Silver Spring, U.SA. – Investigation Discovery’s new series Reel Crime/Real Story, hosted by legal champion and biopic subject Erin Brockovich, uncovers the true facts and real personalities behind iconic crime-and-justice movies that have become a part of our pop culture.

Featuring the headline-stealing homicides that inspired Hollywood hits, Reel Crime/Real Story reveals the true tales on which award-winning films Selena, Monster, and To Die For were based, with never-before-seen interviews, crime scene reconstructions, and footage gathered from the actual investigations. Reel Crime/Real Story premieres as a three-part series on Tuesday, May 29 at 10 PM E/P on Investigation Discovery.

“Box office numbers and industry accolades are a testament to the fact that Hollywood continues to be fascinated by true-life crimes,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery. “Our new series, Reel Crime/Real Story is further evidence of what Investigation Discovery’s growing audience already knows: truth is often stranger and more interesting than fiction!”
Each episode of Reel Crime/Real Story reveals how art imitated life in some of the world’s most notorious cases:

Monster premieres Tuesday, May 29 at 10 PM E/P
The media dubbed her the “Damsel of Death” and Hollywood immortalized her as “Monster.” This episode explores the life and crimes of Aileen Wuornos, America’s first female serial killer. Though executed in 2002, her story was immortalized by actress Charlize Theron, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of the prostitute turned femme fatale in 2003′s Monster.

In a never-before-seen interview shot before Wuornos became one of only 11 women executed in the past two decades, she comes clean and reveals intimate details of the lesbian love affair that led her to kill seven men. This episode also includes the first ever on-screen interview with the undercover detective who brought Wuornos into custody.

Selena premieres Tuesday, June 5 at 10 PM E/P
Latin music sensation Selena Quintanilla Perez found new life in a posthumous biopic starring Jennifer Lopez in her career-launching role. Lovingly nicknamed the “Mexican Madonna,” Selena was just 23 years old when her personal assistant and the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, gunned her down in a cheap motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The 1997 film, Selena, tracks the star’s meteoric rise to chart-topping stardom and her whirlwind romance with band member and husband Chris Perez. Through interviews with Perez, law enforcement, and the hotel manager in whose arms Selena died, Reel Crime/Real Story explores the story beyond the movie: a shocking and senseless crime that snuffed out a bright young star’s life and career.

To Die For premieres Tuesday, June 12 at 10 PM E/P
Pamela Smart lives on in Hollywood history as the woman whose salacious story inspired Nicole Kidman to win her first Golden Globe. The real-life scandal of a teacher who used sex to entice her 15-year-old student boyfriend to murder her husband rocked the small town of Derry, N.H. before exploding into a national media frenzy.

The 1995 film To Die For parodies Smart as an ambitious, cold-hearted seductress out for her husband’s blood, but who is the real Pamela Smart? Family members, local law enforcement, lawyers, and media who followed the case from day one attempt to piece together the profile of a woman who thought murder was the only answer to an unhappy marriage.

Reel Crime/Real Story is produced by ITV Studios America for Investigation Discovery. For ITV Studios, John X. Kim is executive producer. For Investigation Discovery, Eugenie Vink is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.

The article Reel Crime/Real Story Reveals True Stories Behind Crimes Films appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Silver Spring, U.S.A. – We’ve grown up with America’s favorite treat – fast food. From beloved childhood memories to classic Americana, the art of quick and delicious fare represents some of life’s greatest pleasures and often marks milestone moments. .

Destination America invites fans to celebrate gastronomy-to-go as Fast Food Mania makes its world premiere on June 3, 2012, diving into the pop culture world of fast food, digging into its cuisine, featuring its fanatics and exploring all the one-of-a-kind wonders it has to offer. The immersive tour de food will be led by the intrepid fast food aficionado, Jon Hein (“The Howard Stern Show” and “The Fast Food Show” on Sirius/XM) as he dines and decodes the world’s most popular dishes.

The travel-packed and finger-licking series will not only look at awesome eats, but also offer up essential tips for navigating the ever-winding drive troughs and ordering secret menu items, as well as delve into never-before-seen test kitchens of some of America’s favorite chains.

Fast Food Mania also reveals behind-the-scenes stories and little known facts, including answers to trivia questions such as “Who designed the signature red and white KFC bucket?” Bet you didn’t know it was the owner of another popular fast food restaurant – Dave Thomas of Wendy’s — who once operated one of the largest KFC franchises!

“Some of our country’s most fascinating stories are born from the hard work and determination of what were once mom and pop businesses that evolved into great American successes – stories of the underdog selling the hot dog, if you will,” said Marc Etkind, senior vice president of content strategy for Destination America.

“Fast Food Mania celebrates those accomplishments and takes viewers on a nostalgic ride revisiting memorable campaigns, iconic outposts and, of course, tasty menu items – sometimes with a side of fries.”

This season, Fast Food Mania makes stops at beloved eateries such as Sonic, Dunkin Donuts, Dominos, Taco Bell, and the original hot dog stand by the sea, Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island, NY. But it’s not just about the legendary brands. Fast food mania also uncover the up-and-coming chains making their mark, as well as hidden gems like Jet BBQ, a historic firehouse turned true drive-thru restaurant in Wichita, KS.

Fast Food Mania is produced by Sharp Entertainment with Matt Sharp serving as executive producer. Bob Larson is executive vice president and Dan Adler is vice president of production at Sharp Entertainment. Alison Mouledoux serves as co-executive producer. For Destination America, Fay Yu is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Marc Etkind is senior vice president, content strategy and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.

