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Iconic Talent And Drama To Lead The FremantleMedia Charge To NATPE 2007

NATPE will begin with a bang as FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), brings the hottest names in television to Las Vegas. FME are set to descend on the market with its family of iconic talent, presenting only the most sought-after television. From talent-led big brand shows, to a stellar line up of drama programming, let FME be your one-stop-shop this NATPE.

TOP CLASS TALENT COMES TO NATPE Kicking things off will be The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (10 x 30’, plus 1 x 60’), with the inimitable Janice Dickinson, aka the world's first supermodel, making an exclusive personal appearance at the Mandalay Bay to showcase this brand new series, which goes behind-the-scenes as Janice endures the trials and tribulations of setting up her own modelling agency.

After five seasons as the ‘Simon-Cowell-of-modelling’ judge on America's Next Top Model, Janice is now taking the reigns as both star and producer of this hit new show which has already made waves around the world. The huge music television event that is Live From Abbey Road (12 x 60’) makes its NATPE debut, with the likes of Snow Patrol, Massive Attack, LeAnn Rimes and the Red Hot Chili Peppers celebrating the 75th anniversary of London’s legendary Abbey Road recording studios. Both new and established artists offer a unique insight into the world of the musician as they rehearse, discuss their work, and build towards the final exclusive performance at the home of music. Series three of Project Runway (1 x 60’ casting special, 12 x 60’, 2 x 60’ finale) is available, hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.

This wildly popular series from The Weinstein Company was nominated for three 2006 Emmy awards and screens in 21 territories worldwide. Series three sees fifteen new fashion designers battling it out for the chance to show their designs in front of the global fashion community in New York and be displayed in the pages of Elle magazine. A hot property, the series three finale of Project Runway recently achieved a record-breaking 5.4 million viewers – the highest rated programme ever on Bravo. The Martha Stewart Show (360 x 60’) makes a return to NATPE, featuring celebrity-studded and informative segments, with the spotlight on Martha Stewart's sense of humour and love of fun.

Having recently been renewed for a further series on NBC, each episode features movers and shakers, headline makers, A-list celebrities plus everyday people who've accomplished extraordinary things. With guests such as Russell Crowe, Jamie Oliver, Olivia Newton-John, Jessica Alba, Harrison Ford, Sharon Stone, Jason Biggs, Paul Walker and the cast of Desperate Housewives, season one of The Martha Stewart Show received five Emmy nominations and scooped one award. Coinciding with NATPE, series six of reality juggernaut American Idol will premiere on FOX in the US on January 16 and 17, 2007.

FME is delighted to present TV, DVD and licensing rights for season five (30’ and 60’ episodes available) of the record-smashing television phenomenon featuring America’s favourite judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. Season five of American Idol delivered its highest rated premiere ever with an audience of 35.5 million viewers, and season six is no doubt on track to break more records this time around. FME is proud to present TV rights to Sundance Festival Dailies 2007 (10 x 30’), from the Sundance Film Festival. This series provides an insider view of the Sundance Film Festival 2007 (18-28 January), a ten-day celebration of independent films, held each year in Park City, Utah. In the Sundance Festival Dailies series, viewers see the festival from the inside and enjoy a look at the most innovative films and filmmakers. With candid insights into the current productions and behind-the-scenes exclusives, Sundance Festival Dailies is the only place for the latest news in film.

FME LEADS THE PUSH INTO DRAMA For the biggest, boldest brand new drama look no further than FME this NATPE. Spearheading a drama catalogue steeped equally in quality and popularity will be the hugely popular Falcon Beach (26 x 60’, plus 1 x 120’ pilot). This is family drama with the lot – it’s sexy, edgy and full of energy, it’s the essence of summer. Already snapped up by 24 broadcasters worldwide with DVD rights also available, Falcon Beach is produced by Insight Productions and Original Pictures, in conjunction with Global Television and ABC Family USA. It centres on the lives and loves of the town’s young men and women, as they find their way towards their futures in a quiet lakeside town where locals and summer visitors mingle and where seduction, sand and scandal are abundant.

From Kudos, International Emmy Award-winning UK producers of hit dramas Hustle, Spooks and Life On Mars, comes the brand new 1 x 120’ period drama Wide Sargasso Sea for TV and DVD. Set in lush 19th century Jamaica, Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of the relationship between a passionate Creole heiress, Antoinette (Rebecca Hall), and a brooding Englishman, Edward Rochester (Rafe Spall). Based on Jean Rhys’ award winning novel and fresh from its BBC4 hit ratings debut, this is the story of one of fiction’s most mysterious characters, the ‘mad woman in the attic’ from Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre. Brand new US drama Monarch Cove (14 x 60’ for TV and DVD) makes its international debut at NATPE 2007.

Having endured six long years behind bars after a wrongful conviction, Bianca Foster (Virginia Williams) is a young woman with a new lease on life, but whether she’ll find the quiet existence she craves in Monarch Cove, where secrets and scandals are as commonplace as surf and sand, is another question. Produced by FremantleMedia North America for Lifetime, Monarch Cove also stars Academy and Emmy Award-winner Shirley Jones who leads a hot up-and-coming cast.

