Entertainment Weekly and TV Land Collaborate To Present the 50 Greatest TV Icons of All Time

List To Be Revealed in Entertainment Weekly and Two-Hour Original Special to Premiere on TV Land on Friday, November 16

EW.com and TVLand.com Join Forces To Countdown TV Icons 51-100

LOS ANGELES, July 13 -- Oprah. Heather Locklear. Homer Simpson. Regardless of age, TV genre or lifeform, there are select TV personalities whose work is timeless and whose popularity is endless due to the impact they have made through television. Entertainment Weekly and TV Land Present: The 50 Greatest TV Icons, a two-hour special premiering on TV Land on Friday, November 16 from 8-10pm ET/PT, counts down the iconic personalities who have made their indelible mark via the small screen. The list will also be revealed in the issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands that same day.

Whether these beloved performers have made the list because they are game changers like Jerry Seinfeld, have the longevity of Kermit, or the instant rise to super stardom like Farrah, Entertainment Weekly and TV Land Present: The 50 Greatest TV Icons takes a comprehensive look at these respected icons, all culled from over 50 years of television. The TV Land original special and Entertainment Weekly feature story (November 23rd issue, on stands the 16th) both feature interviews with the stars themselves as well as people who have worked with them, knew them, created them or were inspired by them. The Entertainment Weekly story celebrates the list by taking an in-depth look at each of the stars, while TV Land honors the performers in the special by giving viewers access to rarely seen footage that solidifies each icon's place in TV history. The TV Land special is produced by Gay Rosenthal Productions.

"America has gotten to know so many talented performers through television so it was very difficult to narrow the list down to 50," states Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land. "However, when you look at this list, it's clear that these names are in a different league. Their appeal crosses generations and will have the lasting impact that rightfully gives them the icon label. TV Land viewers and Entertainment Weekly readers will have a great time reliving the moments that earned these performers a spot on the list."

"Teaming up with TV Land to name the 50 Greatest TV Icons of All Time is the perfect match for Entertainment Weekly. Readers relish our signature lists, and since we're in a Golden Age of TV it's a great time to celebrate the performers who have elevated the medium over its entire history," says Entertainment Weekly Managing Editor Rick Tetzeli. "This multi-platform campaign helps us serve readers in an even bigger way."

EW.com and TVLand.com will host a supplement list with the names of TV Icons 51-100, a complement to the TV special and magazine. Additionally, the sites will host content that will engage fans by allowing them to see more original interviews with those featured on the list and other celebrities talking about how these icons have inspired them. Specifically, EW.com will have links to all EW articles that have been published on the icons, feature a bracket game that allows fans to vote for their favorite icon and host video of current stars talking about their own favorite icons. TVLand.com will offer classic video clips of icons on the list, celebrity interviews of those on the list and feature a message board for visitors to sound-off about the list.

The 50 Greatest TV Icons is a Gay Rosenthal Production. Executive Producers are Gay Rosenthal and Paul Barrosse from Gay Rosenthal Productions and Sal Maniaci, Senior Vice President, Development and Original Production, TV Land. Co-Executive Producer is Nicholas Caprio and Supervising Producer is Natalie Aaron, both from Gay Rosenthal Productions.

ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY AND EW.COM

Entertainment Weekly, a winner of four National Magazine Awards is America's leading consumer magazine of entertainment and popular culture. The magazine is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., and has a guaranteed circulation rate base of 1.725 million reaching an audience of 10.7 million readers. EW.com, winner of MPA's best entertainment website of the year, is one of the most popular and most comprehensive sites for online entertainment coverage. EW.com's homepage contains unique, online-only content - articles, photo galleries, reviews, Q&As and blog items, etc. - plus a complete archive of Entertainment Weekly magazine.

About TV Land

Now seen in over 90 million U.S. homes, TV Land is dedicated to building the ultimate Baby Boomer entertainment brand on all platforms. Armed with a slate of new original programming, newly acquired Classic TV and movies, multiplatform content and Cause Change, a new pro-social initiative, the network is uniquely positioned to cater to America's 78 million Baby Boomers, the first generation of Americans who grew alongside television. TV Land's program mix features hit originals, popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns and Retromercials. TV Land's roster includes hits like All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Andy Griffith Show and several others. Furthering the network's commitment to develop original programming that complements its roster of acquisitions, the network regularly showcases original series and specials like I Pity The Fool, Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg, TV Land Myths and Legends, Generation Boom, TV Land Confidential and the upcoming original series High School Reunion.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with 135 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.

SOURCE TV Land
http://www.tvland.com/