or


[10/28/13 - 10:11 AM]
Craig Ferguson to Host New Game Show from Fremantle, Debmar-Mercury, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Scott St. John
In "Celebrity Name Game," celebrities team with contestants to identify famous names, including actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians and even cartoon characters.

[via press release from FremantleMedia North America]

FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA AND DEBMAR-MERCURY JOIN FORCES ON NATIONALLY SYNDICATED GAME SHOW, "CELEBRITY NAME GAME" HOSTED BY CRAIG FERGUSON

HALF-HOUR STRIP DEVELOPED BY COURTENEY COX, DAVID ARQUETTE AND VETERAN SHOWRUNNER SCOTT ST. JOHN

Los Angeles and New York, Oct. 28, 2013 - FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury, Lionsgate's television distribution and syndication company, have joined forces to offer "Celebrity Name Game." The fast-paced game show, in which celebrities team with contestants to identify famous names, including actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians and even cartoon characters, is scheduled for a fall 2014 nationally syndicated launch with "The Late, Late Show's" Craig Ferguson hosting.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette's Coquette Productions ("Cougar Town") developed the half-hour strip based on the board game Identity Crisis with Scott St. John ("Deal or No Deal"), who will also serve as showrunner.

Thom Beers, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, commented, "'Celebrity Name Game' is a hilarious and innovative rapid-fire game show that combines the best of pop culture with the best of comedy. We've had incredible success bringing world-class comedians to the world's most successful game shows with talents such as Drew Carey, Steve Harvey and Wayne Brady. We are delighted to add the ultra-talented and witty Craig Ferguson to our family as he drives the competition and brings nonstop laughter to viewers at home. All of that combined with the fantastic partnership we've had with Debmar-Mercury and the incredibly funny and dynamic duo that is Courteney Cox and David Arquette - this show just spells laugh-out-loud magic!"

Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein commented, "'Celebrity Name Game' will make the perfect companion to 'Family Feud' in early fringe and access time slots next fall. It has every element needed for success: a great concept; a hugely popular and very funny host in Craig who, like Steve Harvey, is very natural and comfortable in the role; a who's who list of celebrity guests that only Courteney and David can attract; outstanding production auspices with our 'Feud' production partners at Fremantle; and the vast experience of a highly in demand showrunner like Scott. There are no other boxes left to check."

As host of "Celebrity Name Game," Ferguson will bring his talent as a standup comedian, actor, writer and host to the game show arena. Ferguson found his true voice on his talk show, giving viewers reason to stay up late. The popular Scottish native's honest, self-effacing style of humor has attracted a loyal audience and allowed him to display his slashing wit, unscripted monologues and disarming personal candor. He has also found time for voiceovers on animated films, including DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Disney-Pixar's Brave (2012).

Said Ferguson, "I have to do a show which is of interest to me and 'Celebrity Name Game' is certainly that. What a wonderful concept with such great potential, from two of my favorite people, Courteney and David."

Cox commented, "We are such huge fans of game shows and believe Celebrity Name Game has the potential to truly stand out. We want viewers to have as much fun watching this series as we have had playing it with friends, many of whom are also big fans and want to be a part of this. Add in Craig, who is hilarious, and we have something really special here that will resonate with viewers."

Added Arquette, "It's so much fun bringing a game we love to play, a game that everyone we know plays, and spicing it up for everyone across America to play together."

St. John noted, "This project is a funny, fun, engaging show. Everything a great game show should be. To have the opportunity to work with Craig, Courteney, David and the folks at Fremantle and Debmar-Mercury, I couldn't be more excited."

The project marks the second collaboration between FremantleMedia North America ("Family Feud," "The Price is Right," "Let's Make a Deal," "American Idol," "The X Factor," "America's Got Talent") and Debmar-Mercury. "Family Feud", their first venture, has resulted in spectacular ratings success.

"Celebrity Name Game" is co-produced and co-financed by FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury, and is distributed domestically by Debmar-Mercury and internationally by FremantleMedia North America. The show was developed by Coquette Productions and is based on the board game, Identity Crisis, created by Laura Robinson and Richard Gerrits of North 44 Productions. Executive Producers are Scott St. John, Thom Beers, Jennifer Mullin, Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

About FremantleMedia North America:

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. arm of global media giant FremantleMedia, which includes a distribution arm, FremantleMedia International, a digital and branded entertainment division and a kids & family entertainment business. As the world's largest independent studio, FremantleMedia's comprehensive global network has operations in 25 countries, creating over 9100 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 400 individual titles. FMNA and its portfolio of companies produce entertaining and innovative scripted and alternative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms. Their slate includes a diverse range of both critically-acclaimed and award-winning successes including "American Idol" (FOX), "The X Factor" (FOX), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "Family Feud" (SYN), "Let's Make A Deal" (CBS), "The Price Is Right" (CBS), "Lights, Camera, Christmas!" (ABC), "The Tomorrow People" (The CW), "Deadliest Catch" (Discovery), "Married to Medicine" (Bravo), "Ice Road Truckers" (HISTORY), "Storage Wars" (A&E) and "The Pet Collective" (blip.tv), among others.