THE FINEST IN FACTUAL PROGRAMMING Already the talk of the town, 638 Ways to Kill Castro (1 x 90’, TV and DVD rights available) is set to ignite fresh interest at NATPE. A controversial, provocative and politically satirical documentary from Daisy Goodwin’s Silver River, 638 Ways to Kill Castro explores the relationship between the USA and Cuba via the countless attempts to bump off revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. From exploding cigars to booby-trapped seashells, the attempts have left no stone unturned; yet this is a remarkable 50 year-long detective thriller about the man who always got away.

Executively produced by BAFTA award-winning Peter Moore (The Apprentice, Jamie’s Kitchen and Cutting Edge), the documentary features former head of Cuban Intelligence Fabian Escalante, the man who had the job of protecting Castro for many of the 48 years he’s been in power and who alleges that there were over 600 plots and conspiracies to end the life of the “red menace”. Along with interviews and archive, the film also features intriguing, seldom seen unfamiliar footage – of Castro the person, rather than the military man. Tasty treats for TV and DVD from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver will no doubt be sampled by NATPE buyers, with the brand new show, Jamie Oliver: Australian Diary (1 x 60’ or 1 x 90’), the first morsel on offer.

Following Jamie as he tours Australia wowing sell-out audiences with his world-renowned high-energy live shows, in Jamie Oliver: Australian Diary viewers will get a rare ‘access all areas’ look at Jamie down-under, including an exclusive look at Jamie away from the cameras, with an insight into the white-knuckle whirlwind ride that his life has become. Jamie gets back to basics in Jamie At Home (13 x 30’), doing what he does best - cooking at home with simple, accessible ingredients. Each episode is themed around one primary ingredient – it might be sampling the flavours of different tomato varieties, or how to cook different cuts of lamb. Jamie demonstrates how easy it is to grow your own produce; sometimes in weird and wonderful ways. Jamie At Home is a celebration of no-nonsense, beautiful seasonal food – a proper cooking show for modern-day people. NATPE buyers will have more factual fare from Jamie with Jamie's Chefs: Cutting the Apron Strings (3 x 60’).

A follow-up to the immensely successful Jamie’s Kitchen series, this programme focuses on Fifteen’s alumni. With 40 graduates over five years, it’s time for Jamie to see whether they have what it takes to open and run their own gastro-pub. A mass cook-off leaves Jamie with four potential candidates and a series of challenges will determine who will get their hands on the keys to an Essex pub. Following the huge international success of Prehistoric Park, adventurer Nigel Marven now heads to the beautiful sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia to present Nigel Marven’s Penguins (1 x 60’). The programme takes a close-up look at the lives of King, Gentoo and Macaroni penguins in their natural habitat.

Living amongst a colony of 200,000 King penguins near the Antarctic ice-cap, Nigel explores the real-life drama during 40 days of live-action shooting; getting to know individual penguins from courtship, the mid-season, survival of their eggs, newborn babies and dodging carnivorous neighbours. Nigel Marven’s Penguins will also be available as a 60’ presenterless version, for TV and DVD.

Available for broadcasters and home entertainment distributors is Booker prize-winning author DBC Pierre’s journey back to the Mexico of his roots in the search for The Last Aztec (2 x 60’ or 1 x 120’). DBC Pierre hopes to discover what happened to Aztec Emperor Moctezuma whose body and treasure vanished without a trace following the 16th century invasion by the Spanish. In this historical ‘gonzo’-style road movie, DBC Pierre follows the original path of ruthless Herman Cortes and his army as they make their way to Moctezuma’s kingdom. A further factual title for broadcasters is talkbackTHAMES’ Buildings That Shaped Britain (8 x 60’), profiling the most significant evolutions in British architecture and the impact this architectural history has had on the cultural, social and political development of Britain from The Dark Ages to the 21st Century.

Presented by Dr Simon Thurley, respected historian and Chief Executive of English Heritage, viewers are taken on a journey looking at Britain’s historic buildings, showing how over the last thousand years, Britain has developed its own distinctive architecture and how this tells us much about who we are today. In Digging Deep, also from talkbackTHAMES, FME presents ‘horticultural psychotherapists’ Andre Smith and Amanda Brooks as they tailor-make gardens for the soul. They make a ‘blind reading’ of the garden, assess the sort of person they believe maintains it, then set about designing the garden to suit the owner’s emotional needs. Fresh from its season on BBC2, Digging Deep (8 x 30’) will make its NAPTE debut in 2007, available for the TV and DVD markets.

Commenting on the NATPE line-up, David Ellender, CEO, FremantleMedia Enterprises said: “We’re very proud to represent such a strong array of talent-led, factual and powerful drama, all of which have broad appeal for an international audience on television and home entertainment platforms alike.

Programming that pushes boundaries, excites, informs and entertains is what buyers are after and clearly FME can deliver this. We know that NATPE will be a success, as we engage buyers with our top class content.” Visit FremantleMedia Enterprises at NATPE - Stand No. 626, Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas. /ends… For further information: Lynne-Mei Lee, FremantleMedia Tel: +44 (0) 20 7691 6782 Lynne-Mei.Lee@fremantlemedia.com

Megan Kirkcaldie, The Lippin Company Ltd
Tel. + 44 (0) 20 3008 5407
megan@lippingroup.com