Santa Monica, U.S.A. – TV Land is giving one of the original “Kings of Comedy” his own sitcom! Laugh-out-loud comedians Cedric “The Entertainer” and Niecy Nash star in the network’s newest original series, “The Soul Man” (formerly known as “Have Faith”), which begins production this week for a total of 12 episodes.

It was announced on April 28, by Keith Cox, executive vice president, development and original programming, TV Land. “The Soul Man” premieres Wednesday, June 20 at 10pm ET/PT, immediately followed by the season two premiere of TV Land’s hit sitcom, “ The Exes,” which stars Donald Faison (“Scrubs”), Wayne Knight (“Seinfeld”), David Alan Basche (“The Starter Wife”), Kelly Stables (“Two and a Half Men”) and Kristen Johnston (“3rd Rock From The Sun”).

“The Soul Man” revolves around R&B superstar-turned-minister Reverend Boyce “The Voice” Ballentine (played by Cedric) who was living the high life in Las Vegas at the top of the music charts (see the video for his 80′s hit, “Sex Wichoo” here) when he gets the calling to go from soul singer to soul saver.

Relocating to St. Louis with his wife, Lolli (Nash) and his daughter, Lyric (Jazz Raycole) to take over  the preaching duties in his father’s church - his family is not exactly eager to give up the fabulous superstar life for a humble one. The Reverend Boyce character originally appeared in a season two episode of “Hot in Cleveland” and a spinoff was developed by Cedric and “Hot in Cleveland” creator Suzanne Martin.

The comedy also stars John Beasley (“Everwood”) as Boyce’s father, Barton; Wesley Jonathan (“What I Like About You”) as his brother, Stamps; and Raycole (“My Wife and Kids”) as his daughter.

“We are beyond thrilled to have Cedric, Niecy and the whole cast become part of the ever-growing TV Land family,” said Cox. “We know that Cedric and Niecy’s chemistry coupled with a top-notch comedic cast will definitely make this sitcom pop.”

Cedric and Martin will serve as executive producers for “The Soul Man,” along with Eric Rhone and Emmy Award-winner Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner of Hazy Mills Productions, who also executive produce “Hot in Cleveland.” Keith Cox and Larry W. Jones will be executive producers for TV Land. Phoef Sutton (“Cheers”) is the showrunner and Stan Lathan (“The Steve Harvey Show”) serves as the director. The series is filmed in front of a live studio audience.

Please log onto www.tvlandpress.com for up-to-the-minute information, press releases and photos.

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Entertainment legend Betty White has joined Twitter, but was initially thought to have been the victim of a Twitter hoax after an account claiming to be her was opened by White’s people, without White herself being informed.

The profile was first revealed to be a fake by White through her ‘Hot in Cleveland’ co-stars Jane Leeves and Valerie Bertinelli when they each took to their own profiles to advise users to unfollow the person claiming to be White.

While fake Twitter profiles are commonplace on the social networking site, this alleged hoax was even more surprising due to the fact that White’s alleged profile had a verification checkmark, a feature which only Twitter itself is able to give when it has confirmed that profiles are indeed legitimate.

The profile, under the Twitter handle @BettyMWhite, went up on April 10 and amassed over 140,000 followers by the time of this writing. Only three tweets had been posted before Jane Leeves and Valerie Bertinelli, with whom Betty currently co-stars on the TV Land sitcom ‘Hot in Cleveland’, reported that it was in fact an impostor running the profile. Bertinelli wrote:

Just spoke with Betty and she is VERY upset! @BettyMWhite is NOT her. Don’t know how they got verified, but it is not Betty. Please RT!

Leeves followed with:

@BettyMWhite is a fake and has upset the real Betty White! Please unfollow!

However, just minutes later Bertinelli took to her Twitter profile again, this time writing:

Stop the presses! Betty just got a call. An account was opened on her behalf by her people. More to come…

The evident confusion will likely become a source of amusement for fans of the 90-year old screen icon, who are no doubt looking forward to seeing her attempt to grapple with a popular form of modern technology.

A hoax, however, would have been embarrassing for more than just as her fans as television network NBC was already using it to help promote their new series ‘Betty White’s Off Their Rockers’, while the TV Line website earlier today crafted a ‘@BettyMWhite Twitter Bingo Card‘ for users to play along with as they watched the Emmy winner’s foray into social media.

