• by Wayne Friedman , April 19, 2006

Only a couple of episodes into its new series, "So NoTORIous," VH1 is looking to get more marketing punch out of the reality show by offering three back-to-back, commercial-free episodes on Sunday night.

"So NoTORIous," in which Tori Spelling plays a fictionalized version of herself, won't be completely sponsor-free, however. VH1 has sold presenting sponsorships to two advertisers: Kraft Foods' Easy Mac and Johnson & Johnson's Stay Free. Each will get an opening billboard at the beginning of the program block, as well an ending billboard and announcement at the conclusion of the three episodes.

It's somewhat unusual for a cable network to offer advertising-free episodes of a new show after the show's initial debut. Typically networks, such FX, start off with big marketing bang for the first episode of a new series or the season premiere of a returning show, creating an advertising-free event.

VH1, by contrast, is looking to create a different kind of marketing spin. The programming stunt will last just over an hour. A typical half-hour episode is 22 minutes, and three episodes will bring the block to about 66 minutes in length.

The first episode in the stunt will be a rerun of the series' second episode. Two new episodes will also premiere, featuring Charo and Whoopi Goldberg, as guest stars. Charo makes a cameo appearance in a flashback from the distant 1990s, while Whoopi Goldberg appears as a Santeria-like priestess, Mama Belle.