VH1 Specials...

VH1 Presents New Series, Movies and Specials This Fall Season

Five-Part Series 'VH1 Presents the '80s' and Say It Loud!: A Celebration of Black Music in America,'

VH1 Original Movie 'Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story' and All-New Series 'Sledgehammer' Highlight Fall VH1 Programming.

Extended and Convergent Programming for Fall Season Available at VH1.com

NEW YORK, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall, VH1 presents the debuts of new series, specials and VH1 Original Movies, plus all-new editions of some of the network's most popular shows.

VH1 will introduce several all-new specials this autumn, including "Say It Loud!: A Celebration of Black Music in America," a five-part documentary series that recounts the evolution of urban music's most powerful and trend-setting genres through firsthand accounts of those who experienced and created the history. Produced by Quincy Jones Media Group, Rhino Entertainment and Highway Films, the special debuts Sunday - Thursday, October 7 - 11, at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT*) each night. Then, the five-part VH1 documentary series "VH1 Presents the '80s" looks at how the world changed in those ten years -- and how music helped play a part -- by exploring the decade's biggest musical artists and styles, and examining how music reflected and influenced our ideas about politics, money, technology, fashion, the media, drugs, race and sex. "VH1 Presents the '80s" debuts Monday - Friday, November 5 - 9, at 10:00 p.m. each night. In addition, the annual live special "VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards" debuts Tuesday, October 23 at 9:00 p.m., and the second annual "My VH1 Music Awards" airs live Sunday, December 2 at 9:00 p.m.

Every Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m., VH1 presents "Movies That Rock," highlighted by the premiere of "Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story." Romany Malco stars in the title role of this music-filled dramatic biography that follows the life of one of the most successful rap artists of the '90s, premiering Wednesday, December 19 at 9:00 p.m. Among the feature films highlighting "Movies That Rock" this fall are "American Hot Wax" on September 5, "Rocky Horror Picture Show" on Halloween, October 31, "Lady Sings the Blues" on November 7, and "Grease" on December 5.

Highlighting VH1's new series this season, "Sledgehammer," a spin-off from the highly successful series "VH1 Rock of Ages," is a unique, fast-paced weekly comedy series that invades the relationship between music and music fans in every half-hour episode -- with themes like "Unhealthy Obsessions," "Maddening Music," "Rock & Religion" and "Death" -- and explores the absurdity of rock & roll through hidden-camera pranks and stunts. "Sledgehammer" premieres on Thursday, September 13 at 11:00 p.m.; the show will move to its regular 10:00 p.m. time slot on the following Thursday (September 20).

VH1 SPECIALS

* "Say It Loud!: A Celebration of Black Music in America" -- Produced by Quincy Jones Media Group, Rhino Entertainment and Highway Films, this documentary series recounts the evolution of urban music's most powerful and trend-setting genres through firsthand accounts of those who experienced and created the history. Covering jazz, blues, gospel, and hip hop through to modern R&B and Soul, the documentary chronicles the contributions of African American musicians like Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Isaac Hayes, Tina Turner, Prince, Tupac Shakur, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Dr. Dre, Al Green, and many others. Debuts Sunday - Thursday, October 7 - 11, at 10:00 p.m. each night; special "Say It Loud" theme week programming, Sunday, October 7 - Saturday, October 13.

* "VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards" -- This annual special awards ceremony is renowned for its unprecedented mixture of designers, models, rock stars and show business luminaries whose combination creates an unsurpassed night of fashion, music and entertainment. Awards range from "Celebrity Style," "Most Fashionable Artist" and "Most Stylish Band," to "Model of the Year," "Visionary Video" and "Designer of the Year." Debuts Tuesday, October 23 at 9:00 p.m.; special "VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards" theme week programming, Monday, October 15-Tuesday, October 23.

* "VH1 Presents the '80s" -- This five-part VH1 documentary series looks at how the world changed in those ten years -- and how music helped play a part -- by exploring the decade's biggest musical artists and styles, and examining how music reflected and influenced our ideas about politics, money, technology, fashion, the media, drugs, race and sex. Through interviews with the some of decade's most influential figures, the series will reflect on the significance of the changes that occurred in the eighties, and look at how the trends that started in the eighties dominate the culture today. Debuts Monday - Friday,  November 5 - 9, at 10:00 p.m. each night; special "8 Days of '80s" theme week programming, Sunday, November 4 - Sunday, November 11.