While it seems that White’s people will be doing all of the tweeting, her official presence on Twitter makes her one of the oldest verified celebrities on the site.

Image Courtesy of   Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

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The “TV Land Awards 2012,” honoring classic television, film and music icons, will return to New York City and be hosted by Kelly Ripa (nationally syndicated talk show “LIVE! With Kelly”), it was announced on March 5 by Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land. Ripa previously hosted the show in 2007.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the awards show will honor powerhouse songstress Aretha Franklin with the Music Icon Award and will be held at the Lexington Avenue Armory at Gramercy Park on Saturday, April 14th. The “TV Land Awards 2012″ will air on Sunday, April 29th at 9:00pm ET/PT. More honorees will be announced in coming weeks.

“We are ecstatic to welcome back Kelly as she reprises her role as host of the ‘TV Land Awards’ this year for our 10th annual celebration,” said Jones.  “Her energy, enthusiasm and love of television make her the perfect person to lead the evening on the occasion of our 10th Anniversary.”

The successful “TV Land Awards” has scored a decade of success including the record-breaking numbers from the “TV Land Awards 2011,” which attracted over 2 million viewers for its premiere telecast. The star-studded special, which was held last year in New York City for the very first time, was the highest rated “TV Land Awards” show since 2004 across all key demos and posted double-digit gains in rating and delivery over preceding shows.

The “TV Land Awards” pays tribute to classic and contemporary luminaries of television, music and movies. The 90-minute telecast will feature exhilarating musical performances and will reunite some of the most iconic celebrity TV casts.

Previous honorees include Regis Philbin, Michael J. Fox, John Travolta, Bill Cosby, Mike Myers, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Garry Marshall, the cast of “Glee,” “Desperate Housewives” and the hilarious sitcoms “Cheers,” “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties,” “The Facts of Life,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Bosom Buddies,” “Welcome Back, Kotter,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “M*A*S*H*.”

Past presenters include Academy Award-winner Halle Berry, Barbara Walters, Justin Timberlake, Ray Romano, Steve Carell, Billy Crystal, Sharon Stone, Robin Williams and Academy Award-nomineeRobert Downey, Jr., to name a few. Past musical performers include Liza Minnelli, Stevie Wonder, Blondie, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson and Lionel Richie.

Michael Levitt (“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Scream Awards”) is executive producer; Five-time Emmy Award-winning Glenn Weiss is director (“Primetime Emmy Awards,” “BET Awards,” “The Tony Awards”); Greg Sills serves as supervising producer (“VH1 Rock Honors,” “The Teen Choice Awards,” “Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards”) and TV Land’s Larry W. Jonesand Casey Patterson are executive producers. Tim Bruno is executive in charge of production for TV Land.

TV Land and all related logos and titles are trademarks of Viacom International.

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakestacie/

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TV Land announced  its line-up of small screen vets that will guest star on season two of the network’s hit original sitcom, “Happily Divorced,” which premieres on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 10:30pm ET/PT immediately following all-new episodes of “Hot in Cleveland.”

“Happily Divorced,” which is filmed in front of a live studio audience, stars and is inspired by the real-life story of sitcom favorite Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”), and revolves around Fran, a Los Angeles florist who finds out after 18-years of marriage that her husband is gay.

Unable to sell the house with the economy tanking, she and her gay ex-husband Peter (John Michael Higgins, “Best in Show”) must continue to live together happily divorced as they both re-enter the dating world. The series also features acclaimed actors Tichina Arnold (“Everybody Hates Chris”) as her best friend Judi; Rita Moreno (“OZ”) and Robert Walden (“All The President’s Men”) as Fran’s parents Glen and Dori and Valente Rodriguez (“George Lopez”) as Cesar, her flower shop employee.

“Fran’s sense of humor, timing and creative force will keep the fans of ‘Happily Divorced’ engaged and laughing,” stated Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land.  “We can’t wait to see where she will take us in these next 12 episodes.”

