Sunday, July 16, 2006

TV Land Announces Premiere Date For I PITY THE FOOL - Features Mr T

Mr. T Puts the 'T' in TV Land When I Pity the Fool Premieres on October 11

Viewers Will Have Multi-platform Access to TV Icon Including Live Video Chat With Mr. T Immediately Following On-Air Premiere

Watch out Dr. Phil, move over Oprah and step aside Tony Robbins, TV Land today announced that Mr. T′s new original series I Pity The Fool, will premiere on the network on October 11 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). In I Pity The Fool, produced by Lionsgate, in association with Left/Right Films and Remag Guerilla, Mr. T is on a mission to change people′s lives by dispensing his own brand of advice in classic T-style in every city with fools to pity.

"Life can offer lots of challenges and sometimes you just can′t do it alone," says Mr. T. "I understand what it takes to overcome adversity and I′m ready to do my part to help people rise above their troubles and come out like new!"

"Mr. T is such an enormous pop culture icon and is one of the most beloved stars of our time," states Sal Maniaci, Senior Vice President, Development and Original Production, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "We′re thrilled to be working with him on a show that lets people see the true T and see him experience first-hand funny situations and how motivational he can be."

I Pity The Fool features this classic TV icon in a role that he is very comfortable with -- #1 Jibber Jabber Attacker. Whether he's teaching fools some basic rules or being a motivator for procrastinators, Mr. T becomes immersed in the situation at-hand and becomes a catalyst for change. Upcoming episodes include Mr. T at a car dealership in New York seeking to motivate the employees and improve the relationship between a father and son- in-law working together, as well as Mr. T visiting a dance school to help the students ensure that they will be able to participate in their recital despite their instructor′s lack of organizational skills.

Additionally, viewers can enjoy I Pity The Fool on their computer screens as TVLand.com gives fans several different ways to get their fill of T. Immediately following the premiere of the show, at 10:30 p.m. ET, fans will be able to interact with Mr. T himself in a live video chat on the site. Prior to the chat, visitors to the site will see behind-the-scenes video, sneak peeks of episodes and footage produced specifically for the Web. Other I Pity The Fool offerings on TVLand.com will include "Rules for Fools" -- video clips of Mr. T dispensing advice on finances, dating, hygiene, listening, etc., -- and video T-mail, enabling fans to send video e-cards for birthdays, new parents, and more.