* "My VH1 Music Awards" -- A smash hit in its kickoff last fall, this live, fully-interactive music awards show is created from top to bottom by the fans, who suggest the categories, pick the finalists in each category, and vote for the winners up until the moment the awards are presented on the live telecast. Fans can vote online at VH1.com,   beginning on September 1. Debuts live Sunday, December 2 at 9:00 p.m.; "My VH1 Music Awards Pre-Show" debuts at 8:00 p.m.; special  "My VH1 Music Awards" theme week programming, Monday, November 26 - Sunday, December 2.

* "VH1 News Specials": "Grunge" -- Thursday, September 13; "Fashion" -- Tuesday, October 16; "Rock's Finest" -- Thursday, October 18.

VH1 ORIGINAL MOVIES
* "Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story" -- Romany Malco stars in the title role of this music-filled dramatic biography that follows the life of one of the most successful rap artists of the '90s. From his humble beginnings as an Oakland A's bat boy to his phenomenal success with the 1990 cross-over hit, "U Can't Touch This," MC Hammer rose to the top faster than any rap act in music history, but he ultimately succumbed to bankruptcy -- by 1996, he had completely lost his more than $30 million dollar fortune. Tangi Miller also stars. Debuts as part of VH1's "Movies That Rock," Wednesday, December 19 at 9:00 p.m.

VH1 SERIES

* "Sledgehammer" -- A spin-off from the highly successful series "VH1 Rock of Ages," this unique, fast-paced weekly comedy series invades the relationship between music and music fans in every half-hour episode -- with themes like "Unhealthy Obsessions," "Maddening Music," "Rock & Religion" and "Death" -- and explores the absurdity of rock & roll through hidden-camera pranks and stunts. "Sledgehammer" premieres on Thursday, September 13 at 11:00 p.m.; the show will move to its regular 10:00 p.m. time slot on the following Thursday (September 20).

* "Behind the Music" -- all-new episodes on Sundays: Blind Melon -- September 2; Judas Priest -- September 23; Puff Daddy -- October 7; Aerosmith -- November 25; Hall & Oates - TBA.

* "Cover Wars" -- all-new episodes on Saturdays at 10:30 p.m.: Cover Wars Semi-Finals -- September 1; Cover Wars Marathon/Cover Wars Finals

-- September 8.

* "Strange Frequency" -- all-new episodes on Saturdays at 10:00 p.m. "Don't Stop Believin'" -- September 1; "Instant Karma" --  September 15; "A Change Would Do You Good" -- September 29; "Time Is  on My Side" -- October 20; "Daydream Believer" -- November 3; "Don't   Fear the Reaper" -- November 10; special "Strange Frequency" Marathon  -- Halloween, Tuesday, October 31. Ally Sheedy, Stuart Margolin, Peter Strauss, Wendie Malick, Jason Gedrick, Lindsay Sloane, Patsy Kensit, James Marsters, John Hawkes, Pam Grier, Frank Whaley, Charisma Carpenter, Jamie Kennedy, Ileanna Douglas, Sebastian Bach and Roger Daltrey are among the stars.

* "FanClub" -- all-new episodes: Destiny's Child -- October 15 (season premiere); Stevie Nicks -- October 22; The Dave Matthews Band -- October 29; John Mellencamp -- November 5; Sting -- November 12; Sugar Ray -- November 19; Creed -- November 26; Elton John -- December 3. * "Storytellers" -- all-new episodes on "Front Row Fridays" at

9:00 p.m.: Train/Fuel -- September 7.

* "What's My 20?" -- all-new episodes on "My Mondays" at 10:00 p.m., September through October. * "Rock & Roll Jeopardy!" -- all-new episodes every Saturday at 11:00 a.m., September through December.

*All times ET/PT.

For more information visit http://www.VH1.com.

NEWSFILE: 14 AUGUST 2001