This season will see Fran and Peter continuing to adjust to their new life being a straight-gay divorced couple, from Peter having to come out to his brother to Fran selling Peter’s part of their joint burial plot, much to his dismay. Drescher will also once again re-unite with her former “Nanny” co-stars, including Renee Taylor, who appeared on “Happily Divorced” last season, and Ann Guilbert, who played Yetta on “The Nanny.”

Other guest stars will include Morgan Fairchild (“General Hospital,” “Friends”), Sean Kanan(“The Young and the Restless”) and D.W. Moffett (“Switched at Birth,” “Friday Night Lights”) in his recurring role as Elliott, Fran’s on-again-off-again flame.

According to Nielsen, the first season of “Happily Divorced” earned an outstanding 1.0 A25-54 rating, up triple-digits (+179%) compared to TV Land primetime average and scored a 1.3 with W25-54, up +214% versus TV Land primetime.  The series also attracted an average audience of 2.2M total viewers, up +125% versus primetime levels (Source: Nielsen, 6/15/11-8/17/11, Wed 10:30p-11p, L+7 data).

Drescher was nominated twice for both Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for her starring role on “The Nanny.”  This past fall, she released her first children’s book entitled Being Wendy which is added to Drescher’s other writing credits that includes New York Times best-sellers Enter Whining and Cancer Schmancer.

Fran Drescher, Peter Marc Jacobson (“The Nanny”), Frank Lombardi and Franco E. Bario are executive producers, and Larry W. Jones and Keith Cox serve as executive producers for TV Land.

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TV Land has picked up its fifth original sitcom, “Have Faith,” starring Cedric “The Entertainer,” it was announced at the TCA Winter Press Tour by Larry W. Jones, president of TV Land. The network has ordered 12 episodes for the first season, which is set to premiere in June of this year.

The sitcom, which was created by Cedric and “Hot in Cleveland” creator Suzanne Martin, revolves around Cedric’s character, Reverend Boyce “The Voice” Ballentine, an R&B superstar-turned-minister who takes over as preacher of his father’s church. Niecy Nash (“Reno 911″) also stars as the reverend’s wife, Lolli.

The pilot features John Beasley (“Everwood”) as his father, Wesley Jonathan (“What I Like About You”) as his younger brother, and Jazz Raycole (“My Wife and Kids”) as his daughter. The character of Reverend Boyce originated on a second season episode of “Hot in Cleveland” in which Cedric guest-starred.

“The show that Cedric and Suzanne have created is a fantastic family sitcom that you just don’t see as much on TV today,” said Jones. “That’s just one of the reasons we’re so thrilled to welcome him to the TV Land family. From the moment he appeared on ‘Hot in Cleveland,’ we knew we wanted to work with him in a greater capacity.”

“Hot in Cleveland,” TV Land’s first original sitcom starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White has also been greenlit by the network for a 24-episode fourth season.  A syndication deal was recently reached for “Hot in Cleveland,” giving CBS Television Distribution the domestic distribution rights for the series. This season pickup would bring “Hot in Cleveland” to 80 total episodes. The series, which is currently in its third season, averages 2.5 million total viewers per episode.

“With the show’s recent win at The People’s Choice Awards and Betty’s recent SAG Award nomination, it’s clear that the fans love and want more of ‘Hot in Cleveland,’” said Jones. “TV Land is growing in a major way, and these pickups are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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TV Land, home to America’s favorite sitcoms, has partnered with world-renowned Dr. Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, a preventive care specialist and psychoneuroimmunologist, for a breakthrough study titled “The Power of Laughter” showing a direct correlation between laughter and the positive effects on the body and mind. In fact, watching sitcoms, a staple on TV Land, can contribute to improving your overall health.

Some key findings include:

• People who laugh often are more likely to exercise vigorously and eat healthier.

• Sense of humor is the #1 quality that people find attractive in a person over other traits like physical appearance and intelligence.

• Over 70% of people agree that laughter, as a personality trait, can open doors and create opportunities in the workplace.

A basic necessity, 92% of people agree that everyone needs laughter in their life, with humor about everyday life ranking as the #1 type of humor. While almost everyone recognizes the importance of laughter, 55% of people in the study can be defined as heavy laughers versus 45% of people who are recognized as occasional laughers, almost an even split.

The study, titled “The Power of Laughter,” was conducted in October 2011 via an online survey nationally representative by gender and ethnicity. The survey measured 1200 people ages 21-59 plus an augment of TV Land viewers.

