MTV Wants To Pimp Its Ride, Taps Reality Diva To Overhaul Content

by David Goetzl, Feb 27, 2007, 7:45 AM

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MTV, grappling with what may be the greatest crucible in its history as its target audience increasingly turns to the Internet for its entertainment fix, has promoted nine-year veteran Lois Curren to head its programming operations. As president of entertainment and programming, Curren will oversee operations, ranging from development to production to scheduling.

MTV also announced several series coming mid-year that Curren will manage.

Curren's development record is impressive--with hits such as "The Osbournes," "Punk'd" and "Pimp My Ride," which along with shows such as "Laguna Beach" and "Road Rules" have propelled the network to continued success with its 12-to-24 target. But now, with MySpace and YouTube and any number of sites undergoing a traffic trajectory, MTV's 25-year run of success could be facing a slowdown, although the network is striking back with its own online forays such as the content-rich MTV Overdrive site.

Curren, who was executive vice president-MTV series entertainment, will continue to report to Brian Graden, president of entertainment at the MTV Networks Music Group.

"We trust her gut, and our many artist partners trust her genuine passion, inarguable track record and the fact that she herself began her television career as a writer," Graden said. Starting in the second quarter, Curren will shepherd what the network hopes is a new generation of hits, and it's clear that MySpace and YouTube have been an inspiration for at least one. The 10-episode series "Scarred" is sort of a documentary look at the unknown creators of some of the Web's most popular viral videos.

Also on tap is another series developed in part by Ashton Kutcher, who spearheaded "Punk'd," called "Room 401." MTV describes it as "reminiscent of 'The Twilight Zone,'" which "explores how everyday people respond when the situation around them becomes anything but ordinary."

"Kaya" is a scripted series, a drama that seems an awful lot like some of MTV's reality shows: The single-camera half-hour series looks behind the scenes of the music industry and examines what it takes to break in--and more importantly, continue as a star--through the story of a young woman and her band who hit the big-time overnight, but then must deal with the potential price of fame.

Then, there are three reality shows in development: the 8-episode "Me & Mr. Jones" that follows hip-hop couple Nas and Kelis on the road, "The Kentucky Kid" about a 25-year-old pro motorcycle champion, and "Taquita & Kaut" about two girls trying to break into show business in Las Vegas.

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