About Debmar-Mercury

Debmar-Mercury, a leading media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes for daytime television The Wendy Williams Show and has U.S. distribution rights to Fremantle Media North America's Family Feud; distributes Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns; Lionsgate Television's Anger Management (starring Charlie Sheen and entering off-network syndication in September 2014), Saint George (starring and co-created by George Lopez, debuting in 2014 and in off-network syndication in September 2016) and a new untitled sitcom (starring comedy legends Martin Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer, set to premiere in 2014 and entering broadcast syndication in fall 2017), all for FX; Revolution/CubeVision's Are We There Yet? (starring Ice Cube); and has U.S. TV distribution rights to South Park, Hell's Kitchen and a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company.

About Coquette Productions

Coquette Productions, founded by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, with development executive Thea Mann, is a television and film production company focusing on creating dynamic, original and entertaining content. Under a first-look deal with ABC Studios, Coquette has produced Cougar Town for ABC and TBS; Daisy Does America for TBS; Dirt for F/X and Mix it Up for WE. Additionally, Coquette has sold projects/filmed pilots for UPN, FOX, CBS, HBO, The Travel Channel, NBC, Lifetime, MTV and Comedy Central. Coquette has also produced the feature film Just Before I Go, directed by Courteney Cox.





  [october 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· CELEBRITY NAME GAME (SYNDICATION)
· COUGAR TOWN (TBS)
· DEAL OR NO DEAL (CNBC)





[04/16/24 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Leads Broadcast with 14 of Top 20 Non-Sports Programs
CBS has led the four broadcasters since its February new season premieres, winning six nights a week (Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday).

[04/16/24 - 10:49 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Original Movie "The Bad Orphan" Starring Betsy Brandt and Chloe Coco Chapman
Mark Taylor and Eve Edwards also star in the film.

[04/16/24 - 10:29 AM]
Prime Video Orders "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?" from MGM Alternative with Three Time Super Bowl Champion Travis Kelce Set to Host
The 20-episode order is a spinoff of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" and is being produced by MGM Alternative, a division of Amazon MGM Studios.

[04/16/24 - 09:31 AM]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Sets Date for 2025
The two-hour ceremony will stream live Sunday, February 23, 2025 on Netflix at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT).

[04/16/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "A Man in Full" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Facing relentless foes and sudden bankruptcy, an Atlanta real estate tycoon must claw his way back to the top when his empire begins to crumble.

[04/16/24 - 08:56 AM]
San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Is Most-Watched Non-New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" Game in Six Years
The San Diego Padres 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 14 delivered an average audience of nearly two million viewers (1,961,000) on ESPN, according to Nielsen.

[04/16/24 - 08:53 AM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Apr. 8: "3 Body Problem" Spends Third Week at #1
"The Gentlemen" claimed third place (3.7M views) in its sixth week and sent sales for posh fashion skyrocketing.

[04/16/24 - 08:23 AM]
New HGTV Series "Who's Afraid of a Cheap Old House?" Will Inspire Bargain Buyers to Take on and Reimagine Dreamy Older Homes
During the eight-episode season, the Finkelsteins will take potential buyers on tours of two listings - from traditional styles such as Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Tudor and Queen Anne to out-of-the-box ones like a church and a firehouse - that are brimming with history and unique architecture.

[04/16/24 - 08:09 AM]
Video: "Hacks" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Max
Make sure you get her good side.

[04/16/24 - 08:03 AM]
Drew and Jonathan Scott Stake Their Resources and Reputation to Back Struggling Property Investors in New HGTV Series "Backed by the Bros" Premiering Wednesday, June 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The 10-episode season will show another side of the Brothers - proven real estate moguls who know a good investment when they see one - as they relinquish total control of renovations to advise bewildered entrepreneurs, short-term rental owners and residential developers on high-stakes investment properties.

[04/16/24 - 08:00 AM]
Apple TV+ Announces New Thriller "Down Cemetery Road," Starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson
Thompson plays struggling Oxford private eye Zoƫ Boehm, alongside Wilson as Sarah Tucker, who becomes obsessed with the whereabouts of a child she believes to have gone missing.

[04/16/24 - 07:32 AM]
Paramount+ Teams Up with National Park Foundation as First-Ever Official Streaming Partner
The collaboration will kick off this Earth Day on April 22.

[04/16/24 - 07:02 AM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Hits Highest Prime Viewership This Year - Driven by TNT Sports' NCAA Men's Final Four Coverage - with Nearly a 70 Percent Share Among Adults on Saturday, April 6
In total TV primetime that night, WBD's popular lifestyle, entertainment, sports and news brands secured a 54 percent share among Adults 18-49 and a 51 percent share among Adults 25-54.

[04/16/24 - 07:00 AM]
BET Media Group Extends Multi-Year Content Partnership with Tyler Perry Through 2028
The pact includes new seasons of "Sistas," "The Oval," "Assisted Living," "House of Payne," "Zatima," "Bruh," "All the Queen's Men" as well as the new scripted series "Route 187."

[04/16/24 - 05:55 AM]
Netflix and MVP Announce Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano to Stream Exclusively on Netflix on July 20th
Taylor vs. Serrano 2 will stream live globally, exclusively on Netflix on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from the 80,000-seat capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.