“After you’re done with the stress of everyday work, planning the family meals, and dealing with your in-laws, balance the pressures of the holidays with the health benefits of laughter,” states Dr. Berk. ”Our study validates that watching sitcoms like the ones on TV Land is the number one way people seek out and find laughter.

That is very significant since this is an accessible way, be it alone or with others, that Americans can obtain the psychological and physical benefits of laughter such as feeling less stressed and depressed, having more optimism and vigor, along with lowering blood pressure, stress hormones and enhancing components of immunity.”

“It’s been said before that laughter is the best medicine, and we have seen that firsthand working with sitcom greats like the ones featured on TV Land,” said Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land.  “What’s interesting is how something as seemingly simple as watching sitcoms is now shown to be connected to affect physical and psychological health and well-being. This research debunks the stereotype of a couch potato when, in fact, the laughter derived from watching sitcoms has many benefits. My holiday wish is that everyone watches more TV Land this year – after all, it’s good for you!”

A whopping 88% of people agreed that laughter helps you deal with the seriousness of life. Whether it’s due to the effects of years of financial market instability, almost a decade of war or individual experiences, the need to laugh came through in many ways in the “Power of Laughter” survey and that the benefits of laughter are plentiful.  88% of people agree that the more you laugh, the less stressed you feel and 63% of people believe that laughing makes you more relaxed.

The television industry is currently seeing the benefits of people wanting to laugh as sitcoms on TV are seeing a massive resurgence. 71% of people believe “watching a funny TV show” is the #1 laugh-inducing activity. In fact, “Hot in Cleveland’s” Betty White is the top celebrity that makes people laugh the most. Among TV Land viewers surveyed, TV Land was voted funnier than the broadcast networks netting out with TV Land at 62%, CBS with 51%, NBC at 50%, ABC with 45% and Fox at 42%.

77% of people believe that laughter makes you happier. Heavy laughers are 69% more likely to feel happier now than ever before. When asked how often you laugh with your significant other, 77% of heavy laughers responded all or most of the time as opposed to 38% of occasional laughers. Additionally, 45% of heavy laughers strongly agree that they are excited about their next chapter in life versus 17% of occasional laughers. The optimism of heavy laughers is truly inspirational as almost 50% of this segment expect things to go their way versus 32% of occasional laughers.

In addition to having less stress, the “Power of Laughter” study showed people who laugh more are more likely to: maintain their target weight (48% vs. 42%), exercise vigorously (68% vs. 53%) and eat healthier with heavy laughers reporting to be 39% more likely than occasional laughers to eat fruits and vegetables with every meal. 76% of all of those surveyed and 84% of heavy laughers agree “my health improves when I laugh more.”

89% of those surveyed believe that laughter keeps them young and whether you are a heavy laugher or not, 80% of people believe that those who laugh more are more youthful. Additionally, 88% of people believe that laughter is energizing.

Good sexual health is also a benefit of laughter. Almost 60% of heavy laughers describe their sex life as “just right” versus 44% of occasional laughers. Additionally, heavy laughers are more likely than occasional laughers to participate in romantic activities every day or several times a week. Whether or not romantic activities are at play, 55% of people agree that laughing increases their libido and 54% of people agree that laughter is an aphrodisiac.

The “Power of Laughter” study found that there is an undeniable correlation between laughter and personal financial success. 52% of heavy laughers agree that they are living up to their full potential while only 33% of occasional laughers say the same. 33% of heavy laughers consider themselves very successful versus 22% of occasional laughers.

Heavy laughers are 69% more likely than occasional laughers to be satisfied with their job and 71% of people agree that laughter opens doors and creates opportunities. In general, 64% of people believe that people who laugh more are more effective.

Interestingly, there is a very social aspect to heavy laughers. Furthermore, heavy laughers actually draw people to them. Almost 90% of people agree that laughter brings people together. 40% of heavy laughers socialize with their friends several times a week versus 28% of occasional laughers.

Additionally, 89% of people agree that laughter is contagious and 76% of people are more attracted to people who laugh a lot. In fact, people find sense of humor to be the #1 quality that people find attractive in a person over other traits like physical appearance and intelligence.

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