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)





[09/08/26 - 12:34 PM]
ESPN and Apple Music Collaborate on "Monday Night Football" Music Curation for the 2026-27 Season, Leading Up to ESPN's First-Ever Super Bowl and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show
The first song and artist Apple Music has selected is the recently-released single, "Dead Fresh" by Lil Baby, which will run in ESPN's Week 1 promotional efforts.

[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 31 - "The Whisper Man" Tracks Down No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Death of the Pastor's Wife" held the top spot of the English TV list with 13.9 million views.

[09/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Drama and Rumors Bloom as "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Season 11 Launches on Sunday, Oct 11. at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Returning "housewives" include Karen Huger, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Stacey Rusch and Tia Glover.

[09/08/26 - 11:13 AM]
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to Host Next Two Episodes of "Saturday Night Live UK," with Musical Guests Royal Blood and Rachel Chinouriri
They'll join the previously announced Jeff Goldblum and CMAT.

[09/08/26 - 10:30 AM]
Prime Video Announces September 24 Premiere Date for "Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story"
The groundbreaking documentary traces the story of a father, his two sons, and their family's pursuit of the American Dream through football excellence.

[09/08/26 - 10:09 AM]
FOX MLB Posts Best Regular Season Thursday Night Baseball Telecast Since 2022
2,668,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX Thursday for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Brewers in most of the country.

[09/08/26 - 10:03 AM]
"Moonshiners" Celebrates 250 Years of American Rebellion, Risk and Reward in All-New Season Premiering Tuesday, September 29 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
It's a 250-year celebration of life, liberty and the pursuit of tax-free liquor when America's favorite Appalachian distillers return in an all-new season.

[09/08/26 - 10:02 AM]
ESPN Studio Lineup Continues 2026 Momentum with Record August Audiences
As a year-long pattern of strong viewership continued, multiple programs delivered their best August viewership on record, while overall studio show audiences increased 13% year over year.

[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Scores Four Special Episodes Post-"Sunday Night Football" This Fall on NBC
The first Sunday night show is set for September 27 when Fallon will welcome an all-star lineup of guests, including Sylvester Stallone and Luke Bryan.

[09/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Siren: The Voices of Shelley" Beattie Debuts September 22
While searching the internet one day, Hollywood veteran Marlee Matlin came upon the story of athlete Shelley Beattie - a fellow Deaf woman whose life felt eerily like her own.

[09/08/26 - 09:40 AM]
Following Their Emmy Win for Outstanding Animated Program, "South Park" Is Making a Big Change
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced: "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation."

[09/08/26 - 09:29 AM]
Paramount+ and T-Mobile Arena Launch Paramount+ Plaza in New Multi-Year Partnership
The agreement establishes a prominent new platform for the streaming service to connect its expansive portfolio of original series, films, live sports and iconic franchises with millions of fans visiting Las Vegas.

[09/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Terror on Tubi Continues with First Look Photos of "R.L. Stine's Pumpkinhead 2"
Cassandra Peterson, famously known as Elvira, joins Bean Reid and Adeline Lo in spooky sequel premiering October 9.

[09/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
UPtv's "Most Uplifting Christmas Ever" Returns November 5 with Eight Premiere Movies and a Thanksgiving Marathon of "The Rookie"
Vivica A. Fox, Kelley Jakle, Kym Johnson Herjavec, Carson Kressley, Franco Lo Presti, Gilles Marini, Rob Mayes, and Jonathan Stoddard are among the featured talent.

[09/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
Comedy Central Announces the Return of "Drunk History" with New Episodes on Comedy Central YouTube Channel
The brand-new short-form episodes will launch on Tuesday, September 15, with a premiere episode about Madonna's legendary first performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards, starring Meghan Trainor as Madonna.