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TV Press Tour: New Reality for BET
BY DIANE WERTS
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
PASADENA, Calif. -- There's the reality of pre-prison life for rapper Lil' Kim. And the hard-working role models of the Grambling State University football program. New BET program chief Reginald Hudlin promises an "expanded scope of original programing" as the venerable black-focus cable channel rebrands itself "leader of the new school."
Hudlin made his first appearance before TV critics as their midseason press tour kicked off yesterday, trying to boost a channel most writers consider a chronic quality underachiever during its first 25 years.
The 44-year-old director of films ("House Party") and TV ("Everybody Hates Chris") insists "BET is the ultimate platform for what it is I do" in telling stories.
Among those getting Hudlin's nod is "Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown," premiering March 9 as a six-part chronicle of the two weeks before Kimberly Jones (aka Lil' Kim) went behind bars to serve a year for perjury related to the 2001 shootout outside radio station Hot 97's offices. "Mouth shut, head held high, as she refuses to snitch" was the description in a video promo shown critics, but Hudlin says the show "takes a very serious look at her life and her choices, and the consequences of those choices. It's absurd, and it's tragic. It's a very Fellini-esque situation."
"Season of the Tiger," debuting May 4, takes a verite look at the lives of the world-renowned football players and marching band of Louisiana's Grambling State University.
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BY DIANE WERTS
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
PASADENA, Calif. -- There's the reality of pre-prison life for rapper Lil' Kim. And the hard-working role models of the Grambling State University football program. New BET program chief Reginald Hudlin promises an "expanded scope of original programing" as the venerable black-focus cable channel rebrands itself "leader of the new school."
Hudlin made his first appearance before TV critics as their midseason press tour kicked off yesterday, trying to boost a channel most writers consider a chronic quality underachiever during its first 25 years.
The 44-year-old director of films ("House Party") and TV ("Everybody Hates Chris") insists "BET is the ultimate platform for what it is I do" in telling stories.
Among those getting Hudlin's nod is "Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown," premiering March 9 as a six-part chronicle of the two weeks before Kimberly Jones (aka Lil' Kim) went behind bars to serve a year for perjury related to the 2001 shootout outside radio station Hot 97's offices. "Mouth shut, head held high, as she refuses to snitch" was the description in a video promo shown critics, but Hudlin says the show "takes a very serious look at her life and her choices, and the consequences of those choices. It's absurd, and it's tragic. It's a very Fellini-esque situation."
"Season of the Tiger," debuting May 4, takes a verite look at the lives of the world-renowned football players and marching band of Louisiana's Grambling State University.
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