NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2003 – The Independent Film Channel (IFC) announced today it will air an original, six-part reality series offering an inside, no-holds-barred look at a rock concert tour performed by actress Gina Gershon. The IFC reality series, Rocked With Gina Gershon, will premiere in April 2004. It will follow the outspoken Gershon (Bound, Showgirls, Face/Off) as she becomes a real-life rock star. Gina recently starred in Prey For Rock & Roll, in which she plays a wannabe rock star, a part that inspired her to form her own band and go on the road to support the film’s soundtrack. The Rocked with Gina Gershon announcement was made today by Debbie DeMontreux, Director, Production Development, for IFC.
Rocked With Gina Gershon will be presented, in part, as a video diary narrated by Gershon. It will capture the trials and tribulations of her tour and offer a look at the transformation of an actress into a singer facing live audiences. The reality series will follow Gershon from the moment she packs her bags to the last chord of her final performance. In between, IFC viewers will be taken backstage, on the tour bus, to the hotel rooms and after-show parties. They will witness all the tension, drama, bad sound checks, ecstatic moments and personal interactions that promise to make the behind-the-scenes action every bit as compelling as the performances themselves.
“Gina Gershon is one of the most compelling actresses on the independent scene,” said DeMontreux. “This is a rare glimpse of an actress who is willing to leave herself totally vulnerable for the sake of exploring a completely new discipline, and the result makes for riveting television.”
The feature film, Prey For Rock & Roll, stars Gershon in the story of a singer, Jacki, based on the life of veteran rocker Cheri Lovedog, who in the late 1980’s and early 90’s led the all-female punk rock band “Lovedog” through the Los Angeles club scene. In a unique parallel to the film, in Rocked With Gina Gershon the actress asks herself the same tough question as the Lovedog-inspired character in the film: “Is it ever too late to give up on your dream?”
“When we were doing the movie and I was in the recording studio, I just kept thinking, ‘What have I been doing all these years?'” said Gershon of her new found talent for and love of playing music.
Not content to merely be an actress trying to sing, Gershon worked feverishly to transform herself into a rock singer, complete with an unabashedly sexual stage presence and rock star attitude. Rocked With Gina Gershon offers a fascinating look at an actress who puts her public image at risk to play a completely new role.
Today’s programming announcement follows IFC’s recent introduction of several originals for the 2003-04 programming season, including Film School, In Search of Ted Demme, John Landis’ Slasher and In the Company of Women. These new projects build on the success of IFC’s launch in August of A Decade Under the Influence. Directed by Richard LaGravenese and Ted Demme, the three-part documentary presented a comprehensive overview of American cinema during the 1970s and brought together the likes of film icons such as Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Robert Towne, Sydney Pollack, Robert Altman, Dennis Hopper, Pam Grier and others.
Seth Jarrett is Executive Producer of Rocked With Gina Gershon; his company Jarrett Creative Group is producing. He has produced both series and specials for network television, with credits including MTV’s Ultrasound and House of Style.
ABOUT IFC TELEVISION
The Independent Film Channel (IFC) is the first and most widely distributed channel dedicated to independent film 24 hours a day, uncut and commercial free. IFC continues to expand its programming lineup with original series and independent genre-focused specials. The network’s recent, critically acclaimed series and specials include Dinner For Five, BaadAsssss Cinema, The American Nightmare, Indie Sex: Taboos and A Decade Under the Influence.
IFC Television is a part of IFC Companies, which has created a unique end-to-end business model and brand that focuses on developing and nurturing talent, and maximizing the value of independent film. With a television network, a film distribution and production unit, and a VOD service, IFC Companies represents the future of independent film. IFC Companies uses its unique position to broaden the independent film audience nationwide and to expand the opportunities for independent filmmakers. IFC Companies is a division of Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.