The article Fast Food Mania Digs into Nostalgia and Pop Culture Cuisine appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Out of the ashes of the Twin Towers emerged a group of survivors. They had all been through hell and back, but one survivor in particular stood out as inspirational: Tania Head.

Tania’s devastating story of narrowly escaping death from the 78th floor of the South Tower, badly burned and crawling through carnage and chaos, is one of true courage and a fighting will to survive. But while she made it out alive of one building, her life was essentially taken away by the other. Her fiance had perished in the North Tower.

Tania’s remarkable tale of recovery and loss catapulted her to being the face of the tragedy, earning her the respect of victims’ families, public officials like Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Americans everywhere.

Her story quickly traveled through the survivor community and in 2004 she became president of the World Trade Center Survivors’ Network, tirelessly working to give the survivors support and a place of prominence in a post 9/11 landscape. But there was one problem with Tania’s story that wouldn’t emerge until September 2007, when a New York Times article blew the lid off of her seemingly miraculous tale: absolutely none of it was true.

An ID Films presentation of a film directed by Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr. and produced by Meredith Vieira Productions and 4235 Productions, The Woman Who Wasn’t There exposes the truth behind 9/11 “survivor” Tania Head.

With exclusive footage from interviews with Tania shot before her story crumbled, the documentary divulges the full circle of deception from before the truth and after the lies. The special Investigation Discovery presentation of The Woman Who Wasn’t There makes its world premiere on April 17, 2012.

“Despite the traumatic impact, those who lived through 9/11 have a yearning to feel connected, even in some small way. In an extreme example, Tania Head crafted her story in order to belong, making herself both a victim and a hero on that tragic day,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager, Investigation Discovery.

The Woman Who Wasn’t There is a chilling and enthralling look at how one person’s desire to be a part of America’s inspiring recovery can go to such deceptive lengths, and will likely leave viewers with more questions than answers.”

The Woman Who Wasn’t There began as a small advocacy film after Tania approached filmmaker Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr. in 2006, wanting to tell the resiliency of the 9/11 survivors. She was eager to film the issues they face and their painstaking road to recovery. Guglielmo not only filmed hours of exclusive interview footage with Tania, but he also became her friend and confidant. When it came to light that the facts of her astounding tale were completely fabricated, Guglielmo kept the cameras rolling.

With complete access and participation from The World Trade Center Survivors’ Network, the documentary is told from a unique inside perspective that has yet to be seen by audiences, allowing viewers to unravel the psychological mystery of Tania’s tale as her closest friends did in real time.

The Woman Who Wasn’t There follows the rise of Tania, the telling her story of survival and the eventual revelation of its fabrication as well as the reactions and repercussions from her closest colleagues, all in search of an answer to the biggest question of all: who is Tania Head?

The Woman Who Wasn’t There: The True Story of an Incredible Deception by New York Times bestselling author Robin Gaby Fisher and filmmaker Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr. will be published on April 3 by Touchstone Books.

Image Courtesy of   Ken Tannenbaum / Shutterstock.com

The article The Woman Who Wasn’t There: Special Investigation of 9/11 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Fans love Investigation Discovery to death, and they’re not shy about proclaiming their addiction to true-crime programs like On the Case With Paula Zahn and Deadly Women via social media from across the globe. Ever the enabler of great storytelling, ID has prescribed its addicts with a water cooler of their very own: IDAddicts.com, a new social platform launched Saturday, January 21.

The site encourages all sorts of “bad” behavior among the newly dubbed “ID Addicts,” like experiencing the rush of real-time conversation with other fans through live-streamed chatter from Facebook and Twitter; nourishing the habit with personalized user profiles and the ability to subscribe to updates from fellow Addicts; and scheming when to get their fix throughout the week with information about upcoming premieres and exclusive opportunities.

The inspiration behind IDAddicts.com is the viewers themselves, whose incredible engagement has spawned incriminating tweets such as:

• “Watching the anti sleep channel aka @DiscoveryID … Its #DigitalCrack”
• “Working a 12-hour day seriously cuts into my ‘watching investigation discovery’ time. #MoreUnusualSuspectsPlease”
• “If you’re buying duct tape and a tarp, I automatically assume you’re planning a murder. Thanks @DiscoveryID”
• “I’m watching way too much Discovery ID Network. I suspect my 92 yr old neighbor may be a serial killer. Why is he always ‘gardening’?”

“By uniting fans under an official moniker and community base, IDAddicts.com plants a flag in our pledge to reward viewers for investing their time and curiosity in ID’s programming,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery. “We are in ripe position to empower our flourishing social fan base with even more opportunities to chat, debate, and share theories about the true-crime stories they see on ID.”

To spark chatter on IDAddicts.com, Investigation Discovery has plenty of dark influences in store. Saturday also saw the launch of ID’s new ”Red Hot Saturdays” lineup with the series premiere of Scorned: Love Kills at 10 PM E/P, examining the dark side of love with a voyeuristic peek into the lust and obsession that fueled some of the most senseless, but certainly emotionally charged crimes to make front-page headlines.

Scorned is paired with all-new episodes of Who The (Bleep) Did I Marry? at 9 and 9:30 PM E/P, uncovering deceitful spouses who kept deep, life-altering secrets from their significant others well after the honeymoon was over. To add more fuel to the fire, Investigation Discovery is hosting weekly watch-and-win viewer giveaways of “red hot”-themed prizes to thank fans for further indulging their incurable addiction.

The article Investigation Discovery Launches IDAddicts.com to Hook Fans appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.