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[10/22/08 - 11:14 AM]
Saturn Teams Up with CBS Interactive to Create New Original Web Series "Novel Adventures," Premiering Monday, NoV. 3
Daphne Zuniga, Paola Turbay, Ashley Williams and Jolie Jenkins also star in the project, which comes from "The Cleaner" creator Jonathan Prince.

[via press release from CBS]

SATURN TEAMS UP WITH CBS INTERACTIVE TO CREATE NEW ORIGINAL WEB SERIES "NOVEL ADVENTURES," PREMIERING MONDAY, NOV. 3

Original Concept and Script Written by Jonathan Prince, Creator of "The Cleaner"

New Web Series To Be Produced by CBS Paramount Network Television, Distributed by CBS Interactive and Promoted on the CBS Television Network

LOS ANGELES and SAN FRANCISCO, October 22 - CBS Interactive announced today a partnership with Saturn to launch its new original scripted Web series "Novel Adventures" from creator Jonathan Prince ("The Cleaner"), who has a first look deal with CBS Interactive's sister division, CBS Paramount Network Television. The eight-Webisode series will premiere on November 3 exclusively on CBS.com, TheInsider.com, and TV.com and stars Daphne Zuniga ("One Tree Hill"), Paola Turbay ("Cane"), Ashley Williams ("How I Met Your Mother") and Jolie Jenkins ("Desperate Housewives").

Each episode will be presented exclusively for a 48-hour window on CBS.com, TheInsider.com and TV.com and then roll out across the CBS Audience Network as well as be available on iTunes. Two new Webisodes will be released per week for the first two weeks, followed by a single new Webisode a week for the remainder of the series. NOVEL ADVENTURES will be promoted across CBS Interactive platforms and in prime time on the CBS Television Network.

Set in various locations throughout Los Angeles and shot in high-definition, NOVEL ADVENTURES is the story of four women from different backgrounds and at different stages in their lives who join a Book Club in hopes of escaping the obstacles presented by everyday life. They come together through their shared passion for books at a weekly book club, but quickly realize what they are really looking for is adventure. And so, inspired by a different book each week, the four embark on a variety of adventures that help them fulfill their lives while taking them to a new and exciting place each week.

"This is a new media model that makes creative and financial sense for Saturn and CBS Interactive- a high quality, high concept scripted series that is fully sponsored, widely distributed and backed by the promotional power of a major media company, including its broadcast network," said Prince, who was asked by Saturn to create the series and then brought it to CBS. "We get to tell great stories with an A+ cast and crew, Saturn gets creative and seamless promotion for its new line of cars, and CBS Interactive offers its flagship Web sites and Audience Network high-production-value content."

"We're constantly looking for innovative and creative ways to showcase our new line-up of Saturn vehicles," said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn's General Manager. "In this case, we wanted to do something online that could leverage today's active social networking environment. Most importantly, it had to be a high quality body of entertainment that our target audience would enjoy. This property will deliver."

"We're excited about this property because we've created a way to extend the show's Saturn content in an engaging manner - amongst a very targeted audience. And we're ensuring that the interaction with this audience will not be a passive experience, but an active one. NOVEL ADVENTURES was born from sharing our needs with Jonathan Prince, who has proven to find impactful ways integrating brands into entertainment," said Dino Bernacchi, General Motors' Director of Branded Entertainment. "Together, we agreed that the media partner who had the vision, capabilities and creative collaboration to help make this big and successful was CBS."

"NOVEL ADVENTURES offers the complete package - network-quality storytelling from a top producer working within the confines of online, plus best-of-breed online distribution, and promotion across relevant Web properties and network television to drive awareness," said Anthony Soohoo, Senior Vice President and GM of CBS Interactive Entertainment division. "All while creating an entertainment experience where the audience can more genuinely connect to the show, it characters and the brands, such as Saturn, portrayed in the Webisodes."

Following is a list of the eight Webisodes in order of appearance:

?h The Sand and Sea Club: To honor Hemingway's classic tale The Old Man in the Sea, the girls head out for an afternoon of deep-sea fishing and end up with a surf lesson from a male model from Malibu.

?h The Fab Four: Sheila Weller's Ladies of the Canyon (Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and Carole King) brings the groupie out in the girls who are determined to live out the life of rock legends.

?h Spy Girls: The Bourne Trilogy by Robert Ludlum leads the ladies to Spy School.

?h Whodunnit? We dunnit: The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston is the backdrop for the girl's chance to find out how to solve mysteries, CSI-style.

?h If You Can't Take the Heat: This adventure is inspired by writer Kathleen Flinn's book titled The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry. Based on her adventures at Le Cordon Bleu, it leaves the girls starving for an epicurean adventure.

?h The Prince and the Perfect Taco: With mixtures of inspiration from Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind and Knit Two by Kate Jacobs, the sequel to her bestselling book, Friday Night Knitting Club, the girls search for the urban myths of a gypsy taco truck and the perfect man.

?h Bare Essentials: Betty Friedan's autobiography titled Life So Far leads the girls to find their own power, ironically, thru pole dancing classes.

?h But You've Got to Have Friends: The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows helps the ladies cap off their book club with a final look at their past experiences and opening the door to more adventures in the future.

Cast:

DAPHNE ZUNIGA AS LAURA, a recently divorced mother of a teenage son, who having found herself in a rut, looks to shake things up with her new friends.

PAOLA TURBAY AS JOANNA, a single, successful entertainment attorney who must balance the expectations of her career and her mother who just wants her to get married.

ASHLEY WILLIAMS as Lizzie, a recently married young woman struggling to cope with life in a new city, a work-a-holic husband, and too much time on her hands.

JOLIE JENKINS as Amy, a happily married woman who runs a high-end bakery, but is still missing something - a baby -- in her seemingly perfect life.

In addition to watching the series online, viewers are invited to participate in the adventures by visiting https://owa.cnet.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.cbs.com/noveladventures, where they will find bonus content as well as blogs and vlogs organized by character, Webisode and book. A variety of community tools are also available, including:

?h Commenting, Rating, & Reviews - Fans can post comments and rate each Webisode, as well as rate and review the books the women read and their adventures

?h Suggest a Book - Viewers can submit suggestions for books to be covered in future Webisodes

?h Quizzes- A variety of quizzes are available about the books, activities and Webisodes

?h Discussion Boards - Forums for discussing the books or authors featured on the show, including chats with the actual authors

?h Fan Favorites - Viewers can become a fan of a book and/or author, get reviews, join discussions, and more

About CBS Interactive

CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation, is the best online content network for information and entertainment. Its portfolio of leading brands, which include CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com, GameSpot, TV.com, BNET, and Last.fm span popular categories like technology, entertainment, sports, news, and business. With more than 150 million people visiting its properties each month, CBS Interactive is a top 10 Web property globally.

About Saturn

Saturn, a division of General Motors Corp., markets vehicles in the U.S. and Canada through a network of about 440 retailer locations, with a focus on providing innovative products with solid value and excellent customer service. The brand has one of the freshest lineups in the industry with five new vehicles: the Sky roadster, the Aura midsize sedan, the Vue compact crossover, the midsize Outlook crossover and the Astra sport compact car. For the 2009 model year, Saturn will offer three hybrids: the Vue Hybrid, Aura Hybrid and the Vue 2 Mode Hybrid.





  [october 2008]  
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· CANE (CBS)
· CLEANER, THE (A AND E)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS)
· ONE TREE HILL (CW)





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