showtime Original Series "The Chi" Adds Kyla Pratt, Punkie Johnson, Reagan Gomez and Tammy Townsend
"The Chi" will premiere Friday, May 16 on demand and on streaming for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan, before making its on-air debut on Sunday, May 18, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

[05/05/25 - 09:01 AM]
Paramount+'s Smash Hit "Tulsa King" Adds Kevin Pollak for Season Three
Pollak will play the series regular role of Special Agent Musso, an FBI agent who has an axe to grind.

[05/05/25 - 09:00 AM]
"Ocean with David Attenborough" to Debut June 7 on National Geographic and Stream Globally Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu on World Oceans Day
Presented by the celebrated 98-year-old broadcaster and produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios, the film shares with a global audience the importance of the world's oceans and the story of how we can, and must, restore the glory of Earth's vast, interconnected waters.

[05/05/25 - 08:36 AM]
Video: "Highest 2 Lowest" - Official Teaser - Apple TV+
Denzel and Spike are back for collab #5. Can you handle it?

[05/05/25 - 08:22 AM]
MTV Announces New Series "Caught in the Act: Double Life" Premiering Tuesday, June 3rd at 9PM ET/PT
This new addition to the "Caught in the Act" franchise delivers the high-stakes investigations, juicy reveals and emotional confrontations fans expect, now with a fresh focus on exposing secret lives across various relationships.

[05/05/25 - 08:03 AM]
New Cover Edition of "We'll Always Have Summer" Featuring Lola Tung, Chris Briney, and Gavin Casalegno Revealed
Amazon will offer an exclusive hardcover edition that will be available for purchase through Amazon on Thursday, June 12.

[05/05/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces Cast of Adult Animated Comedy Series "Long Story Short"
The ensemble includes Lisa Edelstein, Paul Reiser, Ben Feldman, Abbi Jacobson, Max Greenfield, Angelique Cabral, Nicole Byer, as well as recurring guests Dave Franco and Michaela Dietz.

[05/05/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video's "Motorheads" Shifts Into Gear With Official Trailer and Key Art Debut
All 10 episodes will be available on May 20, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.